Easy 70 mins last night which included running a different section through Dukinfield.

Dug out my old Great North run schedule from 2008/9 and will improvise from that up until Christmas in prep for 4 villages half at the end of January.

Tonight I ran alternate pace session: 10 min warm-up, 1 min @MP, 1 min @HMP, 10 min cool-down.

Warm out so short-sleeves and only a slight wind on one section otherwise still. Had trouble seeing the watch so ran off perceived effort.

Effort went reasonably well but ran the MP minutes a bit hard and one or two HMP efforts not quite hard enough. Still, it was 20 minutes of effort and after Tuesday's 30 minutes I'm ok with that as a decent chunk of speed this week.

Averaged 6:27 for MP and 6:04 for HMP. I would be happy with those averages at 4 villages and Manchester.

Tuesday Tempo

Tempo run at Crossford Bridge. Ran with B group which was decent aiming for 6:05 at front and 6:30 at the back.

Felt good after warm-up. Quite a warm night with no wind or rain.

10 miles including warm-up and cool-down with roughly 30 mins of work.

Tempo splits:

6:38 160
6:24 165
6:14 167
6:05 171
6:05 172

Ran away from back of group and bridged to front of group but couldn't recover once I made contact. Luckily only 600m from the end of the effort so not too bad.

3 Weeks Post Abingdon marathon

Have taken it reasonably easy since Abingdon. A couple of sessions at Sale and the second MACCL fixture has meant I have kept some effort up during marathon recovery. 

Weeks since Abingdon have looked like this in terms of mileage: 

Week 1: 12 miles

Week 2: 19 miles

Week 3: 47 miles

Felt pretty good with the exception of a slight cold in the second week which meant I had another easier week which was probably a good thing. 

MACCL #2 Kenworthy Woods

Did an easy 3 miles in the morning on grass since I had missed two consecutive days on Thu/Fri. Felt fine.

Arrived at University playing fields as ladies race was underway around 1:40pm. Warmed up with Tim Rainey for a mile and a bit before getting into the huge field (500+) of senior men. Ground was firm and dry with only one section with anything remotely looking like sticky mud - which was easily avoided in any case.

Got into a decent rhythm but wasn't going too fast. Felt I could manage this pace and slowly made my way back though the field after starting in midfield. Got into a little race with a young lad from Stockport, going past him on the flat only to be retaken as he shot up the small climbs each lap. By the end he had my number and eased away from me. Other than that got a shout from Dave with 200 to go which injected a sprint to just duck under 40 mins. Not a bad effort but only marathon pace and with two days off in the week a bit "meh".

Decent run tonight at Sale. Ran with B group who were aiming for 30 minutes tempo around 6:30 pace.

Didn't want to kick it hard as its only been 8 days or so since Abingdon but found myself ticking along for 5 other guys in a second B group pack. After the first mile or so felt pretty good so pushed up to the front and held that until the end of the effort. It was good to get the legs turning over again and they felt pretty decent. Easy miles either side to round off 10 miles.

Abingdon Marathon Report

Arrived nice and early at the local college where parking was located at 7:45am. Walked the mile or so to the race start and jumped straight into a queue for the portaloo. Time went pretty fast as the queues had not built up too much by the time we arrived. I managed to calm some nerves I was feeling. 

Conditions were very good with a cool mist which made me do a gentle warm-up. Warm-up consisted of a pre-amble around the running track a couple of times whilst sucking down the spare gel I had with me. 

Got into position as the starter announced 5 minutes to go and met Jooligan from RW forums. Chatted briefly about race plan and then we were off. A reasonably slow start as quite a few runners were ahead of us and I crossed the line maybe 10 seconds after the starters hooter. We exited the running track and out onto the roads. First mile ticked by in 7:00 exactly mainly due to picking the pace up in the second half of the mile. So far so good. Legs felt good and stomach issues had subsided. I had decide not to risk my running belt as it adds pressure to my abdomen which I wanted to avoid so carried my gels in hand. This last minute decision wasn't a problem as I had previously carried my gels and it hadn't bothered me. 

