Lucozade Sport Super Six: keep going lass

Introducing the fifth member of our Lucozade Sport Super Six… keep going lass, you can do it.

She might not have run a half-marathon before (and admits the idea scares her to death) but her recent 10K time indicates she's right to set her sights on a sub-2:15 finish this autumn.

Steve Smythe will coach keep going lass directly on this thread and she’ll also be posting her training progress here on a regular basis. She’ll also feedback the fuel and hydration advice given to her by the team of sports scientists at Lucozade Sport so make sure you check back regularly to find out she gets on.

Feel free to ask questions and post messages of support, but please try not to hijack the thread.

You can read more about keep going lass - and the rest of the team - by clicking on the article link at the top of this thread.

Otherwise, settle back and enjoy!

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Comments

  • Congratulations KGL!!!

    Enjoy the next few weeks and good luck!!!

    See you there!

    XXXX

  • SezzSezz ✭✭✭

    Congratulations KGL!

    Steve is a great coach and will give lots of sound advice.  I look forward to reading your training blog and I bet with all the training and advice you'll receive that you'll easily get your goal.

  • Well it's finally out ..... What a relief!    

    The last two weeks have been hectic to say the least.   With all the phone calls, interviews, stuff arriving in the post - I feel like I've run a half marathon already!   I've been so excited that I have wanted to shout it from the roof tops,  but really nervous about  it the same time because GNR is no longer a distant dream - it'll be here before I know it!  

    I pride myself on my drive and determination and can be somewhat obsessive so I  have found it diffcult to take a rest from running to give my niggles time to heal, but I'm glad I did because the day before my scheduled first "post niggle"  run, I got the email confirming that I had been selected!  

    That 1st run, after two weeks abstention was only 2.6 miles and I was gasping by the end of it but I have persevered and ran my second 10K race yesterday in 59:43, improving my first time by almost 3 minutes and with no ill effect on my legs today ..... Here's a picture of me trying to stretch my stiff calves after my warm up.... I don't look very happy do I!

    http://i352.photobucket.com/albums/r328/kglphotos/Picture001.jpg


    More importantly it has given my confidence a boost, showing that even with a little time "on the bench", I have still improved, and I didn't hide in the toilets this time!  Thanks RW for sharing that little gem with the world!   

     Looking ahead, my first challenge will be to increase from 2 runs a week to 4 and my 1st training session from Steve's programme is tomorrow - speedwork   - goody image... start with the hard stuff and it should only get easier!!    Will report back on how I get on..........

    This is a fantastic and unique opportunity for the 6 of us that have been lucky enough to be selected and I hope we can do it justice by sharing our  experiences, and maybe inspiring some of you along the way to "keep going" and enjoy the ride, ..........I certainly intend to.   I have a great  opportunity to be the best I can be .......and if I can do it , anyone can! 

    Happy running everyone  image

  • Well done KGL and congratulations not only on a 10K PB but a sub hour PB ! Brilliant! Looking forward to following your progress.
  • Thanks Sezz - I've been reading some of your forums from FLM over the last couple of weeks to pick up a few tips on how to do it - great result!  When's your next??image
  • KGL, I get the impression that it'll be some time before you stop grinning. You sound so happy and optimistic I'm grinning with you.

    Keep Going my running twin, I'll try & keep up image

  • Hi Tracy,

    Congratulations to you too.  I have been so excited over the past two weeks, fit to burst but now it's a reality I must admit to being a little scared.

    I have just got back from my first scheduled run which was a 55 mintues easy, we have changed this weeks schedule slightly as I shall be running a 5k race tommorrow evening - Help. I'll let you know how I get on.

    It's great surprise to have been chosen to be part of the team with so many worthy pitches for a place but I am determined to make the most of this fantastic opportunity as I know we all will.

    I look forward to chatting on the forum over the next ten weeks and meeting you at the Great Yorkshire Run in September.

    Speak Soon

    Oh, there's a point  - I havent received anything in the post yet so I'd better chase that up.

  • Well done & congrats KGL

      Hope to see/meet you & other 5 on Oct. 5th

    I Will be on the front grid as well ( as an ever present ). Will be watching your progress with interest

    good luck

  • Well done KGL!!!!!!!! image  Looking forward to keeping up with you and your blogging!
  • saintjasonsaintjason ✭✭✭
    Well done Tracy on being one of the chosen ones! Looking forward to meeting you and following your progress! If you can pass on some press-up tips that'd be F A B
  • Well done, I'm impressed at how you kept it a secret.  I really am very pleased for you. So we'll be keeping an eye on you now. Enjoy your training with the stars and hope to see you on the day.

    Tony (Tonystoon)

  • I was really tired this morning after all the nerves and excitement of yesterday and my plan is giving me a speed session for today, image

    I decided to do it on the treadmill so that I could maintain the discipline of both the time and speed, so after some ginger marmalade on toast, (tip - did you know that ginger is an anti-inflammatory?), off I trot to the gym.....

