P&D Spring Marathon 2020

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  • Hammo, great placing in the virtual GNR with a MP  effort. Definitely in great shape.
    Cal, doesn`t sound like the best prep for your race so I wouldn`t worry too much about the result. A 5k or 10k raced a couple of weeks out will be fine.

    I had my first race back on Saturday, hoping to improve on 2017s 8hrs 41.
    Was a surreal start arriving at 6:45 after only a handful of people had gone off. Got my temperature checked and the RD said "off you go" I hadn`t event switched the garmin on. off i went into a solo 50 mile time trial. I set myself a very ambitious target of 8 hours which looked a bit tight but thought i might as well go for it.
     
    I was struggling in the first few miles to hit my desired pace, it just felt like a long training run so trying to push on seemed a little odd for the mind to compute. After about 7 miles the pre race favorite went hammering past me and inspired me to pick up the pace a little. And I went into the first checkpoint (10 miles) a minute under my target. it took me a bit to get used to the hand sanitising before and after whilst not dropping bottles & lids etc and moving through without holding up the next runner.

    The next 8 miles went without issue, the course was extremely well marked so with a bit of knowledge from my previous run I had a good idea of where I needed to be paying attention. At the second aid station (18 miles) I just went through the timing station as had enough fluid to last until the half way point. From this point the terrain was quite a bit hillier so needed to focus on power walking the hills without slacking off. Another 7 miles in the bank  and I was wondering when the low patch was going to come.

    At the halfway checkpoint (still just on target) I filled up on a mix of Coke & water and came across some fellow runners, the 2 ladies that were battling for 2nd. Unlike my 2017 race i didnt have a low point between half way and the 32 mile aid station and overtook the 2 ladies on the hill up to the aid station. If I got to the final aid station within 6 1/2 hours I had a slim chance of an 8 hr finish. About halfway between the second place lady went flying past me (Alice Hector ex pro triathlete) and that was the last runner I saw on the course.
    I reached the final checkpoint in 6:26 knowing I was in touching distance of my "A" target. I was shuffling on well, but not quite fast enough according to my limited mental calculations and the nearer I got to the finish the more it looked like 8:10 would be a realistic finish (still a course PB of 30 mins) On the final descent back into the town my knees and hips started to feel the pounding  but I was nearly there. Once I knew where I was I realised that it would probably come in at 49 miles and maybe 8 hrs was possible but I wasn`t that bothered at that stage. A bit of a sprint finish to cross the line in 8:01:42 which I was delighted with. 40 mins faster than 2017. Once all the results were in I was 11th which just showed how strong the field was.

    Woke up yesterday and my quads were not too bad which i out down to all of the strength work I was putting in to combat the Comrades hills. It`s finally come in useful. Hopefully this means I`m capable of finally breaking 8hrs for the South Downs 50 next April (at the 3rd attempt)
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Hamo - thats a relief that you have switched to Dorney, i had a bit of a guilty conscience saturday when i saw wrexham was iffy. Glad you are in Dorney, hopefully a few other fast folks switch too, so you get a race.......cracking running in the 13.1 too. You are in top notch shape. Awesome mileage too, i was thinking about all the miles we've all run this year in lieu of racing, youve been at it, jools has been at it. Even if the weather or even covid conspires against us, the miles are all banked.

    Millsy - fantastic effort, great to see you smashing it and going so quick, esp after no build up racing, fair reward for all the work you put in including the s and c.

    AWC - i asked for a Goodwood update today, (as i need to enter IoW this week if required), will update you when i get a reply.

    9m here.
  • Hamo - that was a fantastic solo half, not far off PB iirc and to feel like you could have carried on, great stuff, Sorry about Wrexham, I did chuckle at the disco analogy though.

    Cal - I would put that down as a good training run. I’d  go for the 10k but don’t smash yourself on a LR the day after.

    Millsy - a great race.  There or thereabouts top 10 placing given the strength of the field is fantastic.  Sounds like my Thames Path, not seeing anyone for miles, and the start, I hadn’t realised I had started at the temp check.

