Dechmont 10K Training Loop May 9th 2011

Time was 45mins 23secs with an average heart rate of 144bpm. My resting heart rate was 40bpm, so not quite there yet. Before I caught a heavy cold, I was running around that loop at that pace, but at 5bpm less.

The Clyde Walkway Training Run - 8/5/11

Time today was 56mins 17secs with an average heart rate of 143bpm (7.5 miles). My resting heart rate this morning was an improved 39bpm; yesterday it was 5bpm higher. I had too much alcohol last night. Plan is to stay off it for a month or so.

Glasgow Parkrun #121 - 7/5/11

Time today was a predictably slow 19mins 11secs. The savage virus (heavy cold symptoms) I have suffered these last two weeks took its toll on me big time. My average heart rate was a very high 175bpm and it even varied between 179bpm-183bpm for quite a while. My resting heart rate this morning was a disappointing 44bpm and I knew then that I would be in for a difficult race and it proved indeed to be that way. I can, however, take solace from the fact that I managed to sustain a very high heart rate for 5km - encouraging! My heart rate maximum is 184bpm. The moral of the story - don't race if you have a very heavy cold and especially if you have something even more serious like the flu virus.

Hamilton 9 mile training run - 1st of May 2011

I have suffered from a really nasty and heavy cold for the last ten days and have trained only once in that time. I stuggled on this run today. Three weeks ago I ran the same route more than 5 minutes faster with an average heart rate on only 143bpm.

18 Mile Training Run to Uddingston and back via Hamilton - 19/4/11

Time tonight was 2hours 13mins 32secs for 18 miles. Pace was 7mins 25secs with an average heart rate of 148bpm. Peak heart rate was 159bpm and total energy expenditure was 1710 calories. Great running conditions tonight.

Balfron 10K - 17/4/11

Time was 39mins 49secs (chip). Probably the toughest 10K course I have ever run. Killer hill after killer hill. My heart rate average was 169bpm, but for most of the race it hovered around 173bpm. My tactics today were rubbish. For the first 5K I allowed my heart rate to rise as high as 175bpm and even 179bpm (briefly). My 5K split was 18mins 52secs, but I was severely stressed by then and knew there would be no way I could sustain that pace or heart rate for the second half of this out and back course. A lot of people passed me in the second half of the race (seven I think). The last two kilometres were particularly demanding. I sprinted to the finish line to dip under 40mins and was completely shattered at the end. My mate (Robert Gilroy) won it in a great time of 33mins 20secs - fab!!!

Hamilton 9 Mile Training Run - 12/4/11

My time today was 1hr 05mins 04secs (7mins 08secs per mile). That is a minute or so slower than last week, but I still have Sunday's 10 mile race in my legs and it was windy today as well. The average heart rate was 144bpm. I have decided to enter the Moray Marathon on September 4th 2011. That is 20 weeks on Sunday. My weight is 9st 9lbs and my BMI is 22.48. To run under 3hrs I will need to reduce my BMI to around 21.0 or thereabouts i.e. body weight of approx 9st, give or take a pound or two either side.