RW Forum Six – Sub 3.30

1333436383976

Comments

  • AndyAAndyA ✭✭✭

    Hi Sarah,

    We are staying in Heslington - we are renting a house there with some of my wife's family. To answer Malcs' question I'm not actually doing the York Marathon, I think we are up there a week afterwards.

    Regarding your trainers, I would be inclined to wear the new ones as long as they are not giving you any problems - that way you can get them properly broken in and get used to how they feel before the marathon. Then you will have a choice of which ones to wear for the race itself.

    I had the same thought regarding the 18 miles two weeks before the marathon. I'll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks - if my legs are feeling a bit tired I'll do a shorter run but if I'm feeling strong I'll do the 18.

    Have a great time in France at the weekend!  

  • Minni....your not trying hard enough!!
  • Congratulations on a perfect bill of health mr p. I sometimes check my BP, pulse and sats whilst at work, my pulse and BP is always great but my sats are sometimes low depending on whether I put the monitor on a finger where I get raynauds or one where I don't!



    It was really windy last night, and this morning on the motorway.



    I don't drink half as much as I use to, I only had three glasses of wine last week and bits of baileys in my coffee the week before. I use to have three times as much as that. I feel loads better for it and don't feel like I waist my weekend feeling rubbish like I use to. This weekend I've been told that I will be struggling to only have one or two glasses of wine however!
  • Hi Malcs, does your friends not wear their trainers at all before wearing them for the marathon? I really don't think I would dare do that, sounds so risky, but I've had no end of problems when I first started running.



    I hope all your little niggles are nothing to worry about and disappear as soon as they occurred.
  • Hi Andy, thankyou. I was worried about ruining my 9 mile race if my new trainers don't feel right, but I guess I have to remember its all about London and not a 9 mile race in France! Thankyou for helping me to make up my mind with what to wear.



    I don't think I've ever been to heslington, but I've heard it's nice there.
  • Hi Sarah, 

    Its funny how your LSR with running club is the same pace as my half marathon image

    Ahh, well, eventually I'll find that pace easy, I guess image

    Thanks for reassurance re: BP.  On the plus side, my lung capacity is great.  Have been on asthma meds since mid last year when the reading was about 415... yesterday it was 500 image  all the running seems to be helping.

    As for alcohol- I've been feeeling really groggy this week.  Its the first week this year where I have had something to drink almost everyday.  I gave up for the dryathlon in January and felt great!  Then planned to pretty much only drink at weekends.  Still felt pretty good, and didn't much desire it.  I feel like I've fallen off the wagon a bit this week, and I can really tell.  must get better and drink less - I had been replacing the evening glass of wine with a glass of beeple juice (beetroot and apple), which is yum! and makes you run faster image must get back to that!

    So I take it you managed to get to whereever you needed to to travel to france?

  • Training Diary for Forum 6 sub 3:30 (VLM)



    Week 12 ( day 81) aim; rest day



    Well we got up at 5:40 as was on the road by 6:00. I was in a bit of a panic when I opened the curtains with all the snow that had settled on our road and what was still coming down. Luckily the main roads had been gritted and after about 40 mins we were far enough south when the snow had changed to rain. By the time we got down to the tunnel the sun was shining and it was 7 degrees. You wouldn't have even known that it was snowing in England. Just sat waiting for our train watching the snow in Huddersfield and Yorkshire causing chaos!



    I've been wearing my new trainers all the way down so far....by Sunday they will be ready to be raced in!
  • Hi Angela, your peak flow is better than mine (although it does go on height and im only 5ft 3 and a bit). My peak flow is 410 (last year it was 210 when I had whooping cough).



    You will get quicker don't worry, I was 7 mins slower for my half only 6 months ago!



    After next weekend (as im visiting a friend in Liverpool for a Saturday night out) I don't think I will drink any alcohol until after London.....that will be memorable drink...looking forward to it already!



    Hope you have a good weekend and your race isn't spoilt with the snow
  • I'm only 5'2, or 5;3... hmm 1 metre 60cm...

    I was 10 minutes slower in October :-S

    I think no alcohol pre-Londn is a good idea, though I always find that rule so difficult to keep during the taper.  I've probably been drinking this week because I haven't been training enough.  I find with the taper,  I am sitting aorund twiddling my thumbs more, which means, hmm, may as well open up some wine and put a dvd on... well, thats what happened yesterday evening anyway.