    I  spent 8 minutes gently peddling on the bike to wake my legs up before I ventured onto the treadmill,  just as well, as it took me that long to convert the speed from miles per minute to kilometeres per hour - the last thing I wanted to do was cock up the first session because I can't add up!

    10 minutes easy the schedule said, so I set the speed at 7.5 km ph.  At the end of the 10 mins, I upped the speed to 9.6km (10 minute miles) "this is easier than I thought it was going to be", I said to myself ...... until the first half mile was over, then I changed my mind!  

    Mile completed, and 3 minutes recovery next, so I slowed down to walking pace and used the opportunity to dry off and take plenty of fluid.  By the time I'd done that, pace needed to go up again!   Why is it that the recovery time passes so much quicker than the speed??

    For the second speed mile, I took the gradient off (!!) and that mile came and went ,followed by another hard earned 3 minutes walking. 

    My legs were well warmed up, I had established a good rhythm and my heart rate was still recovering during the recovery - always a good sign ....and I'm enjoying  it.!   Speed back up to 9.6, for the final mile which strangely seemed slower and a final 3 minutes recovery before I "jogged home"  for the last 10 minutes at a comfortable 7.5 kph, finishing on 59 minutes, 5 miles and 790 calories - JOB DONE!

    My watch showed that my pace during the speed miles was 9:50 so it either needs recalibrating or the treadmill was inaccurate.  Either way, I ran the speed miles at at least 10 minute miles so that's one I can tick off, if I ran it faster, it's a bonus!  

    Lesson learned today -   The 10 minute easy runs are essential in this kind of session.  I've never done that before and it made a big difference to how my legs settled into coping with the speed and in particular how they recovered afterwards.  I could feel my leg muscles stretching in different directions during the last 10 minutes and the aches melting away, unless of course it was the ginger doing its work!  image

    I've done CV work for 3 consecutive days now and  have a tempo session to do on Thursday so although I am scheduled to do an easy  50 minutes tomorrow, it seems sensible to swap it to Friday's rest day.    I'll do some core and weights tomorrow instead (got to keep ahead of Jason on the press ups haven't I! image) ,  before heading off for a girlie shopping trip in Birmingham - my reward and celebration for a good session today and besides, I've got some spare calories in the bank to spend!  

    Goodness - that was a long one wasn't it?  I might not be able to run a half marathon yet, but I can write a half marathon blog  image.    Hope your own training has gone well today, I'm off to take the dog for a walk now!   Cheerio!  

  • That sounds like a grand session KGL. I know what you mean about the easy bit to get you into it at the start. When you do take the time to do that, and again at the end, you really do feel the difference. Fab post! Enjoy your shopping image
  • Sounds like we got similar sessions to do! I'm just catching up before I blog mine image
  • well done KGL, well deserved image

  • Congratultaions KGL - am looking forward to reading about your progress image
  • Congratulations KGL.

    Your thread is great. I will have to get some tips. Looking forward to meeting you and the team.

    Looking at your programme and the other team members I owe Steve a pint for breaking me in gently.

    All the best with the training and I am looking forward to your next update.

    Take care Dump Truck (Guy)

  • Well done - good session - encouraging after that excellent 10K as that would have affected you a little.

     Where possible I have tried to give to similar elements in the schedules to all the runners. A sense of community maybe but I also believe that once you have a background of fitness that runners of different speeds can still do similar sessions, albeit just at a different pace.

    Last night my track training group numbered 35 ranging from sub-5 milers to nearer 10, but they were all doing approx 3 minute reps with two minute recoveries last night, though the faster ones were doing 1000m, and others were varying distances down to 600m and everyone started at the same time.

  • Thanks Steve,

    I was a bit dubious about the speed session being my first, particularly after the weekend race but I did enjoy it and I have suffered no ill effects from it.  Reference your comments to Bryan -  I have been working hard on my base fitness since the new year and done lots of explosive and core and strength work and it has been very  beneficial but I have come to realise that  I must respect the distance I am seeking to run.   

    To do it justice and remain injury free, I now need to give running priority over the other forms of exercise and use cross training to complement running rather than run as an "add on".   After all, it will be no use to me being able to throw a good punch or pedal for my life come 5th October will it!  image.

    That said, I enjoyed my weights session this morning and put in some good endurance training at Birmingham Bull Ring - otherwise known as shopping! 

    I am looking forward to getting out tomorrow to tick off another session. 

  • Hope you had fun shopping KGL - personally I swear by it as effective cross-training!! image
  • Good morning ..... I'm back from my "easy" run scheduled for yesterday of 55 minutes. 

