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The Middle Ground
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6.5 miles long run for me today in just under an hour. Nice and steady.
Without sounding too much like my millennial nieces/nephews but does anyone have any recommendations for running related vlogs/blogs/social media etc. I have watched ginger runner for a long time and have always listened to marathon talk podcast but wondered if there was more out there ?
G and G, do you want mass audience big name style blogs such as Mara talk or any old nonsense? Two local runners I know blog and I follow. One is a good friend of mine so we often race, parkrun or train together and I get mentions or pictures in, which is of course exciting. If you're interested in that level I'll give you details.
10k at MP today... trying to switch the body back on before Sunday's 10K race.
Lost barcode though, so may not get an official time in the records.
well done on the parkrun, Andrew. Shame about the barcode, but not critically important to get an official time.
I ticked along last week with some easy runs, culminating in 10 yesterday. I did a midweek tempo session of 3 miles just to check I still worked. Surprised to see I ran 30 miles last week together with my usual gym classes. I was basically a long run off a normal week.
Much the same this week, though I have a 10k sunday which I would like to get to in a tapered and rested manner.
Nice going DT. You'll be back in the swing of things in no time.
I only managed 12 miles total in the 3 weeks since Chester but at least did 120 miles on the bike. Yesterday I got back on the horse with a 10K race in Bradford ... it was a 2 circuit race with folk doing a 1 circuit 5K and a 4+ circuit HM, so tricky to pace yourself based on other runners. I ended up with 43:02 and 24th/416 (4th M50). Most importantly I got 19/20 points towards our club's road champs (the only reason I entered) ... in 4th place with 2 races to go but looks like 3rd is the best I can get. Sunday is the penultimate round - the Abbey Dash 10K. Flatter/faster and a very high calibre field ... the first sub-40 finisher last year came 568th !!! A sub-42 would do me very nicely given the non-existent build up.
Dan - I thought the same thing as I was frantically searching for it at 8.30 on Saturday morning - "at least it is not a pb attempt, so it doesn't matter if the time isn't 'official'!").
Rest day today and will be doing a tempo session tomorrow, aiming for 3.5 miles. Will then be looking at doing a 4 mile tempo session next week as a 'peaking' session before a quieter week before the 10k race.
Anyway, paces were 7:33, 7:34, 7:30 and 7:22 for the odd half a mile.
Good tempo session, Andrew.
I did a tempo today, 3 miles at or around threshold. Thought I would aim for 6.20 pace as didn't know what fitness I may have lost since my late September peak. I did same run about 8 days out from Mara at 6.09 pace. Today came out 6.18 but hr stats and my strava 'sufferscore' Suggest I had another 7-10 seconds per mile in tank compared to the previous run. Though, I'm hoping it's a perception of discomfort thing but it was very tough going today. In September I was very well adjusted to the pain of faster racing.
10k Sunday so part of today was to establish if I should attack at pb pace. I think it's touch and go and coukd end badly but I have no other purpose in running the race and having gone sub 39 this year, running a solid 10k gets me nowhere and nothing to lose if it does go wrong.
easy few days now to try and turn up tapered.
DT - everything seems a bit crap after a marathon. However, once I'd got through the grim warm-up last Sunday, I felt remarkably good during the actual race. I wasn't eye-ball-out racing but still working pretty hard.
Just an easy 6.1 miles today. My 4 weeks mileage since Chester will have been 0, 5, 14 and 14 by end of Sunday
Abbey Dash on Sunday will be interesting. Last year's Dash came only 2 weeks after Abingdon and I managed 41:38 ... fitter this year but it will be interesting to see whether the extra 2 weeks recovery will be beneficial or detrimental.
Target will then be a 13 week (12 + Xmas) focussed 10K training plan (based on FIRST sessions) building towards Dewsbury 10K. I did the same last year after Abingdon/Abbey Dash and was in good shape by the race ... it was accidentally a long course last year and I came in at 41:19, so target has to be at least sub-41 (I haven't been there since 2012).
In lieu of an interval session this week I decided to give myself a 1 mile time trial (which I do occasionally). From my parkrun time on Saturday, the predictors said 6.23 was achievable but I know I always overachieve when going down the distances so I was hoping for sub 6.20 (pb is 6.06, but I know I’m well off that currently).
