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Those ironman results are mightily impressive.
MWW - what a great event to enter. This must rate as one of THE marathons to do. I'm sure Mok's advice will be useful. I walked up Snowdon when I was a teenager and that was tough enough for me. I guess you'll be looking at quite a lot of hill work in preparation?
DBI - really nice race report - and more. You get that big buzz factor with an event like the GNR but a shame that the organisers were looking to economise - you've got to look after the runners. Well done. Sounds like a good trip all round. No after-effects mentioned - perhaps the spa sorted that.
Rest day for me today. Assuming I get through the parkrun tomorrow then that's another decent (34 miles) 6 day training week ticked off.
DBIW, thanks for your comprehensive race report and all the before's and afters. Shame the weather was so bad, otherwise you would have run a quicker time. Good luck tomorrow with Charlie's Championship. I'm rather intrigued though about letting the dog look at his teeth
JB, I had a really good spin session this morning and my knee feels better for it. The Instructor is really encouraging me, and told me that I am working strongly and have made amazing progress in a short time. I told her that I was competitive in everything I did. It was the fifties and Surrey were a superb side. Peter May was the captain, and also England's captain. The only other player I can remember was Ken Barrington.
Sorry I won't be at the Hayling 10 mile this year, to sprint the last 100 metres with you. The closing date for the Solent Half is 20th September at 10.00 am. There aren't many places left, and last year we reached the limit of 500 runners.
DBI - I suspect your dogs are also pretty competitive. Good luck.
Parkrun today - perfect conditions. I feared I'd lost a bit of pace as all I seem to do these days is slog-a-thons. But I managed 21.00 and would have ducked under this had I not got a bit trapped at the start. However I was still pleased with this - category win and AG of 77.7%. The standard is pretty high - my pal did a 19:50 and till only managed a placing in the 30s.
18 miles tomorrow - and then try to get the lace in the Solent HM. Fingers crossed for both.
JB, I remember the "spin twins" well. Jim Laker took every wicket but one in a test match, and I think Tony Lock took the other. I can't remember which Test Match it was now. I think it was the Daily Mail that in those days used to have cricket and football tips, which I used to follow.
The spinning is helping me to maintain some sort of fitness, but I have put on a few pounds.
Well done running 21 minutes in yesterdays parkrun. Contrary to what you may believe, doing LSD runs does help to improve runners base pace. Speed work is also required, of course. Hope your 18 miler today goes well, and you enter the Solent Half before it is full.
Mok, well done for you PR, and hoping your 16 miler goes well today.
I had my flu jab yesterday morning, and they were really "geared up" in the Surgery. In previous years, there has been just one Nurse, but there were five this time which meant no waiting. It was like a conveyor belt. They are obviously taking the epidemic threat very seriously, as the nurse that gave me my jab informed me that there were 4 different strains this time round.
1. He stopped at a pub while driving back south and sat quietly and unrecognised while everyone in the bar was talking about his performance
2. He said many years later that if everyone who had shaken his hand and told him that they were there was correct then the ground must have held about 100,00 that day!
Mok - I reckon that if I ran a solo 5k time trial then my time would be pretty near yours; it's the competition that helps push us on to fast(ish) times. There were FIVE guys who dipped under 16 minutes in the race.
So - managed my 18 miles today. Target: 2.42; time 2.41.55. Very pleased - but also very tired!
JB, well done on your 18 miler today 9 m m .
16 miles for me 8 miles out in 1.12.30 return was 1.10. 32. Pity we can't train together, same ish pace .
HS - you were spot-on! The Solent is indeed full up. No big deal but it looks like a really good event so a bit disappointing. It's a bit of a long drive for us anyway but I'm sure would have been worth the trip. There's 30+ VM60-65s entered. That's very impressive. A shame I'm not one of them but it's my own fault - I wanted to see that my body is OK after the 18 yesterday. And it is, sort of. I'll shop around for something a bit more local............and if not then it's back to the prom for me next Sunday.
JB, I remember that Jim Laker comment. There was also a similar one from Dr. Roger Bannister about the "thousands" that were at the track watching him break the 4 minute mile. Your 18 mile time was very good, though probably a tad on the quick side. I've always worked on the understanding that LSD runs should be about 2 minutes slower than race pace, even though they may feel ridiculously easy. Time on the feet being key. A pity that you were unable to enter the Solent Half, but I'm pleased that we have met our target. This is probably because we shifted the race date from October to September. The only opposition on the day is the Winchester Half Marathon which is nearly double the entry price. If you had been able to run, it would have given you a very good idea of what marathon time you could have expected.
Mok, thanks. I'm working on upper body strength in an attempt to burn off more calories, as spinning doesn't burn off that many, even with maximum effort. Well done on your 16 mile run. I'm really missing my LSD runs, which are the real calories burners, and off course, producers of endorphins.
