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P&D spring marathon 2017
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Ace racing Millsy & great stuff Reg.
I had better do my GFA...
My running mojo has been playing up so not running or posting much. Just got new batteries.
Decent aquathlon there Macca - just add a bike to that combo and you're winning.
SteveMac - endure 24 sounds like great fun, very impressive mileage.
HA - don't worry about seeing the progression straight away, takes a while for things to come together. Love how 70kg is big for you, that'd be my all time low weight.
John - get yourself over to London, you know it makes sense.
OO - hope you get the mojo back, sure you will when the autumn marathons start coming up on the horizon.
Legs were fairly battered after Sundays effort. Had an easy hour run on Monday, swimming and biking yesterday and this morning got up early to hit a long open water swim before work. Got a session I'm slightly apprehensive about tonight - 3 x 5km @ MP, which I suspect is going to feel pretty tough.
Hope your knee improves Jooligan.
Impressively slow pace there NE! Are you doing any back-to-back long runs as that is supposed to be a staple of ultra training? The coverage of the recent Comrades ultra is on YouTube if you need any inspiration. I am working my way through it but one of the commentators keeps breaking into Zulu!
Did my first club session of the year last night. I managed 7 x 800m @ just under 6:00 pace. Felt nice and controlled. Then 10 miles steady first thing this morning.
This w/e I will be pitting myself against the toughest full distance tri in the world. It won't be pretty but I'm going to give it my best shot in the circumstances.
If anyone is at a loose end on Saturday you can track my progress from about 6am here http://live.opentracking.co.uk/wasdalex17/
The swim starts at 4:30am but the tracker is only used on the bike & run legs
Hope the new batteries work... and are rechargeable OO.
Ramjet... it's tough to get time for two consecutive long ones. Am doing my best with 3 x 20 milers in the last 4 weeks... each getting progressively tougher on terrain/profile. Most recently, I sneaked out at 9.40pm Saturday for 5 mile run up the steep hill I look out onto from home... and was up there again about 9hrs later after an early start for Sunday's 20 mile toughie... so at least I'm trying to challenge the legs.
I am feeling quite soft compared to everyone else doing ultras and ironman tris, while I just tick along in preparation for Abingdon.
Joe - Saw on strava that your session didn't go so well. You've been a busy man recently and sounds like a good choice to can the session. I've no doubt you'll be smashing it again soon with a bit of rest.
Nothing special for me this week, apart from throwing up all Monday night after catching something off my daughter.
I am very keen to hear how Triathlon X goes Jooligan. I may get my name down for it next year, hopefully it will still be going as these extreme events don't always seem to last that long, I suspect there's a limited amount of nutters prepared to do them.
I realised on Monday, post Euros that I have a marathon in 3 weeks
Struggled with 2 very short runs this week but I have done three swims and the cycle commute to work. Managed to get to the lake this morning for an early swim, a rather glorious morning now interrupted by work.
That sounds pretty horrible HA. Hopefully over it now & in time for the w/e
That sounds like pretty good prep NE.
Sorry, forgot about your vomiting HA, are you sure it was your daughter, maybe it was after watching the cricket? Hope you're feeling better I guess it might help you back to race weight.
You could be right about the cricket Reg. I did suddenly feel better after seeing the result yesterday. I have faith in you to pull out something good in a few weeks. You do seem to be pretty good and doing well with low mileage and minimal build up. Your general fitness is obviously still there after that result on the weekend.
Nice session Ramjet.
Good luck on the tri Jooligan!
In keeping with all the non-running talk, I did my longest ever ride yesterday - 70 miles. Wasn’t meant to be that long, but the guy leading the ride took the scenic route lol. Legs felt good throughout which was pleasing, although by the end I was slightly regretting extending the run I did beforehand from 5 to 7.5 because it was such a nice morning.
HA - yeah, didn't go to plan, never like sacking off a session but thought it was the right move. Hope you/the daughter are feeling better.
Spoons - As mentioned on twitter, it's just a matter of time..
Was meant to be 3 x 3 miles last night @ marathon pace, but barely got up to MP on the first and the second I stopped after a mile, legs were toast and having some GI trouble. Disappointing but looking at the bigger picture I'd already done an hour open water swim and nearly 2 hours cycling that day. Will see how tonights session on the bike goes, it's not a very tough one.
