Sub 3h15

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  • PS: is anyone else at the Cardiff 10k on Sunday?  I could be looking for a 40min tow!
  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭
    great double days , Gerard , and excellent post re running ethos  . . . .

    love the pics, SJ  

    Gul - good totals there - the annual one is decent, given you had a few injury-hit weeks
     
    bit of a downer of a run today - given that I've only done 4 Mon & 3 Wed this week (albeit with increased effort),  quite demoralised to set off and feel like my feet were back in the diving boots. tried to shake the legs out of it by doing "strideouts", but just ended up with a 4 mile struggle, and hamstring tightening ('tho nowhere near as bad as previously).
    Hey-ho - let's see what tomorrow brings  . . . . .
  • Gerard 70 mile a week you flying now ,hope the ankle is ok.
    Birch sorry to hear that,damn hammies know all about it ...

    Needed a long run and it had to be today so did an out and back to make sure I couldn't quit early , 12 clicks covered but was a right old struggle average pace 8:56/mile,squeaking a bit now ...
  • Not much running for me so far this week. Totals in for August which are 182.28 miles at an average pace of 7:39. That is my biggest August ever. I normally have a couple of weeks on holiday that keep the totals down but seems I got enough runs in this year.

    A couple of interesting non-running events coming up. Tomorrow (Saturday) we are in the audience for The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. #1daughter is a big baker and we are going along as her guests. The following Saturday we are guests at the Last Night of the Proms of a singer friend of ours who is in the BBC Symphony Chorus.
  • PMJ – Good Parkrunning after your holiday. Enjoy your none running events!

    GD – ‘Shocking’ 17 miler done.  :)   Glad your knee issue settled

    SJ – Great pic’s

    Jools – That’s a nice picturesque 8 miler by the sounds of it.

    MsE – Good running and even better cross training. It’s great your comeback is going well

    GM – Great PB weekly mileage!

    Gul – That’s a good session hitting those fast twitch fibers, in an 8 miler

    Birch – I hope the hamstring problem clears soon

    Leslie – Well done on getting a long run done – never worry about the pace as its all ‘time on feet’

     

    August was a good months training, recording 384 miles. This included two half marathons a 10k and 5 mile race. Last week I managed 38:35 in the 10k at the end of a 99 mile week, with a 13 mile warm up! :)

    This week will be over 90 miles again and I’ve another 10k race on Sunday. I might do a slow long run tomorrow, instead of doing the 10k at the end of long run like last week. It will be interesting to see how I perform in the 10k a day after a 20 miler.





  • MsEMsE ✭✭✭
    I reckon BadBark is an illustration of how the body as a machine works best when constantly on the go.  Sadly, we are not all made of teflon and some of us need more rest than others. But it does make you think doesn't it?  It brings to mind a chap whose blog Running On A Raisin shows how he races constantly to great effect.  Are you still on a high fat low carb diet, BB?

    Enjoy the GBBO, PMJ.  With a night at the Proms you are really making the most of what's on offer. Your average pace is really impressive and says a lot about your resilience.


    Can't believe you are back up to 12 already, Leslie.  I have only just reached the heady heights of 5 miles. Are you trying to get race fit then?

    Birch - I reckon it was the rest that did it!  How about getting a mile or two in each day as a sort of restorative measure?  To keep the machine oiled as it were.

    Jools - good luck at Cardiff.

    Gerard - sounds like you are into serious mileage now. What do you mean by "funny feeling" and where is it exactly?  I wouldn't like to suggest anything without you having had a formal diagnosis by someone who has had a proper look at you.  You are right to take note of it though and should watch it in case it develops beyond funny to sore or tender (if a tendon is tender to touch it suggests damage).  What I can suggest is to take extra care to stretch the lower legs out.  Do you stretch pre- and post-run?  Active isolated stretching is something I have done for a while as I have had so many lower leg issues.  It combines stretching with resetting the nervous system so the legs get nicely flushed out.  Here is an explanation from McMillan:  https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mobility-nirvana/

    Here is a video showing the active isolated stretching routine I do regularly for calf, lower leg and foot:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxXLYQcBpWs

    Gul - nice hill repeats.  I love hillwork as it is speed work and form work all rolled into one package.  So efficient!

