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P&D Spring Marathon 2021
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Chin up Cal youve come a long way im recent weeks, done quite a few races and none of us as machines. The post above to Haxel is relevant for you too.
My legs were trashed by the end of ydays run so i took a rare rest day today except for some S and C.
Sounds a decent enough result in the end Hazel thoughI get that you’d’ve enjoyed it a lot more if you’d saved yourself for the 2nd half.
Parkrun at my home course yesterday. An underwhelming 20:24 for 13th place (10th if the CaniX runners were removed) I wasn’t that surprised as I’d done a relatively hard 30M bike followed by a 4M run which finished only 14hrs before so not enough recovery for my aging body. With the wu & cd I’d done 10K in the rain so called it quits for the day & spent the rest of it with my feet up watching films on Netflix & iPlayer.
Got out this morning for my LR. I’d planned a new 18M loop with some decent lumps but decided I needed a workout to make the time go by easier so did 3M wu, 3x 3M hard off 1M easy, then a broken legged plod back to the car. I couldn’t have got the route more wrong for this session. Many of my hard miles were slower than the easy recoveries due to the brutal lumps. 🤣🤣 It’s the effort which counts right & that was certainly there but probably went too hard as I was crawling by the last mile which turned out to be uphill, over uneven fields & involved several stiles which were overgrown with nettles & brambles. I’d not taken a drink & by the end of the 2nd 3M effort I was parched which didn’t help.
After refuelling & rehydrating at home I went back out with a mate for a very hilly 9M plod up the Malverns followed by Guinness in the car park which gave me my first 70M week in a while.
Cal - nice photo from the trail race and sorry to hear the half marathon didn't go to plan. Have you thought about getting iron or vit D levels checked, just a thought as a couple of friends have had problems with iron recently, despite a good diet etc.?
TR and SQ you've been ticking off some big sessions!
Jools sounds like you've had a lot on recently, I come across situations like your Dad through work and it is really good to hear you and your family are supporting him and providing the practical help he needs to get the house sorted out. And, you've managed to combine it with some good runs.
Hazel - congrats on the second placing and prize, always tough when you are running on your own. You said you were a bit disappointed but your report is good and reflective so you know what you're going to do next time! Btw I've never run one mile in 6:43 let alone a whole session averaging that
I've been sticking to the plan, this week is the 55mile week of the 12 week plan. Some sessions have been harder than others (10miles with 5x1km at 5km pace) and others a pleasant surprise. I did a parkrun Saturday which definitely wasn't at the prescribed recovery pace so wasn't sure how yesterday's 15 with 12 at mp would go but I managed to get them all done averaging 8:28. I'm hoping this is a realistic marathon pace!
Kate - if you did 12m at hopefully mars av then you must be about there. A 10 to 13m mp run is pretty much as hard as i can run on that given day. On marathon day i run to feel anyway.
Hazel - hopefully he'll be back by vlm time, hamo has good enthusiasm. It's infectious.
10m easy this morning
Kate, good job on the plan (I wouldn't worry about parkrun...it's quite good to do your long runs after an effort to give you a feel for running on tired legs).
I had blood tests recently and they were fine - I also passed the finger prick test when I went to give blood last month (although they didn't let me donate due to the ECG).
Nice pic, Jools - well done on your 70.
Yesterday was a real mixed bag of good and awful. Quite sore from the half but got myself to the gym for some rehab, and then I walked 5.5 miles up to Waterloo to see a fun, feel good movie at the IMAX. The awful bit was in the afternoon when water started pouring through my ceiling and I had a stressful time trying to contact my upstairs neighbour, running into the street to turn the water off at the mains and borrowing buckets from the neighbours that were in as I don't have one myself. The neighbour did come back (she was out walking), fortunately, and the flood stopped, but I have significant water damage and so does the guy in the flat under mine as it went all the way down. (Dishwasher, apparently). The good thing is my flat already resembles a post-apocalyptic shack, and the flood was nowhere near my electronics, but I will have to get the kitchenette repainted. It's still damp and smells like it, too. Ugh.
So basically all that adrenaline didn't make for a good night's sleep, but I managed to drag myself out at 7 for a 6 mile recovery, which was quite pleasant as the weather was nice - sunny but cool. Legs tired but not bad, otherwise.
10m easy for me this morning
Oh dear, Cal. That would have got my adrenaline pumping too. Hope it’s sorted soon.
Knocking out the back to back 10M will get you in very good nick, TR.
You are going great guns. Sticking to the plan paying off, and always worth a little deviation to realise the fitness!
Lovely photo, Jools. A cracking range to run along.
