Sub 3

YD, Congrats on the 6th place. Yep run KM a few times and not been able to break 38. Will be a shame to lose Rainton. I'm thinking of doing it again (the YD Series) next year, no marathon this time to get in the way of the first couple of races.

Wardi, Thanks. Doesn't seem 2mins ago we were "warming down" in the hotel bar after VLM. How goes it? You were struggling back then, have you been able to change things up?

Phil, I've stalked your comeback with interest and you've done a fine job! Your obviously not enjoying enough of the amber nectar.... How is the resident culinary expert? Still cooking your own outrageously flavoured soups? Sad to hear your off it at the moment. Hope the tempo goes to plan, and good luck on Sunday.

Cheers Brian!  Now that the nights are drawing in my thoughts are beginning to turn to soup again.  I think the clocks going back will ring in the new season. I can see subtle variations on last year's veg & bean combos being worked on... this year's special ingredient is smoked paprika, which I only discovered fairly recently. Hmmm.. yeah, chorizo and borlotti beans I think, with a bit of curly kale and a tomato base.  That'll work...

Nice one Bri, glad we had this chat!

PP - I just ordered it directly from PX. I was clearly going to be an XL, although I might have checked the geometry online before I bought it. It seems to fit reasonably well, at least it doesn't look a bad fit in all the photos I've seen.

Definitely good value, although I now feel I want to upgrade as it's getting a bit old and although I do like it, it is a lower end TT bike (probably one of the cheapest bikes I saw at the Worlds!). I won't be riding a TT bike at IM France though, so am considering getting a decent aero road bike with some clip-on aerobars.

By the way, as you mention it, I realised last night that chorizo is probably the best ingredient ever - put a small amount in anything and it tastes awesome. Good luck with the tempo, hope you're feeling better.

Padams - if you get a decent carbon aero road bike you'll be able to do stuff like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmJtYaUTa0

Padams - cracking read, you had best keep those photos to show the grandkids. Re the bike, I would have thought a 4th in the World's athlete and aspiring Kona bound IM would be able to swing a bike sponsor. I'd write a few emails to local shops if I were you (and PX and Wiggle).

PP - you have a PX road bike already ? I like the sound of an Aero road bike (like Padams has his eye on - maybe a Cube Aerium), I'd only ride a TT bike twice a year myself, but in your single man shoes I'd get one.

looks like quite a few are running 1/2s on Sunday we can have a (virtual) race. Its going to be wet and windy in the New Forest (again) Sunday.

Padams.. I did mean to say lovely blog & nice photos.  TR is right about preserving stuff like that, it'll be worth it's weight in gold in 20+ years time.

On the subject of Chorizo.. I had pork fillet with crisp chorizo in a sweet & sour sauce at my posh birthday nosh.  I'm not a big pork eater but the combination was yummy!

Brian.. I gave myself a good talking to after VLM.  For the time being I am trying to get my shorter distance times down before I even think about another marathon.  The 5k time is heading in the right direction so it's a start!  Last time I gave myself a good talking to was after FLM 1999 when I collapsed at 25m and had to walk to the finish.  I had a decent 10 year streak after that so I'm hoping for a similar revival in fortunes!

To which end.. 7m on the treadie tonight including 6 x 1k @ 6:15 pace.  Couldn't match the puddles made by Padams & TR but I did have to mop the treadie down afterwards. 

Padams - cheers for that. I'd take the PX off your hands but it's about 2/3 sizes too big. 

TR - Here's the PX with a flipped stem, the spacers removed and the seat forward/up a notch; about as lo-pro as I can get on this, so if I'm feeling in a toy buying mood next year, a TT bike will be a big improvement I think.  And I'd definitely use it more than twice a year, but wouldn't look to upgrade for quite a while.

 Unfortunately, no HMs for me this weekend, virtual or otherwise.  The tempo run was executed, 6.2M w/ 3M at 5:37, but HR very high and it was a bit of a struggle, so I suspect the virus is still lingering. Not tooo disappointed as I've posted a decent HM time this year, just want to get better for XC now.

good work Wardi

PP - Like I said in your single man shoes I'd buy a new bike. I must have had the cheapest bike in my recent 1.2 IM, but it no longer phases me. That looks like a decent position. Interesting that the BMC guy in PAdams photos was very upright, yet still goes rocket fast. Lance was slightly upright in his recent Tris too. Shame about not being well enough for Sunday, but the wind and rain will scupper fast times anyway, I told CW not to race on the same day as me !

