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Sub 3h15
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Booked this solely to run through the Dark Hedges which anybody who watches "game of thrones" will be familiar with a line of 300 year old beech trees which seem from another age which indeed they are !
Dervock village was the start line but the registration hall was well hidden and as I walked about I must have had about 10 people ask me where it was as you couldn't see the sign by car only on foot !
Did my warmup and met BADBARK just before the start and can confirm he does actually exist . The warmup suggested my leg might not be up to it as my left hammy was hurting a bit as it has in the last few races but usually it holds up.
At 11am we were of and put in a couple of 6:30's in the first 2 miles which was mostly flat but after 2.5m it climbed sharply and basically before levelling of at 5.2 mile with a half mile down hill . About mile 3 the first proper hill it became clear I could not run fast up hills at all and this just got worse as the race went on .This was a bit of an issue as from 5.8 to 8m was all uphill which saw my pace drop to 8 m/mile plus on any incline at all.
Mile 8 was downhill though the famous dark hedges and very nice it was too ,and had some Japanese tourists clapping and cheering us on as a bonus , from there to the finish was net downhill with only a few little blips but it was all about getting in , 90 mins was soon long gone as a target as well .I could go better on the downhills so I was passing the same people down each mile or so to be passed as soon as the next climb started again .
Glad to get in and my time was a slightly disappointing 1:33:30 , saw Badbark again at the finish and he ran a good race . Treated myself to a double cone with sprinkles and then the painful sit the 1 hr home with my hammy gurning away !
Average hr 177 bpm despite the slowdown .
Leslie - sorry your hamstring is troubling you. Still a great time in spite of it all (although I know that is little consolation).
I think the thread needs to schedule a Hamstring Chat to brainstorm what is going on....
Jools - glad your hamstring issues have subsided.
Do be careful tomorrow, Lorenzo! Although it is softer, grass can be less stable and force the ankle to work hard (i.e. it won't have had much of a rest at all). If proprioception is compromised from a recent sprain, it would end up worse. (removes pessimist's hat...)
GD - you are getting much quicker. That's a nice pace for a 10 miler.
Gerard - bad luck with the car and DNS.
We have arrived with the MsEttes and MsEsq in rainy Devon for a week's holiday. After a 4:30am start to beat the traffic, we made it here in good time and were eating breakfast shortly after 8am. Without the treadmill to hand (foot?) I ventured out for an evening run-walk trot and, man, it felt so good to be outside running. The same 1 min efforts x 10 I have been doing so far. Focusing on cadence and feeling light on my feet brought the paced efforts to 6:11-6:56 min/mi pace with turnover around 200 spm. To think old MRP falls within this range makes me realise how much work I have ahead of me. Still baby steps.
"Running through it is unwise, but that is unlikely to stop the masochists among you"
Enjoy your hols . . . .
I am always a bit wary of Japanese tourists cheering and clapping. I have been to Japan a few times and they are a great country with a very playful sense of humour. Outwardly, they seem they naive when viewed as tourists but inside it wouldn't surprise me if they were laughing along.
PMJ you could be right I have seen their games shows for fun !!!
MSE great speed on the efforts there ! I have consulted the google and self diagnosed "high hamstring tendinopathy" for myself and found a few exercises to do for now below .
https://runnersconnect.net/high-hamstring-tendinopathy-injuries-a-pain-in-the-butt/
parkrun yesterday in 20:04 and starting to feel that sub-20 is coming back to me. 6:20 first mile left me in about 25th overall behind a big bunch. 6:49 for the second mile which has a tricky field and a set of steps and then I seemed to get a second wind and a 6:19 third mile saw me pick off the bunch one-by-one and end up 15th overall. I usually do the first miles in about 6:10/6:40 so just need the confidence to start a bit quicker again.
More than decent runs by OO & jnr at the Northumberland Coastal this morning. Multi terrain including beach, boulders and this year lots of mud. The c**pness of my 1.43.01 shows in the photo! First proper run since VLM due to cycling, travel etc. It was laboured and despite being so skinny I feel like there's a load of timber to shift after a good deal of gluttony. However, one of the finest races anywhere and the first thing pencilled on the calendar each year. If you haven't done it, c'mon up.
Sounds a tough one Leslie so 1:33 isn't anything to be ashamed of - as one of the few people in this country who's never seen an episode of GoT, I've got no idea what the Dark Hedges are!!
PMJ - worth a look at this to give you some ideas when you're visiting your friends. http://ratrace.com/uta/ Or perhaps another reason to go up there.
Elmbridge 10K for me this morning - a very flat course along the river although the surface was more rough footpath with a few puddles than tarmac. It was the race (albeit with a slightly different course) where I first went sub-40 with a 39:55 6 years ago and I was hoping to go under 40 again.
My legs felt pretty heavy while I was warming up but I got into the rhythm during the first few Ks and the first 4 kms were all around the 3:55 mark and I got to the halfway mark in 19:42. However, I was starting to slow a bit and despite the added incentive of a clubmate (who's also one of the senior coaches) about 5 or 10 seconds ahead I was slowing a bit and Ks 7 to 9 were all around the 4:10 mark. I recovered to finish with a final 3:57 but unofficially (i.e. by my Garmin) finished in 40:22.
