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Over 60's training (Part 2)
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I had to laugh at one commentator who said that the country around the course was very strange - it was always going up or down and with very little flat so many of the cyclists couldn't get into the rhythm they would normally ride at - tell me about it!!!
It's worth a watch if you can get it on ITV catch up.
The hill up from Birstwith village features in a local 10 mile road race and one almost skins one's nose on the tarmac.............
John
great time for your parkrun - looks like there are folk lining up to take your scalp!!
Graham
50 miles is a bl**dy big stint - hope you had refreshments.
Results went our way yesterday and today - it will make the last day interesting!!!
Did you see that on the day of the raid at St James's that the stadium was hosting - a public seminar by The Chartered Institute of Taxation !!!
Truly this can only happen at Newcastle
MIck
your trails sound pretty good - flat as well??
Ray
you are clattering out some very good training sessions indeed. That was a hard effort after your intervals and your maxHR looks amazingly low at those speeds.
Welshpoppy
sounds like a day off is needed - no matter what the watch says
I was in Manchester on Thursday so missed out on a run so feeling rested I decided on Friday to do some mile intervals. Ran the first one in 7:35 with avHR 144 and a max of 151 - and then gave up. Just couldn't face doing any more which is most unlike me as I can usually lay it all out at will. Jogged home and sulked.
Will see what tomorrow brings.................
Great time, I feel sub 20 is not far off.
Graham,
50 miles is where it starts to hurt on a bike, well done, it has been a while for me.
TS,
There are one or two small hills but nothing serious. If we want hills we have to get in the car and drive to a nearby town.
Bonnie weather is here at last so this week I have been on my bike. I cruised into the gym this morning, taking the scenic route as usual for this time of year.
We ran a different trail this time, 12.2k through the bush and swamp. It is a man made gravel trail so easy running. The flood water was almost gone, the bugs are not out yet and the trail was very quite apart from the odd dog walker. All very pleasant. Within the next couple of weeks this trail will become impossible as the bugs will all come out to play.
Mick
Graham - I envy you your posh bike. One of my contacts who was, a long time ago, a very decent runner and had just turned 60 now does bike events (I forget what they are called but it'll come to me) of 40-60 miles. He takes it very seriously and I can see the attraction*.
WP - I'll echo Graham's encouragement to you to do the 5k. I note your point that a 5k hurts and I can see this. Funnily enough I've never thought of it this way - i.e I just think that a 10K hurts twice as much as a 5K. I am a total wimp but seem to be able to cope with the 5K discomfort knowing that it will be over soon. It's the grinding pain of the long events that scares me! (Or several 1 mile intervals, come to that!)
* no I can't - they hurt too much too! (I've done the London to Brighton a few times.)
The previous day I did the Burgess Park parkrun (1st in age group. No, don't ask how many in age group. But I wasn't last, there were 12 behind me, all considerably younger). And have run twice since then.
Ray - in your London mara volunteering days, were you marshalling or what?
I'm not bothered by snakes, except in the "rational" way if they are actually the dangerous sort. The only time I was in the USA (I was a student, long time ago) I visited a friend of my father's, near the border between Vermont and New Hampshire, and saw a snake in his garden; only very briefly, it slithered away into the undergrowth. When I told him, his immediate response was "Don't tell my wife".
I am very far from rational about large spiders. I know they're completely harmless, but can't prevent myself from reacting with horror. But as I live alone, I have to deal with them if I come across one.
Columba - my granddaughter (20 months) is fascinated by spiders and we have a resident one that she always checks out. The spider usually take one look at her and hides behind a book case. (He seems particularly interested in military history!)
John,another excellent 5k time.
Graham,50 mile bike seems a long way to me,well done for keeping with the other riders.On the races question I hope to do the 5x 10k races in our midweek league.
Mick,what would be the top speed for your bonnie?i hazard a guess at 180mph, but that comes from someone who was a mod with a scooter.Trail run seemed nice before the invasion of bugs.
