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TR.. ditto here, pithing it down and quite windy here until around 2pm. 4m got me soggy enough this morning.
Club tonight by which time it was dry and the wind had dropped. 6.3m Inc. a 30, 60, 90, 120, 120, 90, 60, 30 sec pyramid. Quite enjoyed it once I settled into the pace.
10 and 4 today, copped a soaking both times including a 50 metre paddle/wade this morning round the lanes. The duck pond that dried up a few years ago is back, so the ducks will be happy.......firat session since early Sept with 12x3mins, pace was reasonable too. 5 runs this week and 5 soaking, I'm bored with tgis game now............
11.5m this morning. Nice run around the racecourse and surroundings, dry up here earlier. Rain in the afternoon so got the best half of the day.
TR - Another 14m banked whilst you await the gloriously crisp, clear and calm winters day on Sunday the 4th December.
6m easy yesterday, still trying to manage the slightly sore AT, that will teach me for returning to running too soon after the Cornish marathon, I normally wait until Thursday but this time recommenced on the Wednesday! Doh!
Another marathon entered which I am now not going to do, the Salisbury Plain Winter marathon as at the time it is being run I am dropping off my oldest son @ Stansted for his year (maybe more!) in Australia and is going to work on the Gold Coast. That will be a shock to us, but of course then started to look at marathons in Australia, already eyed up the Brisbane marathon start of June and Gold Coast marathon in July for a likely visit.
OO - ooh, that's another mara on the DNS the, between us we've missed a few. Not sure if one extra day would have been the reason for your AT, may be the hills ?.........interestingly enough, the two guys on the sweat elite podcast this week both said how well theyve run in the past in winter maras, I'm a big sweaty lump so who knows.......wind strengths will be the race limiter.
Did the session 2.5 wks before london and was lurgified by the weekend.....Did Wednesday's session and soon started to develop the lurgy the spo has had, aches, shivers and upset tummy, felt ropey yday, but a bit better today. The 5 soakings Mon to weds probably didnt help though. Hopefully ill be good to go for tomorrow's final long run. 5 and 4 yday, 5 today. Looking forward to a couple of easy taper weeks.
OO.. rubbing ice up & down the achilles is one treatment I've tried, hope it settles down soon.
I know a couple of expats in NZ who speak highly of Australian/NZ marathons. Could be a good adventure for you.
2 x 4m yesterday, utterly wet & miserable up here. I tolerated a wetting on the morning run but decided to hop on the treadie for the 2nd run. 5.5m today, thankfully dry.
Watched Kevin Sinfield running through our town this morning, he's running nearly 40m a day on 7 consecutive days for the MND cause. Not bad for an ex rugby player!
Wasn't sure wether to try for the planned long run inc effort, but i felt better than yday so decided to give it a go. Thought about sacking off the mp section after a couple of miles as felt a bit ropey, but kept going and things improved. 5.5m, 10m approx mp, 4.5m.
10m came in av 6.47 vs last wks 6.43 but today's HR was av 138 max 147, last wks was 140 max 151, so probably comparable. I've had more than enough of marathon training for one year, so I'm glad I'm now done. I would still expect to see 6.3Xs for similar HRs, but we are where we are. Sub3 could be borderline, but its in the lap of the weather gods anyway, as i need a good weather day for the borderline to be relevant.
I decided to enter my home town 10m race tomorrow. I'm not really in race form ATM but as the start is a jog across town and the finish about 100m from my house I thought I might as well give it a go. After some rain early on tomorrow morning the race weather looks dry which is a blessing. Might be a few puddles to wade trough, another damp day here. 4.2m today to shake the legs out.
Turbo for me today.
Sorry for not posting for a while. Had some quite bad news domestically, and things have been a bit chaotic for a while. Hopefully settling a bit now though.
I’ll have a good read back and try and post a bit more regularly. Managed to keep ticking over running-wise, so all good really.
I hope eveyone is well 👍👍
Wardi - A good race turnout nonetheless and you will come on for that. Finishing so close to your house, what a brucey bonus!
