Target Race Update: Reading Half

Target Race Update – So this year I’ve set myself a challenge – to aim for PBs for distances from 5 to 50k. No PBs yet which is pretty much as I expected.

I’ve completed two races – Tadworth 10 and the Watford Half. My next is The Big Half where I managed to score a £10 community place via my running club. My target PB race (no pressure….no pressure) is the Sage Reading Half ! I’m a blogging ambassador for that one, so yes, I get a free place. Only 4 1/2 weeks away – argghh!

So, here’s to put it out there, my time to beat is 2:10:42 which I set 3 or 4 years ago. And I remember the time simply because I beat my best hoped for time by a whole 18 seconds!

The last few years have been about marathon training or training for my first 50k and getting to those races injury free. In previous years I’d been injury prone. I know I should have incorporated speed work into training for these … live and learn … my times were grim but they were all completed.

 

Training update for target race

To be honest, I don’t know what my chances are of getting a PB at Reading. January was a bit of a wash-out, and this month seems to be going a little that way as well – minor lurgies, life getting in the way and all of that. Also my lower back is giving me a timely reminder to keep doing the core work…will I ever learn??

But I haven’t given up hope…yet.

Now I’m not expecting some miracle transformation from this

 

 

to this

 

Somewhere in between will do me just fine.

 

The Plan

It’s pretty simple really

• do the miles I need to do;
• work on pace and speed split across a distance run, 2 x speed sessions, and another couple of runs at easy pace;
• keep embracing hills which are great for endurance and strength; and
• get back to doing core work to work on my weak spots!

I’ll be doing February’s update at the end of the month where I’ll give specifics on stuff like mileage and pace.

I’ve managed to lose a little weight as well – about 3kgs since New Year’s. I’m not on a diet. Dieting makes me grumpy and it makes me want to eat ALL THE CAKE. Given I can quite happily go for months without the stuff, I think it’s my contrary nature kicking in i.e. tell me not to do something, you know what, I might just do it!

I know some of these runs won’t be much fun. I’m sure some of them will really suck. On the flipside, I know there will be days where everything comes together like today – only 5 miles but it did include a 1 mile uphill and it felt pretty damn good. I even enjoyed getting a little lost. And what I really loved is I could’ve kept going!!!

 

And let me know if you’re going to the Reading Half!!!

 

So happy running folks!! Do you have a target race? And if so, what is it?