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Shades Marathon Training
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Shades, I think RK is still hoping to celebrate his 100th at the DD, as he's got his cake sorted etc. I know plans change, but he's been talking for months (probably nearly 2 years actually) about DD for his 100th, and has even mentioned it fairly recently (i.e, in the last 2 weeks or so). Maybe he got a bit nervous about it and wanted a low key event with no cut off worries.
I'm back home now, and been shopping etc. Just considering a run, although it won't be as picturesque as the ones I've been on recently!
Did a 4-mile run yesterday evening, which was okay. I hope it's just pre-race jitters, but I do have a slight knee niggle in my left knee. Randomly, I felt it a bit when I went for that swim in the lake. I think it'll be fine though for Saturday.
There's a 4.4 mile club run tonight for those doing the DD, with fish and chips afterwards.
Having entered Liverpool twice before won't make your card details safe, I've been using Active for years for race entries still had card scammed, all cards I used on their website have now expired so I'm now safe, at least from that website.
steven - I expect you and your brother lead each other astray.
Big G - welcome home to rainy Devon.
Shame RK didn't hold his nerve, he's capable of getting round DD fine although Fizz isn't running so he's have to tag on to somebody else to get round. I hope he owns up that it's not his 100th on Saturday.
Lovely run in the rain, and a lot of rain but it's warm so the rain was pleasantly cooling although it's humid.
In Ireland two of the MCI club decided to do their 100th at Connemara 100 mile race, we were in awe as even an elite runner cannot guarantee that they'll finish a race of that distance however much they want to. They had never done a 100 mile race before but they did it.
Don't worry about your knee niggle, the downhill run into Widdicombe on Saturday will sort that out
Yeah, I've sorted out my fuelling. May sound a bit odd, but I quite like cheese sarnies with branston pickle, so I'm going to take those, plus Lidl's Stroopwafels I think! I have some High 5 tablets which contain electrolytes so I'm going to put half of one in a bottle at each of the stations, and I hope that will be okay. The weather looks favourable at the moment in that it's not forecast to be too hot, and also not raining/windy. I'm not sure if humidity could be an issue though?
I know I've been saying this a lot recently and I can't return to everywhere I go, but I absolutely loved the Dolomites and would definitely like to go back. It really was stunning there and the running trails were inspiring, and so much more to explore there too - I hardly scratched the surface. I'm often quite happy to be home after a holiday (I love where I live, after all!) but I would love to be back there running now! You may remember that I was suffering a bit with loss of mojo - well if a runner can't get their mojo back there, there's no chance! As well as running though, the food was great, you could do tandem paragliding, hire bikes, borrow hiking stuff from the hotels - loads of things to do. It really could be an active holiday, although still relaxing in great surroundings, which for me is the best kind of holiday!
I have seen there's a trail marathon in the Dolomites, but it is quite expensive. The website though shows some of the views along the 2450m vertical ascent! http://www.brixenmarathon.com/en/
There is, however, a Verona marathon and that city is only about 2-3hrs away by train/bus to the village we stayed at in the Dolomites.... Another one for my list! http://veronamarathon.it/en/
Just catching up on the Giro. I know the final result and was flabbergasted when I saw it, so I want to find out what happened!
There's usually a breeze of some sort on DD course and a couple of times I've found it humid in patches where there was no wind, but nothing like the humidity such as we have had in the last couple of days at lower levels. It can be very humid in Ashburton after coming down off the moor but once you go through the town and head uphill again any humidity lifts.
I've just looked at that Brixen marathon and if I did off road I'd want to do that, it's uphill all the way but it's spectacular. You could combine it with a week or so holiday in the area. I didn't look at the price but the shirt is gorgeous and I expect the logistics make it pricey as it's point to point.
These 'to do' lists of marathons just get longer
I'm compiling a list of UK road marathons that I haven't done, then a list of overseas ones that I fancy too. Another list of road ultras that I want to do, only a couple in this country but at least 10 in Ireland that I haven't done.
I too hope that CF comes out of it all OK.
Do any of you suffer post race blues.. Im feeling particularly down in the dumps today and I can only put it down to post race blues despite still having 3 races left. Hope that a good run will sort that out..
