Sub 3h15

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  • sscssc ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the comments and autumn suggestions- Abingdon looks like there are still some places, has anyone run this? What's it like?
  • Gul DarrGul Darr ✭✭✭
    Poacher - another good bike ride. Are you leaning towards fancy dress for VLM then?
    Badbark - pleased to hear you're back running; just make sure you don't over do it if you're not 100% yet.
    Leslie - good distance run to follow up yesterday's fast finish. Nice early recovery too.
    Jools - how's the achilles now?
    Abbers - glad to hear you're improving.
    MsE - good luck experimenting with the mix of different training.
    OO - hope you're wrong!
    Another 11 this morning - slightly faster @ 8:57 m/m. HRM seems to be behaving at the moment (avg  of 131 and 132 for last 2 days).

  • Sorry for the recent absence from here folks - not much time to post while in Budapest but managed to get in a couple of runs up and down the Danube including 8.7 miles at 7:13 pace (which included the warm up mile). Plenty of sightseeing, a trip to the ballet, great food and I even managed to resist the temptation of more than one beer in the ruin pub opposite where we were staying! Recommended for a long weekend.

    ssc - I've done Abingdon and cannot recommend it highly enough. Fast flat course (I've PB'ed there on a couple of occasions and it was my first sub-3:15), superb organisation and a great finish in the stadium. There's always a reserve list and you can transfer your place if you're unable to use it. Go for it!

    Gul - nice to hear your heart rate is back to normal human levels.

    Cracking stuff from OO - all looking good for the 23rd.

    Abbers - everyone I've spoken to about Brighton has said how difficult it was in the heat so well done for toughing it out. Anything already planned for the autumn?

    LvSD - well done on the 3:15 (plus or minus a bit). Presume that you're taking it easy in the run up to London and can concentrate on enjoying it on the day.

    MsE - sounds like you're heading in the right direction. I take my hat off to you for all the non-running stuff you can summon up the enthusiasm for.

    Madbark has suddenly turned into Sensiblebark - are you sure you're feeling OK?!

    Welcome MrSoft - P&D seems to be a good choice. I'm also a fan of Hudson and Fitzgerald's 'Running Faster'. With 3:25 in your first marathon, there's every opportunity to go sub 3:15 or even lower.

    Took a rest day on Monday after having got back late on Sunday and managed 10.5 miles of commuting on Tuesday followed by ladder intervals this morning - surprised myself a bit with all the reps in the 6:00-6:15 range.
  • Leslie HLeslie H ✭✭✭
    Gul nice low Hr 11 
    Lorenzo fast 8.7m and reps ,all looking promising for London.
    8.7m myself this morn 

  • AbbersAbbers ✭✭✭

    Relatively quiet on here considering it's spring mara season... guess everyone's busy training rather than posting!

    MsE - The temptation to step off the course around mile 21 when I was walking through the Achilles-induced cramp was very strong! If I hadn't been able to return to some sort of 9mm shuffle/jog, I was stopping then and there. Fortunately, I was able to get moving again, but know there's so much more time I could knock off and get into the 3:15-3:20 area. That will have to wait for another day though, one when it's not 21C! Your mix of training should certainly make you generally fit & strong, and it'll be interesting to see if that translates to running fitness.

    Leslie - More solid training from you. Consistency is doing wonders for you!

    Gul - that HR sounds much more normal! Jealous of anyone's ability just to get out there and run at the moment!

    Lorenzo -  Budapest sounds great :) 2nd half of Brighton was carnage, even from relatively early on, so dread to think what it was like later in the day. A guy who was meant to be eating in the same restaurant as us in the evening had to cancel his reservation as he was in hospital... Autumn plans return to my normal pattern of HMs rather than another mara. Not enough time to train for it through the cricket season! So probably Salisbury HM on October 1st, and maybe another. Still haven't cracked sub-90, so an obvious on-going target!

