Vote for sills

Please vote for sills in the Good for Age category of the Asics Target 26.2 competition

I'm pretty new to running, having taken it up in 2011 after hanging up my football boots. Signing up for my local half marathon (Reading), was the catalist for everything to come, and after running 1:32:44 I set myself the target of running a sub 40min 10k. I duly acomplished this in Thame with a sprint for the line and a 39:59 finish! For the 2012 Reading HM I set myself the goal of for breaking 90 mins and I finished in 88:01.

All the above has been acheived with very little sophistication, 2-3 similar sessions a week with a weekly mileage of 15-25 miles, and I have been fortunate enough to be able to acheive some great times. 

With the London Marathon always having been on the list of things to do, and it getting increasingly difficult to get a place, my next goal is to run a GFA qualifying time (sub 3:10). Whilst my 10k and HM times indicate this is acheivable, I know that training for the full 26.2 is a completely different beast.

With it being my first marathon & going for a pretty quick time, I know that there's a steep learning curve ahead. I'm hoping that with the guidance of the Target 26.2 team, I can acheive my goals of running a 3 hour marathon in Paris and qualifying for London and I'm excited about the prospect of sharing these experiences with everyone on these forums.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and feel free to post any questions you may have.

Rich

«1

Comments

  • Hi Sills...you definitely have some natural talent there........

     you have rarely posted in the forumbefore the competition...........what stopped you image

    image

  • Thanks seern nos

    To be honest with you, I haven't had the motivation to. Running has always been a personal thing to me...I find putting my trainers on after a long day at work pretty theraputic and a bit of an escape from the hecticness of life. So when I spend a lot of time in front of a computer with work, I haven't had the desire to spend the spare time I do have in the forums.

  • I guess I also haven't felt like I've had much to contribute, but hopefully that's about to change image

  • Sills do you find the Forums a bit demotivating then, that it is a place you won't learn anything useful?  Do you think photos or avatars on profiles adds a bit of personality to the poster or ust not necessary?

  • Not at all demotivating JF50, just a case of balancing priorities. 

    The Target 26.2 experience so far has certainly opened my eyes as to the sheer amount of experience and activity within the RW community and as I start to take my runnning more seriously the forums are no doubt going to be an incredibly valuable source of advice and motivation.

    Photo should be up soon image

  • Just a quick list of some of the things I know I am going to need help with (in no specific order):

    • Motivation for the 5am starts - the only way I'm going to fit the miles into an already packed week
    • Nutrition - I spend a lot of time on the road with work and have developed a love of garage sandwiches, crips & chocloate! Any budding chefs out there...wholesome homemade lunch suggestions would be very welcome!
    • How to safely build up milage to the level required to do a quick marathon without injury
    • Fuelling during a race - never taken on anything other than water/isotonic sports drink during a race
    • Core strength - something I've never paid any attention to so keen to work on this to make sure form is as good in the last miles as it is in the first
    • Mental tricks to help focus (26.2 miles is a long way!) 
    I'm sure there'll be a lot more than this but looking forward to learning from everyone else's experiences as I start exploring the forums. 
  • Sills there is a forum called Who else gets up at silly o clock to run??  Not sure how motivating it is but a lot of early bird runners on there, and if you can get out early morning it really clears the day for work/family/social.

  • Thanks JF50, about to head on over there now. I've always been an evening runner, putting on the trainers as I walk in the door from work to clear my head before the evening starts. But having an 8 week old son (my first) now makes that impossible as 19:00-20:30 is the only time I get to spend with him.

    Thankfully Zach's a cracking sleeper already (he's inherited his dad's genes) so stupid o'clock starts are defintely going to be the way ahead.

  • Sills spotted you over there.  In regard to food I don't think you need breakfast before most morning runs unless you are going really long.  But I guess  through the working week most people run perhaps 5 to 10 miles and as long as you eat well the day before it's fine.  I set the alarm for 5, hit it off before it wakes my OH, go downstairs where I have my kit ready, use the loo, mouthful of water and splash the face, and normally out of the door by 5.15am.  When I get back I breakfast and take a cuppa up for OH and wake her for work.  Simple

  • Sounds like you have the routine down JF50, I like the fact brownie points have been built in, guaranteed recipe for success!

