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Yo Pandy-poos! Hope you get all the drugs you need to feel fine again, or at least to stop caring about how you feel. You manage to make the Gran Canaria marathon sound like it's compeltely normal, nothing to get excited about.
BMI of 20 would make you underweight I would imagine. I bet you mean 20-ish. Mine is 22.0 right now, which puts me in the category of "just above running whippet".
Brussels has a big Christmas market, which Olney One came up for two weeks ago. It's always very nice, especially with the lights at night. They set up a huge ice rink and it's next to a huge old church. Very picturesque. But as I don't live or work in the city centre, I haven't been there yet. Maybe this weekend. For me, these places don't feel right unless it is icy cold, preferably snowing. It's just 2 hours drive to a fabulous place on the German border called Monschau, and it really feels like the Alps when you go there. really steep hills, pine forests etc. The Christmas market there is fab.
Will be in the UK from 23/12 - 2/1 and am doing a couple of races while I am over. On Boxing Day I'm doing a 10K somewhere near Warwick (wedgenock?) and on New Years Day, a "Hangover 5 Miles" by Worthing on the south coast. And for Christmas I am getting a watch, to replace the one I lost in airport security in Oman last month
And have you made any changes/ plans on the job front, as i thought you had a time bomb ticking under your office seat?!
Hi TD LOL......I am certainly not underweight...I wish! I bet my bloody scales have worked it out wrong or something in that case!
Got my antibiotics, so I am a happy bunny now. It sounds so lovely where you are. What are the temps like at the minute? It is about 10 degrees here today, and mercifully dry for now. That is very mild, which suits me cos I HATE cold weather, but saying that, it does not feel like Christmas to me, but maybe that's just me getting older! It's nice that you are getting back to the UK for some of Christmas at least...trust you to squeeze some races in!!
Re work...Have done nothing about looking for another job yet, but I reckon it won't come to a head until next Autumn, so plenty of time. Not much point in looking outside of the company at the minute, it would seem jobs are not easy to come by at the minute. I suppose I should start thinking about things a bit more after Christmas.
xx
RP - hi!! Yes, scales - probably one of the more exciting things I put on my list.. have been known to include bird tables and once a vacuum cleaner... such an exciting life I lead. I think the scales might be useful as my old trainer used to measure me all the time in a similar way and I would like to shift another 5lbs or so. Might be incentive to do so!! Bargain price too... posting to Mr NGUG now...thanks Tricky.
Jan not very long - what sort of course is Gran Canaria presumably still fairly hot - think its always hot over there isnt it?
Hi
Bird table? Hoover? What ever happened to chocolates and diamonds and perfume?!! Sort it out woman! Surely you will get something nice and extravagent as well? I can talk, I once got a microwave for my birthday!! I am sure you don't need to lose any weight NGUG.
Yep, it is scarily close is Jan! I think Gran Canaria is fairly flat, as it is all around the capital Las Palmas. It should indeed be warm, as you say it is warm all year there generally, though it can get a bit cooler on an evening. Not as bad as over here though!
What are your plans?
RP - I know I know!!! My room mate jokes every year re the pressies I ask for... I tend to go for practical things rather than the diamonds and chocolates..
Yes, I know I should sort myself out!!!! I think I would like to lose 5lbs or so not much more otherwise I start looking a bit drawn... and skull like (very attractive 
).
I am booked in for Paris again in April and deferred Amsterdam to October 2010 due to my hip injury. Trying not to do more than 2 this year so I can manage them in decent times!! Also got my brown belt grading in March and want to book up a sprint i.e. mini tri in January and see how that goes... Nice to have something to aim for..
Good luck re Gran Canaria nothing else planned for the year?
hI
You are obviously a very practical person NGUG! Nothing wrong with that though....sometimes I think you have everything could possibly want, so you might as well get something useful, either that, or I prefer vouchers, always a safe bet
!
I wish I was doing Paris again, it was fantastic, but we just couldn't justify the cost, I will never forget it though. For me, I have the possibilty of an Ultra in March (just 29 miles, not a stupid distance), then also Edinburgh marathon in May...after that, who knows?! I would like to do a sub 2 hour half though. I would love to get under 4 hours in Edinburgh, but I doubt I will do...will try though!
