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Good to luck OO and Gul tomorrow, and anyone else who is racing.
PMJ - ah yes, good point about the BMAF 10k champs! Good pacing for parkrun.
GE - hope your legs are up to a run or at least a walk along the coast path.
SJ - that's quite some race schedule! Epic session yesterday.
Poacher - happy birthday to the thread - the date the original thread started was just a few days before my very first race.
Fishy - good to hear from you and pleased to know you're back running.
Jools / Birch - recovery going well.
GD - congrats on the 1st place parkrun debut - sub 20 next week.
OO - nice parkrun - all the best for the HM today.
Leslie - good weekly mileage.
Lorenzo - nice off-road running.
MsE - welcome to Norfolk! Sorry about the weather.
Just about to venture outside to see just how strong and heavy the wind and rain are! Some of the family will be round later, so not sure when I'll get a chance to report back.
Good luck to OO and Gul (I don't think there are any other racers today).
Rest day for me: well, it is the Post Marathon Week of Sloth, and it's a bit rainy, so I can
Psyching myself up to go into the office for the first time in over a week and tackle admin so that I can hit the ground running on Tuesday. Sigh.
Good luck OO and Gul for your races today.
I'm running the Belfast Marathon tomorrow stiff quads and all. If I was sensible I would take it easy, enjoy the day and run about 3:30. But am I sensible?
Madbark is never sensible.
Badbark-sensible as a box of frogs ! Sub 3 again ?
Gul-come on come on,how did you do?
0052-sub 1:25 ?
5 easy today
Badbark - I think I can guess the answer to your question!
Quick visit to say I finished in 40:51 by my watch today (20 secs slower than PB from 2013). Pouring rain, wind and 10 minute delay in the pens waiting for the wheelchair race to start didn't help, but think I was found wanting. Never mind. Onwards and upwards. I'll try and do a proper report later or tomorrow.
Sounds like a pretty solid result to me, Gul. Cold, wet and windy conditions are not PB conditions, so well run.
Weather makes a big difference Gul - sounds indeed like a good run and spitting distance of 39:XX
Epic biking from SJ...
Parkrun y'day - 20.46, almost a minute quicker than 2wks ago so a comeback PB. But more than 2min worse than real PB. Cruciate holding out - looks like I've got away with VLM - phew.
Vile vile weather in the north east - working indoors by the fire, forget running.
Gul- not bad given the conditions ,soon be sub 40
Poacher - back on the comeback trail
Just a another steady run for me at Keswick today. I went off at 6:30 pace for the first 3 but the tank was soon empty dealing with the hills. With those out of the way at 8 miles, chances of a good time sank from the radar & I settled into the last 5 miles. The best I could manage was my marathon pace of 6:50 on the undulating course home. Scores on the doors 1:29:10. Well down on my best but not much you can do much when running on empty.
Well done Gul, you seem to have fared better.
Thanks for the encouragement guys. I heard one of the top 10 finishers say it was tough out there yesterday, so I don't feel so bad.
OO - that's pretty good going 1 week after a sub 3 on a tough course.
GRAND EAST ANGLIA RUN 2015
After finishing the Spring Shakespeare there were 7 weeks and a day to my local 10k, which start 1 mile from my doorstep. I decided on a high risk strategy of 3 fast sessions a week. After 1 week recovering and 1 moderate week, that left me with 4 weeks each including 1 tempo run, 1 sprint session and 1 interval session to get
into shape and 1 final mini-taper week. Amazingly I made it to the start line!
For once the weather forecast was spot on and by 7 o'clock in the morning it was pouring down. It wasn't too windy though. Just before 10am, my wife was biking down to the market place where the races start and finish, so I jogged along with her. We found a spot near the start and cheered on some of the fun runners whom we know and then I went off to warm-up. About 10-15 mins before the 10k was due to start, I fought my way back through the crowds to find Mrs GD again and left my very wet jacket with her and made my way to the sub 40 area.
There were a few wheelchair racers setting off before us, but it appears that they still hadn't made their way to start at their alloted time. Soon everyone was getting very agitated and calling out to the organisers to get started. So the deputy mayor made a speech which was very helpful. They called us forward finally and then started the wheelchair race. Not sure how long we had been standing around waiting for the gun but it finally came and we were off.
