P&D Spring Marathon 2020

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  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Nice one on the LT Hamo, good session that enough to stimulate but not enough to hammer you.

    John - hopefully you'll have some more normal racing back soon.

    Good one millsy, plenty of time to extend that mp run. What are your spring plans? Are you in for Dorney at Easter?

    Steve - have you run that long before?

    Turbo done, last day of isolation. Taken a couple of days leave tomorrow and Friday as i have so much to do.
  • TR, that's worth celebrating!

    Good LT sesh there, Hamo...you're dedicated, I'll give you that.

    Steve, six and a half hours seems to be my normal but if it gets less than that for an extended period, I start to feel rough. I've tried napping in the afternoon but that makes is doubly hard to sleep at night.

    John I'm a bit envious...no idea when parkrun will return here. Doesn't look like it'll be soon. I miss it so much.

    Had a better sleep last night (only woke up twice, and was able to return to sleep both times) but felt worse on waking...typical. Same low level crappy feeling I've been dealing with off and on. I did get myself out for a 6 miler at 9am - was supposed to be recovery pace but, despite the groggy feeling, I had a hard time slowing myself down. I only managed mile 5 at recovery pace, after deliberately slowing down after mile 4 was sub-10. Felt easy enough though, so there's that.
  • Cal could tag on some plyometrics towards the end of a run? Low level crappy feeling doesn’t sound good. Do you need iron testing or something?

    I like that kind of session, hamo. 12, 12, 10 min sections are manageable chunks.

    Great news there are parkruns opening for you, John.

    The thought of MP is a long way off, Millsy! Nice work on yours.

    Has the terrain changed much, Steve?

     

    Yesterday afternoon I clocked my longest run yet – and with a bit of extremely light fartlek chucked in there. 5M at about 7:50 pace. Attempted some strides as part of the fartlek. My glutes certainly knew they hadn’t worked with that range of motion for a while. And the longer distance meant I got to see something different – a bit of the canal.


  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    SQ, good too see you are progressing well. Very promising

    TR, I don`t think I`ll be at Dorney in April unfortunately. A bit too close to the South Downs Way 50 which I entered when our local 10 miler got cancelled. With no Spring VLM I wanted to have one last go at breaking 8 hrs on that course.

    Cal, I`m missing the social aspect of parkrun but as I ran through our course last weekend in the pouring rain I was thankful that I wasn`t having to stand around for 3 hours in the rain trying to control 500 people. Hopefully I`ll find my love for it when it returns.
  • John...Nothing at all to aim for here John, so I am just ticking over and looking to jump into a few races if, and when they come up. Good (not) parkrun time, you will lower that rightly before the real thing starts up again. Like others, jealous it is looking likely for you at the minute, but happy for you.

    Millsy...Nice double with MP work. Agreed, it can feel tough and daunting when you havent done it in a while

    Steve...Fair play entering the 6hr event, it'll give you something to aim for, and whether you think it'll be on or not you just have to treat it like it will be and keep getting out the door.

    TR...Yea i like the split LT sessions when i'm not in a block, good stimulus but doesn't kill the legs, and easier to get the head around mentally as well, as SQ says. Sensible taking a few days leave, i am sure you have a mountain to get through having been "locked up" for 2 weeks. Enjoy the freedom again, how is the wife and son doing now?

    Cal...I would be a walking zombie on 6 odd hours of sleep a night. Nice 6 miler, and it's a good sign when you have to consciously slow yourself to recovery pace.

    SQ...Lovely long run, and nice to see around you too. Easy strides is the way to go for a bit to reintroduce a bit of speed back into it i'd imagine.


    10 mile GA this morning.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Nice one on the long run of 5m, you are probably ok to ease it up a bit more now.

    Millsy - fair enough, good that you have a plan

    Hamo - yes loads to do. I'll be doing some of those 10 and 12 min reps on the turbo soonish. Lad is fine, he is 19 and all sinew and muscles. The spo is slowly on the mend, still has altitude breathing. She has been allowed out for a week now, but hasnt felt well enough.

    5m easy, breathing was ok, biggest issue was all my usual niggles had seized up. But at least im back to it, although i feel pretty achey now. 2 weeks off aged 53 isnt a good idea.
  • SQ, I don't think iron's the problem, more likely it's the dodgy sleep. Glad you're getting back to it.

