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I love those handicap races PMJ. I had a few bad days though when I started at the back and also finished there catching almost nobody. Sounds like you had a good day.
I think I'm OK for 6-12 months Gerard. Currently I travel weekly and have a small bolt hole here in Switz. My boss wants to cut costs and for me to spend more time in UK and Paris. So same job but less travel- which I'm open to. I have an option to retire early in a couple of years so I'll see how it works out.
We have an annual handicap 5k race here too. I've done it twice and like yours today PMJ it's and out and back 5k. It's a fun thing to do. I quite like the hunter and being hunted feel to it. The great Sonia O Sullivan did it once, she was past her best but still managed a 16 min 5k. A friend of mine who was a decent track middle distance runner in his day was doing the warm up in that particular race and Sonia's husband/coach spotted him and asked if he was the best local runner as he was impressed with his warm up routine and by his physical appearance, my mate said he was the best warmer upper in the island. He ran 16:5x that day but the local standard was better then so he was nowhere near the front.
OO - That's good, sounds like you are sorted either way.
KR - yes, as per the plan, I did 10x400m on Monday, and 3M @ MP this morning.
GM - nice forecast! And a good easy pace.
Poacher - good workout. I have a working day in the garden planned for tomorrow - not ideal race prep!
PMJ - sounds like a tough handicap this week - you shouldn't be so fast!
OO - early retirement sounds appealing!
6 miles with 3 @ MP, which turned out at 7:21m/m. Avg HR was 153, but that was over the whole 6 miles.
Top bombing Gul, nice session.
Tuesday track night was replaced by a group of running chums going into Covent Garden to see Mickey Flanagan perform some new material in a tiny comedy club.
It was an early start, too many beers were had as well as the cliché end of evening kebab. Messy!
I couldn't be any further away from being a runner right now. No more beers until after I've earned it at Beachy Head on Saturday. Must also get lots of sleep. Man, I feel tired today!
Coffee...need more coffee...
GD
While the subject is about, any more input on running and retirement? For me, at the moment, running is something that just fits in easily. I get up early (not Gul o'clock but early by most standards) and get to the office and by lunchtime I need a break and an hour or so on the Thames is a great reset. At the weekend, home is quiet before 11am so popping out to do a parkrun or LSR doesn't impact anyone and hte rest of thge day is clear.
In retirement, how does it work out / how do you plan to make it work out? On the occasions I work from home, I find running much harder to fit in as it seems odd to go for an hour's run at lunchtime and then push a sandwich down rather than take an hour's lunch-break with my wife.
Gul nice stats I was just I too tired to make sense of it
KR gotta love a bit of gold standard bling
SEdan nice fast thinking
0053 your too young to retire yet !
Gerard bad fog here yesterday too ,plenty driving with no lights as well .
PMJ sounds like a fun race ,I have tried a similar sort of thing before with a few lads from work over 3 laps great fun chasing them down .
Gdawg no pre smackdown excuses now
Half in 1:32:01 this morn which is a full 3 mins quicker than my last half raced only last month,these new runners are good
1 easy , 1 steady, 5 hard at just sub 7,then 5 very hard (6:42, 6:36, 6;41,6:37, 6:43) the last fast mile hurt a lot ! then 1.1 steady to finish . Average hr 176 bpm for whole run.
Good pace for your 10k Prom run GM - even dodging those pesky cyclists! Our local half & full marathon filled this year 2 weeks beforehand (which it hasn't before), so I wouldn't chance leaving yours too late if it's something you are aiming for. We have noticed loads of race selling out locally this year, which is a problem for the Clubs in Leagues races not getting a complete team out. Running is really popular here. Our City running Facebook group (Leicester Runners) has 2,000 members and it only takes someone to post about a race filling up and boom it fills up! Gone are the days when you filled in a paper form and sent it off with a cheque and SAE.
Good lunchtime 5k handicap PMJ. Looks like you have got a good balance of work and running at the moment. I'm hoping I can still run by the time I retire, although it will probably be for pleasure and general fitness.
Nice reps Gul - looking good
At least you did some reps though G-Dawg - up to the bar and back!
Blimey, that's great going for a solo run Leslie and ending with the 5 very hard paced miles shows good endurance.
Did a linear run at the Club last night. Half mile warm up, then run as fast as you can for 20 minutes, turn and run back to the starting point in 25 minutes. It was a good run out with a lot of downhill & flat with 2 uphill parts. Managed 3.2 miles av 6.10 pace and it felt tough after Sunday's half marathon - sore legs this morning! Martin H (purple fairy) was out too and running well - another 0.3 in front!
Leslie that's a top notch solo effort.