All I want to do is eat right now (and I don't mean 'eating right' as any old junk will do). Are you (HS) changing your diet (or trying to) now that you are not running? Of two all-time greats I remember
1. Daley Thompson 'admitting' to cramming junk food and
2. Colin Jackson being very sceptical about the whole 'hydration' thing
I suppose you could say, just think how good they'd have been if they'd got these things 'right'!
Will try to unlock stiff limbs and do 4 or 5 miles today. I think I've located another half marathon for this coming Sunday where interestingly enough and despite being a big event they keep entries open on the day (famous last words). Talking of which I've noticed that many such events (eg HS's club's one) let you see the list of entrants. This is really good as you can check out the opposition - but it can be just a bit intimidating. For example, for Sunday's local event there's a 10K being run at the same time as the HM and looking down the list I think I could have a good chance of a win. The HM list is a different kettle of fish entirely. This is not an unusual pattern I think: where there are two events the stronger runners tend to do the longer one leaving the shorter one vulnerable to predators looking for easy pickings! What a shallow specimen I must be.
JB, I haven't really changed what I eat since I've been unable to run, except perhaps for reducing portions, i.e one less potato.
You are right regarding the shorter distances being easy picking with the longer distances attracting the stronger runners. A recent example is the New Forest 10k, with the winners time being a measly 36.54. I was running 10k's quicker than that in my forties. If you do find another half marathon to run this week, best of luck.
It was bright and sunny yesterday, so I went for a brisk walk around the Marina. I walked 2 miles or so, without any problems, so I'm hoping I'm getting closer to attempting a trial jog.
I'm got an appointment with the Hygienist at midday, so that is something to look forward to
I've just looked at the 70/75 age category entrants for my club's half marathon and there are five. One is my nemesis for the 10k distance, but that I usually beat over 10 miles. I don't think I have raced him over the half marathon in recent years, so it would have been very interesting to see how we would have fared if I were running. I will look the others up on Power of 10. There are two in 75+ category which is encouraging that they are still racing. I await the race results with great interest, albeit with the regret that I won't be included.
1. Many athletes simply are not listed. This surprises me a bit as when you get to 60+ I assume you've been knocking around for a while and don't just turn up for your first race on a whim.
2. Some races/event simply don't show up on the site. (A few of the ones that I've done don't.)
Having said this it's fascinating to look at folks' background and form. You can see that some have a very good pedigree (like yours) and have pretty much sustained it. Others (like me) are 'specialists' at a particular distance and underperform in others. (I've noticed quite a few that have very ordinary 5K times but seem to able able to keep up the same pace - or even improve on it! - for 10K.) And some are clearly just happy to turn up and do their best. There's probably enough data for a decent doctorate; and at the very least it's a window on someone's running life.
This week, assuming I run today, rest tomorrow and do a parkrun, I'll manage my 35 mile target with 2 rest days and an 18 mile long run. This is as near to delivering a sustained plan - over a couple of months - as I ever got. Nothing to boast about just a bit of common-sense and application..............at last!
Should be working on the house ! might get started by lunch time lol.
I am one of those runners who usually run faster in the second half of a race unless something is wrong. Takes me awhile to get going, the last 10k I ran I was a min faster in the last half.
JB - you mentioned 'carb-loading' a while back. My mate and I used to joke about needing to carb-load before doing charity bike rides .. it was just a good excuse to get together for spaghetti bolognese the night before :-) Well done re your 1:49 HM performance - even when I was running more regularly 2:20 was the best I was ever hoping to achieve (but getting calf cramps every time I did a HM saw that idea go out of the window).
Since my last post I've managed to get back to running regularly with my club's Thursday group (we do a 5ml run followed by 2-for-1 coffees at a nearby pub - very sociable). I've also been running loops around town. I've re-joined the Fetcheveryone 'Fetchpoint' game and that gets me running routes I wouldn't normally bother with trying to collect 'points' and squish 'bugs' so that stops things getting 'stale'.
Mel- good to hear from you. Nice to be back running with your club and your solo efforts. I'm vaguely aware of Fetcheveryone but I didn't know that they provided such a (potentially) fun 'event'. I'm guessing you are off to warmer climes (climbs even?!) for your hols? It sounds as if you won't be doing much running while you are there. When you get back you can begin to fill up your race diary. It's a bit like Xmas - there's more fun planning and anticipating an event than actually doing it!
Rest day for me today (which I need) and then parkrun tomorrow followed by a 10K on Sunday. Ideal outcome: 2 category wins. Probable outcome: an appointment with the Knackers Yard!
Mok, I also aim for negative splits. In the good old days, I used to go off hell for leather and then just hang on in the latter stages. Nowadays, older and wiser, I think, I start off at a steady pace, and increase as the miles pass by. I always seem to have something left in the tank for a speedy final mile.
