The Middle Ground

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  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    well done on getting your long one in Andrew.

    Road relays went well enough for a first attempt. I arrived way later than I should have. i queued for 30 minutes to actually get into the park. had time for a 1 mile warm up. 

    Obviously like everyone else I went hammering off downhill only to very soon be met by a hill. it's not easy running 5k pace up hill. I was absolutely blowing as my average pace disappeared. I knew I needed faster than 6.15-6.20  to put in a reasonable performance. The hill eventually ended and thereafter it isn't a bad remainder with one pretty lengthy downhill, albeit if you've blown up going too hard too early you can't do much with it. Once i recovered myself I hot a good stride and settled into 6-6.05 pace quite well. 

    I finished in 22.10 on my watch with 6.05 average pace and splits of 6.16, 6.03, 5.59 and 6.01 for last 0.64 miles. Pleased with this after last Sunday and feeling crap all week. I went through 5k in 18.46 according to garmin. Basically a time I'd be happy with at the pan flat Worcester park run. Tells me I could do better there!!

    Last long run this afternoon. 
  • I did warn you about not hammering that downhill, DT! Been there, done that...and boy have I struggled up that hill afterwards! Hope you enjoyed the occasion and will be back for more! How was your time compared with other people that you know? And I'm sure you can go faster at a flat parkrun! Enjoy your last long run!


    Well done with the long run, AD! Will it be 5 minutes longer next week?


    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    yes and I was thinking of your warning as I was doing it!! it's just quite a highly charged start and I didn't want to lose positions for the club. I think there's time to be gained by just knowing that course. mainly when that long downhill started I had no idea if it would be 400m or 1200m so held back a little. Next time I'd just go full beans as other than the finish run in there wasn't any real uphill. 

    My main concern was doing my self justice in the club. we started out with an A and B team and vets team. All being fit I wouldn't get beyond vets however we were hit so hard with injuries we ended up with a senior team and incomplete vets. In our senior team I know how 5 of us got on and I'm currently 2nd fastest. 2 other guys I was faster than yesterday would generally be taken in the club as better runners than me. There was another I know quite well locally who has on the whole generally had the better of me but we are very close. He posted a time on Strava of 3 seconds faster than me. He isn't in a peak few weeks of mara training though, is my excuse. 
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    just seen results, was our second fastest runner which will surprise most looking at that. Faster than 3 guys I've never beaten. we won't be qualifying for the nationals which isn't a bad thing as it's the weekend before my marathon. 
  • Sounds a good run then, DT! With more to come with better pacing! Get yourself down for a leg in the 12 stage which is made up of short legs and long legs (short turns at the Jubilee Stone I think, i.e. just before the long down hill) whilst the long continues past yesterday's turning point for about a mile before turning back (seems much longer, always windy and a long drag back!).


    Hope it is dry there for your long run. For once it is here, with glimpses of the sun, but just 7 degrees.
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    yes I'll hopefully do that now I've broken my duck. As far as I can see yesterday's were about 6k. in the 12 stage the shorter legs are 5k. 

    Yes the rain has cleared out now giving way to near perfect conditions. These seemed a long way off when I did my first long one in July starting at 7am and it still being pushing 20c. 
  • Yes, it dried up nicely this afternoon. Only 3.5 miles for me with some fartlek bits in there. Suffering a little from last night’s excesses.

    21 for the week which makes it the highest mileage week since March and also the first time since March that I’ve done successive 20+ weeks.

    Alehouse - next Sunday is a 5 mile race, so no long run this coming week but the plan is to do 7 the weekend after.
  • Nice running DT. Just need to get through 3 weeks now! Unfortunately our 1st year undergrads have arrived ... I'm teaching 500 of them the week before York by which time they'll be coughing and spluttering every germ in the UK towards me. :-(

    Good consistency Andrew!

    7 mile trail race for me yesterday. Only 2 miles from home, so ran there... en-route realised I had wrong trainers and so went back home for my trail shoes. It was a cold morning but it warmed up nicely for the race itself. Knees felt a bit tender but nothing that concerned me. I set off with some club-mates who I used to be in the mix with ... this meant I was probably going too fast but I felt good so went with it. At about 5 miles, the effects of some short and steep climbs across fields and through kissing gates took their toll and I lost some ground. Managed to pick up the pace on the road in the final mile and ended up with 50:31. Reasonably happy given the course topology and how I felt. Ran back home to clock up 11.4 miles total.