TR - I reckon your very good for sub3, you've plenty of fast marathon miles going back decades in those legs. Don't overdo it now in these last 2 weeks, take it easy to get the full benefit of all of that training.
A 12m on Saturday and 10m yesterday, saved a weak looking week, to give a weekly total of 40m which is OK, 2 weeks post-marathon. The AT is slowly improving so not overdoing it. London GFA confirmation email has arrived, for some reason completed the form but my finger hesitated finalising the payment, will need to consider whether I really want to do it or not, slightly crazy decision to have to make, but not giving me the instant "I want to do it feel/ buzz" I get when I am entering a marathon.
OO - I can understand that, London is a lot of faff and money if you have to stay over.......Agreed, I've lots of recent miles in the bank, but the mp miles should be 6.3Xs for the same effort not 6.4Xs. Time will tell, I'm happy to be proved wrong.
5m easy commute home today.......bargains to be had on Nike website. Got some pegs for £65 and Next%2 for £135 today. Both will be squirrelled away.
And well done at the Cornish one in spite of the wasp sting (and associated tummy issues). I take it you won’t be trying the ‘Stinger’ gels then? (I’ll fetch my own coat for that one.....)
TR - just keep at it. You’ve got (3?) weeks yet. You could end up peaking just at the right time. Fall on a good weather day and if you’re feeling strong you could have a stormer. As you’ve mentioned yourself, the cooler conditions could work well in your favour.
And thank you both re the Abo comments. That feels like a lifetime ago now!! I’ll go into more detail re Abo below, but I really wasn’t sure I’d even make it round (even on Sunday morning). I almost didn’t even go - it’s a 600+ mile round trip for me, but I decided I should at least try. I drove down in our little camper van after work on Sat (I finished at 5), so I got there late. Just parked in the college car park and kipped in the van.
I’ve had achilles issues on and off for years. Typically caused by excessive overpronation I think. I’ve worked on this quite a lot, but even now I wear a structured shoe once or twice a week as part of my rotation.
Anyway, I bought some Vaporfly and I'm convinced these led to the issue. Not sure if it’s the stack height, the carbon plate, how soft they are or something else - but they’re just way too unstable for me. When I’m wearing them I can feel my feet rolling inwards/my arch collapsing even when I’m just standing in them. So (for me) it’s as if they exacerbate an existing issue. They don’t cause it, but they make it quite a lot worse. I’ve been nursing achilles niggles for months. I’m sure wearing these triggered it again.
I’ve noticed similar in other people wearing the Vaporfly at races too though (the excessive inward rolling/overpronation thing). On your next race, if you’re behind someone wearing the Vaporfly just watch what happens to their foot. If you work on the premise that your achilles should be vertical as you toe off, theirs is way past that - way way past it in some cases - thus putting significant extra stress on the achilles. So prob not an issue if you’re just racing in them or using them very sparingly, but if you’re doing a fair few miles in them then it *could create an issue. I think they exacerbate any biomechanical deficiencies, and I have lots!
I seemed ok in them for about an hour. Then it got so bad I could barely walk. My feet (heels in particular) felt desperate to closer to the ground. When I took them off the relief was instant. So the Vaporfly just don’t work for me - they cripple me! But I kept trying. I tried 4 or 5 runs in them and I just made my achilles worse and worse - to the point where I could barely run in anything. That was my issue.
In the end I ran Abo in an old pair of flats - the Asics DS Racer, which I think was discontinued in 2015!! In fact I wore the EXACT shoes when I ran Abo in 2014! (that exact same pair). Although they’re quite old they don’t have too many miles on the clock, so they were ok.
I had a real bad patch around 9-10 miles (just coming to the business park on lap 1). I was running on my own and finding it hard, when all of a sudden a group of about 30-40 all came by! That really knocked me mentally, but I managed to gather myself and just try to stick with them. Which I did fortunately. We went through halfway in 1’28’40, so I ran a 12 second positive split which was great!
