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Sub 3.30 2011
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Old4speed what about hill training? They're intervals in disguise.... Or as others have suggested, good old tempo runs do the trick, eg, warm up jog for 15-20 minutes, 10 minutes a bit faster 'controlled pace', then 5 minutes of 'oh crumbs I can hardly speak/breathe/think, then a good 15-20 minutes easy jog cool down.
Still not feeling fully recovered, had an easy 5 again on Monday and felt fine, went out for a 10 miler last night, which in hindsight was maybe a bit too much, felt like a lead weight for most of the run! So have had a rest day today, been in the steam room at the gym instead.
Going to attempt to enter the Brass Monkey half marathon on Saturday when online entry opens at 9am.... I have a feeling the website may crash as it's online entry online for a rather popular, always oversubscribed, so flat it's almost downhill, PBs-aplenty half marathon. We'll see!
I like the idea of hill training as a way of getting the same benefits as intervals - plenty round where we live and a very good tarmac, traffic free hill in the local park, which should have the advantage of being deserted in the dark. Hills should also help with our other passion - cycling. So will try a first session this weekend and report back.
Half marathon for me today in 1.40. Secretly would have liked a bit quicker but I can't complain at that. Marathon in 3 weeks then a bit of a rest before the madness of London training starts.
What's everyone else up to?
Just back from hols - a very enjoyable 2 weeks away, with no running.........
Congrats Carrot - nice to get the monkey off your back....... to be replaced with another one! You're right, over the last couple of days I've been thinking that I should aim somewhere between 3:15-3:20, probably setting off to achieve 3:20 and just take it as it comes. It's just a bit duanting contemplating the overall distance but hoping this will change when I've done a few 20 milers.
I quite enjoy intervals as they do seem to fly by and I definately feel the benefit when racing.
Minni, hello and good result for you yesterday.
Went for my first run last night for 2 weeks and managed 11.5 @ an easy pace. Think the 2 weeks lying around did me some good - felt very fresh and motivated.
Have a local 10k in Dec to aim for which is a week before I start my training plan so will probably enter that and then crack on with the P&D up to 55 miles schedule (with a few tweaks)
I'm focusing on trying to get some consistency. I'm being a bit flexible as I know I'll have to get quite rigid when proper training kicks in, but I want to be doing 30+ miles in five sessions every week by December. (yes I know my mileage is not on the impressive side).
I'm going to go along to a social running group tonight if I can get out of work on time. No running club yet as the OH reminded me we're hoping to move in the spring so there's not much point getting too attached, but I'm seeking out potential company for the long runs.
first race since marathon this sunday-have lost my running legs so bit apprehensive on time!!! Only had recovery runs for 3 weeks and I am feeling like lead!! Need to get next race goal sorted and then back in to proper running
JR are you london marathon training starting dec? Glad 2 weeks rest has been positive on the running front
Yep, starting on the 12th with a long run....
In the meantime I'll be building up the fitness again, loosing the holiday excess and taking part in a 10k on the 6th December.
30 miles completed this week, a steady 10% increase for the next 4 weeks.
JR /Brimps are you both following the P & D schedule?
I did my last long run before the marathon yesterday. Miscalculated the distance and phoned the OH when I reached 21.5 miles and was still a good 2 miles from home! Not a good run either. Average pace about 9.12 which doesn't sound too bad but the others have been about 20-30 seconds quicker. I'm hoping it was down to the half marathon still being in my legs plus a hard swimming session on Wednesday night. It was certainly the hardest run I've done for a long time. A two week taper now....
Minni, yep I'm going to use the up to 55 miles P&D schedule but will be adding a couple of miles to some of the longer runs to have 5 runs totalling 100 miles by the end of the 18 weeks.
What marathon are you doing and what is your target?
Brimps - how did you get on today? I plan on doing my core work after the recovery/short efforts. I managed 13.5 miles @ 8:07 with the last mile @ 7:15. Felt pretty good overall. Probably too fast so will try to slow it done next Sunday when I plan on doing 15 miles. A nice day for a run - pretty cool with little sunshine and wind.
JR-it was great to have a good blast today-thoroughly enjoyed race. 7.5 mile hilly road race in 1 hr 4 secs.Hopefully enough to make me 14 or15 th overall in county road race league but awaiting final count
Looking at the weather very tempted to go out for a 'me' run but better not overdo it in case sets off an injury.
