Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
Sub 3h15
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Welcome back Freemers!!
Easy 15 miler on the trails yesterday, 8.20 pace. Will do a 3 mile recovery today which will take me to 38 miles for the week and then keep next week down to 25 miles for taper week 2.
For me, taper week 1 is always a bit of a con as I only average 40-odd miles per week in campaign, so mid to high 30s feels like a normal week.
Number for Abo came through. Strangely I started to have self-doubt. Madness!!
Welcome back, Freemers.
17 for me today at 8.14s to bring up 55M for the week. I don't think I've done that many miles per week since early April when I was tapering for London...!
Sounds promising GM - just make sure you don't overdo things in the next few days.
No need for any doubts G-Dawg - you'll be fine. In fact you'll be more than fine!
Freemers - good to hear from you again - hope all is well. My GFA number is 26694 so I've got this sneaking suspicion you'll be heading off the Championship start.
Rest day today as I managed a double yesterday - 15 miles up and around Box Hill in the morning to take me up to 38 for the week, followed by 30 miles in the afternoon on the bike with my brother (not the same bike!)
Talking of bikes, I've now discovered the joys of Boris Bikes (or should they now be Sadiq cycles?!) for getting around London - very convenient.
Lorenzo - think I might have to have a word with VLM in that case! It wouldn't be the end of the world, other than if I want to defer and they think I have already used up my one year allowance....but I'd really rather be on Green!
BB - fantastic result
GD - sounds like week 1 of the taper went to plan...just keep everything ticking over now.
GM - hope the final days this week are trouble-free
Jools - that's a great weekly total...can't actually remember when I last hit that!
16 miles for me yesterday - perfect weather, light breeze and cool.
Gerard - fantastic news - really hope that's the end of the issue, and you can look ahead to a "high" in the Low Countries
nice double, Lorenzo
Badbark - brilliant once more - running to feel can pay off in good style - garmins etc of course are useful, but imo, can also be a limiting factor sometimes . . . looking forward to your report
* bit of a dark day yesterday - I have them , thankfully, infrequently, but a lot of thoughts re personal stuff were exacerbated by the way I (or, more to the point, my legs) felt during the last 2 or 3 miles of the 15 on Saturday - really do feel like the game is up for me as a reasonable runner - if a 15 feels so hard, and a 50 mile week seems unachievable . . . . .
Jools decent week there .
Badbark amazing time ,who needs a Garmin anyway ? ,glad you got what you were looking for and I suspect there is more to come yet ! that sub 2:45 has got to be on the cards now .
Gerard sounds promising but only you can decide if you goal is realistic now or not.
Freemers your in anyway ,just keep to the side so you don't get flattened in the stampede at the start !
Birch I often feel like that when my hips are bad but it always comes back eventually. I can also get down especially after a big race with the physical and psychological effort. So chin up fella and hang in there.
Welcome back Freemers- look forward to more posts along your VLM campaign. Lorenzo looks like we are in the same GFA pen
Great to hear the tester went well Gerard, nice and steady there.
BB you are a phenomenon- I know few running that fast and none with your endurance, truly well done and a great PB.
Lovely weekend in the Lakes. Junior won bragging rights at the Keswick parkrun- I was 19:00 and she was 1 sec ahead. Then double day Y/day, 10 with the girls in the Lakes then a 5 mile top up in the evening for a 47 week. I'm now at 1868 for the year so 12*43 in the weeks left would take me to 2400miles, a new annual record which I'm unlikely to want to repeat.
I'm travelling all week so not sure I'll be around much
Jools - reverse taper it is!
Badbark - woohoo! Brilliant. Congratulations on a fab PB. Look forward to hearing all about it.
GM - sounds promising. Cotton wool now.
Lorenzo - excellent double.
Freemers - you definitely picked the better day of the weekend for your 16 miler.
Birch - hang on in there.
12 miles this morning. 3 mile w/u, then 6 progressive averaging 6:58, and 3 mile w/d to the supermarket and home. Nice way to start the taper
Birch: yup, injury/running performance and mood are very linked for me, too. It's easy to say, but please don't be hard on yourself.
