FLM 09 - 3.45ers!

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  • Hi Eastham :-)

    Great to see as you say a familiar face

    Hope you do get in London !

    I have only done a half since Edinburgh and quite happy with my time as it was a hard one, I managed 1:46 so really hope I can keep my fitness and have a better run than Edinburgh.

    Hope you get in London too !


  • Ah...... donating blood sagas. Sometimes you think they don't want the stuff the way they behave. My GP noted a while back that my resting heart rate was 50. He said that was low but probably right for a long distance runner. He wanted to be sure so sent me for an ECG just to rule out any problems with my heart. Of course everything was ok. Went to donate platelets last week. They clocked my RHR at 46 and said their lower limit was 50 and needed some written permission from my GP and a copy of the ECG report before letting me donate! So after 45 mins waiting for them to make up their minds I was sent home without donating.

    Perhaps I should run to my next donor session; that would give me a different heart rate!
  • Hi CL - I haven't actually joined the new club yet as cinema commitments at the moment (Daniel Craig in particular) are taking up too much of my time.

    Seriously though, the club at my new gym is on totally different times to the last one and so haven't quite figured out how it will work. Do have lots of company on my own runs though as I am very evangelical and have managed to persuade lots of freinds to take it up and so can go out with them.
    Have to fit things in around dancing classes (me and the little one), karate, gymnastics....... You know the score I am sure.

    Went for my gym induction yesterday at he new gym, the PT was very impressed with all my running, took me over to a weight stack and after noticing my scorn as he handed my a 3KG weight decided that I was a challenge.

    Oh dear - could hardly brush my teeth this morning as my shoulders are sooo sore.

    Running this lunchtime though, Fingers crossed it stops peeing down.
  • Eastham will Suffice
  • Evening.

    I've just come back from my first structured speedwork session at my local track . I wasnt sure what to expect but it was really good and much more enjoyable than when I have tried to do speedowrk on my own. We did 200m then 800m intervals and surprisingly I got faster with each one.

    I am hoping to go perhaps fortnightly as I'm told speedwork is good for you , but will need that long to recover methinks! Besides that it was a friendly and sociable session.

    Access to sessions like these are another benefit of being a member of a club and I would certainly recommend joining one !

    Off now to enjoy that feeling that comes after a hard run. oh and a glass of wine !
  • That sounds quite scary, QQ!

    Getting proper structured speedwork sessions would be high on my list of reasons to join a club, but it's not urgent for me as my priority between now and next summer is building mileage and I'm quite happy to do that mostly on my own.

    (With the occasional marathon-pace run thrown in just to prove to myself that I CAN, of course!)

    Shortish "long run" for me today (not much more than 12 miles), hoping that yesterday's unscheduled 4-miler won't have done more harm than good. Tuesdays are my rest days and I'm on call then, but the practice manager all but told me to stop being a lazy sofa-spud and get out and have a "little trot". I wasn't going to discourage her from throwing me out to run! If I have a good run tonight, I'll try the "active recovery" approach more regularly.

    Who mentioned press-ups? My abs have just about stopped hurting from Sunday's effort and I'm most of the way to 100 again today. And I really don't need any more upper-body muscle!
  • LOL I am still sore from Monday and was completely rubbish on my run yesterday lunchtime. I am off to the gym again today but might just run and then run again tonight.... Twice in one day will be a new thing for me, hope i don't flake.

  • Mr Dap, have you had a nose job ?