    TR, yeah, us old buggers seize up pretty quickly. Main thing is your breathing is fine - the rest you can work with. Good your family is improving, even if slowly.

    Millsy, I take it you RD sometimes then? I've been RD a few times at Tooting - we get 600+ there, and the course is just not built for that - very narrow in places. I haven't run for nearly two years for that reason.

    Solid 10 there, hamo.

    11 miles for me - down to Tooting, along to Figges Marsh then up to Streatham where I had another go at the horrible Hill Path (I didn't push, just wanted to see how the hamstring handled it) and back via Tooting Common. Rained during the last couple of miles - it was fine but very wet and quite cold. I felt OK though - no major pains although my left knee had a little twinge. Nothing to worry about I think, though.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Cal, yes, I`ve been at ours since the start and have RD`d 87 times. We envisaged 200 ish turning up at the start but we`ve evolved to approx 500 every week which can cause some stressful situations. 
  • Good to hear of continued progress on all the home fronts TR.  Encouraging that you felt able to turbo and are up for some gentle runs, I guess the fitness/strength wasn’t wasted even if you couldn’t apply it in a race.

    Hamo . impressive paces, especially “out of season”.  I’m the opposite with split LTs, like an oil tanker, once I’ve started I prefer not to stop until the very end.

    SQ - really good to see you popping up on Strava and here.  I might have said it before but you’re at the bottom of a huge improvement curve, no need to rush it though.

    Jools - you’ve been like a cliffhanger, I see a run on Strava with “pain” or “walked back to car” and then am surprised to see another session a day or two later.  Not recommended generally but I reckon if anyone can run something off it’s you 😀

    John - fingers crossed on PR starting soon for you.  It doesn’t seem so long ago that the fires and air quality were the biggest concern.

    Steve fingers crossed on the 6hr event.  I’m of the mindset it’s just nice to have something in the diary, it’s a bonus if it actually goes ahead.

    Millsy - that’s a decent RD stint.  Whilst I’m a volunteer rather than a RD, I am enjoying the flexibility of Sat am.

    Cal that’s a decent run after your “not recovery pace” recovery run yesterday.  Agreed on its feeling colder, gloves on today.

    AWC - 6hrs at Dinton Pastures ? Hope to be there myself if it’s on, agreed, should be a good training run for C2C, it that’s on (not sure how they’ll handle the sprint for the barrier, wave starts perhaps).

    Prompted by SQs suggestion I ran up my local incline (at 100ft over 1/2 mile I’m not sure it qualifies as a hill).  The obvious benefit was a high HR without the pounding on tarmac but hopefully there’s some strength gains in there too.  I guess it’ll take more than one session to see any benefit🤣 but hopefully find out on Sat.
  • TR...Glad to hear things are improving at home. Nice easy 5 to break you back in, it'll not be long to get back up to speed i'm sure. And as Cal says, main thing is your breathing was ok.

    Cal...Nice MLR, good that the niggles behaved during and after it.

    Millsy...Fair play to you, RD'ing that many times is serious dedication, i'm sure it can be a headache alright.

    Macca...The oil tanker reference made me lol, i like it :lol: Nice hill work, it will certainly add some strength gains. Best of luck as always with the fly 5k on Saturday.


    7 recovery miles this morning for me. It has just been announced that we are going back into a full strict lock down (same as in March/April really, apart from schools being open) until the middle of December at the earliest, so that kind of wraps up any outside hope of racing until 2021. Ah well, just have to keep plugging along i suppose, and look forward to a better year hopefully. There is worse things than races being cancelled in the grand scheme of things.
  • TR - Yes, done a few runs over 6 hours a few years back, including a 100k.
    Agreed with everyone else, good to have something in the diary.

    10 miles with the middle 4 at MP on Thursday (7:04/7:01/6:59/6:39) and an easy 8 miler today. 15 planned tomorrow for a 50 mile week.
  • JohnOzJohnOz ✭✭✭
    Hamo - shame to hear that but you’ve had a massive year of performances and are in great shape already for next year. Looking forward to your review of the year!