TS,pretty happy with the watch HR readings for the last couple of runs.Shame about the intervals but I am sure you remedy that.
8mile run today,just run of the mill really.
6.5 miles this morning very easy and felt a lot easier than yesterday. I searched through my old training diaries to find the race I may do tomorrow but can not find it there must be a missing diary it so annoyed me.
Anyway will make my mind up later as we would have to leave at around 7.30am .
I have enjoyed watching the TDY very much:-)
Miles makes smiles.
Progression
congratulations on your age group success and leaving some youngsters behind as a well.
It's always tough to pull out of a race but it's better to do so than have a DNF . The last time I was marathon fit eight years ago it was a hamstring that did for me just a fortnight beforehand - ironically when I was just coasting through an easy paced run
John
I like military history as well - does that make me a spider
I have enjoyed the series "The Last Kingdom" on BBC about a little known period of English history. As usual with Bernard Cornwall based novels he gets the history right ( or as right as he can when there are relatively scanty written records of the period) and then populates it with characters who interact with real historical figures and events. Rather better characterisation in this one than in the Sharpe series - and the women are formidable!!!
I normally enjoy intervals in a rather masochistic way - it is most unusual for me to wimp out of any preformed training set. The only ones I used to really dislike were 200m sets, because, as a former sprinter, they had to be run hard and they knackered me!!
I revert to Geordie on such journeys across the Pennines
Ray
8 miles is never run of the mill - it's long enough to have a very good aerobic training effect
Welshpoppy
hope it goes well if you do race
MIck
Bonnie weather indeed. We are still in an Arctic airflow and the breeze is still quite chill.
Good distance on your bug free (and hill free!) trail
It was still a bit of an effort yesterday to run so I only did 5.3 miles and followed it up with the same today at a slightly higher pace
09:29 09:26
08:35 08:22
09:12 09:14
09:09 09:01
10:17 09:48 Hipps Hill
02:22 02:06
So one 49 :03(9:15m/m) and one 48:03 (9:01m/m) which took me closer to that elusive sub (:00 m/m pace and also saw me squeeze into single figure m/m for Hipps Hill as punishment for not completing my intervals
Had a really good run today as I went to the 6K event in beautiful East Sussex countryside. This was lovely - a bone dry, gently undulating X-C course taking in some bluebell woods (I think we heard a nightingale); a friendly, well-marshalled genuinely local event starting from and ending on the cricket field; a combined 6k family type event and a 10k for more serious runners.
Naturally I chose the 6k (!) and bull-dozed my way through the village children (in fairness there were some adults too) to a 2nd place. I don't trust their timing and gave myself a 26:23 which was about what I was expecting. The reality check was a 10K 60+ plus guy passing me around 4k, so I mustn't get carried away.
TS, I thought you'd probably be watching the TdY. I saw a lot of it on the telly but only twigged right at the end of the womens' race that Lizzie Deignan was Lizzie Armistead. We stopped for lunch on that bike ride but otherwise it was pretty full on. By myself I tend to have a few short breaks too. Looking forward to the match on Sunday, especially now we could overtake Brighton (not that I would begrudge you the honour John!).
Ray, good that an 8-mile run can be considered routine. It shows no injury worries.
Mick, nature does seem to be a bit against a runner where you live, what with very cold winters, hot summers, bugs and snakes. I envy you your Bonnie as I remember well what fun it was to ride a 125 machine, let alone one like yours.
Welshpoppy, hope you enjoyed the race if you decided to do it.
John, that sounds like a brilliant run - cross country at its most benign and civilized.
I ran my 8.2 mile route on Sunday for the first time in ages and did a steady 5.2 miles yesterday. Another (new) park run planned for Saturday.
Not sure what the top speed is but probably more than I can handle. I have done a ton on it just for the old days but I normally cruise around at the speed limit.
Your training seems to be going very well.
