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Yeah, my VLM time from last year would easily get me in as a "Grand Master" - sounds a lot better than VOGIT
damn you, Freemers
- 2C and plenty of Poacher's slush here
Soft Yorkshire folk have to live in valleys, they can't rough it up in the hills like us hard folk on t'other side of the Pennines
GRAND MASTER BIRCH in big letters would look great on a T-shirt though!
Freemers, I concur with Birch!
Nice slog in the wet and treacherous, Poacher.
Leslie, forgot to say nice monthly mileage in your first month back! I bet by the summer you'll be rolling as per normal. Amazing how fast things can change (and for the better this time!).
BI, do you have another marathon this weekend? Good luck whatever the distance.
I like the Grand Master Birch title...has a nice ring.
6.5 easy w/8 striders today. No wind the past two days makes the cold feel good.
Am headed to Stockholm Monday for a week of giving lectures and serving as an opponent for a dissertation student. Never been to Sweden so will be interesting. Too bad I'll be working nearly all the visit. But apparently my hotel is near the forest/islands so was told by my host good running can be had.
Bike It - tough GFAs there. All the best for Sunday.
OO - enjoy Keswick and the new parkrun course.
Abbers - no snow here although we did have a hail storm the other day. Hope you're feeling better today.
Freemers - nice 9 miler. Waves from sunny Norfolk down to sunny Suffolk - well actually I think it's going to be raining all day today
Leslie - that's great - 10 miles next week?
Poacher - take care on the pavements.
Grand Master Birch - sounds like a martial arts expert!
VTr - enjoy Sweden - hope you get time for some running.
5 recovery miles to end the cut-back week for me on a total of 45. I always run unfuelled, but toying with the idea of trying gels. I've bought one to try out and make sure it doesn't have any adverse effect. Will take it with me on my planned 20 miler next week.
Vtr - Sounds fab & I hope you get to run in Stockholm and iirc Lorenzo was there not too long ago?
Gul - Good to try fuelling and see if it makes a difference. I normally take a couple of gels for 20+ milers but I am trying the opposite tomorrow to see if I can tap into my fat reserves. 45 is a good weekly total and you should be nice and fresh going into next week.
Freemers - Similar conditions here, about 10c y'day; a cold breeze but dry which is not too bad for this time of year. Nice 9 miler.
Poacher - Great idea re the GMB tee. Birch, do it!
Bike it - Good luck tomorrow, I hope the conditions are more favourable.
Leslie - Great stuff.
Abbers - Hope you're not ill. When is your 10 miler?
Parkrun for me today. Dry but very windy. 2k of the course in on a trail path and there were some very muddy and slippery sections. Got round in 19:20 with 6:07mm average pace on the Garmin and 18:59 for 5k, so getting back to where I was speed wise 3 years ago, a pb of 39 seconds on that course today. I reckon on a better day conditions wise I can dip under 19 mins. I was chatting to a guy who ran 18:30 today and he reckons it's a good minute slower than a flat road 5k, he normally runs low 17's on the road, so that was encouraging to hear. Looking forward to my 22 tomorrow. Never thought I would say that!
Good luck to anyone racing or doing their long runs.
+1 for experience at MK Half: 1:31 in 2009 so you're not the slowest on here OO! I think my summary of the race was along the lines of "flat course, flat atmosphere".
Crikey BI - those Soweto GFA times are tough. How easy is it to get in without a GFA time?
Hope you're feeling a bit better today Abbers.
Decent parkrun there GM - 19:20 under non-ideal conditions is good going. Hope you enjoy your 22 miler tomorrow.
Enjoy Stockholm VTr - if the weather is nice, the running will be great. Suspect it might be a bit chilly by UK standards; you'll find it a heatwave. What are you lecturing on?
Away from running, I had the fantastic experience of being in the Olympic Velodrome on Thursday evening to roar Laura Trott on to gold, Becky James to a wonderful post-injury bronze and see Men's Team Pursuit foursome narrowly miss out on gold to the Aussies. Fab atmosphere.
10K up at Battersea Park this morning for me - pleased to get round in 39:21 for my second fastest 10K time and my best ever WAVA (76.77) over any distance. Got outkicked in a sprint for the line but happy with fairly even splits of 19:31/19:50.
Took younger Lorenzito (now nearly 15 and a half) up for his 10K debut and his first proper race back after a heel injury kept him out of XC races for a month earlier this year. Suffice to say he beat me hands on; I'd only just passed the 9K mark when he crossed the line in 36:17 so he's got his sights set on a sub-36 some time soon.
I'll be back out for a 20 miler tomorrow to round the week off nicely.
