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Padams - closing in on sub-17 parkrun while pushing a buggy - unreal!
I carded a zero today - declaring at 80 consecutive days of running. Just wanted to make sure I'm rested for tomorrow's 2M@HMP trial.
Hopefully the Achilles will ease off with the taper TT.
Well done on the Masters qualification Al - makes those 100M weeks worth it. Love Strava flyby bet that was a funny moment when they met each other from opposite directions.
Insanely quick parkbuggying Padams, hope junior's got a proper crash harness.
Sounds like you're in great shape Dan if a 1:30 half feels easy after a couple of big days.
Day off for me as the quads were feeling very sore & my right shin is also grumbling.
ES - yes, sub-17 would be nice, but I'll need to do it soon as he's constantly getting heavier and I suspect the grass section in winter will cost me a few seconds.
TR - good luck with the BAC sessions, I always dreaded those, but at least it's the last one. No motor, and in fact the tyres were slightly deflated at the end of the run on Saturday so I might be able to save a few seconds there!
Dan - agree about the marathon coverage, the BBC don't seem to be interested in overseas marathons which is annoying. Very nice mileage, I expect you'll run better at Abo with no taper as the mileage doesn't seem to affect you.
3M with the dog yesterday, very easy as the legs were pretty sore from the weekend. Some sort of interval session this evening with the club.
Al - Nuts that with the lead runners bumping each-other. Well done on the national colours.
Padams - Have you factored in your child getting heavier/ older yet, must be worth a few seconds too.
Wardi - Looking good for you for Sunday - do you want to throw a few targets out there?
Feeling slightly guilty as friends and family circulate pictures of their Commiserations London Marathon magazines, whilst my 'Your In' arrives. Anyone else doing London in 2019?
The farmers are cutting their winter haylage/ grass here, so some nice fields to run on for the next few weeks.
Back in blighty now, so time for a race report.
When a clubmate and I decided over a beer in Boston last year to finish off the marathon majors (both of us having run in London and Berlin as well), Chicago came up as the next one to do for no other reason other than neither of us had visited the city before. As it turned out, logistically it was the easiest as well - easy to get into (GFA open internationally, unlike VLM), lots of flight options, lots of hotels within walking distance of the start/finish and early morning start (7:30am!) which suits visitors from Europe. Certainly a lot easier than Tokyo or NY will be.
Having arrived on Thursday, visited the expo on Friday and loosened the legs with a jog round the grandly named 'Chicago International 5k' on Saturday, Sunday started with a short walk to the start pens - no need for a bag drop when you're 5 minutes away. It was mild but drizzly, bin liners were needed but the pen filled up slowly enough to allow some warm-up laps within it. We were in Pen A which seemed to cover sub-elites to well over 3h folks, but self-seeding seemed to be a lot better than typically in the UK - no running into the back of over-optimistic types shortly after the gun.
I was doing my usual thing of trying to get race pace right straight away based on feel, which was just as well as there were no distance markers until 5k and the first part of the course is among the skyscrapers, not to mention a 200m tunnel - GPS was all over the place when I looked at it afterwards. It turned out we (both of us were together) were doing just inside 6:15 pace which was comfortable without really me wanting to pick up the pace.
After an initial tour of the city, the course makes its way north for 10k (into the breeze) before looping back down south to halfway (also into the breeze, it seemed). At mile 14 my clubmate dropped away, despite sticking in (according to Strava) a 4:12 mile, better than the 5:13 I apparently managed at that point. I was still on the same pace and it stayed that way around the southern section of the course until 35k, when I started to find the going a bit harder and sub 2:45, which was always marginal, started to slip away. By mile 24 the wheels had come off and I was, as TR put it, carrying a piano. I'm long past flogging myself for every last second and with a sub 2:50 finish nailed on I just got home from there. There's a bit of a sting in the tail of this course as the only upslope of any note comes unannounced with 300m to go. Possibly to compensate for that they hand out beer at the finish which went down very well. 2:49:21 was the official finish, which according to Po10 gives me the same WAVA score as 2:36 in Berlin 9 years ago. Certainly can't complain on that basis.