Wanted to hit a three hours time on feet job before going back to work. Not ideal doing it only four days after the last long effort, but keen to give a bit of a break before a hilly 10k on Sunday (Winchcombe - SG do I remember you saying you did it one year?).
Treated myself to a 9am start. Just shy of 24M with 1800ft of climbing. Some cracking Cotswold roads that I have only cycled on in the past. 7:38 average, which tumbled a lot in the second net-downhill half.
As I'm away this weekend, I decided to try and get a long run in midweek. Legs are still quite knackered after the Big Half (despite my tortoise-like pace, it still, somehow, took a lot out of me) so wasn't sure how far but I figured 18 would be enough on tired legs. Much of my run was on tried and tested routes but I wanted to find a bit of open ground called Whitehorse Meadow that sits behind a park near the Croydon Transmitter. And I did manage to find it...quite pleasant, too, although the big hill on the other side of it was an unwelcome surprise (I guess I should have seen that coming as that whole area is hills).
I didn't feel spectacular on that run - I was a little bit spacey and my balance felt off. It's not a new feeling - I think it's a fatigue thing, maybe - but it's rather unwelcome. I did take a couple of gels with me so I made sure to take them and I managed to get through the run without eating pavement.
Average pace still rather slow at around 11 - I won't beat myself up for that as I was tired going into the run - but I do hope I can do better next time out.
Hazel - sorry you felt it could have gone better. It doesn’t sound too far away from you wanted but well done on the prize and placing.
Wise words from TR - you can’t underestimate the effects of cumulative fatigue.
Jools - that sounds like a classic Jools day, burying yourself in the morning then going out a 9 miler later on washed down with Guinness, love it.
SQ - that’s a few decent LRs in the bank now, especially the MP one. Good luck
with the weekend 10k.
Kate - well done sticking to the plan, rewards will come. 12@mp should be a confidence booster, especially the day after a PR at non-recovery pace🤣.
TR - well done on the mp run, especially at the end of an 84 mile week. I can’t recall if a large chunk of that 84 was recovery but well done for digging it out either way.
I feel like I’m burning quite a lot of energy here just getting ready to fly out tomorrow. Sad news however from one of the sister races, the TDS, that a runner fell and died. About 1000 runners behind were held back during the rescue near a summit then told to abandon their race.
https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/the-event/runner-event-guide/six-steps-to-the-start-line
Cal - full marks for persistence, top work on the 18.
Macca - go well, take care too, that sounds dangerous. Lots of the 84m were easy for sure. 14 x 3min and the 10m mp were the only 2 sessions in the 84m, so around 17m of effort total.
Kate - noted, not ideal. Brighton said it was a condition of being able to proceed.
After 12x3min and 14x3min in recent weeks i was going to add a few more reps this morning getting me up towards the 20 rep max, but decided to switch it up and do the BAC 10x5min/60 sec jog. The aim is a bit quicker than mp (mp is approx 6.40ish for me atm). Av pace for the 10 reps came in at 6.27, so 50mins better than mp achieved, 12m in total.
Tidy session, TR.
Thanks for sharing, Kate. I read that and my first thought was what an absolute ball ache. As an out of towner only arriving on the Saturday evening, and a Type 1 Diabetic wanting immediate access to medication after the race, this is has required some thought! After a bit of planning, I think I have a rough plan now, involving getting a friend to go to the expo for me and drop off a bag containing spare insulin etc (hoping it doesn’t get too cold or hot whilst in storage) and utilising a bag drop at a local shop/hotel somewhere nearing the finish.
The biggest stumbling block is my phone - I use it to check my blood sugar level and so want access to it immediately before. I think I might just have to wear it in a flip belt for the race. Not idea - and I never carry it whilst racing, but needs must, I guess. I think I might also contact VLM to see if I can blag a usual style bag drop.
Session-light today. Wanted to try to continue with the BAC session, but tired from Tuesday’s long run and half an eye on Sunday’s hill race. All grass: 24, 18, 6, 3 mins a bit harder than plodding. 11.5M at 7:45.
Macca, very good luck to you! That was very sad about the Czech runner in the TDS...probably best not to think about that while you're running, though. I hope you have an amazing race.
My clubmate Carla's in the CCC - she rolled her ankle this week so hope it doesn't cause her any problems.
A slow-paced recovery 6 today...wasn't feeling amazing but perked up a bit during mile 5 and so added a few low-key strides to the last mile. The last mile was a bit slower than the one before, though, as I stopped twice to pet cats. 😸
Good luck for your 10k tomorrow SQ. That was a great Cotswald run! Strange setup for London with the bag drop and for you much more of an issue then than for most.
