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Still getting over CW's 100 miles in 5 days 3 weeks out, with another long run to come. It'll probably work, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone else!
I flipped through the final instructions mag last night. Aside from noticing they've brought in wave starts (of a sort - presumably just holding pens back for a few minutes rather than merging everyone before the start), I noticed that in every photo of runners from last year the adidas logo had been blacked out from the bottom of the number, including the one of the two blokes helping each other on the Mall. "Hey, let's show the spirit of the race but if your sponsorship contract is up we'll eliminate every trace of you."
Also, pretty pathetic about the Adidas elimination; I'm sure some of the lawyers on here could make a case for them to complain if they could be bothered (
Also obviously means I’m a great believer of short stuff in the last few weeks to ‘freshen’ up the legs. Saying that, I’ve only done 2 marathons so my experience isn’t extensive. I would recommend Squeezy gel cola caffeine. Those bad boys helped a lot too. Pushing the boundaries there! About the same caffeine dose as a can of red bull in each one. That’s another discussion point...
Wardi -- I do 10km @ MP one week out (after a 6-7M "warm-up") as standard as a final gauge of what feels realistic, but I don't think I'd do the whole 10M at that pace -- half and half maybe?
Best of luck for the 10M race, Al.
And yes I did one more 20 yesterday -- but at 9 min/M! So that was 102M in 5 consecutive singles (24, 20, 18, 20, 20), just because being off work with the family, it's less intrusive to get my miles done in the mornings. I'd have reached the same total normally in commuting doubles/trebles. Never done that kind of thing before really. Interestingly, I do seem to have got significantly lighter this week, maybe because of trudging so many miles in glycogen depletion (after the first one, when I was reasonably carb'd up) -- whereas if I'd been at work, I'd have refuelled with breakfast and lunch for the evening runs. Bit of a relief to see my weight drop, as I had been stubbornly a kg or two above normal for this stage of the campaign. Hope it's not just a blip -- I've stashed my Easter eggs in a cupboard, anyway.
My intended run this Sun is indeed going to have some shorter sharper stuff in -- my favourite reps/tempo staircase starting with 0.5M reps and finishing with a 4M tempo. (As I only get fresh enough legs to do one quality thing a week, I put the speed work into my long run.) That takes me to about 14M, then I'll do some more to make it a proper long run. I did a full 26 like that two weeks out from Chester last year, which was the highest WAVA% marathon of my life, so it can't do too much harm. And who's to say the endurance adaptations don't wear off if left unused for 3 weeks? I know it varies between individuals, and I make it up as I go along really, but if you Google Bosquet and tapering, you'll find a study which found a 2 week taper looking best on average, based on a literature review. My 4-week high mileage block was less to do with careful planning than the gap that happened to exist between the Cambridge HM and VLM this year (6 weeks - 2 week taper = 4 weeks big miles). After Sun though, I shall embrace the taper warmly...
Agreed on both those Dan - pacing in such a big event must be a bit arbitrary what with multiple starts and chip timing - how often do the pacers get asked what time they crossed the start line, I wonder?
And I did wonder if adidas had a case on those grounds, but maybe they take the view that one day the racing flat will be on the other foot, so to speak. Every time parkrun changes a major sponsor there's a load of tape and other bits and pieces that our local one just has to bin or cover up the logos. Way of the world these days I suppose.
AL- I remember that early hill at Salisbury, it cost me a sub 60 when I last did it.
Stu - good marathon training commute that esp with only 10 hrs rest.
CW- those single runs are better than those miles in doubles. I will only have done a couple more long runs total than you have done in those 5 days. I reckon you are crackers if you do a tough 26 Sunday after those 5 days.
So I ran 4 or 5m lunchtime and got away with a few more for 8m in total. Twitchy hammy in both legs which is probably due to all the exercises, stretches etc.....So keep going and see what I can get away with and hope it frees off quicker than I can aggravate it.
A missed lsr and 4 zeros, isn' too bad but it depends how much i can do from now on in. I needed to stop after 8m today, but that's a lot better than walking after a few minutes as per Tuesday.
Dan/CD.. can't really understand why they need a wave start when they have three separate start areas. It'll still be congested at 4hr-5hr pace even with a staggered start.
Charlie.. did you put all your Easter Eggs in one basket?
5m easy today, I will take in the York Uni Park Run tomorrow as it looks like I might emerge with dry feet (York main course is still partly waterlogged) and Selby is off altogether as there are ducks on the course.
Too many consecutive zeros here too if I'm honest, but my legs were battered so eased off and seems to have helped.
Wardi - confused ducks here too who have fled the canals for surrounding fields.
CW - that five day streak resembled my Sundays at end of Feb into March!
CD - we do something similar with games I develop. Interactive ad boards linked to contractual payment systems. As it's all persistent online it's all taken care of automatically. Still I take the point about the spirit being lost somewhere in this instance.