Lorenzo - Great WAVA and time too for your 10k. Younger Lorenzito is a bit quick and I reckon he'll smash 36 soon! You must be very proud even if he does show you a pair of clean heels.
Wow! Top bombing from GM and Lorenzo. Wicked skills, chaps.
20 miler for me this morning. No sports massage the night before like last week and it was all very straight forward as a result. Possibly went a bit too quick with a 7.56 average. Ran alone as my mate went for the Phoenix marathon in Walton. I didn't fancy it.
Some tight bridges and slippery towpaths on the canal slowed my down and broke my rhythm but what a difference compared to last week. Didn't want to go any longer as I could feel the midweek speed sessions in my legs.
Mini-taper now for the Surrey Half next week.
Good luck with your long 'uns, team.
GD
GD - on the basis that you're a Surrey gent, were you running along the River Wey Navigation? If so which part of the canal were you doing? I'm planning on running the bit from Send up to the Anchor at Pyrford on my long run tomorrow. Very pleasant stretch.
GM - I keep reminding him that it's all in the genes / taught him everything he knows etc etc. Has your lad got into running yet?
VTr - great to have opportunity of combining some running with work in a new country - have a good trip .
very encouraging, Gerard . . . . .
Lorenzo - excellent family double - well done ! cycling sounds brilliant . . . . .
G-D straightforward 20's - the marathon runner's currency
plenty of canal towpath on my slow 13 this morn - but slush gone, lovely day as sun broke through, and saw plenty of wildlife, so a good outing.
G-Dawg - Nippy 20 that. Will be interesting to see how you get on in the half next week. Are you racing it?
Birch - Sounds like a lovely run. How's the knee?
Lorenzo - Haha, probably true in your lad's case but not for me as my old man ran 14 mins for 5k and 31 for 10k. No idea what happened to me.
My son is 7 and is very energetic, runs everywhere but he hasn't done any official running yet. He does swimming, football and rugby, so the current schedule is pretty jammed but I hope that he will love running one day like we all do. Football is his passion at the mo, the same applied to me when I was younger.
Lorenzo -Close but not quite. I ran from Woking to Chertsey, picked up the Thames at Shepperton, crossed Walton Bridge, along the Thames again to Weybridge where I found the Navigation. There is a T-Junction at New Haw/Addlestone which if I'd gone straight ahead would have taken me to The Anchor but I turned right and ran back to Woking.
GM - I am racing it and it suddenly occurred to me on mile 18 today that I may be testing my legs a bit too much. Totally forgot about the Surrey HM.
Will see how it goes...
Birch - you paint a good picture, sounds like a lovely 13. Is it me or are ducks and moorhens cocky little buggers along the canals these days? Had some sly looks from a few this morning. Drove me quackers!
GD
G-Dawg - Mini taper next week then? I haven't raced a half since 2013. Hope to in June though. The summer jersey one is a quick course, but can be quite warm. Ha-ha, watch out for them fowl creatures!
Thanks for the good wishes for tomorrow's Vaal Marathon. I'll be going for sub 3:20 again. The weather will not be helpful at around 27C when I finish, but I'll never know if I don't go for it from the gun.
Something I meant to ask previously - I've entered the Cranleigh 15/21 on 20 March, i.e. 5 weeks before VMLM. The reason it's called 15/21 is that you have an option to run either the 15 mile or the 21 mile race and can literally decide right up until the last moment as the 21 mile version is just an extra 6 mile lap past the 15 mile finish.
When I've done the 21 miles before (4 weeks before London) I ran it as a proper effort and felt as though I left a bit too much out on the course and it had a negative impact on my run at London, but with an extra week between the two races do people feel it should be OK to run 21 at MP, principally in order to see what MP is realistic on the big day?
Gwent XC for me: 8th and 4th scorer. Best league finish for me? 7th!
Lorenzo - Basically what Jools and Bike it said. Save your legs for London.
Agree - save your legs! No prizes for a fast 21.
Scope out the OtiillO course for me VTr!
Well done Jools on a great placing.
Couple of days off to try to shake this cold - Eden Valley Epic sportive tomorrow - might take it easy, might go for it - see how the body feels in the morning!
Junior OO ran her first track 10k today in a PB of 17:33.
Meanwhile I laboured through the Keswick mud to finish 4th at the parkrun in 20:34.
No real dramas or big story. It was a fairly flat 2 lap course with 3 small hills. 18C at the start and 26C at the finish. 1400m altitude.
I was assured that the course markers accurate so ran to those at a pace targeting 3:18. I changed strategy to go slower for the first lap and didn't let myself overtake 2 Klerksdorp runners I'd overtaken 3 weeks ago. I also drank coke at every other drinks station.
