Jack Penfold

How to stay motivated

January 20, 2020 by Jack Penfold

Despite loving running we all have those days where we just don’t want to go out and run. To me running is an addiction I use it to keep fit, achieve my goals, socialise and escape the worries, stress and struggles of everyday life.

Running helped me massively through some tough times during my teenage years. Seeing how much it helped me I make sure I don’t let myself get too lazy, as I know if I don’t run it’ll get my emotions flowing, it’s sort of like a medicine.

So in this blog I’m not going to tell you how to stay motivated, because as we know everyone is different, what I do may not work for you and vice versa. Instead I’m going to be talking about what motivates me and what I know motivates my fellow running buddies, hopefully you can take something from this post and it’ll help you get the most out of the best sport in the world.

Train with people

If you can, try and train with some friends. For me training with friends makes the miles pass by quickly, if you’re having a tough day running a long run alone can be daunting and the last thing you want to do. Maybe organise to run with a friend and have a coffee and cake after, that’ll hopefully make the run ahead less daunting and make it easier to get out the door.

It’s quite easy to come home from work, or take a seat on the sofa. I know for a fact as soon as I sit down it makes it 10 times harder to get out and go for a run. If you’ve pre-arranged to run with someone or they’re picking you up then you’re accountable, someone will be waiting for you or expecting to see you. From my experience I always used to struggle to wake up at 7am to go for a Sunday long run in the hills with friends, eventually the term ‘#EverySunday’ became a joke as I mentioned I’ll be there every Sunday. From that little joke I’ve been more motivated to show up each week when I can. It also helps that I travel with people so sending a text saying “I’m not coming because I’m still in bed” or another excuse is harder than getting up and going out with them all.

Switch up your routes

I always find switching up my routes helps a lot. Before my Berlin Marathon training block in the summer of 2019 I set up running routes ranging from 4 to 12 miles, I made four of each distance 2 from home and 2 from work. By doing this I had the chance to avoid the seafront when it’s windy, go a little bit off-road if it was dry and run in quieter areas if I wanted to chill out and unwind.

Don’t be afraid to ignore your plan slightly, not all the time but sometimes. Following a plan religiously can get a little tedious and tough. For example if your plan says easy 6 what’s the harm in just going out and running. Don’t set a route just run and turn down a new road, explore a bit come back and see what you’re at, you can always add more.

Set short term goals

We all set goals at the start of the year don’t we? I know I did, and how good does it feel when you achieve that goal? So what I’m trying to get at is, achieving your goals give you such a good buzz and sense of achievement, but why wait months or even the whole year to achieve them? Set shorter goals, for example if your yearly goal is to run 2,000 miles, why not set a shorter goal to run a 170 mile month or a 40 mile week. Or if your yearly goal is to run a sub 50 10k and your current PB is 55 minutes, then work your way down. As an example of short term goals it would be, 25 minutes for a 5k and 52 minutes for a 10k.

By setting ourselves short term goals we’re giving ourselves a chance to get ‘that buzz’ from meeting our goals, they’re also steps towards your big yearly goals so you don’t lose track of them.

New running or recovery gear

Now I don’t like saying materialistic things but…. I’m going to. Using new running or recovery gear always motivates me, to go out and try it, or go for a tough run and use the recovery gear when I get home. Now I’m not saying that you have to go and buy new gear, why not ask a friend? They may have something that you could borrow and try yourself, just having that excitement of knowing you’re going to be trying out something new can give you that extra push

Train at different times

If you can try and train at different times of the day, rather than a fixed routine. Sometimes for me there’s nothing worse than coming home after a day at work to the run in the dark. Or on the other hand I’d look forward to going out, putting my light on and running in the dark, it’s quieter and I can go about my own business. By having a fixed time of when you run each day you can feel quite isolated, switch it up and run when you can, whilst you can

Top tip and quote of the blog

Don’t make running become a chore,
do it because you enjoy it,
Do it because you can

Thank you for reading 🙂

2019 round up

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 by Jack Penfold

Looking back on 2019

Just like that 2019 if over and for me it’s been fantastic running wise, mainly because I’ve never been so consistent with my running throughout a whole year. I managed to hit a minimum of 100 miles a month and my highest month was 226 miles achieved the month before the Berlin Marathon.