    Just about walking without a limp today... :)

  • Gul DarrGul Darr ✭✭✭
    Lorenzo - sounds like you had a great time in Budapest.
    Leslie - low HR didn't last long... Was that a slow/recovery 8.7m?
    Abbers - too busy with taper mania more like! Glad to hear you're recovering well.
    Longest run of the week today. 14 miles with 7 @ 8:33 HR 133 and 7 @ 7:54 HR 171. Max HR 220 allegedly.
    Mrs GD saw the consultant today who said an x-ray was required rather than an MRI. So an x-ray was duly taken and we looked at it with him and it showed a good gap between the ball and socket bones i.e. no bone on bone. No sign of FAI, arthritis etc... From her symptoms he said she should avoid impact sports like running(!) but encouraged walking, swimming and cycling in moderation. It could be that years down the line it will deteriorate and she may need a hip replacement but certainly not at the moment! So good news.
  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭
    Race #2 in the Road League last evening - and another shocker on another hilly course. This time the hills all in the first 3.5 miles, with last 1.5 downhill.  Cool, but sunny as we began, unlike the grey dankness of 2 weeks ago, but my disposition didn't remain sunny ! 
    Felt ok for about half mile, then started suffering badly on the first big hill - and (for the first time in this, my 32nd year of competing) - I had to stop due to, ahem, "Paula" issues. This was at around 1 mile. Probably off the course for a minute, including the time I spent debating whether to drop out. Decided it really would be "the end" if I was weak here, so got back into it.  Actually passed a group as we went up the last climb towards the "levelling off" bit at around 3.5, but on the last downhill mile, pushing as hard as I could, I felt the "issues" trying to reassert themselves, so had to control more than just my effort level ! Managed to get over the line in around 39:50, so 20/25 seconds quicker than last time.  Probably a similar performance, as, although another hilly course, I do believe this one is a bit quicker due to the long last downhill stretch. 
    So - no fool like a VoGit fool - whatever possessed me to have a large bowl of (wholewheat) Shreddies for lunch I've no idea - and I guess last Saturday's 17 won't have helped my time, but that was deliberate, as my main focus (fwiw), is a half marathon in June.  Ah well, 2 weeks until round 3 !!  

      
  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭

    er, just seen official results, and my time was 38:51, not the 39:50 ish that I thought -  I glanced at my watch at the end, then reset, so appears my eyesight going the same way as my running

     - but at least a bit better than I originally thought . . 

  • Leslie HLeslie H ✭✭✭
    Gul it was at easy effort level (8:18 average) but that was after a slow start so most around 8min milling.Its gets easier as shift goes on , first 5am start is always a shock to the system ! with nights one week and days the next its not easy to adapt.That sounds like good news for you wife although something isn't right.
    Birch well done on getting to the end, you are taking dbs to a whole new level and round 3 can only get better .
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    That sounds like a tough race, Birch!

    Good news for Mrs. Gul

    4 mile recovery run last night.  Club session tonight - although it's shorter efforts than P&D suggest, I'd quite like the company, and figure the faster pace will outweigh the shorter distances!
  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭
    Gul - just realised I  x-posted earlier, so missed your post re Mrs Gul
     - I'm pleased its good news , and certainly Mrs G will be able to retain decent fitness levels with the activities mentioned . . . .
  • BadbarkBadbark ✭✭✭

    I’m a bit concerned folks are thinking I’m sensible. :) So…. I ran an 11 mile and 6 mile double yesterday and 15 @ 6:54 m/m this morning. After missing the 10k race last week I’ve signed up for one on Sunday. After my 4 days of illness, I’m inverse tapering a bit until next week J

  • sscssc ✭✭✭
    No running yet for me but am slowly eating my way through my body weight in chocolate! Based on recent marathons, I usually don't want to think about running for weeks and weeks but it finally hit me on Tuesday that I missed the GFA by just 1 second per mile! Gutted for such a small margin but it was in 20c+ heat so it's also given me the confidence that I can definitely do it - so I have already signed up for the Abingdon marathon and will also check next years Brighton and Manchester dates - can't wait to begin my first summer marathon training program, I officially have the bug!!
  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭

    Just catching up on what’s been going on the past few days I’ve not been on here. It’s been busy!

    Lorenzo – Nice bit of culture absorption there, sounds great and you seem to be finding your form just at the right time.

    Leslie – It’s getting closer to you’re a race now. Have you decided on a target yet? Have you managed to get out on the course again?

