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I think I am injured again as I had to walk back from my run this morning (last 2M of 9M) as my left calf (hitherto trouble free) became increasingly painful. Previous experience tells me that another couple of minutes it would have gone pop. Notwithstanding that, I do know that if the problem is bad enough that it hasn't cleared within seven days, then it's going to be a long job. I'm doing the right thing (more of this shortly) icing and I'm going to stay off it for a few days but stretch and strengthen.
Despite the measured tone of the previous paragraph I'm extremely hacked off with it. It's now four years since I've been able to put together a consistent and progressive sequence of training and all I've achieved since then is a handful (2x5K, 1x10K and 2x10M) of mediocre performances. During this period my training has been restrained and considered - I even had a massage a couple of days ago in anticipation of the warning signs. I used to be quite a good runner once, now I feel as if I'm a sad old man who can't come to terms with getting old.
Right I'm off to sulk for a while, so please no sympathetic responses. If I'm not back within a week, then you'll know I'm proper injured. If I'm back before then, you'll know it was a fuss about nothing and you can disregard the contents of this post
PS Apologies for being so introspective....going down the shed to look out the bike
<ponders what unsympathetic response could be appropriate>
<gives up>
top bombing there BEJ
Tom - harden up dude ! calf strains are 2 a penny at this end. Bit of hot water bottle and massage with the roller and you'll be back to it in no time !..........giving the cat a kicking or blowing the froth off a couple will probably help too.
Padams and Gobi - I find it incredible you can cycle that quickly.
Last night I went out for my first ever "cycle with other people", and I thought it was ace! Did about 45 miles, out into the Peak District. It made me cycle faster, and also be a bit braver with the cleats, as they were all from a cycling club.
Apart from the best cyclist, I was easily able to beat the others (two of them) up the hills. Like I was getting up, say a two mile hill, a couple of minutes ahead.
However, on the flat they were all quicker. I can comfortably hold 18mph, but when it gets above that I am straining.
26 mph???? Hardly bears thinking about.
Anyway, I don't think cycling is totally gay anymore. Just a bit gay.
Remember that Gobi and Padams are hitting those speeds on TT courses on TT bikes, you'll be doing well to average 20 mph on a flattish ride on a half decent road surface. When the route is more hilly or its windy/carp road surface etc then av speed will drop. As said before av speed is a bit of a carp measuerement unless you ride the same routes - which I tend to do variations of. I held just over 20 mph for 3 hrs last Saturday, but struggle to go much faster - although I'm working on that !
Now, 3hours at 20mph on a real, hetro bike is well impressive.
Nice riding Dids, you'll be wearing pink lycra before you know it! A fine solo TT from Padams noted and sub 60 for 25m from Gobi - nice yardstick broken.
A nice weekend's work Marders, though if you are to improve your half mara PB it looks like you are going to have to travel to our nice flat course in the North again!
Congrats to FR on 1st V40 & BEJ on a fine & speedy 3k.
Nice 18 DanA, good to see you getting some miles in again.
Tom.. sorry to hear of your plight, though hopefully it will turn out to be a minor twinge. Following on from the recent 'decline in old age' discussion I met up with a chap from a rival club who I hadn't seen for a few years. In the mid 1990's he was a 33-35 min 10k runner, his times started to decline in his late 40's. He is in his mid 50's now and doesn't run competitively at all. Once he couldn't break 40 mins for 10k he found the prospect of going further backwards too depressing so nowadays he just runs to keep fit. While I can understand his decision to a point, I have always admired your 'keep on keeping on' attitude whilst battling with a brittle old body (I'm not too far behind you on that score!). Best of luck with it and long may you run.
Anyone care to crystal ball gaze what they will do in the future when the PB's are out of sight? I enjoy running too much to quit but it is the acceptance of slower times that I guess troubles most older runners. According to the lad in my local bike shop most old runners become cyclists!
A swift recovery to HH too.
No rain up here today so managed a dry if breezy 41m on the bike. Also tried a 1.5m test run on the treadie (2.4k on the Jools calculator
) No ill effects to report which is encouraging, 4 weeks ago I was getting a pain in the hammy tendon after 1/2 a mile onwards. No targets at the moment so will still adopt a slowly catchee monkey recovery.
One of my single mates has 6 tickets for an evening Olympic athletics session (inc. 2 x steeplechase finals, men's 400m & 400m hurdles final). Excuse me while I go and buy him a pint.
BTW if any of the northerners see Darren Bilton sporting a Knavesmire Harriers vest, it would appear that he has joined them, presumably as 2nd claim. He ran a local league 10k sporting said vest on Tuesday (& won it!)
Hopefully this isn't too obscure - just for Tom. BTW - have you given the Gobi/Chris Thompson approach a try (I've no understanding of what your training is like)
BEJ - Very impressive
Gobi - Very nice, do you think that the spur of chasing rach has helped with the improvement?