Miles 2-5 slipped by in 6:43, 6:48, 6:48, 6:46 which was a perfect start. During the first couple of miles another RW forum poster Stevie spotted me and we ran and chatted along merrily as we headed through the small woodland trail section. We talked about targets and anything else running related to pass the time. We both noted Jooligan was 20m ahead of us and that a large group had formed. I suggested we take our time moving up to them rather than bridge the gap using up too much energy. 

I took my first gel just after 5 miles and took on water at the next aid station which luckily arived just after I finished my gel. I wish I could say it was planned that way, but it wasn't. Miles 6-10 flew by in 6:42, 6:47, 6:45, 6:31 (slight downhill) and 6:43. By now we were well into the first of two laps that would take us around the town square. 

The course was quite twisty in places and wasn't traffic free so we had to share the road with traffic on occasion. It wasn't a major issue as roads were wide enough and well marshalled. By now we had caught up with Jooligan and the group he was running with. Myself and Stevie settled into this group, which had thinned to four of us, and headed on towards the half-way mark. 

Miles leading up to half-way (11-13) 6:41, 6:46, 6:38. I didn't take a split at the half marathon but Jooligan did and told me afterwards it was 1:29:03. I felt really good at this point and didn't feel as though I had worked that hard which was a great relief and further boosted my confidence. Our group was rolling well but somewhere around a feed station we lost contact with Jooligan. I think he remained 10m back for a while as I glanced round a few times to see where he was. I later discovered he was having issues with his legs feeling heavy. 

I noticed from my splits that I had slipped off the ~6:40s, miles 14-17 were 6:50, 6:42, 6:51, 6:45. The 17 mile split was pleasing as it stopped me thinking I was struggling an restored some confidence. I think there might have been a small incline somewhere in there which may have accounted for the slightly slower miles.

At mile 16 Stevie pushed on and a 10m gap opened up. I knew he was going well so didn't try to get back to him. 

Miles 18-20 were good as I managed to keep the gap to Stevie at 10-20m and splits went 6:32, 6:39, 6:39. These splits were great to see and got me to 20 miles still feeling good and going well with no issues. I felt tired at this point but with the boost the gels were giving me I seemed to have timed them well.

My HR had remained consistently around high 150s since the first mile. HR didn't increase much above 160 until the last 5k. Miles 20-23 were the start of things becoming a little more difficult. I managed to latch onto a local runner from Headington RR. We exchanged a few words and I asked about the remaining course logistics, as much to think of something other than the tiredness that I was beginning to feel.  

Miles 20-23 were 6:39, 6:54, 6:44, 6,46. I still felt pretty decent as I picked off runners who were struggling a little. It was around 23 miles that I passed TR from RW forums who was digging in. I passed on some encouragement and moved forwards. I was thinking at this point that I only had 20 minutes of running left barring a catastrophic failure. This was the info I passed on to TR, whom I am sure was equally aware of this too. Stating the bleedin' obvious! 

Into mile 24 and the course gets a little twisty as you pass back through the town square. Lots of support and encouragement here. I was passed by a guy who I guess was in his 50s but rolling along well, I told him so too to which he replied - so are you, cheers fella. 

After safely negotiating the underpass around 23.5 miles? I knew I wasn't far away. I found the last stretch along the road and pavements back towards the running track hardwork. Miles 24-26 were 6:50, 7:09, 7:16. The last two miles involved my now customary counting in my head up to 100 just to try and keep a rhythm going (a Paula technique). Good support here from marshalls and locals sat in their cars waiting for the roads to re-open spurred me on. 

Turning back into the running stadium was a very welcome sight. I was initially disoriented to be entering the track the opposite way round however I soon realized it was only 300m to go. The desire to stop was big now and as I rounded the first bend I tried to see the timing clock next to the finish line. The sun-glare meant I couldn't, so I just hurried myself to ensure I got in under 3 hours. I picked up the pace as best I could and rounded a couple of other runners not finishing as strongly. I think I re-took the V50 who had cruised past me at 23 miles. Into the final straight and the relief at seeing the clock on 2:58 was massive. 

As I crossed the line I allowed myself a few clenched fist pumps. I was almost instantly greeted by an exstatic Stevie who had pushed on to set a massive PB of 2:55:49 - well played fella. I was relieved and delighted to have executed the plan pretty much perfectly. Splits were 1:29:03/1:29:35. Most definitely my best performance over the distance in terms of pacing and strategy. Maybe that little bit of experience paying off. 