    Abbers – 21c is not ideal conditions for a marathon and I’ve read some of the posts from the Brighton thread and it sounded horrible. Jersey marathon is early October and it’s normally around 12-16c which is perfect but it was 26.2c in 2011 and that was a bad one. I did a relay leg of 10k and was in bits afterwards never mind having to run an extra 20 miles. You did well to get through that one. How’s the Achilles now?

    Gul – What a relief re Mrs GD.

    Birch – You sure pick tough races, sounds like a decent run to me with your actual finishing time. Which half are you doing in June?

    Jools - I joined this thread in 2013 and remember your first sub 3 in FF. I seem to recollect you reporting how straight forward it turned out to be after years of near misses and injury frustration. You stuck at it and look at you now! Gives us all hope. Enjoy your club session tonight. 

    ssc- Well run on a tough day, very close to gfa, next time for sure!

    Badbark - Well played re the DNS. London is the big one! Although you seem to have reverted back to Madbark again. All is well in the world once more. J

    MrSoft - Welcome to the thread and I would echo what Gul said. P&D seems to work for most runners.

    OO - If you compare that run to 4 years ago I'd say the most recent one is significantly better, although 36:x for a 49 year old is still very good. I'd say that must be up there in terms of your highest WAVA? I think you seem to run on fresh legs for most of your races as most of running is at a much slower pace and perhaps? I should take a leaf out of your book as I seem to do the exact opposite.

    MsE – I am a firm believer in life is what you make it wherever you are and yes, you’re totally right, I am very lucky to be able to make the most of what our beautiful Island has to offer but you would be amazed to know that some folk here and even locals don’t even know about some of the beauty spots, there are lots of people I know who never explore what this gem has to offer. For me in its simplest form, exploration = Learning, experiencing new things, meeting new people and most of all, feeling totally alive and moving forward, so, not too dissimilar to running.:)  It would be awesome if one or many of our fellow threadsters could make a pilgrimage this way some time, it wouldn’t be a peregrination in terms of getting here but could be in terms of running around the place. :)

    I did a 5k road race on Tuesday and have to report a below par performance of 19:02. That ended my recent streak of sub 19's on that course. Tonight was fab though, I went out on the cliff paths for the first time this year and did 8k on the trail path and cliff paths with two huge hills and felt amazingly fresh. Average pace was 7:13mm and wasn't pushing it too much which taking into account of the terrain and ascent is good for me. 

  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭
    edited April 2017
     One photo of tonight's run along the west coast. St Ouen bay. 
  • Gul DarrGul Darr ✭✭✭
    Birch - another tough race, but at least there was some improvement!
    Leslie - yes, you're right there's something not right. Just need to find out what now!
    Jools - hope you had a good club session.
    Madbark is back!
    ssc - good news that you've signed up for Abingdon!
    GM - still very decent 5k. Great photo too!
    6 recovery miles d&d. Probably won't get much running done over the weekend.
    All the best to anyone racing this weekend! GD - must be time to jet off to Boston.
  • Leslie HLeslie H ✭✭✭
    Jools hope you enjoyed the speed session
    Badbark back to your old self again.
    SSC 1 sec per mile need correcting while you are in shape.
    Gerard nice 5k ,looks a lovely place to run .Target not set in stone yet but want to try for 3 just not sure if its wise or not !!!
    Gul enjoy the weekend off though I'm sure you will be very busy .
    got another 4.5m last night few  7:30's in there and just over 8m this morn at an easier pace.(8:32 average)

  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭
    Leslie - I say go for it. Fingers crossed you reach the taper phase in good shape and you can get a decent return for all the great training you have been doing. 

    G-Dawg - I hope you have a great run on Monday and that you enjoy your time out there. I hope to do it one day too. 
  • Gerard, what a great place to run! Very jealous, mine today was under the M40 and past a shooting range where you duck to avoid the clay pigeons. 
  • GM - I wouldn't be too disappointed with 19:02. Sounds a decent time to me. Great place for a coastal run - I love running along a cliff top trail although I remember nearly getting blown off once on the north Cornwall coast when I went out in strong winds.

    Gul - great news on Mrs Gul. Why won't you get much running in over the weekend?!

    Birch - sounds as though you dug deep and, despite some of the other "issues", still managed to finish strongly.

