Stick to the plan

Day:        25
Distance: 7.85km
Time:       40:30 secs
Calories:  604

On Day Seven of this blog I wrote:

"The plan I'm supposed to be following calls for five runs per week, but ...I struggle to see how I'll ever fit five runs in"

Having spent much of the day toying with the idea of squeezing in an extra run after work I decided whilst on the way home that I'd stick my neck out and aim for five runs this week. As memory served I had thought I was coming home to a nice 35 minute run at 'easy' tempo, but upon checking my training plan I realised that I was out of luck as it was time for another course of the dreaded Fartlek training.

The only Fartlek run that I've done so far in preparation for the marathon was on the last day of 2010 and that wasn't too much fun. This one was even harsher as it called for a 40 minute run consisting of 5 sets of 2 mins x 'easy' and 6 mins x 'fast'. Again, I'd like to protest at the imbalance of this method. Why not 2 mins x 'easy' and 2 mins x 'fast'? I'd actually stand a chance of running at something approaching 'fast' for those sections. But no, like an unthinking member of some weird Marathon based cult I blindly accept the wisdom of the plan and follow it to the letter ...

To get myself into the right kind of tempo to begin the run I started off with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's bass-heavy anthem "Spread your love" ...

This was a good idea. To an extent. The song was perfect to set the pace for the initial 2 minutes of 'easy' running, but at 4 minutes in length it's a little too long. Although I started on that song deliberately the rest of the playlist was on shuffle and after "Spread your love" there wasn't really any perfect union between tempo and music. This is largely because the vast majority of my playlist consists of up tempo rock and/or roll songs to fire me up not slow me down.

I did once have a go at creating a playlist for Fartlek runs. The compilation of the playlist was guided as much by length of the songs as tempo (i.e. I was looking for slow songs which lasted c.2 mins and fast songs which lasted for around 4 mins). I ended up with a very odd mix which went from the slow building majesty of "All in it" (British Sea Power) to the OTT Glam stomp of "Ballroom Blitz" (The Sweet) before seguing into Mark Kozelek's cover of "Love at First Feel" (an AC/DC anthem) and so on. I think I managed one run with this slow/fast playlist before deciding it was a rubbish idea. Seeing as I'm going to have to complete a number of these Fartlek runs I wonder if this is an idea worth revisiting? Musical accompaniment that helps guide my pace might just make these dreaded outings bearable. Might.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Fartlek runs. In summary, they are to be feared. I just hope they're doing me some good and their inclusion isn't some practical joke on the part of whoever wrote the Guardian's Marathon training plan.

On running playlists

Music is a huge part of my life. A recent trawl through my Facebook status updates from 2010 suggested that music and marmite are the two things I talk about most often. That seems like a pretty fair summary.

Listening to music whilst running is one of life's pleasures. The right song at the right time can make a real difference to a run. So, with this in mind, creating a great playlist for when I'm running seemed like a crucial part of my training plan. The playlist I have at the moment features Biffy Clyro, Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, Blur, The Ramones amongst others. The problem is that, at 2 hours in length, my playlist is no longer 'fit for purpose'. It was perfect for a half marathon, but I now need something to carry me for a full marathon.

As it's now the week before I start my 'official' training plan it seems like a good time to consider what to do with my playlist.

I thought I'd begin by having a look online for some inspiration and the first thing I found was this Runners World article. Any playlist that starts with guff like "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas isn't even worth considering. Sure, they redeem themselves somewhat by suggesting "You shook me all night long" by AC/DC, but then they go and blow it completely by recommending "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi  as a "booster" song that "personally pumps you up". Pump me up? It's more likely to wind me up.

After the Runners World debacle I visited the London Marathon website and found the Virgin London Marathon Runners Top 10 playlist. It's not as bad as the Runners World article, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I run to the sound of "Eye of the Tiger". They've also suggested a Black Eyed Peas song. How is this in anyway helpful?

The Marathon website also has famous athletes' playlists. Liz McColgan's is just horrible - two Daniel Merriweather songs is surely two Daniel Merriweather songs too many. Iwan Thomas's is okayish and I think I'll borrow "House of Jealous lovers" by the Rapture from him. Veronique Marot (who?) put together an interesting list with Nirvana and Radiohead featuring, but "All Apologies" off of In Utero is in no way a song to run to. The best of the lot is by someone called David Bedford and features The Who, The Kinks and Blur among others. Having read this I can't believe my playlist doesn't already include "My Generation" or "You really got me". I'll be rectifying this sorry state of affairs shortly.

I then turned to a Guardian article written by two marathon runners. It gets off to a good start:

Music is my constant companion when I run. It is there urging me forward when things get tough. It is there to put a smile on my face when the rain beats down and the wind steals my breath. And it is there to frame the sudden rushes of elation on those days when the blue skies and country views make me wonder why the whole world isn't outside running too. First comes a decent pair of shoes, and second comes a decent soundtrack

At last! A kindred spirit. His playlist is even pretty good and features RATM and Arctic Monkeys. He's mentioned some others that I'm less familiar with - Decemberists, Cold and the Mountain Goats - but seeing as how we're pretty much running soul mates I'm going to investigate his suggestions ...

The second writer includes the Jam's "Town called Malice" on her playlist, which is a good idea and another one I'm going to borrow. She ruins it though by including Bon Jovi and annoys me by getting the title of the Killer's "Human" wrong.

So, after visiting three sites I have a grand total of four songs to add to my playlist. Not a great success rate given that I reckon I'll need somewhere in the region of 5 hours' worth of music in total. Evidently, relying on the internet isn't an option, so I'm hoping that if anyone actually reads this they might suggest some songs or bands that are going to give me the boost I need when I really need it.

WANTED: Inspired suggestions for my running playlist. Bon Jovi need not apply!