Closing thoughts: 

During the latter part of training I had allowed myself to think a better result was possible. However, experience told me to not be greedy. My goal before this campaign was to run another sub 3 hour marathon, a legitimate one, since Manchester 2015 was a short course. 

Despite training going well and hitting peak form just at the right time, I still had doubts going into the race. I felt tired and my left achilles and calf were sore from the months of accumulated training. The increase in intensity in later stages probably contributed to the aches and pains so wisely not over estimating my goal was crucial. The splits show I ran the best race I could on the day with not much fade in the second half. Had I pushed more earlier on I may have lost more time later on and blown the sub 3. 

Finally, this result was mainly due to the consistent training I was able to commit to. I ran the most long runs I had ever done, averaged the most weekly miles I had ever done in a training campaign. Whilst this wasn't a PB which remains at 2:57:15, I feel confident pushing on from here into the new year and training as consistently to try and better this result in Manchester in April. 

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1918486832

Crappy run tonight. Decided to run a different loop just for a change down Manchester Old Road, past the City stadium, then back up Manchester New Road.

Pace was quite fast initially as it's downhill to start with. Felt ok but then started to feel pretty tired. Managed to keep going but the desire to stop was strong.

Was supposed to be 8 but ran 7 miles instead.

7 miles - 52 mins - 139 bpm avg

5 miles easy on grass round Lees park

22 miles in 2:44 - 7:28/mile - 145bpm average HR.

Set off steady and soon got into 7:3x/mile pace. Felt pretty good up to 12 miles when climb up the locks in Marple raised my HR. Seemed to recover well and got back into a decent rhythm. However, the weeks' mileage began to take its toll.

Managed to stay on pace target and finished strongly, last mile fastest (7:11).

Dry and cool conditions with a little wind in last two miles.

5 miles in 37:06 just to keep the legs ticking over. Left knee felt a little sore during the day so decided to have a run out.

Legs felt fine and quite springing. Knee fine too.

Cool and dry conditions with a bit of a breeze towards the end. Ran on Ashton IKEA/Stockport Rd loop.

5 miles in 40:15 on grass to give the legs a break from the roads and trails.

Dry and cool conditions around 1 mile loop on Lees park.

10 miles with 6 miles tempo - 70 mins - 6:59/mile - 146bpm average

2 mile warm-up

6 miles tempo - 38:58 - 6:29/mile average - 156bpm (equivalent to HMP)

Splits:

6:39
6:34
6:24
6:31
6:20
6:25

2 mile cool-down

Steady effort which felt comfortably hard until the last half mile of the effort when breathing got a little harder. HR climbed steadily throughout the effort by 10 beats (153/163)

Weather warm, no wind, ran along canal tow path.

10 miles steady - 74:22 - 7:22/mile - 154bpm average.

Steady pace which got a little too fast so backed off. Breathing easy. Warm and dry along canal tow path.

Best 20 miler this campaign in that it felt relatively comfortable the whole way and I was able to pick the pace up in the last 8 miles without feeling it was ever hard.

Ended up running the 20 miles in 2:28. 5 mile splits went:

37:55 142 7:35
37:38 146 7:32
37:00 148 7:24
35:57 149 7:11

Really pleased as HR didn't increase too much over the last 10 miles despite the pace increase.

Conditions were perfect with no wind or rain and quite cool. Usual route down the canal tow path although still having to start and finish on road whilst bridge repairs continue.

Vale of York Half Marathon

This was my first half marathon since Wilmslow 2015 where I ran 1:23 on the way to 2:57 at the short Manchester marathon the same year.

All I had this year to work from was the 3:12 ran in Manchester this year. I knew therefore that pace would be a factor having not done too much speed work.

What little speedwork I had done would surely not be enough to get close to 1:23. However, this is what I decided to push for in the early stages of this race.

By mile three it soon became obvious that running at 6:20/mile pace was not going to be possible for the duration. I slowed to a more realistic 6:30/mile and tried to settle into a ryhthm.

The course was exposed in places and a strong wind prevailed at one or two points on the outward stretch of the route. I overheard a marshall tell another runner that the route goes out for 5 miles, does a 3 mile loop round a village before returning back to the areodrome we started from.