    TR - positive news on your family, hope you had a good couple of days off. 

    Macca - I was hoping that the weekly 5k TT you do would inspire me to follow suit but already failed to build a streak after just 1 week!

    AWC, Steve - 6 hours is a good length of time to be out there, good challenge without wearing yourself out. There’s a night time trail challenge here that’s very popular, starts at midnight and see how many 5k out and backs you can do in 12 hours. Also a marathon option if you want to still get some sleep in!

    Cal - no date yet for NSW parkruns to return, the govt is reviewing their plan. There’s still an event limit of 500 but my local one usually gets 200-300. 

    Millsy - very impressive commitment of your time! Hope you can start planning a return soon. 

    SQ - the return continues! Are you doing any buggy running?

    Had a very meh week running wise. Not really felt like getting up early and it’s getting too hot during the day to make running enjoyable. Also last weekend I ran an (unplanned) treadie marathon in memory of another virtual runner who suddenly passed away in Aug. We ran together the last time I did one and he was very active on one of the Zwift running groups. Big turnout of 200 people even though we only knew him virtually. Just a few months ago it would have been hard to imagine there would be such an event and yet it also no longer seems unusual in this strange year. 
  • hamo - I've not heard about extending the lockdown - is this local to you or did I miss something?

    John, I guess it's getting hot for you over there. Sorry to hear about your virtual buddy - a good tribute, anyway.

    Steve, good week there. I see Mrs Mac is cheering you on on Strava.

    Macca, sounds enough like a hill to me. Enough for a good workout anyway.

    Had a bash at a 5K today...and it wasn't great. I wasn't full of enthusiasm before I left the house and it took me a while to work out all my sore bits with the roller and ball. (On that note, I've started to think that half of my niggles - the QL, the right groin etc - are caused by me sleeping on my left side. Problem is it feels unnatural to sleep on my right or on my back, so the only other option is my front which often leaves me with a stiff neck). Not sure what to do about that.
    Anyway, I did three miles to warm up. I often do two but the first two were slow so I felt like I needed another.
    I did the 5K itself in 26:34 which is pretty bad, considering it was flat. I know my sleep's not been good and I've had the hamstring problem but I'm still rather disappointed as I managed to bang out several sub-25s during the summer.
    Did another mile to cool-down and left it at that.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited November 2020
    Macca - hopefully i can build on the miles as you say, as long as i don't take too long to get back there.

    Hamo - i see re the lockdown, at least you know the situation and you can get the training miles in.

    John - sorry to hear that. Someone that youve run virtually with as recent as this year ?

    Onwards and upwards Cal

    I was pissed off yday as my stirred up niggles led to a very achey and sore 6m , spent a lot of time rolling and stretchimg, and was a little bit looser for 7m today, although i had a very sore hip flexor, but thats new so im ingnoring that. 7m av 8.15 is more or less a proper run, so ive cheered up a bit. Running decent distances seems a way off.

    Turbo tomorrow, im going to try to keep Sundays and Wednesdays as Turbo.

    SPO wanted to venture out on her own with the dog, so she was under orders to not go far (a 15min job), and she came crawling back cos she stayed out for too long.
  • TR, perhaps all the time crouched on the big has made your hip flexor tight.

    I wanted to run a half today and it was a toss-up between heading for Crystal Palace with a few hills, or a flatter run along the river. Being the masochist that I am, I opted for the former.
    I did my usual route up to Streatham and on to Dulwich, but opted to bypass Hell Hill in favour of Rock Hill further along. If Hell Hills is long and hard like John Holmes, Rock Hill is short and brutal like Bob Hoskins. I did accidentally turn off to soon and found myself in a cul-de-sac, so had to backtrack, but I got to Rock Hill after that and slogged up it. It's extremely steep - 19.3% at the steepest point, so I was breathing pretty hard when I got to the top.
    I usually turn right after that to go to Crystal Palace Park, but I wanted to check out Sydenham Wells Park this time which is nearby. I knew which road to take but wasn't sure of the turning, so I followed a sign for the Green Chain (which you'd think would take you through a park) and found myself on a steep, muddy downhill through some trees that I ended up walking as I didn't fancy falling on my arse. Alas, this did not bring me into the park, but into the back of a housing estate. I managed to find my way through and was able to access the park from the other side, so did a quick circuit (it was pleasant enough) before working my way back to Crystal Palace Park. I just cut through rather than doing a circuit, via the dinosaur lake, and then made my way to the notorious Fox Hill (apparently London's steepest residential road). Slogged up there - it's steep but I think Rock Hill is worse, actually - then down through another park, alongside a rec and then down Streatham Common and from there to home.
    It was a slow old run - it took me 2:23 - but I got it done. Hamstring held up but post tib is a little grouchy (don't think it likes downhills) and I had a weird twinge in my outer left quad which I think is also due to the downhills.
    I've had an Epsom Salt bath so hopefully these aches will be temporary, especially after a rest day tomorrow.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Thats a decent length run cal. The hip flexor is a new thing so im not worried about it

