Sub 3

ES - don't worry, you can't get lost at the VLM! Given you have now done a 20M run, I would cut it back for this week to maybe 16M then try another the following weekend. Well done for getting it done, a good confidence boost.

Dan - sounds like fun. Nice effort by you as well, you sound in decent nick.

LD - whether it was down to the increased mileage or not, that's a nice HM time to be running in January.

Nice XCing by various people, well done to CC for the county vest.

I had my county champs yesterday - came 7th, just beating my mate (the guy who won the World Duathlon) and a couple of other guys who are normally close to me. Really hilly and muddy, but I felt pretty strong, particularly on the flatter sections where I was making up ground.

Our selection for the county team is discretionary as well, so might get in, but I probably have my brother-in-law's stag do that weekend anyway.

Jools - Congrats on a great XC result.

CC - Well done on getting a county vest

Padams - Sounds like a very good performance.

LD - Great HM time, I also wear black socks, but then again my wife says I dress like a tramp.

Blisters - sounds like an interesting last few miles on the bike.

TR - Those marathon legs will be back soon.

24 last night with some faster miles thrown in, the 5 recovery miles this morning weren't very enjoyable.

Dids, I often do that too: head out the door with mileage in mind and not sure of a route.  Saturday was a case in point, after parkrunning in the morning my slot for a long run this weekend opened up after lunch, so it was out for 20 miles with no real idea of what it would be other than I didn't fancy pounding tarmac the whole way.  I ended up doing 3 laps of an off-road route that used to be a race until the Epsom Downs conservators decided that a few runners once or twice a years caused more damage to their precious gallops than the dozens of horses on them every morning. 

I misjudged it unfortunately and by the time I was halfway round the last lap it was pitch black.  I'm not an off-road mountain goat at the best of times but when I can't see the ground in front it's a bit tricky, so pace was a bit pedestrian by then.  Still, all miles under the belt.

LD - Black socks are the norm for me generally. Don't really like white ones as they get grubby very easily running off road lots. I have a collection of routes from home that give me variable length runs to suit (or laps if I want something longer). I tend to vary my routes to prevent boredom setting in, but doing the same route a lot has the benefit that you can easily judge you speed/fitness i imagine.

SL - Must have been a good long run!

Padams - Well done for chalking up another good XC result 

Blisters -- I'm with LD, 7000 kCal sounds rather high. The odd thing I was picking up on is that I get hypo much more quickly on the bike (less time/intensity) than running, which I don't understand. In your case I guess the bike was the day after the run so you were maybe low on energy stores to start with anyway.

ES -- I remember when I first resumed my running career that I was utterly pooped afer my first 15M, and conked out afterwards. But a couple of weeks later it felt normal. Great that you've done the 20 already. Incidentally, I do now feel somewhat ill, which explains my feeling peculiar yesterday (and maybe my fade during the race).

Padams -- classy. Great one for you too, Jools.

SL -- 24 with some quick ones sounds tough!

Now I've decided I'm feeling a bit ill I'll probably give it a rest for a few days, as that will give my niggly ankle a chance to settle down too. I've no further race booked until 10Mar anyway.

A quality weekend for XC.  Congrats on the County vest, speedy.  Excellent stuff from Padams and Jools.

Pleased with my performance at the Kent champs, 21st overall (2nd vet behind my vet-county champ club mate again!) and counted in the 6-to-score team that won silver behind a very strong Tonbridge team.  Oh yeah - great position, LJ!    Followed that with another easy 20 miler yesterday, 7:23/m, HR 64%.

Got an invite to be considered for a county vest but that's the same day as the duathlon.  Also reminded myself that the duathlon is only two months away, so by way of not peaking too soon on the long runs, next Sunday's effort (day after a Surrey League XC) will probably be a long, hilly ride, with a quality 21M (incl. 7 @ MP) scheduled for the following week.  Feeling proper marathony now.

Finished Seb Coe’s book. Anyone else read it?

Mixed thoughts on it, mainly positive. I loved the chapters about his running career. Thought he came across very well, and it countered a lot of myths about him being some posh Tory boy. His entry into politics was interesting, but then it became very dull and, despite reminding myself it was an autobiography, I started to think he really is overly smug about himself. He had a chapter about the failed football World Cup bid which was really good because he took a lot of the focus off himself for a change.

 When it came to the Olympics there was no mention of the ticket fiasco, instead he bizarrely has a massive amount all about the planning permission process to use Greenwich Park for the equestrian events and how he was right as ever and everyone else wrong. He probably devotes more to it than the 1984 Olympics, even though I don't even remember it nor even don't care about it! The rest of the Olympics are just several pages reminding us all that Mo Farah did well, Jess Ennis did well, Danny Boyle did well etc.

 Surprisingly he doesn’t seem to have many amusing anecdotes. Maybe spending too much time with his dad and William Hague is to blame, but surely Daley Thompson must have got him pissed and fixed up a threesome with some hookers at some point?