I held the pace steady over the next few miles and tried to work off other runners who were coming back to me. One particular section I surged a little to catch a group in order to shelter from the wind. I soon realized they weren't going as fast as me so had to duck out from cover and push on to the next target up ahead.

I was joined briefly by another runner who seemed to be cruising along. He mentioned he had run a 10k the previous week but preferred this distance as it enabled him to relax and take in the scenary, nice if you can I suppose. I moved past him around 10 miles with the end in sight.

One more tiny climb over a road bridge and on towards the left turn taking us back towards the aerodrome. It was here that the wind really got into our faces and made it difficult to keep pushing hard.

I did feel tired at this point but not flat out. I felt the pace just fall a little and as the wind increased in the final 1/2 mile I didn't have the desire to bury myself.

This would prove the story of the race as the comfortable guy came last me in the last 200m I saw the clock ticking towards 1:26 and realised I had run a fairly mediocre race.

After a little while I decided the race wasn't a disaster and the workout proved I am not a million miles away from where I need to be. Ideally I would have run closer to 1:23 for confidence that the training was pointing towards a 3 hour marathon performance. However, the goal race is still 8 weeks away and as I step up the sessions I should have plenty of confidence boosting runs ahead of me.

I wanted to do some speedwork tonight and after reading about various sessions online, notably the runnersworld sub3 forum, opted for a session that Bournemouth AC do during marathon build-up.

The session is fairly straightforward being warm-up, 22 mins at MP, 4x4 mins fast, 22 mins at MP, cool-down.

The main aim of the session is to get 44 mins of MP running into the legs. The faster reps in-between are to increase leg speed and to buildup lactic to tire the legs for the second 22 mins (I think)

Session went fairly well seen as how I haven't done much speed work, especially in this format.

Breakdown of the session in numbers:

22 mins 3.32 miles 6:38/mile 162

4:00 mins 0.67 miles 5:58/mile 169

4:00 mins 0.65 miles 6:09/mile 167

4:00 mins 0.64 miles 6:15/mile 168

4:00 mins 0.61 miles 6:33/mile 168
22 mins 3.1 miles 7:06/mile 162 

Happy with that and despite  probably running first MP section too fast, i didnt unravel too much in the last session. 13.2 miles in 1:37 so decent miles for midweek. 

5 very easy miles tonight. Fairly uneventful and ran toward Manchester down the Ashton canal tow path due to the closure at Guide bridge.

20 miles done this morning in dry and warm conditions.

Set off nice and easy But despite this felt a little tired from 12-16 miles. I allowed my concentration to wander during this period too. I took on board my carbohydrate gels at 5, 10 and 15 miles together with isotonic fluid.

Towards the end of the run it got a bit fragmented due to the tow path being shut. I had to divert onto local roads which I had recce'd yesterday but still upset my rhythm. I also stopped to pass on directions to a couple of bemused cyclists who were not as prepared and unsure how to rejoin the tow path.

In spite of this inconvenience I managed to rally and put together 4 decent closing miles.

All in all a decent long run which brought the weekly total to 61 miles.

Steady 5 miles this morning. Finally legs felt like they had recovered from Tuesdays hill session. 

Had a rest day yesterday as legs were not happy at all.

Since it was Sumo big day out and I wasn't required to be in work for 8am I decided to run yesterday's scheduled 10 miles this morning.

Legs felt a lot better so pushed the pace after halfway. Conditions perfect.

PM: after getting home from Sumo big day out went for an easy 3 mile jog to round out the month.

August stats:

Total miles: 224

Total sessions: 26

Total time: 29hrs26mins

Calories: 23,238

9 miles tonight and the big story is how bad my legs felt from last night's hill session. Destroyed is one word to describe them. Even walking downstairs is painful.

The first mile tonight was uncomfortable but once my legs warmed up the rest of the run wasn't so bad, just the odd twinge and ache to put up with.

Conditions were cool evening sunshine.

9 miles in 68:07

7:40/mile

HR avg 144

Polar index 69

Decided to mix things up tonight and run some hill repeats. After considering some route options I decided to head out to Dovestones reservoir which has an off road loop around the main reservoir and then a steep track up to Chew reservoir (once the highest reservoir in the country).