Chester Marathon Report
I ran the Chester Marathon yesterday which included the British Master Marathon Championship. Training for the event went perfect without the slightest niggle or illness. I roughly followed a P&D schedule but raced almost every weekend for about 10 weeks. I ran 405 miles over 4 a week period before a 3 week taper. I equalled my PB in a 10k a week ago so knew I was in great form.
My goal for the race was a new PB by beating 2:49:09, set earlier in the year at the VLM. I was confident but this was shattered while flying over to Liverpool from Belfast. It dawned on me that I had left my Garmin charging after an early morning run. I’m a slave to the Garmin, checking my pace regularly throughout races. My plan was to keep a steady 6:20 m/m pace for as long as possible, allowing a little slow down over the last 10k. I needed to average 6:25 m/m to set a new PB. I just couldn’t imagine being able to do this without a watch. So I just hoped I could run close to this pace and get info from others. I just had to give it my all be content on whatever the result.
The race began at the Chester race course and as we ran through the town, all I could think of was my missing Garmin. It really was awful having no idea of my pace and I had no confidence at all. To make matter worse one of my two caffeinated gels fell out of my pocket, and I nearly got knocked over turning and picking it up.
I soon settled into a steady pace and after a couple of miles, I asked another runner what pace we were running. I was so happy when he told me about 6:20! All of a sudden my confidence was back and I just concentrated on trying to keep the same pace. I got talking to another guy a few miles later who said he was trying to break 2:50, so I knew if I stayed close to him I wouldn’t be far off.
I didn’t know at the time but I ran the first 10k in 39:49 which is 6:24 pace. Every few miles I asked another runner our average pace and it was always between 6:20 and 6:25. I ran the second 10k in 39:24 so went through 20k in 1:19:14. I was feeling strong and was picking off runner after runner without anyone over taking me.
At half way I shouted for a time check and was told 1:23, so exactly where I wanted to be. At about 15 mile a lady over took me, looking very strong. She was the first person to overtake me for many miles. I decided there and then, that I would give everything I had to stay with her. In my mind she was going to run about 2:47 and if I kept her in sight I would PB. I imagined an elastic band between us and she would pull me along.
I completed the third 10k in 39:27, which was 1:58:41 and my average pace was 6:22. Of course like all my splits, I didn’t know this until looking at the results afterwards. I kept the lady in sight and we both overtook person after person. No one had overtaken us.
The course was advertised as flat but there were certainly plenty of minor hills throughout. These minor hills hurt more and more as we progressed. The lady kept pulling away from me up these hills but my imaginary elastic soon pulled me back. Around 20 miles the course doubled back and the lady started getting lots of encouragement from other ladies further down the field. I heard her name was Sarah and she was the second lady.
I continued to follow Sarah but was starting to really suffer with about 5k to go. At 24 miles there was a nasty hill that really knocked the stuffing out of me. Sarah went from about 10m ahead to about 30m over a few minutes. The elastic between us was getting well stretched and it took everything I had to stop it from snapping.
I had no idea my average pace at this stage, as a few people I asked didn’t know. I just tried to claw back towards Sarah giving it my all. I was working harder than I had ever done in any race in my life. I kept repeating my daughter’s name as a mantra but my body was screaming at me to stop.
I found out later that I completed the fourth 10k in 40:49, so was at 2:39:30 and 6:25 pace average. The last mile seemed like the longest of my life and a few other runners overtook me for the first time since Sarah. She must have been struggling too, as I had managed to close the gap a bit.
We turned a corner and I was finally running on the grass of the racecourse. I could see the finish line in the distance and totally buried myself still not knowing if I was on for a PB. I was ‘gurning’ so much it took an age before I could make out the finishing clock. I finally made out 2:48 and kicked one last time passing the line in 2:48:39. I collapsed over the line and was very grateful to be on grass as my head hit the dirt.
A few marshals helped by turning me on my side and talked me down as I was hyperventilating. After about 30 seconds I recovered enough to sit up and throw my hands in the air screaming ‘I’ve PB’d!’ I got a few cheers and laughs from the crowd as I was helped to me feet.
My chip time was 2:48:36, and I have never been happier of achieving a running goal. Not knowing if I’d succeeded until near the finish made it incredibly tough, but so much sweeter when I did. However, I certainly don’t plan on racing without a Garmin again. It was just too damn stressful throughout.
