The Middle Ground

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  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Ah, family often stops the running but they're normally worth it.

    Another 5 miles yesterday however my left foot arch aches a little even when not running.  I think I'll rest it today and I'm wearing shoes which have some support.  Hope it clears up quickly.
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Got in a 12k MWLR on  my lunch break.  Last week in my current job and I'm really going to miss being able to do a lot of lunch running.  Not sure what the situation is going to be.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    How's the foot now?

    Yes, if you get out at lunchtime then changing jobs is going to cause some difficulty as you need to bed in for a few weeks before you can start that sort of thing.

    Did 10 x 800m at 10kp yesterday off 45s. A relatively straightforward session off 90s to 2 mins, but 45s really didn't give a great deal of time to get comfortable again. By the last 3 reps I was properly hurting.

    5 mile at recovery over lunch today and circuit training tonight. Struggling at present with a few niggles, so glad I am not committed to an Autumn mara.


  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Foot is feeling ever so slightly sore. I reckon it was a very mild strain from the race on Sunday, a couple more days of nothing too fast with some ibuprofen and massage and it'll be fine. And yes, I'm just going to have to do more early/late running which is tough on me and the family. I may switch to fewer but longer runs rather than trying for 6 days a week.

     Was that 10k session set by your coach? Sounds ridiculously tough as it's 8k at 10k pace off not much recovery. I'm a believer in more recovery but more speed.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    yes coach set session.Piece of cake compared to last weeks 10 x 1k at 10kp of 1 minute! 
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    DT19 said:
    yes coach set session.Piece of cake compared to last weeks 10 x 1k at 10kp of 1 minute! 
    Ouch - those are tough sets!
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Easy 30 mins at lunch - hot out there so hard to keep HR low.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    yes, I have 8 hilly miles to do at around 5.30 which won't be much fun.
  • alehousealehouse ✭✭✭

    Local 5k report, starting with the excuses:
    1. It was still 24 degrees at 7:30 which came as a shock in this northerly part of the UK!
    2. I was watching the cricket on TV this afternoon when I noticed a bulge in the wall paper: a couple of hours later after lifting lots of floor boards upstairs I found the leak. 
    3. It took me 14 seconds to cross the line and then was walking for the first 50/60 metres before breaking into a jog. Very busy: finished 280th of 514! 3rd in age group, out of 9. 


    22:23 chip time: if I am honest a little disappointed that I wasn't closer to 22. Never really flowed this evening; usually spend most of a race passing people. Was pretty well in the same position from 2k to the end, passing only a handful. Had to give myself a talking to just after 3k and imagined that I was running another course!

    Not that it is an excuse but my Garmin was all over the place: it didn't like the lap of the track at the start nor some wooded areas. Age grading just under 75%. Quickest time for over 2 years!

    The 5k was the first of the series, with a race fortnightly. Will probably train through the next couple and try to hit the final one harder.


    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Well done @alehouse even if it didn't go as planned. You're getting your speed back post recovery.

    I did 14 miles this morning in 1.55 with a few friends.  Great to start building up the long run.  Legs took 6 miles to warm up but it felt ok by the end, could have carried on for a fair while.  Currently on the sofa, legs up having eaten a ton of leftovers.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    Alehouse, decent to get your best in 2 years. Shows you can still keep progressing. 

    Jgav, nice going on the 14. 

    I did an easy 15 this morning. Started slow and felt great 2nd hslf so nudged pace to other side of 8mm. Ended up averaging 8.01mm. Gives me 45 for week plus 3 hours of cross training. 
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    The fact that I felt like I could continue come the end was good.  However, legs haven't felt this tired for a while!
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    Are you practicing your race nutrition on these long runs? A lot of maras are ruined by people having gastric issues. If you have a delicate stomach when fatigued it's worth seeing that as part of your training. 

    Yep, mara training is tiring! 
  • AndrewDAndrewD ✭✭✭
    Well, after a shocking June, I am determined to get back on track in July! Fingers crossed 
  • alehousealehouse ✭✭✭
    Consistent consistency, AD!