Iain, yes I suffer with that quite a lot, even when I've got other races lined up. Funnily enough, I'm just in the process of writing an article for the club's magazine about my recent loss of mojo, and how it appears to have been cured by me getting out running on some new (for me) trails. Being out on the runs, with no care about time or pace, seems to have re-energised me. As you say, hopefully a good run will sort out out soon enough!
shades, elle's injurys are underlying... hopefully the injury/ pain will just go away with rest. I try not to think of all the races I have said I'd want to do, the bucket list race for me is Comrades (up year only) penciled in 2023 my 40th.
Steven enjoy alloh heard its a difficult one to pace. good luck in whatever you decide on.
big G will defo be getting some runs it, to the right is a flat path for 8km to marmaris and to left is the start of carian trail... not runnable but will go for a few walks/ hikes. Nothing wrong with cheese and pickle, it's my 1st choice too... we still got packs of the high 5 tabs when elle wos in Womens running big marathon challenge a couple of years ago.
Iain pre race blues are always going to happen, had them after Manchester despite having NDW50 6 weeks later and had them instantly after NDW50 but have holiday and summer/ autumn races booked too. Think it's due to that you have been focused on said race and now it's all done.
5 miles today for me, ankle feeling better, the run felt sluggish but motivation to get out and run isn't there at the moment.
r.e the Giro. I am a big follower of cycling races and have watched various events for th past 15 years or so and have to say CF''s ride on the Friday when he took over the lead when I watched it live could not believe what he was doing I thought he was mad to go so far out but what an outstanding piece of cycling. I felt really bad for Yates however I believe he showed enough a still a young age that he will definitely wn a grand tour soon.
Shadies- Thanks for the advice for my hm on Sunday. Went for a 5 mile run today and thought I would test myself with a 5k during it. I have never tested myself over a 5k before so was quite pleased with myself with a time of 21.26. I felt quite good running it which hopefully means there is room for improvement.
Big G - never mind, I'll be back next year although I may not do DD in 2020. There's a race I like very much in Ireland and I want to have another go at doing the 100km again, https://forestmarathon.wordpress.com/ but it's always the week after DD and I don't recover quickly enough from DD to do both. I was thinking about doing the 100km next year but we're supposed to be having a Shadies meet up so I'll postpone it for another year.
I'm still on the race's start list for DD but I know I'm not going to have a magical resurrection of my fitness by Saturday
Robert - I do hope Elle's discomfort does sort itself out.
I know what you mean about race 'to do' lists, they should be getting shorter but there always seem to be more to be done, some day. I also have some other goals such as completing 100 ultras and then maybe 100 races of all standard distances, except for 5km, so starting from 10km. Going to take me years to do all that.
Good to hear the ankle is getting better.
Steven, ha ha, sorry about the fact I've inadvertently added to your list of possible events
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If you're interested, here is what I've drafted for my club's mag, and I've provided a few pics too. You guys have really heard all this before, but here it all is in one go....
I had been struggling with loss of running mojo for a while. I’d tried everything I could think of to get it to return: having a bit of a break from running; entering events to focus the mind; mixing up the routes I usually run to add a bit of variety; running events and not caring about the finish time; running on my own; running with friends. But, alas, nothing was working – my mojo had well and truly vanished.
However, all that changed towards the end May. I had a break booked in Italy – a couple of nights in Verona, 4 nights in the Dolomites for a friend’s wedding, finishing off with a night in Venice. Verona and Venice are lovely and I did have a great run in Verona, but the standout location of my break was the Dolomites in Northern Italy.
Before getting there, I’d had a quick look on the Internet and the pictures of the area looked amazing, and I’d hoped I’d be able to get some runs in whilst there. Although I had nothing specific planned, the first glimpses I had of how breath taking the area was were on the 45-minute bus journey up the hill from Bolzano/Bozen to Siusi/Seis, near where the wedding was taking place (this area in South Tyrol has place names in both Italian and German, as well as having its own dialect). The bus journey up the twisty and narrow road, with its shear drops on one side, was nerve-wracking, but non-the-less it was obvious how incredibly picturesque the area was. And this was just the view from the bus!