    Rest day for me so I did 45 mins of restorative yoga.  Lots of practice breathing.  It occurred to me we focus so much on the muscles we can see whereas the one muscle (well, two) that really matter to us runners get little focus.  The heart and the diaphragm.  Surely the better both of those work, the more we get out of our system when running?
  • MsEMsE ✭✭✭
    Gerard - in terms of strengthening, there are so many but one you can try which is effective for the lower body while challenging the stabilising muscles is the clock lunge.  It works on both hip and ankle strength and stability.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rohq_y3eM1w  

    PS  If anything hurts.  Stop immediately though!
  • MsE - Huge thanks! That is soooooo helpful. Sorry for being so vague. The issue is just above the ankle bone to the left on the inside. I'm not sure what it is to be honest as I've never had that issue before. It feels slightly tender and creaky when I set off on my runs but doesn't bother me after a few strides. Don't worry I'll keep an eye on it. 

    Badbark - Hi! Impressive stuff from you as always. Good luck with the 10k.

    Jools - Is the Cardiff 10k a big event? If so, surely you'll be able to latch onto a group of sub 40 aspirants and with your experience and general fitness, you will most likely pace it better than most and run sub 40. Good luck! 

    Birch - Are you parkrunning this weekend? I hope you're feeling better tomorrow.  

    Gul - Nice hill reps. I haven't done any proper hill reps in years! 

    Re the big mileage week, I'm only up to 42 miles so far and have 28 to do over the weekend, so not done yet. I'll be back to very little running next week when the schools go back (on Tuesday here), probably about 15 miles or so, made up mainly up lunch time 5k's, although I may be able to squeeze in a Long run as my ex's sister is visiting from SA and I wouldn't imagine she will want to spend time with my cub Seb. :smile: Out exploring and getting some nature into the soul for some chill time this evening and it always amazes me how few people are out there, although I'm not complaining as I parked off in a nice secluded spot and then chased the sun that was setting out west. Exquisite night. 
  • MsE - It's not  the precise location judging by that picture in the link you posted but it's definitely in the vicinity. That makes quite scary reading hey!? Thankfully my symptoms are nowhere near as bad as those mentioned. I'll be keep an eye on it though and it will be interesting to see how it is when I am back to running very little again next week. Thanks again! 
  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭
    no parkrunning yet, Gerard - don't want to risk the hamstring - but I'll be par(k)taking as soon as I feel able in order to attain a benchmark . . . .    in the meantime, 11 d&d this morn with my pal - mix of quiet roads & trail, lovely sun, with slight hint of chill as we set off at 7:30  

    have a good weekend, all :) 
  • MsEMsE ✭✭✭
    Gerard - in the meantime, we are always advised to make sure our shoes aren't a contributing factor and the feet are getting all the support they need.  Especially with those bigger weekly miles.  If I get any tib tenderness, I pop some insoles into my shoes for some light relief and work on foot strengthening (barefoot scrunching towels with toes sort of thing).

    Easy recovery 20 mins with the dogs as part of a walk, followed by some strides and full body conditioning stuff today.  Happy weekend all!  Enjoy watching the rest of the UTMB.
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭

    That's a nice post Gerard, great that running got you through the tough times but you hung in there for new heights.

    Lovely photos Slokey and glad you have your hands full with a daughter ;)

    Another near miss at Southwark parkrun today. Helped celebrate their 4th birthday- an 18:06 run with a 6:02, 5:57, 5:48 progression. Could have done better with a faster start. Enjoying a lovely weekend in London.

