WEEK Four & Five (Jan 17-29) 2011 London Marathon Training

Leading up to Sunday Jan. 23^rd I felt strong. On that Sunday I set a person best 10k. After the 10k, I struggled most of last week. My legs we’re sore and I felt weak until this past Sunday.  I was also featured on Huddle’s blog this week, see the posting here, http://blog.huddle.net/the-marafun-team-ashleigh-casner

Jared, my husband, has been VERY supportive. He is always encouraging and even massages my legs when they are tired, usually on Sundays :) As a Valentine’s Day present he booked a weekend for us in Bath, old Roman city here in the UK, which even has natural hot springs! We head there next Friday and I can’t wait. It will be interesting to be a tourist while still logging a run 15 mile run… stay tuned!

Last 2 week’s completed runs, are below:

Week Four

·         Monday - rest

·         Tuesday – 4 x 800m fast

·         Wednesday – Slow 7 miles

·         Thursday – 2 miles jog and 2 miles fast (8:37 – 8:57)

·         Friday - Rest

·         Saturday – Easy 4 miles

·         Sunday January 23^rd Race 10k – set a personal best, 10k in 49:44

Week Five

·         Monday Rest

·         Tuesday – Fartlek 4miles

·         Wednesday – Slow 5 miles

·         Thursday – Steady 5 miles

·         Friday Rest

·         Saturday – Easy 4 miles

·         Sunday – Slow 11 miles (1:49:15)

WEEK THREE (Jan 10-16) 2011 London Marathon Training

This week I logged 29 miles with speed work on Tuesday, maintenance runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and a 9 mile run today. I definitely felt tired toward the end of this week and today’s run was tougher than I expected. I think it’s just part of adjusting to the increased mileage.  

Wimbledon Common

I have been running mostly through city neighborhoods. Although today I ran through Wimbledon Common which was a nice change of scenery. There were parts of my run where no one was in sight. It was just me and the open crisp air, it was very peaceful. I hope to do more park running as it's a great way to see all of London's parks. I plan on visiting Richmond Park next weekend. 

I have been listing to audio books recently which is a great way to take your mind off the running. At the moment I am listening to Dear John, which honestly is a bit of a downer. I think the next book I choose will need to be a bit more light hearted. I am considering a comedy or thriller. Any recommendations are appreciated! :)

This week’s completed runs:

• Mon Rest 
• Tue 1M jog, then 3 x 1M (or 8 mins) fast, with 400m (3-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog 
• Wed 6M (approx 60 mins) slow 
• Thu 1M jog, then 3M (approx 27 mins) steady, then 1M jog 
• Fri Rest 
• Sat 4M (approx 42 mins) easy 
• Sun 9M (approx 90 mins) slow

Days 5 & 6 - 2011 London Marathon Training

Saturdays run of 4 miles proved to be challenging for some reason. Sunday my run was strong I did 8 miles with an average of 9:30 mins per mile. I think this may have been due to my carb loading the night before where I had pizza and ice cream, super indulging!

I haven’t had any issue with the running until after my 8 mile run on Sunday when my arches (outside foot) started hurting. After doing some research I believe this was mainly due to my shoes. I have discovered I am an underpronator, whereby I run on the outside of my foot. I realized that my New Balance 1064's were not providing enough support. These were originally designed for neutral runners, and I am very much an underpronator. After doing my home work I decided to go with the Nike Air Pegasus +27 which are highly rated for underpronators. I will be running in them tomorrow, stay tuned!

Day 3 & 4 - 2011 London Marathon Training

Yesterday’s run consisted of 2 miles jogging and 3 running fast... Todays run was 2 miles jogging 2 miles at a steady pace? Both runs were fine and haven’t been too hard given the low distance. However, because it has been raining a bunch I have had to do my running on a treadmill which is not desired in my book. I always feel a bit off balance when running on treadmills. I also feel like it says I am going much faster than I really am...

Re: the diet it been pretty consistent, yogurt or muffin for breakfast, soup and/or sandwich for lunch, fruit or snack bar for a snack, dinner is filled with veggies and protein. Last night it was chicken and veg, tonight its sushi :) Oh an no alcohol... at least for a month.

I also registered for my first warm up race which will be a 10k in Windsor. See the details here, http://www.f3events.co.uk/race_view.php?i=125   should be a nice scenic run.

Until the next post, ciao!

Day 2 - 2011 London Marathon Training

Today’s run was strong. I did a 1 mile job, followed by a fast 1.5 miles, 5 min walk x 2. I ran from my office on Bermondsey Street across Tower Bridge past the London Tower then up to the Embankment station and back to the office. Total time – 56:14, Avg. pace 9:48, and Distance was 5.74. 

It took some motivation to do this at work during lunch, but once I was done I was happy I did. It was interesting to see how many others do the same thing. I saw people of all shapes and sizes running my route. Seeing so many others hitting the pavement like I was instantly made me feel better.

As for todays diet, this morning I had coffee and a large blueberry muffin. After my run I had a large bowl of Pho with beef and veggies. This afternoon I had a bowl of Fruit and Fiber cereal, it’s like Raisin Bran with dried bananas, yum! For dinner I will be having thin crust pizza with mushrooms.

Tomorrow's run is a relaxed 5 mile run, which I plan on doing after work. Depending on the weather it will be at the gym or outside...

Until next time... Ciao!

Day 1 - 2011 London Marathon Training

I have decided to do a sixteen week training program from Runners World targeting a 4 hour marathon. Check out the details here. However, since I was on vacation in Kenya I missed 4 workouts this week, needless to say I struggled a bit. 

Today exercise was to run 7 miles slow, I managed to complete 7 miles in 108 mins for an avg. pace of 9:25. The workout called for an avg. pace of 10:25 – 10:05 so no problem there. I did get a head ache mid way through. I have gotten these head aches before and I have found it's usually do to diet. Coming back from vacation and then running hard was probably a bit of a shock for my body. Anyhow, all and all it was an ok start to my training...

Below are some questions I had to provide for my running profile at work, I thought they would be fun to share… 

Previous running experience (races, PBs etc)

Various 5K and 10K races in the US and UK

What training have you done so far

Averaging 20 miles per week since July 2010

Reason for entering the marathon

To raise money for it4ch and have the amazing experience of participating in the world renowned London Marathon

Training plans or tips

I am following the Runners World Marathon Schedule: Sub-4:00. I am a first time marathon runner so my goal is to stay healthy and have fun! 

Target time for the marathon

4:00 - 4:30

What do you eat before / after training

Chili con Carne or pasta the night before and yogurt or oatmeal the morning of a race

Thoughts on your charity

There are over 240,000 children who are in need of continuing education during their stay at hospitals or long-term sick homes while battling their illnesses. It4ch helps them keep up with their curriculum to ensure continuing education during a very stressful time in their life. I am eager to assist in making these courageous kids life's a bit easier by supporting It4ch's mission.

Interesting facts

I have a growing track record of dressing up as 'large red children’s characters' such as Sesame Street's Elmo and Po the Teletubbe for fancy dress (costume) parties.