Paris Marathon 2012

Hi everyone. Back from a couple of weeks on holidays, with a newly acquired sense of pride at being British. Loved the Olympics opening ceremony and the drama of watching honed athletes turning out their performances of a lifetime.

Yer_Maj. Did I read that right. All 9 intervals done at target pace. Who could have believed it?! Sounds like the plan is working. Very happy. You'll get the results your effort deserves and i am sure your 'close people' will be in admiration.

OO - any chance of an offcut of your thriving rhubarb next time we meet up? My sister-in-law made a gluten-free rhubarb crumble when we saw her yesterday before leaving England. I was grinning like a mad 'un. Feel free to drop in enroute to Geneva. We're on the way.

Can't believe you guys put out a spoiler for the TDF results for me. I still have highlights of about 10 stages to watch tonight when I get home. Which should set me up nicely for seeing Cav coming down The Mall like a missile to win gold last Saturday.... (

Orbutt - I saw you deviated from the HM plan. I hope you had a good excuse! As for HR being higher than normal, please understand that ambient temperature has a huge effect. As more blood is diverted to the skin to aid with cooling, so proportionally less oxygen goes to the muscles to fuel exertion. Consequently, HR rises to compensate. Don't be surprised at 10-15bpm+ when it is warmer. There are other explanations to do with viruses but as Occam's Razor told us, the obvious explanation is usually the right one. 219 is usually the theoretical limit of the HR monitor and this would suggest a shorted connection/ wrong reading. The best guide to a reliable HR reading is what is happening to your breathing. High HR should be accompanied with proportionally heavy breathing. One without the other is an error or a sure sign that you were technically dead about 5 seconds ago. The older design Garmin soft-straps had a real problem (I reverted to using an older hard plastic one for this very reason).

Marathon Maus - hope your evolving health story is working out well... TDF - Tricky Dicky Fantastic of course

Neil - a bit of runner's rage now and then isn't so bad. I can think of at least one time when I shouted at a dog owner and another time when I converted an aggressive Jack Russell into a couple of points as it ran across a road at 6am to attack me. I felt better for it at least.

Radar Sal - "a strong steady climber that can get over mountains day after day". Sounds like you need a skinny bloke with staying power and a lively mind. If I can think of anyone, I'll let you know. BTW, talking of psycho cyclists, heard an interview last week on Radio5Live with the psychologist who helps the Team GB cyclists. Putting his book on my Christmas Wish List - The Chimp Paradox by Dr. Steve Peters IIRC.

Thanks for that info DV - I could have won the mara in 1908. I blame my parents for not being alive to have me born in time. I was about 80 years too late to be great. Typical. Or 20 years to quick to get married, when I could have been perfect for Radar Sal (tbc).

Orbutt - tempo pace is slower than interval pace. Tempo is the fastest pace you could sustain for 30-40 minutes. Interval pace you are unlikely to run for more than 5-7mins max.

+1 for absolutely loving the opening ceremony at the 'lympix. Extraordinary. Engaging. Inclusive. As demonstrated by the dancer who wanted to walk round with the team from India.

Was very moved by Paula Radcliffe's announcement. Took the rare step of sending her a Tweet telling her how much I thought she was a legend and a great human being.

Did 5 or 6 runs whilst away on holiday. Ran on some of the beaches and cliffs on the south coast which were pretty tiring. 6kms of large pebbles on a heavily sloping beach were tough as well as the final ascent of 'Golden Cap'. Great to be accompanied by my border collie dog (who then needed a couple of hours sleep after those runs). Have my new clycling shoes, so maybe tonight I get to spin the pedals on my new bike. I've got Berlin Marathon to get ready for and I'm very unfit.

Glad to have you back TD. And feeling well. Hows the recupperation going?? or am I to assume the recupperation is finished?!?!?

RS - Insanely early mornings this week, I have 8 days off work then Off to my appointment now........... I will update you later.

My advice regarding HRM's in the heat............. run very very early before it gets too hot!!!

Welcome back TD!   We've all been reasonably good while you were away. Watch the women's road race last and you'll go home happy.

Kaz - I think in your case, you're running so early it still hasn't got cold

Missed my planned ferry RS as I stayed to watch the women's race to the conclusion. Didn't get home until midnight. Ah well. I do know the other results though. I was at a wedding in Bath on Saturday, so got to see the first 2½hrs of the men's race. As soon as the ceremony was over, I ducked out of the church and saw a bar with a TV across the road. I realised from a distance that they were near the end of the race, so i whipped back into church and told my wife (who is also a big fan of bike racing). She gave me a 'blessing' to go back and watch the end of the race so I dashed back across the road only to see Vinikorouv crying his tears of happiness and Cav nonchalantly swinging past the camera sipping a drink. I missed the finish and knew it wasn't worth watching the 'highlights'. Ach.

yes, very ach!  But the women's race made up for it.  All action!  Am planning a possible venture out to see the time trial on wednesday...where to go, where to go...annoying they don't say where there will be big screens, or will there be none, just the time check places...hmm...

Welcome back TD.  No, your eyes were not deceiving you

Great news for Freya Murray (although sad that it's at Paula's expense).

Is ATM knitting us a Paris 2013 thread yet?

 First things first, yer_maj...

Welcome home, TD! There's not been enough OCD behaviour around here without you..apart from the knitting and the night-shift running..

And I know it's not kind to laugh at the bike-rack stories but.....

TD - glad you are back and happy to hear that the knee is coming along well.

Middle age sucks. Because I now need reading glasses but keep losing them, I mostly try struggle along with just an ugly squint to read stuff. This of course occasionally leads to errors - like reading '14' instead of '10' on my iPhone calendar where my training plan is kept - and believe me in this humidity those extra 4 miles make a difference!

For reasons not quite clear to me I have decided to increase my fruit and veggie intake by adding green smoothies to my daily diet. Grasping for straws in the quest for improvement?

I officially hate tempo runs. This morning all the effort was there but my pace was somewhat lacking I don't know if its just general unfitness, tiredness, or what but it was bloody awful.

Of to work. But only 3 shifts until my hols.

ATM that's a jolly fine Eiffel Tower.  I need one of those for the top of my Christmas tree.

Recovery run for me this morning.  Legs like concrete and there had been no red wine for me.  Or wine of any other colour, come to that.

I can whine. It took me hours to fit the cleats to the bottom of my cycling shoes, so that in the end, I only had time to ride my bike up the hill behind my house and back again, less than 2km. Wearing jeans, no helmet, almost dark. Sprinted up the hill, almost felt sick, rolled back home again. Then I watched the TDF stage from 13th July when David Millar got the win. Bastille Day tonight on the video recorder, after any 'lympix highlights.

Little session in the gym at lunchtime i hope - get in some leg strengthening exercises and might treat my core to a workout. I could be in pain later as I have been very neglectful of late.

12.35 sluggish, weary miles done this morning.  Probably felt easier on the latter 6 miles but achilles, calves and quads all feeling Sunday's 'easy week' LSR!

Trickster - what's the plan for Berlin?

David Millar's win was one of the highlights for me

Dannirr, you'll get over the ' What? 35? Me?' stage re reading glasses and move into the ' Glasses! Fab! Aren't optometrists wonderful?' stage pretty soon..It's that or give up reading. +1 for the half-moon on string look. * + Girl in shop saying' Oh, no, not them.They make you look so severe...'.Exactly the look I was going for...*

It's warm and sunny, here.