  • Well, it's been a while since I failed to break 40 for 10km, but at least 40.25 was 7s a mile faster than last week's 5km, although today was about 10 degrees cooler which must have helped. Soon I'll hopefully be back under 6.30mm for racing: then I'll feel a bit more like I'm back! Even pacing was an encouraging sign.
  • OO - Impressive park run as ever, well done! Is the 2nd half of the course quicker or did you intend to go off at that pace. Seems to me that there's a bit more to come judging by those splits. Bodes well for the GNR, you could run a very quick time. 

    Jools - A good benchmark for you and as you say, even pacing, which is the best way to run them. 

    A very busy weekend of running for me. Did parkrun on Saturday, 19:26 with a 2k w/u, then did a 7.5k barefoot beach recovery run later that afternoon as it was too nice not to. Absolutely atrocious conditions for this morning's long run. Howling wind and heavy rain. Did 3hrs15 mins time on feet for about 22.5 miles, so very plodtastic pace but the aim was to get a proper long run in to test the body and mind. Took me about 8k to wake up and both body and mind were up to the task today. Told myself that some days you just wanna chuck the towel in, not today my friend I'll use it to wipe my brow! Anyway, weekly mileage was slightly more than planned as below. So 9 runs in 6 days gives me 73:x miles for the week. Next week will be a cut back week with running limited to 4 lunchtime runs which I'm hoping will aid recovery and I'll be back up to another 70 plus mileage week the one after. 

    Mon -  6.8 
    Tues - 5 
    Wed - 10/6.8 
    Thurs - 6.8/6.8
    Fri - Rest day
    Sat - 4.6/3.9
    Sun - 22.5

    In other news it was the Jersey Autumn (can't quite believe that) half  today, I avoided it like the plague as I wanted to do a solo run but a pal of mine made his debut and won in 69 mins. Not too shabby I guess. :smiley:
  • BadbarkBadbark ✭✭✭
    edited September 2017

    MsE – No, I’m currently not on a high fat low carb diet. I only did that for 10 days before my 24 hour race. I’m back to a Mediterranean\Pescatarian diet which serves me well.

    GM – I hope your niggle clears. Stunning photos. Very good week of running completed.

    Birch – That sounds like a nice 11 miler. I hope your back Parkrunning again soon.

    OO – Fantastic Parkrun time, with more to come by the sound of it.

    Jools – Good 10k time with your pace improvement.

    I ran 20 miles yesterday including a 19:38 Parkrun, which was about a minute faster than expected. I didn’t look at my watch at all and was surprised at the time, as it really did feel like MP effort until the last 400m. I did a Mo at the end, making sure no-one overtook me by surging a few times. :)  I’d thought I’d run over 20 minutes until I got the results email later.

    Today I did another 13 miles finishing with a 10k race. I’m very happy to have run 37:57 which is 37 seconds faster than last week, with the same 158 bmp HR average. That’s 2 consecutive weeks of 99 miles completed and I’m improving. :)

    Following GM’s example, here’s my week

    Mon – 10 easy

    Tue – 12/12 easy commute

    Wed – 11 easy

    Thur – 13 including 6 x 1 mi @ 5:50 pace

    Fri – 8 easy

    Sat – 20 including 19:38 Parkrun

    Sun – 13 including 37:57 10k

    Average weekly pace 7:54 

  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭
    That's pretty amazing stuff BB, not sure which impresses me more, probably the 10 k as it's a fast time as a stand alone. You are on fire again.

    Impressive from you too Gerard. You certainly are packing it in. I always struggle to run a fast 1st mile, gets worse as I get older. I should probably warm up better.

    12 today for a cut back week of 44.
  • MsEMsE ✭✭✭
    Those mile splits are impressive, OO.  You will get there on the right course with the right conditions.

    Still a decent 10K time, Jools.  It's just the start of the big comeback anyway after a summer off for you.

