RW Forum Six – Sub 2.50 Kier with Parkrunfan

***ALERT***

Anyone travelling on the Northeast line - tickets are released for travel on the Friday.  I've just booked four tickets for £58 from way up norf.

Mitchie Moo wrote (see)

I look tired and gaunt today, but am ill, so thats fine and us girls can slap on a bit of mascara and lippy and we look loads better !!

Thanks. If things get bad I might try that tip 

Another vote for not racing with a gps.  Particularly pointless in races with mile markers, and a definite no-no at races like VLM where they're notoriously inaccurate.  If you're trying to check pace mid-mile then you're doing it too often, IMO. 

8.5m @ 8m/m today. Legs felt very heavy for some reason. I guess that is what happens when you take a rest and easy day beforehand. 

Nice work Keir, that's a very positive run considering the sore throat.  Sounds like you are looking forward to the magic 8 now!

I did 21.76m on nothing more than a glass of water this morning, felt pretty good on it as well. A couple of good climbs en-route, so a good strength builder.  
Then tonight I ran 4.6miles to bring up 26.36miles for the day. Evening run felt ok, I was tired and creaky but ok to get it done.
Cut back week now, I don t care what the weekly mileage is, nothing planned for the week other than something quicker mid-week and the Dewsbury 10k on Sunday.

A good marathon in a day there YD. Sounds like you deserve a cut back.

Just to recap - here is my plan for this week:

Week 1 w/c 28.1
2x11m MLRs
12m inc Progressive 10m (1.5m w/u 7m @7.15-6.45 then 6:15, 6:05, 5:50) 
Ashford 10k (total 14m inc warm up and recovery jog round afterwards) 
3x5m recovery runs

Total 65m

I went out for 5m this morning. Legs felt tired after yesterday and blocked nose to go along with the sore throat. I've a compeed on a blister which I picked up last wkend from running too far in my cross shoes and to top it all, 150metres from home, coming round a corner my legs totally slid from under me and I hit the deck. Really not sure why it wasn't icey on the way out but was 40mins later! A few light scrapes on my hip and knee and a hole in my tights, but basically fine. All minor woes which make life a bit more interesting. 

PRF - What should I do with the head cold? Normally I would just run the miles I had planned at easy pace, convience myself mid run that I was actually feeling better, try to run the planned session paces then get upset and knackered by missing my target times. This is actually a light week, with only the progressive session planned.

In predicting your answer I guess I should leave that as late as possible in the hope that First Defence and lots of vitamins will fight off the cold and just do the rest of the miles I had planned at an easy pace. 

I did another unfuelled run on Saturday.  Nothing to eat since dinner on the Friday night and only water on the run.  We still have a lot of snow here so headed for the coast where I thought it would be clear.  It wasn't.  The roads were too snowy to run on so ended up doing 21 miles on beach (covered in snow), dunes (ankle deep in snow), trails (ankle deep in slush).  It was a beautiful day, clear blue sky, cold and snow but the return journey was another story where the biting tail wind became a strong headwind.  I was down to 11 m/m on some of the beach stretches.   I had to nip into a shop on the way home for a Marsbar, which hardly touched the sides, so not sure if that undoes any good?

Hope you get over your cold soon Kier.  I tend to run through them because I'm a bit OCD about the miles but if I'm really under par I'll take a few days off, but not miss an important session...!

Sounds tough Minni, the BS Calculastor says that lot is worth at least 23 miles

If I am under par but still able to run, I drop the quality and keep on plodding. I try to maintain the consistency and not worry about the speed. I don’t mind missing the odd important session, if something has to give I think consistency trumps quality.  

23??? It felt like an ultra!  In fairness I had had a shite week so that probably didn't help matters.  Onwards and upwards.

YD  - is it Manchester you're doing?

Minni – yes, it’s the week after VLM.

Ok maybe 23.7m

I had the same problem Keir on my run this morning. Fine for the first 2 miles then I was ice skating. Heavy heavy rain here over night so I guess the water just froze in the clear skies after the rain, but did mean I also had to wade a couple of sections in ice cold flood water halfway up my calf. Not the best 8 mile run I've had. Like you Minni, so fed up now with the weather and the extremes of it. Another 6 miles at lunchtime today in just rain this time and some core stuff.

Sounds hardcore that Minni. Luckily I was on an easier week and with a cold and the weather, much needed.

I tend to try and run through colds too Keir especially in marathon training where the quality at this point isn't so crucial. I ran some speed work on the treadmill on Tues, but nothing else at any pace at all tbh as just not up to it and roads/off road shocking.

All psychologically good for us this bad weather !! Am certainly enjoying being inside afterwards thats for sure. Although with 3 kids thats often not so easy either!

Been out of the loop over the weekend due to the Guinness fuelled expedition in Dublin.

Keir - Nice going yesterday. If I totted that up correctly that was a 22 miler with a decent progressiveness about it. Spot on.In my experience head colds and sore throats rarely develop into anything worse. Play it by ear but if it develops into anything on the chest that is when the ultra caution starts.

Nothing from your run yesterday suggests that you are run down or lacking in energy so carry on regardless and monitor.

YD - Already commented on your run on MG but I can see why it would be a nice mental milestone to go beyond marathon distance for the day. Clearly recovering from one long run to the next so you are well set for the marathon build up.

I got another 20+ miler in yesterday, the 5th in 17 days, but not quite conventional as the first 3 miles were done in deep slush and ice on Otley Chevin, a RunSunday event, during which I went from not being able to stand up to finishing 1st - a complete chalk and cheese affair in terms of the two halves of the run.

Then onto the roads to complete 20.5 miles in an overall 8:44/mile on a challenging course.

So we all now move into the big 8 week period and it would seem that we are all pretty much ready for it....

Mitchie - yes its all good for mental strength, this weather.   I'm getting really sick of it now though.  Its chucking it down here but only have a 3m recovery to fit in tonight.  I'm hoping the wind drops before my 10k paced reps tomorrow night, which are the ones I hate the most.

11.3m @ 8.15m/m in 1hr 33 mins this morning. Ran to HR - strictly under 75% all the way. Still got a head cold meaning my HR is higher than normal resulting in a slower pace.

Hope so PRF, feeling quite excited by that thought too. 5 miles in the pouring rain this morning and it looks like hill reps tonight in the pouring rain too. Arrhh! Suppose its better than sheet ice!

Good run there Keir. Hope the cold doesn't come to much now. Mine is pretty much gone now but still much snot!!

Keir - 8:15/mile is absolutely fine and will probably be more the norm when the hard sessions kick in. If you're starting to feel the cold affecting the perceived effort and HR then it may be worth taking a rest tomorrow to get on top of it. But then again 24 hours is a long time with these things and it may be well on its way out by tomorrow.

So 83 days to VLM of which the next 55 are the ones which will shape the performance - it doesnt sound long when put like that but nonetheless patience is still one of the biggest assets to avoid early burn out......