Had to happen eventually JB - you've been hitting your body with everything going for a long time now. May be time for an easier week?
Still not heard back from VLM re GFA. Anyone else in the same boat?
Reg - liked the cricket gag, unfortunately played with straight drive by HA.
5m recovery for me today, I think I'll need a few more of those.
Just put up a new blog post about recent training if anyone is interested:
https://sub230blog.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/new-sessions-well-new-for-me-anyway/
Lots of it is just thoughts I've posted on here already but expanded a bit and all put together. I was going to let the bucket analogy fade quietly but decided to include a few references, mainly for Reg.
Freckleton Half Marathon for me today. I was dreaming of a PB attempt until I saw the forecast - 22 degrees and not a cloud in sight. I have done this race three times before and never had a good time. Being a 2 pm start it is always warm and the constant undulations seem to kill me.
The plan today was a steady effort, trying to avoid a horrible fade at the end. I wore a cap soaked in cold water and made use of the water stations to drink something and throw the rest over me.
After a few miles it was clear that it was not a day for a fast time. HM effort was giving me just a bit faster than marathon pace so a sub 90 was the target. From the second mile I was gradually working my way through the field and didn't get overtaken once.
The first 8 miles were in the 6:45 range and I thought I might have a chance of a course record. However I started fading slightly from that point. Miles 10, 11 and 12 are slightly uphill and on the side of a straight main road. I have always hated these miles as the road is boiling hot and the route is dull. I just about kept the pace below 7:00 and then managed a decent last mile. In the home straight someone came past me and we had a fun tussle for the finish line. I think I just pipped him.
Not the most fun HM I have ever done but at least it has to be cooler next year!
Hope Jooligan got on ok.
SDW report to follow, I can't seem to get them concise but it's nice to relive the race in my own head.
South Downs Way 100
The pre-race build-up began with a neighbour banging on my front door at around 4am Fri morning to tell me my car alarm was going off, 4 hrs sleep in the bag. I'll get a good night's sleep tonight I thought, yeah right. There was camping available at the race start so I made a late decision to drive down the night before for the Sat 6am kick off. For one reason or another (mostly I'm slack) I got to the race HQ at midnight and not wanting to wake up other racers with the car alarm, I parked up in the car park and settled down in the boot (estate car) for around 4hrs of less than high quality sleep. Come 4.30am, I stumbled around kit check/registration feeling a bit groggy. There wasn't time for my usual pre-race routine, so fully "loaded" save a bottle of sun tan lotion I had dumped as it was a little chilly, I presented to the start.
The race began and within a mile or so, a reasonable climb ensued. Even though this was quite a short gentle climb relative to later ones, the pre-race plan was to walk all the climbs so I did. The only other part of the plan was to keep any 8min miles off the watch. The first few miles were fairly unremarkable apart from the feeling that it was getting quite hot for so early in the morning. The first aid station soon arrived at 9.8miles and 1 litre was taken aboard the bottles in my race vest. I recall a steep descent shortly thereafter where I endeavoured to protect my quads (lessons from a previous painful experience being applied). More climbing must have ensued for at mile 20ish, a fantastic descent began with great views down to Queen Elizabeth Country Park, the 2nd aid station. 22.6 miles done in 3hrs 32mins in 30th place. Another full litre was taken on-board. I tend to think of "get to marathon distance, then halfway, then just from aid station to aid station." Harting Downs soon arrived at 27m ticking off the first objective and another litre was taken aboard. Whilst I wasn't eating much, I was drinking loads. In addition to the litre of fluid between aid stations(AS), I was glugging a couple of cups of coke at each AS.
Random shots of somewhere on SDW out of sequence.
Despite some fantastic scenery at Harting Downs, I was starting to feel the heat here and whilst I walked the climbs, they didn't feel like recovery walks, more like a similar effort to running. Other than the sensation that people ahead were disappearing into the distance and people behind were overtaking me, I don't recall a lot of the next 23 miles or so other than great views and a big hill at Cocking (35miles in at 6hrs 5 mins for 36th place). I do remember thinking, under the midday sun, that this would be a lovely part of the world to go for a walk in. I also started to feel that my walk / run pendulum had swung too far towards walk, however I'm sure it was still only the ascents I walked.
