Shades Marathon Training

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  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Emmy - is it a week since your last long run?  Seems only a couple of days.

    Never see snakes around here but this year there was one photographed 50 metres from my flat.  An escaped pet, it was seen heading up the hill at a fair pace, shortly after that it was run over by a car.

    Then on the day our retail shops reopened there was a big queue outside Sports Direct and the opening was delayed as they had an unwelcome visitor

     
    We do have adders around here but they are very elusive.
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Yep. I run every Saturday for my long run. My aim is 25km tomorrow. 

    What snake is that?! 
  • 1SteveMac1SteveMac ✭✭✭
    Ian - Sounds like hat 10 miler will go ahead. Will be a good test of your fitness in race conditions.
    Shades - Yes, it has been very humid recently.

    I did 6 miles on Thursday, 3 miles warm up, 2 at MP (6:41 for both - too fast) and a mile to cool down.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Big G, hopefully it's just a bit bruised.
    Ian, fingers crossed for your race.
    Shades, yeah, that's a milk snake - probably escaped from someone's collection. They're not venomous, fortunately.

    Rest day yesterday - spent an hour on rehab and did a bit of walking. Groin gave me a bit of a stabby pain when I was crossing the road and sped up to get out of the way of a car...it doesn't seem to like it when I open up my stride.

    Anyway, 6 miles easy this morning (didn't feel all that easy though as it was very humid). Usually body grumbles but nothing I couldn't deal with.
    The good news is I was able to get an appointment with my physio who spent most of it digging his elbow into my sore bits. He said he wouldn't give me any more exercises as I am doing everything I need to already.
    Feel a bit better now.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Steve - that is a speedy marathon pace.

    Have you any tentative plans when you might do your next marathon?   Or your next race of any distance?

    Emmy - Cal is our snake expert on here.

    When I got home from my run today I checked on the internet how big a grass snake might grow to?   Answer 6 feet 3 inches  :o. It did go onto say that they don't generally grow that big.   Pays not to believe all that we read on the internet.

    Cal - must have felt strange going to a hands on treatment with your physio.   Good that you're doing all the right stuff for rehab.   I take it he's not diagnosed anything to concern you.


  • Ian5Ian5 ✭✭✭
    Decided to take today off,was really tired when I got in from work and I'm already not running tomorrow so a couple of rest days now,probably needed as I've ran the last 11 days totalling 120 miles.
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Ian5: are your legs still hanging on? That's some serious mileage at your pace!  :D
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2020
    Ian - I think you deserve a bit of a rest.

    Here's your homework for tonight, EA's latest instructions.   Why can't they issue clear and concise information instead of waffle.

    I can't find anything that relates to events that aren't track and field, but I haven't read every link.

    https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-for-restricted-return-to-activity-for-coaches-leaders-athletes-runners-and-facilities-step-3/
  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    7.5 miles this afternoon, with my new watch :D  I really like it - it looks very similar to my Garmin 230, but it has got some nice features that I will make use of.

    I did it on my hilly trail route that I've done a few times and just as a test I tried the wrist sensor, but I'll be going back to the HR strap as I expected I would.  I just wanted to see what it was like and it's strange as it's nearly always low, plus when it is at what I'd expect it to be it takes a while to catch up in comparison to the chest strap.  

    I kind of have a reasonable feeling of what I'm running at so ran at what I thought was roughly the correct effort (as I say I've done this rote a few times), but the watch was showing say 130 when I thought I was probably at 140.  Probably miles 2 and 5 are the most representative in terms of the pace is more or less the same between the two runs (the one with the strap was from yesterday).  But even though I was running slower today there is no way I was running at 126/124 on miles 6 and 7.


    I knew this anyway but it's just interesting to see.  It's of no consequence to me as I'll be wearing the strap anyway, and I really like the new watch regardless.


  • Ian5Ian5 ✭✭✭
    Emmy-1 way of looking at it,is that i'm spending less time running now im faster  :disappointed:
    Shades-It doesn't seem to specify races but this seems to relate to it and i'm guessing what race organisers will use
    Athletics and Running activity can now take place in unlimited numbers as long as it is within a COVID secure environment
    I think last time they linked to runbritain for the road racing statement so maybe that is to follow.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Big G - good news that you're pleased with the new watch.

    Interesting comparison of HR stats.  Unusual for wrist sensor to show lower figures, that's really bad news as if that's happening to others they are doing their training at far too high HRs.



    I've skimmed the EA stuff, can't see anything on road races or trail events all track and field.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Ian - I've looked on RunBritain, nothing yet. On EA FB page they just talk of track and field, mentions Step 3 too.   Step 3 on their chart didn't include races, only virtual for road running.
  • mamafoxmamafox ✭✭✭
    Big G - I hope you haven't done any damage to your tendon. With my record the words "tendon" and "foot" bring me oout in goosebumps.

