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P&D Spring Marathon 2021
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9m run commute back in this morning, pretty windy but no rain.
No rain here either. I was lucky enough to miss the wind too by heading out this afternoon after work. Repeated yesterday’s loop. Head & legs were both much happier. Decent sleep, easier day yesterday & some sunshine. 5 minutes quicker too 😎
TR - we could be vaccinated by the time Dorney comes round !
Macca - eeew ! Hope it wasnt the cats.......agreed, i was orignially thinking that if the target of over 50s is done by Easter then thats ~50% of population at 32 mill. But i cant see the pressure on the NHS easing enough by Easter with over 30,000 folks in hospital with CV. If Boris gives us hope of school's etc going back after 1/2 term ill have to get to it. We have 10wks from Saturday, so i could get a few weeks of mlrs in.
No way I could do that Macca: my kit's almost always soaked by the time I get back one way or another. Bad enough having to run back in the same kit on a double commute day.
Doubt schools will be back fully before Easter. May be some partial opening in some areas if cases keep dropping.
I took a rest yesterday as the run I did on Wednesday left me tired (although I did walk 6 miles). I thought conditions today would be better as it was not windy, but when I looked out of the window there was a lot of frost on the rooves. I thought the streets would be OK as it was above freezing (2 degrees) but I was wrong. My plan was to jog up to the loop at the top of Streatham Common - the one I found on Wednesday - then do a 5K around there and jog back home.
On the way there, most pavements were fine, but there were patches of frost and the odd bit of ice in places. Once I got to the loop, I stopped my watch and had a look. The loop itself was quite frosty and, with it being on a slope, I didn't trust it so I had to abort my mission and jog home again. Covered 6 miles but not what I was hoping for.
Not sure I'll manage it tomorrow either as it's even colder, but sometimes you can have zero degrees and no frost, or warmer than that with a lot of frost. Guess I will have to wait and see.
Back to my local hilly loop today brings me to 600m away from summitting Everest so should get there this weekend😎
Cal - it was icy here yday (-2), and today, but i could run later today so most of it had melted.
Had a busy day yday and had planned a few miles after dropping a car off for mot early, but in the end i thought wtfp of a few miles and sacked it off, i struggle to get morivated for short runs esp if they arnt commutes. But the rest is no bad thing.
Back on it today with 5 easy, 10 ~mp+10%, 3 easy. Effort as a bit too quick av 7.01.
TR, I know what you mean about the basic shorter runs. Decent job today, though.
A quick peak out of the window just as it was getting light revealed no frost, but I decided to wait a little and when I looked again a little later, the daylight revealed that a puddle on the roof was completely iced over. Oh dear.
So I decided to wait until midday for my run. It was still very cold but the underfoot conditions were better. Unfortunately, there were also a lot more people out and about which meant I had a bit of dodging to do.
I spent the first three miles warming up, but with it being a bit later, I was already quicker (down to longer stride) so they went 10:38/10:08/9:46 before I pushed on to tempo pace. First of the three tempo miles was the quickest at 8:20 due to some gentle downhill, while the other two came in at 8:38 and 8:30. I did an extra .11 so I could use the last bit for my club's weekly virtual 5K which added up to 26:24. Obviously I can do a lot better than that, but it's actually not too bad for where I'm at at the moment, with several niggles and a boatload of stress. So I'll take it.
I'm thinking I will do a MLR tomorrow rather than a long run - weather looks to be cold and potentially icy again, and my bod definitely needs an easier week.
Not quite yet TR: still need 80m tomorrow after today’s 17.8M. Averaged 8:30 pace & 135bpm so all easy. Rest obviously did you good 😀 10@7:01 is tidy especially in the middle of 18.
Decent tempo Cal. Did you do more miles after too?
much about it with numbers as they are.
Cal - that’s a decent consistent tempo, especially as you’ve not done much speedwork lately. As you say, bank it, rest and move on.
Jools - Everesting with almost a week to spare great stuff (I’m sure you’ll tick it off today.
At that point, 4 miles in, it started to snow. Proper snow, and it was settling. I was wearing Nike Frees which don't have much grip at all so my pace dropped from 15s to 18s as I made my way back home and I got pretty cold. It wasn't so bad once it had settled to a better thickness but when it started it was pretty slippery and I had to negotiate a 10% downhill which was a bit worrying.
It was nice seeing a few little kids experiencing snow for the first time, but I hope it melts quickly. The worry is that it's going to melt and then freeze solid overnight as it's -2 so I don't think I'll be able to run tomorrow either.
Good going yday jools, you must be at the summit today then?
