Sub 3

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas.

Ran the Wheaton Aston 10k today. Pretty happy with a time of 38.03 by my watch, just a few seconds outside my best. Didn't feel great today so to come home with a time that close to my PB is ok by me. The course was pretty wet, running through some bits where the water came all the way over the feet.

AW - 38min shape before you even get going shows sub3 potential

13M more at aerobic base camp for me.

10M for me including club session of 4 x 1500m; pace on the 1500s nothing to write home about (6.20s-6.30/mile) but they were run on very soggy, muddy grass - even in spikes my footing wasn't great!  Didn't really need to do a session, but this was our Christmas/New Year social session, which is followed by soup, mince pies and mulled wine; for me that was the main draw

Nice bit of festive 10k racing going on from Dids, Njord and AW 

Padams - that's a solid set of sessions for the Christmas week, good going (polar opposite to me!)

TR - Getting in lots of good aerobic base, nicely done

Jools - That's a tough sounding workout, XC-style intervals?  Bit like our club Xmas XC 'race' last weekend, less of a race and more of an excuse to dress up silly and have pies/wine at the end...

Not been a great week for me, took Christmas day off and then tried a easy 4M on Boxing Day. Left ITB felt generally ok on the run but when I stopped it was really giving me some jip  So it been another two days non-running since. Made up for it by doing 1.5k in the pool yesterday and another 1.25k + 25mins water running today. Also got in 15M on the MTB today (dropping off/picking up car from garage!). Off to lovely Yorkshire for New Year tomorrow. The IT band seems fine now, so might try another easy run tomorrow when we arrive.

Jools- nice one, club sessions on holiday Fridays !

Al-P - hope that the ITB issue heals quick. havnt been in the lido for a week myself and wont be back in there until I go back to work next Weds. Indeed I'm doing plenty of aerobic base whilst I have a nice block of time each morning, hopefully it will set me up nicely, a 12, 15, 13 and 13 in the last week should do my running legs the power of good.

just me banging on the drum ?

2hrs more on the turbo, I think I'll be glad to get back on the 5M commutes and lunchtime swims !

Well, that was a 19 miler on knackered legs to put hairs on your chest (if only I wanted them!).  Conditions were windy, wet and altogether vile.  Took 4 attempts to get the front door open when I got back because my hands were so bliddy frozen.  I enjoyed the last 5 minutes simply because it meant the run was nearly over...

Nice training, TR - you're making the most of your holiday to train!

Hope everyone had a good Xmas.  I have been lurking on here for sometime since coming back to training.

A.W. Nice run at WA - I did 37:22 but should have pushed myself harder downhill as my friend managed 36:53 after leaving me there.  Was v.wet though and we recorded it as slightly long given the new routing.  I still took 2:39 off last years' time and I am in the form I was in 4 years ago at my peak. 

Given that 10k time I cannot justify my non posting much longer as I am probably in Sub 3 form and have a ballot place at London. 

Jools - christ you've been knocking out a fair few miles recently!

TR - good aerobic stuff again, you must be in decent shape at the moment.

5m this end, average run. Strange one, I don't have any pain or indeed severe stiffness which is affecting my gait but I'm not running that fluidly at all, very laboured today. Still I did some stretching when I got back and single leg squats and strength/flexibility seems ok. Think I just have to get the running legs back, 6 weeks of not much running is a decent while I suppose. No pain so no reason not to run but 10-12 tomorrow will give me a better idea about things.

Jools - I agree with RS, great mileage going on there. Nice one. I'm only training once a day so am making the most of the chance to bag 90mins to 2hrs of aerobics every morning. Should set me up well, it has done the last couple of years.

RS - Hopefully the 12M will go ok, do some laps so you can abil if you need to. I have a tight hammy still, but its all easy paced running so low stress. NOt sure where my running sits at the mo, I have the untapered Autumn 1:21 and 61 to my name, but am a bit behind on where I would usually be mileage wise. I have a 10K in 3 weeks (although I think the fixture list will prevent my attendance) and another 2 weeks later that will give my something quantifiable. Given enough long run time I should be able to bag another 2:5X.

Jools -- impressive again. You're really putting in the training these days.

AW/Toro -- I'm staying with the in-laws outside Wolvie and intended to enter the Wheaton Aston 10k, but it was full. Just as well, as the drive up here on Boxing Day messed up my tetchy lower back, which is annoying. Anyway, welcome Toro, and brace for questions about domestic applicance colours and German shoe manufacturers, or something like that.