A little bit disappointed not to go sub-40 again, but I have to take a positive that with a 75.4% WAVA I'm not losing too much speed these days.
Talking of speed, younger Lorenzito decided to have another crack on Saturday at going sub-2 in an 800m and took 3s off his PB in a fast race to finish in 1:58.2 - scarily fast.
0054 nice pic sounds like a good run out.
Poacher Likewise 1:43 with no running on an offroad course sounds a very decent outing
Lorenzo not too far away from sub 40 should be possible with a little focus. Never actually watched "GOT" either and never visited there till yesterday ,one of those hidden treasures under my nose ! Looks a bit like this lol !
Well done Leslie that's a decent time given the injury worries- the venue sounds great.
Yes you are right Lorenzo- Poacher is only allowed out during the daylight for his own safety
Great effort in the 10k, almost broke the 40 Lorenzo- and Congrats to your son that is a wicked pace for 800.
As Poacher says the Coastal is quite a race and sells out in about 6 hours. Conditions were good this year but the heavy rain caught us all out with the wrong footwear in the mud. After a couple of poor years I was back to decent form today with 1:28:47- the course is about 13:25 miles. Junior was a couple of minutes back but was 4th lady. I was 2nd V50 behind that chap Sammi R who is the V50 10k UK champ on the track. This years champs are a week after the GNR on a track near me. I might give it a go but suspect I'll be eating his dust again.
As for Poacher, always a pleasure to meet you Sir. How you can run that course off zero training I don't know, but it was a much better achievement that your comment suggests. Lets hope you put in a bit more training for Hull Mara!
Lorenzo - Fairly close to sub 40 and a very good WAVA. That's a tasty 800 by your lad. Nice one.
10 miles for me today to add to yesterday's 17 and Friday's 6.2, getting somewhere closer to some sort of decent fitness.
GM - it would be rude not to do the HM then! Nice long run.
OGL - hope you can fulfil that hankering one day!
Leslie - that sounds like a tough course and a great effort.
MsE - enjoy the outdoor running and the holiday! I would love to be in Devon.
PMJ - Isle of Arran sounds appealing too! Didn't realise it was quite so large.
OO - great photo and excellent racing.
Lorenzo - good effort in the 10k and close to sub 40. Super fast 800m by Lorenzito.
Couldn't make parkrun again this weekend, so just 5 slow miles early on Saturday. Too much beach cricket (and I seemed to be doing all the fielding) left me in need of a rest on Sunday! Then 5 easy miles this morning.
OO / Poacher - the coastal does indeed sound like a great race. Love the photo
Leslie - mighty fine time on what sounds like a touch course
Lorenzo - very close to sub 40, great run
Another 15 miles ticked off yesterday, after 8 a bit quicker on Saturday. 4.5 mile recovery run this morning.
Leslie – It was great to meet and have a good yarn with you at the Dark Hedges HM. You ran a good race considering your injury.
MsE – It’s great to read you are back running outside again. Enjoy!
PMJ – Man-up.
60 miles is too close to 100k, not to run around
the island all in one go. You could set out early one morning, run around the
island and still be back in time for a late lunch. 
Poacher – Great photo! Good running all things considered
Lorenzo – Nice 10k time with a good WAVA. Junior is a flying machine
OO – Excellent HM+ racing
GM – Great mileage over the weekend
Gul – I’m sure beach cricket fielding was a good interval session
Freemers – Good weekend mileage
As Leslie mentioned I ran the Dark Hedges HM on Saturday. I was happy with 1:23:44 on an undulating course, only 20 days after the 24 hour race. This was good enough for 8th overall and 1st M45, winning £20. This has cemented my age group lead in the HM series, with only 2 races to go. First prize is a £200 voucher for a local running store.
My next ‘A’ race will be the Chester Marathon which incorporates the British Masters Marathon Championships. Its 11 weeks away and my race over the weekend, was my first of 13 races over the next 14 weeks. Next up is the Cookstown HM on Sunday.
OO - blowing a northeasterly hooly up here today - would have made yesterday quite a bit easier/faster.
Abo campaign continues for me. 16 trail miles covered at a leisurely 8.34 pace on Saturday. It was softer underfoot due to the rain and could certainly feel the extra workout. Also getting on well with the Salomon backpack I've been using in the trails. Nice to have both hands free.
Recovered with a 3 miler yesterday and tonight did 8 miles with 8 decent hill reps in the middle. A good session which averaged 7.15 pace which was surprising as there was slow walk/jog recoveries down the other side of the hill before belting up and over it again.
The odd niggle creeping in but managing them ok. We continue...
Badbark - cracking performance in the HM on Sunday. Looking good to win the series.
GD - a couple of nice sessions there.
6 x 800m this morning off 200m recoveries. Struggled with the last couple in particular. 2:53, 2:56, 2:56, 3:02, 3:06, 3:06. Probably set off too hard. 7 miles in total.
PMJ your Mara pedigree is excellent. Strolling round 60 miles might be worth considering.
BB I think our talents come closest around 1/2 M distance. That's a great time on an undulating course and around what I expect for the GNR in 7 weeks- I'd really like to get under 1:23. Above that distance you are the king!
How are the legs Poacher? I had a rest day but back at it today with 10k paced Reps.