Anyway, halfway was reached at Kithurst Hill, more great views and from here the AS were generally a bit closer to each other. Washington soon arrived at mile 54 in 10hrs 3 mins 39th place. I don't know what happened here, whether it was the cup of tea or the opportunity to sit down in the gents for a few minutes, who knows but I felt much better leaving this AS than arriving. Another steep climb ensued but atop, a steady pleasant run was possible. The various descent and climbs start to merge in the memory from here but the AS at Botolphs (61m) stands out for two reasons. Firstly One of the volunteers here seemed strangely familiar. Turns out it was Vassos Alexander, giving the same high level of service/help/encouragement that I was to receive from every volunteer I came across on the day. Secondly, what felt like the highest and longest climb of the day immediately followed. Again, it was worth it for the views and the runnable terrain at the top.
It was a case of ticking off the AS now, Saddlescombe Farm 66m, Housedean Farm 76, just starting to get dark here, Southease 84m, well and truly dark now. From here, I found myself running with a lad who had completed the year before so I thought I would follow him so as not to get lost. Shortly thereafter, at my prompting, we took the right hand side of a fence only to realise the trail was on the left. Climbing a barbed wired fence after 85m is fraught with all sorts of danger but we made it. Anyway, chatting about various ultras and training whiled away the miles and hours and Alfriston at mile 91 soon arrived. After a short pause to empty my shoe of stones (for about the fourth or fifth time) we headed out trying to calculate whether we could make sub 21hrs for a Spartathlon qualifier. Sub 24hrs was in the bag at this point but my ambitious target of a sub 20hr 100 miler had slipped so this new target was just what I needed although it was tight and relied on my garmin giving an accurate indication of the miles left. When not running we kept up a brisk walk. We didn't even go into the last AS, merely made sure our numbers were taken and off up the last hill, which felt good knowing it. A couple of other lads joined us at this point and with hardly a word spoken, we seemed to drive each other on. A marshal at the summit of the last climb, (at gone 2am) pointed out the lights of the finishing track in Eastbourne a couple of miles away with less than 30mins to our self imposed target. Normally a doddle but with a slippery gulley to descend, at 2:30am with 98miles in the legs no quite so. The gulley soon turned to road and a fast finish to the athletics track. I glanced at my watch at one point here and thought it gave a pace of 6:xx mins/mile but in hindsight I think I was hallucinating, but it was 8:xx Onto the athletics track for a 350m loop with about 10mins to spare, job done for 20hrs 51mins 19s and 35th place. What stands out for me on my 2nd 100 miler was how it was the complete reversal of the first i.e. a tough first half with a much stronger 2nd half (still a massive positive split mind). The fantastic scenery helped as did running the last 16 miles with someone and the longer daylight hours to run in. The enforced walk breaks on the climbs probably saved strength for later however, even though I was really careful with the descents, my quads started to feel trashed by the end. I think the midday heat made miles 30-50 the hardest so it was great to finish feeling good (relatively) rather than a last 15 miles of purgatory like the Thames Path. Said midday heat caused my face to shed a layer of skin within 3 days, must get a pocket sized suntan lotion. Thats two of the four in the organisers Grand Slam so next up, The North Downs in August.
PS my mum says I'm too old for this malarky, I told her with undue glee that I was beaten by a 67 year old guy !
Nice work Macca. Paced it better 2nd attempt & enjoyed it more as a result by the sound of things.
Love the no sleep/estate car bed. I did the same Friday.
Provisional results for Triathlon X: 234 entries, 114 starters + 4 relay teams. I was 39th in 18:32 of only 67 solo finishers. I'll post more details at some point in the week.
Well done Jooligan, just checked out your weekend on Strava - very impressive. A very high rate of attrition there, so obviously very tough.
Ramjet - good run in the heat.
I just spent the weekend swimming at the beach and drinking beer. Lazy git.
Jooligan - superb effort, I've heard how tough that event is. Looking forward to hearing more about it.
Loved the report Macca - each time you do one of these makes me want to do one more and more. Might start with a 50 mile though (50km seems a bit soft - basically a marathon right?) Very impressive performance, you make it sound so easy although I'm sure it's completely the opposite! How did you manage nutrition this time?
HA - sounds like the dream to me. Surely there would have been a BBQ as well though?