    June's figures: 168k run, 5 parkruns, 1 race, rest days 0. Plus stretching (and  some strengthening) routines two or three times a week. 

    Decent long run, JGav! Something to build on! Again it will be consistency that will be key. Were the legs ok after yesterday? 

    A nice slow 63 minutes for me today, partly with an M74 neighbour. About 6 minutes a k on average. Mainly off road but surfaces were firm. Only 13 degrees and breezy so lots of gear on!
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2019

    Ticking over this week with some easy running and a big session yesterday of 3 x (2k at 10kp (90s)- 1k at 5kp) with 3 mins between sets. Tough session but managed to progress the 2k blocks (6.18mm, 6.10 and 6.08) and the 3x 1k blocks all sat at 5.55 pace.

    4M recovery first thing today then circuits tonight.

  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Not been on as much - new job keeping me much busier.  7k tempo on one of my hillier routes - average was 4.28m/km so just a tad slower than my flat HM pace.  Another longish run planned for the weekend and no, I'm not practicing race nutrition yet but I will do.  I've got a stack of gels to try out, I've gone ok on High5 Isogels before so will start there.

    DT19 That session sounds like a monster at 9k of effort at or above 10k pace.
    Alehouse - Legs were fine just.  Well done on the consistent month.

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Yes they are what I use, or aqua gel as they are now rebranded to.

    Nice tempo, warm as well last night.

  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Backed up with a 20k Saturday morning.  Found it really tough going with the heat and dehydration (I didn't take water out with me).  Weighed before and after and I lost over 2kg on the run.  I really must get something so I can take water with me, I'm not willing to run holding a bottle.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    jgav, yes im the same in terms of carrying water. The 2 solutions are you go  along your route the night before perhaps and at various points hide a small bottle of water or you take a couple of quid ànd plan your route so that at some point in 2nd half you pass somewhere you can stop and buy something. 
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    Ticking along this last few days with a local 10k tonight. New route for the race but will be undulating at best so hoping for sub 39 but it may not happen dependant on how the course plays out.
  • alehousealehouse ✭✭✭
    Hope your July is going better than June, AD! Today's England victory should motivate you!

    Saw your result DT: hard to know what to make of it when it is a tough course, isn't it!

    JGav: when I was regularly running 15 to 20 miles each week I never even thought of having a drink! 40 years ago no one did! 

    Second of a local 5k series this evening. Had a few niggles over the last few days so wasn't expecting much, particularly as the course had large puddles all over the place following a thunderstorm and a half earlier! Started further up the field compared to two weeks ago and was into my running more quickly. 22:23 last time to beat and had this in mind much of the way round. Hard to do calculations when running isn't it? The finish has almost a lap of the track and pushed hard to get under 22; was initially disappointed with 22:02 on my watch...forgetting it was chip timed. 21:52 was better, with an age grading of 76.71%. Big field and only 278th out of 601. Busy almost all the way round. More to come if I can stay niggle free to get a decent block of training in.
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Yes, England have really upped their game the last few group matches and then yesterday. Looking like world champs.

    Yes it is never easy to really work out. A push too hard on some earlier hills or even pushing hard to make up times on some downhills skews the result in terms of trying to gauge what can happen on a nice flat course.

    That's a nice little improvement there on last time out. Yes, the sums are tricky in the closing parts of a race when working hard and tired. I try it every year in the last 6 miles of London and can never make sense of it.

  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Ran 8k monday then got the flu Tuesday, temps over 39C for 2 days straight and the fever finally broke last night.  This week was supposed to be a 35 mile week followed by recovery next week. I think I'll just try do a little something over the weekend and then shift my plan so next week is back to normal volume.