Jools - Glad it's only a 24hr thing.
HH - Hope it keep improving - you seem to have had a rough time of it lately
Mr.B - I read the same thing too but you're not a 4hr+ marathon runner
marders - curious to know if you do any running at a pace in between easy and marathon pace?
DanA - Good to hear that you're back at it
I'm having calf trouble too but of a different nature I think. The track races which I did in spikes the weekend before last followed by no running for a week and then the not exactly flat puddletown plod has left my right calf really sore but not strained - tried a run this morning but 2 miles was enough to tell me that it's still not working properly. Will try again tomorrow as I don't think that I'm doing any damage. The youngest has now slept properly for a couple of days
. Not quite over the sleep deprivation though as when I lay down on the floor to play with the aforementioned yesterday I promptly fell asleep. Still, feeling almost normal is a big step in the right direction. If I could just do some training....
In olympic tickets good news shock it seems that I have picked up tickets for 3 Olympic session out of the 11 that I applied for. 1 is definitely an evening athletics session, the other two could be basketball/cycling/athletics. Would have liked another evening session but given what others have gotten I'm reasonably happy.
Why not just grow a big moustache, get a leather hat and head off to Gay Pride instead. Why not mince off to Soho and become a rent boy?
Colour co-ordinating with your bike to such an extreme is unnatural. It's not in the bible, and death by stoning is too lenient.
It's just one step away from golf gear!
Believe me, I felt so much better buying cycling shoes when I was able to buy a black pair. I felt far less likely to be gang raped on the Cheshire Cycleway than if I'd gone for the slutty silvery White ones. If you are gonna wear a tight fitting spandex top, plastered with obscure logos you are just asking for it!
I think.
Had a bit of fun yesterday going up Col de la Croix Bauzon, a 1308m ascent in Ardeche area and an amazing 9m descent taking about 25mins with so many hairpins and sheer drops, which were very hairy. Could see Mont Vontoux from top and was tempted to do that today but group I'm with didn't want to knacker themselves out as big day on Saturday. Some beautiful scenery around here.
Fine performances each Gobi, Padams, and (easiest for me to understand) BEJ.
Wardi: I have a vague strategy (no idea if I will follow it) that as I become an old V40 rather than a young one, I might do more adventure-type stuff (ultramarathons, the odd mountain event), where the experience is more rewarding and the performance less relevant. Problem is that they tend not to be so local or so frequent.
LD - colour coordination is not required! Sadly my TT bike is not as nice as the one in the link TR posted, but it does make a difference. You wouldn't want to ride it in a group though. I have a normal road bike I use for most of my training (and all winter).
JH1 - you've got to have a go at Ventoux if you're in the area!
Sorry to stray off thread, but I did some running last night. 6M on my own at about 6:40s to the club, then 8.5M with them (av around 7s, but with some faster bits including a sub-5:30 mile towards the end), then 1.5M home for 16M at just under 7s average. No more runs of more than 8M planned now!
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLPXSSJ09/planet-x-ss-jersey
Tom - suck. how is it feeling now?
JH1 - sounds fantastic trip.
Padams, more top training and running even.
BEJ - super race.
Gobi - great 25 mile TT.
TR - nice running - those ribs getting better?
DanA - glad to hear you've back running loadsish (for u) again must be comign right. Mont Blanc cross next weekend aye? i wasn thinking about doing that, but in the end, a boys weekend of golf and poker won out (plus cheaper...)
i got out yesterday morning (in the pouring rain) to try mile reps for the second time ever outside - the last time i did them was March 2010. had to get them in reasonably early before heading off to Ascot. i think they prove that i am cr*p at them, and point at why i am also cr&p at 10km races, and unfortunately point out that i am no where near as fit/fast as i hoped/thought i was. look away if you like nice evenly paced reps.... off 2 minute recoveries 5:45, 5:56, 5:58, 6:09, 6:37 (!!!), 6:09. i did almsot give up after first rep. at least the calf was OK though.
excuses in - 30 miles in previous 2 days, slight hangover (work drinks), and the pouring rain/puddle dodging didn't help. but really.... 3 of those reps are slower than my goal marathon pace FFS. dear oh dear...
reasonable day at the races first 4 races had 2 places and 2 wins, then nothing in last 2. Far too much drinking/all day, but on my feet all day as well so bit of cross training
HH - no chance.
Dids, wish you would say what you think and stop beating about the bush
.
Dids - wonder what Boy George would have to say about that.
JH1 - sounds like you're in training camp preparing for the September smackdown.
MtR - I donned mine today for the first time.
Padams - just icing to go now, if IM campaigns need icing
Selbs - a bit better buts its taking its time. I was hoping to do a 5M race next week too. Might just risk it and hope for the best, guess I could try some strides or intervals and see how it feels. Shocking set of reps there !