PP - well done in the XC. Kent looks a bit more competitive than Herts.

Turns out I actually officially came 6th as the winner was not eligible. And we won the men's team prize again.

Oh, and black socks - no, I don't want to look like Lance. If they're very short they may just be acceptable.

May I offer a grovelling apology to all those who have questioned my attempts at basic mathematics. According to my Garmin the 21 mile run was worth 2735 calories, the 57 mile bike was 3256 calories, totalling 5991. Clearly I had mentally added in the mile swim on the previous day, or the couple of hours on the dance floor on Saturday evening.

Perhaps I should return that extra slice of pie to the buffet?

Analysis time? The legs were screaming possibly because I'd hit lactic threshold. I did this a few weeks ago, last time I did the 20 run/ 50 bike double. The completely goosed feeling was a combination: pushing a long way into the discomfort zone, not having had breakfast, and only having one chewy bar. Dehydration was categorically not an issue.
Good news time: the Sunday legs were horrid, but improved with every hour despite swim training at 6pm. I'm ready for more action now.

And finally, may I add my congratulations to all those folks who like to bathe in mud. You lot are truly inspirational.

Blisters - last December when I wavered towards the gay cycling fraternity, I went on a 60 mile cycle without brekkie and supplies (I thought it was just going to be 40). I ended up sat outside Spar eating a mars bar as my buddies cycled off into the sunset. I was feeling all dizzy and confused and feared I may just drop off my bike.

It was actually the final straw for cycling and me.

more good XC work there folks, but I'm still not joining in !

I have black socks, they dont show the claret on VLM day !

SL - banging in the miles again !

Blisters - cycling is power/strength based so needs calories. Wait til race day, you'll be shovelling in the flp-jacks. I did 3hrs (56m) Saturday and made sure I'd had breakfast (whcih I wouldnt do for a 3hr run), and had a cereal bar or 2 on the go.

5M, 1M, 5M today. I have had a cold for weeks, my foot and knee ache when i run, the tight hammy I had at the Hayling 10 is still too tight for my liking and I found 17M a long long way y'day. I've never felt so far away from a sub3 at this time of year. But keep calm and carry on, as it'd be a struggle to peak to early now even if I wanted to. Hopefuly my body adapts before I bench myself.

you'll be right TR - u have a sequence to maintain man!!!!

top training and debating folks, makes for good reading for benchees and other lurkers!!

Happy New Year everyone and best of luck for hitting your tergats.  In particular, i am thinking Joolska and Wardi this could be your year!  And PP looks like breaking through to a whole nother level, along with maybe SL at the pointy end.

Nice to see Blisters back, and where has NtS gone after getting back amongst it!

LD - keep up the banter please, and say something to get CRAB out his cave again

Selbs - agreed, I did put "keep calm and carry" on after all. The last 5 VLMs (and my only maras) have been 2:52, 2:55, 2:55, 2:53 and 2:51. Which is a feat of conistent consistency. I need it to end in either a 0, 4,6,7,8 or 9 this time.

leaves you a LOT of space for a casual sub 3 campaign then if thats whats needed this year TR!!!

unless of course it's an April 20C scorcher.  then you are clearly absolutley fcked due to the heat.  no chance.  give up now. 

I'll reserve the 2:59 option for those conditions.

Ugh, streaming cold. Bugger. 

De-lurking again. 5 weeks into my VLM campaign and things haven't been going too well. Lots of eating and drinking over Christmas has resulted in a belly more suited to a darts player than a marathon runner, and then I started the new year with a run of zeroes due to a bout of man-flu.

Back to it today, and I've now put all my runs for the next 3 weeks into my work calendar to stop colleagues booking meetings with me at lunchtimes.

Great to see so many old faces coming back to the thread. Welcome back to Nichs2, Rununman, Dids, Blisters and Ouchie.

2007 was my debut marathon. I overtook literally 1,000 runners in the second half of the race, finishing at 3:15 (having aimed for 3:30) and meeting Blisters and Jools at the finish - although they may not remember. I think Joolska was called Jools B back then. I'd bumped into Blisters during the run through Deptford. It was a very warm day, but I've always enjoyed the warmer days more than the colder ones.

On mileage I would have agreed with Dids (as I do on HR for example), but my personal experience would argue against it. After 2:51 in 2009 I decided to up the miles from 60pw. But much higher miles in late 2009 (including trail marathons) and the 2010 and 2011 campaigns resulted in 3:07 and 3:06 performances. 

2007 42mpw 3;15
2008 58 mpw 3:05 (ill on the day)
2009 59 mpw 2:51
2010 65mpw 3:07
2011 66mpw 3:06

Looking back, the mistake I think I made was to drop regular speedwork sessions, just doing one set of 4 speed sessions in March. Through 2008 and 2009, the weekly club sessions really helped me to tolerate running faster and making MP feel easy.

In 2007 you'll have overtaken me on Embankment MtR. 

Nice HMs for Dan A and LD and some serious cross country stuff from many more.