Graham,
Most track stars here train in the states, better weather and facilities. Now if you want to talk ice hockey and skiing, total different story, incredible facilities.
BBC iPlayer lets me watch most programmes but they eventually appear on our standard TV. I like the athletics coverage as there is virtually no coverage here. Soccer is well covered and I see all of the Spurs games, my brother in law complains that I get better coverage than he does.
An easy 5 miler yesterday and a 6 miler today with a few fartlek sessions thrown in. It did not go that well as my legs felt very uncoordinated for some reason.
Here are the fartlek laps, the max HR are just spikes but the averages are about right.
Mick
Graham: you are very generous in your comments on the residents of the AMEX stadium but the season down here has ended in an almighty anti-climax. One of my pals even suggested that the lap of honour at the end of the last (losing) home game was inappropriate. Football fans are indeed a fickle bunch! (Newcastle's less so than most?)
Managed a 4.5 mile tempo run yesterday in glorious weather along the prom. Will do something a bit hilly today. I've got my eyes on a local(ish) village event on Sunday - 5k or 10k choice. Last year's age-category winning time is well within my capabilities so very tempted.................I am becoming something of a 'flat-track bully'! (A term first applied, I believe, to a Mr G Hick, but now widely used in a variety of sporting contexts.)
good step up in training back to your old haunts.
It always feels like a proper milestone when one can do a familiar run again.
Yes the TdeY was a good day out - and it didn't rain!! I watched the early part of the women's race on the TV and it was good to spot the various places in the race as the camera doesn't always reveal the true extent of some of the hills. A friend was at Birstwith Bank and he said that some women who got stalled by cyclists in front of them couldn't get going again without assistance from spectators!!!
Mick
still a good effort over 10K
I have a vision of you cruising up for your run on your bike in your running gear
John
that's the way to do it - trample the young and weak underfoot - but mind the bluebells!!
Nothing wrong with picking course to suit ..............
It was a pity that Brighton players and spectators couldn't have a proper party send off to crown the seasons efforts but at least it provides the last games with a bit of spice
I did a 5 mile Hash last evening - the trail being laid by the young girl I had a sprint tussle with a little while ago. She did a very good job of it too and even introduced a new sign - a S for sprint where everyone had to run from the S to the next trail mark - which turned out to be quite a long way away. She cunningly positioned herself on my shoulder to take advantage of the substantial wind break I offered but I didn't let her get past
However it came at a cost as my back has stiffened up considerably, probably due more to wrestling with changing an element in a cooker than the running but it is pretty painful so no running today and I am bound for Bristol early tomorrow for an awards dinner that evening so I will have a couple of days off.
The award is not for running but for the office block development in Cardiff that was recently completed...............
Torque ,shame the award is not for running:-(
I did not do the 5k as it would mean an early start so I ran 6.5 at home then we went down to watch the children's races and awards I think next year I will enter early so we would not have to leave so early as a good fun event:-)
Monday 6.5 again,then 10.1 Tuesday and 8.5 today so building back up again shame the half is Sunday but never mind a nice long run with lots of runners:-)
My next block of training is for my half in September so I need to be fit and healthy as I want a PB every year I run it I do:-) I am so looking forward to it already:-)
Miles makes smiles.
Progression
I like the idea of setting a PB every year, if only. I cannot remember the last time I set a PB, it has to be at least 2 decades ago.
TS,
Sorry to hear that the back is moaning again. How technical are your hash runs?
Comfortable recovery run for me today, 4.1 miles.
Mick
Welshpoppy, good luck on Sunday. You're certainly getting a few miles in even if you don't think you're quite ready. Plenty of time until September though.
Mick, I suppose if, like you, you've been running most of your life, the only meaningful PBs to aim for are those in your current age group.
TS, sorry to hear about your back.
I ran 6.7 miles at a comfortable pace yesterday and will be setting off soon for a 5.2 mile run in the (cool) sunshine. There's a club handicap I want to do on Monday but have asked for my start time to be amended as it's based on my pre-injury form. I'd be a bad last and keep people waiting for me to finish otherwise, especially as I don't want to risk running it really hard.