You are right about things to aim for. At this time of year I would not be going out if not for a marathon to train for!
Boring more like RP!!! Yes shame its so expensive in Paris - think it always was even without the Euro making things worse. Good luck with the Ultra is it over nice muddy ground etc.? I did one earlier in the year not that long I must say but was more like a muddy windy hilly cross country run - really enjoyed it. Must get some off track shoes as I was sliding all over the place. Edinburgh presumably with DD ? Hope they sort out the water situation was a right mess last year by the sounds of things Brandy doing it too? Sure you are capable of sub2hr half. Are you doing any speed training?
Talking of which.. Tricky - still dont understand why I am stopping during my threshold training literally a couple of seconds find it r.irritating - know it doesnt matter that much but think I wont be ready to move onto the next stage until I crack this - my legs feel absolutely fine its still my breathing thats not right - managed to do the last 2 minute set at 13kmph v. comfortably. Sharp exhailing as per pt's recommendation doesnt seem to help that much. Any ideas?
Hi NGUG. Then it doesn't sound like you are being overwhelmed with lactate then if 13km for 2 mins was comfortable - although it depends on how much rest you had beforehand (what was the starting level of lactate before you began the rep).
I don't have any specific advice about breathing. I never think about it when running. As Nike says, "Just do it!". The one thing that might help is to try to consciously relax when doing the intervals. Imagine yourself running very fluidly and calmly, try to have good running form. When people struggle, you see them flapping and wobbling about - do the opposite. When it is tough, imagine yourself running in a very collected, tidy way. HTH
Read a sports journal at breakfast and it was saying that the secret of elite sports training for endurance events, is that the athletes do 75-90% of their training at really easy levels. In running terms, easily conversational pace, between 70-80% of MHR. The remaining time should be done with real intensity, with HR above 85%. 85-90% is around lactate threshold pace.
Over 90% starts to move into VO2Max training and psychological strength areas.
You can consider those fast treadie sessions as a bridging the gap between the two, and a real fulfilment of the concept of intense training. When you get back on the road in Feb and March and start doing races, I think you'll be delighted with your improvements! Be brave
Hi ya all!! Happy new year!!
As far as plans go - am doing the Yasso's plan in the RW magazine published this month - seems like a good one!! Until my ankle issue of last friday (fell on ice) was well ahead of the training - did a fab 15 miler in under 2hr 20 mins - so am feeling positive. A gentle 4 miler tuesday with strapping on ankle should be a good test and then I'll go from there.
Am doing a 1/2 near colchester at the beginning of feb so that should be a good indicator.
NGUG: when is your mini tri?
Hi Fiona - did you see the link I put on the Paris thread about where to buy tape for your ankles? The trick is to make sure before you apply the tape, you move the outside of your foot upwards slightly (in the opposite direction of what would happen if you twisted it), so when you apply the tape, any damaging movement is limited already.
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice - saw the site and am purchasing!! Physio showed me how to strap it as well, the joys of being 45 - body rot has sorely set in!!
Take care
Fi
Anybody still doing any training? All seems to have gone quiet for a bit. Am enjoying the benefits of training uninterrupted by injury or (serious) sickness. Managed to set myself a new half-marathon PB yesterday, for which I'm kind of chuffed. 3½ mins off, down to 1:33½.
Hope all is well with you folk.
Hello again folks. Been quiet on the boards lately too. Sounds ilike lots of running still going on.
I got myself a garmin and so far the love hate relationship has tilted strongly towards the hate end of the stick but I am sticking with it and hopefully I will grow to feel about it the way other technogeeks feel about theirs
Got very little running done with nearly a month of ice and snow, except on the treaddie and have tried to make up for it with long distance outings since. So feeling a bit less panicky about my next marathon on Valentines day. Definitley wont be sub 4 this time either with the lack of decent preparation for the last few marathons.
Promise to get stuck into proper training for an attempt towards the end of summer.
Whats next up for anyone else?
Great to hear from you Finn. Was worried we'd lost you although John had reported seeing you alive.
I'm busy training for Paris but also for London 2 weeks later. Just following up what NGUG pulled off last year, brave girl! TBH, training is going awesome. Am about 1kmh faster than last year so far, knocking off a few PBs in training recently.
