RW Forum Six - Sub 3:30

Cheers Chick ref HADD, I'll keep reading before I make a decision.

Minni- I agree with all that you have said, I think I want both club and coach but I can't do both. I'm probably on a downer as I haven't done a race for a while and everyone on here are entering races and bringing out great results. I have a 10k next Sunday so will start to think positive and see where I am fitness wise.

Weeble- I'm in the eat all of the pizza camp, I wouldn't have the willpower to only eat half.

AA/O4S- Good luck today at Bramley 20

FRC- No I'm not running the VLM but will be spectating. I hope your niggle clears up.

Carl- Take it easy your body may just be letting you know it needs a few days to recharge. Which half have you got planned for next weekend?

DD- I like your conclusions on being coached especially E and F!

Becs- Great to see you back and enjoying your run.

2old- Have a great time skiing.

Minni- Sounds scary when your car goes out of control, at least no one was injured.

Spoons- Marathon fit or Tri fit???

 

 

2Old: where are you skiing?

Spoons: sod running do an Ironman for your comeback

Becs: Your a baby! Good to see you back on form

Minni: turn into a bloater? I did 20 hours of Aerobic exercise last week, that needs fuel!

Cycled for 3.5 hours across the desert, I think I'm going to hate my bike by June.

22 miles d&d, a smidgen under 9mm pace. 70% of max. HR. Nothing spectacular. Glad to see the aerobic fitness is where it's supposed to be. I cursed myself for having done more lunges yesterday though ... I sure felt it towards the end 

Quick skim over everything so sorry if I miss everyone. Bit short on time. Minni,, I hope you're doing ok after the car incident.

Good luck to all racing today!

Weeble, a full pizza is most definitely OK!

AA, hope your kitchen sorted soon.

Chick, great LSR.

DD, I will assume "Dubai Decadence" mantle when you leave.

Kiwi, Becs and everyone coming back from injury, get in there!!

Simon and everyone still struggling with injury, hang on in there!

Gazelle, I really hope you sort out your coaching dilemma. I agree with Minni, you just have to work out where your head is at, where you want to get to, and how you're going to do it. Run the 10k and make a decision after that. You can always change your mind further down the line if you've made the wrong decision.

I've never tried HADD. I think Scuba Trooper did at one point? I know he's not around on the forum too much and is recovering from rather a lot at the moment, but I'm sure if you PMd him, he'd impart some words of wisdom.

15 miles for me today. Hmm, not sure I'm liking this massive lack of endurance fitness right now. I've gone from nothing to 15 miles in 6 weeks and it's really starting to show. Never did I think I'd hear myself say this, but I wish I was racing some of the short stuff rather than a marathon!! My pace was so much better today for about 10 miles, feeling good at around 9:25-9:35. I seemed to speed up over the next couple of miles, 9:15, which felt so much better in terms of leg turnover, but my heart rate crept up to 160 and stayed there or thereabouts for the remainder of the run, despite my last couple of miles being back down around 9:35 pace.

So I'm feeling a bit like I don't know where I'm going. A few steps forward in terms of pace with my intervals and I start thinking maybe I could aim for faster than 9 m/m, a few leaps backwards when it comes to miles in the legs and then worrying whether I will even be able to make 9m/m. I really don't know what to think!! But hey, the sun is shining ( oh yeah, I forgot by the end of my run the temp was 28-9 so that probably didn't help) and I'm out there running so life is good!!!

SS - hang in there. You've come on massively in 6 weeks.

Chick - lovely 22 miler. Sounds bang on to me.

BRAMLEY 20:

Quick check in. Met O4S and BA briefly before the start. Decided to try and do 8:30s for 10 then 7:30s for 10. All went a bit tits up. When am I gonna learn to pace myself. I felt really comfortable on first lap even though. Was going a bit quick. Upped it at 10 miles for second half and had a bit of a bobble @16-18 miles but hung on.

Splits:
8:11
7:42
7:43
7:59
7:54
7:54
7:49
7:57
7:55
7:50

7:19
7:14
7:18
7:17
7:19
7:24
7:20
7:34
7:30
7:15

2:31.58 overall time. Lovely day for it and as normal a fantastically organised event by Reading Roadrunners.
The boy did 1:17 and mr AA did 1:28. I ache all over again now

Wow, AA nothing like your plan, but what an awesome 20 miles, you are on fire at the moment! Sounds like Mr and Master AA had good runs too.

