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As one checks out another checks back in.. glad to see the stalwarts are still omnipresent.
I think I last posted in April before VLM. A lot has happened since then. Got a job post redundency, then left that for a better gig closer to home working on a cg kids t.v. show for the bbc. Working very hard and hence a very sporadic summer of training.
I got myself a racer since my new gig is commutable under my own power... first time ever. I am enjoying it immensely.
Messed up my deferred VLM place so not doing that, focusing on the rejuvenated Manchester marathon the week after London.
Cross country is immanent and I think I'm going to do Abbey dash for a giggle to see how slow I have become.
Anyway, glad to be here and feel the life-balance might facilitate a bit more on the posting front..
SJ
So, back to London and musing on my (lack of) training and racing plans. My mum's accident was on 13/9, so I've done bugger all in the last 3 weeks, and feel very unfit, plus I'm heavier than at any point since about Jan 2007 when I started running properly.
My plan is to restart from scratch this week - cutting distance and pace right back to build up frequency. I'll cycle to and from work and try and do one ride at the weekend while the weather holds. I'll also swim 3 times a week, but again, cutting the sessions down. I have an entry for the Cabbage Patch in 2 weeks, but I suspect I'll miss it. Feels to me like I need to reboot my whole training/eating/drinking systems. Looking back, I haven't been properly running fit since about Feb 2010 when my FiL died.
Hi All
Not posted on here for a very long time must have been post London 2010. But I have been lurking now and again. Am amazed at the training, improvement, encouragement, help, advice, healthy debate and lastly kind words of support for various reasons. It really is a good thread.
That's why I'm back as I'm running London again 2012 with a GFA from 2010. It will probably be my last competitive marathon and I want to give it a good shot. In 2010 I ran 3.03 was hoping for better, but going into the race I knew it was the best I could hope for as I had suffered all through my training with a hamstring problem. Wont call it an injury as it did not prevent me from running. It just prevented me from doing any quality long runs and building my mileage up to around 70 miles a week.
When I went long over 15 miles my right hamstring started to get tight, go up into the glute than across my lower back so i would end up coming to a virtual slow jog as everything was starting to stiffen up. I think a few on here have suffered very similar.
I'll be 56 when race day comes but I think I'm capable of getting near 2.50 if I can get some quality training in. I'm starting tomorrow and have set my plans out to do all the xc races, 2 half's before the end of the year. (Worksop and Keyworth Turkey Trot.) Hope to be up to around 55 miles by end of year.
Into the new year I will slowly build up to 70/80 miles a week, plus cycling to and from work.
I'm hoping that with your help and encouragement I'll get some where near my goal.
MtR - best of luck with whatever you decide.
RS78 - good luck with the studies, and I hope you'll be back to regular running soon
Welcome tigerrunner, I think you've come to the right place
LuckyJim - thanks. It occurred to me recently that if I count different parkruns as different races, every race I've done this year has been a PB. And every marathon I've run so far has been a PB. It would be nice to maintain that, although I'm not overly optimistic. Sorry to hear about your fall, glad that you're on the mend.
I've just finished week two of a pretty extreme taper. First week was 34 miles, every mile slower than 8 minute pace. Second week 42 miles, with 3 miles at or faster than MP, about 10 miles 6.20 - 6.50, and the rest 7.50 or slower. Happy that the MP miles have been feeling fairly comfortable. My niggles are all much better although not competely sorted, the one I'm most worried about now is my achilles which is pretty sore from time to time. All I want now is to get to the start line with as few niggles as possible, so my plan for this week is:
Monday, 4 miles at 9 minute pace
Tuesday, rest
Wednesday, 5 miles at 9 minute pace
Thursday, rest
Friday, rest
Saturday, 1.5 miles at 10 minute pace
Sunday, 26.2 miles at 6.17 pace
Well that's the plan anyway. I really have very little idea what sort of shape I'm in. This time next week I'll know, one way or the other.
Wardi - happy b'day dude, I'll have one in your honour later
RS78 - enjoy the "thread" break
SJ - I often wonder about you. Hows thing with family life ?
tiger - I remember you, all the best with it
MtR - glad things went well for you. You have a lot to get over, be kind on yourself and wait for the fitness to come back. nOt sure exactly how I plan to train this winter yet, but I think I'm going to change the turbo approach and do lots of shorter harder stuff this time round, and just bag a longer ride outside when I get the chance.