Came in at 6.18, so I was happy with that.
Rest tomorrow and long run Sunday is the plan.
Good luck on Sunday DT and Dan!
7 mile long run for me yesterday. Frost here this morning- shows that winter is well on its way. Must dig out the running gloves.
Excellent result DT... clearly still carrying all that marathon fitness.
Well, I can confirm that running a 10K race 4 weeks after a marathon is less good than running 2 weeks after it. Last year I converted 3:31 into 41:38 after 2 weeks of very little running, whereas this years 3:22 converted to 42:21 after 4 weeks. Ideal conditions although my motivation levels were pretty low as I had nothing really to run for - no target time and no one in my league to race against. Felt worse than last week's hilly 43:02, so probably a case of the start of fitness loss. Luckily Dewsbury 10K training starts this week. And with a decent run there I should bag 3rd place in our road race league.
Hard luck, Dr Dan. I think to be able to suck it up in a race you have to have a purpose. For me yesterday, I am trying for the second year to pb 7/7 road distances. That was my last chance at a 10k for the year. Im on 6/6 so far with a 10 miler still to come.
Andrew, yes I think on the right course yesterday I could have. Whilst this was flat it was two laps. Within each lap were two hairpin turns and a complete switchback where you had to stop. Throw into that a leafy wet surface and the fact it is a busy public park. At one point I had to run right through the middle of a flock(?) of geese, had a dog running by my legs, negotiated some oap's who took up most of the footpath at its narrowest point for eg.
That brings my 10k and 5k almost perfectly in line. My half and 10 mile times are still way ahead though on the McMillan calculator.
Was supposed to do my first (FIRST) 8x400m session yesterday but forgot my kit ... went out before 8:30 today straight from my bike commute but felt my Achilles again on my 4th jog recovery, so called it a day. No afters, so hopefully not a problem. Strange given I haven't felt it at all since the marathon, despite a parkrun and two 10K races. Might just start the 12 weeks again next week given it's 13 weeks until the race (and it will then be exactly a year after I started last year's 10K plan).
Take care @Dr.Dan get the twinges sorted before pushing on again.
Good running @DT19
@AndrewD Having two under 5, I do feel your pain. Sometimes I'm in the middle of an evening turbo and the 4 year old just appears at the door. Luckily I sleep very deeply at night so Mrs JGav gets up and deals with her.
Jgav.....im sure your partner would describe your ability to sleep deeply as something other than 'luckily'. I wonder how many times she has been up in the night whilst you sleep peacefully and has contemplated hurting you!!
Unfortunately I am a light sleeper and so I would always wake before my wife. I recall one occasion when we had friends around for drinks, my wife crashed out in bed about midnight just as my son woke. I spent until 5am on his bedroom floor whilst she was out for the count. I finally escaped to our spare rm for him to get up at 6 and wake my wife up who then went nuts as I had ignored him. I almost threw her out of the window!
Anyway...5k at threshold yesterday morning. I foolishly decided to drink a bottle of wine Wednesday night. Mile 1 came in at 6.13, after which it all went wrong. I was aiming for sub 6.20-6.15, came in 6.25, so more like half pace. That'll teach me!
6 miles at long tempo pace over lunch today so circa 6.40mm. Having to cram a bit this week as away over the weekend.
Can't say that the responses to my problem have entirely filled me with hope or made me feel any better! Wednesday night was terrible (she wouldn't go to bed until 11pm) and I was full of cold, so skipped my planned intervals session.
Felt better yesterday though, so I did an easy 4.5 miles yesterday afternoon and will do my final major tempo session of the training block this afternoon - 4 miles at tempo pace. Then a long run on Sunday and a lighter week next week in prep for the 10k race next Sunday.
DT - did you say you had a 10 mile race coming up? Have a good weekend away!
Gav - sounds promising!
Andrew, when anyone askes me the most difficult period for each of my children, its always 2-4 years old....sorry! They fool you after the first few months by sleeping properly etc, then one night they just turn!
10 mile race is 2nd weekend in December so I have a month to do some sharpening up.