Hope you have a good weekend away Cal - give you a break from the flat issues. Good to get in that mid-week long run.
Good session indeed TR. 10 reps is easier to keep track of than 20 at least.
Ticking off the runs this week - cut back so no longer mid-week run. Instead a first go at some intervals in a while - just 5 x 800 which was enough for me this time. I don't take exact laps as I can never find the right button on the watch but looking at the trace decent enough with pace around what I might do for a 5k. I have never run one though.
Have a good weekend all.
Hazel - well done on getting the reps done.
8m easy yday, i went looking for 3hrs today (simiar to SQ), 23m in 3.02, so only a couple of minutes in the death zone.
I had a nice (and varied) weekend visiting my friends (and elderly godfather) but the only running I did was the Soham Village College parkrun, which is one of the weirdest parkruns I've done. It's three laps, about two thirds on playing fields (but very wiggly with a couple of hairpins and a strange clamber up a small bank in the corner of a field) and the rest ducks and dives between the school buildings. While it's mostly flat it's definitely not a PB course, so I was very pleased to duck under 27 minutes, half a minute faster than Wickford which I think is a slightly faster course. Legs seem to be coming back but heart and lungs are not there yet (and I'm understandably wary of pushing that until I have had the final ECG and all clear from the cardiologist).
Anyway, I rather enjoyed that parkrun, although I don't think I managed to convert my friend. She walked one lap, mostly to see her old school, but not sure she'll go back. I guess we'll see.
Good intervals, Hazel. Always good to do a different kind of running.
Nice long one, TR.
So on both hand, bloody good, Macca! So pleased for you and can’t wait to hear a full recap. What a legend.
Good tourism, Cal!
Winchombe 10k this morning. Last raced in 2017 coming second. Works well as a family, with a kids 1k and a super play park right at registration.
Delightful warm up jogging round the kids race with my daughter. Despite it being only half the distance of junior parkrun, she was excited for the medal 😆. Surprisingly anxious beforehand so pleased she did it.
The race itself is a very hilly trail to a neothilic monument, Belas Knap, atop Cleeve Hill. So essentially a fell race. 10k with 800ft climbing.
In third around the field and road in the first quarter, which felt about right. First and second slightly pulling away as the hill got steeper was as per, before surprisingly reeling them in. Amazed to reach the highest point, about 3.8M in first. Bloody hell, I might be on for a once in a decade win here!
Sadly, yellow vest sped off on the downhill, putting a minute into me.
I could see third over my shoulder and so really dug in, with quite audible breathing. I past some spectators before the finish. Him: “Well done, you’re making it look easy.” Her: “Is he?” 😆
Lovely to take second, even it was a small race. Local sausages for everyone and a bottle of Rioja for the podium. One of these is unopened… Got to take a result when you can!
10k trail, 800ft, 42:37.
70M for the week, so another ✅. Will take it very easy before Cheltenham half next weekend.
Well done too SQ, always great to podium.
SQ - nice, congrats on the prizes too. Hope the 1/2 goes well. Ive missed build up races as well as the main races.
Dont discount a sub3 westy, have you done any mp ?
Well done Hazel, good to tag on a bit extra, to surprise the body.
15m today
Nice distances, Hazel....that's a bit more daunting than my ambition to cover the Wandle in one go (which is around 13 miles, although getting to the start and back from the finish would make it more than 20, I think).
TR, on the 10th.
Well done 15West and good luck for Wilmslow.
11 miles this morning....and a real old slog it was. Rather surprised my legs felt so heavy given I had a pretty relaxing weekend. The dull weather wasn't very inspiring, either.
SQ - London changes will potentially impact on you more than most but refreshing to read a considered response rather than calling the whole thing a shambles! Nice second place at Winchombe.
Cal - you were not too far from me in Soham, it's on my long list of parkruns to do, a good result on a tricky course. Perhaps if you're up this way again I'l have to make the effort to do it.
Hazel - when you run by the river is it off road, it is here and it can make for hard going when the wind is in the wrong direction and the grass hasn't been cut. Last year in lockdown when everyone was doing their daily exercise the grass was kept really short but this year less so.
TR - your reference to the death zone made me chuckle, I take it you don't believe in training over 3hrs, is that generally or just compared to your anticipated marathon time?
I got my first 20 done on Sunday incorporating a recce of my leg of a relay in a few weeks times, it was a little more undulating than expected but I think it'll be dark when I run so won't see the ups and downs so much! 208 miles in August made it my biggest ever month. Forever wondering about pacing though and is my marathon pace right?!