I got back on the bike today but I only had time for a quick 32M as I had to be all done by 8:30am.
Welcome back SJ and Tiger.
Heading off for my 18 miler soon after a 7 hour rehearsal. Hoping I'll be able to make the most of the slightly cooler temperatures by going out later in the day.
MtR: you've had enough on your plate to keep your mind off the training for a while now. I'm sure you'll move on in leaps and bounds if you stick to your plan...good luck.
Hope you've had a good one Jools...looks nice and cool out there now.
tiger: good luck with the training this time. Sounds like that was a difficult campaign last time . Was going to call you 'TR' but reallised it would be seriously against thread etiquette
Fairly successful progressive 17 miles for me this morning. 5@ 7.15 5@ 7.00; 3@ MP ish; and last couple at just under 7s. MP effort was Ok once the HR sorted its self out. 69 miles for the week; 2 more weeks of taper left and no taper madness yet.
Jools - thanks! how's training?
Feels somewhat cathartic to be posting again. No net access during office hours so I will be a night owl I think
good work there MrB and Jools
SJ - the at peace with it sounds good and more settled. Which gives good life balance.
Many happy returns Wardi! You look like a veritable spring chicken in your forum pic...
SJ -- new job sounds fantastic. I put enormous value on my commute of 4M (or more as I please) along a flat picturesque river towpath, on bike or foot.
Good luck on this campaign tigerrunner.
Morning everyone,
Some good stuff going on I see.
Mr. B - great progressive long run and a tidy Park Run too. Hope you get sorted with the piriformis issue. Ditto to CW too.
Nice to see selbs back again too, with another snow-boarding injury too! Good luck with that mate.
Great to see SJ back and seemingly enjoying life. Really pleased to hear you're ok mate, and that all seems good for you. Welcome back to tiger too, although I don't think I was on here when you were last posting. Good luck with the campaign anyway.
RS - glad you had a good hol and cheers for the good luck vibes re Amsterdam. Things a bit odd re that (see my next post!)
Nice long runs from atd and joolska, top pedalling from TR and classic tapering from FR
Nice Park Runs from Dan and JH1, and Happy Birthday wardi
Finally glad to see Friday went ok for MtR - sounds like a sensible plan moving forwards too. You were in decent shape for your Olympic Tri the other week and making great progress with the swimming, so I'm sure the fitness will come back pretty quickly.
So, strange couple of weeks this end. I've been feeling very very jaded and overtrained for a little while so I cut my mileage and pace right back. Helped a bit I guess. But then had a bit of (more) bad news re my brother. Some folk may remember he's got cancer which they can't do too much for. Anyway, add to that he now has kidney failure (the chemo damaged them) so he has to start dialysis soon. Had an op re this on Friday actually. But the real bad news was that the tumours in his chest cavity have grown - and because of his kidneys he can't have any more chemo. So things not looking good re that.
When he first got diagnosed the way I dealt with it was to run. It was that that got me into running to start with really. However this time I just don't want to go out at all. Tried running a few times but just don't want to do it so keep stopping and going home. Head's a bit all over the place I suppose. With this in mind I emailed to see if I could switch from the Full to the Half at Amsterdam - I can run the Half in my full number if I want (might not be classified as a finisher but I don't really care). So I might do that. Don't have to fully decide until the morning of the race it seems, so I don't know what to do.
I did 13 miles on Sat at 8'10 avg and it was awful. I stopped 4 times cos I felt tired, and my HR was 150+. I then went out with a mate last night and after a steady first mile I was tramming along at 7'20s and it was totally effortless - HR a good 15 bpm less for 60 secs/mile faster! All very odd. I've no idea what I'll do now really, other than knowing I'm not doing more than about 30 miles this week.
LS21 - sorry to hear that sad news. Dont put any pressure on yourself to run. Spend time with your family and run a bit of you feel like it. Certainly dont put any pressure on yourself to make races etc
5M bagged this morning, thats 15M already for Oct, I might get over 75ish miles in a month for the first time since April.
As for wide and shady - do they do Eddie Mitchell costumes? I'm sure he'd have his publicist have you believe there are and they're selling like hotcakes but...(apologies for local wendyball slant to that).