    Have a great weekend!

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭

    How are things in France then Sarah? you are well out of it!

    We've been quite lucky here, and I've been able to get my long run done by running on the road but it was tough. At one point I was literally showered  when a bus drove onto the pile of slush in the middle of the road.  My feet were numb when I got back but I felt great to have got the run in.

    I ran part of my ten mile loop, then diverted off to the right and ran through a couple of villages with Helsby Hill and Frodsham Hill looking beautiful in the snow.  I ran 6 miles out and back then rejoined the loop for a final 8 miles on familiar roads. I had to put a lap of the village in to make up the distance but was very pleased to get it finished.

    Only negative wasa bloke who wanted me to stop to - I think - ask me directions.  He pulled in behind me and hooted, this was 21.5 miles in on the hill back to my house so I ignored him, then he pulled alongside and opened his door, so I started to get worried, but I still wasn't going to stop, then he pulled ahead, did a u turn and drove back flashing and gesticulating.  If I'd stopped i'd not have been able to get going properly up the hill so it's just tough really.

    It was quite undulating, and windy, and my average pace was 9mm. I can't copy the splits at the moment.

     

    Good luck tomorrow Sarah!

    PS I will be having a beer and a glass of wine tonight I've earned it.

     

     

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭
    Well done Puffy. What an odd thing for that driver to do. I've been quite lucky here in the NE too. It's snowy on the tops but ok a bit lower down. Cold and windy but at least you can run in that.



    Hopefully the weather had been better in France, Sarah? Looking forward to hearing how the race went.
  • Hi Angela, I'm 160cm exactly.



    I know what you mean..running is a great stress buster to, if i cant run then a glass of wine tends to substitute! We will have to think of something else to do to keep us busy....scarf knitting??
  • Hi Mr P. I've had a fabulous time in France. Its been a very busy but enjoyable weekend. We were made to feel very welcome by ACPI running club who spoilt us all weekend. I don't think I've drank as much wine and champagne and ate as much lovely food in months.



    It was a bit cold and windy in France but we did see some sun and it was at least 5 degrees warmer with no snow or rain. I feel so lucky to have missed all the snow. Your long run sounded horrendous especially with that bus and that driver at 21.5 miles. So glad that he didnt get out, you must have been petrified.



    I think you deserved more than one beer and a glass of wine after that.
  • Hi Minni, so strange at the moment seeing so much snow on the ground and loads of pictures on Facebook with people ankle deep in snow...think Yorkshire got it bad!
  • AndyAAndyA ✭✭✭

    Afternoon all,

    I'm glad you had a great time in France sarah.

    Yesterday was my 22 miles. I have to say that right from my start my legs weren't feeling particularly fresh and by half way were beginning to feel a bit weary, and by about 16 miles they were feeling quite tired. Still, I managed to keep going at a reasonable pace and although the last few miles were hard work I was never seriously struggling and I finished in 3h 5m, which is 8:25/mile. I'm happy enough with that, especially as it was a hilly route and not the best of conditions - there wasn't too much snow on the ground but it was really cold and (at times) windy. It would have been nice to get round comfortably but the fact that I was able to keep going for those last miles with tired legs gives me encouragement for the last few miles of the marathon itself.   

  • Training Diary for Forum 6 sub 3:30 (VLM)



    Week 12 ( day 83) aim; 15k (9.3 mile) race



    Race report. After the 12 hour journey on Friday and a celebratory night Friday night, we were then taken on a tour of some places of interest near saint quentin all day Saturday this was followed by a dancing meal on Saturday night. It was then the race on Sunday morning. I was quite tired all day Saturday, I think this was due to a mixture of the travelling, alcohol and lack of sleep 24 hours before. Luckily I woke up feeling a little more refreshed on Sunday morning but despite the 7 hours sleep and having no (free) alcohol on Saturday night my legs still felt quite heavy on Sunday morning.



    The race took place in st quentin. It started and finished at a nature reserve. The middle section was on the canal. Despite having no snow in France it still felt quite cold and it was extremely windy. The first 4.65 miles I was running straight into the wind, Initially I was on my own and not very sheltered but I soon caught a group up and decided to trail them until the half way point. A few times I got a bit bored and decided to pass a few of the runners but then I made sure I quickly got behind someone else. Up until 4.65 miles my average pace was 7 m/m. At the turn around point, I stepped it up a gear and picked up my pace. I managed to pass alot of runners up until about mile 7 when I was then on my own for quite a while. At about mile 7 we came of the canal early to run into the back of the nature reserve....this again felt to be into the wind. My average pace in the 2nd half was 6.46m/m.



