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FLM Training: Wardi
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Good luck Wardi and others. 1:23 or 1:23:44. Take your axe.
Hello Barnsie! Long time no see. How's the new abode, and how about the new job and kidlets?
Hi Wardi, like the others I also wanted to wish you well tomorrow . . sorry I'm not up in York this weekend to join in . . have a good one . .
and the same goes all you others taking part in the BM tomorrow of course . .
Come on Wardi!
So why did this happen? Answers on a postcard please.
The BBC weather estimate of 7mph winds was way out. We were greeted with a very stiff south westerly which we were battling head on or crossways on until half way. Not my favourite conditions but the excuses end there. I was averaging about 6:40 pace at this point and hoped to pick up the pace when we turned out of the wind at 6/7m.
But inexplicably it didn't happen. I was really struggling, losing a few seconds per mile and suffering the ignominy of being passed by runners in their droves, some of whom I normally trounce. I was just holding on to 7mm for the last few miles and just wanted to get it over with. I came home in 1:28.55. I normally reckon that sub 1:30 is a default 'satisfactory' run but frankly this was a disaster. I simply cannot understand why it happened; the training is going well, I've done plenty of long runs and I felt confident. At the moment I am simply not being rewarded in races for my training efforts and I am at a loss as to explain why.
Perhaps the writing was on the wall. Put my 5 mile time of 32:21 from a couple of weeks ago into a race time predictor and it predicts 1:29 for a half marathon.
Not good enough, indeed nowhere near good enough. So back to the drawing board.
Consolation came in the form of the future Mrs Wardi who blew her 1:52 PB out of the water with a splendid 1:48.
Nice to meet Ex-pat, good run mate.
I can't give any advice but just wanted to say I'm sorry things didn't go better with all the hard work you've been putting in. Maybe it's all being saved for you to kick arse at London.
Sorry to hear you had a bad run. Hopefully Steve will be able to suggest a few reasons as to why it didn't go as planned.
Still big picture vs little picture.
I do loads of coastal (windy) running - you lose more time pushing into the wind than you think, cos you are wasting valuable effort too.
Take a look back a those long runs you posted.
Too much pressure on yourself in less than ideal condtions without being prpoerly tapered.
Chin up, move on ! It's a case of keeping the faith and keep on keeping on ratter than back to the drawing board. IMO
Wardi - I ran today too, don't underestimate the wind. I think that TR summed up things nicely in his post. I would also add that you might never understand why today didn't go accoring to plan, sometimes it just doesn't. It's one race on a longer journey. Keep the faith.
ps Do you have any HR data to draw any conclusions from? You may wake up on Tuesday with a stinking cold!
Hard lines Wardi. I agree with TR that you will use up valuable energy in the first half maintaining a different pace and therefore not conserve it for the run in. I've found that at East Hull before.
Have you got another race planned in the near future - Dewsbury maybe - to see if this was just a blip?
Move has gone well so far. 20 very hilly off road miles today to round off a 90+ mile week.
It wasn't what you wanted but I would say look on it as more of a disappointment you can learn from rather than a disaster and the wind clearly had a big effect.
It's still sub 3 hour pace and conditions will be better and you will be stronger (and faster - if you do more speedwork) in a few months.
You tapered a bit but you still trained hard until the last few days -
Maybe Tuesday was too hard - It's not what I would have done myself but with your strength it seemed like you had done a good session
You will taper far more for the Marathon, as well as be fitter.
I still think you had a 1:26 (at least) in you and I think it was more that you have been training hard and neglecting some of the speedwork that Garmin suggested rather than the tapering as I think you are strong and would recover quickly.
I think 6:40 into the wind just may have been two close to your cruising speed
I still think you can break 3 at London but you need faster races and faster training combined with your hard work ethos.
I would like to see you try and run another half next month and get a faster time.
Don't beat yourself up too badly Wardi - it was rather hard today in that wind.
I too struggled like a dog from half way, losing a lot of time on the return. Still - I kept with you for all of 2 miles until you pulled away...
Most of my clubmates were a good 90-120 secs of previous BM bests today, so it wasn't just you!
Chin up: back into the stride for next week. The schedule is a demanding mistress, and won't allow you to lick your wounds for too long...
Wardi,
Sorry to hear you didn't get the time you'd hoped for today. But as Steve said, think of it as a marathon pace training run. The conditions weren't right and you didn't really taper. We all have bad days.
At the moment my legs are still adjusting to 70 mile weeks and so my times in training aren't great, but I know that in 6-8 weeks' time that will change, especially as the effects of the speedwork start to be felt. (That said, I only managed 40 miles this week because of work commitments and lack of sleep. C'est la vie.) Hoping I can manage a sub-90 at Wokingham half as a MP training run in early February.
Many thanks for your kind comments and commiserations. I did taper this week (53m including the half-m) which is almost lazy for me.