Siusi (part of a massive ski resort in winter, and a haven for outdoor-types in the summer) is at 1000m above sea level and was the base for my runs whilst in the area. The whole place is incredibly well set up with maps showing all the numbered running and walking trails, so I picked out a route that looked to be around 6-miles in length, donned my running shoes, and off I went. For almost the entire run, I hardly saw another soul (apart from a field of cows, all with their cow bells jangling), and I couldn’t help but be amazed by the area I was running through. The stunning Seiser Alm mountain dominated the landscape on one side, whilst I picked my way along tree lined trails through which a clearing occasionally opened up where I could see views right across the valley on the other side. It’s just as well that I wasn’t concerned about pace at all, as every few minutes I couldn’t help but stop to take in the view, until I eventually reached a lake in nearby Völser Weiher, which is where the wedding would be taking place in a couple of days. I ran around the lake and went back the same way I’d come, knowing that this route was amongst the most breath-taking that I’d ever ran. It’s hard to explain, but somehow the air felt and tasted so fresh and on getting back to the hotel I was keen to check out other – hopefully circular – routes that I could tackle during the rest of my time in the area.
I did 4 runs in total whilst in the Dolomites – that first 6.5-miler (1300ft of elevation), an 8-miler (1335ft), a 5K (700ft) and a 5.5-miler (1300ft) – each route different, and each one stunning in its own right. The 5.5-miler in particular was fairly steep in places (so steep in fact, that it made my ears pop at the highest point) whilst the 8-miler was essentially two different loops on the way to-and-from the next village (Castelrotto). As well as the runs, whilst in the area I went hiking, swam in the lake, plus ate a lot of very good pizza, ice-cream and tiramisu, which I think is just what the doctor ordered to get that often-elusive mojo back. Honestly, if a runner can’t get excited about being here, then there’s no hope for them!
The thing is, I barely scratched the surface of the routes that were available to run, with trails all over the mountains reachable by bus, ski lifts and chair lifts - I left with a real urge that I would need to return to the area again. I’d love to go back, and of course they have a marathon in the Dolomites, plus one in nearby Verona, so hopefully one year I will return. Both events have made their way onto my ever-growing list of marathons I’d like to do, in any case!
I’m also pleased to say that the wedding went off without a hitch, with the Italian bride and South African groom having a great ceremony on a jetty overlooking the lake, with the stunning Schlern mountain as a backdrop. The Minister (a close, personal friend of the couple) really got across how simple their lives are, away from all the modern distractions, as the newly weds have lived in a tent in the Kalahari for the last 10 years. They’re professional photographers of the wildlife that roams free there and have had some lucky escapes during their time, so never has “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” been so fitting for the first dance at a wedding!
So yes, I loved the wedding, the Dolomites were spectacular and I left feeling revitalised and “connected” in some way; connected to my friends – old ones and new - but also to the stunning environment I was lucky enough to have visited. Thankfully, my running mojo seems to have returned, and long may mine – and yours - last.
Big G, nice write up, did you consider the running blues may have come from not hitting targets (most probably due to the decent weather we were having). Touch wood I've never suffered from the blues too long however after a long training run earlier on in the year I found myself asking the question 'why am I bothering?' and I couldn't really come up with an answer... for 2 years my marathon times had been consistant 3.44-3.47 and wondered if the training was worth it. I carried on and it was paid off with a PB at Manchester 3.32 and fell back in love with it all.
shades, 100 of all distanced would take some doing... surely to finish it too 100 parkruns? I totally get where you coming from with the 5k though horrible little b*stards!!!! Saying that I'm still recovering from City of London mile 2 years ago... I do need to have another crack it the mile though 6.12 without specific training would like to go sub 6.
Shades-Sorry you're not doing DD,decided the 20 was too much?
Big G-Youve defo got your mojo back.
Slow 4.5 miles in the heat yesterday and decided to do the seaside 5k tonight,belting down with rain but very refreshing.Issue at the start as I mistimed the distance from my car to the start and ran 2.5 miles at 7.50 pace to make the start time,even then I rounded the corner as they started so reset my watch and started last of about 200 runners.Went well and finished in 20:40 so still about 1 min behind my best but happy with it;took it steady at the start and upped at each mile,6:51,6:43,6:31 and 5:35 for the last .1.Most importantly no reaction from the achilles,4 weeks ago I limped over the line and this time I felt strong so another good step on the road to recovery.
