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SL - sorry to heat that. Might be snowed off anyway now.
My little lad was 7 before he'd seen a snow flake, and he woke up to the 2nd big dump of it in the same calendar yr today. This mornings aerobics became a 75min hike through the snow to work.
TR - whole month looking like that, absolutely. Well done yourself too. I spent hours of my life this month telling folk that their goatee wasn't allowed, and didn't look ridiculous (which is half the point).
DO2 - strangely, I did develop a good-sized zit on one side halfway through the month, and thought I might be morphing in to the man himself... scary thought. Although I guess he gets a good supply of free Jack Daniels these days, which could be handy.
Drifter - shorts in the snow? Beyond tough and into a bit mental, I think.
BEJ - no advice, just hope you get something sorted quickly to keep you and yours warm. I guess living in that London, you'll not find a local pub with an open fire any more?
Messi - like marders, I agree the 220+ bpm is highly unlikely to be real. A significantly raised HR generally when running on ice/snow is very real for me though, so your 175 average (less the effect of the 220+ period) is probably right.
SL - sorry about that. Sore abs though? Is that directly related to the original problem, or just DOMS from a period of non/light use?
(edit - in "other site" news, BEJ is up for member of the month on Fetch)
ptb - hats off to you sir that truly is a splendid moustache!
ptb, great work with the facial hair
TR, impressive effort that for getting into work
SL, having had a couple of injury/illness breaks this year, my lower abs definitely felt it as I returned to proper training, particularly on the longer and harder efforts, they seemed to readapt pretty quick though
After what was a pretty grim run yesterday, managed a far, far more enjoyable run today. Another 10M along the canal, but the fresh snow meant plenty of grip and the lack of wind today made it feel so much warmer.
Thanks so much to everyone for lovely messages - much appreciated and Faith (other half) is really touched.
School's shut today and tomorrow. Significant snowfall here in Farnham, though doubtless not quite like in Brilly country.
Managed 40 mins just now - Pegasus were fab.
ptb - quality.
BEJ - hope you can get the heating sorted asap. Our first was born Christmas Eve. Makes for a very hectic, but very very fun, Christmas period.
RB - runs like that are what it's all about. Nice one
Got in a 50min aqua jog yesterday - longest bit of exercise post-op so far, and knee was great with it. Will be on the xtrainer and/or spinning bike this evening for something in the region of 30-60mins. On target for something in the region of 4-5hrs of exercise this week (2.5 last week). Mrs Zatu is deep in study at the moment for exams Monday and Tuesday next week, so it has been quite easy to ensure a gradual return to exercise. I'd expect to be in double figures (hours) before Christmas, with hopefully a few running miles in there (D-Day tomorrow!).
Jap – it was tough going across the grass slopes to get up and over the hill, but Gordo says that hiking counts as cross training.
I just bagged 2k at the lido too. Hoping to get sent home early (which means I can bag a turbo later) cos its going to be -5c here tonight and folks are getting twitchy about getting home safely. Tomorrows aerobics will have to be a similar hike too cos I wont get the jam jar anywhere near the cleared main roads after this lot freezes tonight.
What is the plural of Pegasus, RwH?
Loads of snow here. Need to get to the gym.
JAP - yeah it's interesting about the viral fatigue stuff. I train a GP at the moment in the gym and was talking to him about it the other day. He says so much of it is unknown really although with serious cases of ME depression is often a prominant link. He said as with my case that you can have blood tests which read normal and yet for whatever reason you can't operate normally. My own GP was pretty fcuking useless dealing with it and passed it off as "you're obviously just stressed or depressed".
As a result I'm now much more aware of how I'm feeling and know when not to push it too hard. My friends wife had ME for a year and was bed bound for some of that time too so I'm thankful I recovered fully even though my case was a lot less severe than many. It was still a very troubling experience though.
