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Thames Trot 50 Training
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its good to track what you guys are doing... i managed a 42k run sunday 9th dec, felt pretty good after and ran ok tues through fri that week then failed miserably to get out last sunday - got up late and set off but just felt crap and came home after 45 mins instead of 4 hours.... not sure why, just felt low not really sore legs or anything. Most weeks am managing tues-fri mornings 9-12 km (sorry just dont think in miles yet) - and hope to do proper long run this weekend.
Was feeling somewhat unsure that I would be able to finish the Thames trot as its my first ultra and then got the email saying free entry if you give up your place before the end of the year... now what to do!!
Also if anyone needs a free bed in oxford and promises they arent psycho we have a spare room someone would be welcome to and even if i dont run i can do transport as would come to help out if not running
Laura, that's a very kind offer, and tempting if nobody else has taken you up on it (I could reciprocate sometime with a bed in the Bromley/Croydon (south-east London/Kent) area.
Still hoping my ankle will be better in time. It really wasn't happy yesterday after treatmill assessment run Wednesday morning plus 6.7 miles Wednesday evening, but it's barely twinged today, so I'm intending to try a run tomorrow.
Evening all! Lovely weather we're having....
Trials for most of us, it seems. What did you decide Laura? (Just do it, you know you want to
Debra, good luck, watch the mud with the ankle!
baljc, hang on in there!
So tomorrow night I might be a (sort of) ultra-runner if the "50k" Portsmouth Coastal mara goes ok. I'm definitely running this as a rehearsal for TT, plan being to end up feeling I could go 10, 20 or even 30k more.... but we shall see. I have the bag packed with loads of nosh, spare pair of shoes (trails in pack, starting with road shoes) so I will certainly look like the strange ultra-runner who wandered on to the marathon start line, but hey who's checking?! Happy weekend running all anyhow.
NID
NID: good luck and enjoy!
Laura if you managed a 42k training run recently I don't see why you won't manage the Thames Trot. I'm sure I did it on less.
DON'T GIVE UP YOUR PLACE!
Its no big deal missing a training run - listen to your body - if you felt crap then bailing was the right thing to do - its no big deal.
Even if you DNF - you'll have learn't many many useful lessons - what is the worst that can happen.
Stick to your original intention - succeed or find out what you need to do better next time!
31miles in 5hr 35min in Portsmouth yesterday.
Very muddy and hard underfoot, probably good training for TT!
I reckon I had another few miles in me but no idea at the moment where I'll get another 19 from!!!
How was everyone else's weekend?
NID
You're an ultra-runner, NID, well done.
I managed 18 muddy miles on the Ridgeway, I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's my longest since being hit by that car, so I'm happy that I could manage that. I'll try a 20 this week, and then see if I can blag the Trot.
I managed 20 and 16 this weekend. I had planned to do 2 X 20 but needed the loo when I was close to home at 16 miles and couldn't face going out for another four miles. I need to do one very long run next weekend, if only to know that I can.
I'm mostly just hoping it stops raining for the next month because I really can't face running 50 miles on a flooded towpath.
I managed a 1.40 at 5 this morning, legs felt a bit tired, and now my right Achilles is just twinging a little, so I shall be captain sensible tomorrow and stick to a gentle 30 mins around the block. It bothers me though, as I was hoping to build a bit more before the taper - when is that supposed to be??? I was thinking of last long run on 12th Jan - does that sound about right?
Out of interest - how much walking do people doing TT end up doing? Thinking back half of the field rather than front half....
I live in Reading and have been seriously worried about what will happen if the Thames Path is still flooded on 4th Feb. The Thames is so flooded around here that you can't tell where the riverbank is for miles from at least Goring to Shiplake and beyond.
For peace of mind I contacted the organisers yesterday and asked if they had a contingency plan in place to prevent the race being cancelled. They have!!!!! They will offer an alternative route if necessary. Excellent!! I've put in a riduclous amount of training as it's my first and possibly only ultra (very busy - work, young family so lack of training time). I was getting very very worried but can heave a sigh of relief as I head out on another run.
I was having the same thoughts. I'm in Oxford and the stretch to Culham is certainly unrunnable. It's good to hear that there's a contingency plan since I'd also hate for all this training to go to waste. I can't see the towpath drying out in the next month even if it stops raining.
It doesn't hurt any more than the first time I ever ran 20 miles (though, to be honest, that also hurt like hell).
Ran Heaton Park (Manchester) parkrun yesterday!!!... Hoping to get a long run in either tomorrow to finish off 2012 or 1st Jan (after managing my parkrun) to start off 2013...
Tiego/Baljc/Debra any injury updates?
Laura - did you decide to defer or stay?
Lemony - great training!
