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P&D Autumn Marathon 2022
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That's good you feel a bit better, TR. (For the record, never could do pull-ups, but I was a monster at dipping - I 'd do reps with one of those belts you could attach plates to on a chain. I put this down to have rather short arms for my height).
While it's a pretty low bar, I managed my fastest time of the year: 26:55 (also first sub-27 this year. Finally). Nothing to write home about compared to my old times, but it gives me a bit of hope that I can pull myself out of this tailspin.
However, I did get beaten by a tree. You read that right - it was a bloke, Rob, who was practising for London next weekend where he'll be attempting a Guinness record for the fastest marathon dressed as, well, a tree. Based on today, I reckon he's got a good shot.
14m inc 6 ~mp is my usual run for today, on a flat cycle lane by the city. Swapped it to the normal commute and long run lanes just in case my tummy played up as per yday. But means a hilly wu and wd and a lumpy couple of miles in the 6m mp. Anyway 6m at a comparable av and max HR despite lumps and a bit of breeze. Coughed my guts up afterwards, and my legs were too achey late on. one week to get rid of all the mucus.......ripped up stairs carpet, final bathroom tip run and then some other chores......time for a few frothies later.
That's a very busy day with the 14 miler and the home renovations...I'd take it a bit easier if I were you.
Today I did my last double figures run - 10 miles (P&D suggests 12 but I've done my best marathons off a 10 miler the week before, probably because of relative time on feet). Was cool and sunny, perfect. Started slow (well sluggish - it usually takes a few miles for my legs to get moving) and at 4 miles it already felt like I'd gone a long way. But soon as I started to push the pace it felt a lot better. I finished with three miles around MP, which felt quite challenging, but I was wearing my big squashy Invincibles and I expect it will be easier in my Vapors with a bit of race day magic sprinkled on top.
Now to relax.
I didn't run today, thought it wise to try to get healthy, i can't get any fitter.
Cal - I guess you are collecting parkruns? I recently got my son into them (he runs exclusively in our shed on a treadmill). I figured he needed to get out more and see other humans once in a while. He seemed to like the whole experience and ran faster than he thought he would. I did tell him its easier with company but you try telling an 18 year old anything.
Last time I posted, I was about to head off on holiday.
August and into September turned out to be a bad patch of training for me. Just commitments left right and centre meaning I only averaged 22mpw for a long block of 5 weeks. But the 7 good weeks before that meant I've not been devoid of confidence, and I got into some proper speedwork during this month.
Last week wasn't great again... just an 11m run on Tuesday and nothing else until yesterday's Ealing Half Marathon. That did mean I felt pretty 'tapered' for it and decided to get my fancy expensive Nike cheat shoes out of the box and see what I could do (I've only done 1 park run and 1 marathon in 2019 in those shoes).
A decent 20 minute warm up. Beautiful conditions. A Garmin that I knew wouldn't last to half way and so I started behind the 1hr 40 pacers. Ealing isn't hilly but it's not pancake flat... especially in the first half - and by about mile 8, I'd dropped perhaps a minute behind those pacers. Bu at that 8-mile marker, I decided enough was enough and I'd slowly try to reel in those distance blue flags. I did catch them just after mile 11 - chatted to them briefly to establish that they were slightly ahead of schedule, so I felt confident I could break 1:40... and soon decided that attack was the best form of defence and moved ahead!
Around mile 12, my calf gave me some minor gip and I nursed it a little, but stepped it up again when I got to the final half mile. Very pleased when I later got my final result to have 1:37:55. Actually my second best ever half... though I've rarely really gone for a properly raced half.
Avg pace 7:28. Placed 26th in my age category out of 291... age-graded 71.1%. Four weeks to Abingdon. A GFA time of sub 3:20 looks tantalising but be too much of a stretch - especially as my my mileage has been made up of runs under 11 miles - not many longer than that in the last 2 months. If only I had an extra 3 or 4 weeks! A lot will depend on how my calf reacts. Needed to rest it today.
NE - you have time to jam a couple of long runs in. Might save your Abo day.
Cough went a bit backwards yday, today was due to be 6m inc 2mp, i eased off briefly after a few minutes as i wasn't sure it was a good idea, but then cracked on as i need to see what happens. Av 6.35 with reasonable HR, but then had a coughing fit and my chest ached from then on. It's going to end in tears one way or another...........went to the pharmacy and asked for something to clean my lungs up for a marathon on Sunday, he sold me a bottle of medicine and looked at me like I was mad.......wiill see where we are later in week.
Hopefully your lad will start to appreciate the outdoors a bit more.
NE, hope your calf is just one off. Fingers crossed.
TR, fingers crossed for you too.
5 miles easy today. Tomorrow will be less fun as it'll be a trip to the dentist. Joy.
Well done on the SB parkrun Cal.
That’s not good TR. At least you’ve an Abo entry as fallback if the chest doesn’t clear.
Down in Devon at the weekend. Rubbish parkrun Saturday followed by a hilly 17.9M on Sunday to make a 78M week.
Just the 5M yesterday but a double today: 4.2M w 4x1K on the track at lunch then 10.8M on the forest trails this evening.
See you in the spring Westy 🤞
I’ve had a nasty cold since Tuesday night so just ticking over.
Cal - hope things are smoother with you and Chester.
Jools - loads of lurgy going round here too.
Anyway, good luck. Seems I will be enjoying much better weather up here.
Good to see you inching back to it Macca. I'm not worried about the x-ray, it's routine to see a doctor after 3 wks of coughing, it's routine to have an x-ray after 4 wks etc.......i think all the plaster dust has got in my lungs (Possibly combined with lurgy), the lungs are irritated and can't clear. It's more about not pushing compromised/gooey lungs. I skipped all the plaster so breathed in clouds of it, plus we had exposed laths for a week, that were still dusty..........as you say ive had a few days off, will try to get going next week, and if the x-ray is clear, then i can get back to it. I have an Abo number but its only 3 wks away, might be back at Goodwood in December.
All the very best to the London runners tomorrow.
Up in Manchester now so did Fletcher Moss parkrun, which is a gently undulating course on gravel trail. Took it relatively easy in 29:12. Chester tomorrow, eeeek!
Got my 1st 20M done today: 20.8 in 3:01 so not quick but over 1500’ of climbing. Happy to get it done after 17M yesterday including parkrun, a short fell race & a mountainous MLR. Biggest week of the year in spite of the lurgy - which appears to have admitted defeat & buggered off 😆
The legs were more gradual...a little fatigue and soreness to start with but towards the end they got pretty wobbly and I seemed to have jammed up my left ankle somehow. I also have a massive bruise on my left shin and no recollection as to how it got there.
Chicksta - nice to see you
Jools - go easy in the taper (racing wise).
Just the 1 XC race between then & now TR. Relatively flat & firm course, on grass, so shouldn’t trash the legs too badly. Last year I ran it in road shoes it was so dry!