RW Forum Six - Sub 3:30

Gingerbread 10k

I am pleased to report I got that b*stard of a session done tonight and it was worth missing the swimming for. 

3 miles easy/steady(8:20; 8:17; 7:56)
1 mile MP (7:18 oops)
Strides
then 3* 2m @ HMP with 90s recovery: (6:52; 6:52; 6:54; 6:47; 6:51; 6:49)

It went really well apart from one minor error insofar as I got completely caught out by darkness falling really fast.  I'd done an out and back so there wasn't anything I could do but ended up doing the last mile of effort on a B road without a head torch.  Luckily I had put on a fluorescent top.  I can to stop a couple of times in the side of the road to let lorries past so when I got to 0.75m and my average pace was 6:55 I decided to just hammer it for the last stretch and was pleased to get it down to 6:49.  My cool down had to be walked I was so knackered!

I see the entry list has been issued for the TM so I'm off to do some stalking...!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend Just remember "Don't be SHIT"

Oooh lots of races this weekend!  Including three marathons!!

AA you must be tired, running up a mountain and two 10Ks in the last month!  Have a few days off, it'll do no harm.  I didn't refuse the beer, I always feel a bit sick after a marathon (probably all those gels) and beer always gets rid of that queasy feeling.  That alcohol free Erdinger is nice too.

Chick don't think about past marathons, think about this one. You're going to be brilliant

Good news about the ballot place USB!

Hope the run went well Kiwi.

Great running Minni, a bit scary when darkness closes in like that - must be even more so if you're on the road. 

Barry and anyone else considering Berlin as their autumn 2013 marathon - do it!  Enter early as the entry fee goes up after every 10,000 runners.  There's so much to do in Berlin afterwards too - we caught a few nights of Oktoberfest, which is basically stalls selling cheese and gingerbread and stein upon stein of good strong German beer.  We flew with Lufthansa and got there for around £200 return each.  Rented a cracking apartment in Mitte right near the TV Tower for about £400 for the two of us for 6 nights. It was just all the beer and food that we got through that bumped up the price of the holiday

Brol - I'm also tempted by Berlin.  It would have to be a short weekend though since its during term time.  I might be able to wangle a day each side.

Date for the diary!

Registration for the 40th BMW BERLIN MARATHON on September 28/29, 2013, will begin on October 25, 2012.  The registration fee for the first 10,000 runners is 60 Euros, then it goes up to 90 Euros (up to 25,000 participants). After that, the registration fee is 110 Euros. The limit of participation is 40,000 participants. Last year the limit was reached after only 6 weeks.

The registration fee for inline skaters is 60 Euro, after 5,000 participant it goes up to 80 Euro.

Nice session Minni, looking good for that sub-1:30 attempt  You'll probably pass me with a mile or two to go when I've run out of steam after going off too fast! Had a look at the GER course on streetview this eve and, apart from a flyover over an A road at about 3 miles and an underpass back under the same road at about 10 miles, it's pancake flat - not even the slightest incline to speak of

Definitely worth a go based on that session I'd say Minni. How tough did it feel?

I love dead flat courses  You can just settle into a rhythm so much more easily.

FRC, it's next Sunday. Freemers and Spoons are doing it too.

Erm, I hadn't checked the pace of the MP mile and that came out much faster than I would have expected based on the effort, so a good start.  The first mile of HMP had a long gradual decline stretching about half a mile (so was going to feel easier) and I turned at the end of this so mile 2 had the incline.  I didn't check my garmin until I was about three quarters the way up and was surprised to see I was still well under 7 m/m, so this gave me a huge boost.  The rest was more or less flat (Freemers it was on the route we did last weekend). 

This will make you laugh though.  I hadn't really been checking my garmin that much and I was about a third into mile 4 thinking it was feeling quite easy when I checked and it read 7:11!  Neither wonder it was feeling easy so had to put the foot down!!  The last mile felt hard, partly because it was near the end but also because it had got really dark and I didn't feel comfortable being on the road without a torch, also the couple of stops for traffic meant I was then playing catch up.  However, I figured this was good for sprint finishes!

I don't feel as if Iv'e done enough at that pace to know if I can carry it through but I think if everything else is right on the day then a PB might be there.  I'd be happy with that.

Was your dancing that bad?

I'm up early since I'm on registration for our local Sportive this morning (you know one of those bike rides that not a race - can't see the point personally! )  We have 300 entrants, the maximum, and they are in for a treat because its going to be a stunning day.  There's also a 2 day mountain marathon starting from here this morning.

Simon -  Even though my running is getting better I don't think I am in PB shape.

Carrot - Cheers for the info, do they require a med certificate?

Minni -  Good quick running on your session, you be careful I've nearly been hit a couple of times in daylight down country lanes.  My race is a 10:30 start. You can say desk flat if you want, makes more sense than dead flat.

Good luck to all racers.