My Last Run

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  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Interesting to see the ebb and flow of the passion, injuries and times. Two really nice parkruns Cal and Will, even more impressive from Will's Dad! I will become a VM50 in three weeks Cal, one week after my first HM. Nice miles Hazel and Ali. JD, pretty intense program, those splits still look good to me. Good luck with the injury Linton.

    I had an easy 3k Wednesday, mainly to close my watch rings and because I'd been sat on my backside all day.

    Then my first attempt at some faster intervals on Friday morning. That went okay, 7:57, 8:00, 8:03 for the quicker miles. Target was 8:20 per mile, but I was running in KMs and just went with what felt right (and I messed up the conversion a little). I think I went too slow in the recovery half miles. I'll try harder next time. Tomorrow is my last long run before the half. Aiming for around 18k to give me the confidence I can go the full distance.
  • Hope the ankle feels better today Linton. Off roading is certainly a good thing for stressed legs and feet.  Are your fields too wet at the moment?

    Well done on first FV50 Cal and good luck for tomorrow!

    Not sure about spring yet Alipat, there was talk of sleet on another thread, don't know where though.

    Great parkrun Will.  Your plans sound good to me.  Happy belated birthday to your Dad. 20 weeks is a long time I agree, I did an 18 weeks one last spring and it never ended.

    6:55 tempo seems speedy stuff JD (around my 10k PB I think).  8 as you did is a good run too!

    Nice intervals enrvuk.  Slow recoveries are ok, for example I try to run my intervals at around 4:05/km and will drop down to 6:15/km, a gentle jog for me.  More important is to do the reps at a constant pace which you did well. Have good long run tomorrow.

    So after all that: 5 miles recovery yesterday and a progressive HM today.  Tough one finishing with 3km at LT pace which is quite a bit faster than my HM PB pace.  Coped with it well finishing in 1:42 and tired rather than knackered.  And a couple of pounds heavier due to the rain.  Animal spot of the day: 4 black sheep being walked along the river.  Otherwise random dog walkers but no runners (whimps or elsewhere?). Birdspot: one swan.
  • Good running everyone. Some decent park run times floating around this weekend. 

    Hazel, I know I jinxed it. I had a day of rest today knowing that I have a 20 miler planned for tomorrow morning. The forecast is 2 degrees with sleet and rain and strong winds. Should make for delightful running conditions. Ideally I would hold out for the weather to improve but I have a busy afternoon with two birthday gatherings to attend so it's either run first thing or not at all. 
  • That's a tidy sounding HM profession, Hazelnut -  top running!

    It's hard fitting those long ones in, alipat, isn't it. I've had to do a few 5am starts in my mara training. It's makes me feel extra smug, though, so can't be all bad :)

    I volunteered at Junior Parkrun this morning and the weather was horrible; freezing rain and wind. 73 little runners turned up and finished so massive respect to them. I then did a 10 miler, in thankfully improving conditions. 5th consecutive day of running but felt on good form and came in at 9:59 m/m overall, which is faster than my mara pace target. Still don't like the Asics and have ordered some new Sauconys for the big day (sshhh don't tell Mrs Will !)

    I was thinking whilst running about everyone's approach mentally to the 26.2 miles. I've not really worked out how best to look at it myself.  Do you take each mile as it comes, look at it as a game of 2 halves or split it into other types of sections? What do you think MLRERS? 
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Thankyou folks! I iced my ankle and elevated it over the weekend and it felt a little better.

    I heeded everyone's advice and instead of going for any long pulls I just did my local (Pegwell bay) parkrun and got a 22:28.( it is absolutely pancake flat and only 180 odd people due to the fairly unpleasant weather here in kent, so zero hold ups). It's distance running that's was always my nemesis.

    I have absolutely sworn to myself I will take a full week off running now.

    I went to a sport place Saturday afternoon and got some gel insert orthotics that are meant to lessen the blow a bit, we'll see! Worth a punt for a tenner!