    My stiff lower left calf has gone, and so I'll go out with the running club tonight for only the 2nd time on their 6.4 mile run, then on Friday, I'll get back to my 13.1 run.
    As I've done 4 comfy solo 13.1's in 1:39/43/47/47, I am left to reflect that the 1:39 run, and the fast 6.4 I did on the Wednesday were what done me in for my Half last Saturday. On none of these halfs did I have to dig deep to keep going. I certainly felt the 6.4 in my legs on the Thurs and Fri before the race. The time, and the tank being so empty after 9/10 miles deflated me, but maybe its a kick up the arse to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Plenty people finished after me, but I need lots of long runs that test my mental strength to avoid walking in a half again.
    Now I'm in this club, I'll be running with others of similar ability, which will provide the wee bit of weekly mental competition to push myself harder.
  • Looking forward to hearing how you get on with your "doubles", GA :o)

    Good to see you checking in, LS. The conditions on Saturday probably didn't help either. Wind resistance can make a huge difference to your time. I've got a lovely graph from Monday of a run which was evenly-paced apart from one mile which sticks out a long way because I was running directly into the wind.

    And if you've learned about some of the realities of racing half-marathons, it's been a useful experience :o)

    I've got an off-road 10k-ish race this weekend so I'll take things reasonably easy for the next few days. It's not a PB-type course and involves running up lots of steps and wading through a river, and I'll be happy with 55 minutes. And even more happy getting wrapped around a good Brummie balti afterwards.
  • vrap - rivers, steps, press ups - you know how to have a good time don't you?!!

    LS - I think those fast runs and poor conditions will have made a huge difference to your time. What a great excuse to taper, taper, taper before your next half. Oh and pick a flat course, with no wind, hail, snow etc!

    I'm off to scoff roast chicken instead of running.
  • Roast chicken? Isn't that nearly cannibalism, pidge?

    ;o)
  • Ah Vrap you're bringing back many happy memories of evenings spent in Balti houses in Balsall Heath, Moseley, Selly Oak, Selly Park etc etc etc - enjoy your meal , you'll deserve it by the sounds of things !

    L.S. Hope you enjoyed your club run.. Sure it will pep you up and restore your confidence and appetite for racing.

    I've never run twice in a day - I feel so self satisfied if I go out once it would never occur to me to go out again !(innately lazy !)

    I've got the day off tomorrow but if I get all the Christmas shopping done might go out for 5-6miles before picking up the kiddies.. sounds like a good incentive !




  • Christmas shopping! Gosh, that sounds SO organised, QQ :o)

    I think it'll be a nice sedate curry house in Erdington for us. The one that does loads of hospital catering and produces possibly the oiliest saag paneer in existence. It has the merit of being within walking-distance of Raptor Cavern.

    I've never run twice in a day either. The schedules I'll be following include occasional doubles on recovery days, but at the moment my mileage is nowhere near the point at which doubles would be useful.

    I've run 15 miles tonight :o) And drunk and kept down a bottle of orange Lucozade Sport, which is another hurdle overcome and should make FLM logistically easier.
  • Lucozade Sport is one of the great things about London. They hand it out at regular intervals. It comes in 330ml pouches which you can drink over a couple of miles or more. If you take some at every opportunity it will give you all the energy and hydration you need....sorry this sounds like some sort of ad but I think it is one of the main reasons I got round so comfortably in 2005. Not to everyones taste of course and actually disagrees with a few people if you know what I mean.
  • Lucozade Sport has always disagreed with me in the past, though I've always been aware that it was probably psychological. Having had no problems using the lemon flavour a couple of times recently, I drank a bottle of the orange variety on the way home after my run last night and was fine. Next time I'll try drinking it during the run.

    My legs feel in need of a good long walk to de-stiffen them today.
  • A question for all you 42 year old docs....

    The bottom 6 inches of my left calf ache after Saturdays undulating run. Is this due to the steeper down slopes, and me maybe 'braking' more with my left leg ? Anyway, I had my 6.4 club run and am back running like a gazelle. Albeit a gazelle with a stiff again lower left calf..?
    Hope its OK for the clubs 10 miler on Sunday. Last nights run would've been mentally much harder to do, at the fast pace we did, on my own. The 20 minute drive home soaking wet, and stiff, and then cold wasn't so thrilling.
  • Didn't get to do my second run last night. My freinds changed their schedule and my husband was still at work so I was stuck indoors with the kids. Just as well as I did much more at the gym than I had intended (I get so carried away when presented with a weight stack). However I should add at this point that my total mileage yesterday was ...2... and if I had had the second run it would only have risen to 5. I am on very low mileage at the moment, barely making 20 a week.