    Looking forward to giving the 4th and final September race a good blast on Wednesday. This one is part of a monthly a 5K race series which counts in our club champs ... my best is 21:08 and I need to beat 21:02, 20:55 and 20:34 to gain 1, 2 or 3 more club champs points (assuming those club mates don't improve as well). Best parkrun on 20:59 was at the start of this month but that was a windy night and also I'm hoping I'm sharper now ... just need NO WIND on Wednesday as the course is very exposed.
  • Well done on the trail race Dan. Hope the 5k goes well - weather seems to have settled down this week, so you may get away with a calm course.

    Wow, it was cold this morning - probably only 2 or 3c still at 7.30am. Made my short morning run a little unpleasant for the first mile or so until I warmed up. Rest of the week involves a mini-taper before Sunday's race - so, shorter tempo session tomorrow (2WU, 2 Tempo, 1WD), easy run Thursday, rest Friday and Saturday, race Sunday. Or I might switch Thursday's easy run to Friday, so as not to have over 48 hours of no running before the race.

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Well done on the trail race, Dr Dan. You need to get as much sleep as you can and plenty of vegetables etc to boost the system!!

    Andrew, I had to pop to the shop at 7.45 this morning and the front windscreen of the car need some minor defrosting. I still haven't dug out my winter running gear and didn't really think there was any need for another month or so.

    Just a recovery 5k yesterday. Planning a 10 mile mlr tonight.

  • Bike winter gears kicks in earlier than running ... already in the long leggings but this morning was the first bike commute in the big gloves and buff (although I'd have used them yesterday if I'd known how cold my hands would get half way to work). Warmer weather on its way though!
  • I did have two t-shirts on as a concession to the cold, but realised very quickly I really should have gone with the long sleeved top and gloves!
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Felt much warmer this morning. A very bouncy 10  miler last night, just went with the flow, came out 7.40mm for 141 hr which is my entry level easy effort, under 140 being recovery.

    Planning 7 with 4 at something faster over lunch.

  • Sounds good DT - do you think that whatever virus was impacting you previously is now out of the system?
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    I hope so, Andrew. The start of the school term however seems to be a peak illness period for Kids and my daughter has now started coughing.

    I was helped last night by the conditions being as near to perfect as I can remember in a long while.

  • Yes, good conditions tonight... 20:29, so 30s better than anything this year.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    good going, Dr Dan. coming together just in time! So doesn't that get you first place in series? 

    7 with 4 at 6.18mm average over lunch so between HMP and threshold. it was much warmer over lunchtime than it has been lately which was a bit annoying. 

    easy couple of days now before mk half Saturday and my biggest session. had sports massage tonight so a bit sore now. Should feel good in a day or two. 
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    edited September 2018
    I was well down in the rankings on this one ... best time counts, so chanches are that eventually all the fast guys will show up. I beat the previous times of the 3 guys ahead of me in this race but 2 of them beat me today. One by 4s! It's going to be a close race for 3rd spot in the league between us.
  • Well done Dan, sounds like things are coming together nicely!

    Did a lighter tempo session last night, as part of a mini-taper for Sunday, so I only did 2 miles at tempo (still within a 5 mile run). As such, I probably let myself go a little faster than true tempo pace, as I knew I only had to hold it for 2 miles, and they came in at 6.57 and 6.59. Not sure I could hold that pace for a the full 5 miles on Sunday, so may have to aim for 7.05-7.10 pace for the first 4 miles and then see how I feel. Anything under 35.30 will be a good result I think and will show an upward curve. Something around 36.00 will be acceptable but no better performance really than my 21.30 parkrun recently. Above 36.00 I will be disappointed.

    Bonus rest day today!

  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Lost my mojo for running,  no idea why.  Had 10 dot days in a row!

    Got the bike out last night and did a session on Zwift and then 6.2k easy run this morning.  Hoping to just put a few sessions in and see if I can get back into the groove.  Only 2 1/2 weeks to my first HM.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    edited September 2018
    jgav I sometimes lose my mojo....the key for me is to remember that 8 miles at easy isn't as good as 8 with 5 at threshold but it's better than no run. You need to maintain consistency and apply tough love and trudge it out sometimes. just my view. 

    Good luck Sunday, Andrew. weather looks reasonable generally. 

    When does the league end, Dr Dan?