The group fragmented a bit on the second loop, but I found myself running with/near a chap from Abingdon AC who got loads of very vocal and vociferous support. Although the support wasn’t directed at me it helped me a bit, so that was great. I mentioned to him at about 23-24 that we were on for 2’57 if we kept this pace. He told me after that really spurred him on. I think his PB was 2’58’xx, so he just tried to stick with me (which he did!) I think we really helped each other in that last 5k.
So all in all I was really pleased with how it went. It marked almost 6 years since my bad injury. 2.5 years of that was zero running. I’d also been told by a consultant at West Cumberland Hospital to forget about trying to run again. I had a lot of dark days during that period, but I never really gave up hope of getting back. Not deep down. It was always my target to do another marathon and try and get a GFA/sub-3 again. Having done that I feel I can just draw a line under that lay off, and just enjoy it now.
The only drawback to Abo is just how’s far it is. I hit a lot of traffic getting back. I ran the race quicker than I drove the first 26 miles of my journey home! It took me over 8 hours to get home, so I’m not sure if I’ll do it again. I like the race, but logistically it’s a bit of a mare for me.
OO.. I did plump for London as my club should have around 12 runners in 2023. As TR said I do find it logistically awkward and busy/congested. A PITA for spectators too. Having said that it's a grand event - I think this will be LM No.19 for me!
5m recovery this morning, best part of the day as it poured it down this afternoon/evening.
And agreed re northern Marathons. Abingdon has a bit of a sentimental attachment though tbh. I first ran it in 2012 just after my brother died. I took selbs’ number actually. The training, and subsequent race helped me deal with things a bit so it’s quite cathartic/sentimental for me. This was my 4th time, but it’s just such a long way from the Lakes.
Still run/walking this end, but hammie is starting to get there. I'm wondering if I'm coming down with something, as I'm absolutely wiped out today. Fingers crossed not.
Wardi - #19 runs of London, wow. I've run it six times and toying with another around the same time, Prague or Vienna. But London is special and I am feeling a bit precious, considering not taking up the place, when so many people really crave a place at London.
TR - Whats the plan now for the next 10 days or so? I've followed your lead and also bought some Nike Next% and Pegs for the same prices you have. I've 6 marathons worth in my current VF, so probably do one or two more marathons in them and then use for training. Odd that shoes can be £100 cheaper than another of the exact model just because of its colourway, don't think runners are that fussy.
Joolska - Take it easy, plenty of vits.
11m today (3m & 8m double) both started in glorious sunshine and ended in a typhoonic downpour. My available running shoes all getting very soggy.
LS - I like Abo, the logistics work well for me and its a good race with 100ish sub3 runners.
OO - similar miles here today. We paid £120ish for 4% this time of year in 2019, so £135 is decent for Next2, version 3 is due so maybe they are moving some on. I'm happy to have a black pair if it saves £100. I'll move my current pair down to B races in the new year. Pegs are a great shoe, and often around 60 or £70, rides or 1080s are always loads more and are not as hard wearing.
8 and 4 today, last double for a while. Saw a couple of different types of deer this morning.
SPO needed antibiotics at same time as me, as she no doubt had the same bacterial infection as she had same lurgy, but she gets a lot of associated side effects from the drugs so wouldn't have them. She hasnt shifted it on her own, and has got worse again. I have started coughing again too, so maybe ive caught it back off her.......not best impressed, hopefully my immune system will fight it off this time.
Jools.. ditto, may you stay lurgy free. Encouraging that your hamstring is on the mend.
OO.. when I first entered London in the early/mid 90's the ballot size was 70,000-80,000. In recent years it is 4000,000 plus! Bad luck with the soggy shoes, stuff with newspaper and leave somewhere warm is my usual tactic.
Re.shoes.. my favourite NB shoes don't seem as highly stacked as the Nike equivalents so I've never sensed any instability. Difficult to find at a decent offer price though!
4m + 7.5m double today, thankfully dry. Legs feel slightly cranky after Sunday's race but coped ok.
Tomorrow morning looks very wet. 🙄
TR - really hoping you’re not going to be derailed by illness again! 😩 Both my other half and little girl have got COVID at the mo, so I’m pretty much living at the shop! Which is fine, except it’s a wooden building (glorified shed really, or ‘chalet’ for marketing purposes!) - and it’s November in Cumbria, so absolutely freezing. I hope you stay healthy anyway. Got everything crossed for you.