    Leslie - I'd say that sub-3 is well within your capability as long as the conditions are right on the day and you manage your pacing well.

    Jools - how was the club session? What sort of pace were you going at?

    ssc - good news that you've signed up for Abingdon. I'm also tempted but I want to see how I get on at London first. I often have a bit of trouble with autumn marathons due to the impact of summer holidays, but it might be interesting to see how a shorter, more speed-focused training programme goes.

    Decent session for me this morning - 2 x 4 miles at MP with 1 mile w/u and 1 mile in between the two MP segments. MP segments came out at 6:55 and 6:52 average and although it felt a bit tougher than MP effort,  reckon that a sensible taper and some good sleep between now and the 23rd should put me in the position to be able to sustain 7 min/mile all the way round.

    Talking of London - who's going to be in Chandos afterwards?
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    Red Lion for me: closer!

    5.54m/m at club session last night (1-4 min reps). 7 with strides today.
  • PoacherPoacher ✭✭✭
    ssc - +1 for Abingdon, I have done it 3 times with 3 PBs. October has a very good chance of being cool but not too wintry.  There's a very slight sting in the tail over the last mile or so but it's a fast course.

    Lorenzo - sounds like you are in very good shape for London. Is a sub3 tilt really out? Halfway in 1.27/1.28 then what's the worst that can happen?  Must be nice running in Budapest too - did you spot that Buda is flat and Pest is very lumpy.

    Gul - please pass best wishes to MrsGul, hope it all works out for her. Perhaps she could cycle gently round the Raceway next time you run it

    GM - gorgeous. Eerily similar to the view I'm looking at right now of the north Northumberland coast. Barefoot mile reps on the beach is a great session. 

    Badbark - take care.  You are a quality runner but if you want to be doing it for years to come, look after your health.

    Birch - don't try to kid us, that's a terrific time for a VOG who sometimes feels a bit past it. Glad you pointed out the Paula problem - my planned carbo load for London was going to be Shreddies, All-Bran, baked beans and a couple of gallons of prune juice. Time for a rethink.

    London - for some years now thread types have met up after VLM in the Sir John Chandos pub at the top right corner of Trafalgar Square. Runners, families, pet hamsters etc all welcome, totally informal, it's always heaving and there's the slight but get-over-able problem that you might not have a clue what your internet running chums look like. OO are you coming along? It's Lorenzo's round isn't it? 

    I haven't really run since Manchester, job no.2 (horticulture) is absolutely frantic at this time of year and involves exhausting, back-breaking labour.  So I think London will just be a pootle round to enjoy the craic without any GFA pressure.
  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭
    edited April 2017


    PMJ - For me running here is a mix of convenient luxury and just pure luxury. Many opt for the former and tend to run along the promenade which is a 10k out and back stretch along the south coast. It's popular as it's close to town with lots of parking and there is a cycle/pedestrian path the whole way. It's pancake flat and I'm fortunate in that my office is 200m away from there. Most of my lunch runs are there or up the hills inland. Personally I prefer a variety in my running and when I can, I drive to more secluded spots and hit the cliff paths or the sand. My son's mother lives out west and it's less than 0.25 miles from where I ran last night (another pic taken last night above is Corbiere lighthouse and my boy's garden in his Mum's place backs out onto that cliff path, he's a lucky boy). I live on the cusp of town and I am 0.88 miles from the south east coast and most of my running is done there. It's much flatter on the that side and the coast resembles a lunar landscape when the tide is low. Should you ever fancy a visit I promise to give you or anyone else a guided tour. :) 

    Lorenzo - Very nice session by you today. I've also had a few scary moments on the cliff paths. I've set myself a minimum standard of sub 19 for 5k's this year, so I was a tiny bit disappointed not to at least hit that target but I need to apply the handbrake more so in training. I struggle to do that as I can't run when I want to all the time and feel fresh having had days off and just feel good when I run but it's not great for recovery to do that all the time. 

    Poacher - Horticulture work sounds uber tough! I've seen some photos of the Northumberland coast, it's looks very nice. 

    Jools - Fast pace for your reps. Nice to do that sort of thing during the taper phase. 