    It is part of my masterplan for a speedy marathon you see. In the past I ALWAYS ALWAYS get injured when I do speedwork. So now that is mainly what I am doing and then doing tons of gym work to compensate for fewer miles in the hope that I will stay uninjured. I am also desperately trying to lose a bit of the chub. Since i took up running I have ran 3 marathons and gone up one dress size - not quite the result I was looking for.

    I have come to the conclusion that despite loving running, my body is better suited to a more varied exercise programme and definatley to strength work, and or flexiblity and co-ordination type things as these are my strong points, and running fast definately isn't. I will persevere though and will be sleeker and speedier by the time Jan rolls around.

    V Jealous of all the miles you guys are doing though.

    Running at the gym tonight (while son at gymnastics) and then dancing - hooray, anyone for a cha cha?
  • LS, I'm sure the undulating nature of Saturday's run has a great deal to do with your aching calf. Treat it very gently - it's fine to run if running doesn't make it feel worse or if it loosens off during a run. I hope it settles down before long :o)

    I think it's going to be really interesting to see the end results of our widely different approaches to marathon training! I'm being more conventional than I've ever been - building mileage gradually, keeping most of my runs way slower than race pace and not doing much else. Though I MUST start making that weights bench justify the space it's taking up in the Cavern soon!

    I think I've dropped about 3 dress sizes in the time I've been running, but I haven't lost THAT much weight or toned up THAT much. They've been fiddling around with the bloody sizes! I have a few size 12 clothes from 20+ years ago that fit me just as well as the size 6 trousers I've just bought.

  • L.S. I would suspect the uphills on Saturday may have caused your calf ache. Did you stretch beforehand? Anyway I'm with Vrap on the management advice and I hope it settles for you.

    Well I had a v. successful day at the "Traffic Centre" Christmas shopping wise. I really enjoy the whole Christmas build up and hate to feel the pressure to shop in December , so I try to be prepared. ( wish I was as orgnised in other things !

    I've just come back from my local 4.5 miler ( I'm not doing to much distance either GymAddict)and rehydrated with a bottle of Lucozade "Hydro Active" Not half as cloying as Lucozade Sport for me. Try some V'rap ??
  • Well done QQ :o) I'm fairly relaxed about Christmas shopping this year because my kids all know what they want and everyone else will get sport-related things, chocolate or gift vouchers. I love Christmas too, even (especially!) the tacky commercial side that it's fashionable to sniff at. Our local lights get switched on tonight - I might pop along, though I can see them from my bedroom window.

    I tried Lucozade Hydro-Active when I was supporting at the Lucozade Hydro-Active 5k, and thought it was pleasant enough but would have been nicer if it was fizzy :o)

    A nice easy 6-mile recovery run for me today (please be patient with me - I still get a cheap thrill from saying "easy", "6-mile" and "run" in the same sentence). Rehydrating with coffee, and wondering whether I really want the remains of the ratatouille I made two days ago for dinner.
  • Oooooh Christmas lights ..how exciting. I'm looking forward again to taking my little ones around the neighbourhood to see the 12 foot inflatable santas and skiing robins that appear on peoples houses on Dec 1st !!
    I have to confess to having my first mug of mulled wine last night too !

    Home made ratatouille 2 days old or not has to be better than the microwave meal I'm about to have ! - Enjoy !
  • The ratatouille was rather nice. I added a couple of chopped sauteed portobello mushrooms and a load of freshly-grated parmesan cheese :o)

    Saw my first fully-lit domestic Christmas tree on my long run 8 days ago!
  • eastham and crazy-glad to see you both.Havnt seen much of you since edinburgh.