    Thanks for the tips, just didn't like the idea of having to alarm at 4 to fuel for a run at 5. Tomorrow I'm going to try an early run, so I'll report back soon on how it goes. 

  • Paula Radcliffe once said, “When I count to 100 three times, it’s a mile. It helps me focus on the moment and not think about how many miles I have to go. I concentrate on breathing and striding, and I go within myself.”

    Does anyone else use tricks like this?

  • Thanks for the tips JF50, first 5am miles have been completed!

    Was out the door at 5:30 and did an easy 7 miles on the roads at MP +30. I was supprised to see a couple of OAP's within the first couple of miles, and by mile 4 I started to feel a little de-hydrated, had a bottle of isotonic with me but always find it hard to take on a lot of liquid whilst running. Next time, need to made sure not only eat well the day before but also keep hydration levels up, also going to take water not isotonic next time..

    Didn't feel as cold as I expected out but there we definitely some areas of black ice about..there were a few hairy moments my mates would have enjoyed...I had a bit of a reputation at school for not being particularly stable on my feet (hence inheriting Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" as my personal theme tune!)

    Anyway, now to do some work image

  • well done on the early morning run......image

  • Thanks seren, is quite liberating knowing I've done my miles done for the day, cleaned the kitchen (my wife didn't want waking with a cup of tea JF50!) and read the paper all by 7:30!

    A new chapter in my life begins....

  • Good running Sills, same for me this morning so the day is clear, well I'll be at work for most of itimage

    I did deliver the teaimage

  • right

     what do you think that you can gain from the forums and what do you think you can give to the forumsimage

  • JF50, I've never been a morning runner but think that's about to change, will just have to see how I hold up in the evenings though after a some regular early starts! My wife is a star and not waking me for the night time feeds of our little'un (I'm not much use when he goes straight back down), and when he normally sleeps from 5-8:30, she's understandably descided she doesn't want waking at 7 with a cup of tea!

  • Seren, I'll be honest with you, these forums have been a bit of a revelation! 

    As you can probably tell from my answer to your first question, I've always been a bit of a loaner when it comes to my running and not seen the value in sharing my experiences. I've even dismissed going for runs with friends as I want to just get my own head down and focus on my goals. Oh how that has changed in but 48 hours! 

    Today I went for the my first early run thanks to inspiration from the Who else gets up at silly o clock to run?? thread and I can see that becoming somewhat of my home on here (thanks JF50!). The sub3 thread have been great at sharing their weekly mileages to help give me an idea of what I should be aiming for. They've also helped me establish that maybe a running commute to work is not such a good idea!

    After the Target 26.2 experience is over, will I be on here as much as I am now? Probably not (my email inbox can't cope with the sheer number of notifications!), but I can see a cheeky post with my morning cup of tea becoming a part of the day I look forward to.

    I can't promise to come with any deep wisdom or great humour, but I can just be me and hope that is enough to provide a little inspiration.

    In the short term, I have a hell of a lot of learning to do to acheive my pretty ambitious goal of a sub 3 marathon; I am starting to realise that in this sport, knowledge is power! Given the opportunity to be part of the Target 26.2 team, all I can do is give an open and honest account of what I learn and how it affects my daily life. Hopefully my scientific take on things should provide a somewhat interesting thread to follow as I strive for my sub3 time.

  • thanksfor the detaikled and honest answer.......by the way you can turn off the email notifications...........i did a long time agoimage

  • Thanks seren. I've seen you all over the place on here but don't know much about your runnning. You're profile says you're into Ultras, what sort of distances do you do?

  • All sorts of shenanigans going on over tbe weekend, the highlight of which was a playing Blind Pew, the murderer, in a Pirates murder mystery, Aarrr!



    5am alarm set for the morning to get the week off to a good start with a cheeky 10miles. The final countdown begins to the midday voting deadline on Wednesday, exciting times ahead!
  • Morning all. 