    Bit of a contradiction in terms as I actually found it quite hard today, I found the speed session on Tuesday much easier, but perhaps it is the effort on Sunday that has caught up with me ..... and the late nights I've been having since then.   image

     Went out fairly early before it got too warm and did run for the full 55 mins without stopping, I even ran past my front door for a minute at the end and doubled back to make sure I passed the 55 minutes mark!

    However, I had difficulty with pacing today.  It took 3 miles for my legs to "thaw out" and get into what felt like a steady rhythem but before then, my pace moved eratically from between 10:00 and 11:30 mm,  although my split times don't seem to indicate that.  

    Covered just under 5 miles with an average pace of 11:13 overall , so a bit slower than I needed but in view of my fatigue, I decided it was probably more important to focus on the word "easy" rather than "pace" this time! image.  

    The important thing is though that I did it, so I should put it behind me and look forward to the next one......not every run is going to feel great.

    Here are my mile splits:

    Mile 1 - 11:18

    MIle 2 - 11:09

    Mile 3 - 10:56

    Mile 4 -  10:59

    Mile 5 - 10:57  (4.93 miles covered)

      Lesson learned from today ..... get some early nights!

    Will have a look at what everyone else has been doing a bit later ... the sun is shining so I think a long cool drink (non alcoholic of course!) and a deckchair in the garden is in order ......image

  • that's good running in the heat, especially if you felt tired.

    Garmin's sometimes do give erratic readings on the watch display while recording ok and I suspect your pace was actually as smooth as the splits.

  • Nice one KGL, I'm with you on the yo-yo ing pace, I seem to spend the first few miles of most runs with my pace wandering back & forth between too fast & too slow. But once you get into a rhythm it's so much more comfortable. Hopefully as your runs get longer, you'll find it becoming more normal - that's what I think I'm beginning to see myself now anyway.
  • Good running in this heat.. Its breezy but warm and muggy here. Your splits will also be affected by the lay of the land, even small steady uphills affect your pace hence your split. I know my miles 2 to 3 are going to be a slower split because of the route I take climbs in places with a steady half mile climb between those points.

  • Steve - I use a polar RS200 sports watch with the foot pod but I expect the same applies.   I've also recalibrated it so I have to run further to get the same mileage now image .  It's more accurate based on my mapping of the route when I got back.  I think my running style must have changed a little .

    Thanks for your encouaging words Ros and Tony - strangely enough Tony , the mile with the hill in it was the fastest and always tends to be image.    I think because I have quite a stong base fitness now, I am able to attack the hills and speed up a little - it's the small gradients that I suffer with!

  • Hi Tracy,

    Congratulations on getting selected it seems an amazing experience.

    I will be trying to get a few tips from your thread as I have been running the same time at a similar speed and need to know how to improve. So far I have just been putting one foot in front of the other so getting some tips on the trchnical side of training will be great.

  • HI Tracy

    I often have problems with my Garmin, they are a great tool but I can often be found shouting " I know I'm going faster than that" or " Wow, look at me", I could try and calculate the pace form my times and distance but I can't even add up 2 + 2 when I'm running.

    Next scheduled run is tommorrow,  going with my running partner at 7.30am for 90 minutes steady and I get a rest on Sunday and Monday, shall need it for the planned speed session Tuesday, should hopefully be fresh enough by then to give it a good try.

    Have a good week-end. Sue

  • Hi Richard  -

     Putting one foot in front of the other is a good start image

     We will see how things develop over the next few weeks but already, I am finding that I am more inclined to get out there and increase the number of runs I am doing, now I am under the watchful eye of so many!    I am sure we will all learn a lot from the expert advice offered.

    On a personal level, I have found that plenty of core stability and strength work over the last 6 months has help my running enormously.  It has improved not only my leg and uppoer body strength but also reduced the amount of effort required to keep putting one foot in front of the other as I'm not wasting energy going sideways because of lack of control!  

    I'm also told it helps prevent injury and I for one would rather do the additional work to prevent injury than have to do it to deal with injury! 

    I have a session with my trainer this lunchtime so depending on what he has planned for me, I'll see if I can find a willing volunteer to take some video footage  to give you an idea of the kind of things you might like to try. 

    In the meantime, keep going and remember, "the difference between success and failure is determination!"

  • debbodebbo ✭✭✭

    KGL - yes, garmins do give erratic readings - I used to have one but it got stolen off a window ledge while it was finding a signal, so now I just measure on gmaps

    I did Bryan the Snail's session with him last night and even though we were running at a fairly consistent pace his gps was jumping all over the place - we were aiming for 10 minute miles, and managed 9.57 despite what his gps kept telling him!

  • Hi everyone,

    Here is a snippet of video footage of my training today, my "camerawoman" very kindly took lots of short clips so I'll drip feed them over the course of the next few days as it is taking ages to get them uploaded....

    This snippet is one of the core exercise I did that you can try at home - don't be fooled - its not as easy as my trainer makes it look, as you'll see!   image

    Hope it works!  

    find it here!

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