Sunday 21 October

It's not important for you to know my name -
Nor I to know yours

What 26.2
Why Abingdon

LMH Hope you got sorted out yesterday, I didn,t get on the computer until late last night so was unable to be of help, sorry.

Thanks for all the good wishes everybody. Still not sure of a game plan but will decide when the gun goes bang.

See you all later.

 

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Comments

  • I did thanks postie see you soon!



    Sorry to hear that you're still unwell NZC



    Alehouse - hope you can get it checked and all is well



    Conditions look good - no excuses there - sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you get what you need and sometimes you get what you're given - wonder what today will bring?
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Morning! Beautiful day for a long run!



    What: another day of lazing with my foot up.

    Why: trying to follow instructions



    Lyrics: no



    Steady does it Postie and LMH.
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • emzapemzap ✭✭✭

    Morning.

    Hope we're going to hear good reports from later.  Perfect day for being outside today.

    What: mountain biking through the forests later, the lacrosse training this evening
    Why: it's 23C here again today and the forests are beautiful for riding in and lacrosse training coz it's there!
    Last hard: Thurs
    Lyrics: no

    Tomorrow sees the start of my new training plan.  Now I've finished my German course and only working 4 days a week I'm hoping I'll be less tired and be able to get back to it.  Fingers crossed the hip is ok...

    Ale how are you feeling today?  Do you think you have an infection, or it's just the aftermath of the surgery?

    have a good one all

  • Run well and enjoy LMH and Postie



    What: sea kayaking

    Why: Sunday and no wind

    Last rest: Friday

    Last hard: yesterday

    Lyrics: no



    Alehouse chance to catch up on reading etc ?

    That's another day by
  • Morning all,



    Don't know the lyrics again image



    Was feeling lazy this morning so had a lay in and missed the trail race I had intended on doing, so gonna go out later and do the same milage.



    Good luck today LMH and postie
  • Morning

    What - family day. No running

    Why - taper

    Lyrics - no

    Postie... after all the effort, don't stop at 26.2.  Try and drag yourself through the remaining 0.01875miles to the finishing line.

    Sorry... it's because it's Sunday, and I can't run.  I'm getting all tetchy and pedantic. image

  • Best of luck to our Abingdoners, looking forward to some reports!

    Today was a hard 19M steady in about 2.45 around the hills and moors. Yesterday was Woodbank parkrun in 20.14.

    Going to go and eat a horse now.

    Lyrics: yes

  • What: 10 miles.

    Why: Cabbage Patch 10. My second 10 miler, only got gun time to go on for now but I beat my first chip time by 9 seconds, so a PB for sure! It was a really nice friendly race, would be great to do with a group of friends, I'm sure I'll be back.

    Last rest: Friday.

    Last hard: Today. Got the day off tomorrow so gym or run I haven't decided.

    Lyrics: Nope.

    Looking forward to hearing from the Abingdon runners!
  • A'noon

    Yesterdays lyrics: Chumbawamba and Tubthumping

    Rest day today. Cracking autmunal one again up here.

    Hope all the racers have had a good one

    georgina; Well done on your pb.

  • Tom.Tom. ✭✭✭
    A truely fab morning for running. Did the club three counties run - an off road river bank run of about 10M which takes in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Very relaxed and social and legs feeling better. The club only do this circuit once a year as the logistics of it are a bit complicated due to a lack of convenient bridges



    Also waiting expectantly for news of the Abo brigade



    Lyrics: no - just googles still no!
  • Yay! I did know yesterday's lyrics!! image
  • Whilst I didn't know yesterday's lyrics, as 7D points out, Chumbawamba have a very good fell runner in their line up! Good run yesterday, 7D:  Woodbank won't be the easiest of courses, I imagine. Often go there for long off-road runs (obviously not at present!) and my back door used to be 30 metres from the park in the early 1980s! The cross country races there are known to be on one of the toughest courses about. Nearly gave you a description of the Bramhall course: another toughie  but that seems to still get pretty decent times. Great long run, today: I personally wouldn't be over-concerned with the miles...get used to being on your feet for 2 and a half to 3 hours and that will form a great background for your marathon training, especially if it is off-road with plenty of hills.

    Well done, GGG:  PBs are always good news!

    Now where are those Abingdon reports?

    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • Thanks Alehouse: there was a very stiff hill to be tackled twice at Woodbank, even though I anticipated it the second time around it left me choked at the peak. And thanks for the marathon tip. The mental step of running for 2 hours up to 3 hours is steep though, completely different way of thinking for me.