    TR - agreed on all this decent training banked.  The key is knowing when to back off without the structure of a race/recovery. Still unsure of my plans, I might try a MP run with a view to deciding whether virtual VLM should be raced or ambled.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Macca - you've been piling it in too i guess, you just dont post much detail here. With a few A races each year the race and recovery is set, as you say without that we've put in big totals off lesser weekly miles at times too, but no taper or recovery keeps the miles high. I need a break one way or another for sure now.........do you have the wendover woods race this year?
  • I cut back a bit during lockdown but this year May,June, July and August have all being higher than any previous May, June, July and August.  I entered WW50 and WW30 - the 30 was moved back to the same day as the 50 (mid Nov) I’ll worry about which one or both after SDW100 - the week before.
  • AWCAWC ✭✭✭
    TR: thanks - can't see any problems with GW now as RT events all seem to be happening fine now which is encouraging.
    Macca: brilliant race at TP100 - sounds like you paced it really well especially that bit after halfway which is where a lot struggle. Sounds a bit different to normal Centurion races altho tbh I'm not one for talking with people loads through a race so not sure I'll miss that too much being on my own. You absolutely smashed your PB and a great placing as well.
    Millsy: your hill training really did stand you in good stead for the CW50 - that's another massive PB and to be in around top 10 is superb. 8hrs at SDW50 is definitely on the cards now! Good to hear the legs are feeling pretty good considering all the climbing and descending on that course.
    Another week another cold for me. Kids went back to school and got colds and then passed them on to me. Nightmare! Just feeling tired, run down and a bit achey. Sore head and throat. All started at the weekend and has got worse. Hopefully I'll start to pick up a bit now but after 6 months of no illness I've now had 2 in the last month or so!
  • TR - Superb consistent training this year, good idea to back off and taper.
    Hamo - Superb solo MP HM and placing.
    Millsy - Great running at CW50, superb placing too. That was a big PB, so the Comrades training paid off.
    Macca - As usual a great PB and sounds like you paced it really well.
    AWC - Hope you recover quickly from the cold.
    Cal - 10k is miles banked, the early start and LONG warm up won't have helped.

    I did 8 miles on Friday and 14 on Saturday to bring up another 50 mile week. Today was another strength workout, so 3*2 miles with 800m jog recovery. Reps came out to 13:05/08/08, happy with that pacing, 5th mile was my slowest 6:40, but the 6th was the fastest 6:28, so probably concentration dropped.
    Thinking about lining up an ultra as a back up in case Manchester doesn't go ahead (which I don't think it will).
  • Cal...Thank you. Sounds like a nice rest day. Best of luck at the 10k.

    Millsy...Thanks. That is an excellent time and position, congrats on the new pb. Must have been a strange experience of racing, but you smashed it and paced it excellently. Really enjoyed the write up too. Glad the legs seem to have recovered well too, bodes very well for a sub 8 at SDW.

    TR...Cheers. Agreed, the mileage that has been put in by people on here this year with no tapers/recoveries is something else, and will only stand us in good stead whether we race or not. Wrexham emailed again today, they are fairly certain that it'll be on  after the 2 week postponement. They are trying to run it as a Covid secure test event to get round the government relaxations (maybe "get round" is the wrong wording, as they are being very diligent but you know what i mean). But i think i'll just stick to Dorney now if i'm honest, not sure i can face another few weeks of "is it/isn't it" with no guarantee while missing a fairly certain race in Dorney. Plus Windsor/Eton looks a lovely place to take the wife away for a day or two, she definitely deserves it. Nice 9 miler, are you feeling the taper effects yet?

    Macca...Thank you. It was 49 secs down on my pb actually, never thought to compare it, very happy with that. Is there no marathons you could enter to "double up" and use virtual London with? I'm hoping i can just provide proof (strava/garmin) that i ran a marathon on the 4th to London to get the medal (for the kids, it'll be a unique one for them to keep for sure), as i am not using the time to get a gfa or champs place, and don't fancy racing with a phone.

    AWC...Yea the joys of kids going back to school having not seen germs since March :lol: Was the same in our house. Hopefully you feel better soon, and just remember you are in the taper, so meant to be taking it a bit easier, so no panic there.

    Steve...Excellent pacing, and quick 2 mile reps. Yea the concentration has to be spot on for reps, very easy for your mind to wander and the pace to slip a bit, well done bringing it back into line, that's the hard part. What sort of distance of an ultra would you go for?


