Two laps to Richmond Park with Jim

This is great training, I believe.

If I were running alone I would have settled for a slower pace. Running with Jim needs me to push a bit harder. Nothing too crazy but still challenging enough to force me to focus on the running. 

More running, less chatting. Especially in the second lap. 

As said, great training. For me anyway, not sure if for Jim though.

The bad news was that by the end of the second lap I was feeling tired so I had to play the “All right!” trick.

You don’t know what the “All right!” trick is?

It is a good tool to avoid sprinting when you know you are not going to win. 

It goes like this. As the finish is approaching and you are getting to the moment to start sprinting for the line say outloud: All right!, exhale loudly and slow down every so slightly, like you were starting your cool down. 

90% of the time your running mate gets the sign that there won’t be a sprint for the line, sometimes not even realising there was going to be a sprint for the line in the first place, and you are saved from a sure defeat at the sprint. 

9% of the times the trick doesn’t work but that is because you were not loud enough when you said All right! Or when you exhaled. If you are not loud enough your running mate might not get the sign and go for the sprint. Not good for your winning record.

What about that 1%?

Well that 1% is for when you try that trick with someone like me.

For me, hearing “All right!” followed by an exhale is not a sign of truce. It is a sign to attack. I know it doesn’t speak too well of me but, hey, nobody is perfect. 

Now if you want to be like me, be warned that attacking when your running mate has played the “All right!” trick still has the risk of losing the spring.

When that happens you look like a proper loser. 

It happened to me once or twice (mostly in cycling). That’s why you don’t really want to be like me.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15634151332

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

 

Eaten alive by JFW

Jim left me well cooked yesterday (https://www.strava.com/activities/15475420410).

Well cooked but alive.

I stuffed myself during the day. I wasn’t conscious of it yesterday but today I realised that’s what I was doing. Stuffing myself like a turkey. 

(I might be getting my metaphor wrong as I believe you normally stuff the dish and then cook it, and I’m going I was first cooked and then stuffed but bare with me in this one. It is not the first time I get my metaphors wrong)

I don’t know if stuffed turkey is a dish JFW likes but he surely ate me, alive, today.

Look at the profile of the route. That’s a revenge profile. A profile that says I’m going to hit your legs in the first climb. I’ll go to your throat in the second one (I was coughing so heavily at the top that I had to make efforts to not throw up. Didn’t want to ruin JFW’s fest). I’ll eat you alive after the third one.

It was easy for him. The third climb was so steep I needed to use my hands to hold at branches to not fall. I was defenseless.

From that moment he just had the best time. Devouring every piece of me and my soul one kilometer at the time. 

I knew I had one more hour of suffering. 

That was because I listened and took note when he said we were going to run two hours. 

But he was making the route as we were going. I sensed this was going to last a bit longer.

Especially when he asked how we were doing in time and I told him we had been running for 1 hour 40 minutes. 

He changed direction immediately and suggested we had 40 more minutes to run.

It was a whole hour. 

Enough time for him to finish his digestion. 

Ps. I find it funny how it turns out I had my best 400m time of the season in this run. 1m 14s, one more proof that I’m a sprinter.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15487629357/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Half a marathon before breakfast with Jim

 

That is for Jim of course. I made sure I had a proper breakfast before heading to the Roehampton Café.

I know all too well that if I don’t have a proper breakfast there is no way I can survive a run like this. I’d be bonking massively, probably before finishing the first lap.

Not Jim. He was solid. Keeping the pace there. Not too fast, but not easy either. Not killing me, but not giving room for me to aim for a sprint finish. Challenging enough to make me happy with my performance at the end but relaxed enough so we had great moments of chat (none of them running uphill in case you were wondering). 

The promised coffee and almond croissant at the end was very welcome. 

The brunch (third breakfast for me) later with the family was fantastic.

In the early afternoon I sat on my sofa, closed my eyes, and one hour later tried to convince everyone in the family I didn’t sleep a one hour siesta. 

No one believed me.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15475420410

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Back to trail running in the hills with JFW

The farthest I have run this year. 

