We are a small group of experienced runners of mixed ability who live in and around the Bromley area. We meet informally during the week and at the weekend to run varying distances depending on individual requirements. In the run up to marathons we have regular hill training sessions. We belong to various local running clubs and our sessions together compliment our club activity.
If you are new-to-running or looking for a running partner, why don't you post and join us for a run sometime?
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Lookslike it's cooling down in time nicely, as we are just having a thunderstorm now.
It just deluged for 20 mins, and then stopped, and now it's all gone!
10K = 58.44
5K = 28.40
I can't believe it and I'm on a real high!
Good Luck to everyone for tomorrow - I'm glad it's cooled down out there )
Next stop, a sub 4 hr 'thon!!
How was the North Downs yesterday Snoops?
Good Luck with Kenya Ashley, when are you off?
where were you then, Mr P?
[Time to Boing this thread to the top of the page.]
Went out for a summer's evening run last night and really enjoyed it - great doing summer runs, innit?
Wont be around therefore this weekend, but hope you are all ticking over nicely, and I'll certainly be around after my holidays for a few long weekend runs in August.
I had a horrendous session two days before the race in which I passed out in the bathroom of my hotel and when I came too was very sick. (JJ any ideas, I guess it may have been either the change in water, or altitude, or even a kidney infection following an 8 hour drive which was more akin to a rollercoaster ride.
All I had for the next day was water and I decided that maybe the marathon was not such a clever idea.
Fortunatly I was able to transfer to the half and took this very easy stopping for lots of photos on route.
Highly recomended just for the views, and I even saw some elehpants about 200m to the side of the road. On the second lap runners also saw Zebra and Gazzelle.
Snoops North Downs is nothing until you have done this course... 300 foot climbs at 5500 feet above sea level and then sudden drops which are so steep that you actually loose your breadth going down hill walking!
Temperature wise was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting being only 29C, however the terrain is totally exposed and there was no wind or breeze whatsoever so you quite literally got the full impact of the sun,
I got to meet and have a photo with Ben Foggle and also to meet a Kenyan guy who had just been asked to join the Kenyan National Team. He was from a poor family and had never run outside Kenya but had a marathon PB of 2 hours 6 minutes. He says next year is is coming to either London or Chicago where he intends to break the world record and that this was his sole aim at present, taking the effect of altitude I think he may well just do it.
Saw Ben Fogle do that doccy on the Marathon of the Sands - he seems to be looking for those offbeat races in Africa.
Why don't you have a crack at the Beachy Head, like Pathfinder and myself, if you want a marathon challenge?
Did Le Touquet 20k in 1hr 43 mins on saturday and had a very pleasnat day out in Normandy, meeting up with other forumites.
JJ - when do you want to resume Wednesday runs?
Beyond that I am not sure. You said you often questioned why anyone did marathons and now you seem to do the a lot and enjoy them, Maybe the same hasis happening for me. Beachy Head I guess is another of the 'scenic' marathons where time is totally irrelevant compared to the chance of taking photos and being at one with nature. This side of marathon running I do enjoy.
So your 20k Le Touquest in 1 hour 43 minutes was a very impressive time especially when you compare it to my half time of 2 hours 37. (now that must realy say something about a) the difficulty of the course, b) my current fitness level!
I believe the winner completed the course in 1 hour 6 minutes and the first marathon runner finished in 2 hours 22, god are those Kenyans fast!
That's a rather quick 20K, Snoops - pretty amazing stuff.
I don't recall that I've ever questioned mararathon running, but I probably did with ultra running - having dabbled a couple of times last year with 31 milers, I decided they were not for me, or anything further than 26.2 in future, and I'm sticking to that.
As for 26.2's, I try and do one fast one, possibly two fast ones a year, and two or three scenic/social type ones, split betweek spring and summer.
Going back to yourself, I notice the fact you've been poorly a couple of times immediately beforehand - do you think you may have developed some sort of a marathon phobia?
Hi Fliss!
College is now finished so when I get back from holiday if anyone fancies some company on weekend runs let me know. Infact, maybe I should re-phrase that to say 'if anyone would mind accompanying me on some weekend runs' )
I have listened and trained at a much slower pace this time round aiming at a 5 hour target time in all training eg. 11 minute miling. For speed work on the running machine however I have been doing sprints up to 6mph over 1/2 mile distance which again has been comfortable. From here I need to pull the two things together so that I can deliver a constant 9 minute mile pace over the whole distance and not a fast initial pace and flaking in the second half. Any tips and advise would be very very much appreciated, I have had enough of being so close yet so far and want to finally achieve.
If the phobia gets me Hmmm, but if I get through and tackle the demon it will be one more lifetime goal achieved.
As for your illness, most likely would be dehydration I would think. 8 hour drive in very hot conditions. Decreased fluid intake so that you don't have to stop on the journey. You might have picked up an infection but you would probably have been unable to even finish a half.
Snoops - will give tomorrow morning a miss as I am going out with the girls tonight and might be late in. Away on holiday for 2 weeks , get back 27th July, by which time I think you are away. Email me when you get back.
If the course had been the same as last year with two 13 mile loops I would have continued regardless this is because the scenery was so spectacular that I kept stopping and taking photos.. hence the 2 hours 37 minutes to do the half. I entered this one for the experiance and scenary and have no quelms whatsoever that I achieved the goal I set out to achieve.
I would recomend it to anyone and everyone as a fantastic well organised event.
It was never about speed - your 10k times are consistantly faster than JJ or mine.
Where you seemed to go awry was in two places:-
1. your training for marathons at about half marathon race pace (8.5 min. miling, instead of 10 min. miling) over 15 miles + distances, trained you to do a fast first 15 miles in a marathon, before you blew up and staggered/walked the rest. Your training appeared to be rather inconsistant with the distance, being more suited to a half marathon programme.
2. your mental approach did not respect the distance of 26.2. It doesn't work by taking your 10k time, multiply it by 4.2 to get a 42k distance, add 10 minutes for luck, and say that is your target time. A lot happens to you after 18 miles, which you never see in a 10k or half marathon.
In respect of the Thanet marathon, I'd say run that for enjoyment (?) and go for Abingdon or Cardiff instead for a sub 4hr - they are faster courses and being in October, the cooler consitions are more conducive.
Good luck.