Auviour Paris: So long and thanks for the cobbles

 Cheers Oscarr, here here to that......enjoy a rest this week and eat well!! Off for a run in a minute with that inspirational report in mind.

Love the reflections Oscarr, and feel free to get emotional mcs 

oscarr - you couldn't get rid of us if you tried

What a fab write up!  Glad you're sore - so you blinkin' well should be after a stonking run like that .  I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think you should forget the whole sub 4 pressure and remind yourself that anything under 4:30 is an excellent run - I don't know either why we obsess so much about a specific time - a PB's a PB and I'm very jealous when people take a big chomp off theirs - I only ever seem to manage little munches off mine

As long as we see some year on year progress - that alone is very impressive in my world!  And just to point out - it wasn't considered an easy course/day - it has a 1.4 weighting on RB - the Cape Wrath trail (hill) run was only a 1.5!!!!!!  So you may very well have put in a sub4 if on another course without even realising it.

Without intending any offence (even if I am out of arms' reach LOL) : if I can achieve anywhere close to what you're running in a few years' time - I will consider myself a goddess! 

Mike - Sorry to hear that! 

ps - bet Linda-angel is very very proud!  No thunderbolts for you today

Thanks Sleepy - but remember, you have already banked a 3:42 marathon so i think you have already earned at least entry goddess status 

nice one O!!! Just back from a 4.3 mile drissly run.......how the ...........do we run 26.2......respect to you guys........have a good day.........must do some work.......£75000 to chase up from one customer, eeekkkk they are now owed £1.6 million by a company who are restructuring this week, things not looking good!! All the best Mike.....

I wish -  does "only" a 3:49 get me in ?

Youch mcs - tough times out there!  I meanwhile am trying  to recoup money from a company who have been promising me a very expensive door curtain (for a large double door) that they have specatularly failed to deliver!  I've heard every excuse in the book now and given up - if they don't value the order I'm sure there are plenty of companies just now that would! Ooooh it drives me nuts!

3:49 does it in my book 

SB - re training weeks? I originally wanted to do a 16 wk schedule but on countback I managed 8 consecutive weeks of training.

LSR's were 18; 6+12 (10k race and 12m slower run later same day); 3 + 13 (5k parkrun in 20:xx min + 13 later); a HM run at 85% and a 20 miler. Then the usual sprinkling of effort up and down the range/distance.

Total mileage in Aug  26; in Sept 147; Oct 82 (ex Abingdon).

Average monthly mileage for May June & July, mainly while carrying an injury 56 miles each month - no runs over 10m.

In the 4 months (Dec to Mar) prior to VLM I averaged 145 per month  with a max of 167 in March.

So I hope you can see why, going into the race yesterday, I was very apprehensive........?

Abingdon Marathon

 Up before the birds at 5:30 am as I wanted to get to Abingdon early to secure a locker for my kit as I had no support team today and the parking was a good 15 mins away. Got that sorted and dropped a bottle of sports drink off with some friends for collection at mile 10 and then met up with Oscarr for a wee chat….

 Before we knew it we were being given the 20 min warning of the start so I stripped off and stepped outside into the cold foggy morning air. I was a nervous as a kitten and had to deal with a lot of negative thoughts not helped by nearly barfing as I warmed up on the track. What the ….! I didn’t by the way, but I knew then that I had a job on my hands.

 So lined up behind the 80m line on the track, we watched as the clock moved to 9:00 am and we were off for a 320m dash of the track and out into the road. I quickly glanced at my watch and slowed down, I just did not need a blinding start. Just then I complimented the guy running silently beside me on his action – I literally could not hear his footfall.

 It turned out he had come down fromEnfieldwith a bunch of club mates, was the same vintage as me and with a similar goal. We were to run together for the next 17 miles, chatting away like brothers. At one point (halfway) we even got told off by a marshal for chatting – she said “If you can chat like that – you’re not trying hard enough” We laughed ‘cos we had just run that half in 1:41:xx..

 Anyway, how did I feel? My nerves were calmed by being able to track our progress. I had 4 zones on my Garmin: top two “current lap pace” and “avg lap pace”; bottom two “elapsed time” and “distance”. All I had to do was sit back in the armchair and keep the top two in synch – worked like a dream.

 Well, not quite in the armchair. My first battle was mental. The route was not closed to traffic so we had to hop up and down kerb stones, run on uneven pavement and concentrate if we hopped off to overtake in case a car whizzed by too close. So I was getting grumpy, and my left hamstring developed an ache that started in my brain. This was between miles 7-8 and for a moment I thought “How the hell am I going to get through another 19m of this?” This was where my new found friend helped – we just chatted our way through the crises that hit me, then him…..