I begged we run slow as I knew the impact of LEL was still affecting my body, a cold sore in my lower lip is a very reliable clue.

To his credit he ran slow all day, chatting all the way. I just managed to match his pace.

When we were running for about an hour he asked how I was doing and I answered I was doing just fine. That I wouldn’t mind running another hour or two as far as we kept the same pace. That was about half of my talk for that whole hour. The rest was him talking and talking about things I didn’t understand (limited blood in my brain affects my capacity to understand English, or any other language for that matter).

My answer was an honest one though. I was talking very little but with honest words. Until the “big” “climb” in the middle of the run came. About 20 minutes after I felt so optimistic. By the time we got to the top of the steep section I was done. Properly done. More than honest, those were delusional words.

That meant I went even quieter than in the first hour. JFW kept chatting away, saying “good morning team” to everyone we crossed paths with. I wasn’t even saying good morning to any of them. Politeness gets out of the window when I’m tired. And I was very tired.

JFW noticed my silence and inferred my struggle. He wasn’t tired enough so he was polite (JFW was polite to me!!!) and asked whether I prefer to go straight to the car or to take a longer route. 

I broke my vow of silence to just say “I had enough now”. 

We went straight. Which meant downhill. Which was great despite feeling in my feet every single irregularity in the ground. 

I thought we were about to get to the car when I saw a “climb” in front of us. In the profile is the last one but at the moment I didn’t know it was the last one. I couldn’t recognise it from previous runs (like 90% of the route), it looked long and steep for me. 

That felt hard. JFW asking me questions. Me questioning why I was doing this and forcing myself to keep running. I wanted to avoid having to walk at any price. My arrogance almost killed me. 

JFW kept talking all the way to the car, in the car all the way to Cobham, all the time while we were having a coffee at Gail’s, all the way back home. 

By the time we were arriving home my Garmin watch showed a message I had never seen before. “Higher than normal stress detected. Start a breathing exercise to relax?”.

While JFW was talking I tried to take a picture of the message. Between nodding to him to pretend I was listening and having to take my phone out but the time I was ready to take the picture the message was gone. Anyway, I found a picture on the internet, that will do the trick.

I am amazed how great these Garmin devices are. I don’t know if the stress it was referring to was the run or JFW constant chatting, but I got home, did a short breathing exercise (I’d never, ever, would do that in front of JFW) and fell asleep immediately.

Amazing what an hour of no hearing anyone talking to you can do to reduce your stress levels.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15410834903

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Valencia Marathon - My first ever marathon - Official time 3:39:49 (5:13m/km)

Well, that was way harder than expected. And I’m not that happy about it.

Last week (https://www.strava.com/activities/12971960713) I was saying I was going to pace myself based on my heart rate (“I'm going to aim to run it at 145 - 155 bpm”). 

That went very, very well. I managed to control my pace based on heart rate the whole marathon. I didn’t care if it felt like the whole marathon was passing me. I just followed my heart rate. My final average heart rate was 164 bpm (85% of my maximal heart rate).

I also did very well at following my nutrition plan. One gel every 20 minutes. Not much merit though. Yesterday I discovered it was possible to set my watch to trigger an alarm every 20 minutes. That made following the plan very easy. 

So, why am I not that happy? 

It just felt very hard. 

Not at the beginning. 

In fact, it was not hard at all for the first 25km. I was keeping my heart rate at 145 bpm. Around that mark I started with higher doses of caffeine. In my mind I was going to accelerate my pace to a heart rate closer to 155 bpm from the 30 km mark.

But from kilometre 25 my right leg started to send me messages. 

The message was something like “A big muscle is about to give up and that is going to be very, very painful”. 

Last (and first) time my brain received that message was back in 2008. The third time in my whole life I rode a [rented] road bike. The first time in my whole life I took part in a cycling sportive (148 km, 3370m). I was second to last of the whole peloton. (the report, in Spanish, is at: https://www.unbiciorejon.com/2008/06/x-marcha-cicloturista-lale-cubino.html).

To write this report I had to Google what muscle was about to give up. I don’t know much about anatomy but it is either the Rectus Femoris, the Abductor Longus, or the Vastus Lateralis. You tell me.

