Category Archives: The Long Run

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Training: The Long Sunday Run

Although it wasn’t that long… I suppose ‘long’ is a subjective word. To an ultrarunner, long would be 50 miles and my 10 mile Sunday run becomes a relatively short run!

I digress.

One of my aims for this year was to try to do at least one longer run and one speed session each week. The aim was for each long run to last a minimum of 90 minutes as apparently it’s ‘time on feet’ that matters, rather than distance. So a slow 10 miles that takes 90 minutes to run is good for a training run, teaching your body to convert fat in to energy efficiently etc.

However… I get SO bored running by myself that 90 minutes of solo running is not an exciting prospect. So yesterday’s run was 9.8 miles and lasted for 70 minutes. It was a very hilly route – I always try to make my longer run hilly to add an extra dimension to the training and sprint up the hills when I have the energy!

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Training: Easy 5k, Tempo 8 Miles

Sunday – 5k Easy
On Saturday I ran my socks off to get a PB at Parkrun. I usually recover quickly but there was definitely a bit of residual tiredness in my legs on Sunday, so I opted for an easy 5k at around 6:40 minute miles.

Monday – Intended Long Run
On Monday, it was a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so I took the opportunity to do my long run of the week. Bored of my usual routes, I headed out in the car to explore. I remembered a nature reserve I used to go when we were kids called Arne so went in that direction.

Parking at my old high school, The Purbeck School, I ran a mile alongside a busy bypass before reaching the village of Stoborough, just the other side of the flood plains from Saxon walled Wareham. This was where the road split off in to a quiet lane, undulating for 3 miles towards Arne.

However… I hadn’t accounted for the sun being out and the time of day. It was only around 19 degrees c but having not taken any water with me, I started to feel really, really thirsty! So I turned around at 4 miles making the distance at the end exactly 8 miles, not exactly a long run but I’d already run 9 miles mid-week so I didn’t worry too much!

Some photos I took along the way, beautiful scenery with the ruins of Corfe Castle growing closer with every step…

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Next Training
Purbeck Runners club night if I can make it home from work in time, otherwise a tempo 10k with a few hills thrown in!

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Training: An Evening 10 Miler

It rained and rained all day on Sunday as I put off my long run with each passing hour of precipitation. “I’ll go when my breakfast has gone down… I’ll go after lunch… I go when it stops raining… I’ll go – Ah the rain’s stopped.” Even then I was thinking to myself, “I’ll just do a short 5k today and my long one tomorrow.”

The Run

So I shot out into the evening sun on what I initially intended on being a quick out-and-back 5k. When I reached the turning point at 2.5k, I felt good so carried on to 5k. I still felt good so turned down a road I’d never run down to add on a bit of mileage. This took me on a very hilly loop back round to my village. I can’t stress the words VERY HILLY enough. There were a lot of hills. Bearing in mind I’d started out at six minute miles planning on a short jog, this was a good workout. You know it’s been a good training run when you can’t get your legs to move any faster when home is in sight! 10 miles in 75 minutes – bearing in mind the hills I was quite happy with this (my 10 mile PB is 66 mins).

Upping The Mileage

The training is on now for June 1st’s 10k. This was a race that I did two years ago in 50 minutes in 30 degrees c heat – fingers crossed for cooler weather this time! With the lighter evenings it’s now easier to up my mileage to 35ish miles per week. 10 miles done on Sunday, 7 tonight incorporating a speed session, 6 on Wed, 6 on Thurs and i’ll try and fit in a quick morning 3 miles on Friday. On Sunday there is the Southbourne Fast and Flat 10k race. sometimes I think a 10k in race conditions does a lot more for your fitness than a gentle jog for twice the distance…

Next Training

Tonight, 6 miles + 20 x 200m repeats.