So round we go and at 13 miles we were 1 minute inside my 3:28:xx pace band. Through the woods, back up towards the town and the start of another 9 mile lap over the same dodgy pavements leading through the villages south of the town. At about mile 18, I got frustrated running single file behind a couple of slower guys and accelerated past. I don’t think my friend followed and I didn’t look back as I started to weave a bit on the road and my vision was going in and out. Was this the Wall?

 I kept my pace by slamming in a couple of High 5+ gels (with caffeine) and focused as hard as I could on the next group ahead – it was the only thing I could do, as I was now on my own but still moving quicker than anyone else. I got through that crisis and kept moving through the field without referring to my watch as I had noticed that I was checking every 1/4mile and that doesn’t help!

 “Stay focused on the road and the people ahead and only check the mile markers” became the new mantra, and so from mile 20 that was all I did. I even kidded myself that I only had 5k to go when in fact it was nearer 10k…..Those last few miles were long and hard into the wind, but I was now sure I was going to finish and it was just a question of the time.

Time now there's a thing.....

My 5m splits were: 39:17; 39:30; 39:33; 38:10; 37:48 and 9:45 for the last 1.3miles.

Up to mile 16 I was running at 7:54 and managed 7:23 min/m pace in mile 23 when going past a young guy who persisted in running shoulder to shoulder. I pushed on and he shot out of the back door - love it!

Fiddle faddle through the town, negotiated the underpass and into the home straight, last mile pace of 7:38 and then the glory run round the track where the dizzy heights of 7:03 pace was reached as I thought 3:23:xx was in reach - too greedy and I ran hard to the line.

My running buddy came across the line in 3:30:xx so somehow I had taken 6 minutes out of him in those last 8 miles and I think I passed around 30 people without letting anyone past me.

Sat on the steps looking for Oscarr but he ran his own race well and we've seen his story. Great to meet you Oscarr.....

Did I enjoy the course - well, it is my PB track, but it ain't a beauty as they say. The atmosphere though, from runners to marshalls was fantastic. A proper runner's event I would say......very few comedians/gorillas, you know what I mean. 

Mike - great report and thanks for sharing all your thoughts as you battled round - it amazes me that you have produced two fantastic times this year and each time you have done this on a max of 40 miles a week and sometimes a lot less - makes me wonder what you could achieve with a consistent period at, say, 50 mpw???  You must be excited about doing great things in your age category.

Oscarr - I had the same thoughts myself, and my Mcmillan result from my HM PB suggests there is still more to come.

Time for a rest and then get my plan together for Boston in April next year. 

And so the wheel turns, there is no real rest for us athletes eh?

Great report from Oscarr & Mike - thanks
I did a run around Reading with the Sweatshop running community last night - just over 5 miles and more hilly than any run of this length that I've done - a good workout nonetheless.
A colleague of mine at work (who's furthest run is 5m) is doing the Great South Run on Sunday and asked if I'd run with him. I said I'd do it, so won't be hunting a PB this time. I'm thinking I'll try to get into another run in a few weeks.
I love this forum for the inspirational stories and dedication of the participants. Long may it continue! 

Morning!

Great report Mike and great run!  Amazing on that sort of mileage!  Just goes to show that high mileage isn't essential for everyone  !The wheel does indeed keep turning LOL

AC8 - couldn't agree more!  Your turn to inspire your friend now and keep him going - hope you have a great time

Fantastic report Mike really inspiring to see such a result on a limited amount of training, obviously quality training!!  From some of the reports I have read a good number of marathoners are using this style of program especially if they are prone to injury. Only doing long runs up to 16 miles but doing more of those miles at marathon pace rather than long slow pace. Brilliant mental work too, I struggle with this side of the marathon. Anyone got any good books on the physcological side of running? Cheers Mike have a good winter of Boston training......look forward to seeing how that goes next year.
Good to see you are enjoying reocovery Oscar and you eat and eat you deserve it!!

Did a nice cross country to Bakewell this morning through mud and wet fields then went into the shop to get some food and destroyed their floor!!! Staggered up the hill to the office for a clean up and coffee.
Everything come to him who goes after what the other fellow is waiting for.

Thanks for the reports chaps, really encapsulates running and its effects on your mind.

Oscarr, you won't need trainers to run on the beach! enjoy your holiday