    Conditions were perfect here for running today, 15c, sunny and a light sea breeze. A double for me today. 8 miles at lunchtime @ 7:39mm  (would have been much slower had I not met a very speedy friend at 5 miles) along the south east coast and back home.Another 4 miles later this eve with a friend up some nice county lanes and hills @ 8:27mm pace. 





  • Leslie HLeslie H ✭✭✭
    Gerard yes I run  some parts of the course once a week on my long run though I need to work some of the later hills more frequently,nice double and the view looks terrific !
    PMJ Watch those pigeons .
    Lorenzo nice bit of mara pace not long now.
    Poacher rocky style cross training.
    8.5m easy this morn (8:18)


  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    GM: wow. Stunning views!

    Just core/glute work today. Off for a posh lunch with the crumblies.

    Poacher: look forward to hearing about the new car load plan ;)
  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭
    Jools - Enjoy your posh lunch. :) 

    Leslie - Good you can do that, it will help no end come race day but yeah would be great to get out and practice on those hills for sure. 

    Parkrun this morning. Decided I was going to have an easy run today instead and got to the start line looking for someone to pace. Ended up running with an 8 year old who plays rugby with my son, he has a pb of 22:35 but also has run 24 and 25 mins more often. The aim was to try and keep him at an even effort as he has very quick leg speed. The 1st mile was bang on and then he got a stitch on lap 2 but recovered really well to run his quickest mile being the last one and finished in a very respectable 22:53. Managed to drag a few under 23 too which was cool. I really enjoyed that and he was very pleased with himself. Average pace was 7:15mm for 3.16 miles and it felt ridiculously easy. Must do that more often as it's great fun and it gives my legs a bit of recovery.
  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭
    Good pacing there, Gerard - and yes, satisfying to help others ;  great pics btw . . . .
     
     had a rest day Thurs after the League 5 miler, then 10 y'day & 9 today easy paced
  • Leslie H said:

    PMJ Watch those pigeons .



    Wrote an email to the owners and copied in two councillors, two local newspaper editors and the director of the clay pigeon shooting association and have immediate apologetic replies. Will be interesting to see if the action is as fast. 
  • parkrun for me this morning. Decided to try a different one to see if a change would make a difference as I was in a 19.2x rut. Went to Maidenhead which is a course we do a 5k on in the summer which is a big lap of a field, then a lap of a nature reserve on a rutted path and back. parkrun misses the field start and does two laps of the rutted path so less than ideal, especially as the start is in a field with the path on the right so obviously there was a concentration of runners on the path side. Normal silly super-fast by many meant I was back in about 30th by the time we hit the sharp left at 300m and then I worked through the field. Final pace was 13th and had a good ding-dong with 12th: passed him at 3km and he tucked in, dropped him at about 4km and thought that was the last if him but he came flying past at the end. 19:48 so did end the 19.2x rut but the wrong way.
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2017

    Good luck with the Mara plans SSC- great to hear you are highly motivated. Maybe me and Poacher will join you for an autumn smackdown ;)

    BB- glad to hear that the nutter we know and love is back on form. As said, do take care.

    That's a lovely view Gerard and sounds idyllic, great to hear the pleasure in your runs. Although I run a lot of easy stuff I think I tend to pack a lot in at the weekend- run Friday, fast parkrun Saturday, then LSR Sunday. I think that's maybe why I often struggle for pace on Sundays, but could be something else of course. 

    Lozenzo/Poacher- I'm definitely heading for Chandos as usual. I might have the OO's in tow. If it's very busy in the bar we might look for a table upstairs so please look for us. Are you guys at the FGFA area on the Red start next week?

    I had my last run in anger today at the Rising Sun parkrun in Wallsend. A fairly crowded start and a windy day. After a couple of miles toying with 2 club pals the serious stuff started in the last mile. Splits were 6:03, 5:58, then 5:53 last mile. I finished 8th in in 18:24 and a WAVA of 82%. I was hoping for better but my legs feel good after.  

    Not sure if I'll do 13 or 15 tomorrow. The taper already started this week. I should land about 45 miles. I'm rubbish at tapers so if anyone has good advice on what to do next week I'm all ears. No travel planned so it will be tempting to get out for a few light runs.  

      

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