Forced to taper

stats of the week: run 6 km, gym 2 h

It looks like I had started the tapering for next week's 33K-race. It have not. I was forced to stop any kind of activity by a more severe cold than last time. In fact it seemed to be the same affliction I had 3 weeks ago. My guess seems to be confirmed that I was not really fit when running last Sunday's half marathon.

As the whole weekend is booked I hope to be able to take part in the race. But I have to realise that there is no hope to go for a high performance.

Disappointing London Big Half Weekend

stats of the week: run 42 km, gym 2 h

My first this year's London weekend was no successful one for me. 1:51:50 is not the result I hoped for. Okay, there is no lack of excuses.

Our Friday flight by Flybe to London City was cancelled just when we approached the gate. Then we had to queue for 2 hours to get a new booking for Saturday but this had Birmingham as its destination.

On Saturday we got no information by Flybe while we waited for 6 hours to finally board our flight into Birmingham. A convenient train ride brought us into London City by 9 pm.

On Sunday morning I first assisted C to collect her bib then I made my way to the orange start area that was on the South side of the river. There I had to queue for 40 minutes to receive my number (and I have to admit I pushed myself forward). Luckily I was able to drop my kitbag a second before the lorries closed.

However, I tried to follow my race schedule but felt from the first mile on that this was not my day. Legs felt okay but I had problems to breathe freely. Maybe - hopefully - I was not completely recovered from the latest cold. Otherwise I would have to face a significant backdrop of my performance. Imagine last year I was 7 minutes faster.

Just to warn you I should mention that also our Flybe flight back to Dusseldorf got cancelled what meant another delay of 4.5 hours.

By the way thanks to Tower Hotel who did not charge us for the missed night.

Realistic challenge?

stats of the week: run 44 km, gym 4 h

I skipped the treadmill speed intervals once again as I felt that 2 half marathons within 2 weeks with a long run in between would be enough load for my body and legs.

Completed the long run at a temperature of 2°c and very cold wind and I was totally exhausted after this experience. I now start to realise that my 33 K target of sub 3 h may be too ambitious. I would have to be as fast as three years ago. You always need a challenge but this one may be too high for me.

We'll see. Next goal is sub 1:50 at the Big Half.

Brexit Half Marathon

Got the final instructions for the Big Half London Marathon. Surprisingly there is no Expo. British residents receive their start package by postal mail. Overseas runners have to pick up their bib, chip and kitbag at race morning before the start. And they are required to present their passport!

What do organisers think how we should handle the passport during the race? It seems to be unthinkable for them to send a letter across the Channel. Perhaps this race should be called the BREXIT HALF.

Adding to this there is more unexpected inconvienence. I booked the Tower Hotel to have the start line right in front of my doorstep. Now I learnt that I have to pick up my number south of Tower Bridge but will not be allowed to cross the bridge. That means I will have to walk 2 miles to cross the river via London Bridge only to get to a point that is 300 yards away from my hotel.

I better should have a cup of tea and keep calm.

Back on Road

stats of the week: run 37 km

Had to cancel more workouts and given a week of illness I have to be satisfied that I am on the road again. Only almost recovered I took part at the local half marathon in Bertlich where I tested a pace of 5:20 min/k. I managed the speed but felt to touch my current limit. In 4 weeks my goal is to keep this pace for 33 km. Some more work to be done to get there. Next target is the London Big Half within 1:50 h what requires a pace of 5:10 min/k.

Week of weakness

stats of the week: run 31 km, gym 4 h

No good news this week. I had to skip the most important workout of the week - the long run - due to the ongoing cold that got worse. At this point any more running doesn't make sense. Heart rate and oxygen saturation looks perfect but I feel absolutely weak. This is already my second week that I can't follow my schedule. Keep calm should be the motto now. 3 weeks to the London Big Half and 5 weeks to the Syltlauf.

Old heart beats less

stats of the week: run 39 km, gym 4 h

I had to skip one workout this week due to a minor calf problem but I still feel on course with my schedule. The second interval session on the treadmill confirmed that my heartrate decreased by around 10 bpm during the last 3 years. That is a big step backwards as this limits my performance. Anyway, that is not a new finding, I experienced these changes noticing my times and speed already.

I changed the intervals from 6 x 1km to 3 x 2km this week to get prepared for longer runs with a higher pace. Highest pace was 13 kmh and heartrate 140 bpm. Still hope to increase the heartrate a bit by a slightly higher pace.