Races

I’ve also had a good year of races starting off with the Chichester Corporate Challenge in March. It’s a 2.7 mile race around town which takes place every other week on a Wednesday evening. The first week I finished with a time of 15:43 averaging 5:40 per mile. The 2^nd week I improved and finished with a time of 15:39 and the final week I took another 3 seconds to finish in 15:36. These three races set me off on a high and it felt so good running at speed.

After the final Chichester Corporate Challenge race.

In May was my local 10k and I’d been hoping to get a new PB as mine had stood since 2015! I set off a little conservative and then kicked as I got to the 5k mark. Finishing in a time of 38:11 which was a new personal best for me. This was followed 2 weeks later at the Worthing 10k where I ran below my previous best whilst being hungover. All was looking good

Coming into the last 2 miles of the Bognor 10k

As a warmup for the Berlin Marathon I ran the Seaford Half Marathon near Brighton. I went over with my best mate the night before and we had a great evening, it was his first half marathon too which made the whole weekend special. The course was a tough out and back 4 lapped route along the very windy seafront. Despite conditions not being perfect I finished in 7^th place with a time of 1:26 which was another new PB.

Me and my friend Charlie after the Seaford Half Marathon

Then came the big one, I’d been waiting almost a year for this and finally the time had come to run my 3^rd ever marathon, it was the Berlin Marathon. I flew over on the Friday with my partner and mate Mark. My race plan was executed perfectly and I finished in a massive PB of 3 hours 11 minutes 8 seconds. You can read more about my Berlin Marathon weekend in my previous post.

My final race of the year was the Benidorm 10k. A group of about 15 of us go over every year for a bit of fun and to round off the year. It’s normally quite messy with a lot of us struggling to make the start line on Sunday morning let alone make the finish line. However we all get it done and this year I took my new go faster Nike Zoom Fly 3 race shoes and beat my previous PB by a few seconds brining it down to 38:08

Favourites

Book: This year I finished reading ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ written by Chris Lear. The book follows the University of Colorado cross country team during the 1988 season to the NCAA cross country championships. This book has inspired me lots this year, seeing how the coaches have got their team running so well and what they have achieved. If you need a book to read this is the one.

Link: – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Buffaloes-Wetmore-University-Colorado/dp/0762773987

Shoe: This is a hard one as I’ve bought a few shoes later on in the year and haven’t put in enough miles in them to properly judge them yet. So going on that I’m going to say my favourite shoe this year was the Nike Pegasus 35 Turbo (2018 edition). This is all down to it being so versatile, if I fancy using it for faster tempo work it’ll handle it well, in the same way that it’ll handle easy runs well. The Zoom X foam really does reduce some of the pounding on your legs.

Running accessory: For me this will have to be the Salomon Agile 2 running hydration pack. I bought this pack in the spring to replace having a water bottle belt around my hips, I’m not sure about you but I find having a belt around your hips is irritating and mine always used to move around a lot! The backpack sits comfortably and is so light it doesn’t feel like it’s even on my back, I can carry 1 litre of water and I even have extra space for my phone, keys, spare top and gloves.

Personal

In June 2018 I became the Press Reporter for my local running club, Bognor Regis Tone Zone Runners. This was really special to me as I enjoy this side of work and it’s something I have a passion in. Since then I’ve created the public Facebook page, Instagram and published nearly 50 different race reports in various local newspapers and online.

In September 2019 I became running coach for my club. I was asked by our Head Coach if this is something I’d like to do, I’m always up for challenging myself and experiencing as much as I can. I really enjoyed the course and learnt a lot from it, since then I have been finding my feet and have lead a few club nights, it’s also helped me become more confident in myself.

After struggling with mental health in the past few years I found running really helped me, whether I’m running hard in a session or race or whether I’m having an easy day it always clears my mind. I’ve made lots of great friends from running and the social side is more important to me than chasing down new PBs (although they are really nice)!