Minni - bizarre incident with your car, hope it doesn't cost too much to fix!

Chick - a good 22 from you.

SS - don't be too hard on yourself, it is always surprising how much fitness we lose during a period of injury etc, you've come on loads in 6 weeks,the speed will eventually come back. I couldn't run that far in 28 degrees!

Spoons - how did your girlfriend get on in the 30km? Good to see you are back running.

The bionic woman had us doing a mix of seated climbs/intervals at spin today, I thought my thighs were screaming yesterday, gee today during the seated climbs they were on fire! Convinced that other than keeping me sane, spinning has helped build the glute muscles, probably will stick with it twice a week.

SS - You're doing great, you can't expect miracles in 6wks.

AA - Great time for your 20m race, even if you didn't follow you plan. I presume you mean the boy and Mr AA did 2.17 and 2.28 respectively, or have you got some pro athletes in the family?

Chick - 22m after a day of lunges, you're bound to feel it in your legs.

Kiwi - All this 'screaming and burning' legs will be worth it come the summer. I think all spin instructors are sadists anyway.

Wow brilliant racing today AA, you're going to be flying around London on 21st April.

Weeble - I hadn't seen that story about Mo... why bother starting? Don't see why he doesn't just find another HM somewhere?  Like you say, maybe he's just saying that and is planning to run the full thing but he's covered his back in case he has a crummy race.  He can just drop out if he's suffering as that's what he planned to do.

Minni it was a really good day out, I like relays too - a proper team effort in a race, rather than everyone just running their individual times.  I've had a good week this week so I'm hoping the quad was just a bad niggle that I caught in time.  It was a bit tired yesterday just after the run but I disappeared into the toilets to lunge and that seemed to sort it out!  Hope your car gets sorted.

Simon - from memory when I used to go to the gym alot I used to be able to row 5000m in about 21-22 minutes.  I didn't run as much then but my 10K time would have been around 50 minutes, there's no way I'd have run 5K in 22 minutes then.  So don't give up the running!

Gazelle - are there any coaches at your club who'd be willing to take you under their wing?  I've been given a training plan for London by one of the coaches at my club, they include the weekly track session so I don't need to miss out, and races such as the relays yesterday are worked into the plan.  Be good to see how fast you are in your 10K next week, you already have a speedy 10K PB.

Good running Chick, must have been a good duration run.

SS you're doing so well coming back, 15 miles is really good going. It must be tough running in that heat! 

 

 

AA-fantastic race time ..looking very impressive. As an indicator for you .. A month before I did Boston I ran 20 in the same time. I went sub 3.15 for the first time...3.11. Makes you wonder !
Chick- brilliant 22 bagged there
DD- flaine for a change..great conditions. I've is covered a TM and a running route so Febtastic looks secure
Simon- killer ergo session
Kiwi - my thighs are burning from some nice off piste today
SS - good 15 there the endurance is coming ..patience
Minni - glad no serious issues caused by the slide off road and well done getting that LR nailed

Flying AA, flying.  Blimey is there no stopping you these days. 

Kiwi - you must have thighs of steel.  Are you bursting out your jeans?

Right, I feel awful about this but I'm letting the team down this week on Febulous.  I'm two runs short (because of having a couple of days off earlier in the week)  and could have gone out tonight to do one of them but I'd still not finish on 100%.  I've got a big week (running wise) next week and looking at the bigger picture and all that.  Soz but promise I'll be back on track next week.

Minni it's just supposed to be a bit of motivation for when you can't be bothered to run in the driving rain, not something to force you to run with a persistent niggle.  I missed two runs last week, I didn't want to let the team down either but you have to nip these things in the bud before they get worse.  It'll be worth missing the couple of days when you have a cracking week next week.  Bigger picture and all that

Just popping in to say hello to AA who I met at Bramley today.  Looks like you had a very good second half and should be aiming for something around the 3.15 mark.  Well done!

So I'm back, alive and mighty thankful I didn't try to run the first half with AA!!

Bramley 20 - the coughing continues............................