    10 miles with 5x800's on the tow path this morning. All the efforts ran off a 90 secs jog. Felt in control throughout, and they came out at 2.30, 2.28, 2.27, 2.27 and 2.28, so right where they needed to be (aimed for 2.30's). More than happy with the session.


  • Millsy that's a brilliant run, well done on the PB. One of the guys in my club ran and came in 9:40ish - he's a fairly quick guy but it was his first 50 miler.
    What sort of strength stuff do you do?

    AWC - one thing I definitely don't miss about teaching is the constant stream of colds I used to pick up off the kids. Hope you feel better soon.

    Steve, I have my concerns about Manchester too. Ultras look to have a better chance of going ahead.

    Strong session there, hamo.

    Bit of a weird run for me today. I decided I didn't fancy going out in the dark so I waited for 9am so I didn't have to deal with rush hour traffic (I realised it would be very warm, but that was the trade-off). My side/back is still hurting - first few strides were downright painful but then it eased into what felt more like a stitch, as it did on Sunday. I really hope this thing buggers off as, while it isn't stopping me from running, it is making it a lot less comfortable and pleasant.
    The weird thing was I felt really uncoordinated, as though I'd borrowed someone else's legs for a bit. I've had this before and I think it's linked to fatigue as I've not been sleeping very well for the past few nights. It did improve over the course of the run so I was able to inject some faster running into the last mile (three lots longer strides to wake the legs up). A shade over six miles (well, 10K in fact) and felt better by the end of it.
    Achilles is ever present but not too bad, actually. Or maybe the discomfort in my side is distracting me from it.
  • I'm going to have to agree with a few of the others that the lack of racing has really helped with overall consistency. No rinsing yourself a couple of times a month with tapers and recovery weeks means my weekly mileages are well up on previous years without so many peaks and troughs. I do miss racing regularly though as it helps with the motivation.  Going to try my first recovery run tonight.
  • Some fantastic racing over the last week or so. 

    Macca - incredible pace to keep going for 100 miles, you really seem to have nailed the ultras. And to then back up for London is a great range. Good to see the Spartathlon training didn’t go to waste. 

    Millsy - likewise that is a great performance in a quick time. Would be a good match up to see you v macca over 100k!

    Hamo - pity that Wrexham got postponed but hopefully you can still get the fast time you deserve at Dorney. Amazing MP HM if it was less than a minute outside your PB! Any prizes for coming 2nd?

    Cal - well done on your 10k, more of a workout after 8 miles there but all good training. I’ve done a 10k 2 weeks out and a 5k one week out without any ill effects. You’ve got plenty of miles in your legs already. 

    Steve - good consistent training. It does seem that Spring marathons are looking shaky. If you’re thinking of an ultra then why not one in the Autumn as well? You’re in great shape and could choose one for the experience. 

    TR - impressed how you can bang out the LRs in the 20/10 range. Will be interesting to see it convert to the race. Is this your first P&D? Agreed with the big mileage, I’ll go over 2400 miles this week and most I’ve ever done is 2700 in a year. 

    AWC - hope you get over the cold quickly, you’ve been in good nick so hopefully will still translate into a fast marathon. I pop the echinachea as soon as the kids get a sniffle and it seems to keep the germs away. 

    Last week was a mixed bag. 4x1600m on the tready as I can hit the target paces more easily, averaged 5:46s which I can’t manage outdoors. Then did a LR workout of 20 miles with 4x4k/1k jog on the parkrun course. Planning to do it at MP but the effort was sky high for the pace, around 6:25 was pushing me above 170 HR. Should have slowed it down but stubbornly kept going at the same pace. First 3 reps were a similar pace but felt more like a LT workout. Thought about stopping but got the last one done although dropped to 6:40s and was above 180 HR by then. Toughest one I’ve ever done I think, next time I’ll just take down the pace!