    I tried some better shoes today, the most comfy being a nike zoom pegasus, but they weren't cheap!, so I didn't get them today.

    Have a great weeks running folks, I think I'll be very restless for the next week. I know you shouldn't self diagnose, but am fairly certain I have peroneal tendonitis in my left foot now, from what I've read.

    Really hope I can still do the half in April, but if I have to have any more than a week off training, I'm screwed.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Strong running, Hazelnut.
    Linton - deffo see a physio. Caught in the early stages, any kind of tendon issues can be dealt with. Good parkrun time, though.
    Will - I generally take each mile was it comes but I have distances I pay attention to - 10K, 10 miles, half marathon (obviously), 20, 23 (cos just one parkrun to go!).

    The Big Half...well...it could have gone better but it wasn't a total bust. The winds made it challenging. It wasn't constant, but certainly made things a lot tougher - even when they were behind me, it was very unnerving to be pushed and I felt myself slam on the brakes.
    Then, same as last year, my watch glitched out at Canary Wharf and added .3 to that mile, giving me a stupid time of 6:38 (my 1 mile PB is 7:26, so you see how daft that was). After that it was really hard to figure out my pacing as I had to go by the mile markers rather than when my watch thought the miles were.
    And, well, overall I wasn't feeling it. I felt a lot more tired than at the previous two halves and even my breathing felt more laboured. I finished in 1:55:44 which is 2 minutes slower than Hampton Court, so that is a bit disappointing. However, I have to remind myself that it's still faster than my PB from last year, and with the wind, the satellite issues and my niggles, I shouldn't beat myself up. It's my third fastest half, after all.
  • Good job Cal. Conditions were awful out there this morning and it sounds like other elements were against you.

    I managed to get out for an early 20 miles this morning. Took me 3hrs 2mins which I was really happy with considering the awful conditions. I had to battle through heavy snow for the first hour and then blustery winds and heavy rain for the next hour and a half. After that the conditions finally started to improve a little.

    Will - this will be my first full marathon so I'm probably not in the best position to comment but the way I've approached my long training runs has very much been a mile at a time and I intend to take a similar approach on race day. 
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Great running everyone.

    Fantastic parkrun,Will,great time.Happy birthday to your Dad as well.I break my running down usually mile by mile,but might change that for a mara.

    Great running,Hazelnut,very fast training HM.Just trying to up my tempo pace,hopefully it'll bring my times down eventually.

    That's a speedy parkrun,Linton.Hope your foot improves over the week.

    Great HM,Cal,I wouldn't beat yourself up over a third fastest HM.You've been putting in some heavy mileage over the last few weeks and running with niggles,so well done.Watching the race as I type on BBC iplayer,the course seems quite twisty,even Sir Mo didn't PB!!

    Excellent 20 miler,alipat,in awfull conditions as well.You should be on to a sub 4 for your marathon.

    6.24 hilly trail run this afternoon.Back in tights,hat and gloves,snow on the top of the hills.Felt sorry for the lambs in fields,they were sheltering underneath their mother's

  • JD I'm not sure I will be able to get the legs to hold on long enough for a sub 4 finish. I'm definitely hoping for a sub 4:15 though which I would be delighted with.
  • Kudos to the parkrun kids and volunteers Will. Regarding the mara miles I try always to think (positively) in terms of how many I've already done and not (negatively) of what is left.  As long as possible I look for distractions, interesting co-runners, high five the kids, look at the route, listen to the live bands etc.

    That is a fast parkrun with a dodgy ankle Linton.  Hope it is no worse.

    Still a good HM Cal well done.  I would rather emphasize the 3rd fastest bit than the PB that maybe got away. 

    Well done for toughing out the 20 miles alipat.  I wouldn't write off the sub 4.

    I'm surprised how much snow the UK got JD.