Last year I had another average run here in windy conditions (87:30) but 5 weeks later had a much better race at the Snake Lane 10 (64:57).
BR.. I will be running the Dewsbury 10k on 3rd March as a sharpener. A 9am start though? Crikey I could be home for elevenses!
I can appreciate that we all have the odd bad day. But I just don't like it when running fails to reward you for your efforts like it has always done for me thus far. I don't want another race experience like this one for as long as possible.
i understand how you feel wardi, seems a harsh result when you're training hard, but you can't peak every race and this is another one ticked off along the way to this year's big one. plenty more lined up to get your confidence back, keep doing what you're doing.
My OH had left me a pile of wedding invitations to deliver by car, bike, on foot or whatever around the local town. On with the rain gear, invites in a waterproof bag and 5.3 miles later (with about 10 letterbox stops)the job is done. This served to lighten my spirits no end.
Clink.. you are right of course, if I happen to peak on FLM day that would be worth waiting for!
Just to add insult to injury I am completely missing from the Brass Monkey results. I didn't think I was THAT bad {O:
Legs in reasonable nick after Sunday's exertions, just a touch of muscle fatigue. Two runs today without pushing too hard.
am.. 4.1 miles easy
pm.. club night, 7 miles steady with 2 miles at 6:50 pace.
Good days training Wardi - no need to rush back to the mega miles as the half will be in your legs all week.
I did a reasonably hard mixed speed session of 1600, 8x200, 1600, 4x400, 1600 but didn't do much over the weekend so was relatively fresh.
Phil re the Marathon training - Sub 3 on 40 mpw is tough. The most important thing is that Sunday run and you should stick to that whatever.
The next most important session is the speed session - more so as on that mileage, you won't be as strong in endurance terms so you need to make up for it in 10K speed terms.
Ie I think a 38 10K runner could possibly break 3 hours with lots of mileage but without the mileage you need to be in 36 10K shape and 1:20-1:22 half marathon shape.
So Tuesday should be as per schedule too.
You need a medium run during the week at close to marathon pace - a few races and a few easy runs in between
Steve.. a small dilemma. I did my last long run (19m) on 13th Jan, so my inbuilt instinct tells me to do another one this week. The problem I have is that Sunday is out due to family commitments and I will be working on Saturday. I was thinking of 20-22 miles, do you think Friday (I have the day off) would be too soon after the half-m to attempt a run of this length?
Leaving it to the following week is still problematic. I have the Dewsbury 10k on the Sunday (Feb 3rd) which would mean doing the long run on my day off (the preceding Thursday) which would almost certainly mean running the 10k on slightly tired legs. Decisions, decisions!
Wardi -
A bit late but wishing you all the best with your training and ultimately the marathon on the 13th April. I will be lurking here as well, though i fear the lurkers bench is getting full
. Hopefully might pick up a few tips along the way
Interesting to see what Steve says, I'd say you need the LSR cos you didn't bag one last week - but then you are trying to increase your shorter race speed.
Last Feb I ran my slowest ever 10k (by a couple of minutes on form at that time) on the fastest course around.
So, it could well be the 10k on tired legs. Which if you keep the big picture vs little picture perspective doesnt really matter - its about the effort put into the 10k IMO not the race time achieved.
But what about doing it on Monday instead of Sunday ?
Thanks for dropping in Pammie. Best of luck with your sub 3:45 attempt and keep up your good training.
TR.. as it happens I will be at work until 6pm Monday so a 20+ mile run in pitch black dosen't really appeal! I do get up to 15/16m for midweek runs in the dark come late Feb/March but the thought of anything longer fills me with trepidation. You are right about the bigger picture - I am training for a marathon after all. My not so secret wish at this stage is a confidence booster from somewhere. I keep telling myself that all this training will come to fruition eventually. BTW a swift recovery to you, hope you can put some miles in again soon.
I would say neither option is ideal and my feeling is even though you have had a few weeks since your long run, your endurance is fine - there's nothing wrong with it, it's your speed that needs to improve.
But the best proposal of the 2 is to do a long run Friday - it doesn't have to be fast - 8 minute miles and as long as you go more than 18, that'll keep your endurance topped up without taking too much away from the speed. and it shouldn't be too much after the half marathon.
I also agree on the midweekers - I'm really trying hard to get them in this time.
Sadly my weekday runs are all done after 7:30 pm (when nippers are ready for bed) - so I know what you mean about running for 15 miles in the dark. I don't get back til after 9:30 pm some nights.
Also sadly, still no running since last Thursday, still oozing snot/ectplasm. My wife has been given anti-biotics today which means that she should start improving now.
I'm starting to get pissed off with it now, as I can see one lost week already plus another building back up to where I was. I lost an LSR last weekend and will lose another one now too.
I was really flying too and its so soon after all my careful building back up after wrecking my knee and last years missed FLM cos of the Virus. I should change my forums name to lucky TR.
But, karma says that TR's time will come - eventually.