Glad you're alright now though
TR - 80% likely now that I'm down at some bar on ALbert Rd for a birthday in Portsmouth sat night, lol
Firstly, very pleased for those coming back from injury, Zatu seems like a good start and hope that those with pains are able to manage them.
Secondly, Thankyou for the encouragement, I can´t look at this thread too often as I seem to have chosen a job which demands lots of hours, so apologies for not engaging in the "well dones" and detailed discussions, but thanks for the encouragement.
Finally.... some questions for anyone looking at 2:40/2:45/2:50 marathons in 2011. I´m novice at this and am following a schedule BEJ put up based on 7 runs a week (over 6 days for me) I seem to be trotting out 8 miles in an hour quite comfortably and have built to nearly 55 miles a week with long runs coming in now.
- What % of your runs are done at "trotting" pace?
- How often would you tempo and for how far? and what kind of pace?
- Mid-week long runs.. How often and how far?
- Speedwork... I´ve not done any... should I? if so what?
- Hills - I run a hilly 8-10 3x a week, is this too much or ok?
I realise I´m asking for everything, but the advice I´ve had so far has been great and along with my mate Steve who reads this thread, the realisation that I´m not alone in this is helpful
Thanks
Hail Hail
Russia for the World Cup in 2018. Crack open the vodka comrades!
PtB splendid bugger bars, reminiscent of Bill the Butcher! Great to raise money like that.
Zatu - that's really encouraging!
BEJ - hope you get the boiler fixed. Not really the time for it to happen ;-/
Hail Hail
barrels of oil?
Well, it's the right temperature for vodka - simply put said bottle outside for about 1 hour and then drink the way Mother Russia intended
Off for a bimble soon. Hoping that it stays just about freezing long enough!
RS - thanks for teh warning, I'll be on the sofa dreaming of Dannii !
Jools- dont think theres much danger of it warming up for a couple of days so you should be ok to squuze your run in today.
Managed a nice hour round the snowy local park. Pavements are bad enough that I could comfortably run there and back in my XC spikes. Hard life working from home - so many displacement activities - must go and check the dinner and put the washing on.
Bit of a disgrace we haven't enough cash to offset some unfortunate media remarks about the world cup. Isn't there any North Sea oil left RB?
RW-H, sorry to hear your news, best to you and family.
PtB - best facial hair I have seen for a while, very impressive.
JAP - glad to hear virus is well behind you.
Sounds like there have been some great runs in the snow, can I add my 14 mile canal tow path run on Sunday, didn't see another soul for 10 miles of it, normally can't get moved for fishermen. First 10 were great but really felt it in my hips as ground softened up on way back - still one of my most enjoyable runs of the year.
Have decided to put some structure to my ticking over, so am following a schedule which includes an interval session, a hill session, a tempo session, a couple of easy runs and MLR - no great mileage just trying to get some pace going. Had my first intervals today - unsurprisingly not quite up to where I was pre Amsterdam but pleased to say alot faster than this time last year.
Cheers
Murph
Still get a few looks though when I step out in shorts. Although I'm sure that's got nothing to do with the cold!!
Jools - surely you can pull some strings and get us some tickets for 2018.
Can't believe any English people are surprised that a widely regarded corrupt institution has awarded it's showpiece event to two countries that are run by mafia and oil money; at the same time as the English media have had a witch hunt to uncover the scale of corruption in their own organisation. More fool England for trying to play by the rules. Daft imo.
Just finished a nice short fast treddie session. Pleased to find the treadmills in my new gym can run faster than me (got up to 12mph and they didn't stop). Saw a bloke running on my way home wearing shorts and bog standard shoes. What's the problem with -5 and 3 inches of snow?
Looks like Mr Dreadmill will become my friend. Any ideas on creative sessions would me much appreciated.
Forgot to congratulate PtB on fine facial decor. (Looks as if you still had all of the hassle of shaving- in fact maybe more difficult to keep it all in line?).
