Long run day

I took a long run today with the aim of running for longer than an hour and a half. I decided on 11 miles at my new "slow run" pace of 9 min/mile (run stats here). Things went really well and I felt fresh the whole way. I did 11.63 miles in 1 hour 43 min 40 sec, just a shade quicker than planned. I have started using Garmin's motionBased service to record my training data, it is really cool, the link above links to the data for today's run. My full training diary is available here. So my first week back on the road has been pretty successful. Any aches and pains from London are behind me and my legs feel full of running. For the record this week's totals are as follows. 35.47 miles in 4 hrs 51 min 20 sec (8:36/mile) with a av heart rate of 135 BPM (mBeat 1.45).

10k time trial

In order to choose an appropriate training program for Nottingham I have decided to test myself at the 10k and half marathon distances over the next week or two. The training programs specify standard times for these two distances, if you can achieve them, the training program should deliver the goal marathon time. Today I took on a 10k run, aiming for sub 45 min. My actual time was 44:42 (7:09/mile) which I was pleased with. I suspect I could trim a little off that but not much. This time is in line with the Runner's World 03:30:00 marathon program, if I can follow it up with an appropriate half marathon next week, I might realistically be able to aim for three and a half hours in September!

1000 mile socks

I spent a very pleasant recovery run around the field testing my new 1000 mile socks today. The weather was fantastic, bright, sunny and hot and the socks must have worked because I got round without a hint of a blister, even though I did not use my customary duct tape. For the record, today's stats were 3.6 miles in 32:21 (8:59/mile). I also put in a quick bike ride in the afternoon just to keep my hand in for the upcoming Norwich 50. Sponsorship Update A big thanks to John. Hang on in there!

Steady run in the sun

A steady trot around the "Maypole Loop" today, 7.09 miles in 54:47 (7:45/mile). I managed to speed up with each mile and was pleased with how I felt at the end. I need to find out what a realistic racing pace is for the Nottingham Marathon. I would like to think I could aim at 8:15 or better, to check if this is reasonable I intend to push my speed/distance envelope over the next couple of weeks to see if I can stick the pace. Sponsorship Update Tish joins the party. Thank you very much.