    Excellent work on the time on feet run, Gerard.  Rest after your heavy week.

    BadBark - you really are on a roll with the mileage and race times.  You are the classic runner who runs well off high volume.

    Longest time on feet so far with an hour today.  I took to the hills with the dogs and was delighted to be able to return to the nice sandy trails I love by St Martha's Hill.   There's a nice steep section called Fitstuff Nemesis on Strava which I love to do weekly when in training as it really builds fitness. It took me 6 mins to trot up there today which is a lot slower than my record of 4:41.  
  • Jools a decent 10k time for most of us !
    Gerard 22.5 now that's a longun alright.
    Badbark 99 mile a week cracking stuff while racing too ,not surprising you are improving.
    0054 you are so close to a sub 18  almost every week now come on man !
    MSE back up to an hour great stuff.

    Rest up today 40 mile for the week .
  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    Badbark - Excellent 10k, I'd love a 37:5x 10k! One thing I really admire about you, which is very evident from your training and races, is that you always seem to improve and deliver. I'm curious to know whether or not you planned doing 99 mile weeks or did that just happen as the end product of a big week in succession? I'm not sure my OCD would cope and would most likely shuffle for another mile for the century, but you sure are doing enough and have proven there is method in your Madness! :smiley: Another thing, if I may, what is a Mediterranean/Pescatarian diet? I get the fish part but I'm curious about the other parts? 

    MsE - An hour of running is a good place to be. I like the sound of that segment you do. I have a similar one here but much shorter, it really hurts but in a nice way but builds strength and fitness when needed. 

    OO - Perhaps I should take a leaf out of your book and start off slower in the shorter stuff. My mate won our parkrun (same chap who did 69 for the half today) in 15 mins and I shot off with him for the first 50m's or so. It's not something I've ever managed to control early doors but it doesn't take me long to settle into a much more relaxed/easier rhythm. On of my mates is doing GNR next weekend and he is really stoked about it. I'd like to do it one year. Once I get a "decent" marathon time I will, for sure. 

    Leslie - Building up again nicely. If you don't mind me asking, whereabouts are you staying when you are in Dublin? Have you been before?? 





  • Quick visit this morning, but Badbark's 10k races and highly impressive mileage noted! And another near miss for OO
    Disappointed to miss the 24 hr parkrun this weekend, but started the week with a 16 miler early this morning. 1M w/u @ 8:51, 8M easy @ 8:16 and 7M steady @ 7:35. 
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭

    Really great news MsE- you must be chuffed to be on your feet that long.

    Gerard its certainly a more comfortable way to run. The great thing about parkruns is that they don't really matter so it's good to try out all different strategies outside of a proper race. Lots of excitement up here about GNR especially now Mo has confirmed he will run.

    Well done Gul I only managed a 5 mile plod.  

    Decent mileage Leslie- what's up next?   

  • Gerard I'm staying in Jury's inn only ever been down on a daytrip once about 20 years ago !
    0054 Dublin mara in 54 days ! With a longrun of only 12 mile I'm a tad behind schedule 
    Will get a short run after work .
  • OO – Good mileage for a cut back week

    MsE –Well done with the hour on the feet. Onwards and upward literally!

    GM – I hadn’t planned on 99 miles, just in the mid 90’s. A few extra miles when I had the time, added them up to 99.76 and 99.84 each. I suppose I could call them 100 mile weeks due to the unrecorded running drills.

    My diet is pretty much like this but without any chicken or meat - http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan#section1

    I believe that a healthy diet is the single most important reason I don’t get injured.

    Gul – Great 16 miler to start the week

    Leslie - Enjoy the after work run


    10.6 easy miles for me today with a 12/12 commute planned for tomorrow. I’ve a low key marathon on Saturday where I intend to run at a steady pace.

  • Gul - Shame about missing parkrun but there's always next week and the week after etc. Excellent run! 