WtnMel, welcome back after a short absence. I was wondering if you had heard of the "Relive" app. It links up with Strava and Garmin Connect and replays your runs or cycle rides over the routes, and if you have taken photos on the way, it stops at each, and displays them. It doesn't work retrospectively, so you have to wait until you have done a run or cycle, before it activates. I have seen in on someone else's phone, but haven't downloaded it yet, as I've got nothing to input. It is free, but the premium is £80.00, which is ridiculous, and not necessary. The knee is slowly improving, but I'm loving the spinning. The Instructor is brilliant, and we do hill reps, 20 second sprints etc. which enable me to give maximum effort, and build up a healthy sweat. I intend to keep it up, even when I'm fully back into running, as I can no longer do short sprints running, although I will never abandon hill reps. which are my favourite training sessions, apart from the LSD runs, which are my favourites, especially off road.
Good to hear that you are now back running with your club again, it certainly helps the motivation.
JB, fetcheveryone is an excellent web site and is free, although he does ask for voluntary contributions by standing order, as he is no longer employed by runners world. I pay £1.00 per month, as it is an amazing site, and far more comprehensive than RW, which I'm afraid is a shadow of its former self since it was "upgraded." I have uploaded all my races on fetch, which also shows the WAVA against each race. This is useful, as you can compare how the WAVA's have fared over the years.
Hope you did well in today's parkrun, and are rearing to go in tomorrows 10k. I think that you will run a faster time than expected, due to your increased weekly mileage, and LSD runs.
I had an excellent spinning session yesterday, followed immediately afterwards by a fast 1 mile walk. I felt good afterwards, probably because it got the endorphin's flowing again.
Parkrun went quite well. Windy - but a cross wind. I was chasing a little pack of runners but never got to them and faded a bit because of the effort. As I got into the final km I realised I'd just fall short of sub 21 and came out with 21:09 and a 60-64 cat win. As our course is an out and back one I noticed an unfamiliar 'old git' closing on me at the turn, so my main aim was to not let him get past me. In fact he turned out to be a 65-69 and a very good one indeed. So I did hold off his challenge but he beat me on AG/WAVA which is of course the better measure. He was something like 7 minutes in front of the next 65-69 - and had come a long way to do the event (Huntingdon!). I hope he went home a happy man.
Had a chat with a fellow 60-64 who at best is just under 20 mins but was there on his bike to give on course encouragement to his wife (who is also very good). He told me he is injured (hamstrings) and not planning to run for a while OTHER than a relay next week. To be honest if I were injured the last event I'd want to do would be a relay as you wouldn't want to let your mates down and would find it very difficult to protect the injury.
Tomorrow's 10k and I'm not sure of pacing. It's undulating so I can't expect to go off too fast. Maybe 44:30 would be a good return. But really I just want to win the category (there's going to be at least 20 of us) so I'll be monitoring others and Mrs JB will be on the finish line to help!
Congratulations on the GNR, DBI (never imagined you as a Sheila, somehow...). Good news on HS's progress.
My ankle is feeling very much better; no pain when walking, no limping; but it is still visibly swollen so not going to risk running yet. Still waiting to hear from the physio department at the local hospital.
I was away in Fatima, in Portugal, - an official pilgrimage (100 years this year since the apparitions). At the start I was limping and walking with a stick, by the end I had stopped limping and didn't really need the stick. Wondered whether I could claim a miracle but in view of the cure not yet being complete, decided probably not.
But I did go back to the spin class on Tuesday, and got through it without problems.
If you commit yourself to a modest contribution to the Fetcheveryone website, you get it without advertisements. Or you can go on it for free, but are subjected to advertising. It's a wonderful website.
JB, well done for your parkrun, another excellent time. I agree with you that I wouldn't run with an hamstring injury, especially not a relay. Good luck with todays 10k. I think your estimated time of 44.30 is spot on.
Welcome back Columba! Good to hear that your ankle is improving. I think you could classify the rapid improvement as a mini miracle
It's the club's Solent Half Marathon today, and I'm gutted that I can't take part. I decided not to marshal, as I would have felt bad not running.
Alice is running the Berlin Marathon today. It is being televised on channel 95 Freeview, but I can't get that channel on my TV. I even did a re-tune this morning, which added lots of additional channels, but not channel 95. I've checked with friends, and they just pressed 95 on their remotes. I'm really disappointed, as watching it would have made up for my not racing today.
HS - I feel your pain. Yes I too know someone doing the Berlin. It's a fast course I believe.
45.31 for me at Barns Green 10K. I thought it was tough - hotter and hillier than expected. Went out too quick an suffered accordingly. Makes a double category win for the weekend - 5k followed by the 10K. Job done, feet up, feel smug. Now back to earth to watch Brighton lose against the Geordies on TV.....