Having taken inspiration from a Runners World schedule for running the marathon in under 3 hours, I set off to run 9 miles total with 15*2mins up hill with jog back down recoveries (including warm-up, cool-down).

After the warm-up (2miles easy) I arrived at the start of the track up to Chew reservoir. I had totally forgotten how steep the track sets off at from the bottom. Needless to say, I was seriously struggling within 60 seconds of setting off on my first rep of 15!!!

I managed 4 reps before having to adjust the session and move further up the track to a less demanding gradient. This decision saved the session and I managed to complete 6 more reps before heading back to the car totally spent.

Although the session wasn't as intended I felt I worked hard enough to get a training benefit and my legs got some good strength training which should help during the remaining weeks. Not sure how much of a hurry I will be in to return to Dovestones tho.

https://flow.polar.com/training/analysis/2771989407

Long drive home from mums so squeezed in 5 miles which felt harder than it should have. Similar to yesterday and noting resting heart rate was high again so perhaps some fatigue.

Did some stretching and foam rollering in the evening. I need to make this a habit to keep legs fresh as the heavy mileage kicks in over next 3 weeks.

6.5 miles in Holbury enclosure at mums. Just needed to bag some easy miles to make it another 55+mile week.

Relatively easy but some lingering heavy legs from 20 the previous day.

20 miles today at 8:30am in perfect dry and cool conditions. The sun was out at times but the temp never went up too much.

First mile was easy pace in 8:15. Goal today was loosely to pace at 7:50/mile for the first 15 miles, then try to raise the pace towards planned marathon pace (PMP) which I am aiming to be 6:50/mile (2:59:59 marathon).

Things went to plan mostly up to 13 miles, then my watch complained of being low on battery. This prompted me to switch to a lower quality GPS setting. This coincided with me experiencing stomach pains for the first time this campaign.

Not sure what caused the pains. Possibly the fact I went for a curry last night, or maybe the protein bar and half a banana I ate just before setting off .

Whatever it was it was enough for me to lose some focus and combined with the watch issues meant I struggled a little for next couple of miles.

As it turned out the battery survived at set the GPS back to quality setting as it was adding the distance up wrong in the lower quality mode. Last two miles were decent but the planned faster miles at the end never happened. Not sure I could have done them anyway as was very tired.

After yesterday's rest day I wanted to push the pace a little in tonight's 8 mile run. Also tested the automatic lap average pace feature.

Pretty good run considering the tiredness experienced yesterday. 8 miles in 58:50. Laps were as follows:

7:51
7:20
7:20
7:18
7:16
7:18
7:09
7:11

The lap average metric worked very well and I felt comfortable at that pace.

Rest day today as resting HR a little high during sleep and during the day. It is usually around 40, 41 overnight and not much more at lowest point during the day.

However, it was at 46 overnight and not much lower during the day today so taking a break.

6 easy miles tonight. Felt ok as took things steady.

Used a new metric on my watch which I didn't know about to view automatic lap average pace. This is extremely useful in controlling pace on a per mile basis. I used to use this metric all the time on my previous Garmin watches and was disappointed to learn this Polar M430 did not have this feature. Turns out it does.

Having run the first 5 miles around 8:30/mile I decided to up the pace to 7:30 to test the metric for change of pace. The watch did ok after some lag but I found it a little tougher than it should feel to run at this pace for the last mile. Will probably take a rest day tomorrow.

Conditions were a little drizzly but otherwise not too bad.

It was very hot when I got in from work so delayed tonight's planned 10 miles until 8pm.

Since light was already fading (summer is disappearing quickly now) I ran on my standard 5 mile road loop. It's not ideal as it has a couple of big road junctions, however, it is mainly on good pavements with long stretches of straight paths to get into a decent rhythm.

Started out feeling reasonable considering last night's blast and basically got into my stride early doors. Despite the temperature dropping it was still hot enough for me to be soaked after the first lap.

The second lap was run in darkening conditions with street lights now fully illuminating the route. I managed to pick the pace up quite comfortably and felt like I was running well. Almost that nirvana bliss like state of floating along effortlessly towards the end. Very hot and pretty tired when I got home though. Easy miles tomorrow.

https://flow.polar.com/training/analysis/2752097717

6 miles tonight in perfect conditions for running. My legs felt pretty decent despite the 20 miles the previous day. So much so I decided to add some pace.