  • emzapemzap ✭✭✭

    Wow an awesome ride through the woods, the trees really are spectacular at this time of year.  Unfortunately no lacrosse for me though as wearing heals on Friday night seems to have done something to my foot, which although it's ok, running on it hurts and I really want to play in the game next week, so am being sensible!  

    https://photos-5.dropbox.com/t/0/AACJ1QlofVxNRDAAupnMu2s30dEd0cc8UjkWMVpqOHaRyg/10/3383309/jpeg/32x32/2/1350838800/0/2/IMG_7461.JPG/GR43d2jvJ5y5R_P7qkmtHnvIjxAebblV40Vq0DqYsDg?size=1024x768

    Where are those Abo reports then?

     

  • Afternoon

    Met up with LMH before the start which was really lovely also your husband gave me a personal shout when I needed it, so thanks to both of you.

    Weather was a bit dull but not too cold so perfect for racing as there was alomost no wind apart from the second trip through Milton Park, those fetchies must have got cold.

    The aim was to look for a sub 3 and to try a new approach on the tactical front. I reset the VP to 6:50 to help me keep an eye on the pace which sort of worked at the start. Printed off a timing band for a 2:58 finish to be compared with the course mile markers as the garmin is usualy a bit out. The final change was to set laps of 5.25 miles which is 20% of the distance. This also makes it easier to mentaly calculate finishing times, so for a 3hr finish each lap needs to be 36 minutes and for 2:55 35 minutes. The 21 mile mark is the end of lap 4 so it is not too hard to work out if the last 20% is within reach of your target. Try it, it worked a treat.

    As for the race itself, I can't recall too much. I managed to navigate the roped up guys within the first couple of miles which had become a bit of a worry for me. As you will see from the splits I kept this up until 21 miles. After thios I started to fade but kept enough mental strength to keep going and dragged myself to the finish.

    Splits 34:02, 33:52, 33:59, 34:33, 36:38, + (45.31 seconds for the last 451feet)

    Finish in 2:53:30 a new pb by 5minutes 11 seconds image

    This has nicely laid to rest all my injury worries and a new target of sub 2:50 in the spring.

    The roped guys set a new world record of 2:57:XX which was a pb for the slowest of the five aswell.

    Thats me done for the year but I hope to keep myself ticking over in the week once my feet are less sore.

    LMH see you again in London?

  • Congrats on the pb postie, well done image

  • Well done GGG!

    7d - just increase by ten minutes a week for two or three weeks, cutback and repeat - you'll soon build the time.

    Alehouse - did you get to talk to a doc?

    OH - hoped you had a good day out on the water.

    Tom - that sounds like a nice run.

    emzap - hope the foot is soon sorted.

    Postie found me before the start at Abingdon - it was nice to catch up again. Didn't see him afterwards - I expect he was long gone by the time I got there!

    Needed the inhaler this morning before I even left the Travelodge so just as well I sorted it last night. It was a little foggy at the start but nice and still and not too cold. Got chatting to a lovely Welsh lady as we lined up at the start, she'd run a PB three weeks ago in a foreign marathon somewhere but had been just short of her sub 3.40 target so was trying for that today. That had been my A target so we agreed to set off together and try to settle in and not go out too hard but with the understanding that she was just to go on when I dropped off the back. Having her to chat to meant that the first five miles or so passed really quickly (maybe too quickly as we did an 8.08 first mile followed by an 8.02when we tried to rein it n a little however after that I kept us to my easy HR and we settled into something like). I was comfy but knew that my mind was writing cheques my body wouldn't be able to honour later so stuck to my HR cap even when that meant that she pulled away slightly. My right calf began to ache a little as early as mile 2 and I developed blister or at least hot spots on both feet quite early too - I can only assume that this is something to do with the altered gait from the fall as my trainers etc are as usual.

    I fell in with a Devises runner for the first loop of the industrial estate and we were knocking out comfortable 8.22/8.23s until he got his first glimpse of the power station through the fog which for some reason seemed to excite hm a little as he pulled away. Again I stayed steady and let him go and within a mile we were running together again. Through the industrial estate for the first time and the main goal is not to get lapped by the fast boys - achieved this and set off on the second loop feeling mostly ok. The mil splits area little inconsistent but I think the terrain/conditions underfoot can mostly explain it (narrow, rough paths we were asked to run on instead of the road, cycle path by the lake etc).

    Commencing the second loop I'm in a good place. Everything is going as well if not better than I'd dared hope, my head is happy and I'm just knocking the miles out. At some point Devises man disappeared up the road but I just stayed steady. Definitely running at marathon HR but the mile splits are ok and I'm feeling fine. Begin to catch and pass runners after about 15 miles and I feel that I'm in good shape compared to many. There is a little more wind around on the second loop which makes itself known in a few places round the industrial estate but nothing too bad though as I'm running on my own now I have to just get on with it. I get caught by 'Nichola' (she has her name on her vest) who tells me that she must be running too fast as she's catching people who are much faster than her (I think she means some club mates as there are a fair number of people around us wearing it). 'Not any more they're not' I tell her and indeed as we pass a couple of her club mates I hear one of them say that 'she must have run a negative split'. She's looking far fresher than I feel but we run step for step for quite a few miles though my average pace is slipping slightly. I start to do the maths from the 18 mile marker - if I can just hold 9 min miles from here I can get under 3.45 (my C target).

