Upping the mileage

Training is well on course, a balanced mix of the various disciplines each contributing to improved all round fitness. The focus remains on running and everything is geared towards the long runs on the weekend. A 10 miler last weekend produced no real surprises. I was able to get through without any significant setback, despite a sluggish start. However, niggling ankle concerns meant training this week was very much limited to the pool, bike and gym. I did give the vibrams another whirl in the local park and sense it won't be long before I consider using them on the running track; the adjustment to this bizarre looking footwear is seamless. By the weekend, my freshness had returned and I set a twelve mile target for today's road run.

I've noticed significant improvement in my swimming lately; increased stamina and smarter technique is allowing me to incorporate front crawl in up to half my laps. I hope to improve this further still with some lessons in the coming week. I also feel less pathetic in the gym, although my strength is still below par. An improved diet of added protein should help address this and I'm even starting to cook some serious food in the form of chicken, as opposed to simply devouring raw tuna.

One would hope that the sum total of these efforts would see an improved performance in the running itself. My current pace is consistently around the 8 minute per mile mark, which is about where I peaked prior to Birmingham. My hope is to reduce this by about 30 seconds in the coming months, though at this stage it's unclear how ambitious that is. Some interval training around the Roger Bannister track down the road will no doubt help, however gruelling. If my pace was decent enough, the only other measure of progress was endurance. Twelve miles ought to be within reach, but why stop there?

At around mile 6, the motivation really kicked in. I'd just taken on the steepest incline of the entire run and was set for a flat few miles. My legs were in slow decay, but breathing was well under control. Pace was decent, but sustainable. As I hit the tenth mile, I was almost gone, but still had miles left in the tank. Breathing was not the issue; just the lethargy felt by the legs. At mile 12, I dared to venture further. The incentive to breach my previous record of 13.1 miles proved too tempting and off I went for one final swansong. As I returned, my stopwatch indicated that my pace remained consistent throughout. I clocked in at 1h 53, pretty much much maintaining the 8 minute per mile from start to finish.

It wasn't a totally unexpected performance, but it was premature. My target was to hit 14 miles by the end of the year, so I'm now ahead of schedule. I'll use the extra time to focus on speed drills, but with the comforting knowledge that the endurance aspect is well and truly on course. If I can avoid injury, I can look to embrace the new year with my first 16 mile run. Why not?