PMJ - "retirement" is I think outdated since so many people work part time/go freelance/carry on working for as long as the phone keeps ringing. Many workplaces have very few people aged 50+ - the older folk have been forced out, taken redundo, paid off the mortgage or in many cases become a "consultant". Plus, portfolios of weirdly different part time jobs are now common, which is what MrsP and I do. As for running, one gains flexibility; weekday miles take the pressure off at the weekend and one can choose the weather. No more running in pouring rain in the dark, unless by choice.
Lovely day today, so over to Cheshire for my first 50m bike ride. Nice. Question for SJ and other bike gurus: I have to go back the gym from hell soon for a matter of weeks - are those static cycling machines any use?
KR - Thanks for the advice and it sounds like it's booming over there. Jersey is somewhat different in that the majority of the races laid on by the local club are generally free entry (or £3 if not a member) and turn up on the day but the half is a bit different as it attracts runners of all abilities some of whom are residents and quite a few onshore entries as well, but I believe you can still enter on the day, I'll probably get my entry in soon though. Sounds like a great session there and you held a good pace with the half still in your legs.
On the topic of retirement, I'm 42 and it seems a long way off yet but I plan to spend mine between here and somewhere warm preferably 6 months here and 6 months there and running will be for fitness & pleasure i.e. no cold dark mornings or evenings just lovely sunrise runs and sunset runs. We'll see though as things in life can change so quickly but all I can really hope for is to be able to run for as long as my body permits me to and I hope that's for a very long time.
Went out for a very nice 8 miler tonight with another running buddy and we did two monster hills and it was a really lovely run, perfect conditions again, so much so we both started taking our clothes off 10 mins into the run.
Easy 5 miles for me this morning, looking forward to a 6.5m or 7m tomorrow. Going to plan a slightly different route to reccy a local park which I think could be good for early morning intervals in absent of track being open.
Leslie - that's a cracking effort - very impressive!
KR - good 20min effort.
PMJ - it would be nice to be able to do some running at not quite so silly o'clock, but I can imagine I will still be working at least part-time for a long while to come yet! And as you say, there's always our better halves to consider.
Poacher - in an office of 10 people, three of us are 50 or over - it could be a good few years yet before I can afford to go part-time!
GM - some good hilly runs going down.
SEdan - a park can be a good alternative to the track for intervals - certainly works for me.
So 4 recovery miles to finish my taper this morning. Off to Happisburgh tomorrow ready for the Coastal marathon (8:45 start). Not sure if I'll be on-line while away, in which case this could be my last post till Sunday evening.
All the best to Lorenzo and G-Dawg down at Beachy Head and anyone else racing this weekend.
Gerard I got 2 pairs of Nike zoom Pegasus a while back but kept one in storage till now. Great that your still getting the nice weather over there ,not too bad here either 13c today.
KR- great pace especially with hills,you are right in that its endurance is key.
Poacher nice 50 miler ,a big reduno just before 60 for the win I say !
At 43 I've a while to go yet though ...
Gul you would still be out early if retired.
12.1 miles this morn at a more sedate 7:59 m/miles with some big hills ,not ideal I know but its tricky with nightshifts starting tonight to get the miles in and a 13 hr shift on sat night
Great sessions Leslie & KR and decent pace. I'm sure you were puffing with your HR that high Leslie.
Gerard, I'm trying to reconcile monster hills with lovely run- they don't usually combine.
Best of luck Gul for the weekend- I'm sure you will do well.
Busy time here. Pacing junior no.2 to a sub 23 parkrun on Saturday. Mara on Sunday. Derwentwater 10 a week later, Brampton to Carlisle 10, 2 weeks later. That should the end/taper for the running year, give or take any unplanned races.
What I would say about retirement is that you never give it a thought when you are young, but it occupies a lot of you thoughts the closer you get to it. I'd be more concerned about whether I had enough money to live comfortably, how I'd fill my days, and whether I still felt useful and worthy in the world. I think finding the best time to run would be quite easy to solve. Not sure I'd run much more, my old bod can't take much more than 40-50 miles a week. However more time to swim or bike would be nice.
Good luck, Gul. Just to be sure, I'm not 'racing'.
Final run last night, a 4 mile easy one at 7.35 pace. Not sure how my legs will feel on Saturday but they are certainly not race perfect.
GD
OO - Yes it does seem like an unlikely combo but the weather was perfect, my running buddy is cool, my legs felt good but I must admit I wasn't looking forward to it but it was all good. One of them is a 1/2 mile steep incline and the other is about 600m, the 2nd in particular is quite nasty, it's one of them where you just will your legs and lungs to keep going and when you reach the top the recovery is slow but a huge relief when it comes.