    Leslie - Is that Jury's near Christchurch by any chance? Well, believe it or not, I have never crossed the border! 

    OO - I really enjoy parkrun and agreed, it's more fun than anything else and such a great opportunity for us all to enjoy. GNR is a massive event and yes good to see Mo is back for another shot at the win. Haven't seen the elite line up yet but it would take something extraordinary to take the win from him. 

    Badbark - Thanks for posting the link. I like almost everything about that diet but I do like red meat, however I don't have it often nowadays. It seems to work for you and the red wine part is my favourite! :)
    What will be steady pace for your low key marathon this w/end? 

    Super rest day here but really productive, did a clothes cull and got rid of so much of my old running apparel that I never wear and most of it is in great nick, sent a massive bundle off to charity and hopefully some less fortunate people will get good use of it. Had a lovely meander on the beach with my boy tonight, super high tide and gutted I didn't bring our swimming gear. 



  • Read back into ancient history:
    SJ - awesome pics and even better delivery on race day. You are performing out of your skin, even more so given your chronic injury thing. Mahoosive chapeau.  Canada is quite big isn't it.
    Birch - super family pic.  And amazing hair. Is the tap water in Sheff different from what we get on the other side of the Pennines?
    GM - you live in the most beautiful place where getting out there can only be a pleasure.  Really good miles too.
    BB - extraordinary - do you have jump leads from a younger man?
    MsE - good to see you coming back - fingers crossed
    Leslie - you have plenty of time to get the longer runs in. Training is overrated.
    PMJ - you must be v v proud of the offspring. 
    Also Ran - sorry to hear about the horribly long injury thing as I recall you have become a very impressive runner when fit. Hope you can get back to somewhere near where you would like to be.

    So this is what it's come to. I entered the New Forest mara with the aim of chaperoning my niece/goddaughter Poachette2 round on her debut. But she has now been told to work all w/e so I am going tout seul having failed to record any meaningful runs since, err, April. It's going to be ugly but if experience counts I should survive.  Still humming and hah-ing about whether to give up or try to reach 100.

    Comrades 2018 entries opened this week BTW.  If you are thinking about signing up, just do it - it's the biz. Down run in 2018 - easier and more enjoyable than the up run although considerably more painful. But hey, we are runners, we can deal with pain.
  • Maybe 5m on the beach and dunes is enough of a long run to get me round. Hmm.
  • Poacher  - What a shame re your niece/goddaughter, work sucks! I can't recall when you last actually trained for a marathon but somehow, you still you manage to run very good times. I can't fathom that, but I like it! Great photo, looks lovely there. 


  • OO - 5 mile plod for me today!
    Badbark - interesting that you consider your diet key to remaining injury free. Enjoy your 12/12 commute!
    GM - last weekend was a 24 hr parkrun event to raise money for a defibrillator for the park and people mostly did an hour each. It's the third one of these they have held and last year I did 25 miles. Maybe they'll hold another one next year!
    Poacher - real shame about your niece. But let's have no talk of giving up on reaching 100! Hope it's not too ugly on Sunday.
    As mentioned, just a 5 miler this morning @ 8:33 m/m.
  • Holy smokes! Some lightening quick times and impressive weekly mile totals being run. Putting me to shame.

    Southwark Park is where I used to go as a kid, OO. I grew up in Peckham, so all around there and Bermondsey is my manor. Still got family there.

    Still plodding on here. Have been time strapped with various family events going on. Managed 21 miles mainly off-road on Saturday at 8.09 pace. A nice 4 mile recovery on Sunday. last night I tried a 5 mile recovery with splits of 6.54, 6.43, 6.33, 6.24, 6.14.

    Nice 10 second improvements but the final mile was a bit of a push.

    Manic with work, birthdays and anniversaries this week, hard to get runs in. Thinking about the Farnham Pilgrim Marathon on Sunday as my LSR to try and keep my 40 miles per week streak going.
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