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Garmin is measuring long but the mile splits are still going to be accurate so as long as I work it out from the mile markers I think I should be ok.

    The second loop seemed to take a long time to complete but for some strange reason with no increase in HR I manage to knock out 3 x 8.15 miles between 20 and 23 but then I start to slow, can't increase HR and just tell myself that all I have to do is keep running to the end and I'll be under 3.45. I'm still mostly catching and passing people which is making it much easier mentally - target sighted, work at it, overtake and keep going. I give myself permission to walk up the underpass exit if I need to but when I get there it's nowhere near as bad as I remember and I pass a couple of people on the way out. Catch and pass Devises manThe mile times are slipping now but still under 9 mins. AS I get to the 25 mile marker I realise that a PB is still possible. How much do I want it. Well, I want it but when I try to increase the effort nothing happens, relax, stay strong, pick your feet up. At least I feel as though I'm still running though a couple of women go past me and I can't respond. At last I cross the road and head into Tilsley Park. I quite like the twisty turny x-country bit before we actually hit the track but have to admit that the ten feet long ankle deep puddle was a bit of an unexpected obstacle! No way round even if I had the extra energy to deviate so through the middle then up the slight slope and on to the track. I love this, it feels so bouncy after 26 miles on the road and I visualise this finish a lot in training. I glance at my Garmin and know that sub 3.45 is definitely mine but the the PB? I straighten up, focus on the curve, extend my stride and pump my arms, run strongly around the top bend and into the finish straight, I feel as though I'm sprinting but doubt that there's actually much difference in my speed. I can see the clock ticking towards 3.43, I know I'm slightly faster than that but don't think it took long to cross the line. Then it's done, I'm over the line and stop the Garmin at the second timing chip mats. 3.42.55. I've done it.

    Met by a really good first aider who waves away the poor scouts trying to give me a medal and tells me that he'll sort out that and my goodie bag later. Thankfully all it takes is a few minutes of walking and my inhaler and I'm fine.

    The freezing cold showers in the ladies changing rooms were a source of much banter but not very welcoming but I knew I wouldn't be allowed in the car if I didn't get clean image It was during this process that one of the other women said 'look at your blister' and pointed to the side of my foot. Unfortunately that one was nothing compared to the one filled with blood on the end of my toe! That seems to be the worst of the damage though. So, B target achieved and still that elusive 3.3x.xx to chase.

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Well done postie - that's amazing! All being well I shall be there in the spring - nowhere near you though at that speed!

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Well done LMH. The mens showers probably weren't any warmer either.

  • Tom.Tom. ✭✭✭
    Well done Postie...definately sub 2:50 next time. the 5.2m laps is a really good ideas and your pace through the first 21m is very even. Do you have your HM splits?



    LMH...I'm really, really delighted for you. I'm sure you must be feeling really satisfied with that effort after the turmoil of the last few weeks. I would have loved to have been inside your head at the point that you overtook Devises Man!



    Well done guys!
  • I have just realised that I'm wrong. I ran VLM in 3.42.32 rather than the 3.43.32 I had in my head so not a PB after all image I failed.

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Great reports and great running, LMH and Postie! Onwards and upwards and with more ideal preparation you will both knock quite a few minutes off come the spring!

    LMH:  a neighbour who is a GP is coming round this evening...he has an interest in sports' injuries and is the guy who gave me a lift to Chester on Weds pre-op. Also just had an email from Clink who ran a decent cross country race yesterday.

    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • emzapemzap ✭✭✭

    Wow Postie and LMH amazing! LHM you did not "fail" as you put it!  You did really well especially after all the trouble you've been having recently!  I think you can definitely call it a success!

    Hope you're both feeling ok tomorrow.

  • Yay! I did know yesterday's lyrics!! image
  • Fab reports from Postie and Little Miss Happy.

    Both of you thought your races through, did all the right things and came out with great results - fab efforts.

    Tom - sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed yourself - that's what running is all about.

    Alehouse - hope your friends will be able to tell you what you are experiencing with your op is normal. Nice to hear Clink is doing well.

    What: 3 miles with Mae easy

    Still not much better, still got more anti-biotics to take, and I've started taking anti-hisatimine.

  • Further medical update! GP neighbour fairly happy with Achilles. A bit red around it but to be expected: he will monitor it any way, which is really helpful. And yes, LMH, don't even let it enter your mind that that was a failure!!
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • Good news Alehouse.

    Sorry to hear that NZC.

    To be honest I'm absolutely gutted - I think because I thought I'd made it and it took several hours to realise that I hadn't so I was enjoying feeling surprised and pleased with myself. I'll get over it - nothing else I can do really.

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
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