I never saw Joe out on the course but crossed the line with a clubmate of his who said he'd been at several locations. It's a good course for spectating, fairly easy to get to several good spots. The weather wasn't good for watching though, fairly wet until the later finishers came in. Better for running than the following day though, when it hit high 20s. I guess that's why they start it so early in the day.
I can't comment on the coverage, obviously. It all felt a bit VLM at the start with Mo and David Weir being announced, and Paula was handing out medals to some of the later finishers. Even Steve Jones was there, but I didn't spot him.
Padams- get the tyres pumped up hard and get on the tarmac.
CW - enjoy the break, it will do you good.
I remembered the BAC as 10min, 10x 2min, should have been 8 x 2 mins, but never mind. Felt strange only having 30min of effort, and not feeling like i'd been run over by a steam roller for the rest of the day. Hammy is still a bit abused from the pummelling but it was ok to run on.
I make it that ive done a BAC session or a 1/2 mara in 10 of the last 11 weeks, which is probably more intensity than ive done before by a big margin.
Another good session TR. Be interesting to see how that change of focus converts come race day.
After a rest day yesterday I did a 5+5 double today. Easy sub 8's at lunch then a super easy recovery
this evening.
Just entered Chester 2019. Only £33 if you get in before Sunday
When do Brass entries open Wardi?
Glad your hamstring ring is holding up TR.
I’m entered OuchOuch.
Nice session TR.
I did 9M today including a 2M HMP trial. Unfortunately I had a total GPS fail so I don't know what the pace was. I suspect around 5:5x per mile. I should have a measured lap for these types of things like CW does. Anyway, I guess I'll be seeing what pace comes out on Sunday. I will aim to start out around 6min/mi and see what happens.
Big hello again to those who are still on the thread in the years I haven't and to those joined since.
I'll stick around and virtually get to know you all.
No ballot entry for me, so Ive entered Manchester to get my times back. 40 next year so it should be easier now
Bit of a heatwave in the north, easy 8 with the dog last night and a very enjoyable 10 as the sun was rising this morning. Keeping things relatively easy base building for the next few months. Good to be healthy and out there.
Might have a little go for BM entry *Wardi* if I need to put a marker down to see where I'm at.
**any idea how to bolden on a Mac / safari please?
I've never even thought about how faster overseas runners get a London place (or don't!) - now I think about it, it does seem a bit silly.
ES - you seem to be in top shape, hope it all comes good on the day.
8M inc. 4x600, 2x1200, 1x2400 on a road loop last night. It probably wasn't exactly 600m per lap but not far off - can't remember all the splits, but the "1200s" were around 3:55 and "2400" was about 7:50. In fact, I think I ran the whole session at broadly the same pace - was well behind the youngsters on the first couple of 600s, but well ahead on the longer ones.
3M this morning with mini-P and the dog, so very slow trying to ensure they don't get tangled, pull into the road/bushes etc.
ES - good that you can judge pace without a gadget.
WTG - about time you showed up for an M40 midlife crisis, every time the Hull results come out i look for your name with no joy, and always remember your mablethorpe win. Your 'dont be shit' is still going too, although Marigold gets credited for it........Desperate times need desperate measures, im over 50 and trying to gwt back to sub3 fitness.
4m easy today, dont see why folks dislike tapering.
CD - likewise mate. Sorry I didn't get to see you out there, not many people I know hit their target times, I think conditions weren't as good as they seemed on the day. I spotted mile markers at Mile 1 & 2 but they weren't very big and hard to spot especially at the start when it was so crowded. Nothing like the massive balloon arches at VLM. Hope you enjoyed your time in Chicago.