    Did the turbo as planned today, 60min with a 1min bigger gear effort every 5 mins, sort of hill reps.
  • Cal - I’ll never be able to run up a long hard hill again :) Great time on feet.

    TR - sounds like a decent turbo effort. The LR distances always feel a million miles away when you’ve not done one for a while but they come back quickly enough.

    Hamo - sorry things have tightened up in NI, Hopefully you can tick over until things relax a bit.

    John - or anyone else, if you fancy a Sat am virtual (free) 5k then google Fly 5k and join up.

    After a few glasses of wine I wasn’t really up for a LR today but with a small window it had to be done mid am, the route was absolutely rammed with walkers , cyclists and runners but pace naturally picked up getting in front of people so pleasantly surprised with 18m at a decent tick over.
  • JohnOzJohnOz ✭✭✭
    Cal - good running, even though you've had an extended run of niggles, you seem to do a great job of managing them and not stopping you get out there.

    TR - must be good to get back out running, Won't take long for everything to click again with the miles you have in the bank. Yes I ran a couple of TM marathons with him just this year, the last one was just in Jul so a shock when we heard the news. His partner is also on Zwift so good to see the virtual community rally around her with a huge show of support.

    Macca - nice LR. I personally would feel too much anxiety if it was so busy but like you say it makes you go faster.

    Saw the announcement of the British Olympic marathon trials. Should be an exciting event, although seems a strange choice of course. I haven't run in Kew Gardens before but from visiting it I seem to remember it's pretty twisty and narrow paths. Anyone run around there?
  • John - I've done the Richmond Runfest half marathon five times - the first three miles of that are in the gardens - and the 10K this year which is entirely inside. And you're right, it is. The 10K was socially distanced so congestion was not an issue, but I've experienced congestion during a couple of the halves.
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Cal, sounds like some decent time on feet with a few nice hills thrown in for good measure.

    TR, hope the hip flexor niggle eases off and the running gets back to normal.

    Steve, a 6 hr event sounds like fun. A chance to run a long way but without requiring too long to recover.

    Hammo, that's bad news about the lockdown, you just need to hold on to the form you are in.

    John, a treadmill marathon is a great tribute. I`ve seen a few mixed responses regarding the venue for the Olympic trials so will be interesting.

    Macca, agreed regarding the congestion. Sunday mid-day seems to be rammed on every footpath in my area.


    I rounded off a 73 mile week with 26 trail miles on Saturday and 6 recovery yesterday. I`ve noticed how much slower I run carrying the extra kit required for the ARC. May have to see if I can get the weight down without sacrificing safety.
    Did 6 this morning as I start the Centurion week. Hopefully adding a mile or so to each of my runs throughout the week shouldn`t leave me with too much to do at the weekend.
  • Steve...Nice MP work, good to keep that up.

    John...Sorry to hear that, but that is a lovely tribute to him that many people running a virtual marathon and a comfort to his wife too i'm sure, good work. Agreed, the British marathon trials "should" be a good event, though i'm not sure every athlete who can run it is feeling the same.

    Cal...Yea, sorry should have made that more clear, the lockdown is exclusive to over here just. Not the 5k you wanted, but still a very decent hit out on your own, esp when you weren't feeling it mentally...5k is a distance i find i really need to be "up for" as it can really hurt and you need that mental strength to push on. Good hilly half to back it up as well, well done.

