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Ah the absolute worst kind of race - only 20 people and they're all fast! How high are the tors?
Yeah would have liked a few more people around my pace to run with (and show me the way, I did get slightly lost at one point)
I do worry a bit about the navigation - not so much on a clear day because the races I'm picking have plenty of people in them but if the clouds come down on the fells then it is scary how unfamiliar everything looks and once you can't see ahead it's really easy to quickly lose all sense of direction. I've done it fellwalking before but you've got time and energy to waste on a normal day in the fells.
Working through the penultimate week, with 5m, 10m and spin each of last 2 nights.
10x 1k off 1 min today. Bit of a struggle, feeling tired now. Slowest rep was first in 3.43 and fastest was 5th in 3.36. Struggling to hit the paces on these this cycle.
8m and spin tomorrow then a rather large session Friday morning before heading down to Dorset for couple of nights.
Weighed this morning on the boditrax machine at gym, was 65.5kg, lightest I've ever seen.
Not surprised you're feeling tired after the last few weeks. I'm sure with a bit of a taper you'll be fresh for the race.
65kg's sounds pretty light, should help with the marathon though. My weight is creeping the other way but I think that's because of the regular gym stuff.
Tommy, yes that is a fair trek for a race!
54m for me last week. Big session first thing Friday. 5 x 3k at between mp and hmp off 1k at 6.50mm. Struggled latterly, felt shattered by the end but in the bag. Rest day Saturday which I needed then 8m easy Sunday down in Dorset. The 8m felt much better for the rest day.
Out first thing today for 18m. Felt really comfortable and not at all like a reasonably serious distance run.
Afternoon on the sofa now watching Boston.
Another good week DT.
On 53m for week with a meagre 15 planned tomorrow. Had a really good session Wednesday of 3 x 2m off 0.5m easy. Best I've felt in months and average pace for 7m was 6.10mm.
10m at low tempo yesterday and used it as a full kit tester. Aimed to sit at 6.25mm as that's what I really need to get round the first half at mk no slower than if I'm to get near 2.45. Felt pretty comfortable with average 6 25mm for 154bpm.
Legs are starting to feel rested now, despite nominal taper steps, though dropped spin fown to 1 session this week from 3. Also had sports massage yesterday.
Things drop off quite a lot this week and another massage next Thursday.
Re the MP stuff the fell running/walking is pretty tough for a novice like me so I think that’s plenty.
This week 5, 6, 9 with 2250 feet ascent, 3, 3, 5, 11 for 42 miles total.
The climbing/descending/uneven surface left inside of top of my right calf feel a bit tender but no pain running on flat so just took it easy rest of the week pace wise and seems fine.
Next Saturday got the Derwent Dawdle 23 miles round Derwentwater with about 4500 feet of ascent and descent so will see how I manage with that - I’m expecting cramp at some point.
Then off to Turkey for a week to recover.
Great consistency, Skinny. Good luck with Derwent Dawdle, sounds like a tough day out but you'll be grand.
A very rare occurrence for me on Saturday; first finisher at parkrun. It's a net uphill course (3rd hardest in the UK apparently), basically 1.5 miles uphill on footpaths, a mile flastish on grassy paths and then half a mile downhill including a very steep grassy descent. Bit of a lung buster but all good fun. I had a bit of company for the first mile or so but then pulled ahead and ended up finishing 15-20 seconds ahead of second place. Definitely seeing an improvement in leg strength from regular sessions at the gym which helps on these hilly courses.
Skinny - good luck on Saturday, rather you than me!
Tommy - nice work, first finisher is always a nice feeling! Definitely your kind of course.
I managed 4 easy runs last week topping out at 5 miles. All felt OK, though very hard work! Will look to build up a bit more this week.
Tommy, great work on first finisher. That's on my list of boxes to tick. I guess it'd help if I did a few more than one or two parkruns a year.
Mr v, you got yourself back to decent shape recently so I'm sure it won't take long.
Thanks all, before Manchester I was thinking I'd do well to go close to sub 2.50, then probably just two weeks ago my ambitions were restrained to going getting just under, but last week or so has left me want to gun for 2.44.
Easy 15 yesterday was very bouncy and comfortable at 7.33mm. 5m recovery lunchtime was also very low hr v pace.
Forecast currently looks very settled and good.
When you say 'very rare' do you mean that's the first time or have you done it before? I don't think I've ever finished higher than 4th although like most of us there have been weeks I haven't run where the fastest time has been well within my scope.