    Good luck into getting in for london.Ive had no confermation yet but they,ve cashed my cheque for london.

    Ive done a fair bit since edinburgh marathon:
    Northumberland coastal run(14 miles)
    Great Scottish run
    Great north run
    Great Cumbrian run
    Abingdon marathon.

    Keep in touch.
  • Ms. Dap has informed me that the Christmas Tree is 'going up' on Sunday. No use complaining I just get called scrooge or grumpy old git.

    Away this weekend in a caravan in Porthcawl. Candy floss and warm beer for the dap this weekend then.

    Can't make up my mind whether to join a club or not.

    Do you like my new picture? LS thinks I have had a nose job...lol! It's my parrot Alf.

    Good luck for all those long Sunday runs this weekend. Cant remember if anyone said they are racing....sorry.....if you are then the best of luck.
  • QQ,
    A house in Forfar has had the full, over the top, inflatable Santa ski-ing down the roof, see it from space, one million watt, "its all for the kids", what does minimalist mean?, the neighbours think its classy, etc. etc. since the 5th of November....!

    Mr Dap, hope the caravan has more than the Summer tog rating duvet our caravan had last time we did it in November...and it was too small, and Mrs Stoker has more than 50%, like most women...
    My running club costs £5 a year, but I get that back on reduced entry fees. Now that dodgy knees has gone, I certainly benefit from the faster runs we do, and I know I'll aim to get closer in future races to certain members, which will be another motivating factor helping me thro' the Winter.

    Mrs Raptor, do you write the lines read out on those slo-mo M&S ads ?... "this isn't just mushrooms, these are delicately chopped, slowly sauteed Portobello mushrooms, topped with freshly grated Parmesan..."
    Can you describe stovies in the same way ?


    Mick, what are your thots on " Me? Apologise to him ?!" Roy Keane so far ?

    Lower calf still aches, so I'll rest it till Monday.

  • OK, LS, you got me there. I hacked the mushrooms to pieces with the crumby knife that Tink had used to butter her toast with, and fried them to within an inch of their lives before dousing them in stuff that looked and tasted like lumpy tomato ketchup. And I only bought poncy mushrooms because they were marked down to 10p on the reduced counter at Tesco.

    Have fun this weekend, RD. I am not envious!

    I had to do a shorter run than planned this afternoon (my own fault for being an overindulgent surrogate parent and letting Zina have the afternoon off, leaving me with the school run), but that's OK because I've got the Suicide Six on Sunday. I had to run faster than my usual training pace to get to the school in time to pick up my daughters while ALL the kids and mummies were still around. No point having kids if you can't embarrass them by hurtling down to the school gate wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket, blingy trainers and a half-dismantled ponytail.
  • Little stoker
    Roy is doing ok for us-we,re not expecting too much from him or the side this season.When he took over we were bottom going nowhere but down.So since he came in things have improved,stability,confidence and back on track.Next season will be his big test-improve and push onwards and upwards.
  • Good evening everyone :o) I hope you've all had productive weekends!

    I've been racing - a 10k PW for the season (56.56) at the Suicide Six, but it was a highly *interesting* course and I enjoyed every sploshy little step of it. It was the first time I've ever run with XFR Bear without being conscious that I was holding him back.

    Then we went for a curry, and I could sleep for a week now!
  • Velociraptor - you're a glutton for punishment!

    You may recall my cross London 10 miler last week ended with red wine and rare roast beef chez friends. Well, today I managed a 10 miler in the other direction, out into south west London with the bonus that I didn't get lost round Elephant and Castle, plus this time I was plied with fine champagne on my arrival. What can I line up for next Sunday?
  • TetleyTetley ✭✭✭
    Not sure if I am jinxing myself by joining this thread or giving myself some mental encouragement - but beating 4 hours is my target in 2007 - managed 4.00.42 last time I did the FLM -
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