My brain registered the message but I decided to keep following the plan. Heart rate at 145 bpm.

Things got worse at kilometer 30.

Now my left leg sent my brain exactly the same message. 

That’s when I decided to give up my plan of upping the pace to 155 bpm. 

My muscles weren’t hurting. It was just the threat of going to hurt a lot that made me aim to keep the pace at 145 bpm.

That was hard. That felt really hard. I know it is silly but I wasn’t expecting to suffer that much. 

It took me a huge effort to not stop at kilometer 40 when the route passed in front of our hotel.

By that time everyone was enjoying their second wind and I was just praying for this whole thing to finish. 

I didn’t really enjoy the last kilometer. Yes, there were lots of spectators by the side of the road. Some of them even called my name. I was just fearing my legs were going to give up just there. I wanted to cry.

And then, when I had the finish line in sight, I saw the clock at 3h:39m and some seconds. 

That was it. I started to cry and upped the pace with the objective to make sure I was under 3h:40m. 

If I wanted to be sillier I’d have to train for it.

I cried all the way to the exit and cried again when they gave me that medal. I guess my nickname of “pee man” (three pee stops in the marathon, not happy about that either) should change to “cry man”.

So, yeah, I’m a bit stupid. I’m not happy about finding out my first marathon was harder than arrogant me expected, but I’m happy that today I had my fastest ever 5k, 10k, 15k, 10 mile, 20k, half marathon, 30k and, of course, I managed to finish.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13024264408/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

 

I'm a cyclist, I am running my first marathon tomorrow and I have a few last minute questions

Should I shave my legs? For cyclists the answer is obvious, rule 33 (https://www.velominati.com/) and all that. What is it for runners? I don’t want to give a bad impression in my first appearance.

Racesuit or Skinsuit? I’m tempted to go for racesuit. The pockets will come handy to carry my gels and I probably can afford the additional drag. 

Also, on what side should I pin my race number? I saw a few runners pinning their number on their belly. Are they hiding it for any reason?

Any sock length rules I should have in mind? The Union Cycliste Internationale is very opinionated on sock length. What about the Union “Runiste” Internationale?

Is it normal to not feel any faster on your [very expensive] racing shoes? When I bought them (“All the gear, no idea” could be my religion) I was surprised they were cheaper than my winter wheels. The surprise came when Strava said I had to buy a new pair. That is when I realized their cost per mile is higher than a black cab in London. I’m a cyclist, I’m used to falling for these marketing tricks, it would just be nice to know that I’m not alone among the runners.

Are town signs locations going to be published? One of my cycling mates (JFW) is big on going for town signs early in the race and dying half way into the race. He is also running this marathon and I’d like him to have a good experience.

Kind of the same question about KOMs? I’m not a climber but another of my cyclist-become-runner mates (The Pope) is a proper mountain goat. Is he going to be disappointed? 

What is the equivalent of wheelsucking in running? Is it considered good form to sit on someone's shoes for kilometers and then outsprint that runner in the finish line? Asking for a friend.

Where do I put my Garmin? I was considering carrying it in my hand but it feels uncomfortable. 

What is the equivalent of wheelsucking in running? Is it considered good form to sit on someone's shoes for kilometers and then outsprint that runner in the finish line? Asking for a friend.

At what kilometer will it be the coffee stop? I hope they have scones.

I don’t have any questions about the helmet

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Trying to find my marathon pace

Last Sunday I tried to find my marathon pace and my heart rate strap didn't work (https://www.strava.com/activities/12920436090).

Today, again, my heart rate strap didn't work so I removed it and relied on the heart rate measured by my watch. 

The problem was today was windy. Very, very windy. Gusty winds that didn't follow any pattern. Sometimes tail wind, very often cross winds and, what felt most of the time, head winds. 

That means that last Sunday's heart rate was useless and today's pace was useless.

So, I have decide I'm going to pace my Valencia marathon based on heart rate. I'm going to aim to run it at 145 - 155 bpm. That is between 85% and 90% of my maximal heart rate (170bpm).

