My Last Run

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  • Thank you for the encouraging words every one. Cal, it sounds like you've really been through it too. Will, I also have a tendency to feel very anxious in certain situations and I've always found parkrun very reassuring.

    Went out this morning and did an hour at slow pace. Ended up about 5.5 miles.
  • I knocked out 9 miles yesterday, with most around MP. Energy levels are there but I still feel a bit run-down and felt more tired after than usual. I do have a slight sniffle so perhaps there is a virus there.
    Nessie - well there's the matter of next year's marathons... :grin:
  • Will - for my key races over various distances I've often used plans off of MyAsics with fairly low mileage but quite a lot of speedwork.  Tapering on these involves reducing the mileage down over the final 2-3 weeks and the quicker sessions at no faster than race pace.
    e.g. for my marathon: (sorry I work in kms).
    3 weeks before:  45 km including 1 x 9km and a HM at marathon pace
    2 weeks before: 38 km inlcuidng 1 x 9km and 1 x 13.5km at marathon pace
    Final week: 20 km including 1 x 9 km at marathon pace 5 days before the race itself   

    I wouldn't personally not go out at all in the days before an important race - I would be climbing up the walls.  I do take a day or two off directly beforehand.   

    Good to hear you are getting back into it Cal.     

    Welcome back Andrea.         

    For me: 24km yesterday with 9km at HM pace in 2:01.  Very constant pacing for once.  Tired at the end but much less so than the week before over the same distance at a slower pace.  Leg loosener over 5km in 30 minutes this lunchtime.
  • You're pretty quick, Hazel - I reckon those horrible hills have made you strong.
    I had a decent 6 mile run today - nice weather (blue skies, 12 degrees - which seems to be my optimal running temperature) and good energy levels. I'm not quite 100% but I managed a nice brisk pace (it turned into a progression run). Decided to inject some strides into my cool-down mile too.
    I'm looking forward to Sunday now. I doubt I'll get close to my PB but I shouldn't have a horrible time at least. I always enjoy this race and I've always done well, so I guess we'll see.
    In other news, my race pack for Royal Parks arrived. I'm pleasantly surprised to find myself with a green number, which means I'm in the second group start group. I guess there are a lot more casual runners in a big even like this, so even a club donkey like me gets to start closer to the front. I'm panicking a bit about sponsorship, though, as I've only managed just under half the total required so far. If anyone would like to sponsor me, (I'm running for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home - it's local and I like animals) the link is in my profile.
  • Andrea, your form will return but don't frighten it away by pushing too hard.
    Similar goes for you, Cal.  Have followed your tribulations; I'm convinced antibiotics take out loads of good bugs too.   :(   Good luck for your Sunday event.
    Nessie, the Hendrix version was the only one I knew up to a few weeks ago.  Many of the mid-60s takes are much faster in tempo.  The Leaves and the Fever Tree versions are rough but very ready.  Much dispute about who wrote the song....
    JT, join the patient patients' bench.  Good new on cat deworming.
    Pleasing progress, Will.  Neat nature sighting.
    Hazel: useful notes on countering taper madness.#

    7.5 mil darkrun last Sunday with unexpected sandblasting and matching 4-milers Monday & today, with strong winds spicing up my outings.
  • I do feel for you Andrea and Cal, I have to go back to December 2015 for the last time I started a race fully fit, I suffered a strained adductor in February 2016 which hit me hard but I had a 'dream race' of the Sydney marathon in September last year that I couldn't bear to miss so I spent months unable to train properly but I did get round the course and look back on it with great memories. It took until late April this year to get training again properly but a month later I had unrelated surgery which gave me another two months off, I had just one fit month from February 2016 to August 2017! Luckily I'm back to normal now but it's still going to be a while before I can get back to the kind of pace I had two years ago although I'm up 15 miles on my long runs now.

    I'm slightly disappointed my training didn't start slightly earlier as I would've loved to have done Amsterdam or Frankfurt, I could probably do Frankfurt but it's a bit high risk-nevertheless I did look at flights last night! My cautious nature took over though and my comeback marathon will be at the end of November, just a low key local event.

    As for my last run.....I headed back to the trails and reversed the route I did at the end of August but extended it to 15 miles which went fairly well despite a nice 400ft hill in mile four,it was undulating from there on but mostly downhill. It was good to hit the 15 mile distance and I'm looking forward to the next long run although my legs could do with a couple of days off now!
  • No running for me today, just a weights workout.