    My time was 1:04 and I was 2nd lady, 38th runner home (out of I think 242) so I didnt do too bad. I was given a trophy and flowers for coming 2nd lady and recieved a trophy for being the first maltby member back
  • I got to stand on a podium which was quite exciting.



    I did well and got a good time and place but my legs just didnt feel that good. They felt so heavy and stiff. I'm sure this is due to the travelling, lack of sleep and wine, so my take home message is not to do these the week before London!



    I wore my new trainers and on a good note they felt fine!
  • Hi Andy, sounds like your legs were the same as mine at the weekend....there must have been something in the air! I don't think I would have been wanting to run 22 miles the way my legs felt yesterday. I was very relieved to only be doing 9.3! I think you did very well to keep up that pace under those conditions. We have to remember how many miles we have all been running recently and the cumulative affect that will be having.
  • Wow Sarah!!! Massive congratulations on a great race result!!! 2nd, wow, that's awesome!

    Its soo cold here in London today, that I just went out for lunch, and the cold air got me coughing image

    The problem with knitting is that although it makes you stay sitting down, it is not actually that effective at stopping you from drinking wine.  I know this because I started knitting a blanket last night (a reaction to the cold weather), and there was a full bottle of white wine when I started, which was significantly less full when I stopped.  Even though I didn't get up, it kept magically being refilled.

    I suppose we could do something like yoga, or pilates??

  • Haha, I like the sound of that type of knitting Angela. If I did that I would be dropping more and more stitches as I went along!



    Just got back to my parents, the snow is so deep, can't believe it.



    Did you manage to do your 15 mile XC?



    I would love to give yoga a try, so that isn't a bad idea
  • Hiya, yes dropping stitches is a risk I suppose, hmmm....

    I did do my XC- u can check out my blog for a race report... It was a tad demoralising image very very tough, but on the plus side, I seem to be able to feel how much stinger it's made my glutes and hamstrings- they didn't seem to be working together properly before, but now I seem to be able to switch them on, if that makes sense.

    I want to try out bikram yoga- the one in a hot room- when I lived in Sydney there were bikram yoga studios everywhere and I never tried it out- now I'm back home and they only seem to be around in London, and therefore expensive. I have a few yoga/Pilates DVDs, but I find it sooooooo boring
  • Evening Angela, I will have a read through your blog tomorrow (only been back home 2 hours and still sorting through things), looking forward to reading about your XC, sounds like it was a tough one. XC is tough without the weather we have just had so it must have been even harder for you. A tough XC will make your road running seem much more easier!



    I've never even heard of bikram yoga...will have to google it, I like the sound of doing yoga in a hot room though (especially after such a cold weekend)
  • Training Diary for Forum 6 sub 3:30 (VLM)



    Week 13 (day 84) aim; rest day



    Had a very long day driving back from France with little time to squeeze in a run unfortunately. Arrived home about two hours ago and I've almost finished unpacking and sorting everything out ready for work tomorrow. Tried to book the morning off but due to it being just before bank holiday I wasn't allowed...have a feeling its going to be a long day tomorrow, but I plan to head to the gym afterwards to do a run as resistance training. Not sure what my run will be as yet though. Going to talk to Minni about my weekly plan tomorrow



    Hope everyone has a good week of running planned
  • Plan for week 13;



    Monday; rest day



    Tuesday; resistance training + 4-5 miles easy



    Wednesday; either rest day or 4-5 miles easy (depending on what time I finish my evening clinic)



    Thursday; resistance training + 4 miles easy



    Friday; 3 hrs & 15 mins easy/steady (roughly 22 miles)



    Saturday; rest day



    Sunday; 10 miles (3m w/u, 6m @MP 1m c/d)



    Total mileage: 40 - 46
  • MalcsMalcs ✭✭✭

    Sarah - excellent result in your race. I have only ever been on a podium once before but sadly that was only on a tour of the Olympic stadium in Sydney image Did they play any anthems and raise flags?