And thanks to charlie for winter shoe recommendations. Will order some ASAP.
Phew... a test run to the hospital when the Mrs' waters appeared to break this morning... turned out to be a false alarm, but with no chance of getting a car out of the driveway and across the little private access lane to reach the main road (which is clear) it was a bit of a worry. Fortunately a friend was able to pick us up on the main road... we took the bus back, which I'm sure wouldn't go down well when the time comes for real... even if it's barely a mile away.
TJK - I prefer 2 'tempo' runs during the week - typically Tuesday and Thursday. They're both 'medium-hard' sessions, not killers so it should be possible to get a reasonable volume (of trotting miles) around them. For one I'd run 30 - 50 mins at target MP (which is usually a little faster / closer to threshold than current MP) and the other 45 - 75mins around 15s/mile slower than MP. I'd generally do both over flat terrain, but the slower one on gravel / grass for a bit of variety. Over the weekend I'd often run a 'parkrun' on the Saturday at a little more than threshold effort or incorporate some harder / faster parts into my long run. Here's a couple of my marathon specific weeks pre-Amsterdam:
M: 7.7 recovery
T: 17.2 with track session towards the end (was going well for 400s but 1200s slow and hard)
W: 6.4 / 4.3 General recovery day.
T: 9.4 with 30mins @ 5:56 pace (163bpm) avoiding tourists around Green Park (so all slight inclines, on and off road, nothing flat)
F: 10.1 with 5 @ 5:50 pace (163bpm) offroad, mostly flat around Wimbledon Common
S: 9 with '5M' Club champs XC. Turned out 4.8M. First 4.5 felt like jogging, then increased effort to pull away and win by a good 10s (achieved in last 300m). Steep in parts and pretty overgrown - logs to jump over, brambles, nettles, a water jump etc. Averaged 5:50 pace (169bpm)
S: 22.3 with fartlek - 4 busts between 1 and 1.5M in 5:20 - 6:00 pace range
M: 7.8 (6:35 - alternating 1M normal and 1M easy tempo) and 4.1 (7:45)
T: 13.04 with 10M easy tempo offroad - 5:49, 5:41, 5:49, 5:47, 5:51, 5:50, 5:57, 5:44, 5:55, 5:57. Grass section was very wet which didn't help - hard towards the end with HR ending up 170+ (though avg more like mid 160s) and 4 (8:05)
W: 6.5 (7:11) - tired
T: 7.1 (6:57) and 9.8 including 30mins tempo (5:36, 5:36, 5:33, 5:34, 5:28 + half at 5:18 pace. Pushing towards the end but HR in the 160s for most.
F: 7.28 (7:18)
S: 7 (7:07)
S: 21 inc 20M 'easy tempo' - (1:58:45)
Hills - I probably averaged one 'hill session' per week which was simply 2-3 x ~50m very hard up a reasonable slope.
Speedwork - very little, but above was a track session of 400s and 1200s where I was just about running 5km / HM pace... but I had a 10M steady warmup! I thought it was good way of replicating the final stages of a marathon (assuming you've paced it well and still have energy).
(edit to add - April to August had included a weekly speed session at 1500 - 10km pace which negated the need for it during the short marathon buildup)
I'm not long back from a 10km trek through 3" deep virgin snow around the playing fields that surround Wimbledon Common... they're usualy so dark I need a head torch, but the past couple of evenings, visibility is similar to daylight.
BEJ: We went by taxi to the hospital each time (didn't own a car in those days). If I were you, I'd spend some time tomorrow clearing a nice path to the main road. An hour or two with a shovel and a few buckets of grit and you're sorted.
Now that the world cup can't come to England until 2030 at the earliest, it would be good to see people stop pussy-footing around about FIFA and really put the boot in on corruption. The IOC had to clean up eventually because the major TV markets (US and Europe) wouldn't put up with it any more.