    Anyone else applied for the VLM? I applied feeling really good about my running. Now going through a bad patch I'm worried I might actually get in
  • I've applied in the ballot but I'm already booked for Manchester and Liverpool, so I'm not bothered if I don't get it. I'd like to do it some day, though. And Andrea, I wouldn't worry. There's a good amount of time between now and April. Hopefully we'll both be back to form by then if not before.
    Well done on the 15, Matt. I had a look at Frankfurt too but decided against an Autumn marathon this year as I had enough halves booked already. I'd like to do one next year, though.
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    20min incline run on the gym treadmill yesterday. A solid 17miles road run today in 2hrs14. Steady consistent pace and went fine. Felt good to get some longer miles in without any drama. Weather pretty good considering the storms forecast. Uneventful bar someone hammering their car horn and raised voices off in the distance. Neighbours' cat currently asleep on the stairs. Its teeth are knackered and its breath stinks and it meows a lot.
  • Hazel, your running's going well.  Cal, good to hear you're feeling abit more yourself.  Swit, music wise, I'm really a typical East London soul and ska girl at heart, but having a phase right now of 70s punk. I've just bought Viv Albertine's memoir and am looking forward to seeing the Slits' documentary at London Film Festival next month.
    JT, I take it you've now adopted the neighbour's cat? My cats have unfortunately "adopted" a baby rat which they brought in, alive, yesterday morning, and it's currently hiding out somewhere in my kitchen.  In the words of UB40. I'm hoping they find it and kill it before I find it alive. They were (I assume) staking it out in front of the oven this morning at 5.30 when I got up for my early one. The friend I was running with is doing Frankfurt marathon in 1.5 weeks and on a taper, so we did a fairly easy chatty 5 miles instead of the usual speedy one. Some exciting talk of her upcoming race :-)
  • Nessie, The Slits rattled stereotypes across the music world imho.  Viv featured in a programme in 'Late Night Women's Hour' series on Radio 4 this year.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08k4zx0

    My musical tastes are catholic to say the least, so, alongside garage punk, I'm listening to The Flaming Lips latest album.
  • I ran a 15K in the park after work getting ready for a half marathon on Sunday. Went quite well, but still feeling all the junk food and beer I put in over the summer. I live in Rome so it's still a bit humid for distance training (even though we finally had the first proper rain in 3 months dumped on us all day Sunday), but if I don't I'll have no chance of being ready for the trip home for the Birmingham Marathon Mid-October.
    --
    https://bigrunnerslog.wordpress.com
  • Should have mentioned I'm a newbie here. Been running for 3 and a half years since I realised it was the only sporting activity any spare time would allow after we'd had our second kid. :o
    --
    https://bigrunnerslog.wordpress.com
  • I ran down the Tiber a couple of times when I visited Rome a few years ago, Jimbo. It's definitely a bit warm for my tastes!
    4 miles today. Rather windy but a good temperature - nice and cool.
  • Yeah that stretch along the river is fantastic. I always do my final long pre-marathon runs from the center to the Olympic Stadium and back. Lovely and flat and very scenic. Just watch out for the giant rats!
    --
    https://bigrunnerslog.wordpress.com
  • Busy times on here. Must be MLRers peak season!
    Ciao Jimbobello - Rome must be spectacular to run around, almost as spectacular as Norwich :)
    I was a proper Ska Boy back in the day, Swittle and Nessie, but more Nashville these days...
    Cal and Andrea, I foolishly popped my name in the VLM ballot. It will be brown trousers time if it gets pulled out!
    Hazel, many thanks for the tapering advice. I'm defo going to keep more active in the run up to my trail half on 24th. Medium, quick and long runs to finish this week, then a couple of steady runs next Tues and Thurs, with two full rest days of stretching and rolling. Am feeling good, so fingers crossed. The only thing I'm unsure of is how the trail will affect me time-wise compared to my first half, which was on the road.

    Last evening was an easy 4 miler to break in my new shoes. ooh, it was like running on pillows.

    I run, therefore I am.
  • Thanks for that link swittle! I often listen to Women's Hour when running solo- I've downloaded it :-)
    Welcome Jimbo
    Nice running Will and Cal
    5.5 miles in the forest this evening in the twilight. Spots included bats, foxes and the beautiful sound of owls

  • A good 6 miles last night, again at a decent pace and with a couple of what I think they call 'efforts' built in. Am enjoying pushing myself and surprised that I can actually shift a bit!
    I run, therefore I am.
  • I'm glad I missed the rats, Jimbo! And yes, it was lovely to see so much history in a relatively short run. Running does seem to be popular in Italy - we also stopped at a seaside resort for a couple of nights and there were loads of runners there, most wearing race shirts.

    Will, I have a non-runner friend who enters every year. It's like a reverse lottery for him - like the Hunger Games. He doesn't want to get in. I will laugh if he ever does.
    I was very much a kid when the whole two tone thing took off, but growing up in multiracial SE London, it was very prevalent. I did wear those loafers with the tassles and white ankle socks to school. My best friend's older brother when full rude boy, though. Two tone suit and everything. I think his mum was relieved as it looked better than the bondage trousers and green mohair jumper he wore when I embraced punk.

    I'm still a bit off. Best way to describe it is that it's like being slightly tipsy, like there's a slight disconnect between my body and my brain. Yuck. I had this before, 10 years ago, and the docs couldn't find anything wrong, so hopefully it'll just go away as it did before. Bleh. Anyway, I can run OK. I did an easy two miles today in the sunshine (although I wore gloves today!) then did some sprints. I enjoyed the sprints but strained my elbow. As odd as that sounds, it's not the first time I've done that.
  • 8 miles easy this morning for me, mostly in the forest. I'm doing the Serpentine 1 mile swim tomorrow and after freezing my t*ts off in  Stoke Newington reservoir last Thursday evening, the best way to describe my feelings about the Serpie are "ambivalent"  :#:#
  • I'd be even less enthused than you, Nessie. Cold water and I do not get along. :cold_sweat:
  • Tonight's musical input: a documentary on BBC4 about Marc Bolan.  In pursuit of megastardom, he didn't seem to play the cards as well as Bowie, yet, 'Get It On';, 'Jeepster' & 'Ride A White Swan' were fresh, catchy and vaguely subversive.