    In other news I just ordered the NB Fuelcell Racer Elite... can’t seem to get any other carbon plate shoes right now and first reviews seem positive. 
  • Cal, apologies i missed your question, I already had some glute strengthening stuff my physio gave me last year but also introduced weighted lunges, split squats and step-ups a couple of times a week. My quads are definitely feeling the benefit today.
  • Great racing Millsy & Hamo. Thanks for the reports
    #Decent workout in the 10K  Cal - even I think 8 miles is a bit too long as a warm-up :D
    Enjoy the taper TR - you've earned it for sure.
    Sounds like my LR on Sunday John.
    Like your kids AWC I seem to have picked up a cold since being back at school. Slightly sore throat Friday then a bit sniffly Saturday. Did (not)parkrun with my daughter in a leisurely 29:30. Dropped her home then had some breakfast before going back to have a proper crack at it. 2K wu then smashed a 19:35 (11th quickest in 195 efforts) then a 3K cool down. Sunday I was still feeling a bit rubbish & I'd not had the best night's sleep but I was adamant I was doing another 20M along the Monmouth & Abergavenny Canal. I've done 2 progressive 2M efforts recently but not done any long MP work for ages. Decided on 4x4K off 1M float after a 5K wu where I stashed my water. 1st 2 efforts went well (6:49/6:50) & I had a brief stop to fish out a couple of gummy bears at the turnaround before starting the 3rd. I was very thirsty by this point and my legs were definitely feeling the effort so was forcing the pace but in fact I was trying too hard & ended up averaging 6:44 for this & paid for it on the final effort slipping to 7:22. I then had another breather even though I was less than a mile from my water. Luckily a passing walker offered me some from his 5L carrier which I got him to pour into my mouth. I jogged on then picked up my bottle & downed the remains before attempting another effort but after a K at 6:56 pace I settled for a decent paced finish. 2:29 all in but I'd managed 15 minutes of stoppage time too so slightly disappointing. Was coughing badly Sunday night so probably foolish to even have tried it!! Cycled 6M & ran an easy10K home yesterday which seems to have sorted me out. Another 10K in this morning & then 9K at lunch too. Cycling back now :)
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Macca - you have plenty to train for still then.

    AWC - children going back to schools and collleges will no doubt cause a fair few family illnesses leading to covid tests and isolating, just for cold and flu symptoms........i had best find my safety pins as RT say we have the go ahead.

    Hamo - i agree with yr Dorney switch, i bet lots of others did too as Dorney is now full. Shame for the Wrexham organisers, but folks cant afford to wait and it being called off and Dorney has been and gone......you are in top nick if you just missed a hm pb. Im not sure i could run much more than 13m mp in training, ive basically just ran 13m as hard as poss on my runs......not feeling frisky yet (but its too early yet), more beat up and achey, Saturdays run was tough after 20 x 3 mins midweek, but glad i got them both done.....good sess today, nice.

    Cal - im with you on the aches and niggled.

    Steve - cant see any decent sized spring maras happening myself.

    Top training John, those shoes are well reviewed. There were nikes and saucony available for a short while here at the weekend, they didnt last long.......ive not done the 20/10 paces or mp runs before. I usually do a lot of easy running. My body hurts more for it though. Will review in 2 weeks. Im happy to try new things, nothing changes if nothing changes.......

    Good return on the s and c then millsy

    Plenty of mp still there Jools especially on a warm day. Youd be unlucky to hit a hot day in Oct on IoW, ive done the 1/2 in about 30 degrees though, and that starts 11.30 too.

    5m easy peasy pace
  • Had a quick catch up. Some amazing running going on but hard to remember who did what- I should have taken notes. 
    Hamo’s silver in the GNR certainly stands out. As does Jooligan’s fantastic form. And the awesome 50m and 100m PBs from Millsy & Macca   18:11 for a hundred miles??? 😮

    I had my own little triumph in my first hundred miler, the Robin Hood 100, at the weekend.  OK, I finished last. But I finished 😁.  Hope to find time to put together a race report- but might be next week. Happy running!
  • Cal...Nice 10k with a fast finish. Hopefully you can get a good rest/sleep and that'll help the coordination and the stitch too maybe.

    Millsy...Hopefully the recovery went well for you. I agree, having a race on the horizon does wonders for your motivation.