OO - yes the weather is challenging at the mo isn’t it? With you on the wet shoes. Even more reason to buy sone more Next % and Pegs!!
joolska - good news on the hammy, but less good re the lurgy. Healing vibes etc.
Looks like yday was a day for doubles! I had to go to the wholesalers early doors so I was out at 5:00am on the trails in Workington. Then did the club run last night which was a night run round Whinlatter (England’s only mountain forest). A social run really, although we’d weren’t hanging about. Very pleasant though and thoroughly enjoyed.
Conditions were pretty much perfect. You park at Carlisle and then get bussed to the start - it was a bit drizzly on the way there, but by 9:30 it was glorious sunshine. If you were being really picky then it was a tad breezy in places. And the wind was blowing west to east, and the race goes east to west! So always a head wind, but it really wasn’t bad at all (barely noticeable).
In terms of race strategy - I tried to work out what pace per mile I thought I could sustain - 6’20s maybe? That’s 63’20, so I hoped I might shave a couple of secs a mile off that and get into the 62s.
Bit of a bonkers start for this race. You go downhill for about 200-300 yards, before an acute right turn onto the main road. Everyone always starts fast here - as much to get away and stay out of trouble round that bend really. And I started a bit quick! All fine though.
I always run on feel and I knew I needed to knock it back a bit - even so mile 1 was a 5’58! Mile 2 is slightly downhill too - 6’03. At this point I remembered a 5k time trial I did just beforehand Abo. I ran 18’36, with the first 2 miles as 5’58, 6’03! So I’m on 5k pace with 8 miles still to go - cracking! To be fair I felt ok - that’s the quickest part of the course, so I knew the pace would drop a tad anyway.
After that hat I just seemed to tick along around 6’10s(ish) - +/- 2 secs a mile. I went through 10k in 38’05 (a season’s best!) and then tried to hold it together as best I could. I was overtaking the odd person and nobody had passed me since mile 2, so that’s helped. There’s a very slight incline at mile 7-8 - that came in at 6’15, then mile 9 was a 6’16. I thought if I could run a decent last mile I could run 61 something. Managed a 6’03 to finish, which gave me 61’32. Only good enough for about 120th place (the winner ran 48’xx!) but I was really pleased. Really chuffed actually. I’d managed 6’09 average which I honestly didn’t think I could do. So a really cracking weekend, and I’m definitely chipping away at getting closer to my old times - Sun was only 10 secs a mile slower than my last 10 miler before I got injured (in 2017). And I was 7 mins quicker on Sunday than when I last ran Brampton in 2019. So all good 🙂
TR - Ahh! Just focus on getting as well and healthy as you can for the race. Easier said than done though as November turns into December. Of course if I used my Nike membership, the difference between these and the hotter looking colourways of the Next% and Pegs is only £45!
Wardi - Good double and thanks for the tip, luckily got 4 standard pairs of trainer on the go, so there's alway another pair.
Stormy and sunny again, so did 10m at lunchtime and decided to turned left and run on the relatively protected lanes rather than go right onto the very windy river and coastal trail. Fortunately didn't rain once, so an enjoyable easy run, around 7.45 mm banked. Mulling over if I can get away with going to run the Malaga marathon rather than my wife's work Christmas party on weekend of December 10th. Much rather run the race, some tricky negioation's needed.
OO - good luck with those negotiations.
Today was a possible 7 or 8m mp, but with pissing rain, wind, flooding and not feeling 100%, I did it as 2m easy and 7 steady. Couple of short days then 14m inc 6m mp saturday.
TR.. don't blame you for sacking the MP session, heavy rain here too this morning. At least you got out there.
OO.. methinks you need a suitable charm offensive for a Malaga trip.😊 Ditto on the trainer stack, I always have a pair in reserve.
Postponed the run this morning due to heavy rain. Cleared up later so managed 10m in the gradually fading light and pleasant conditions this afternoon.