Liz EE - good to know there are other time challenged rookies around!
Good to hear about the flooded course contingency plan. Does that involve any hills?!
I'm not feeling as confident about making TT at the moment. My Achilles was a bit achy for 2-3 days at the end of last week, so I didn't run. Now on a family ski trip so tricky to test it out, although the cross training is good! I'll do another 26m the evening I get back to test it again.
I guess I'm wary of getting injured pushing this one, i would probably be better building up to the 50m after 2-3 50k/40M events I guess.
One thing I'm struggling with is not knowing how you're "supposed" to feel after x miles. At my 31 miler last week I was tired, but not destroyed, managed some football in the garden with the kids after, but I don't reckon I could have run more than 50% of the remaining 19 miles if I was doing a 50M that day.....
NID
NID: ankle is much better, thanks, but still not 100% - I didn't push to run my fastest during the 5K parkrun yesterday. I'm also trying to stick to pavement rather than trail, to reduce the work for the lateral stabiliser muscles, and I'm massaging. Found a good site (Athletes Treating Athletes) so I'm following some self-treatment info. from there. Hope I've not lost too much fitness over the last few weeks of reduced running volume.
NID (again): If you can manage a 31-miler and feel "tired, but not destroyed" you can probably do the 50-miler okay. Re. walking, I'm thinking about trying 25 mins running, 5 mins walking, but I've never tried it before...
The towpath at Iffley is under about a foot of water and I saw on the local news yesterday that the finishing field in Henley is similar. Last week's long run, where I had to negotiate an impromptu ford after and hour and then ran the next 20km with wet socks and shoes has brought home to me how much that mashes up your feet!
53km for me today, dodging the flooded roads around Oxford, stopping here and there to buy water for my Nathan bottle, and nutrigrain bars. That's the furthest I've ever run
. I still think I'm setting out too quickly though - I can't get out of my head that I'm "going for a run" rather than just "time on my feet" and even the easiest pace I start out at is a bit of a challenge after a couple of hours. Stairs are a struggle this evening.
Just hope they mark the eventual course thoroughly...
Re. wet feet: I've always thoroughly coated my feet with Vaseline before putting on my double-skinned socks for any long run in which I thought I'd get wet feet. So far, no blisters... (that includes Greater Manchester Marathon and Croydon 30 during 2012, both run in pouring rain, and in the case of M'cr, involving splashing through some deep puddles).
Been lurking for a while, also entered this as my first, training has just been concentrating in time on feet rather than distance although have done a couple of 4 hr /20 mile plods! Hoping that the excitement of the day gets me round! Planning on a Marlow to Windsor and back next weekend if anyone is slow enough to join me! (I know wrong bit but a towpaths a towpath?)
Hey all, some good training going on.
I managed a couple of 20 milers last week, which doesn't sound much, but after the car incident, I'm pretty happy with that. I'm going to try a 30 in the next week or so, and if that isn't hell, then I'll feel okay about the event.
Tiago: "A couple of 20 milers last week" sounds like loads to me (one run 10 miles in the last four weeks)...
Matt: welcome, good luck and enjoy.
NID
Best wishes and good luck all. Happy New Year!
On the alternative route possibilities - there's a big hill between Henley and Oxford which is only avoided by following the river (the towpath is twice as far as the most direct road route). I suspect that any alternative route, whether road or trail, is likely to involve a hill at some point.
Wonder if we could do 50m of the kennet & Avon canal instead? Obviously similar profile, and not flooded
X training with a days xc skiing tomorrow I hope
Happy New Year everyone - let's hope it's full of good running!
Ran a total of 21 miles today, including four miles at 8 mins/mile (club self-handicap) before going on to do the rest of the run, which was probably a mistake, but at least I've done my first 20+ in... too long, and my ankle was only very slightly tender. Upset a tendon behind my left knee (on the outside) - done this before but can't remember much about it as an injury - hope it settles by tomorrow as I'd like to do c.10 miles in the evening. After a month of much-reduced running I've got a LOT of leg-fitness to regain in the next month (cardiovascular fitness appears to be fine).
Can't believe TT is only a month away. Hoping we have some drier weather and the course can be along the Thames as planned.
I've been mostly road running recently recently, and am very happy with my Saucony Omni Progrids - I need a stability shoe as I overpronate. They have rubbish grip though, and I think will struggle given the recent wet.
My trail shoes are Onnov8 315s which are great, but have very little cushioning and I suspect that 50 miles will be really hard in them, and the lower heel would
Make any Achilles issues worse.
Any thoughts on a stability shoe with a really good grip but decent cushioning? I know that's all wrong as far as hard core off-roady folk go, but suspect for the mainly flat but muddy TT that's what I need.... Advice appreciated!
NID