Macca - ooh, you are a strong boy. Cracking few days. I can see Dorney being a bit too early as i think things will ease after Easter, so its worth keep training. But nearly 40,000 patients in hospital with CV will put presuure on the NHS for a long time, which gets factored into easing of restrictions. Hopefully Dorney will go ahead in May or June, i also have a rolled over Goodwood place for beginning of July.....yes im getting fitter, 2 weeks in a row that the mp+10% section has been decent pace, i was sub 7mm on the flat bits ydyay. Ill try for 10 approx mp in a week or so.
Nice to see a Moose Fartlek, Steve.
I like the tempo sandwich, TR.
Sensible and systematic plan to help with the stomach, Cal.
Very impressive Fri-Sun, Macca.
Below average week. Just scraped 50M, with little quality.
10 buggy miles on Tuesday with 10 x 30s strides.
Attempt at a 5k hit out yesterday. Had to call in to work in Worcester so thought I’d do laps of a very flat 1200m loop near the river, but floods ruled it out. Headed to the canal instead, and I suppose 19:46 isn’t as shocking as I first thought, given ice puddle and pedestrian dodging.
9M with the buggy in the deep snow this morning. Felt things getting tough in the second half before noticing the mud guard on the front wheel was blocked with packed snow and was no longer spinning. A genuine snow plough 🤦. Planned 13 but just couldn’t be bothered.
Still, cut my own hair this afternoon, so at least running wasn’t the worst result of the week.
-5 forecast for the morning. Definitely strapping on the the Yak Trax.
Making up for Friday TR? Is your usual turbo replacement session steady state or intervals?
I did indeed make the summit today, & overshot by 200m 😆. Seemed appropriate to be running through the snow as I did it. 13.4M@8:29 so nice n easy. 80M this week 😎
Jools- awesome, summiting in the snow. More good mileage too. Yes, ran instead of the recent sunday turbo as id sacked off fridays run. Ive been doing wu, 10x4min/1min, i used to do steady turbo back in the early days, but then switched to intervals only, when i went back outside in Spring i was soon back up to decent miles/pace. I always do some sort of interval on turbo since then.
Grade zero disasters - do you have to even it all up?
SQ, I remember shaving my head with a beard trimmer when I was 22. I looked like butch one from Prisoner Cell Block H.
50 miles is a good week for me, but I guess it's all relative. I only did 32, after canning yesterday's run due to weather, but it was meant to be a cutback anyway.
I had to do a quick shop this morning so used to do a recce of the pavements. Most were clear but there were icy patches and some big icy bits in gutters. Not ideal. So I didn't go out until midday and then did a very cautious 5 miles. It wasn't bad but there was still a few slippery bits and I walked over any bits I didn't trust. I wasn't feeling awesome despite only walking yesterday - legs felt quite heavy. I think I'm a little run down.
Got a flu shot this afternoon so not sure how I will feel tomorrow, but regardless, weather looks warmer (if windier) on Wednesday so I should be able to manage a decent MLR with some hills.
10m run home tonight, bit of an ice skate in places.
Did today's run at 10:15 to allow frost to melt a bit, but still ran into some ice in a couple of places. I made the mistake of taking a steep path in Streatham (one of my usual hills) as it was clear at the bottom, but then it turned to ice halfway up and I had to tiptoe along the mud at the sides. Not ideal.
I covered 7 miles but still feel heavy-legged and tired. Sleep's been good and I didn't run Sunday so I'm mystified as to why I feel so leaden footed. I doubt it's the shot as I felt the same yesterday before the shot.
I still have to make it out for some hills tomorrow as my team's slipped to fourth. I hope I feel a bit perkier on the morning.
13 wet miles tonight.
Solid as ever TR.
Damp here by the time I got out too. Waited til after work to do a 10 miler to pick up the car from the garage but got to within a couple of miles when I got the call to tell me it wasn’t going to be ready after all so 10 became 16 & the last 10K was in the dark too. No headtorch but at least I had my hi-viz waistcoat & rear light on as the roads were surprisingly busy. Couldn’t always run on the pavements even where there was one as they were still icy in places.
Apologies for the lack of posting lately, but i have been really struggling with running and everything running related at the minute for one reason or another, so I've been avoiding the forum, and other running stuff, a bit.
The few days off over Christmas made it hard to get back into the swing of things (as is normal for me to be fair, i suppose). But this year with having a fairly bad cold over Christmas, freezing shitty weather all the time (it has been deadly icy here for weeks, which didn't help me sliding and falling onto frozen stones and splitting my knee open a few weeks back
All that said, i have been training away following the plan, but with no real heart in it, so sessions/(m)LR's have been a mental struggle from start to finish with no desire to "hurt" which is showing in my splits, and so affecting my motivation even more. But, things are slowly getting back to normal now afetr giving my head a bit of a wobble, fingers crossed... just need to lose the stone and a bit i have found over the fesitive period now
Anyhow, i'll stop moaning, and mention a few things that stuck out when i read back there...