Fairly big training weekend for me. 1 hour lake swim immediately followed by 20 mile run home saturday (7.25mm). Sunday did 80 miles solo on the bike in 4 hours before running half an hour straight off it - surprisingly 6.30mm felt pretty good even in the midday heat. Katie and I then went for a 10 mile walk Sunday afternoon to visit our two favourite pubs. Only 5 weeks until ironman now.
Fabulous effort on the Tri Jooligan. I only know one other guy who did it and he DNF'd. He cramped on the swim and got pulled out but did the bike at least.
Solid weekend there Joe, looks like you are in a good place for Outlaw, you should fly round that easy course
After last weekend being all about me I had to concede the prime training times to the wife so I was left with afternoon heat for both sessions. My long run fell apart about 8 miles in, hamstring tightened up and I expect I was dehydrated. I realised I'd not really had a drink all day and took nothing with me either, having left the bottle of water in the house. Upshot was a 4 mile walk home, which although quite pleasant was a waste of valuable training credits.
Sunday it felt ok so got out for a hilly bike ride, legs are not really firing on all cylinders at the moment but it was four hours in the bank. I should have had a recovery this week but I've done more than average.
Early run this morning was a plod, I even had two 8:0x m/m on my scorecard which is normally unheard of. Heart rate was nice and low though so I guess I am just heavy legged.
Sensible to pull out of that session Joe, and sounds like you made up for it at the weekend in any case! Nice work.
Congrats on even finishing the tri Jooligan, brutal course on a very hot day must have been incredibly tough. Look forward to hearing more about it.
Another interesting blog HA, I keep meaning to add some hill sessions to my training. Much as I hate them, I’m sure they are great training.
Glad to hear you are getting back in to things OuchOuch. VLM is indeed a bargain compared to most marathons these days.
Nice work on the HM Ramjet, not easy in this heat especially as it’s the first real heat we’ve had, so the body hasn’t had a chance to acclimatise.
Great report Macca, and some lovely photos. Another superb effort.
Regarding VLM, I applied at 10am and was accepted and paid-up by 1pm - very surprised how quick it was. However I guess they were inundated with applications as word spread that it was open, which probably explains the delays.
I had a solid tempo run on Friday, four miles at 6:28/mi despite a bit of a breeze, which I was reasonably happy with. I got out earlyish on Saturday to try and beat the heat, but my 14 miler along the canal still turned in to a bit of a sweatfest! And then yesterday I did 52.5 miles on the bike with my local cycling club. I joined the earlier 8am group which go faster and don’t do a cafe stop - averaged 20mph for the ride and felt fairly comfortable so was pleased with that. In some ways it was easier than the slower rides I’ve been doing, as although it was slightly harder work it was much less time in the saddle.
Jooligan - Great result at the tri, with so many non finishers!
Macca - Great report, you make it sound so easy and sub 21 hours is an awesome time.
SQ - Good work on the prize!!
As for me a cut back week, so back to back runs were only 8m and 10m! Saturday headed to Parkrun with the GF for her last home parkrun before moving in with me! 2.5m warm up for me, and realised it was boiling hot before 9am, so decided to use parkrun as a 5km LT session. Positioned myself a couple of rows back from the front, however then set off too quick and knocked at a 5:58 first mile, which is PB pace and my fastest mile!! Then slowed down as that felt tough in the heat, but still held a decent position. Held a more comfortable pace and was surprised to stop my watch and see I'd run 19:09, to equal my PB set last year!! Was gutted I didn't push a bit harder as I'm confident I'd have gone sub 19 if I had. Anyway then did a 2.5m cool down to make my 8 miles for the day. First in age group and 10th overall out of about 570 runners, wasn't a bad days work!
Then did a trail run of 10 miles on Sunday, was soaked through with sweat afterwards, but kept it nice and easy pace wise.
Hope the hamstring improves Reg. 4 hr bike ride on non prime time weekend sounds like a good effort. My non prime time is before 9am or after 10pm.
Some good bike/run miles Joe & RSR this weekend. Well done in the prize SQ, commendable attitude but I think younearnt the beer money in that heat.
Well done on the PR Steve,sounds like you are building the miles and retaining the speed.
Swimming all weekend HA - sneaky tri training ?
Joe - nutrition was similar to before, tailwind at every aid station with the odd jelly baby, handful of crisps, lump of chocolate. The tailwind is supposed to provides calories and I never felt like eating much, I'm making up fir it now though.