    John...Thank you. Doubt there'd be any prizes as it was just a virtual run, not expecting any anyway. 5.46 average for 4 miles is good shifting. 4x4k's seem to be all the rage this weekend :lol: , well done on toughing it out and holding the pace, they are a tough session. Best of luck with the new shoes. I couldn't help myself and ordered the Alphafly's on Saturday morning (head was well and truly thrown when Wrexham "cancelled" so it was an impulse buy :flushed: :lol: ), so will see what they are like before deciding on footwear for Dorney.

    Jools...Hope the cold has gone now for you. That is a good (not) Parkrun, both with the Daughter (lovely) and the race effort, esp when you weren't feeling well. Similarly that is a cracking 4x4k when you aren't feeling tip top. You've worked hard, and as Macca says there was plenty of MP in there to make it a worthwhile session. Lucky, and nice of the passing walker to help hydrate you.

    TR...Nice easy peasy pace running, let those 2 big days from last week soak in. I agree, i'd have kicked myself if i'd plumped for Wrexham and Dorney went ahead and Wrexham cancelled after.

    NE...Glad to hear from you again, hope you've been keeping well. Thank you.  Excellent work for the 100 miler no matter where you finished, fair play to you and well done, my mind boggles at that distances like that. Upmost respect, can't wait to read the race report.


    13M MLR this morning, very humid which made it feel like harder work than it should, but happy with 1st 8 miles at +20, and last 5 at +10 pace.
  • Millsy - thanks. And yes, I've already logged 1500 for the year - I've got a good chance of making it to 2000 (or even 2020). I think I did around 1600 last year.

    Jools I wouldn't be disappointed with that give you're sick. Hope you feel better soon.

    NE, congrats on the 100 - it's a hell of an achievement regardless of placing. I daresay a few people didn't finish at all.

    hamo, excellent MLR - muggy here too.

    I woke up early today but really didn't feel like going out in the dark so told myself I could go out at 9, like yesterday - the only thing was that it is very warm here and I needed a double figure run, which is best done with an earlier start. I procrastinated for a while and strongly considered putting it off until tomorrow when it's cooler, but then realised that would mean a) I'd have to do four days in a row and b) I'd have one less day to recover between the MLR and my 10K. So I kicked myself out the door at 9:30 and ran up to Streatham for 10 miles of hills.
    There's a road called Valley Road which has four nasty hills leading off it: Wellfield Walk, a footpath which is nasty, brutish and short (average 10%/max 14.5%); Valleyfield Road which is long and winding (6%/10.6%); Hill Path, the long, twisty footpath I discovered the other week (6%/18% - a real treat, that one) and then Hill House Road which is not too long but has a bend and gets steepish around there (6%/10%).
    I ran them as a circuit - up Wellfield, along the top, down the road next to the common, along Valley Road then up the next one. Once I'd done all four I did it in reverse, starting with Hill House and ending with Wellfield. The idea was that I'd try to do them faster on the second pass, which I managed with Hill House and Hill Path, but then my legs were shot. I was 1 second slower and Valleyfield and then had nothing left on Wellfield. Still, a pretty good session, considering it was very warm by that point and I was pretty thirsty, despite having a hydration drink before I went out. Ran home from there and had an Epsom Salt bath. Don't usually have a bath midweek but I felt I needed it (and my legs needed a shave which is always a lot easier in the bath).

    My QL is still a problem but I did notice it felt better running uphill, for some reason - maybe the deeper breathing helps since it attaches to the ribs. Achilles got a bit cross, though, so I might have to can the hills as I get closer to Dorney.

    I'll either have a rest day tomorrow or Friday, depending on how I feel - hopefully I'll have recovered from the hills by Saturday.
  • NE - Congrats on the 100 miler!! Plenty of people wouldn't finish that distance, so massive kudos. What did you think of the course?
    Hamo - Nice 800's and MLR. I'd probably be looking at something up to 50 miles on the ultra front.
    John - That is a big session at LT!!

    Easy 6 miles today.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Cracking stuff NE, 100 is epic

    Hamo - nice one on the alphafly, do you have Next% currently or 4%. The NB are well reviewed so they might be the best rival so far.

    Cal - i do 2 short and easy days Thurs and Fri, given your race saturday.

    Steve - i think id start at 50km.

