5m Easy Run

Clobwebs blown away and great to feel that running bug again. A fairly steady run although, for the pace, my heart rate took a little settling between mile 2-3. Great to be back though!

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	42:59.9	5.00	8:36
1	8:53.9	1.00	8:54
2	25:09.4	3.00	8:23
3	8:56.6	1.00	8:57

5m Easy Run by stevetrotteruk at Garmin Connect - Details

MANCHESTER MARATHON THE BEGINNING!

I've officially signed up for April's Manchester marathon. If anyone fancies joining me, even just for the odd training run let me know. My ultimate goal is a sub 3h10min time to gain a guaranteed 'Good for Age' place for The 2014 London Marathon. The Manchester course claims to be the flattest in the UK, even flatter than Edinburgh so would be a super 1st marathon or PB course for anyone thinking about it. Right, time to right up that training plan, less than 20 weeks to go!

ROBIN HOOD MARATHON 11 September 2011

A massive thank you to everyone who showed their support and helped me to acheive a marathon time of 3hrs 39mins 51secs, raising a massive £1271 for The British Heart Foundation. It was a superb day and can't wait for the next one.

1 week to go!

So here we are, 28 weeks and 575 miles of training completed and I'm just 6 days away from my first marathon.

I've taken things pretty easy this week as part of my planned tapering, allowing muscles to heal and my body to recover. The worrying twinge in my left hip after Mondays 10 miler has now become just a slight niggle and I'm hopeful it will have healed completely come Sunday. Apart from that I feel great and can't wait for race day to arrive.

I've calculated my pacing throughout the race and will be aiming to run a negative split using the following times.

Miles 1-2 8:13/mile

3-9 8:05/mile

10-17 7:59/mile

18-26.2 7:51/mile

My trusty Garmin 305 watch should hopefully help me monitor me times and, if all goes to plan, I should finish the race in just under 3hrs 30mins - although I will be more than happy to just finish.

Sponsorship has really taken off this week, a big thank you to all those who have have given so generously. I am currently just £169 away from my £1000 target and am hoping, with the last few sponsors still donating, that I will reach this target by Sunday. If you would like to give please let me know and I'll pop it on my sponsorship form. Alternatively you can use my fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/stevetrotter.

The week ahead is all about making sure I'm relaxed and well rested and that I feel good, both mentally and physically. I plan to get a few short runs in but fitness and training wise the work is all done. Sleep is the doctors order for the week, so am planning plenty of early nights, as there is little chance of a lie-in during my first week back at school.

I will be posting how I got on and, eventually, a full race report (including my final fundraising total) so please keep checking back for my latest news.

See you on the start line!

Steve.

10 days to go!

Heart Runners race shirt arrived today, plenty of room and a decent wicking material. You'll certainly see me coming!

7 Weeks To Go! - 16 mile Longest Run

After a reassuring trip to the physio on Friday I started this 16 miler (my longest yet) knowing that there is no major problem with my knee, just a little more strength work needed to keep the twinges at bay.

I ran 4 miles at a comfortable 9min/mile pace and then 8 miles at 8min/mile marathon pace, followed by a final 4 miles at 9min/mile.

Cardio and heart rate wise the run felt great by the knee was hurting from about mile 4, a pain which came and went throughout the rest of the run. By the end of mile 16 I was very achy and really felt the difference from the 10-14 mile long runs I've been doing over the last couple of months.

This run has really reiterated the advice from my physio that strength and core work will really come into play as I step up my long runs ready for the Robin Hood Marathon on September 11th.

Another enjoyable early morning long run but one that's certainly got me thinking.

"And the money kept rolling in!"

Thanks to all the members of THURCROFT THEATRE GROUP for their kind sponsorship of £105 tonight, bringing me 1 step closer to my £1000 target. Please give what you can by donating at www.justgiving.com/stevetrotter