So what's with the Garmin love/ hate? Anything I can help with? Where are you running on 14th Feb?
Seville on Valentines. day. How sad is that- going away to a romantic city on Valentines weekend by yourself and the only chance of hanging out with the opposite sex or any sex indeed, is with thousands of them in sweaty shorts in the streets
.
Garmin issues tend to be things like the satellite stuff coming up and refusing to get off the screen for no reason during runs. having to shut it down and start again
) and I like that the GPS is more accurate for distance and pacing. Which is the reason I bought it in the first place.
.That sort of thing. Am getting more used to the nitty gritty of it. But it is much more temperamental than the polar which always used to spit out the information and never threw a hissy fit and refused to show you the lap details of a completed run. Also even though I have the bezel on sensitive , it often wont bring any change of screen information up and I have to press lots of buttons to get it moving again. I hate that it changes the basic information during a run and can be a right pain to bring back what you want
. Apart from that , I find the HRM strap much better ( not as much broken skin apart from cut boobs the first time out, or maybe that was the bra?
I am thrilled that the training is going well. I presume you are still doing loads of speedwork. What kind os distance are you getting in on your long runs?
Sounds like you have the 405 Finn. Have the 305 myself and I think in 2.5yrs, it's only gone haywire twice, both times because I was fiddling with menus whilst running. So now i don't.
Haven't done anymore speedwork than normal, but I did do a couple of really tough races over Christmas/ New Year and I think my overall base fitness is stronger. So in a year, I reckon i've gained about 1kmh.
Sorry to hear about sex deprivation on Valentine's Day. You can probably compensate for it in your taper period. You know the theory - keep the intensity up but keep the duration short.
Seville's a beautfiul place if you've not been there before. Probably worth taking sunglasses if the running course is going down past the waterways.
Not sure what pace to aim for in the marathon. Perhaps 9.30 pace? think this is 5.45km/min? Perhaps a finishing time of 4.10 is more realistic to go for at this stage. I would hate to just blow up at the end and have to walk or drop to walking pace at the very end.
Am down to the last 12 days and am not sure also what to do training wise. Maybe a final 15 at the weekend and two more speed sessions? should I do the 15 at tempo? it should be well within range to do it at marathon pace or slightly faster.
Hi, just been reading through your thread.....a lot of good info.
I'm doing Paris this year...it'll be my first marathon...although I have done several half's (PB 1:48). Is it realistic to aim for 4hrs or am I punching above my weight? My long training runs have all been in the 9:24min mile range...with 14 miles being my longest so far. It felt comfortable and my recovery was pretty good.
I've read that many different stratagies with regards doing the long run, i.e. don't train at race pace/take things slow/don't go over 20 miles...............it's all pretty confusing!
Also, can you share some advice with regards when to take gels? Another part of running that has conflicting info.
Cheers
Hi Maclad - yes, plenty more folks on the Paris2010 thread and a good place to hang out. A 1h48 HM PB would suggest that your Lactate Threshold level is good enough (or has been in the past) to sustain a 4h marathon. The question is, do you have enough stamina to last the distance?
If your longest run so far is 14 miles (is that in this training programme, or is it your longest run ever?) then you've got some way to go to build up good endurance. There are lots of theories about training for speed over distance, but with only 9½ weeks or so until race day in Paris, there's only so much that can be done.
My advice would be to focus a little less on speed as a goal and more on building up those long runs. 9:24m/m would represent a good race pace for going under 4 hours in the marathon, so this is probably a hindrance to going long in training. I'd cut back the speed a bit but run for longer. It's not an issue to do 20 mile runs in training as long as you aren't pushing on the speed all the time. You need a good recovery afterwards (good nutrition in the following 24hours, plus a quick dose of carbs and protein right after yout stop the long run to kick the recovery process off asap). The a gentle 5 mile recovery run the next day, just to get the blood flowing round your body, cleaning up any waste products left in the muscle fibres.