Stats:

Miles ran – 1,657 (From London to Moscow)

Time spent running – 221 hours 30 minutes

Elevation gain – 35,423ft (equivalent to climbing Mount Everest twice)

Average weekly mileage – 34 miles

Got a new PB for every distance

23 parkruns

What I’m hoping/aiming for in 2020

I have three main targets for 2020:

Is to introduce more hill work, I really want to try and double the elevation I’ve done this year. Aiming to get stronger legs and hopefully this will show with my results
I’ll also be aiming to focus on more core work. I started off this year with doing it once a week but after 8 weeks I became really lazy until recently. I won’t be heading off to the gym but I have my own plan to do at home, this is all to build a great base.
And finally I’d love to have a new batch of PBs, I’ve managed to get a full batch this year (5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon) so I’m hoping to do it all again next year!

I hope you’ve all had a fantastic 2019 and have an even better 2020. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts throughout the year.

Berlin Marathon 2019

October 2, 2019October 3, 2019 by Jack Penfold

Wow… wow… wow… What a weekend that was. Back in November 2018 I got the email through to say that I’d been successful in getting into the Berlin Marathon Ballot. I remember the day well, I quickly made sure the payment went through and was straight onto booking a hotel before the prices went through the roof. Before I knew it the Spring Marathons were over, and it was my turn to train hard. Realistically I’d been training since the turn of the year, racking up over 650 miles in the 16 week training block, and over 1,250 in the first 9 months of 2019!

Soon enough it was Saturday 28th September and I was on my way to Gatwick with my girlfriend and fellow club member and friend Mark. Everything had then all started to sink in and the nerves were unbelievable. I’d had sleepless nights, bad dreams and constant doubts. Turning up at the Expo to collect my number put my mind at ease, I was quickly sucked up into the buzz of the whole Abbot World Major Marathon malarkey. After a wander down to watch the Roller Skating Marathon it was time for some pizza and then bed (which was sadly but predictably a very disturbed sleep).

5:45am the alarm started ringing, I shot up out of bed did a few stretches, got bags ready and checked my kit was how I wanted it. We walked down to the bag drop and I said my goodbyes to my girlfriend, before trying to find my friend Mark and check my bags in. As I walked down to my starting pen all my nerves went, before I knew it I was in my starting block and frantically trying to find the 3:15 pacer.

I watched the elites head off and 10 minutes later I was on my way! Seeing my girlfriend just after 1k put a massive smile on my face, as I didn’t think she’d be able to grab a spot amongst the crowds.

Soon enough I was 1 mile in, a tap of the pocket where I had a picture of myself and my Grandad, he’s been my inspiration through all my training and I just wanted to do him proud. I then crossed the 5k timing mat (23:01). Strangely every time I passed over a mat I thought of all the people who were tracking me, this gave me the drive to keep pushing.

The race seemed to go by quite quickly, taking a gel at 10k, 20k and another at 30k, with water at every other drinks stop helped me keep my mind on other things. I had a bit of a dull moment around mile 14 to 16, the crowd were a little more thinned out and I had some walkers to deal with, worst of all was people diving across the road in front of you to get a drink!

I stuck about 10 seconds back from the 3:15 pacer as per my race plan, this was until mile 18 where I closed in just as I had planned. The pacer (Jason) was incredibly encouarging, telling me we were about 1 minute under and suggesting I should push at 22, just as my Head Coach Keith had said back home. The miles ticked off and it had just started to rain. Jason asked how I felt, I replied with “strong I’m ready to go” and there at 21.5 miles I left the 3:15 pacer and was on my way to the finish. One mile to go I took out the photo of my Grandad and held him in my hand. I was overtaking people left right and centre, racing along with a Danish lady. I averaged a sub 7 pace for nearly 5 miles all the way to the finish before stopping my watch and seeing 3 hours 11 minutes and 8 seconds! I hadn’t just achieved my sub 3:15 target I had smashed it. I crossed the line in tears before standing by myself for a few moments, hidden underneath a poncho, medal in one hand, photo in the other and reflected on what I had just done!