Generally speaking it should have been an easy run to recover from the long run, however, since I felt good and I don't think I've been doing enough speed work, I decided to have a blast.

Ended up with 6 miles in 40:58 which is 6:49/mile or bang on marathon pace with a sub 3 hours target.

Pacing was a little erratic with splits as follows:

7:37
6:54
6:36
6:42
6:22
6:38

HR average 156

Felt in control mostly and whilst it felt a hard pace I could have done another couple of miles, especially if I had controlled the pace better.

Ideally I would run this session closer to MP and not build up so much lactic with the 'too fast' miles.

https://flow.polar.com/training/analysis/2748509737

20 miles done in fairly decent conditions today. Set my alarm for 7am but was always thinking I would never get out that early, the rain pelting the bedroom windows only confirmed that prediction.

Slept the extra couple of hours only to wake and get dressed to run to witness the rain falling heavier than before. So took the opportunity to rest some more and eventually set out just after 11am.

The run itself was uneventful apart from an unexpected ear-worm in the form of the Arctic Monkeys' song 'Teddy Picker'. This song rattled around for most of the 2 hours 37+ minutes I was out for.

Legs ok apart from feeling a little sluggish between 8-12 miles. Towards the end it got a little more uncomfortable but I noted at the time that I had picked the pace up from the steady 8:00/mile pace I had set out at.

20 miles in 2:37:29

HR average 145bpm

Average pace 7:53/mile

Polar Index 70

Weight in the morning (before run) 12st 8lbs

Refueled with this later on...

Got out after arriving back home for 4 very gentle miles along the tow path. Felt good to be back running on familiar paths but also a little sad the holiday was officially over.

Ran easy today as tomorrow is first long run for two whole weeks.

Up and out by 7am for the last run in France. We are travelling back all day today so needed to get 5miles in to bank the 30 or so miles from the week away.

Ran fairly easy as it was early and my body isn't used to such an early start since most of my running takes place in the evening.

Went out this afternoon in cool and drizzly conditions. A change to the heat of June/July back home.

Legs felt quite heavy to start with so kept pace nice and easy. Actually felt cold for the first time in ages and glad I wore my long-sleeved training top.

Passed another runner who said "Hi". Then came to the end of one of the tracks I had been running along which meant a brief period (3/4 mile) on-road. The roads are minor so only two cars passed me. Weather deteriorated at this point.

Back into the forest and on tracks again. Running downhill towards the carrefour that led back to our cottage. Doubled back up a previous track and did some quick maths to ensure I ran 8 miles by time I got back.

Final stretch was again an opportunity to lift the pace as the runner I passed earlier was heading my way. Reeled him in going up a slight gradient. As I passed I kicked on and by the time I turned onto the farm track I was flat out. Last mile 6:39.

8 miles 1:01:59
HR average 141
Polar Index 74

Running solo this morning as Thom was fast asleep. Set off fairly easy as wasn't chasing Thom on the bike.

Felt comfortable although conditions were very humid. I was soaked after 15 minutes. Despite the oppressive temps I cranked up the pace which was helped by a few other runners being out. They were mainly older than me so made for good targets to pick off.

Another 8 bagged and ready for day of travelling up towards Saint Malo to meet with my sister.

Ran this afternoon with Thom on the bike. Pushed the pace again as he was enjoying his ride. At times I felt like I was going too quick but looking back over the stats I was okay and only hammered on towards the end.

Enjoyed another ride with Thom and the time certainly goes quickly with someone to talk to. We need to find a suitable route near home so that we can do this more often.

10 miles 1:14:28
HR Average 143

This week ended with a wet 9 mile run in the forest tracks near our holiday home in Brittany. Thom joined me on bike.

After two days of travelling to Thorigné-Fouillard near Rennes (our holiday home) I didn't manage to squeeze any running in at all. With a 5am alarm call on Saturday to catch our ferry, my planned run on Saturday afternoon upon arrival did not happen.

After spending Sunday morning strolling around Rennes we returned to our holiday home and I decided to check out the forest tracks next to our base. Thom joined me on one of the provided bicycles. 

We set off in humid conditions, the tracks were perfect and I soon got into my stride. However, 4 miles in the rain came and didn't let up for the duration. 