Having met up with AA and reluctantly, but sensibly, not tried to go with her, I set off with BA and jogged the first couple of miles at 9.10mm [or at least that is what he said off his ordinary watch, my garmin died at the start].  Decided I felt OK so picked up the pace a bit and went through 10 miles in 1.27 [about 8.42mm if my mental arithmetic is correct] which means I must have done a few reasonable paced miles to compensate for the start.Not knowing what pace I was doing was liberating in an odd way and I just ran on feel.  It started to get quite warm, so I stopped at about 15 miles to take my base layer off and got all tangled up with the gloves tucked into the top of my capris  - so managed to waste about a minute, then found it really hard to get going again.

It was around here, or a bit earlier, than i started to feel the effects of the cold, slightly breathless and started coughing up a bit of gunk [the 2 Day Nurse I took before the start presumably got me that far].  I had to walk a couple of short sections uphill as my heart rate was getting rather high, but I managed to re-pass everyone who passed me while walking and got to the finish in 2.57.xx so although I slowed up quite a lot on the second lap I still managed under 9mm overall and my cold feels infinitely better - which is more than I can say for my legs

BA came in about 8 minutes behind me, muttering about getting slower every year, but otherwise OK.  We had to stop at every service area on the way home to stop ourselves seizing up but overall a good day despite the inauspicious build-up.  Onwards and upwards for the Gloucester 20 in 4 weeks.

Alright all. Great racing from AA & O4S. I managed 100% febulous this week - and had a long run in the sunshine in Buxton today that worked out just perfectly. 20 miles @ 8:36. Definitely starting to feel that things are finally coming together.

 

AA - geez that was quick. 3:15 sounds like a very doable goal. 

Stamford 30km was a great event although very hilly. I biked round and found it hard enough! GF did 2:42 which she was pleased with. 

AA - Great result from Bramley. A very good confidence boosting run.

O4S -   Good racing, well done for even starting, most of us would have wimped out with the lurgy.

Ant/Chick - Good long runs.

Just had a chance to read back

Spoons:  I think your plan sounds spot on, no pressure from anyone just doing what feels right

Becs and SS:  sounding positive at last

Ant / Chick:  good runs banked at the right time

Carrot:  I love relays and have a couple of appearances for the club in May

Can't believe we are already half way through the Spring Motivation stuff - must mean we are getting close to the marathon

I have spent the evening discussing whether we should do a 40 mile or a 35 mile ultra 2 weeks before VLM.................................

O4S - well done to you and BA today. You are very brave doing that when you're feeling under the weather. Take a few easy days - Please!

Ant - great running.

Spoons - great supporting.

AA - you are smokin' right now, another great performance.

O4S - good to hear you think the cold is on its way out

SS - from my perspective it sounds like you are being very hard on yourself - 0-15 in 6 weeks is a really sharp progression, I'm guessing it just doesn't feel like it cos you've been able to do much more much easier previously after a more consistent block of training. I'm still on the comeback trail and I'll only get to 15M next week - its taken me 15 weeks to build to that from zero! I'm finding my running much harder/slower than when I've started from a decent base, which was always going to be the case, so from the start this time my goal has been to build up the mileage so I'm fit to be on the VLM startline without getting injured - not a specific pace or time. Because I've not been running long for a year, I've expected each time I step up the mileage for the longer runs to find it hard - which I have! While I'd love to be competing with the speedsters here, I'm enjoying just going out and running now, knowing I'm building a great base for the next marathon!

Back from a fab few days living in a hut up high - cross training this week has included ski touring, tree felling, snow shovelling and carpentry. Spent valentines day having curry and whisky with 3 friends who've not changed clothes or washed for a few days!

Got out for a 9M today - gentle pace as I've been asking my legs to do lots of things they don't usually recently and am wary of making the calves irate.

Minni - no need for jantastic guilt (and I'm definitely not the one to give it...) - its not the main goal.

Morning all,

Half term bliss, no school, just stacks of marking + report writing to do, at least I have home comforts.

O4S - good you seem to be beating that cold, amazing you got around your 2 miles in a good time. Make sure you recover fully.

Minni - don't worry about jantastic, as others have said you have to listen to your body.

Nice long run Ant.

2old + KFC - your skiing adventures sound like fun, excellent cross training!

Mildly achey quads today, and Minni sadly they do not resemble steel, still working on that, lol!