    Gave my legs a shock today with the p and d old school 8m inc 3 x 1m. I know its 4 x 1200 now, but i did mile reps before Abo and Yeovil last yr, and ran ok at both.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    AWC - just had to email my estimated finish time in so they can put me in the right wave, number will arrive next week.
  • AWCAWC ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    TR: cracking session that - my plan still has 3x1mi on it tomorrow although I don't know if I'll feel up to it
    Cal: nice 10mi hilly run. The salt bath sounds a lovely way to recover. I love being at my Dad's and hopping in to his hot tub after. Nothing better!
    Hamo: solid midweek MLR there. I see Tommy Hughes set another WR at the weekend - what a legend! Really enjoyed that article about his trining - was rereading it again this week.
    NE: congrats on your first 100 miler. You kept that quiet - just finishing those bloody things is an achievement in itself.
    Jools: another good 5km and knocking out a 20 feeling rubbish is impressive. Not surprised you felt wrecked on Sunday night!
    John: thanks for th tip - must get some echinacea and see if it works for me. I have heard others mention this in the past but never experimented myself. That's a great 20 miler even if you were working hard and nice mile reps as well.
    Steve: solid sessions there - back up ultra plan is sensible. There are lots of them happening now as they're so much easier to put on in a safe way compared to mass events. The other option is to do what TR and me are doing - a race on private grounds where the fields are smaller and there are no members of the public around.

    Got an email from RunThrough today asking for my expected finish time so definitely looks like we are good to go on Sunday week which is exciting if a little daunting now.
    Went for a 5 mile recovery today - felt better than expected as my throat is sore but my energy levels have really bounced back again.
  • Cal...Well done getting yourself out the door when you weren't up for it, and then running a double circuit of nasty hills, fair play. Very good session, both mentally and physically.

    Steve...Nice easy running. 50 is some distance.

    TR...I have the nxt%s, they are a class shoe if i'm honest and really like, so not sure how i'll find the alphaflys and which one i'll choose to race in, but nice to have the choice i suppose. I'm with AWC, my plan still has the old school 3 x a mile. Good to give the legs a shock and turn them over in the taper, well done. Brilliant news about Goodwood looking so certain, you deserve a race more than most. Must have been exciting to get that email? or a relief?

    AWC...Like i said to TR, brilliant news re Goodwood, delighted for you both. Nice recovery run, hopefully your feeling 100% soon. Yea, he blitzed the world record too, and is going for another one (3000m) on the track tonight in an event my club have organised. Though he will be racing a v60 from my club for the win and hopefully world record, so i'll not be supporting Tommy tonight :lol: I chuckled at his interview for Larne, said he wanted the world record that much that he tapered for the race for the first time in a while, he usually just trains through. His "taper" week....80+ miles :flushed: :lol: 


    For a reason i'm still not entirely sure of myself :lol: , i went for my first sports massage last night to loosen the legs up, having decided they need it as i have ran 3400 odd miles this calendar year so far, before racing. Hour and a half of pain later and i knew i wouldn't be doing the scheduled 8 miles with strides this morning :flushed: so swapped the runs and ran this evenings 4 mile recovery this morning, and will do the strides tonight. Legs weren't actually too bad this morning, very sore calves though, so better safe than sorry, and actually got a semi lie in too :love: :lol: 


  • AWC, or in fact anyone...There is a bit more back ground on Tommy, written before him and Eoin broke the father son joint marathon world record last year. Serious man... https://www.sportlink.co.uk/neil-featherby-the-amazing-story-of-tommy-hughes-a-true-inspiration/
  • Hamo - I always try not to run the day after a massage as my calves are normally sore too!! I'll have a read of that Tommy Hughes article.
    TR - Nice session. Never knew the P&D schedule changed the 3*1m to 4*1200!
    AWC & TR - Sounds like good news that your race will be on.

    12 miles today with 5 miles at MP, paced it slower this week too. 7:01/6:57/50/55/48, felt comfortable today.
  • hamo, that's sensible. I dread to think how my calves would feel.
    Great running, Steve.
    Best of luck Goodwood peeps!

    Big G, that's great news about the achilles.
    Nice run, Steve.