The stats

Place – 3,780th our of 44,000+ runners
Average pace – 7:15 per mile or 4.44 per km

Splits:

5k – 23:01
10k – 45:55 (5k 22:54)
15k – 1:09:05 (5k 23:10)
20k – 1:32:09 (5k 23:05)
Half – 1:37:14 (Second half – 1:33:55)
25k – 1:55:05
30k – 2:17:48 (5k 22:44)
35k – 2:40:21 (22:34)
40k – 3:02:14 (21:54)
Finish – 3:11:08

Post race thoughts

It took me a good few hours to realise what had just happened. I was in so much pain, the stairs to the underground were challenging but I’d just ran a 3:11 marathon. The race itself couldn’t have gone better, the whole weekend was so well organised and my race plan had come together just how I’d planned.

What’s next for me?

At the moment I’m not overly sure, I’m going to have two lower mileage weeks before bringing them back up ready for Paris Marathon in April. I’ll see if there’s a few races around and see if another PB can be snatched this year.

I’m thinking of doing Race to the King’s in June 2020 a 2 day trail event, running 23 miles one day and 30 on the following day.

What are your thoughts on the Race to the King’s challenge and what’s your next challenge? I’d love to know so please comment below 😊

End of week 9 – Berlin Marathon training

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019 by Jack Penfold

So I’m already 9 weeks into my Berlin Marathon training, which has certainly has gone by quickly. I’ve ran so many miles and for the first time I’ve stuck to the plan I haven’t gone “oh it’s raining” or “I really don’t want to run today”. In fact this time around it’s been the complete opposite, I’ve been itching to get out and run, even on my rest day I’m finding myself twiddling my fingers and thumbs!

From week 7 to week 9 I ran a total of 133 miles, and finally broke the 1,000 mile barrier for 2019! The furthest I’ve ran in a full year was 960(ish), so to run 1,000 by the middle of August is really cool and something I’m proud of. It’s the equivalent of running from London to Germany…. and back.

How am I feeling?

Recently I’ve been feeling really well, I’ve had to focus more on listening to my body, eating healthier and doing some exercises to try and prevent any niggles. I have had one overwhelming worry throughout though, I’ve been concerned that on the day of the Berlin Marathon something could happen out of my control. Maybe the weather will be windy and rainy, it could be too hot or it could be cold! What happens if I start to cramp up unexpectedly or I turn an ankle. All things out of my control, so I’ve been trying to put it to the back of my mind and trust in my training, knowing that I’ve done in training is to the best I could.

Week 7

The Monday morning of week 7 got off to a flying start…. literally as I flew back into the UK from an amazing holiday in Cuba, the rest of the Monday was spent unpacking and sleeping here and there. On the Tuesday morning (after not sleeping all night) I met my good friends Callum and Alice at 6:15am to start a day of cycling. We cycled many hills in a big 70 mile loop, finishing off with a nice lunch by the seaside. Having not done much cycling this knackered me out, so I headed home and grabbed some sleep. Later that evening I made my way down to the running club for a tough track session of 10 x 100m and 6 x 400m sprints with equal recoveries, I managed to get through with some strong and even paces reps but unfortunately I was now wide awake so another sleepless night lay ahead.

Wednesday was going to be an easy day, right up until my Dad asked if I wanted to go for a ride. I thought to myself yeah why not it’s only 25 miles, Dad will be going a bit slower. Oh how I was wrong, it was like we were racing and he was trying to break me during a stage of the Tour de France, nonetheless I just about stuck to the rear wheel of his bike. Come 10:20pm and I was out running again, this time 8 easy miles to loosen the legs. Thursday and Friday ended up being easy miles with a few dips in the sea (despite my hatred for seaweed and it being chucked on me!) With Saturday being an even paced 19:27 parkrun and 16.5 hilly miles on Sunday to round off a busy week.