    So, final week before taper. Looks like yours is all planned around that 22 miler. Hope it all goes well. 

    I also have my last longer long run this weekend. Bit unsure what to do. For once I appear to be relatively fit approaching the taper so I don't want to risk overdoing it.

    I do have a bit of arch pain but it's manageable. I had foot problems last year. Could barely walk on it two weeks out but it eased off enough to be able to race. I really want to avoid a repeat performance!

    Might go for 15-18 but I'd feel safer sticking to nearer the 15 end of things to lessen the strain on my arch. Ideally I'd want to be doing 20 max but I can't see that cutting it back will do me any harm - more likely to be problems the other way round. What do you reckon? Minni, any words of wisdom?

    Andy - nice job on that 22 miler. Getting sore legs at 16 miles is quite demoralising but very good mental training. 

    Angela - well done on the XC. You get alot out of those tough races so I wouldn't worry that you found it hard going. Your body will adjust and you'll find the next one much easier (yes, you are going to do another, and you know it!image). Take it easy with the groin.

  • Hi Malcs,

    You are of course right- there is much benefit to a tough XC- lets see if I feel it in my running this week!

    And will I do another... the answer is, I'll probably end up doing Orion 15 again... I have to defeat it, rather than let it defeat me!  Of course, if I do it next year, it will no doubt be 50degreesC and I'll suffer burns on my legs from running in the hot boiling boggy mud... image

  • AndyAAndyA ✭✭✭

    Hi all,

    That was a great time on Sunday Sarah, just think what you might have done if your legs had been feeling good!

    I certainly sympathise with you regarding the Orion 15 Angela, I don't do XC races very often and when I do I find it really hard because it's so different from road running. I certainly wouldn't have any expectations about finishing times, it's all about endurance and what the conditions are like on the day. I remember the first one I did - we'd had heavy snow the previous weekend which was now melting so the ground was really heavy and it was a club race so I was up against regular XC runners. I was absolutely dead by the end and waaaaay behind most of the other runners, and that was only five miles. So to actually get round a 15 mile course in difficult conditions is a pretty good achievement in itself, and it will certainly be good for your legs (groin strain notwithstanding).     

    I've not tried Yoga (Bikram or otherwise) but as I think I've mentiond before I do a pilates class. There is certainly no wine involved, although at 7.15 on a Monday morning I don't think I'd be tempted anyway, but I do find it helpful both for my running in general and for getting rid of any stiffness from my long run on a Sunday, and it can be surprisingly hard work. I don't think it would be as enjoyable (not sure that's the right word) doing it on my own with a DVD and in any case if you're new to it it is best to do an organised class so that the instructor can correct you if you're not doing it right.   

    It's going to be tricky fitting in my runs this week as I have my running club AGM tonight and a work leaving do tomorrow night, and Mrs A is out on Thursday. So I will have to do lunchtime runs today and Thursday (5 or possibly 6 miles) and run part of the way into work tomorrow (probably 8 miles). Not sure how fast, I'll see how I feel. Then it's 4 miles easy on Saturday and 20 miles LSR on Sunday.  

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭

    Malcs - is it plantar fasciitis?   Is so make sure you stretch it properly and especially before you get out of bed in the morning - this can make a huge difference.

    As for your run this weekend.  Sorry you won't like this but don't cut it to 15 if you can do 20.  You will get a lot more out of a 20m run than a 15.  Obviously if there are injury problems then then 15 might be better though.  Is your marathon the same day as London?  I think it is so why are you not planning the last long run next weekend?

     

     

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭

    malcs - doh, sorry of course this is the last weekend for a long run.  I was thinking there was another two to go.  Shit - I'm now in a panic! image

  • MalcsMalcs ✭✭✭

    LOL - yes, sorry to panic you image London is on the same day as the Great Wesh Mara and yes, both are 3 weeks on Sunday (cue shot of adrenaline).

    In all honesty I'd prefer to do another 20. You can forgive me being a little hesitant though when my last 4 maras have all turned up niggles in the last 3 weeks. 

    I suppose it could be plantar fasciitis (had to copy and paste that!) If I bend my big toe up there's a tendon under the arch that I could play like a guitar string. Reckon I could do a good rendition of Stairway to Heaven on it right now, but at a very high pitchimage

    Feels like it's behind that tendon. How do you stretch that then? Maybe I need to google.

     

Sign In or Register to comment.