Put 32M into the cycling piggy bank this morning, inc 2x20 min efforts.
I nearly died on the decent when the brakes failed.
Wardi I don't need a crystal ball I'm already old. I'm currently considering going the cowards way and backing off from the marathoning for the time being, but I haven't quite made my mind up yet. Abingdon is still a question mark.
It's a lot to do with the age of my kids. I've spent too much time out training and I've just realised they'll be leaving home for Uni very soon. I might go back to the marathon in the future though after they've left home if I'm still operational.
Tom I hope your problem doesn't prove to be too serious. It' a tough sport that gets tougher the older you get.
Dull
Dids -
Mr B, Clearly, I think that is v true, when I did my first marathon I had no idea what I was doing re training (nothings changed, lol) and did most of my long runs at what turned out to be MP+15, I must have run well below potential but it certainly didn't feel like that at the time.
Wardi - that is an interesting one, I moved to running from football as getting frustrated as to how bad I was getting (and how often injured), not sure its the same with running as always other challenges as CW points out, mountain running is something I think I could really enjoy. Hopefully as a relative newbie to running I have a few years improvement ahead before I have to decide.
Marders, great ticket preview, you have just saved me a morning of frustration so thanks for that, awesome running as ever though slightly tempered by your Take That admission.
RS - £4m for Nolan v £20 million for Henderson, am I missing something??? Glad we got our cash in before the u21's matches showed how ordinary the latter is.
Slightly off topic but have some running to report, 8 miles on Wednesday at 7mm and 10 mile trail run yesterday at 7.30ish. Mrs M is away this w/e at college reunion so babysitting duties call. Hills tonight and if I get out on Sunday evening after she gets back, I should hit 60 miles for the week which would be my biggest week ever. 17 weeks to the Dam, I really need to work out a schedule.
Clearly - pls go steady on that calf. I'm the new voice of reason on leg injuries.
Wardi/CW - as you get older you lose your speed but your endurance is better. In Europe particularly ultra races have average age profiles in mid-40's, with plenty of competitive guys 50+. Mountain races where times are irrelevant are where I aspire to spend my future days. Might still have a mara PB in me though I hope.
JH1 - awesome. Bet you're having the time of your life. Remember to take 30 secs to look up and breathe it all in.
Selbs - well remembered. Yeah I'm off to Chamonix next week for the Mont Blanc Cross plus a couple of all day training runs in the mountains. Will be like a Xempo models day out as I'm going with two of the homepage girls (yellow & blue), plus the lad in green. And purple of course.
Hope the racing was profitable. Not bothering today myself. Weather too miserable.
Went for a rare night out yesterday. In a cab at 1am and the driver, completely unprompted, told me he'd earlier picked up a guy who was telling him all about his Ironman training schedule. Noone on here I hope; confirmed a lot of triathlete stereotypes!! Couldn't resist (I'd had a couple) then telling him that I liked running 100 mile races. His reaction was not dissimilar to Ashley Cole being told he was only worth £55k a week!!! In your face Ironman.....
18mph is perfectly acceptable for a training ride on a road bike. We quite often ride in the low 20s on the road bikes in training but I can confirm it takes a lot more effort than the same speed on the TT rig.
Cleary - not at all my progress was expected and is just slower than hers due to me still running. All my training is geared to next month triathlon.
Jason - you have go and climb Ventoux it is a great climb.
It does look like a gamble, to say the least. We do have faith in Kenny's judgement, but still...
Reminds me of this humorous vid. Made up by a bloke who's just flown out to start the LA to NY race, which is just mental.
I'm going to wish everyone a fine fortnight of cycling, swimming, and occasional running as I sign off for 2 weeks' holiday. I'll be in Kenya, so it would be rude not to take the trainers and run a marathon while out there - although at 5,500ft, off-road, in a hilly game park, I think the PB is safe.
should be great PtB. nice one - i have looked at maybe doing that race before - be interested to hear all about it.
DanA - slightly profitable, bnut all spent on booze/food... good fun though. at least the weather was OK for the window of 1pm - 6pm there yest as well.
In terms of quirky marathons, I book-marked the Lake Baikal Ice Marathon thread. Partly because it sounds fun, and partly because the concept of -20 in the morning being relatively warm made me smile. Still, I guess as a marathon distance training run for VLM 2012 it would be different.
people seen the email about olympic tix...?
here's link to what is left...
http://www.tickets.london2012.com/schedule.html#1
4 x 100m Relay: round 1 4 x 400m Relay: final
Pole Vault: final Decathlon: victory ceremony
1500m: final 5000m: final, victory ceremony
4 x 100m Relay: final, victory ceremony
4 x 400m Relay: round 1
Hammer: final, victory ceremony
Javelin: victory ceremony
so - there is still avilability for that night session of athletics (mostly womens finals). bargain. only £725 per seat!!! lol. plus booking fees.