Week total – 42.1

Week 8

Monday morning was an easy 6 mile run around the harbour to get the week off to a good start. Tuesday was meant to be the clubs 5k dash, where I had previously surprised myself, however the strong head wind made it impossible to get a good time, I still managed a sub 20 but It wasn’t easy. The midweek long run came around soon enough, thankfully joined by some friends for the first 6 miles so I only had 4 solo miles left to do. The rest of the week was all easy running, other than Worthing parkrun where I ran a 18:13, and another Sunday long run of 18.6 miles. The Sunday long run was my first with a running backpack, I had chosen the Salomon Agile 2, it fitted me like a glove and didn’t move or rub on my shoulders at all. I carried two 500ml silicone drinks flasks which came with the bag and was able to drink with ease on the move!

Week total – 53.4

Week 9

I took Monday as a rest day and returned on Tuesday with a club off-road run around Goodwood where I ran a 5:21 mile which is my 2nd fastest! On Wednesday I was up at 6:10am for 9 miles with 7 @ tempo which was 6:33, 6:27, 6:21, 6:28, 6:22, 6:31 and 6:13 which I was really pleased with. Thursday was an easy day with Friday and Saturday being a rest day due to a Half Marathon on Sunday. The Half Marathon was a 4 lap course on the south coast near Eastbourne, there was a strong headwind on the first 1.6 miles of each lap which made it challenging. I stayed in Eastbourne the night before with my best mate Charlie. We ate out at a lovely burger place called 7 Bone, we knew we couldn’t stay out so we headed back and ended up winning £25 at bingo!

I started of the Half Marathon well and game through the first 5k in 20 minutes. As the 5k and 10k runners finished I carried on for my final laps. I finished in a personal best time 1 hour 26 minutes, in 7th place after a tough battle with other runners and the wind throughout. Charlie finished his first Half Marathon in just over 2 hours, so massive kudos to him especially with the headwind!

Week total – 37.5

Up next

The next few weeks are really crucial to the end goal. I’ll be focusing a lot on my long runs and the tougher speed sessions, ensuring they’re executed well. I’m also meant to be cycling round the Isle of Wight if the weather is kind, it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was younger so fingers crossed!

Comment

Let me know in the comments if any of you are currently training for a marathon, how’s it going and what’s working well for you?

2 weeks in Cuba and the end of week 6

July 24, 2019July 26, 2019 by Jack Penfold

The end of a 2 week holiday in Cuba, and the end of week 6 of my 16 week marathon training has come to an end. I was visiting Cayo Coco in Cuba for the second time with my girlfriend and her family. We stayed in a lovely coastal resort called Melia Cayo Coco and the two weeks couldn’t have gone better, with lots of running, eating, swimming, volleyball, cycling and tanning!

I had been quite worried that 2 weeks in Cuba would be a bump in the road with my training, whether that be me becoming too lazy and not running whilst being away or not having the facilities to train. To be honest though I feel like I’ve trained harder, especially with the heat. Mentally I’ve always struggled to train alone especially with motivation, this year I’ve felt a difference I’ve enjoyed some of the runs I’ve done alone and in the two weeks I was away I managed to motivate myself daily and knocked up over 80 miles alone on a treadmill.

Cuba running

Week 1 of Cuba

We arrived on Sunday 7th July after a delayed flight, the second I got off the plane I felt the hot and humid air hit me harder than the wall hit me in my first marathon!

I started of with an easy hour on the treadmill on the Monday, this ended up being just shy of 7 miles. The rest of the week consisted of a 6 mile run with 4 @ 6min mile pace, 6 x 2 minute sprints and 6 x 1 minute sprints as well as a few 7 mile easy runs. As I couldn’t do my long runs I made sure the intensity was bought up and with only one rest day per week.

Week total – 40.3

Week 2 of Cuba

After the first week I felt really good and had made good friends with the gym worker Roberto, we watched Wimbledon together in the first week and Godzilla on another day whilst I was running. The heat and humidity was taking its toll a bit as I was feeling really tired after the runs, however a little snooze, read of my books (spoken about below) and a game of volleyball in the pool along with a few Cuba Libres and I was feeling ready to go again.