Al - sounds like a great race overall, and I hope you bagged the masters qualification. Sounds like you finished strongly and paced it well if you're moving past people at the end. Bizarre re; the winner, but I'd agree with you, not sure that should have stood, whether or not it was his fault.
Wardi/ES - good luck for the weekend chaps.
First up, a quick update from Chicago. As mentioned, unfortunately didn't see CD. Amazing city though, and I'd definitely like to do the marathon myself one day. Katie didn't have the day she wanted, with a 3:10:19 worth a PB of all of 2 seconds - they all count I guess!
She went through halfway in 1:31 with a 3:03-3:05 target time but unfortunately came unstuck in the last 10km and faded. I can't fault her effort levels though, when I saw her at mile 25 and shouted, she barely recognised me and was running with her head at a slight tilt, highlighting how hard she was having to work to keep moving. I was really proud of her, and predict a sub 3 within 18 months, she's still on a massive progression curve.
We arrived in Hawaii on Monday night and I've been fully embracing the madness that comes with race week here. The amount of insanely, lean, toned people here is crazy - not a place to come for the conscious! Race is on Saturday morning (6pm UK time). I'm trying to update the blog regularly with photos and info if anyone wants to keep tabs or cares (apologies if it's a load of rubbish!).
https://spragginsblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/kona-day-1-im-never-leaving-this-place/
Sorry Katie didn’t get what she wanted Joe, hope you both enjoy Kona. I was hoping to watch it but we’re travelling Saturday 😕
SJ - To qualify for a masters slot you need to place top 5 in your age group at any of the qualifying races which for the 2019 champs are; Bournemouth, Chester, Brighton and Manchester, so 50% of the opportunities are gone already! Also you have to notify EA BEFORE your planned qualifyng race via the form at this link ....
JB - Feel sorry for Katie only just squeezing in a PB (Double-bubka?), but sure she will go on to greater things. Kona looks awesome
CD - Nice report, well managed to re-set your target mid-race and come in under 2:50
Not much going here, a couple of very easy 5-6M runs just to monitor the state of my legs, which are improving reasonably quickly it seems. OUt today at lunchtime was blamy warm and pleasant for mid October! Got two weeks of long-haul work travel coming up so running is going more of the as-and-when/touristing variety until early November....
Al - might see you at Gosport? Is that you done with maras until vlm?
SJ - i have no MPish running outside of the BAC sessions, so no concerted blocks of it approaching 18M! Id struggle to do 10m of MP. I have done some 10m time trials in the past and i think id struggle to do it nowadays, although having said that the BAC sessions are tough.
<b>TR</b> I think I’m on 3-4th midlife crisis?
I’ve only ever done hull once when I paced the 4hr group to 3:57 (the short year) fast times there last few years and it’s full distance now
hello S<b></b>J! I tried to DM but I don’t think this website has had much of an overhaul while I’ve been away and I think it failed! See you in Manchester. I’ll gain a bit more fitness, stick my Heart rate monitor on work out what is realistic for pace and what I want to train toward!
Where are you at now? Sounds like you have a marathon on the horizon?
i checked out wa<b></b>rdis coach’s Profile and his half times are class but it could be argued that he hasn’t converted them
to marathon times (and from memory as folk get older the conversion is much tighter?)
probs needs more longer runs and unburnt matches 😉
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TR - ah ok, but all your 1/2's count right? I know where to focus should I not get a decent result.
WTG - I did see a notice about something posted to my wall? Would have replied there but you had appeared here when I next logged back in. Doing Abo with several others from here a week on Sunday. On the comeback trail myself having got fit-ish earlier in the year and ran 3.11 off compromised training. Training has been much more consistent since and hopeful of a better result at Abo.
12 at 8.09s on Tuesday and a very gentle 5 at 8.36s yesterday. 15 to do today.
Nice miles Jools.
What sort of mileage have you been doing? Have you been following something specific?