    Had a message today about a trail race going ahead in early August. I wasn't planning on doing it but it is interesting to see these races are going to be taking place. I've had a quick look at other races in August and apart from downloading a form which you fill in yourself to certify that you have no Covid symptoms there is nothing else which really leaps out as being different about the organisation of them. 

    16k done for me this morning with absolutely nothing of interest to report. Well I saw two weasels and that's about as exciting as it got  :|
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    mamafox - it's the ...itis at the end of a word that always makes me think an injury is not going to go away quickly. 😭

    Must be ages since you raced and we could so do with an epic race report from you  :)

    Funny creatures weasels, we have them but very elusive.   Think I've only seen a weasel twice when out running.


    8 miles this morning, lovely and cool and fresh and back to normal  for a Saturday now as I can notice how much less traffic than during the week.

    No wildlife to report.   

    But I did see the National Express coach is doing the Heathrow run again. 🚌  That's good as a possible option if Frankfurt does go ahead in October.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2020
    Anyone able to understand EA's Covid 19 update?   Issued at 5pm on a Friday night and then they all buggered off for the weekend and not around to answer the obvious queries.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Says unlimited numbers in a covid secure environment, but we need the runbritain update to make more relevance.

    However, gosport 1/2 ( late Nov) and Worthing 1/2 (oct 25th) both cancelled yday, they are 2000 runners races, so 2000 is obviously too many. They are normally two target races for me, worthing was postponed from Feb because of storms.
  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    For club training it says the below, in the same section of a particular document, which seems to me to be conflicting. 
    - Coaches, leaders and athletes running or training in a public space, other than a track and field facility, can take place in unlimited numbers as long as the activity is taking place within the COVID secure environment setting
    - Individual coaches and leaders should not coach more than twelve (12) athletes at any one time. 

    But it appears to say if you’ve not got everything to make it a Covid secure environment it’s still groups of 6?

    I haven’t read it all but the risk assessments and track and trace stuff is needed, as is the Covid coordinator role.

    I’m really not clear what this means for our time trial. 
  • mamafoxmamafox ✭✭✭
    That is all very complicated. I haven't even looked at the official document, just reading your posts is confusing enough for me!

    Shades - I don't see weasels that often either. I really like the word weasel, Roald Dahl used to use it often to describe his more dodgy characters and immediately you'd have an image of the sort of person he'd be talking about.

    I too am missing race reports. I was only thinking the same thing yesterday :/

    I don't think I'll run today. I had to go out and collect my son and his gf from an all night party earlier and now it's too hot to run. Never mind, after virtually zero running last week I've run every day this week so maybe a day off will not be a bad thing.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    mamafox, I'd be pretty excited to see weasels. Two foxes and a heron was about as good as it got for me today.

    Weather looks crap for tomorrow so decided I'd do my long run today (well, MLR, but it felt long). And I decided to do hills again, because I am obviously not right in the head. There were a couple up towards Crystal Palace I wanted to do, but I started by going up to Streatham, up Wellfield Walk (a steep little footpath I did for the first time on Wednesday) then across the top of Streatham Common, down through Norwood Grove (the park adjacent to it), along to Biggin Wood (the small steep wood down the road) and then along to another bit of green space that is called The Lawns, though there is more woodland than grass. I'd run down it last time, so going up was a new experience and it was quite testing. But not quite as testing as Grange Hill, which was one of the hills I'd wanted to hit. I'd come down it last time and it was steep. I think it averages out at 12.something % but it goes to 15 in the middle. Fortunately it wasn't too long.
    I had a brief bit of respite before the next hill I'd set my sighs on. However, the route I chose went down a road that turned out to be quite a steep downhill and I found this quite unpleasant (I could feel my toes hitting the end of my toebox) so I was a bit gingerish about that.
    On a bit from there was the next challenge, Fox Hill. This one has a nice 20% sign at the bottom. It starts off fairly gently but gets steep fast. Again, the steep part isn't very long but...oof.
    I turned right at the top and made my way to Crystal Palace Park and did a circuit there - downhill first, but then a short uphill after the dinosaur lake. From there I made my way back past the bottom of Fox Hill to the next bit, Stambourne Woodland Walk, which is more or less parallel although a lot windier. I'd done this last time I ran around CP and somehow managed to bag a Strava top 10 trophy, so wanted to see if I could beat my time. It starts off uphill before there's a bit of respite in the middle, but then the next bit of uphill hits 18-19%. This was the only hill I pushed on, rather than just trying to survive, and I did beat my time (although I'm still 10th).
    I then went through a park that I'd not done before, which had one steepish downhill bit, but I'd wanted to avoid having to go down Grange Hill again so it was an improvement.
    I wasn't quite sure of the route from there - I did stop briefly to ask a couple which direction Streatham was and they obliged (which meant running up another hill, not to steep but I was tired by that point so it felt like hard work).
    I came out along a main road and realised I was - it runs across the top of Streatham Common so I carried on until I reached a road called Biggin Hill. Ran down that and back through the little wood  then along to the bottom of Norwood Grove. I decided, against my better judgement, to run up Gibson's Hill at the side of it, and then realised I didn't have anything left, so I just did the steep bit at the bottom, cut back through Norwood Grove, down Streatham Common and home from there.
    14 miles in all. Garmin made it 290m of elevation, which is probably more sensible than the 1,207 feet Strava estimated (Strava always overestimates) - still a lot for 14 miles.
    Hip survived OK and hammy was less grumpy than it could have been, though both hams were pretty much jelly by the end. Achilles was the grumpiest today but can't say I'm surprised with the hills, so I'll take it a little easier for a while.
    And now I'm tired.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    TR /Big G- the EA document seems to have avoided the issue of road races altogether and the confusing 6/12/unlimited only relates to training for clubs.