I’ve since found out Sarah’s surname was Webster. She will never know I exist but I’ll always be grateful for our imaginary elastic band! She finished 9 seconds ahead of me and won £750 as 2nd lady. Chuffed for her!
Fantastic report BB - you definitely left it all out there. And good job Sarah!
Start as I mean to go on - was staying in London last night so got an early run done and dusted this morning - 6 miles (Canary Wharf to St Katherine's dock and back on the Thames path).
Birch - What Jools said and also try think about the pure joy of running for the sake of it and being able to. Enjoy every one, even the tough ones, we are so lucky to get this running thing. I hope your mood has lifted.
Freemers - Nice to see you. Hope you get the VLM issue sorted.
OO - Is that where you are from up there? 1 second? You let her take the win didn't you? : Impressive mileage.
Jools - Thank you.
Gul - Nice dozen!
Another run for me last night. 7 mile plod with a buddy. I felt a slight twinge in my foot about halfway and feared the worst but I blocked it out and thankfully it didn't materialise. Iced it last night and foam rolled. Feels fine this morning. Won't risk running today. Might go for a little jog Wednesday, fly out Thursday so no running then and maybe one last jog on Friday in The Hague where I'll be staying. The weather forecast is looking amazing, sunny Fri-Sunday with max 20c. I'll take that, even if things don't go my way it will be lovely to have a bit of fine weather and do a bit of exploring.
I think a runner like you who races regularly has to really race from time to time and chasing Sarah seems to have done that. If you are an occasional racer then I can understand the point of erring on the side of caution and the Garmin is great for that, but you need to err on the other side and overcook it from time to time but with the occasional reward of a massive PB.
Final mini-Zatopek session this morning; 8 miles with 16x400m tempo / 200m easy, averaging 1:31 for the tempo efforts. Noticed I had a high temperature afterwards and think I may have caught the lurgy from Mrs GD; better now than next week or later!
GUL another speedy run looking good for the coastal.
Freemers good early start to the campaign
Badbark great report and sounds like you gave it 100% , other runners must have thought you were crazy asking the pace at the level . I think if you went back to focusing on the mara for a while there are still big pb's to be had !
Gerard - looking hopeful now, so keeping fingers x'd for you
Gul - ano fine session; hope the bug keeps away,or, as you say, comes and goes quickly !
OO - great family running weekend there - and splendid ytd total . . .
PMJ said "I think a runner like you who races regularly has to really race from time to time " ---
articulates better my point re devices sometimes being a limiting factor . . .
...I asked her [Paula] what time she had aimed to run the first half of the London Marathon of 2003. She told me she didn’t know. Her broad aim in marathons was to run a “negative” split – that is, to get faster in the second half. But, beyond that, she never chained herself to a schedule of splits throughout the race.
“I ran how I felt,” she said. “I had a mantra of ‘no limits’ throughout my career … So I never really ran to try and hit certain times at halfway, or whatever. The big thing was: Why would we set a limit? What if you felt better than that? What are you going to do? Slow down?”
This idea of ‘no limits’ sounds like common sense. But it is the very opposite of what happens in most marathons. I have sat in the meeting rooms of mid-range business hotels in Europe and America on the day before major races, as the organiser has set out his schedule of how fast the pacemakers will run the first half of a race, the first 30km, the first 35km. Two dozen elite East African runners with astonishing personal bests have nodded along. And, almost invariably, the plan has gone awry on race day – in large part, I always think, because most Kenyans and Ethiopians want to run as Radcliffe ran: on feel, not splits. Indeed, in Boston in 2011, when Geoffrey Mutai and Moses Mosop recorded what were then the two fastest marathons ever (2:03:02 and 2:03:06), Mutai says he had no idea how fast he was running, or what his split times were. He was just trucking.
Full article...
I'm just about getting back into the swing of things. I had the option for a GFA but decided it was time to stop that and the flurry of acceptance and rejection magazines on social media has now calmed down. Last child was delivered to university about 10 days ago so Mrs PMJ and myself had a long weekend away in West Sussex. Got in a few very nice runs: one round one of the headlands which was more on foreshores/beaches than paths and the other was a 5 mile into Chichester to run parkrun and 5 back.
Trying to make it more about enjoying running with an occasional race for the fun of it rather than chasing races week in week out for the times.