5K

Hmmmm 

mike rushton wrote (see)

m blessed with natural athleticism, that was evident from a young age(comes from my dad who was one of the fastest in his county), its also evident in my brother who does boxing at amateur level but has ran a sub 50 second 400m w/o athletic training. But hey we'll see how I improve in the next month, if I can get around the 17:00 - 17:30 range from 18:48 in 4 weeks training i think that will be a realistic short term goal and i'll be pleased if I achieve it.

Which park run? And how come you changed your name?

After your last post, i must admit the "cynicism alarm bells" are gently ringing.

Sub 50 400m off no proper training? So, top 260 in UK in 2011?

"Natural athleticism"?

Did a 7min 2km run this morning on an incline and wasn't that exhausted at the end of it, really pleased.

Stevie - The Bolton parkrun, and yeh I can't remember his exact time but it was 49-50secs on a proper track, remember boxing training is just as hard as athletics training imo so yeh top 260 in the uk at the age of 22 is good for him. 

Nick - Thanks! Will for sure post my time here after my saturday run.

Doing hill reps for the first time tonight, then a rest tomorrow, wish me luck! 

had a quick look at the Bolton page, quite surprised to see it's partly run on a track! That should guarantee it's a lot quicker than other park run courses, so you have the best chance really.

Mike, good time! looks like you're up for a fast one, look forward to hearing about it

Stevie - Yeh I love the track, so much easier than on the road going up and down the hills. I clock the 800m point once i come off the track in 2:30-35 but thats the adrenaline because I always set off slightly too fast I like being near the front(the guy who clocked 16:30 last week I was beating at 800m). I need to slow down. 

Makes sense Mike, set off behind him and relax, then chase him at the end, you'll have plenty left and could well surprise him and yourself, as you said a natural flair for running is clearly there, you'll pick up the racing instinct as you go along, go for it!!

cardiff is one of the fastest.travel down there for a good tme

Mike, people tend to find that a track can give them 15-30secs quicker than the road.

You need to pace yourself a lot better, as a 2.30ish 1/2mile and then finishing in high 18s is one massive slow down.

(and that's coming from me...someone who did a 5.24 first mile in my last 10miler ..average pace 5.50)

I think Nick's advice is sound. Simply follow the fastest person there and then overtake them before the end of the race. No one can fail with such a clear recipe for success.  I do something similar with the skinny black guys in marathons - I try to edge in front of them in the first 200 metres and then I just hang on 'til the end. It can be a bit tiring but the gold medals make it so worthwhile.

Tricky, my advice to you (as a friend not a professional athlete) would be to edge in front later on in the race, 200 yards would be too soon for my liking, maybe you could leave it until mile 26, your skinny counterpart will be more physically drained having inadvertently wind-shielded you for the previous couple of hours, whereas I have no doubt you will remain fresh. Also the added bonus that you can keep an eye on any moves he makes.

Priceless ! you couldn't script this

So...Bolton Park Run Mike Rushton is the name to look out for.

I just lurve these threads.

Yes Fraser, it seems to be, we should get behind him, I believe the combination of youth, enthusiasm and a clearly strong athletic pedigree is something we should all encourage, four years from now we could all be looking back on this weekend as the start.

Fraser...he's changed his name now...but the pressure is slightly beyond what it should be.

ps i wish my local park run had sections on track, instead of dodgy gravelly mud which when wet is a write off.

(awaits certain people rocking on telling me what a fast course it is....you know who you are)

My names Michael Rushton on the parkrun.

Tricky if your running marathons, you evidently have more experience and knowledge than me in running so I don't know what advice I can give.

Just ran my first hill reps session, legs are tired, having an ice bath to recover!