Ahhh don't talk about chorizo when I'm carb-loading! It's wraps for me, bread, porridge w/ half water half milk, tea w/ double spoonful of honey, pasta, ...   Haven't increased in weight since yesterday despite trying, so today I'm going to have to pile it up higher methinks. 2 more sleeps...

I'm well excited about Brass Monkey, Wardi: I'd better practise my ice skating before January tho!!

PP - that looks like a good position for a road bike. Although I don't use my TT bike as much as the road bike, I do try to train on it for a few weeks building up to a race. Well done on getting the tempo done - have a couple of easy days now to make sure you're recovered. Is it me or do you look a bit like Lance in that photo?

TR - I have thought about trying to get a bike sponsor, but not really sure how to go about it (and to be honest I feel like a bit of a fraud trying!). I'm thinking about the Felt AR for Nice.

10M for me last night in 70 minutes with the club. Not much to report about it other than it was very wet!

Brian - good luck in Eindhoven

TR - likewise, good luck in your half on sunday

Padams - nice blog, impressive stuff all that

PP - hopefully a pb for you at GER run on sunday

Wardi - so are you doing VLM then? Do you feel you've come on enough speed wise to do another marathon or going to wait a bit longer? Similar to you I've worked on shorter stuff and its definitely given me a better engine but there's more to come I think.

YD - seems like you're going to be in position for marathon training come Jan. Probably quicker than 2.59 though

Decent midweek for me off the back of that cold including the hills reps with the club, just over an hour on wednesday and an easy 35 mins yesterday. Might give park run a go tomorrow morning and then a 10ish sunday. Cabbage Patch week on sunday for a 59.xx

Wardi, Here's to the next 10years of injury-free and (relatively) fast running. Good treadie session, is that target 10k pace?

TR/Padams, have you tried tenna pads? They work for me and Wardi

Phil, Pardon? My cooking revolves around worcester sauce. Thta's as adventurous as I get I'm afraid!!

Good luck to all freddites racing this weekend.

RS78, Cheers. Hope the parkrun goes ok, and good luck with the sub60 CP.

Padams - you need to blow your own trumpet a bit, or get an agent ! Plenty of lesser athletes than you have sponsors. Write emails to PX, Wiggle (they sponsor lots of athletes) etc and some local bike shops. Or apporach some wealthy business types.

RS - sub 60 is a good target, should be very achievable for you. Not too bothered about Sunday its not Gosport fast and will be windy on the exposed roads so I'm sticking with the inverse taper and just looking for a decent blow out. If I go ok then I might do Gosport and taper for it. Should be able to beat the 1:25 from IoW though.

Brian - i'd need to wrap myslef in them

TR, What half you doing Sunday?

Solent 1/2 on the edge of New Forest, not flat but not hilly, quite exposed roads so wind affected. Did 1:23:XX last year.

Welcome 15West and YD.

Nice blog Padams. I would definitely agree with TR; can't see any reason why you wouldn't get some sponsorship.

TR - like Ode I gave up believing he was clean a long while ago. There were so many rumours going around that I had to look at the evidence/stories that were there at the time. If you take what the likes of the Andreus have said (and why not, especially in light of all they now have), he was using before he even got cancer (and there is a belief that his cancer could have been caused by doping - a number of his teammates have had serious health problems over the years apparently linked to doping).
Good luck for Sunday!

Bad luck, but sounds like the sensible decision PP.

Nice treadie work Wardi.

50k is next weekend Marigold, right?

Now, for those amongst you who like a few stats..........

As the starting place for my training for both of my last 2 marathons was pretty similar (i.e. an extended lazy period for various reasons, before I started training), and because I happened to write down some stats after Berlin last year, I thought it would be interesting to do a comparison. Hopefully the layout comes out ok......

Berlin 2011 (2:34:03) v Berlin 2012 (2:30:19)
Time Period:       84 days  v 92 days
Avg Weekly Mileage:      70.3mpw  v 85.9mpw
Effort Days (incl strides):    30 (35.7%) v 17 (18.5%)
Effort Days (not including strides):   23 (28.6%) v 14 (16.3%)
Total # of sessions (not including strides):  27  v 15
# of Mara specific workouts (% of total workouts): 4 (14.8%) v 8 (53.2%)
# of quicker miles (% of total):   97.5 (11.9%) v 117.2 (10.6%)

For Berlin last year I opted to do more shorter, quicker stuff, whereas this year the focus was on more specific sessions. Conclusions are, as I suspected beforehand, that fewer, bigger volume, easier paced sessions give me a better result. If I can get the pre-Specific phase in this time I should be rocking come VLM (which, incidentally, will be my first time off the Champs start - 1 GFA and 3 DNS' to my name previously).