    This 5am running lark really is proving to be a revalation. After a hectic weekend, starting off the week with an easy 9 miles was a great start to the week. After making sure I was properly hydrated, been drinking litres of water over the weekend, I got round no problem without taking any fluid on during the run. Did have to make an emergency stop at the shell garage en-route...still have a few things to learn about heading out for a run first thing!

    Was still dark when I got back home, so have been sticking to the street lit pavements, but if this is going to become the standard time of the day to run, I need to figure out how to reduce time pounding the pavements. Has anyone stopping by to read this today ever run with a head torch on? I think I may have to dig mine out to get some time in on the un-lit trails...

  • Morning all, starting to feel like I'm talking to myself on here but will battle on as I actually quite enjoy coming on here with my morning coffee!

    5;30 alarm this morning to get me up for an easy 7 miles cross country. After some good chat on the Target 26.2 thread last night I thought it time to dig out my head torch to let me escape the street lit pavements. Was great fun this morning loved being out as the sky slowly started to light up, really did feel like I had the whole world to myself.

    It was seriously cold, not sure the temperature but think frost and ice on pavements. As soon as I got onto the trails a few hundred metres from my house I actually struggled to see...the air was so cold that as my breath crossed the beam of the headtorch, the light reflected back and I couldn't see a thing! Just like when your headlights become useless in thick fog. Took a little while to get used to but got there.

    I live about 2 miles from Thames and there is a great 3 mile stetch of the Thames Path that I often take  in on my runs. It flooded pretty bad a couple of weeks ago and today was the first time I've ventured back down there, gald I did as was amazingly peaceful running with the water glistening in the dull light of the moon and stars.

    It got me thinking that not many people ever eaxperience what I did this morning...some people would say I'm mad heading out into the pitch black at 5:30 in sub zero temperatures...but I would say that they are the ones that are seriously missing out!

    Have a good day everyone

  • MalcsMalcs ✭✭✭

    Sills - I didn't realise you hadn't run a marathon before! You're going for GFA on your first attempt - I love it!

    What's your plan if Paris is a no-go? Do you have an alternative race lined up? 

  • Malcs, ambitious goal I know for a first time but sure I have it in me. I could have fitted quite easily into a number of the categories but this is where I ended up...feel a bit of an intruder alongside some pretty accomplished runners!



    Plan, should I not get into Paris, was always to get as close to 80min in the Reading HM (defo sub 83), get a 10k pb along the way, with an increase in mileage throughout the year to get my GFA in Abingdon in Oct.



    However events over the last few weeks have got me buzzing about the prospect of a spring marathon so now seriously considering scrapping those plans and gunning for Milton Keynes in May...let's just wait and see what happens over the next 48hrs, the end of this torture is in sight!



    What's your plans if this doesn't happen?
  • MalcsMalcs ✭✭✭
    I believe you can do it. HM at 83 mins is damn good going so if you can get there your sub 3:10 should well be possible - from what I understand of course, this is definitely not from experience!



    I can recommend branching out into the other forum threads if you want advice. I've got some great help already. Try the sub 3:15 thread.



    I'll be doing Llanelli in April if I don't get the nod. Then again it's tempting just to book in for Paris anyway. A few people are considering this. We'll see - depends on finances.



    Best of luck to you!
  • Hi Sills just a quick note to wish you good luck and been great keeping the Bootcamp party going, first marathon a good for age yes you can do it, get the half marathons in and some 2hours or 20miles in and your there i,m

    Did i mention the Alpine Lowe Mountain Marathon?

  • Thanks for your vote of confidence Tony. Not heard of the Alpine Lowe Marathon, will look it up when I get home, have you done it?



    Nearly there now, good luck everyone
  • DS2DS2 ✭✭✭

    Sills - the sub 3:15 thread is a great source of information and encouragement and more than a few laughs. many of them have already run under (or well under) 3 hours and I think you'll gain more from them than the Sub 3 crowd at the moment.

    I directed Clive and Malcs there and they seem happy they did.

  • Thanks for the tip on the sub 3:15 thread malcs / DS2, will get on there and introduce myself later in the week, this one is a little crazy with work!
Sign In or Register to comment.