We had only gone a few hundred metres when I noticed that I had a lace undone. Why didn't I spot that a few minutes earlier! Decided I'd risk leaving it rather than waste a few seconds - by now we weren't too bunched up and I don't think it was long enough for anyone else to stand on! The first 2k went to plan - 3:56, 3:57. The splits were by my own measurement of the course as the official markers just go on the nearest available lamppost or whatever.
We then headed out of the town centre up to the river and I lost a few seconds somewhere - 4:04. The 4th kilometre is up on the river bank and into the wind, so pleased to hold the pace for another 4:04. Then we turned back towards the town and got to halfway with a nice 3:59 - I think I just a handful of seconds over 20mins; so far so good.
By now one or two runners start overtaking me. Not sure if I am slowing down, but it's starting to get tough. We head into the park and it's the slowest km so far, 4:05. Try and dig in as more people pass me but get even slower, 4:07. The crowds were not great this year - can't think why they didn't want to stand out in the rain and cold.
Out of the park now and back into the town where we finish with the first 2 and a half km in reverse. I started shouting around this point and some of the crowd did try and cheer me on, but to no avail - next split was 4:10.
As this point we go along the opposite side of the market place to the start/finish area and can hear the lead runners finishing. Still slowing down for 4:13 before hitting the final stretch. Finally did manage to stop the fade and finished with a 4:12. The gun time was 40:59 and my watch said 40:51.
A bit gutted, as I had always managed a PB in the 10k, but obviously that couldn't go on for ever. The official time was 40:52 and 133rd place out of 1882 finishers.
MsE - *waves back* Hope you're recovering well from your brilliant sub 3
OO - That's good running at Keswick. Tough course and horrible weather. Recover well.
Gul - Exciting report and a decent time in the conditions, particularly with your lace tied Usain Bolt style!
7.5 easy miles for me yesterday marks the furthest I've run since November. All ok and early morning biking today sets up the Bank Holiday nicely.
Gul, good run there. I reckon you are just a bit race rusty and if you target another one or two and maybe slip in a few parkruns you will have your goal by the end of summer.
Gul +1 on that - parkrun = a handy speed endurance sessions with no hiding places. Good weather and a bit of a speed sharpener will see you to an new PB.
Nice one too OO on that course.
Gul - I'm with the others on your performance. Sub-41 is not shabby at all given the conditions. Plenty of positives to take out of it.
Impressive stuff OO given what you achieved last weekend.
11 miles for me this morning in the new Hokas.
I'm with the others also, Gul - good effort in the conditions - a fine report, too
OO - kudos to you for starting (let alone completing in a decent time) one week on from VLM
Amazing racing from OO a week after VLM.
Great going from Gul - personally I think that's a great performance in the conditions.
I am wondering if Badbark is on his way to another sub-3 today???
20 slow and painful miles for me on Sunday. The highlight was seeing the Grim Reaper - from the distance against a faint light I could make out someone walking carrying what appeared to be a Scythe. As I got a bit closer I thought it may be a Garden rake or a backpacker with something poking out the top - it turned out to be a security guard walking along with an upturned office chair on his head. There's some interesting stuff out and about at 5am.
It was made a bit hard as I piggy-backed my daughter for 2km around the Parkrun course on Saturday. She did run a bit, but participation rather than performance is her interest as she is only 3.
Poacher - I'll be in Pen D due to PW in qualifier. I think you qualified for B already. What time are you planning to get halfway in?
Forgot to say that sound like a good great SJ. I'm not familiar with that specific pass, but it sounds like a good amount of climbing.
Enjoy that bike G-Dawg.
My son asked me to do a 100 mile ride with him yesterday. I said it was a bit far for his age so now he said he wants to do it when he is 6 (he is currently 5).
OO - the fact you even raced a HM a week after running 2:58 is a marvel in itself but to run sub-1:30 on a hilly course?! Top stuff.
Pleased to see BikeIt still at it. You probably can't see it but I'm noticing a shift in the right direction from your updates. Well done.
Another 4 mile recovery bimble. A tetchy Achilles and weak ankle a reminder of the previous week's exertions. I really do appreciate your kind words and don't mean to sound ungrateful at running sub-3. I think the initial reaction was how I misjusged it and ended up with 2:59 when I paced for a 2:57 finish. The gun time of 2:59 was so far off I was cross with myself for not keeping a closer eye on things. But the subsequent chip time of 2:58 showed I wasn't that far off the mark in the end. I'll be watching the gun time like a hawk in future just in case.