    Good running @alehouse

    Surely when it's hot and your out there sweating for 3 hours you'll need a drink at some point? A few people have recommended those running vests which can carry a couple of small water bottles.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    jgav, a decent comfortable one of those is pretty expensive. I don't tend to take a drink at all on any length long runs in Autumn, winter and spring. In the summer I tend to make provision for a drink (cash) in runs of 15 or more. I have found the last 2 summers mara training, the longer runs were pretty tough without a drink on a warm day and also, having a drink means you don't quite take so much out of yourself and so can recover faster.
  • AndrewDAndrewD ✭✭✭
    edited July 2019
    Alehouse - sadly not. An issue with the left hand side of my lower back has got progressively worse over the past 3 weeks, to the point where I struggle to roll over in bed, get out of bed in the morning and walk around for the first 10 minutes or so in the morning without excruciating stabbing pains in the area. It eases off during the day (but is still painful when I bend forwards or pick something up from the floor) but comes back with a vengeance each night/morning.

    Am seeing the fizz about it on Thursday afternoon, so fingers crossed.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Andrew, shame about the back. Is that a cricket injury?

    Jgav, how is mara training progressing?

    I am in a reasonably busy training week as i'll be tapering next week for target 10k. Last weeks 10k had an rb difficulty rating of 1.9, so was definitely a tough one.

  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Mara training is on a 3 steps backwards phase.  PIcked up a virus (flu?) last week and had a fever from Tuesday to Thursday hitting the glorious highs of 40C.  Only just back at it today and I'm still feeling the fatigue.  Will just use this week to get my legs back and maybe fit in a medium run at the weekend.  Proper training will commence next week.
  • espenhbespenhb ✭✭✭
    Almost three months into being a father and the running is... Going pretty actually. Although i all together forgot to post any updates about it. Not that you were waiting for them, but you know...

    Halfway through the third block of training (three weeks on, one off), doing between 70 and 100 km during the on-weeks. 

    Training Peaks keeps telling me I'm seven weeks away from my goal race of the season - my first half marathon - third ever solo race. And I have questions. Serious ones.

    1) Due to a work trip I won't be able to do the last block of training the way I had planned. I'm gonna be away for the middle on-week, and even though I will be able to get some running in I probably won't be hitting my weekly totals. I know this doesn't matter THAT much this late in the game, but... Given the circumstances - should I up the milage a bit the week before and after and have that middle week as a pure speed-week with less total milage and fewer runs? Or should I just go as planned and not care about the «lost» miles?

    2) I have a similar «problem» two weeks before the race. During the first week of taper I'll be off on a familiy holiday, and even though I probably will end up going out for a couple of runs, it won't be ever day. Or maybe even every other day. Will be a lot of walking, though. Question is: What should I do on those days where I actually get the chance to lace up for 30-40 minutes?

    3) Pace. I do most of my running before work. Including workouts. So I think the reason for what I'm about to describe is down to the lack of a proper meal before running. But I'll throw it in here anyways, just in case: I'm doing 3x3k at around 3:50, which I believe to be about my 10k pace. At the end I'm cooked. Wouldn't be able to do one more. Based on those numbers I should have a 5k pace at around 3:40, according to the various calculators. But when I'm doing 10x400m I'm looking at a 3:15 average. With gas to spare. How come?
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Espen-

    1. The general rule I see is that if you start out following a schedule and get 75% of it done then you are in a reasonable place. If life means you have to rejig structure here and there then so be it. Remember the schedule wasn't written with you in mind. The useful thing for me in using a coach is that before a block we will speak on a macro level and note in any major interferences such as weekends away etc, things you know months in advance. Then we will look at things to put the schedule together on a fortnightly block to factor in smaller interference. Asa my coach said, nobody became unfit by running miles. Don't shoehorn, just take what you can. There are certain sessions that are key such as a 20 miler that needs to be done at some point, but as long as you are consistent over the time and don't overload to chase lost runs you will be fine.

    2. Depends what is in your schedule for that week. If you can go 3 times for a limited period then just remain true to the spirit of that weeks plan ie, don't just decided to make it 3 sessions of hard intervals.


    3. 3 x 3k (though you've not said what rest period between sets) at 10kp is a big session and you should feel cooked after it. With the 10 x 400 (again not sure what rest between reps?) is an incomparable session as you aren't running at any point long enough to really really stress your systems in same way as 3k at 10kp. It might also be that you have shorter distance bias?.

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