Minni-enjoy your taper and interested to know how you do. Your long run times bode very well for a good time
A hilly 7.5 in 1.04 is pretty good going brimps.
JR I'm doing the Newcastle marathon. My target is always sub 3.30 but it wont happen this time. If I get anything under 3.45 I'll be very happy. My training hasn't gone to plan due to lots of factors and I am therefore not mentally prepared for it. Saying that it will be a good benchmark going into the London training.
Nice going brimps!
minni - I wouldn't worry about one bad long run...you have loads of miles in your legs and that's what the taper is for!
JR - that is quick for a first London training run
I managed some "quality" sessions last week - as in intervals and speed work rather than loads of miles. I'm trying to concentrate on these sessions as I am finding it difficult to get out more than 2-3 times mid week, so need to make sure I can get a really good base. Yesterday was a LSR of 14 miles, longest run since May. Felt nice and easy and I could probably have gone a bit further....but the thought of breakfast drew me back home
I'm racing the Norwich Half at the end of the month, which will be a good test to see where I am at. Last couple of years have been around 1.42 or 1.43 so not particularly fast. I feel I have better endurance this year and hopefully have kept some of the speed from earlier in the year. 1.40 would suit me!
Brimps - nice run! What races do you have planned during your training period?
Minni - you never know, start relaxed and hopefully you'll settle into a nice pace and keep it going for the duration.
Freemers - Good to get some distance in, I always like to go above HM distance too. It was a little quick and I'll be looking at around 8:30 mm for my LSR in the coming months. Also completing an interval session and tempo run each week. I am slowly building up interval numbers and tempo time at the moment. 5 lots of 800m tomorrow night.
Tried to step up a gear tonight, on a Tuesday some guys from our club do a 9-10 mile run with 6 or 7 efforts, so I joined them. I felt ok, in fact the efforts weren't as hard as what we do on our group nights, but the "jogging" inbetween was at my mara pace and overall around 3 miles longer than one of those sessions. I knew I'd worked hard, but tbh they were cruising, most of the guys there finish miles above me in races.
Last year I did a few runs at mara pace up to 12 miles so after a few weeks of this I'll start to really work on the effort sections.
Brimps - I'm doing Bath too and a 10 miler in Cornwall at the end of January. Have thought about a 20 mile race but would probably run it too fast so have decided against it. Have completed my spreadsheet, looking forward to ticking off the sessions and the 782 miles............
Puffy - sounds like a good session - feeling ok today? My plan also dictates a 12 mile MP effort as part of a 16 miler. Was this one of the tougher sessions to complete?
I went for 6 miles incorporating 4 800m intervals at an average of 6:15 m/m. Pleasing given the strong wind that always seemd to be in my face during the faster bits! Will add one rep each week before my 10k race. 6 miles easy for me tonight and then 5 tomorrow with 2 at HM pace, building each week in time for starting my mara schedule.
JR - I do a couple of 20 mile races pre-London and find them really useful, but I agree you have to be disciplined! I tend to split them into sections, part LSR-pace and part marathon pace or a little quicker. Definitely do not race them! If anything they are great to actually run a long distance with other people, as I do all my other training on my own
.
Just about to go for an interval session...can't say I am looking forward to it, but I'll feel good afterwards
Last night was a chilly 6 miles @ 8:21, again felt comfortable.
I must get myself a HRM to go with my garmin to check what HR I am doing at certain paces.
Freemers - Intervals go ok? What interval distance are you doing?
JR - intervals went fine, thanks! Last night was 10 x 2 minutes with 1 min recovery, at increasing speeds - the last set was 15kph. I do them on the treadmill as I have no track access and I find it almost impossible to do intervals in London because of having to dodge all the people! My plan will be to do longer intervals when I am more focused on the marathon itself - I read somewhere that 800m-1km intervals are better for marathon training than shorter ones. But they are good for me now as I am trying to get better speed.
This lunchtime was 5 miles in 7.45's average. Feeling a bit jaded now - but rest day tomorrow
Freemers - I can well imagine especially in the winter where using parks etc is not really viable. I do my intervals in a business park, reasonable flat, well lit and after business hours hardly any traffic. Can be a bit of a wind tunnel though!