OO and Gul - Despite not what either of you hoped for I think you both performed really well. Poor conditions can take minutes of a goal time. Running a sub 1:30 half only a week after a sub 3 marathon is damn good in my book.
I ran the Belfast Marathon today just 8 days after my 2:51 in London. I only decided last night to target sub 3 as I've never done it in 5 previous Belfast races. I ran 18 miles last week over 4 runs all at very easy pace trying to recovery from London.
There was a 15 mile wind in Belfast today coming from the SSW which meant there would be a head wind over most of the last 8 miles. However, it would be at our backs between 8 and 14 which is pretty much a steady climb.
My target was to run about 6:45 pace until about 20 miles then hold around 7:00 for the final 6 to sub 3. I felt good at the start with the wind at our backs and completed the first 2 miles in 6:35 and 6:37. However, I was already getting twinges in my quads and every decline hurt a little.
I ran the next two miles in 6:43 and 6:47 and turned into the wind a bit for the next 4 miles. These were completed in 6:57, 6:49, 6:51 and 6:51. We turned to run north starting a gradually climb but with the wind at our backs. My quads had loosened up by now and I was feeling good.
I ran 6:41, 6:39, 6:43, 6:46 and went through half way in about 1:28:50 and was actually enjoying the steady climb for a change. The climb finished around mile 14 after a 6:58 then we turned into the wind but had about 2 miles of a steep decent ahead.
This was the part of the course I was dreading the most as I could barely run down hill at all only a few days before. I upped my cadence to over 185 and tried running as lightly as possible down the hill. I ran 6:22 and 6:41 having to put the breaks on a lot on the second down hill mile due to the pain in my quads.
The next mile took 6:55 before we turned into the head wind for most of the rest of the race. My average pace was around 6:45 so I had about a minute to spare on a sub 3. It was very exposed along a tow path between the motorway and the sea but I tucked in behind a guy running the perfect pace and took 6:55 and 6:51 to reach 19 miles.
Into a lovely industrial estate we went and my quads began asking for me to stop and put my feet up. I only managed 7:01 for the next mile reaching 20 miles just under 2:16 but was starting to really struggle. My wind breaker was pulling away and legs just got heavier with every stride with a 7:19 next. Oh Oh, my sub 3 goal was in danger but I was still ahead of the pacers.
I struggled on into the wind but could only muster a 7:41 and started considering walking and wondering if it was really worth it. I have a 50k ultra race in 19 days and had already had a good workout. Feck it, I ran on.
The sub 3 pacers came passed me and I tried to hang on to them but fell behind in no time and ran a 7:25. Into the last 5k now but my legs were totally shot and could only manage 8:10 and really struggled up the final incline with an 8:37. The last full mile was downhill but every step hurt more than anything in London which took me 8:38.
My family handed me my Chelsea scarf for the stagger to the finish which I ran at 8:06 pace singing 'Championees' holding it aloft! I finished with my garmin showing 3:05:48 and my quads more than a little angry.
I'm not too annoyed with failing to run my goal because it was a little ambitious to begin with. It was only last October I ran 2:58 in Dublin after a perfect 16 week schedule. Trying a sub 3 after giving it everything I had for a 2:51 only 8 days before was definitely a 'Madbark' thing to do.
Next stop is the Causeway Crossing 50k Ultra where I will be defending my crown after my first every (and only) win last year. I plan on a bit of cro
continued a little -
I plan on a bit of cross training on my mountain bike for the rest of this week.
Phew, time for a glass of wine or two me thinks.
Fantastic, B(M)adbark - giving it your all after a one week interval deserves that wine
Go on Badbark, have a third glass. Blimey! Was that the 'sensible' option or not?
OO - Nice half
GUL - well ran for where you are
Badbark - madness.... but well done
I cannot talk about madness.....
local 5 mile race on saturday (which is just shy of being clasified as a fell race.....) 37:22 and 18th.
Then today another local 10k off raod trail race.... 44:30 and 12th or 13th. Both races were not at full race pace, but comfortably hard
Take care
Awesome racing Badbark and great report. I particularly like the mad Chelsea footy fan image you conjure at the end. Recover well.
RFJ - good placings for your Bank Holiday double