Cal...Really well done on getting to the 2000 mile mark for 2020, brilliant work.
Macca...That is a massive year, and you are building into 2021 rightly so far too. Sorry your Christmas was a bit of a mixed bag.
SQ...80 mile short of a yearly target in a year decimated by a stress fracture is awesome going, brilliant.
TR...Fair play to your young fella donating, super work from him. Hopefully Dorney can go ahead for you and Macca, if not fingers crossed it won't be too long until you get to put all that training to good use.
Jools...Serious work Everesting, mad but brilliant as always from you.
Steve...You are a model of consistency, and have started 2021 as you finished 2020, fair play.
Sorry if i have missed anyone or anything, but it was a quick check back.
I woke up to frozen snow yesterday morning, so binned my planned 8x k reps (at 10k-ish pace, 80 secs recovery) and rolled back over to sleep, but thankfully it rained all day and that thawed my street out so I was able to do them yesterday evening. Aimed for 3.20 a k, and averaged 3.20:3 so that was really pleasing. I followed that up with a 15 mile MLR this morning and felt decent so pushed the pace on it, as i was running with a friend for 9 mile of it, and worked a bit harder than i wanted/planned, which i didn't baulk at and throw the toys out of the pram, so that is encouraging and hopefully shows i am getting back to where i want to be motivation/mentally wise.
Apologies for the woe is me post
Fab job there, Jools - always nice when you exceed what you set out to do.
I felt a fair bit better than yesterday so I went ahead with my plan for a hilly MLR. I did quite a few of my "favourites" plus a couple of new ones and managed 15 miles myself. Mostly at a very slow pace (I had a tight chest yesterday - possibly due to breathing cold air but might've been a reaction to my flu shot) so I wasn't going to attempt any sprints. But I did do the last two miles at close to 10 minute pace as they were flat/slight downhill and I was keen to get back and eat.
Niggles were there but not bad, and aside from puking in my mouth at one point (bile...lovely) it went pretty well.
I'll need a rest tomorrow, I think.
Hamo - good to see you. Its defo been tough to keep motivated due to all the ice and rain coupled with lockdown and dimishing race chances soon. Ive been doing a bit less but still a decent amount as i think there'll be a lot of marathon specific stuff later in the year.......i think Wrexham has a chance as its a few weeks after Easter. But it might be more like May or June before it comes back.
Cal - nice one, 15m is cracking on a weds.
Whilst my niggles are improving, my groin has been sore this wk, so i sacked off todays planned session and backed up last nights 13m with a steady run, but felt ok so ended up with 5m easy, 5m mp+10%, legs were tired by the end, so a solid couple of days.
Nice one on the Everest summiting, Jools - not bad in three weeks!
TR - agreed. Skis would have been miles easier.
Hope all is ok, hamo. Always good to speak about how you are feeling. Good reps then MLR. Don’t push too hard on the non-session days (in my opinion only, mind) - I reckon that way long term fatigue lies.
Impressive MLR, Cal.
The Yak Trax are unbeatable for me in icy conditions. They are snow chains you strap onto the bottom of your shoe - similar to what you might put on your tyres in a ski resort. I have done strides on the iciest roads with no worries. Probably only wear them 2-3 times every couple of years, but such a life saver.
Bit of a shocker yesterday morning. Playing with both kids downstairs from about 6am. Gaining loads of brownie points. Helped build a cushion den to whoops of delight. Until my daughter tripped and smacked her chin on a wooden stool. Uh oh - blood everywhere. One of the straight clean cuts, but pretty deep. Not so many brownie points being accumulated all of a sudden. Fortunately, the minor injuries unit (based at the hospital) was ridiculously quiet. My wife and daughter only saw the receptionist, doctor and nurse, and had the kids’ waiting room to themselves, so it all felt safe. Glued her up and sent her packing. Looks a bit like a defeated boxer now with a massively swollen jaw, but she’s on the up.
Hastily rearranged cover work for my lessons rather than live teaching, expecting a far longer wait at hospital. So in the end, this freed a little time to get out for an hour. 2 x (1200, 800, 800) with 3 min, 2 min jog recoveries.
Similar route to last time, and a punchy wind as well. So paces were about 6:00 with the wind and 6:18 against. All in, 8M at 7:10 pace.
Another session done, 3.5 weeks until the 5k ‘race’. Think I will target sub 19. A minute slower than last year, but a solid stepping stone, I hope.
7M easy this morn - a bit sore, 8:00 pace. Then a rare recovery double this afternoon - 3M at 9:10 pace. Both with the lad.