    Rested today - went to the gym. QL is still awful.
  • AWCAWC ✭✭✭
    Hamo: such an amazing story - defending his Derry Marathon title 28 years later at 53. Insane! sounds like a good race coming up there. That's crazy that he mainly just trains through - he must be bullet proof. Although I guess he says thats why he doesn't do speedwork to reduce his injury risk which makes sense.
    Cal: rest days sounds sensible
    Steve: well done on the MP reps - you can see from those positive splits that you were hitting those paces comfortably
    Did the 3x1mi reps at lunch today in this searing heat! Came out at 6:08 / 6:09 / 6:09 - pretty happy with those as I'm still not feeling 100% and it was in the midday sun.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    AWC - good stuff, i did 6.06, 5.56, 6.03, and therefore  worked out the odds were slightly more uphill than the even. Not sure what that pace means but significantly quicker than i intend to run at GW.

    Hamo - im sure the Next would be fine,  some folks at pro level are choosing to stick with them. On the marathon talk interview Tommy said his long run pre his valencia mara topped out at 17m, but he does it 3 days in a row.........i stopped running for a while due to my stomach/groin issue, PF and life so never raced between vlm 15 and gosport 1/2 Nov 17, once gosport was underway there was a feeling of joy at being involved again, after a few miles the reality of not having raced for ages kicked in, and it got hard quickly.........i expect a lesser version of both next weekend. I dont intend to chase the race as it could get miserable with it being 11 laps.

    Steve - good pace.

    I have sub3s of 2.51, 2.52, 2.53, 2.54 (×3), 2.55 (×3) and 2.58 to my name, so i put fwd 2.56 for my wave start at GW, i need a 56, 57 and 59 for the set. The weather and lack of build up racing will dictate, im just happy to be involved. I just hope its not a wind beating like at Brighton last yr.

    5m easy.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    In the absence of any alternatives, and always needing something on my fixture list, ive entered Goodwood December 6th too.
  • Steve...Lovely marathon pace, very good sign that it felt comfortable.

    Cal...Hopefully the rest day will have helped the QL. Best of luck tomorrow with your 10k.

    AWC...Yea man is a machine, he races as his "speedwork", so never does any speed sessions. Good mile reps, esp not feeling 100% and in that heat. Finishing that session in the plan you know that's it now, nothing else to do but easy stuff and prepare the mind.

    TR...Very well done on your mile reps too, quick paces there, esp net uphill. Fingers crossed the wind plays ball, you deserve (and i have no doubt you'll get) a smashing time. I noticed that at Larne, most elites where in the nxt%'s, not sure, the Alphas are meant to come into their own in a marathon...I'll try them for the 2@MP on race week and decide. I get what you mean, but i think the joy of racing/race nerves will override any "reality" setting in for Goodwood, you have trained excellently for this over your "break" from racing. Is Goodwood in December another marathon?


    6 miles easy peasy pace to quote TR for me this morning. Plan has me racing a 10k tomorrow, but as there is none anywhere, it'll be a TT around the country lanes on my own, strangely looking forward to it.
  • AWC, that's great consistency.

    Nice on, TR. I'd be happy with another sub-4, personally...though I'm not expecting too much at Dorney.

    hamo, 6 easy for me too but I do have a 10K tomorrow. :grin:

    Having said that, it wasn't the best run today. Took a rest yesterday but did some upper body in the gym. Had a go at flat benching. It was an exercise I used to do well at - I had a one rep max of 70kg when I was younger, which was my bodyweight at the time - but I had a lot of shoulder problems from benching all the time. I still don't have full ROM in the left one.
    I got up to 40kg for five reps yesterday - that used to be my warm-up weight. Felt heavy. I guess that's what happens when you don't lift for several years.

    Today was a slow six miler. Perfect conditions but the discomfort made it a lot less enjoyable than it should have been. I think I'm going to have to see my physio. I'm loathe to spend money as I've no income until I get a new tenant (and the flat needs repainting first) but I'd rather not be carrying this thing for the duration of a marathon (or an ultra for that matter).
    I don't know if it was a side effect of the QL thing but my stride was super short today - as low as 0.83 metres on a couple of miles. That's not good.
    On the plus side, I saw three puppies during the run - a chunky ball of white fluff with a brown patch (breed uncertain but super cute), a yellow lab (might come in handy if there's a rush on toilet roll again) and a spaniel - springer I think.
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