PtB.. pity you want to shave it off, I will never recognise you tache free in the Ramada Docklands come April!
Good snow running BEJ & good to hear the Mrs is ok.
Yesterday I witnessed more snowfall than I have ever seen. After a hair raising 12m each way motoring commute I had to dig my way back into my own cul de sac. Ditto the drive which had increased it's snow covering from 2 inches to about 10 inches during the day. I counted the shovelling as core training then hopped on the treadie for 10m. Snow still too deep to run in so treadie again today.
I did read somewhere that several years ago the Russians were wondering why they were having so many alcohol related fatalities. It apparently didn't occur to them straight away that a bottle of vodka was cheaper than a loaf of bread.
BEJ - i'd set up base camp in the Hospital reception if I were you. There were major road works going on in the City when the SPO was expecting my little lad and cos she popped the eldest out so quick the midwife told me not to even try setting off for the hospital if it was rush hour, and that I should try and deliver it myself at home! That scared the carp out of me.
There's not going to be any wombling going on at this end for a while by the sounds of it, they have called off Pompeys weekend home game already.
Gosh - there's a surprise. The country dominated by gangster corruption won the vote from, er, the committee dominated by... Still, when these scandals erupt about selection of Olympic and World Cup venues, I always think to myself: well, how do you think these things get chosen anyway? I also worry that after this year's "frankly I'd rather be in my $5m beach house" World Cup, it really could slide into being a bit of a sideshow.
Still, a good bold choice, both Russia and Qatar. My toes curl when I think about the ghastly mixture of self-conscious right-on multiculturalism and vulgar Spice Girls chic that will be the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, so I'm faintly relieved that we won't have to go through it again in 2018.
Is this the only part of the country without proper snow? The last couple of days there has been about a centimetre here, hardly enough to give anyone an excuse not to go into work!
TJK: I'm aiming for a similar sort of time off a similar sort of mileage. I am trying to do two faster sessions a week, one as a main session and one slightly easier as a support one. Currently the main session aims for 4-5M at threshold pace, which is around 5:55mm, as part of 8-9M, and the support session aims for 6M at notional target MP, which I am taking to be 6:18mm, as part of 9-10M. Closer to the time the marathon-paced run will be lengthened to become the main session. These two and a longer run (currently 16M, will lengthen it closer to the time) are the main runs of the week.
That said, none of the faster stuff has happened this week as I don't like trying to run fast on icy pavements.
BEJ: No advice to offer, but I'll wish you an easier time than we had when the day comes!
I'm not surprised we didn't get it but shocked at only 2 votes... The strong impression given was that we were in a very good position but 2 votes implies we were the worst candidate by some way.
Also found it "surprising" that after we dropped out, not only did our 2 votes go to Russia (not that surprising) but 2 of the Belgian votes went there as well... Hang on a sec - in the first round when comparing Russia and Belgium you thought Belgium was better but in the second round probably about 3 minutes later you thought Russia was better? Very dubious...
Another easy day for me, 2 laps of the very snowy Common with the gf then two more slightly faster laps on my own (which is odd as she's normally the one pushing the pace!) Garmin Connect. Also good to learn my common loop is a near perfect 2 miles! Still planning on doing an hour on the exercise bike tonight then running into and from work tomorrow...
Started using HRM - not sure how to best start analysing (particularly as I don't know my max HR and no plans to find out anytime soon - unless I find it in my 5k at the weekend!) - might start plotting it all up - though at the moment pace versus HR is a bit pointless with the snow.
OS- Hate the bloody things but they're very useful for doing continuous uphill tempos. The other thing I do is always make it so that I alter the pace or the gradient every minute or two. When I'm running outside I need to disassociate but when indoors I need to be very keyed in or it seems to last forever!
HH - That looks like two "Anyone but England" votes. What was Sepp Blatter saying in his "England is the cradle of football"/"it's good to lose well" speech?
Mind you, the cricket's looking OK.