Ian, great time there for a 5K and starting at the back. A good warm up for the race there, too
Shades, I spoke briefly to RK last night and he mumbled something about not doing the DD because he was worried about how to get his cake up there. I smell bulls***! There was quite a bit of chat about it on the DD club social run and the general consensus is that he bottled it. One thing I hadn't thought of is that one mentioned that RK celebrating his 100th does detract from another runner who is actually running the DD this year for his 100th (a Mud Crew runner), which is a shame.
Shades, a question about the DD aid stations. I know we can leave drinks etc at all the stations, but that feels a bit of an overkill. I was thinking of leaving electrolytes and food at 9.7, 16, 22, 27.2 and 32. And if I don't feel I need what I've left, just leave it. How does that sound? The other stations have water, squash and bananas anyway. If I put an electrolyte tab in each bottle at those stations, that won't be too much, will it (is that such a thing as too much electrolyte?)?
Lovely write up. The Dolomites tourist board should reward you for that.
Interesting re RK, he has bottled it but at least he admitted to his actual 100th being last weekend. The Mud Crew runner was only announced lately that he was doing his 100th too so that's no reason at all. And what a load of bollocks re the cake, he must know 100 people that are driving up there on the day, including himself, the PofF would look after the cake for him while he was running. I think he realised that he would struggle to get round without someone to drag him around, remember how he was at Plym Trail that time.
Re the food drops, you're right every drink station is overkill. It also becomes quite hard to remember which drink station you put stuff out for so make sure they are memorable. You have the most important one which is Postbridge, just past marathon point, mentally that's an important one. I would ditch the 32 mile one, that's only 2 miles from the finish so not enough time for food or electrolytes to be of any use. I can't remember what the dosage is, for training I put half a tab in a 500ml bottle as I want the drink to be refreshing not sickly. You could always carry a spare tab in case you need it. Remember the bottles can sometimes become a little warm so you don't want the mixture to be too strong.
Well done on another prize, maybe use it to enter the Dolomites marathon for 2019 when entries open later in the year?
Robert - no, no parkruns for me. Never done one and am not in the slightest bit interested. Off road fun runs are not for me and they're not races anyway.
Iain - that's good of Rik to reward your OH's help. Rik's a really nice bloke.
Ian - I don't think I could even do the first 20 of DD, base fitness has completely gone (for now). If I thought I could run the first 20 comfortably I would do it.
Great result at your 5km race, despite the adrenaline fuelled start!! Great news that pesky achilles is starting to behave.
Slightly cooler and a little less humid today. Came across 4 magpies fighting on the pavement, I had to clap my hands a couple of times to get them to stop and get out of my way, they flew up onto a wall and continued their squabbling, I guess they were siblings. If I was a cat or a fox, they would have been breakfast, they were oblivious of anything around them.
The consensus last night was definitely take it easy and enjoy it, whereas one or two said go out hard on to the half marathon in order to bank time - I've haven't a firm idea what time I'll be through half marathon, but I definitely won't be going out hard! I expect it'll be 1:50-2:00ish, but it just depends on how I am and if I can get to Ashburton still feeling relatively sprightly I'll be very happy with that with just the 20-ish to the finish
I have a brand new pair of shoes that I'm going to do a test run in later today (a make/model I use for marathons), and then I'll use them for the race. I'll take a rest day tomorrow and then it's the big day!
The Trotters who were at club last night picked up their T-Shirts and race numbers, so that is one less thing to mess around with on Saturday. Of course, we still need to label our drinks etc. I saw that Chair has had an issue with the medals with the company he's used - he put the order in 15 weeks ago but there's been a delay, so not sure what else he could have done really! That doesn't bother me, as I'm sure we'll get it as soon they're available (presuming I finish of course!).
Regarding the Trotters prize I'm fairly certain it has to be used this year but I'll double check. I should know this stuff, really!
To help rudd myself of the blues yesterday, I went out for an easy 8 miles which felt good. Averaged 7:43/mile so no pace really. My right achilles and calf weren't too happy though as they felt tight but I guess that's to be expected. Foam rolling and a gentle bike session should stretch them enough to ease the tension.
Just did my 3-miles with the new shoes and all was fine. That's it now....!