    Rest day yesterday - fortunately as it was very windy and sometimes very wet.  This afternoon 8 miles with 2 sets of 6 x strides at the end.  Couple of snow showers but nothing settled.  My own right ankle/foot was a bit dodgy yesterday and this morning - it kept sticking and unsticking rather painfully.  Seems ok this evening post-run though.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Thanks all. I didn't go into the race expecting a PB but sub-1:55 would have been good. I think I just felt a bit left out as quite a few people I know got PBs, but then I reminded myself that I'd already had two PB HMs this year which most of the others won't have done. Besides, if Mo was 2 minutes outside his best time, then me being 2 minutes adrift is not so bad!

    I had to kick myself up the bum to get myself out this morning - it's still windy and uninviting, and I feel a lot more sore from Big Half than the previous halves, probably because of all the bracing against the wind. I did 8 miles starting at recovery pace and ending up at easy pace. It wasn't so bad. Loostened up my left hammy, which was tight, though the achilles is still grumbling. Knee feels better today though, so that's a weight off.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Well done Cal, the conditions at the weekend were not nice! I was running at the same time as the half. If it held Mo back, you should be pleased with your time imo. Glad your knee is easing and fingers crossed for you Hazel. Alipat, you look well on course for your target, or maybe even better still.

    On Sunday I did my longest run before the half, started too quick, but did okay overall. Knees were a bit sore after, but seem okay now. I saw Mikeal Silvestre in Regents Park, which turned out to be a good omen for my trip to The Emirates later in the day. I also saw geese, swans, ducks and pigeons which had no connection to Arsenal v Man U. This was the first of the longer runs that felt mentally challenging, maybe because it was very windy. Had the excitement of my bottle popping out of my belt and rolling under a parked car. My mistake!! Final distance was 18.4k in just over 1h47 (5:50k). I feel confident of hitting my <2h5m for my half on 24/3. `
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Great job, enrvuk. (Wildlife spotting is always a nice thing, too!)
  • Sounds good for you too enrvuk!

    The wind is getting a bit annoying Cal. Nice 8.

    I made the most of today's calmer weather (back to galeforce gusts tomorrow), and got some more LT intervalls done.  A total of 10 miles with warmup, 20mins, 4 mins recovery 16 mins and cooldown.  Decent session though I think Saturday's run was still in my legs.  No real wildlife to report except a heron trying to land in a treetop. The chickens I "zoomed" past a few times (laps) were convinced I would throw something their way and kept rushing up to the fence. Sorry to disappoint.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Yes it is... I had another windy run this morning. I was going to do 10 or 12 but felt tired after 5 miles and achilles was sore so I cut it down to 8 again. The race took a lot out of me on Sunday due to the wind and I think I was also a bit dehydrated.
    I constantly have to remind myself that my goal is the race ahead, not the weekly mileage, and today reason won out.
    Saw a nice big fox.
  • Good reasoning and fox spot.

    I got round my planned 10 over lunch but it was a bit of a struggle.  I made up a route as I went along avoiding running for longer stretches straight into the wind but at the times I was it was pretty exhausting and I had to concentrate on left foot-right foot just to keep going.

    No foxes, just one dog and its owner, the former fortunately attached to the latter by a lead - it goes mad, almost howling when it sees me running.  I'm not sure if it is just generally frustrated at not being able to join in rather than agressive.
  • Good running Cal and Hazel. Conditions are certainly tough out there today.

    I popped out for 5 miles this morning before work. The wind seemed to be changing direction all of the time which made things tricky. 

    After the 20 miles on Sunday, and with another 20 planned for this weekend, I'm trying to be careful not to push it too much this week. 

    I'm going to have to invest in some new shoes too which is not ideal timing. Those guys have certainly lasted me a long time though so I definitely got my money's worth.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Great running everyone in horrible conditions.
    I decided to use the treadmill at the gym today,I've never used one before so thought it might be handy when blowing a gale.Planned to do 10 miles but threw my hand in after 5,I was totally bored .Back outside tomorrow whatever the weather.
  • I've never been able to get on with a treadmill,  JD1. Tried a couple of times,long ago, in a gym and made a fool of myself :)

    Sensible restraint alipat. My body has been feeling the strain lately, so I too am being careful not to overdo it. Just general aches from all the training and the fatigue of a long prep programme. My new mara shoes arrived yesterday and are stashed in my cupboard (don't tell Mrs Will !) Back on the Sauconys with some iso 4 triumphs.