    Clubs are querying whether taking a group of 12 (per leader) out for a run on road or trail is a Covid Secure Environment.   

    EA have titled this update as Step 3, but in their chart issued a while ago Step 3 had groups up to 200, but they did say that the figure of 200 was subject to government guidance.   As yet the government have not allowed group sizes to increase yet.

    EA are so thoughtless, to issue this and not update the RunBritain website accordingly before going off for the weekend just shows how inept they are. 

    If races are to go ahead in August there needs to be another update, not fair on race organisers plus us runners of course.   :)


    mamafox - I don't think EA know what it means either.   It's really not worth the read.

    Weasels are strange, they move like no other animal I've seen.   I did watch a documentary about them once, was very interesting but they are vicious little things.

    Enjoy your day off, you've done a good week's training.
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Hey everyone,

    I don't understand the EA guidance either. It seems really strange to have completely bypassed road running. 

    Mamafox: I always liked the word weasel. Hope youre enjoying your rest day. 

    Cal: that sounds like an epic run and a lot of hills. What was the elevation?

    I did 25km today and it was one of those days which really chewed me up. My asthma was not in check and it was very hot so everything felt like a lot of work. I managed it but it took me a few hours to feel normal again. 
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Almost forgot: nothing exotic this morning on nature watch: 1 heron, 2 rabbits and I think deer in the bushes
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    290 metres according to Garmin - Strava made it around 1200 feet but Strava always overestimates.
    It is a very warm day - not surprised it felt tough. I went out at 6 so it wasn't too bad then but I did wish I had taken some water towards the end - I was pretty parched for the last mile or so.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Cal - that's a fair distance at this time of year to do without water.  Not surprised you were thirsty by the end.

    Emmy - does the heat make your asthma worse or was it just one of those things?


  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Shades: normally not? It's more allergy related. I've struggled a bit this afternoon so suspect my electrolytes are out too as I've got a headache. 

    Hope everyone has been able to enjoy the sunshine
  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    No running for me today.  Just felt quite tired and thought it would have been counterproductive.  Not sure if I'll run tomorrow either as we've got plans tomorrow, but I'll see how it goes.  I may get a short run in or I may just leave it.

    After two attempts as a one off, it definitely seems the step to a one off 100-mile week is too much for me, even though I went to bed last night pretty positive thinking I only had 20 miles to do in 2 days - last night I really thought I'd do it easily!  Even running at this low HR and at an easy pace, it's tough overall as it's the cumulative affect that makes it tiring.  And the amount of food I've eaten is ridiculous, but yet I haven't put on weight.

    In other news, our veg patches are doing very well.  We've got courgettes, kale, different beans and peas growing out of our ears and pretty soon we'll be overrun with tomatoes.  None of this is an issue what with chutneys etc to make.  And we've got plenty of of lettuce and mini-cucumbers of salads etc.  We made some pesto out of the radish leaves and it's really good stuff!  Also, the leaves from the beetroot are very good in a stir fry.  This was the pesto from a couple of weeks ago.

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Wow that's a lot brighter than the pesto you get in the supermarket!
  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    Yeah, it is surprisingly good bearing in mind I was just going to put the leaves in the compost. It’s just the leaves, some olive oil, feta cheese and walnuts blitzed together. 
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Big G: that sounds lovely! Such a vibrant colour too. We have one beetroot left to pick. I never thought of doing things with the leaves. 

    A 5mile recovery this morning with the dogs and it felt a lot better than yesterday but when the sun came up, I felt it! 
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Emmy - sounds like you've had hotter weather than we have.

    Big G - never mind, 80mpw is significant mileage so you've done well to do that especially as yet no definite race dates or training plan.    It is tiring but at least you've enjoyed the eating part of it.   80mpw needs a few calories, for you that would be roughly an additional 6,000 calories for the week, so almost an extra 1,000 a day plus that sort of mileage would fire up your metabolism when not running too.

    That pesto is the most amazing colour.   


    8 miles today, my favourite hilly route again.   So glad I decided not to do a long run as it was so humid today, first 6 miles was like running in a sauna, 97% humidity.   Last couple of miles a breeze picked up and was quite cooling.   We've had some very welcome rain too.  But couldn't keep my HR down to even 80% on the bigger hills, humidity is really a killer.
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