No fade or blow up this time. I just kept on pace for the whole race. Even splits. I even could walk up the stadium steps at the finish.
Job done and Comrades pen B start
good morning's work, Bike it - as you say, mission accomplished !
nice work on the XC, Jools
OO - presume you meant track 5K in 17:33 - great work by junior
good luck, Slokey J
knee still an issue, Gerard, thanks, but still doing the slow/steady running - hurt more yesterday pm whilst walking around than during my run. 35 so far this week - 11,5,6,13
Great stuff BI - sounds likes the mission was accomplished with the minimum amount of fuss. Bodes very well for Comrades.
Thanks to peeps for the advice ref 15 vs 21 miles. Looks like it'll be the 15 miler for me then.
22.5 miles for me this morning - a bowl of cereal before leaving but no fuel en route and my legs felt pretty exhausted at the end, especially after yesterday's exertions so it all felt a bit slow I was a bit surprised to see an average pace of 7:45 when I got home. No complaints there.
Takes me up to 64 for the week.
Nice work Bike It. That's undoubtedly Rowan form & good confidence builder.
Nice too Lorenzo - zeroing in on a fast one in London.
More light snow this morning but looks like it's going to melt soon.
Bike it - That's brilliant, well done. Your hard work paid off and we all prefer no drama marathon stories!
What's your Comrades pb?
Birch - Hopefully your slow/steady running and less mileage pays off re the knee, although 35 is still a decent weekly total from 4 runs.
Lorenzo - Wise decision. That's some run from you today after yesterday's 10k. Recover well.
I didn't have a good run today. It was a weird one. Was meant to be meeting a friend for today's 22 but he bailed literally at the last minute and I really don't enjoy the LSR solo but I put that thought to one side and set off at a very slow pace of 8:30mm for the 1st 8 miles. It was sunny but very cold. I turned around and the wind chill which almost made freeze on the way out turned into a really warm 5 mile section with the wind behind me. So much so I had to de rode per se and then ran into an almighty hailstorm at mile 14! Talking about hot and cold. Luckily I was dressed sensibly with hat, gloves, long sleeves, leggings and a neck warmer. I also over estimated the distance as I ran a different route and ended up doing 23.5 miles instead of planned 22. I ran into trouble around 20 miles and got really bad abdominal pain which turned into a horrible stitch. Had to stop and walk for about 5 mins. Stopped again 1 mile further up the road as the basterd stitch came back. Anyway I kept going and could have easily jacked it in at 22 but I don't like walking much so I just plodded on home. Average pace 8:40mm, so yesterday was near 6mm pace and today was near 9mm. Glad to have got the run done and will probably do a 20 next weekend.
Well done, BikeIt! Sounds like a really enjoyable, sensible race. Congrats on the Comrades pen
22M for me on tired legs (and having slept annoyingly badly yesterday). 8.04m/m.
Lorenzo, you sound like you are heading for a strong race.
Thanks Birch. Set off hard with 2 riders I recognised that flew past me at a race the other week and worked with them he whole way round. The strongest guy punctured with 17 to go and I had to do all the work from there to the finish (other guy wasn't up to it and clung on to my back wheel). 3:16ish I think. Still suffering from the cold and I'm pretty sure my face was covered in snot when I passed the photographer. Let's hope they are low resolution pictures!
SJ - You are a beast on two wheels.
Well done!
Gul, my philosophy on fueling is I never do it other than 1 or 2 runs before the marathon (like you to make sure stomach is up to them). I do add in electrolyte tabs though routinely in the host summer months on anything over 15 miles or on my long subLT sessions. Have you not used them in marathons before, or just haven't in training?
GM, pretty nice running on a tricky course. You've got some Zip. Well gutted out on that very long run. More hay in the barn.
Lorenzo, likewise, I'm envious of that 10K time. I'd say you are nearing peak shape (certainly your 22 miler would suggest with such nice pace). And your son is fast too! Wow. Next week I'm talking about viruses. +1 for doing the 21 as a progressive but think I too would do 15 and do them all at MP (or maybe last 13).
SJ, will ask around and investigate if possible. Congrats on victory despite the nasty cold. Animal.
Wow to OO jr and solid effort in the mud to 00 sr.
Nice rebound there GD.
Wow BI, that is an impressive race. Nice even splits too. You're back!
Nice going Jools! And good LR too.
I got 21 in Sat and another 6 easy today to round out 73 for the week. LR was done at easy pace all the way around (8:30 ave). Very decent energy and finished w/out any fuss. So fitness/endurance is in place I think. Now if I can find a bit more speed on the subLT sessions...