    Oh, MLR: 4.1 miles XC near Crosby Marina.  Many of my chronic aches had stayed at home.
  • This weeks has been about heart rate training. So instead of going by mileage, it's 30 minutes at 70% of max rate, 5 minutes slow followed by 10 minutes fast etc.. Parkrun today (my 91st!)  24:22, which is the quickest for 3 weeks. Overall pace was 7:50 and splits were 7:25, 8:11, 8:01. I felt much better today and I know I could've pushed a bit more, Going In the right direction, finally.
  • Been off-colour this week thanks to a UTI - just what I needed.  Just three 5km outings.  Will try a longer run tomorrow. 

    Good luck for tomorrow Cal and Jimbo.

    Hope your swim isn't too cold Nessie. 

    Nice parkrun time Andrea.

    Enjoy the new shoes Will, my new ones also got their first outing today - for once I went round rather than through the mucky bits. 

    Sound's like a sensible plan Matt.  You are making good progress. 

    I don't think I have heard of most of those names musicwise.  Will have a look on the internet what I can find out of curiosity.  Generally 80's mainstream for me I'm afraid. 

    I have also entered the VLM ballot - the overseas one. 
  • Encouraging progress, Andrea.   :)

    Sorry you're not feeling too good, Hazel.  Here's to a swift recovery.   Marc Bolan was another wunderkind with looks, voice and tunes - and the pop lifestyle too.  His band was called T Rex and in the early 70s, they rivalled the Beatles' fame!  Bolan died in a car crash in 1977 aged 29.
  • Take it easy, Hazelnut - those things can really make you feel crappy. Last one I had needed antibiotics. If you go that route, make sure your doc doesn't prescribe one of those known for causing tendon damage (the fluoroquinolones).
    swittle - I remember seeing a T Rex tribute band called T Rextacy at a party back in the 90s. They were quite good.
    I got through Richmond Half OK today but the various problems I've had of late (niggles and the bug bite and antibiotics) meant a rather less than optimal performance. I got around in 2:02:34 which was 4 minutes slower than last year. Ironically, that was my HM PB (earned at Ealing) from 2015. On the plus side, my niggles behaved well enough - it was lack of aerobic fitness and endurance that did me in. I also finished 13th out of 58 in my category.
    I have Royal Parks in 3 weeks - I hope I can bounce back and do a little better there.
  • Cal, that's a creditable outcome given your recent trials & tribulations.

    9.2 mile darkrun, made *ahem* interesting by the unwanted attention of a large hound, bull mastiff maybe - it was dark.  Saw it twice.  Owner said the standard stuff, I stood still and headed away towards the sea.
  • Glad you survived the canine encounter, Swittle. Doesn't sound like fun.

    Cal, I'd be more than happy with that time. Pat yourself on the back!

    Looks like Mini-Kickers football training is going to take up my Saturday mornings now, but I got out for my own birthday 3 miler afterwards. Pace still improving. Had intended to do a final pre-Half 10 miler yesterday but the extravagantly rich dinner I had at a posh place with the Welsh Girl had other ideas. Delicious at the time, it's been getting its revenge ever since. LSR abandoned after a mile. 
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Thanks swittle and cal.

    I'm feeling much better now.  Went the antibiotics route (fosfomycin) although I try to avoid them as much as possible because I wasn't getting rid of it despite throwing the appropriate herbal stuff at it and drinking for England.  

    Good effort on your HM Cal.    Don't overdo it in the next 3 weeks trying to catch up on the endurance front.   I thought of you yesterday whilst I was baking a cake - it is based on potatoes rather than flour - I can send you the recipie if you are interested (but only if you are not allergic to nuts..).

    Happy birthday to you Will.  It sounds like you had a nice dinner. 

    HM distance in training for me yesterday - put in a couple of faster km here and there but mostly kept the pace/effort at a comfortable level.  Timed it well between heavy showers. 

    Only managed 36km last week.  I was due for a cutback week anyway.  I had planned to do that this week but I will switch last week and this week around so I don't miss a long run.     Won't therefore be able to do the last hill race of the season I was planning to do this Sunday but the marathon has higher priority than that.
  • Hazelnut, I am most definitely not allergic to nuts. That would make me very sad indeed!
    Take it easy while you're on the antibiotics. They work but they do mess with your immune system, as I've been finding out.

    Will, happy birthday!

    And thanks, swittle. :)

    Rested yesterday (I went to yoga). Today I popped out to stretch the legs and ended up doing 7 miles a bit quicker than I expected (average pace was just under this year's MP). The cooler weather has definitely resulted in an increase to my speed. Legs not too stiff either.
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