8 miles tonight. 1 mile w/up 3 steady and then 4 @ HMP. HMP pace came out at 6:57mm which is probably about right at the mo. 2 more weeks of training & I hope to shave about 10 seconds off that. Lovely conditions again, nice and cool and zero wind.
Super stuff from Leslie, KR, GM, SEdan, tapering from the two GDs, biking from Poacher and intensive racing plans for OO!
Away for a couple of days to make a long weekend combining visiting the in-laws near Northampton with a 40th birthday party near Oxford, so won't be about much until next week. 6, 6, 6, 8 so far this week, and hoping for something in double figures on Sunday morning to keep things ticking over.
Good luck to the weekend marathoners and racers!
Looking forward to catch up with you at the DNaTS GD - looks as though it'll be cloudy and mild down on the coast so I'm in two minds as to whether to take a very lightweight jacket in my pouch. What are you planning on running in?
Good luck to you Gul - I bet you're looking forward to a "no pressure" run so make sure you enjoy it!
More idyllic running conditions for you there GM and a good midweek run from Leslie.
Easy 4 miles for me this morning followed by a rest day tomorrow.
Lorenzo - I think I've decided to go for a baselayer and club vest. It does look mild but am expecting a cool sea breeze near the end. Might take gloves as I can stow them in my wristbands.
Spoke to guys in a Guildford running shop today who have done the event and they said footwear should be trails rather than road shoes even though it's dry. Stones and loose chalk on the cliffs.
My pal and I will be aiming for around 8.50 to 9.00 avg pace. That may change to just getting round depending how I feel on the day.
See you there!
GD
G-Dawg - that makes sense. I imagine that pacing is going to be something of a challenge given the profile of the course. The other advice I was given was not trying to run up the hills and that was from a mate who's a sub-3 marathonner.
Yep, heard similar, Lorenzo, and that will be my strategy. Will be doing a lot of walking and taking advantage of the food on offer at the checkpoints. 9.00 m/m is a figure in my head I can view on the watch as we go. I always need some sort of target. This will be flexible for this event.
GD
Good luck at beachy head tomorrow GD, looks like a big field and hopefully mild weather and wind will be kind. Look forward to you race report
Leslie - I've heard good things about those runners although I've never worn Nike as a running shoe before. Good idea to get two pairs if you like them. I seriously need to do a running shoe/clothing audit, I've got loads of stuff that I don't really use any more and I should really have a good clear out.
Abbers - Well done for fitting in some good running and enjoy the 40th party.
OO - Good luck for your mara and I hope junior no.2 has a good parkrun. I'm Impressed with your prolific racing and work/life balance. Please keep us posted as to how the weekend goes.
Good luck to the Beachy Head crew and to Gul as well. I hope you enjoy yourselves.
10k easy run again tonight, takes me up to 37.9 miles for the week so far I guess it will have to be 12.1 either tomorrow or Sunday. Might be tricky tomorrow as I have to work and Sunday might be tricky too, as I'm at a fancy dress Halloween party tomorrow night. I'd really like to see 50 in the bank though, so I will get it done somehow.
Busy few days at work and also trying to sell a car with 190,000 miles on the clock and get a newer replacement. Many of the miles are at the weekend as 3 of my 4 kids are now living away from home and the 4th is upper 6th so he is off to university next year. I got the car at 70,000 miles 6 years ago and it has moved more bugs to and from halls of residence than I care to think about. I hope to retire soonish, a few lucky breaks have ended up with me a comfortable pay packet in a position that is eminently open to reduced hours. My kid brother (a mere 48) has just gone down to 4 days a week but has no kids or wife so is a lot more financially secure.
Running, should have done a dozen yesterday but felt bad so cut it to 9, then today felt on top of the world and knocked off 6 @ 7:30 with ease. Club 8 mile race on Sunday and need to ensure it is padded enough to hit 200 for the month. Standing at 184 so say 6 on Monday need 10 on Sunday. Tomorrow is up to Loughborough to see #3.
Junior No.2 ran 22:15 at the parkrun, a minute of her PB with perfect pacing from dad, Looks like I might have more competition on the way in a year or 2, she's got potential. If I were to keep up the same pace tomorrow for 8 1/2 times the distance I would land at 3:07. Fat chance of that I suspect but let see how it goes.
You mean retire and come back on reduced hours PMJ? That a nice option if you can.
Good luck to all on the marathon racers tomorrow and the thread smack down!
Had a good park run today and fastest of the year with a garmin time of 18.41. So a happy man. Got a good first mile of 5.50 and just about hung on although pace faded a bit the last mile.
Popping in to say good luck racers! OO - I think you will manage 3:07 easily. Been side tracked by a new puppy and half term antics but hope to read those race reports next week. Hope PMJ's trip to Loughborough in the jalopy went smoothly
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