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Overdone it?
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Presume she did the parkrun fairly full beans?
And not in 30mins or something?
For some reason this brings me back to my footy days, when I cheesed my manager off telling him I wouldn't be training with the team (a bunch of teenagers in our squad), as I had a big race coming up. (pre going all in running, still messing about between the 2 sports)
Then next thing he knew I was playing a full on 11v 11 game for another team instead. I forget the logic I was using.
Stevie - that sound seven more chaotic with the women starting an hour after the men on a small loop! At the midlands, the women start 20 minutes after the men so even the most rapid of men won't have completed their 5.5 miles before the women start.
Our changeover doesn't even involve a hand slap! We wait in a 'holding pen' until some fella with a microphone calls your number out as your incoming runner comes round the last corner. You're then allowed out on the course where a fierce looking woman (it's been the same one every year I've done it I'm sure), holds her arm out and makes sure your foot is behind the line, when your club mate comes in behind you she drops her arm, in a dramatic fashion and away you go (far too fast as it's a downhill start).
Strange how it seems so different per region. Leg length, timings, handovers, out and back v loops etc.
The video looked insane on youtube. One because runner you know are doing well under 5min miling look like they're hardly moving, and then the sheer quantity of runners, mixed in with people wandering across the track, or jogging the other direction, sometimes allowing about 2metres of room for the runners!
The women's start must be smooth, as it's the same venue and set up as last year. But I just still have visions of them having to rush them all into position and get them going very quickly in case there's a pack of blokes steaming towards them!
I best try and make an effort to get some sleep now, as it's a 6am wakeup job, but I dare say we'll have a whale of a time across the two threads making sense of it tomorrow.
Lolz Lit, you know some runners, highly prized units who have to be 100% right in body and mind.
(whistles uncomfortably...having trained well for a year and only raced above 5k once, not feeling quite right)
As it goes it was a disappointing parkrun. Wome up feeling good, conditions good and warm up good. I just can't seem to suck it up at parkrun and pack the towel in too easily. Ended up 19.11. Managed a full on Sprint last 50 metres with last 0.1 coming in at 5.30 pace so I couldn't have been that beaten up!
DT - hard lines with the non sub 19, however, still a solid time and you are in the midst of marathon training so legs won't be at their freshest.
Stevie - Just seen your report on your thread, excellent time after a savage opening mile! Good to qualify for the Nationals too...might see you there (see below).
Midland road relays yesterday, I was in charge of the team, so after having had a lumbar puncture test earlier in the week (to cut a long story short, I'm fine) I gave myself the last leg knowing full well that I'd probably end up in the mass start and could 'hide'.
Aim was to run as close to 19 as possible for the 3.2 miles...silly downhill start try not to go too fast, round a corner, up the hill which seems to go on forever, out along an undulating stretch into the teeth of the wind, 'where's the turn point?', finally spot the ice cream van and the turn, into the final mile, try and ramp the pace up but don't seem to have any energy in my legs. Get caught by some dude, in to the last half mile, up the final hill past the crowds and finish. Check my watch - 19:30 - reasonably happy with that, I'm about 20 seconds slower than my club mate o a similar pace but given the build up during the week, I'll take that.
Touch and go if we've qualified for The Nationals (Top 25 required) as they were still processing the results by the time we left. After our opening leg we were 58th, however, the runners we had on legs 2-6 were our express runners and at the end of leg 6 (the last time we saw any updated results) we were in the high twenties. So possibly qualified for the Nationals but will have to ait and see. Having said that it's unlikely we'll be able to field a team for the Nationals as most of the team are doing one marathon or another.
3 mile recovery run today. Glorious
Just an easy 5 or so for me today.
www.race-results.co.uk/results/2017/m1217.htm
Cheers gents. So just missed out on qualifying for the Nationals by 6 places which is a shame but probably for the best as if we did somehow manage to muster a team it would be very much a B/reserve team and wouldn't be representative of the capabilities of the club. Still an 8 minute improvement on last year and now within touching distance of the top 25 which we would certainly achieve if all our top runners were available (but would mean I wouldn't make the team so swings and roundabouts).
DT - great result for your men, massive improvement on last year. I saw they were quite high up he field on the day so did think they'd qualified, your lead out man seems pretty handy - just over 28 minutes for 5.3 miles...
Bad luck Tommy. One hell of a turn out in the Midlands, over 70 teams starting leg 1?
Do you find the location allows for all counties classes as Midlands to get there?
Ours being in the further most south east part of the "south" territory meant that it'd have been a huge effort for any of the really SW teams to get there!
Our results still aren't officially up, due to some sort of computer glitch, but at the southerns they give the last runner of the top 25 teams a letter of qualification as they finish! So no hanging on in ignorance.
if you fancy giving me an indepth breakdown of what the course is like, being privileged to have the midlands/final at the same venue, that'll be helpful!
Looking forward to 1 lap, and when you pass an awkward bit know it's dealt with, and you won't be there later much less energised. Really hope 1) there's not the gales of yesterday, and 2) if there are, they aren't on the blimming climbs! Will probably suit me not having the easy stretch in the first 400metres as well!