    TR...Nice 8 miler, glad it cheered you up and hopefully the return of the niggles was more down to running for the 1st in a fortnight than anything else. Nice to hear your wife felt up to venturing out on her own, even if she did stay out a bit long, good news. 

    Macca...Good work getting a long run in after a few glasses of wine, commitment there.

    Millsy...Lovely big week finished off with a trail marathon distance, definite ultra training there. Best of luck with the centurion week, good plan adding a mile on each day, will you do any doubles to help get the mileage in?


    8 miles with 3x (4x200m) reps off a 200m jog for me at stupidly early o'clock on Saturday morning as my Daughter wanted to tick 2 more mountains off her list (we really hiked 3 peaks, but only 2 count for the 7x7's) and i wanted to do the session before the sunrise hike and not after it when i'd be knackered. It was quite wet and windy but happy with the 3 blocks of reps coming out averaging 4.25, 4.24 and 4.31 min miling (not 100% sure i trust the watch on the last block as the gps went a bit haywire, but hey ho). 

    That was followed up by a hilly 20 mile long run on a new route for me on Sunday to round the week off at 78 miles. 

    7 recovery miles this morning to freshen the legs up.
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Hammo, yes I`ll build up with a few doubles. I usually double up on Tuesday & Thursday but this week I`ll do Monday, Tuesday, Friday & Saturday. Taking a very easy day on Thursday.  I don`t think I could manage it without doubling up. It helps to be working from home as have no commuting to work into the timings.
  • That's a bummer TR. Thought you'd be chomping at the bit. Hip flexor is almost certainly down to the increased biking combined with the lack of running. No sign of post-viral fatigue at least?
    Nowt wrong with that HM Cal.
    Casual TM marathon John - I'm guessing it wasn't a race effort?
    Great running Millsy - casual trail marathon on a Saturday.
    I did 5M including Woolacombe Dunes (not)parkrun again Saturday in 23:08 at maybe 90-95% Started steady & wound up the effort. Foot coped really well in spite of the shifting sands so Sunday I did a LR along the SWCP. 24.8M & almost 5,000ft from Lee Bridge (above Ilfracombe) to Lynmouth Harbour. The OH dropped me off, met me after 11M with flapjack & water then picked me up at the end. Perfect day for it & the foot coped fine.
    5M steady at lunch along the canal & no orthotics for the only the 2nd time. Foot slightly sore after but nothing worrying :)
  • Millsy, that's a hell of a weekend!

    hamo, sorry to hear about your local lockdown, that's frustrating. You're right about the 5K - I admit I'm finding it hard, mentally, to push myself to that level currently. Have to say you look too young to have a mountain hiking daughter!

    Jools, you're a glutton for punishment! Glad the foot isn't too bad despite you throwing everything at it.

    Not much to report here - rest day so a short walk and some push-ups.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited November 2020
    Good boozing and long run combo Macca, i approve.

    John - thats a sad tale, must have got poorly quickly.

    Millsy - hope the week goes well, i regret ot doing the century week back in the summer. Ill be lucky to get to it for November.

    Hamo - more impressive work. How fast do folks need to be to get a mara trial place ?

    Jools - you're mending well, nice one. Id like to be chomping at the bit. Im being a bit careful in case of any virus, but its the usual stomach/groin issue that hasnt liked the rest and is the issue. the return to running has also been a real big shock to my legs. But I guess its not just the lack of running but the 2 weeks of staying in, i havnt even been able to walk the dog, so my legs have gone on holiday with all the sitting around.

    Back to work today, 8m run home. Still creaking and groaning. Id like to be able to do a 12m long run this weekend, we'll see. Target is for 5 runs this week.
  • Impressed with those RD stats, Millsy. I’m also missing the social/community aspect of parkrun. Such a feel good start to the weekend. Very strong week there, and certainly no sandbagging with that Sunday going into the Centurion week. 

    Thanks, Macca. Thinking of it as being at the bottom of the improvement curve really helps frame things in a positive light. I think there not really being any races, at least of ones I would usually do, has helped with not rushing things. Tidy long run, especially post-vino. 

    Some lovely progression in those MP miles, Steve.