Navigation was tricky but I was glad to have my phone with OS maps of the region loaded. You can easily rack up some decent mileage simply doubling back repeatedly, which is what I will probably end up doing next week. 

Me and Thom made it back after 9 miles soaked to the bone but happy enough. 

34 miles for the week which is fine as it was a cutback week and the traveling meant an enforced couple of easy days helped with tired legs.

Easy 3 miles today as another long day at work meant there was little time to do anything more. Also, very tired today and didn't eat lunch so felt hungry and fairly under fuelled for the run.

Felt easy anyway and recorded another all-time high Polar Index of 76.

Weighed myself this morning at 6:15am and was 12st 8lbs (79.8kg)

https://flow.polar.com/training/analysis/2717147472

I was dog tired before I started tonight having worked late again. Set out at 7:30pm intending to run 10 miles. I ended up tagging an extra 2 miles on for 12 since it was a cool night, I even wore a long sleeved top.

Since I felt so tired I didn't attempt to run progressively, instead kept the pace easy and bagged the miles.

On reflection I did pick the pace up a little Inthe last 5 miles. I started the run with a first mile of 8:15 but the last five averaged 7:35-ish so not bad considering.

Late out tonight because of late at work. Determined to get out and do something managed 5 miles steady with an easy warm up.

Ran on road via Ashton/Stockport Road route which may have accounted for some twinges in left ankle and right calf. Did some gentle stretching as can also feel tightness in shoulders.

Legs felt pretty good during tonight's easy 5 mile run. Hardly any effects from yesterday's long run. 

Managed to keep pace slow and HR followed suit. I even scored 70 on Polar OwnZone which I think is the highest it has ever been. 

I also noted the progress section of Polar flow projecting a 3:01 marathon. This is in-line with my progress pre Manchester marathon back in April this year.

All good signs that I'm heading Inthe right direction.

A hot 20 miles this morning in temperatures that were up around 22/23 degrees at 9am. Probably should have got up earlier but I did enjoy the extra rest.

Set off quite conservatively at 8:30/mile and didn't really get moving until mile 4/5. By which point I was moving along nicely at around 8:00/mile pace. 

Ensured good hydration throughout and consumed 1 gel and 200ml of isotonic drink at 5 mile intervals.

Got to 10 miles and my turnround point in just over 1:20:00. Took the opportunity to stretch a little, took onboard more fluid, a gel and a carb bar. 

Set off for home a few moments later and didn't feel particularly brilliant. Had lost some rhythm. The heat was taking its toll so had to manage my fluids and adjust my hydration strategy. I basically opted for drink stops every 2.5 miles instead of every 5 miles. This required a brief stop at Aldi atthe 15 mile point to top-up my water bottles. 

The last few miles were tough but I found a decent rhythm once again and cruised home tired but happy to have banked another 20 miler. 

Took on board 1.5 litres of water immediately and SIS Rego carbohydrate drink.

Steady 8 miles in good warm conditions.

Only slightest breeze on the canal tow path so was quite warm by the end of the run. Picked the pace up throughout to average 7:30/mile. Legs and breathing both fine with HR average 149 so perfect steady training.

Decent week so far just need to cap it off with a good long run tomorrow morning.

Easy 5 miles tonight. Quite humid conditions but pleasant enough at easy pace. Legs felt fine.

Decent run tonight in excellent conditions. Not too hot and barely a breeze.

Set off for 10 miles wanting to replicate last Wednesday's effort of averaging 7:35/mile pace. However, felt good after first 3 miles which felt sluggish and under-fueled, this despite eating two sandwiches for lunch (chicken and tuna).

Once the early fatigue and weariness passed I managed to pick the pace up and finished strongly. I even slowed in the penultimate mile thinking I had run hard enough only to see 6:55 pop up on the watch. I pushed on and marked another sub 7:00 minute mile.

Last four miles averaged 7:00/mile. Need to push this midweek 10 mile run towards averaging 6:50-6:30/mile.

Towards the end of July I finally got some consistency going and a decent base level taking shape. The final monthly totals looked like this...

21 sessions
23hrs 37mins
180.6 miles run
19610 calories burned

Key sessions included:

5 x 10 miles
1 x 18 miles
2 x 20 miles

Weekely mileage went as follows:

15
13
43.2
50
53.1