Dan A - we haven't had a proper Pretty Boy blow up for a while now. I'm looking for you to make amends in a BIG way come April.
selbs - I wasn't saying he should or shouldn't go just that it's SUPER complex. So, I'm not good enough to qualify but if I move to the race venue and agree to pay my own way I'm in? I know it's different with the Lollipop Man as he's been depriving one of ours a job and a home for a while now (no I don't read the Daily Mail - I'm just joshing!) but as soon as there's wriggle room then there's bastids wriggling like wriggly things trying to take advantage against the spirit of the original rules. I'd bet there's ZERO mention of geographic location in the rules for qualification so to now bring that into the criteria isn't cricket is it? Cricket (and rugby) is where geographic location for a full 5 minutes is key to selection it seems! The whole is 2:16 and being the quickest NZer enough is another (equally complex) debate. As I say I'd love to see him toe the line. As is the is Top10 in a designated race better than a specific time debate - for my money that looks subjectively flawed. If he'd carry a 2:15 lollipop and several watches I'd even make the trip to London to see him - now there's an incentive for him!
As you were.
First things first
LS21 - sorry to hear you news, not surprised you are all over the place, best of luck with it all. Hope I get to buy you a beer in Amsterdam.
MTR, glad Friday went well.
Been a while since I have been on so bit of a catch up. Marders - awesome mate, good luck with trying to qualify. Lev - great debut and obviously more to come, ZaTTu, 2.34 and not happy, lol. TR v impressive improvement at NF again with more to come. RS, glad holiday was good and hope you get back to running soon. Happy b/d for yesterday Wardi.
Anyway just popping on to request last bits of advice for the Dam, 13 days to go now. Using previous advice from here have done 8 20+ milers and 12 runs of 12-16 miles at faster pace inc MP. Have managed to pb at HM on a windy exposed course and also at 10k yesterday on a v hilly course and hot day, not great times but always good to pb. I have averaged 60+ miles for the 10 weeks prior to taper which is a big step up for me. Last year averaged 42 miles per week pre taper and recorded 3.05 at the Dam.
Sorry about being self indulgent but basically spelling out why I feel confident of a sub 3 provided I can shift this cold. Many thanks for advice and encouragement along the way which has helped get me to where I am today but any last minute tips would be greatly appreciated.
LS21: That's rough news indeed. I completely empathise with your lack of running mojo - quite a few times in the last few weeks I've been unable to get myself out of the door for a run. And when I've run it's been much ike your experience - either plodding at slower than 8mm but with a sky-high HR, or cruising along much faster at a lower HR with no way of predicting which it will be on any given day. Jst shows the effects of emotional stress on our bodies I guess.
Wardi: I missed your birthday yesterday - belated best wishes.
On the Olympics qualification, I suppose it's whether saying that nobody in NZ is good enough to toe the line is better or worse than sending an athlete who meets the B standard, but will cross the line 10-15 minutes after the winner. For the host country I'd guess the lack of athlete would be worse - for a non-host country the equation is possibly the other way. Looks to me like marders is just going to have to step up another level - which I think he can do.
Could we have an old-style list of upcoming marathons (Amsterdam, Abingdon, Snowdon etc) with who's running and time targets? I've sort of lost track of who is running where and why.
LS21, very sorry to hear about your brother. Best wishes to you and your family. I'm not surprised that your running has been a bit erratic recently, but don't forget you did that good 21 miler a few weeks ago.
Murph1 - I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice but it sounds to me like this year's extra training should allow you to take a good chunk off last year's time.
MtR - yes I'm losing track as well. Don't know the correct format for an old-style list but if someone does start one perhaps they could include me: Chicago, 9th October, target sub 2:45. Thanks.
something like:-
Date Venue Who Tergat
April VLM TR 2:55
would do
Chicago - 9th October
Filthyrich - sub-2:45
Abingdon - 16th October
Amsterdam - 16th October
Snowdon - 29th October
Cheers for the well wishes etc - much appreciated. Sadly there's a lot of us going through similar experiences it seems (or have gone through it in the past). But thanks for the sentiment. I'm feeling ok today actually - I had a bit of a sulk and a bit of feeling sorry for myself last week, but my brother's just getting on with it. He really is hard as nails it seems, and puts my moping to shame!
Anyway, I'll add my name to the Amsterdam list now but I'm really not sure IF I'll be running it, and if I do I'll just see how it goes. But I'll put a notional target on there anyway I think - gives me something to aim for!