I love the idea of a handicap running event but have never done one. I guess that the handicapping procedure is absolutely key and it would only be perfect if everyone crossed the finish line together. I wonder if there's a 'bandit factor' too? A bit like golf (a sport I know nothing about other than you can e accused of being a bandit!)? You are now putting in some good distances so no point endangering your progress.
TS - sorry to hear about the back spasm. With your previous back issues (I make you sound like a newspaper!) I guess you have to be extra careful. Are you sure that your competitor in the hash didn't give you a sly elbow? I've found (as you point out) that you have to get your retaliation in first with the young and vulnerable!
WP - a PB every year (past a certain age) would be a wonder to behold. Like Graham I would take comfort in the WAVA calculator. It's refreshed my competitive juices and it makes you look forward to every birthday!
A evening run for me tonight with my training partner. He hasn't run since the Brighton marathon and I think that's not just for physical reasons as he was disappointed with his time (I'd have taken it in a heartbeat). He's even joined a gym and doing some upper body work which is a good idea but when you work full time has to be traded off against running. And he has a bit of a talent as a runner (I reckon there a sub-18 5k in him if he wants it badly enough) so it would be a shame if he doesn't build on it.
Of course you are right and I do take a lot of motivation from trying to get to my historic age grades.
I am keen to see you get back to your pre injury times to boost my confidence that at our age it is possible if you are patient and consistent.
I thought I would share my nerdy activities with those of you who are interested in the Garmin devices, sorry to the rest.
We have had a lot of rain over the last few days and I felt in the mood to write code as I could not get outside to do all my spring chores.
I have noticed that when I upload my Garmin 235 runs to Garmin Connect they calculate my moving time. On a recent run I stopped for a couple of minutes to talk to a friend but it seemed that the Garmin calculation was wrong.
Garmin calculated the total time to be 53:48 and my total moving time to be 53:41.
If you look at the timestamp on the first and last trackpoint
<Time>2017-04-28T14:57:08.000Z</Time>
<Time>2017-04-28T15:53:17.000Z</Time>
You get 56:09, so Garmin is WRONG !!
I wrote some code to locate all of the non moving time on my run. This allowed me to locate the trackpoints where I had stopped and to calculate my non moving time.
You can see the three points on my run where I had to stop and the middle one is where I stopped to talk to a friend for a couple of minutes. You can see the trackpoints associated with that stop on the left.
My code adds up all the non moving time to get a run moving time of 53:27 which is again different from Garmin Connect which has 53:41, close but still WRONG.
I have a real problem understanding how they can get the duration of the run wrong.
I also noticed another problem where for some reason or other Garmin add duplicate trackpoints.
On the first lap of the above run they added about a dozen of them.
As you can see from the above showing one of them that they are not complete duplicates but the timestamp has advanced and the HR changed. The lat long and distance remains the same. Clearly I did not stop so something wrong with their code.
On my next rainy day I will have a closer look at this. The 235 creates something called a FIT file which is stored on the watch prior to uploading.
This file is not readable but you can convert it to a TCX file which is and which I use for import to my training log.
Garmin publish the spec for this FIT file so I will write some code to read that file directly from the 235 and see if I get the same results and if the errors are introduced when Garmin Connect does the conversion.
I know I have bored most of you but even retired I am still an Engineer and enjoy this numbing detail.
Mick
I have done a couple of 5k handicaps with the running club. I found them very amusing. Both times I was one of the first to set off, and for a long while appeared to be quite alone, or could see just one person a fair distance ahead of me. And then suddenly, within a few minutes of the end, - bang! a couple of dozen runners poured past at high speed.
Out with the running club on Tuesday evening; 6 miles, cross country, which meant steep hills, stiles, lots of lumps and bumps, a couple of small streams to jump over. We had been promised bluebells, but in this area they aren't yet out in force; patches of them, but not a vast sea of blue. But in a remote wooded area we found something to compensate, - several Early Purple orchids, quite big ones.