The week started with my longest run on the treadmill, being 8.3 miles, followed by a rest day as I went snorkelling on the Tuesday. Wednesday was another 8 miles with a progressive 6 on Thursday. The rest of the week ended up being 2 easy runs followed by a fartlek session with 1 mile intervals.

Week total – 41.4

Total for the two weeks – 81.7

The end of week 6

So I’m now 6 weeks into the 16 week training plan for the Berlin Marathon. I’m feeling good at the moment and unlike previous years I haven’t missed a session yet, I’ve also been cycling a fair few miles to strengthen my leg muscles, it’s something that’s helped in the past and has been proven to benefit runners.

I’m currently taking it week by week and not trying to look too far forward, although I’m looking forward to running the Half Marathon South Coast Run on Sunday 11th August, to see what I can do on relatively tired legs and no taper.

Running in the heat

With it being really hot recently you need to be careful when going out running, recently I’ve ran on a treadmill or ran when the sun isn’t out to avoid becoming unwell or feeling downbeat about not being able to put in a good session. Here are my top tips for running in the heat:

take water with you or incorporate water stops on your route
run earlier or later in the day
take a dip in the sea after (if you live by the sea, it’s my favourite thing to do post run)
if it’s too hot maybe run on a treadmill or have a rest day
don’t push yourself, you can do your speed work on another day

The first three weeks of Berlin Marathon training

July 1, 2019July 4, 2019 by Jack Penfold

Long time no speak! I’ve been quite busy recently as well as enjoying the sun, hence no update from me for 20 days!

In this post I’ll be talking about:

The David Lloyd Ultra Relay
A detailed look at the first 2 weeks of Berlin Marathon training

Week one

It all started off on Monday 10 June, with a 5:40am start to run an easy 5 miles. Easy runs are something I’ve struggled with in the past, finding it hard to run at a slower pace and always going flat out, for me that always came back to bite me later on. My first easy run I really focused on a slower and more even pace, I was so surprised when my splits came back as:

8:26
8:29
8:28
8:26
8:26

Starting off my training with a solid run like this really set me off on a high!

I then had track session on the Tuesday! I love running on the track, and it always seems to make me run faster, hopefully I’ll be able to race on one soon.

The session was 16 200 meter sprints with a 200 meter recovery, a tough one especially with the heat that day. I ran well averaging 36 seconds for every sprint.

Wednesday was an easy run with Thursday being a 1 mile warm up 4 mile tempo and 1 mile cool down. I had to go out early to do this session as I was off camping that morning. After putting up the tent my dad asked if I’d like to go for a run with him around Brands Hatch (a racing track). I couldn’t resist as I don’t get to run with my dad often and to run around a famous motor circuit is pretty special, the total distance was 5.7 miles, but with a fair amount of elevation and a few selfies along the way.

With a weekend of watching bikes and drinking I knew I had to get my runs done early morning. On the Saturday I set off at quarter past 8 to run to the local parkrun in Lullingstone Country Park. Little did I know the parkrun is the 7th hardest in the UK with a few killer hills, I did my best but with tired legs I could only manage 6th against some experienced local runners. I ran back to the campsite along a lovely trail path making the run 13 miles.

Week total – 42.2

Week two

Week two started with my little 3.75 mile route along the rife with my dog, I love running with my dog but he can also be a pain, he’s constantly jumping in the rife or carrying big sticks. On the same day I ran 5.25 miles around the harbour with two of my good friends, one who’s completed the Abbot World Major Marathons and has inspired me to! And the other is someone who’s knocked so much time off her marathon time this year which is my aim.

Tuesday was a 12 x 90 second sprints where I averaged a 5:15 pace and felt surprisingly easy! The rest of the week was pretty normal with two easy runs, one off-road with ice cream at the end 🙂 then came Sunday where I was running the David LLoyd Ultra Relay, which is a 4 by 10 mile off-road and hilly relay.