I don't know what pace that would be. My best guess is somewhere between 5m15" (a 3:41:31 marathon) and 4m45" (a 3:20:26 marathon).

Finishing is a must. Finishing in that bracket would be an amazing result and I'd be satisfied with how the whole year went. 

But now that I have put concrete figures to it you can bet I'll aim for the lower one.

One week to find out. Uncomfortably excited about it.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12971960713

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

 

A story of disappointment

Today was meant to be an intervals day. Something similar to this session (https://www.strava.com/activities/12850227840).

The problem was it only took me 20 meters into the first sprint to give up. 

Giving up in your first sprint when you are supposed to do ten of them is very disappointing. 

It didn't go down well. I sweared out loud (in Spanish, mindful of the dog walkers)

I tried again in the next lap but I gave up even earlier. 

That's the moment I started to think about quitting the whole session. 

Instead, I kept running slow and trying to sprint in every lap. I was sprinting without faith though. Giving up before the sprint started.

Disappointment with myself grew bigger.

I wasn't sprinting, I wasn't even trying. What <insert here your favorite swear word> was I doing?

I don't know. 

To protect myself I stopped thinking about it and carried on doing what I was doing, pretending to be sprinting for about 10 meters in every lap. 

Waited to cover the 10km distance and called it a day.

Do you know what adds insult to the injury? 

The moment I got home I felt great. 

So here I am now feeling fresh, energized, not tired at all (what should I feel tired of? I ask myself) and very disappointed with myself.

I know it will pass. I have disappointed myself a lot in the past. Doesn’t seem experience helps to feel any better though. 

I need an ice cream.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12956793220/

Take care 

Javier Arias González

My journey to Valencia Marathon

This is how my training for Valencia Marathon has evolved since the beginning of the year (after, say, 35 years of not running at all).

In my mind I see two clear blocks. 

The first block goes from the beginning of the year to the end of July (first peak at 81.76 km/week). That was a seven month period where everything went to plan. Including the three weeks of no running due to riding the Bryan Chapman 600 and a cycling training camp in Granada. 

The topic of that block was increasing frecuency and volume while running mostly at 6 min/km. Most of the runs done in the treadmill with the objective to get less impact and allow my body to adapt. From march I gradually introduced running outside. From June we started the Kingston Wheelers running club sessions pushing the pace towards 5:30 min/km. 

I am happy with my consistency during that period.

The second block starts at the beginning of August. A series of BIG cycling events (1001 Miglia, training camp in California), week long trips (NYC, Barcelona), and an injury (I pushed a bit too much in my second trail run) forced me to follow the mantra of "when you can't do what you must do you must do what you can do". 

Consistency disappeared, it was replaced with the constant wonder of what to do next. How much should I run with jet lag? When is ok to get back to running after an injury? When you should increase intensity? Should I drop from the marathon and half marathon I had entered as preparation?

I am very happy with how I managed those decisions. At the end of October I was doubting I was going to be able to even run the marathon. A month later I believe I am at the right balance between excited and scared.

10 days now to Valencia. 

Take care

Javier Arias González

 

Don't ask me why

 The plan was to run "fast".

Don't ask me why. There is no good explanation for it. Yesterday night, when I went to bed, the minute I had before falling asleep, I decided I wanted to run "fast" to the office.

I was running with a watch so I was able to check what my pace was. 

And I didn't like what the watch was telling me. In my mind it was too slow.

Don't ask me why. There is no good explanation for it either. It was as fast as I ever ran to the office. In fact, looking now at Strava, I see I got a PR pretty much in every single segment. 

At the moment it was very frustrating. I was feeling I was running too slow and, at the same time, I wasn't upping the pace. 

Don't ask me why. Looking at my heart rate there was definitely room for me to up the intensity. I was just not running faster.

After a bit of reflection I came to the conclusion that it might have been a bit overambitious to think that I can get up by 6am, get breakfast (without caffeine), and go running "fast" by 6:30am.

I'll try again next time though. Even if you don't ask, I'll tell you why. I don't like the feeling of saying I'm going to do something and not doing it. Don't ask me why.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12779292538

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González