My back isn't too bad, but I couldn't have raced, and so didn't bother with my backup plan of (non-)pot hunting in the Walsall parkrun today either. (Your time was mighty quick given the wet LJ.) Tantalisingly I need only to cover 13M in the next two days to make it 2000 for the calendar year... A light jog seemed to help if anything this morning, so I might well do that still. Cambs county champs XC a week today, so I hope to be on for that at least (performance no doubt affected by extra food and wine and lack of training).

CW - bad back ? when did that happen, last I remember was the 20M after the bone deposit rest days. Was it the 20M that flared the back up ?

16M here. Thats the last run for December bagged, ~161M for the month, wanted to be closer to 200, but the recent double digit runs should have toughened my legs up a bit. I need to get up and over 200M for the next 3 months now though.

TR -- bad back was probably from skimping on my usual morning exercise regime on hols, and slumping in random chairs (I have a kneely chair at home and work) -- driving for 3.25 hrs without a break seemed to do it. Running gently seems to loosen it up usually, but running hard can aggravate it. It's just overwrought muscles getting a bit spasmy, nothing serious probably. Anyway, it did loosen up after starting slow today, so I ended up bagging a somewhat progressive 18M (13M@7:15/M, 5M@6:45/M) which will do me. Big drive again tomorrow though. And no run tomorrow I guess so...

... here are my stats for 2012:

2005M @ 7:08/M avg (~239 hr), 195 MCal burnt (that's a lot of purple Quality Street); or an average of 5.5M a day in 39 mins and 530 kCal (~2 Mars bars).

336 runs logged (including trifling warm-ups before races etc), and given my penchant for commuting doubles that means a lot of rest days.

19 races, 3.5 PBs (first ever mile, HM twice and 0.5 for equalling in the mara), 2 wins (both HM).

Also a few new pairs of shoes, a drawer full of dodgy race T-shirts and a lot of blister plasters consumed...

Happy New Year everyone! And my resolutions... well I hoped to break 2:40 for the marathon, 1:15 for the half and 34 mins for 10k in 2012, and only managed the HM target. For 2013... well bettering 2:42:38 would do me nicely, and at least securing sub-2:45 again; I'm learning that 2:40 is actually quite a lot harder, and I ain't getting any younger, but who knows.

CW - 18M means that it cant be a big issue then. Tricky one setting time goals as you never know what the relevant campaigns will throw in your way. I'm going along the lines of committing to the amount or training that I think I can manage and then seeing where it gets me swim, bike and run fitness wise.

Other bad back news.. (glad yours seems better Charlie) ..my ribs seem to be improving.  Gritted my teeth & bashed out 7.2m on the treadie earlier with 5 x 0.5m @ 6:18 pace.  Managed the full set with only minor grumbles so happy with that.

In other news I will be boarding the Schnellbahn to Frankfurt next October to join Njord & Al P (from memory) for the marathon.  Post race rehydration should be fun with Njord in attendance!

Nice long runs Charlie, TR & Jools.  I'll be happy when I can get one done in comfort!

Wardi - glad the ribs are improving!

TR - 16 is decent for base building

CW - atleast you got through the 18 today without too many issues

11m for me this morning. Nice to get out and about but my running is all over the place. No pain but tightness/awkwardness in both glutes/hamstrings and my stride feels all over the place. Call it runners intuition but running when you feel like this is only heading for further injury of one sort or another. Taking a few days off or the rest of the week then will stick to short, flat runs until everything feels normal again.

A belated Merry Christmas to you all. Looks like marafun training is starting in earnest, good to see Racing as well...My last race was some event in London last April. Did my first run 17M since that race this morning, a pleasant (if slightly windy) 20M, thought I would find in tougher than I did especially with the last 10 into a headwind. Travel and family stuff means I can't make any of the pre-VLM HM, so I've been lucky enough to get an elite place at the Pasadena HM in LA in mid-Feb to coincide with a work trip. Two races a year is enough for anyone!

Hope those on the bench find themselves off it quickily. Just a gentle reminder that VLM is still a 1/3 yr away....so lots and lots of time.

Happy New Year to all, I hope you get the PBs the training deserves in 2013!

17 miles for me this morning, a bit of a random route around some of the local commons.  It included a rarity for me in a long run, a couple of miles at MP when I was following someone along a track and was working hard to keep up with him.  Good day to be out though, and I missed the rain too.

Good to see Coro popping in.  Elite racing eh, whatever next?