Yes, I believe that the longer intervals are more suitable for marathons.
Last night's session was very windy but productive.
3 miles of warm up/down with 2 miles @ 6:20 & 6:29 in between. Need to slow this pace down a touch as they were sussposed to be HM efforts. Think around 6:45 in the future would be more sensible. How-ever good prep for the forthcoming 10k.
5 miles easy tonight.
How was every one's running this weekend?
Went for an 18 miler and completed in 2:30 dead. Picked the pace up in the last 1/3 to average the last 3 miles @ 8 mm. Felt pretty good and boosted my confidence for the future 20 milers in the new year.
Rest tomorrow and intervals on Tuesday.
36 miles last week so will be aiming for around 40 this week.
JR-had a great 10.5 miler cross country-loads mud,rain,hills and leaves-not great on the speed but good for leg strengthening! For me that is running at its best!! Done 28 miles this week which 4 week post marathon is ok according to p & d schedule. How about a few 20s cross country for training? The Grizzly,meon valley plod all great for endurance training!
Freemers-my intervals for marathon was 1600m x 4 +warm up/cool down. Do mine on the treadmill with HRM so can check effort is enough-gym has to be empty as all my huffing/puffing can be bit disconcerting to fellow users
Thanks
HMM
Hi folks
Well my post-Amsterdam training has not gone well! After the usual recovery period and a rather stressful few weeks at work I came down with cold, then a bug that seems to be going around so I spent most of Tuesday/Wednesday alternating between vomiting, sleeping, watching dire daytime television and silently worrying that all the hard work over the summer had been literally flushed away! Feeling much better now, although I do have a niggling ache at the back of my knee that is a bit worrying. Been itching to get back into training, Thirsk 10 mile in 2 weeks and I'd originally hoped to give it a good blast after a decent Autumn racing.... but we may have to see!
Well done Brimps on the cracking post-marathon race, if that's what happens when you're feeling like lead you'll do even better when you're feeling fresh.
Just running you've been getting some cracking long runs in, it's easy to say 'slow down!' but harder to put it into practice when you're feeling good on a LSR day.... Plus some excellent intervals sessions... again, I seriously think sub-3:30 is selling yourself a bit short, surely 3:20 is within your reach? (But stay with us!)
Only a week to go Minni, are you a local girl up here in the sunny north east? I may be tempted to come up to Newcastle next Sunday, combine a day of cheering runners on (five times) with a bit of Christmas shopping! I think it's good to have a bad long run during training too, there's always going to be a bad day but it's good to get it out of the way in a training run then sail round the race.
Freemers I do my intervals on the treadmill too, no weather to contend with, no traffic, no dogs and no chance of slowing down! I like to vary mine, sometimes 800m, sometimes 1K, sometime mile repeats... we have key thingys in our gym too so you can programme a number of sessions on the computer and transfer them onto the key, pick the one you want, plug it into the treadmill and it changes the speed for you.
That sounds like a good session Puffy, good work keeping up with the faster guys.
Welcome HMM, you're in a useful place to pick up a few training tips! Where was your PB set?
All this interval talk is making me feel sick!
Carrot - yes, I'm a northeast lass, (a north, northeast) so Newcastle is the local marathon. I'll have my club vest on (green and purple) so look out for me. I'm not expecting an outstanding performance and I don't want to push myself too hard because of the London training starting in a few weeks time. What I'm aiming for is a good paced run throughout, but not leaving myself completely spent.
Brimps- I often add a long off road run into my training, usually about three quarters of the way through and do about 18 miles, which takes much longer than on the road (we have big hills here). I think its good endurance training.
HMM - welcome! I'm sure you can share some good tips with us too.
I'm doing London, but, I have entered the Supersix competition, which this year is for the Paris marathon. I'd love the chance of professional coaching and would love to see just what I'm capable of if pushed the right way.
I am green with envy. Just completing day 6 with my arm in plaster after an operation and a skin graft last week. They are taking it off today to see if the graft has taken, then decide what happens next - best case scenario I can get back on the road this week, worst case they have to re-do the operation from scratch. Keeping my toes crossed since my fingers are not available