In my team I had Kari, Neil and Alice. All incredibly good runners and up for the challenge. I had leg one and finished in 2nd place, although I came to the finish line through some bushes after taking a wrong turn Neil ran the second leg and despite a big fall he maintained second place as he handed over to Kari. For someone who always trains around the coast and hates hills Kari ran really well and created a gap from 2nd to 3rd place. Alice took over for Leg 4, being a cross country and short distance runner running 11 miles off-road was going to be tough. We tracked Alice as we drove down to the finish, and despite getting lost down someones road in Brighton and in a car park she crossed the line and we claimed 2nd overall! We finished off with a lovely burger at the David Lloyd Centre in Brighton.

Week total – 42.5

Week three

Another trip around the harbour started off week three, accompanied by two Neil’s, Caz, Ellie, my dad and Milo (my dog). We ran 7.50 miles at a leisurely chatty pace until we were chased by cows

On Tuesday we had the club 5k prom dash, this was meant to be an easy one as my legs felt a little tired but as I got going I felt really good so increased my speed slowly. My mile splits were:

6:15
6:00
5:40
5:09 (only .1 of a mile)

Leaving me with a time of 18:27 which really shocked my but also shows my improvement as before this year I’d only gone sub 19 once.

I had two easy runs Wednesday and Thursday, although Thursday was a bit quicker due to my watch breaking so I was a little angry (thankfully I now have the Garmin Forerunner 735XT and am loving it)

The week ended with 16 miles with ‘The Sunday Gang’ which is a group of us who run every Sunday, ending with cake and tea which is my main reason for going 😉 We always have laughs along the way especially when people fall, as long as their okay.

Week total – 51.2

Two races and looking ahead to the start of Berlin training

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019 by Jack Penfold

Welcome back! Since I last spoke to you I’ve ran two races, so in this post I’ll chat to you about how they went, and how I’m feeling with only a couple of days before my Berlin Marathon training starts.

Worthing 10k – Sunday 2nd June 2019

I had originally signed up for the Worthing 10k as a backup, just in case the Bognor 10k went horribly wrong. Thankfully Bognor ended with a personal best, meaning I could somewhat relax enjoy this race, as well as enjoy the football the night before. The aim was to have fun, run a good race and not get injured!

I woke up in the morning not feeling my greatest, but as soon as the race started I could settle down. I set off and felt really good albeit too fast, clocking 6:08 for the first mile. I then backed off a bit for mile 2 and 3 running 6:13 and 6:23. When I passed the 5k mark I realised I was running a strong race, I felt really fresh and had no aches or pains anywhere, this is when I decided to up the pace a little bit.

Mile 4, 5 and 6 were really consistent running a 6:12, 6:11 and 6:11, I was picking off so many runners who had set off a little too quick, in fact I over took over 45 people from the start to the finish. I then put in a 5:29 average for the final 300 meters, and finished in 38:47 and 32nd out of 2,260 runners.

Although I was 30 seconds slower than Bognor 2 weeks previous, I felt so much fresher post race and it was still my second fastest 10k. Just goes to show the improvement when you put in the effort into your training including strength work and cycling.

Felpham 5 – Wednesday 5th June 2019

The Felpham 5 is a beach race with around 90% of the race on the sand. This race was never going to be a personal best time, just one to have fun and see what happens.

Running on the wet sand was quite tough, every step you feel yourself sink down a little bit. What made the race even tougher was the incredibly strong head wind for the second half of the race!

The first mile ticked by in 5:58 and it was clear to see the groups being formed. There was an early lead by two runners, followed by a group of 3/4 all from my running club. Just after the turnaround point I had made my move into second place.

The leader was about 25 seconds away at this point and I was in no mans land. I had been caught by one of my club mates, that’s when it became a race between the pair of us, I tried to kick on twice to break him but I couldn’t seem to shift him. We came up to the ramp which bought you back onto the prom 200 meters before the finish. I kicked at the bottom of the ramp with all I had to try and break away and thankfully it worked, unfortunately first place was too far away despite closing up in the second half.