    Good resilience in the face of the wind, Hazelnut. It would take more than that to stop a tough cookie like you!

    I know what you mean about the sacred weekly mileage, Cal, but, as you say, there is a bigger picture and always a good idea to go by feel when you need to. No foxes this end for ages.

    Very windy here and I battled through it for a couple of 'slog' runs. 4 miles last night and 6 at a decent lick the night before. I do feel like I am in good shape now, but the post run collapses in front of Netflix are slightly more desperate! Another run tonight, then a 15 at the weekend will signal the start of the taper.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Have a good 20 alipat, I hope in not too awful conditions.

    Same for the 15 Will.  If you can sneak them past Mrs Will I would recommend giving the new shoes a few miles pre race.  Wear them in and sort out the lacing.

    I've only run about a mile on a TM JD - shoe test.  Having to pay for using one certainly puts me off! I don't do gyms but probably should!

    4 recovery for me this morning (day off) in the pouring rain and with another battering from the wind.  Must be pretty obsessed to go out in that.  Weekend skiing coming up so only a recovery if at all planned.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Doesn't Mrs Will notice your new  trainers when you try them out! I try and stick to the same colours,but Mrs JD has eagle eyes and usually spots how new they are.There's light at the end of tunnel now,regarding your mara training .I'm not  going to have a training plan,apart from getting long runs in.

    Where do you go skiing,Hazelnut ?

    10 miles this afternoon in horizontal rain,9.28 miles @ 7.26 pace,legs felt really good.Legs have a satisfactory ache to them.
  • That's some really good pace JD. Well done.

    Ha, you're secret it safe with me Will. I have some new Pegasus 35s turning up tomorrow and I am looking forward to giving them a spin tomorrow evening.

    How is everyone planning to approach taper for those of you that are running upcoming marathons? 
  • Awesome running guys! I can only dream of running distances like that at the moment.

    After giving my ankle a very decent rest and practicing tendon stretches daily, I feel I may have turned the corner!, If I have I will be eternally grateful to whoever the running god is! I went out for two very gentle 3 and a half miles with just a slight ache and nothing the next day, so am going to try and start going sensibly, and slowly, up through the miles.

    Learnt my lesson though!

    Nature wise saw a barn own fly silently overhead and land on a fence post. Which was cool.

    Had my first experience of what I Now know to be "Joggers nipple" after being caught in an icy deluge. Thoroughly unpleasant and surprisingly painful.

    My introduction to running kind of reminds me of the first car I bought as a teenager for £400. An uphill struggle of weekly issues and repairs!

    My half marathon in three weeks time is out, but there's plenty more events locally, It'll just be great to be out plodding again, fingers crossed.
  • Good and sensible persistence, Linton. I hope your ankle and nipples continue to improve! Lovely Barn Owl spot - they are ace.

    I love the childish anticipation of putting on a new pair of runners, alipat.  Mrs Will is still in the dark on my Sauconys :) In all honesty she probably wouldn't notice I was wearing new ones, as long as the washing up gets done :) I will, of course, tell her about them...hopefully before she sees the credit card statement! I'll put them through their paces before Manchester , Hazelnut , although I've alway found Sauconys absolutely lush to wear right from the get go.

    I psyched myself up to get out again last night for 6 Easy miles. I was less fatigued than I'd expected, having run 8/9 of the last 9 days and got the miles in the bag. No spots on my run, although there is a lovely cherry blossom tree in full bloom right under a street lamp, which really brightened up the run. I did spend the day teaching my colleagues bird identification skills out on the estate though, the highlight of which was a troupe of 6 Red Kites flying in formation.