DT, keep knocking at the door. Sometimes it's the case you can't break a number for ages, then smash miles under on the right day.
So I take it your club qualified, SG?
I'd say Sutton is pretty well placed to provide an equal journey to most of the Midlands outer areas. It's pretty central in that zone and just off two major motorways. Looking at teams involved the only one that would appear to have a lengthy trip is Bristol.....but then that's their choice to enter the Midlands.
It's similar to when I was trying to get under 40 for 10k. I had one random success (as I have with Sub 19) then nothing for ages, then when I broke through it, it was comfortable and consistent.
Stevie - as DT say's it's fairly well placed to get to from most of the region, although the roads leading up to the park and the on-site parking can get very congested. I guess Bristol & West had the furthest to travel yesterday, which is probably a couple of hours for those guys. In previous years there has been teams from Devon such as Taunton etc competing which is a fairly epic mission. Somewhat bizarrely, I notice from the Northern relay results that Derby AC (complete with Ben Connor - fresh from winning The Nationals) competed in those champs in Blackpool, rather than the Midlands in a town about 35 miles away from them?!
The start of the lap is very downhill for the first 400m before flattening out for a short section. It then swings back into some trees and then climbs steadily for the next 3/4 of a mile or so to just after the mile point. The next mile is flattish but a little bit exposed so can be wind affected. At the two mile point is the break point, long leg runners go straight on for an out and back section (2 miles in total), which is probably net downhill on the out mile and net uphill on the back mile. The third mile (short leg) or fifth mile (long leg) is predominately downhill but with a bit of a kick up at the end of the mile. This is also coming back in to the area with most of the support in / where people are warming up. The course then drops slightly downhill before a sharp right turn and incline up to the finish / changeover area - this is where all the club tents are situated and most of the support is happening, and also where the official photographer locates himself for capturing maximum comedy face pulling photos. I noticed yesterday that the corner is bloody sharp and a lot of runners are thrown very wide coming up the home straight.
Overall it's a good course but not PB material and the out and back section on the long leg can be a bit of a drag (I've done both the long and the short leg). I'd give yourself plenty of time to get in to the park and don't expect to leave promptly (it took me the best part of an hour to get out the car park at the end of the day!
Long leg:
https://www.strava.com/activities/913783740
Short leg:
https://www.strava.com/activities/913934982/overview
Will probably feel a completely different set up with a 5.4mile loop rather than 3x1.3mile loops, dreading the windy climbs the next time roumd
Sounds like everyone else had fun at their respective relays too. I love relays. DT, perhaps you can pretend that you were not really going for it at parkrun so your team will not be annoyed that you didn't run for them.
I like relays, but our club rarely does them. Now the cross country league is established over the winter I might turn my attention to developing a bit of enthusiasm for the relays.
First twenty miler of the year one Saturday - felt reasonably bouncy for the full distance. Nice weather so I did a bit of countryside exploring and saw some lapwings and a hare and earlier last week I saw an otter in the river. Much better than plodding round under streetlights.
Despite the bounciness I feel like I might have tweaked my left hamstring - rest day today so hopefully it'll have miraculously disappeared by Tuesday.
Looking at the results I would have only marginally improved out A team and our B team consisted of 4 runners so no where near a complete line up, so I don't feel bad.
That is sound advice, Lou. How come that is your first 20? When is your last? I have half day tomorrow for my last one.
It is quite a close turn around in fairness, 2 weeks, especially for clubs that don't know for certain they'll qualify (not an issue for women's teams who don't need to qualify of course)
Let's hope it's a still day. It can't be windier in places than yesterday surely? Especially badly timed at the most isolated times.
Will print that tip off and get it on board.
I say that now, but if the previous runner has left me a few in front, I dare say I'd stupidly monster off and see the same slow down, with a dribbly finish, and mandatory fast last however many yards
I've been to the physio and it's certainly not good news. The cuboid bone is very tender to his hard pressing (I reclaimed my foot on one particular press) and he thinks the bone is at least bruised (and that's after a week of no running plus not much the week before). To be fair when he pressed on the cuboid bone on the other side it wasn't unpainful.
But as I suspected he can't categorically say it is a stress fracture and suspects it is not, yet.
So I've got three choices.
1) Do lots of swimming and cycling for 3 weeks and see how I manage on the day - probably involves running at Lit and Fifi's pace or maybe trying to squeeze a GFA?
2) Give up and wait 6 to 8 weeks for it to definitely get better.
Neither of these hit my 'sexy' button.
3) Do a lot of cycling this week. Run 18 with 14 at MP on Sunday. See what happens. If get away with it do plenty more cycling and run 20 the next Sunday. If survive that lots of cycling, a little running, race it as previously planned. I think this is known as the One Run a Week Marathon Plan - I doubt it comes highly recommended.
I think the most likely outcome is failure at hurdle one but 46 weeks into the plan it's too far for option 2 and I haven't trained for 46 weeks for option 1 either.
Oh and my dog's been to the vet's this morning and a vet with a worried face says he needs a biopsy. It's not been a great day - I suppose it would be much worse if it was the other way round though.
Sorry to hear Skinny.
But one thing that's been a recurring theme of this thread is you coming back from adversity. So I back you to do so again.