    First buggy run achieved yesterday, John. Definitely missed them! Lovely to hear of such a supportive atmosphere for the tribute to your friend. Could have sworn you had finished marathons for the year, although this sounds a strong reason for another.

    Good to hear of progression on all fronts, TRCal makes a good point about the bike causing tight hip flexors.  

    Super weekend of running, hamo. Not bad for ‘off plan’!

    Cracking weekend for you too, Jools. Lovely to do a one way run on the coast path. ALways brutal climbing out there. 

    Pleasing progress on show last week: a couple of hard bike sessions and five runs totalling 25M. Highlights included the aforementioned light fartlek, a recovery run with spoons and a buggy run around a frosty park with my wife. 

    Weekly miles have now gone 2, 10, 9, 14, 18, 25. The only dip being virtue of having 4 day then 3 day weeks when running on alternate days only.

    HR heading in the right direction as well - at least for the running at recovery pace. 

    NHS physio rang today to check in. Pleasing to be able to discuss things with her and say only one minor ache so far. Didn’t mention that I ignored her suggested protocol and instead sought out my own 😉

  • Millsy...Agreed, the working from home will help, and that has the look of a very good plan to get you your miles, esp with an easy day on the Thursday so you don't overdo it.

    Jools...Good work at the (not)parkrun, i hate running on sand, that is a more than decent time esp not full beans. Followed up by a proper hilly long run, class. If the foot holds up to that weekend, you are well on the mend, good to see.

    Cal...Thanks, she's only 10 to be fair :flushed: :lol: Not overly fussed or annoyed about the lockdown to be honest, needs must really and next year is (whisper it quietly :lol:) looking more optimistic with vaccines and the like, so fingers crossed. Nice recovery strolling and push ups.

    TR...Not sure what the entry requirements are for it, i know some of the elite athletes and coaches have been complaining that British Athletics have told them very little about it to be fair. Very sensible of you to be cautious of any after effects of the virus. Nice run commuting, bound to have been nice to get back to a bit of normality? 

    SQ...Bound to have been nice to get back to buggy running? Class. How is Spoons? Lovely signs of, sensible, progression too, all things are heading up for sure. Good that the NHS physio is checking in to keep you right.


    10 easy-ish miles this morning for me.
  • TR, I creak and groan all the time!

    SQ, that's great progress. I think we often know what is best for ourselves (the trick is actually doing it and not pretending we're in better shape than we are).

    hamo, I guess everyone looks young to me now. :D Nice 10 there.

    7 easy miles today. Hammy was twingey yesterday and this morning, just above the knee. I think that particular twinge might actually be the gastroc tendon as the calf is rather tight. The high ham ache is no worse than usual (ie, I don't notice it when I'm sitting - when it's bad, sitting at my desk is very uncomfortable). I had a pretty thorough roll before I went out and didn't notice it during the run, so I'm not going to worry about it. I suspect doing a fast run followed by a hilly run wasn't my smartest move, so I'll be avoiding doing that again for a bit.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited November 2020
    Good to see you are on the up again SQ

    Hamo - i would have thought itd be quite small fields due to narrow paths.

    Cal - it it didnt bother you running then it must be minor.

    I slipped and wrenched my already sore groin yday during my run home, making todays minimal 5m run back in 5m too far. But i had to get back in. Tonorrow is a bike commute and turbo day only, so its my favourite type of current (non) running day. Onwards and upwards, we'll see where i am in a week or so and i can hopefully get some physio help, as im struggling to manage this after doing a pretty good job of it for a few years.
  • Cal...Nice easy 7, hopefully that will have helped with the niggles and twinges.

    TR...Is Kew gardens very narrow? I've heard it will be a very twisty course, so all hope of fast times might go out the window, which will effectively stop most women (and some men) from getting close to selection, which is very unfair. Good write up about it here - https://www.fastrunning.com/articles/will-a-kew-gardens-marathon-be-fast-enough/31272#:~:text=British Athletics have announced that,Kew Gardens would be used
    Sorry to hear of the slip and groin issue, not nice having to struggle through runs. Enjoy your bike and turbo day. 


    11 miles with 8x 1k (off this 90 secs) this morning. The k reps came out at 3.09, 3.07, 3.08, 3.08, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 3.08 so pleased to be in and around the 5 min miling range.
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