Miles makes smiles.
Progression
Mick-just a tad above my technical ability,but I do like to try and comprehend it.
Graham-nice to see the training coming together.
John-excellent running again,you are going well.
TS-hope the back is not to serious as you are going nicely.
A 9mile run yesterday on my own.kept to the horse trails so bit undulating but not to bad.Pace average was 9:11 no run till Sunday.
Columba - bluebells ten a penny around here but, hey, Early Blue Orchids - are these just bluebells with a superiority complex?
Rest day for me today with the inevitable parkrun tomorrow. Windy = no PB!
John: glad to see you not over doing the training with a rest day:-)
Columba: great run and distance:-)
7.5 miles yesterday and just 4 miles today easing back for Sunday:-)
Lake V entered, Accommodation booked....yay bring it on:-)
Miles makes smiles.
Progression
Columba, what a nice club run that sounds. Very different from mine, which start from Newcastle city centre and are almost all on roads except some which include Jesmond Dene during the summer months.
I did one of the flatter parkruns this morning and broke the 25-minute barrier for the first time during my comeback. I timed it as 24m 32s although the official time was 10s slower. Third in age category and 69.7% age grading.
My handicap for the club event on Monday has been amended as I'd asked and is now a very generous 5 minutes more favourable. To be honest I could probably win on the back of that if I ran hard but don't think that would be right as I'd asked for the change. I'll take it easy. Not a bad idea anyway as I'm running in an inter-club relay race on Wednesday, two miles a leg, and want to run hard in that without going mad and taking silly risks.
As planned I did 2x5k events. Saturday the usual parkrun. But very unusually the results are delayed so I'll give myself 20.00 dead-on and (I think) a category 1st place. Was on target for a faster time but a stiff wind on the way back did for me; and not for the first time.
Today I did a 10k/5k event in a Sussex village that is so posh that they have aircraft hangars in their gardens and the goodie bags contained a flyer for Christ's Hospital public school. I did the 5k mainly partly because it was so cold that I wanted it over with quickly. Really nice if undulating course and I was pleased with a 21:15 (tbc) and according to Mrs B being the first old git across the line. Very pretty part of the world and the village was out in force making for a massed Michael Portillo look-a-like convention.
John: Great work on back to back 5k's;-)
i ran the half today and boy it was HOT a 17 minute pb for the course but that was easy to beat as I ran last year as returning from injury. I wanted it 3 minutes quicker but it was not to be today as both asthma and hayfever played a part.
Miles makes smiles.
Progression
Mick
good detective work on Garmin!!
There are occasions when I know I have not paused for anything and yet see a moving time 20-30 seconds less than total elapsed time over a 50-60 minutes run.
Welshpoppy
well done- a course PB is a PB
Hot you say?? Blimey I'll take some of that - we are still living in a chill northerly airflow here.
John
excellent set of results and a big step up in time on the Saturday - sub 20 beckons!!
Nice of Mrs JB to turn out and support - or was it just to nosy around the neighbourhood??
Columba
nice sounding country run
Bluebells are out in full force here - we have loads in the garden and my wife picked some from under the trees and put them in the porch - the perfume is fantastic when one opens the door but I can hardly smell it outside.
Ray
another good stint out in the sticks - might ease the Spurs depression.......
Graham
great day to be at St James's!!
Well done on the parkrun - and just on 70% AG so it is all going well.
Handicaps can be good fun when the handicaps are just right. many years ago I won the lunchtime handicap races at Gateshead Stadium mainly because I was on an improving curve and my handicap was based upon the results of my races just after I had returned to running.
The next year I was dropped to 16 minutes for the 5K ..................
Made a cautious return to a shuffling run this morning and managed 3 miles in 30 minutes but without too many problems other than getting my legs to work properly!!!