5 tonight with 6x20 secs just to keep things moving. Legs have come back a little now so hopeful of doing myself justice. Can't sleep tho', probably nerves/excitement.
First time toeing the line when training hasn't gone totally to plan. All good, new experience and all that.
Have a good run TT in Paris. Weather looking spot-on in Manc, 8-12 degrees and cloudy.
Ever the serious amateur athlete
Unconventional, a tad mad but suspect with a good bit of rest now CW it will work out for you.
Great news TR.
Good luck for tomorrow TT and SJ. DBS.
Still have the lurgy so also had to bin yesterdays fast 10m. The optimist in me says what I've lost in the last few and maybe next few days sharpener sessions I will gain in being fresh on the day.
Wardi - I was hoping you were going to be right with the 1 week prediction.....
Was ok for 10min today and was wondering if I'd be able to do 8m, 10m, 12m .........But ended up walking numerous times just to complete the 4m route. I need to stop again.
Hope you feel better soon OuchOuch - rest is best in the circumstances.
Enjoy the race SJ.
Sorry to hear that TR.
Did Fulham parkrun before 14 miles run home today as last long run, though will pace at a half tomorrow. Got a bit busy weaving in and out as it's a 3 lapper, and came to a halt on one occasion. But pleased enough with 17.21 without over-stretching myself. According to the age grading it was my best ever run at 81.75%. Obviously that's just a by product of aging and means nothing in absolute terms, but a good confidence builder as we go into the final fortnight.
SJ and TT, good luck for tomorrow (and to anyone else racing).
Like SC2, I had a few pints last night before parkrunning this morning. I was up in Birkenhead, where I was visiting family. I had no real idea what my shorter race fitness was like so set off fairly conservatively at about 6min/mi pace. After the first lap I was in sixth place but it had become clear that no real fast runners had turned up. I was feeling pretty good so upped the pace a bit in lap two and got up into fourth, noting that the leaders hadn't really pulled away. Birkenhead is a three lap course and there are parts on wide roads where you could easily run ten abreast and parts where it's only narrow enough for two. So lap three was always going to be fun and I had a similar experience to Dan with lapping people. However, this worked in my favour because coming out of the final narrow section, I was right behind the leader. As we turned back onto the wider road and onto the only real uphill part of the course, I hit the gas, deciding to storm up the (slight) incline and then bank on being able to coast down to the finish. The plan worked and somehow I ended up winning in 18:34, and felt like I could have run another 5K at that pace, so encouraging signs. That was my first ever parkrun so it's tempting to hang up my shoes now with my 100% win record intact
17M tomorrow will bring up 73M for the week, which is a taper of sorts...
Nice parkrun debut ES.
*If you like those conditions
LMH- Didn't hurl, but not that enjoyable tbh, felt like I had a rock in my stomach at the end! Was 2nd in 16.34. Mr IK, (2.15 marathoner and 29.40 10,000m training group associate) did 15.21. Felt 'panty' right from the start, lots of weaving too. Good to get session out of Way early though.
Good efforts from Dan and ES too, sounding very solid both.
TT - enjoy yourself.
Undettered I had another go today after loads of Heat, rolling and ibuprofen yday. The fizz said to apply the hot water bottle before ran too, but I was walking within 5 mins. Not sure what set this off (the mammoth driving stint a week or do back?), but the walking home again after a few minutes is soul destroying. I'm done, the training is banked I'll hopefully get to use it down the line.
Come on SJ , smash it !
Gutted for you TR.
I'm more impressed my crappy legs held out tbh. Only the slightest of twinges in the last 2k.
And yes a marker for sure. It's obvious to me what I need to do anyway. Only bagged 4x20, 2x18 plus a few 15s from memory. Lots of 10s but more consistency and a few more solid weeks over 50 should see me go under the magic number again.
I hope you are fixed up soon and back at it mate.
TR: dammit, that's not what I was hoping to hear. Fingers crossed a bit more rest sorts things out. You won't lose a huge amount of fitness over the coming weeks. Can you cycle at all, or does exercise in general aggravate things?
Working at the moment but hoping to head out late afternoon for what passes for a long run at the moment.
Jools - will find out tomorrow, just put the bike back on the turbo, which isn' a bad thing going forward as that is aerobic gold.
SJ.. that's a decent run after your doubts in the build up, many congrats. FTR my mate got a 3 min PB with 3:04.28 but told me he suffered badly with cramp in the last 6 miles and it hurt a lot!
ES.. nicely done on the Park Run win.
Dan A.. cracking 5k from you and some good add on miles too, hope the legs were fine for the pacing job today.
SC2.. sounds like you had some stiff competition there, well done on 2nd.
Park Run plus a few w/u & w/d miles yesterday. My debut at the York Uni course; this one is also very quick, one or two tightish turns but the paths are 2-3 times the width of the main York course so even stevens really.
Last long run of the campaign today, just over 18m totalling 65m for the week. Cotton wool time approaches.