    Now time for a couple of rest days and a bit of core work, then a 15 miler on Sunday. Then starts the taper. I'm reducing my mileage by 30 percent each week for the 3 week countdown - and feel ready for it! Have learnt that a 20 week plan is a hell of a long time to commit to and probably a few weeks too long. Feeling fit and with legs like steel though! Happy running all.



    I run, therefore I am.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Maybe invest in some Nipeaze, Linton - or at least some Vaseline. It's not a problem for us ladies due to the sports bras, but I've chafed my underboobs enough times to know that's not fun in the shower.
    Alipat, slow reduction in miles although I keep the last week very light. Before Chester I did 9 miles on Sunday (was meant to be 10 but, uh, had some stomach issues), 6 miles on the Tuesday and 4 on the Thursday. Enough to keep the legs ticking over and no more.
    Will, feeling rather tired myself. I have my last long run on Sunday, if my achilles isn't too bad.
    6 miles today - rather windy. Pleased to report all 7 Egyptian goslings are still kicking. They're still fluffy but have doubled in size.
  • Haha probably for the best that you tell her Will. Unfortunately my delivery was delayed for some unknown reason so now my new shoes won't be here until Monday. I was really hoping to give them a run out over the weekend but nevermind. 

    I went out for what was supposed to be an easy 10km after work tonight. Of course my legs didn't want to listen though, as is often the case, and I ended up running my quickest 10km of the year so far (by over 2 mins!). And that included spending almost an entire minute jogging on the spot as I waited for an opportunity to cross a main road. Running early in the morning is much easier for that reason.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    My main run today was Foots Cray Meadows parkrun (but there was a 2 mile jog to meet my friend who was driving us there, and then another two miles on the way home after she dropped me off. I did the latter carrying a bag of apples I bought in the farm shop).
    Very nice, fully off-road course. Not too mucky but the surface was quite bumpy and it was windy so I came in at 26:59. 24th overall and 5th lady which sounds impressive but there were only 52 runners, so maybe not so much. Came 1st of only three in my age group.
    Had a nice brekkie afterwards in the farm shop, which seems to be doing very well from the parkrun. The results arrived before my breakfast was ready.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    And last long run in the bag. 21 miles in 3:31. I'm rather tired and my back aches. At least my achilles just grumbled a bit and didn't scream at me. It wasn't happy after the parkrun yesterday.
  • Good fast work, alipat. Cal - you're a machine! That's good going for a training 21er.

    Mrs Will is still away after watching the Grand Slammers yesterday,  so I snuck my new Sauconys out for my final longie before Manchester :) Dropped the kids at my sister's and set off on a mission to avoid the wind. Started off doing laps of the cemetery which was very pleasant and sheltered , with loads of cherry blossom and squirrels scurrying around. I thought 15 miles of the same 1.25 mile loop may get boring so I ventured out into town. Every route seemed to be against a headwind or sidewind and so, after battling that for a while, I ended up back in the cemetery to finish the run off. A very unperturbed Muntjac stood brazenly in the path until I got about 10 metres away, whereupon it bounded off - a nice distraction after 13 miles. The new shoes were absolutely lush from the get go. I even like the way they lace them up in the factory! Can't belive I paid the same for the shite Asics. I finished the 15 miles in 2:31, with a pace of 10:05 m/m - perfect for Manchester. Some slower miles going into the wind and then the final 4 were easily the fastest at about 9:45, which felt good. A relief to now be ready to start my taper. Looking forward to running with my Dad in his race debut next weekend, a 10K trail race. Now to hide those shoes again....
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Excellent work Cal and Will. I'm super ready for tapering now. My body feels exhausted.

    <div>I just about managed 20 miles this morning in 3:04. What an awful last big run that was. Pretty much anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Crazy strong head winds, my earphones died 7 miles before the end, I managed to drop my water bottle under a HGV on the A47, dropped my last gel whilst eating it and my legs were dead after just 5 miles. But if my training has taught me anything it's that perseverance is key and persevere I did. 

    </div><div>Now time for the taper to begin! Looking forward to a few weeks of some less intense running.</div>
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