If you are doing at least one tempo run in mid-week, this is enough to sustain your lactate threshold, so you can keep running at speed. If anything, I'd go sacrifice speed on your long runs so you can up the mileage to 16-18-20 miles and increase the length of your tempo runs say from 30-40-50 minutes (this should be at your highest constant, sustainable speed for that period, perhaps around 9:00-9:10 pace?). Good luck, keep checking in with us.
Sinking into a pre marathon depression again. Think this must be part of my psyche !!!
I had my last long run on ssaturday. Nil on sunday. 7 miles intervals on monday and nothing since and no chance of getting out til friday. I dont need a massive taper cos I have so little running done that this marathon is being done on the back of a 3-4 week cramming schedule.
How do I keep going and try to make the most of the time I have left ( 10 days). Am thinking about maybe 5-6 miles Friday. 15 miles at 9.09 pace on saturday ( too see how far off I am for the big day) and whatever few runs I can manage next week given that I have to take days off work to travel and the rest will be hectic.
I havent had a sore tired or aching muscle for months as I havent been doing anything that has been in any way stressful running wise. Advice . Please
Expensive bubblebath and body lotion? Relax, woman.You're not going to win the b**** thing but you will be sooooo well-rested and ready to go on that Start you'll do wonderfully!
Practise clicking your fingers behind your back whilst doing little stamps with your feet.. Get ready for the post-race flamenco-ing.
Fizz: wishing you all the luck in the world for Seville - go girl, try not to worry about pace too much, just enjoy it. What a beautitul place to run.
Had to defer Brighton this year for two reason:
1) the torn ligaments in my ankle and the fact that I was being sensible, rested totally for 2 weeks, had physio and now at week 5 they are much better. Did my first tempo run this morning lovely - not a twinge nor swelling in place. Am joining a friend for the last 10 miles of her 18 miler on sunday, so looking forward to ti.
2) we are moving to jersey on 25th march (departure day). so think of me on a ferry for 31/2 hours with hubbie, daughter, 2 cats, a tortoise and not forgetting Reg!!!
fi
x
Princess , are you moving for good? I have a few friends in Jersey and was considering their marthon at some stage. Lovely place to run. best of luck.
Will be there for roughly 5 years!! Am going to the 1/2 on 23rd May which ends only 5 mins from new house!! Am getting xlightly excited although a little daunted by the fact that I know noone on the island at all!!! Hey ho, as long as hubbie and daughter are happy I know I will be ok running around and all that. It is beautiul out there.
How did your trott go this morning Fizz? When are you off to Seville?
Finn - the trick in the last two weeks is intensity NOT tiredness. So do still run, but go for short and sharp in any quality sessions and avoid anything that makes you feel tired. So you can run a fast tempo session, say 4-5 miles but not longer. You can run a really slow run for a longer distance, say 20km, but make sure it is at really slow pace (way below intended race pace). This ensures you maintain fitness but don't do anything to give glycogen depletion.
It's a good time to run as you feel - try some fartlek. Last year i remember doing some good 1km reps. Push the heart rate hard but have good rest in between. Say do 6 of those. Of course the level of rest needed is related to the extent to which you've trained hard beforehand.... only you can really tell what that should be.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
well I didnt get out til today. That makes three days of running in the last 11. so cant be accused of overtraining anyway.
I accidently disocvered today that I have also registered for the baracelona marathon. feck it! Flight have got mad dear so its unlikely I could have a go at it. I could have done Seville as a final training run and then gone for a good time in barcelona. Cant believe it!! Doh.
heading to dublin on Friday and early flight on saturday morning. back monday morning.
where in jersey will you be based?
if you have any injuries you should check out Sue scott down st peters way. Think this is what it is called. I have a good few friends and a few cousins there. I hope you grow to love it. The weather there is fab!
Thanks for the feedback Tricky.........the training is going well and I'm getting plenty of time on my feet. I've done and 18 miler and have a 20 miler planned for Weds........it's all good fun or so the tell me.
Been knocking out plenty of tempo runs and I've even conquered my fear of hills...they are now my friends! I'm really enjoying the long runs although they have been slightly challenging at times with the cold winds and sleet.
I've only managed to fit in one race due to work commitments, The Bournemouth Half in March..I'm really looking forward to it now......am I sad?
My 4hr target may still be a little ambitious but if you don't try then you can't fail.