    Gym night with spin and bodypump. off to Milton Keynes Saturday for a half mara with 1pm start at mara pace. I do enjoy running races at a lower effort. When other runners around you are working hard at hmp in the second half it's quite pleasant to be trotting away knowing you could just drop the hammer at any point. 
  • JGav - when you lose your mojo, you still need to run ... you'll just not enjoy it as much. ;-)

    DT - that HM@MP will be fun. Bet you're tempted to put in a MP-30s last mile. ;-)

    Our club road champs has 3 leagues ... 2nd, 1st and premier. There are 20 in each and you get promoted/relegated as with the footy. First club member (from each league) in each of 10 races gets 20 points, next 19, next 18 etc. Your best 6 races count but one of those races is the monthly 5K race and in this case your best time counts. At the HM recently, I had a bad race but got 18 points as not many were up for 13.1 miles ... however with the monthly 5K race series the chances are everyone will do it eventually, so it's more competitive and I'm currently on 13.  Joint 4th in premier with the chap that beat me by 4s on Weds ... we've both done 4 races but 3rd place has done 6, so we're both in the running for that spot... however there is a speedy guy who will overtake us both if he races the last 3 events (and we have some very speedy guys who haven't been in the club long enough to get into the premier league). The last 3 races are all 10K ... I will definitely do Abbey Dash (Nov) and Dewsbury (Feb) ... and I'm considering Bramley even though it's only a week after York as it's a low key event so even a jog around may bag me more than 13 points (and then I don't need to rely on the 5K series) ... tempting as it's a mile or so from home and at 8:30, so I'll be back well before 10.

    Andrew - good luck on Sunday!

    Just bike today ... parkrun planned tomorrow, and am considering one last 20 miler on Sunday before a 2 week taper.

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭


    Dr Dan, sounds like a decent bit of club fun then!

    I did a half at mp in April and it was incredibly difficult to stay disciplined. I think I got to about 10.5 miles before I dropped the hammer and started running closer to hmp.

    If you do a 20 2 weeks out (my closest is 17 days out) then to need to take it easy.

  • Thanks for the good luck wishes. Weather forecast is 11c, sunny intervals and a light breeze, so pretty good really.

    I'm doing an easy run this afternoon/evening to keep things ticking over.

  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    So ran again today 5 miles in 39 minutes, semi-hilly route.  Garmin says mostly zone 3.  A few more days of this and I can see myself getting back into it.

    Going to get myself to a parkrun tomorrow, 5k to run there, 5k round and then 5k back.  

    Good luck @AndrewD perfect weather for it.
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    So I broke my cherry.  Parkrun No.1 - Aldenham, not got the official time yet but I stopped my watch at 20.40. 

    Friendly crowd, not the fastest as it's a trail course and 2 laps round a lake.  The guy who came in ahead of me said that a lot of the Aldenham 20min crowd run up to a minute faster elsewhere depending on how good they are at trails.

    Checking my Garmin after, I spent the whole of lap 1 in Zone 3 sitting on the tail of someone holding a pretty consistent pace.  Lap 2 I sat on him for half the lap and then pushed on.  Peaked at 202 bpm so very close to max HR.  Not ran a full 5k at race pace in forever, reckon with a bit more experience of the hurt I could have got on a faster pace early on and spent more time in HR zone 4.  

    Going to head back next week and see if I can cut 15/20 seconds off.
  • Nice work, JGav! Mojo returned? 

    Let's hope from good news from the other guys today and tomorrow, also.
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • Good stuff JGav!

    I managed 20:37 ... 22s faster than the last time. Still heading off too fast buf it's all good training. Might do a long MP run tomorrow instead of another 20.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    Good work, jgav. I often find tackling 5k over 2 weekends gives me my best outcome. 

    is that parkrun today, Dr Dan or your midweek time?

    mk half today with 1pm start. Annoyingly warm and sunny by that time. 

    Plan was mp. There was also a 10k happening at same time with half being 2 laps and some extra. it was a very twisty course all on the Redway paths. There was plenty of company in first half and I was in a nice little group. Anyway, we passed the start/finish zone and literally everyone one I could see peeled off for 10k finish. I then didn't see another runner for 7 miles! At the end there was an out and back to some cones to make the distance and a runner was coming back but was about 300m ahead of me. As I came back down no one was in sight behind. Anyway finished without incident in 1.28.10 and 6.48mm. my garmin measured 12.98 however my watch lost GPS signal at 11 miles plus we ran around a big lake and took in so many twists . Others on my Strava flybys seem to have it at 13.1. No idea what position I came but it must have been top 10. 

    5 mile recovery tomorrow will give me my highest ever month. Can now relax into taper knowing with 7 x 20/22 runs, 2 raced halfs, today's session and my highest consecutive 3 months of mileage to date , I've done the work, plus  some with with weather in July. 
  • Great stuff DT.

    Yes, that was today's parkrun.
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