And yes it did used to be on the TTT before Muddy won so many prizes that the TTT couldn't keep up.
I've finished 2nd and 3rd a few times but always found there's someone there who can go sub 17. Then the next week I look at the results and I'd have won it easily.
One day I'll find a local parkrun that is a bit inconsistent and turn up every week until I win!
Easy 8m yesterday, 4 x 1m over lunch at a bit faster than mp. Weather conditions currently look text book perfect on Monday, though there be a few shifts in that I'm sure.
All looking good for Monday, DT. One of my club mates will be there but he'll be 10-15 minutes behind you I guess.
Hope you're resting up before Saturday, Skinny.
Now it has ended I'm not going to run today either and then will go for a short dress rehearsal tomorrow as I've got a new bag (borrowed a friend's last time I did an ultra). It's only 23 miles so will be tough but hopefully the miserable bit at the end when your stride has shortened to nothing should be bearably short.
When I was getting some confidence back after a 2015 HM near collapse and year of heart tests, I had a couple of months summer of 2016 doing some parkrun touring.
I'd go to a few I would have a crack at winning, and picked one called South Oxhey one week.
About as bootleg as it gets, 30-40 runners and the winning time on literally, and we're not over exaggerating, we're talking literal in the erm literal sense of the word - for the previous FIFTY-TWO weeks would be something I'd have beaten.
The week I went?
Came 3rd
Couldn't make it up.
I'm 13th in their all time list for blooming heck's sake, out of now 308 events
Just have to
(ps it's a funny course, 3 laps, with a long steep grass hill each lap!)
Guarantee if I roll up next few weeks it'll be full of speedsters.
Very low end 5m today. Yesterday was my final run with effort with 4 x 1m a bit faster than mp off 2 min easy. Reps were 6.08, 6.08, 6.07 and 6.05. Pleasingly even those paces felt comfortable and my main trouble was pulling the pace back from sub 6.
Weather forecast looks perfect as it stands. Probably the best weather I'll have had for a marathon if it stays same, which is unexpected given it's May.
Easy 4m tomorrow then 3 Sunday.
Good luck on weekend, Skinny.
Weather forecast looks steady.
I've just had a look and the first finishing times are quite often well over 20 minutes and only 1 person has ever gone sub 17. Either a stonkingly hard course or close to a really popular one.
I can only imagine how bleak it must be in wet conditions.
Just a small back street parkrun amongst loads in that sort of area I suppose.
One of those events you wonder how they sustain themselves.
Although to be fair, you can probably get away with 1 director, 1 time keeper, and 1 time collector, and if there's a couple of spares have marshals.
As it's an obvious loop they can stick signs out for.
2.50.23 today. Sub 2.45 was never on, felt awful at 84.10 for halfway but somehow kept ticking the miles off and getting faster. By mile 24 I’d done the maths and was on for a high 2.46 low 2.47 then disaster struck and a Marshall not paying attention allowed myself and another to run straight passed him down a hill. We then had to run back up the hill to find our way back and added about 800m or 3 ish minutes which obviously meant my pb had gone. This killed my ambition. Managed to claw back the 3 of the 4 places I lost though and finished 17th.
DT - that must be so frustrating for you. Was a PB on at the time? Still sounds like a pretty great effort. Is there anything particular you put not feeling great down to? Just one of those days?
still, in the context of a marathon not going well and being sent off course for 800m and on a difficult course, 2.50 is no disaster really.
DT - that sounds really frustrating with the marshalling error given how hard you'd had to work for over 20 miles. However, as you say 2:50 is no disaster and shows what a great place you're in; time to get stuck into shorter distances over the summer and then build for the autumn.
Skinny - excellent effort on the fell race. I've only done one fell race of that distance and didn't have anywhere near that amount of elevation gain. Top stuff.
Mr V - how's the comeback coming along?
Talking of comebacks I saw a decent effort at parkrun from Muddy over the weekend. Similarly, Bob seems to be getting back to some form with some a few sub 20 parkruns recently. Will be catching up with him in a couple of weeks.
Still ticking along with 15-20 miles of running a week but supplementing that with 3 gym sessions a week. Seems to be paying off as have been setting course bests at different parkruns over the last month . Hopefully this will transition to better times & placings on the fell races this summer and subsequently for a return to half and full marathons this autumn.