Why "Back to miles"?

On the 31st of May I ran an 8 mile (13km) leg of a marathon relay. It being a hot day and my only having trained for a five mile leg I was pleased enough to finish still running and uninjured in 76 minutes. I had kicked the butt off my 6minute per kilometer target I had been working towards.

Then I reflected why I was measuring in min/km: I made the change to metric a few years ago, not just because I'm a committed Europhile, but mainly to cover up the fact that my pace is shit compared to what it was.

At my peak -1988 when I was a mere 11 stone and was just 26- I could run a marathon in 3:24:13. This works out at 7:48/mile. I then would not have bothered with the fact that this works out at 4:51/km.

As I got older & fatter, & slower, it became easier to think in per km terms. It hides a multitude of sins and problems: Yesterdays 5:51/km pace seems so much better than the alternative 9:30/mile pace. Better, in fact, to the point of delusion!

So I'm going back to miles.

I'll never be 26 again: 11 stone might be a bit ambitious. All the same the lighter I can get the better my pace will be. There's a virtuous circle there in that the lighter I am the harder I can train without injury and the more calories I will burn and the more weight I will lose.

And I know I can get lighter: On 1st Jan 2009 I weighed 14 stone. At present I am 13st6lb. So I can lose weight. If I watch what I eat & drink & gradually run further & faster I will lose yet more.

The glory days of sub 8min/mile over a marathon distance might have gone, however hard I try my PB is likely to remain unbeatable, but 9min/mile pace would see me break 4 hours for a marathon: A feat last managed in 1999 when I was, a never to be rexperienced, 37 and, a not that much lower than now, 12st 10ld.

So my plan for now is to manage 9min/mile pace first in short distances than rather longer ones.
Once I'm below 13st I'll try for sub 8:30.
Once below 12:07 I'll try sub 8:15


Tonights run, which was a short recovery one, went as follows

Distance: 2.44miles
Time: 23:33
Pace: 9:14 m:s/mile
Calories: 370
Morning Wt: 13:06
Morning BMI: 29.5%

I will expect to do better rather soon.