Berlin Marathon training

Tomorrow (Monday 10th June) will be my first day of my 16 week training plan for the Berlin Marathon. The first day is just an easy 5 miles but I’ll be heading out for a ride in the afternoon to shakeout and strengthen the legs. All in all I feel anxious but really well prepared and a little excited to see how it all goes.

I’m sure I’ll put an update on how it’s all going, hopefully it’ll be all positive 🙂

Jack

Bognor 10k Sunday 19th May 2019

May 19, 2019May 20, 2019 by Jack Penfold

Nerves, excitement, elation and filled with pride. The Bognor 10k had it all!

I started off the day with, two bagels topped with peanut butter and strawberry jam followed by a yogurt and a High 5 Zero Xtreme drink. I’m not normally one for eating before a race, mainly being down to nerves, but I knew I had to. I chose this breakfast as my ‘race breakfast to fill me with the carbohydrates and fluids I needed for the day ahead.

The main race didn’t start until 10:30am, but I was running the 1 mile Fun Run with my 7 year old cousin at 9:15am. We had fun the whole way round and finished in just under 9 minutes, followed by a lovely medal.

As soon as I had got back from the Fun Run the nerves really kicked in! I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, other than chat lots and pace around. Thankfully the hour went by quite quickly and I was on the start line before I knew it.

The race itself

I set off hard, I knew I had to after having a few very minor troubles in recent weeks, I just wanted to go off and clear my mind. The first mile came in 5:52, a bit quick but I felt good. The second mile 6:05 followed by a 6:07, perfect maybe a little quicker than expected.

Thankfully no wind up to this point, which sounds perfect but it was a little bit too humid which meant my fourth and fifth mile were 6:18 and 6:20. I struggled with my breathing at this point, but I was still on track, it was just a case of getting home. Mile 6 I had picked up to a 6:11 followed by 5:43 for the final .2 of a mile. I hung on for the last 400 meters, giving all I could to make sure I beat my previous best of 38:31. I crossed the line, had a glance at my watch, 38:17 a new personal best! I lent for a bit on a barrier whilst I got my breath back, before heading round to grab my medal and goody bag.

200m from the finish
1.5 miles to go
Approaching 2 miles completed
400m from the finish
Less than a mile to go
Pushing for the finish
Last push
Me and my girlfriend Beth (her first Bognor 10k)
Me and my friend Charlie (his first 10k)
Beth – 1hr 10min Charlie – 49:13 Jack – 38:17

Reflection

Overall I’m very happy with how the race went. I had a great day, and came away with a new PB and felt strong. My girlfriend and best mate both came away with PBs, making the whole day even better.

Hopefully there’s more to come, but that may have to wait until after the Berlin Marathon in September.

What’s next?

Back to training this week, possibly give the Worthing 10k a go on Sunday 2nd June then into marathon training on 3rd June.

Jack

2019 so far

May 14, 2019May 19, 2019 by Jack Penfold

Hello and welcome to my very first post. I won’t go on about me, but if you’d like to know more about me swing yourself over to the ‘Who am I?‘ page.

Start of the year

Coming into 2019 I knew I had one main goal, Berlin Marathon, September 2019. For me this is my biggest challenge I’ve had in running. Knowing I wouldn’t be running a Spring marathon with all my running friends, and having to train mainly alone through the hot summer was daunting. To overcome this I set myself two early targets, running more miles than I ever had before and focusing on 10k races before my 16 weeks of marathon training started. Running more miles than I ever had done before meant I trained with a lot of the Spring marathon runners from the club, this was great to build a base for myself and see them do so well!

Focusing on 10k races is something I’ve never really done, it’s just happened. Since the start of the year I’ve:

Taken nearly a minute off my 5k time
Had numerous good results in other shorter races
Ran better each fortnight of a 4500m race for 3 events

This Sunday (19th May) is the Bognor 10k, I’m hoping for a PB (sub 38:31) but ideally a low 38 would do me, but we’ll see! I’ve trained really hard, not just lots of running and speed work, but adding strength and conditioning training to my plan, as well as focusing more on what I’m eating. This has made me feel stronger, better after a run and fitter generally.

See you all in the next one,
Happy running!