Sub 3

...SL - Your best bet for bang up-to-date reports from HH is twitter.  They will most likely post an update tomorrow morning itself.  And that's not a bad 5 mile time for a long warm-up!

marmite - are runningwarehouse.com delivering to the UK again or are you getting them through an indirect method? I used to use them before but they stopped doing international shipping.

Wardi - funny you should say that as I've noticed I seem to feel a little sluggish for longer when starting back after a break since post knee-op (as a point of reference of age, rather than cause) than when I started running, though that could just be because I let it come more gradually now than before. Very nice session.

Very impressive splitting Jools! Well done.

Likewise, a very good time in the midst of heavy training SL!

PP - looking very good. I'd have thought if you can do 12m @ that pace in training this far out then MP must be quicker surely?

Padams - if the FH10 is cancelled is there any likelihood of it being rescheduled or is it more likely to be just binned?

I seem to have managed to get right back to it this week. Asthma is dramatically improved and I'll have managed my first 'ton-up' since pre-Berlin by the time I finish my second run today, and have just had it confirmed that my Berlin time was good enough for a #11 Irish ranking over the marathon for 2012 (ok, admittedly it just shows the lack of strength in depth, but a national ranking is still a national ranking! ), so it's been a good proper first week back training thus far 

Only decisions for this afternoon's run is whether to brave the treadmill, or do a Zatopek, strap on a pair of boots and go run around in woodland in snow fartlek style........ Part of my reluctance to get on the treadmill is that I don't know exactly what shape I'm in so it would be very easy to overdo it......

As for Lance, there seems to be a belief that he is denying doping on his comeback as he hopes that his 8 year ban (what he could get it reduced to for co-operation) will be backdated to his last tour win in 2005 by admitting to doping until then, thereby leaving him compete in triathlons again almost straight away. I haven't seen the interview yet, but, from what I've read, it seems to be, as always, what's best for Lance and how he can work it to his advantage..........

Nothing particularly interesting seems to have been said in the Lance interview as far as I can make out. Slightly surprised he admitted he bullied some people, but other than that it was basically what I expected.

PP - exactly, it's just the air resistance that is different. It's just a different frame of reference innit? Brings back good memories of studying relativity at uni.

OS - the whole "treadmill pulling you foot back" thing is exactly what happens outdoors too - you're moving forward relative to the ground i.e ground is moving backwards relative to you. That's why you don't want your foot hitting the ground in front of you (with the heel) which is just a brake effectively. Sometimes when I'm running outdoors I try to imagine I'm pushing along a treadmill without a motor.

I think there is a slight difference due to the motor/inertia etc. but I doubt that's very significant.

TT - Getting back to 100+ so quickly is pretty impressive!  I'm in a happy place right now, not just in terms of fitness, but also because I don't have any big "round number" marathon targets in mind worth chasing, so I don't feel there's any pressure to do anything other than training at the right effort level and seeing what comes out. No doubt by the time I've got a couple of long road race results under my belt, and another handful of MP runs (including Finchley 20; current plan = 5 mile w/u + 15 @ MP) I'll have a very good idea of what I'm capable of, but it'll still be a prediction rather than a do-or-die target.  (He says!...)

Thanks for comments on treadmills, PP and Padams.  Makes sense. 

Looks like my weekend plans are in limbo.  Planning for a 3 hr drive up to mate's in York prior to the BM on Sunday.  Can't set off now until they make a decision, which won't be until Saturday afternoon.

Reckon they should just get on with it, and everyone will have to run a bit slower. Having already run a half this year on snow 200 miles inside the arctic circle, it certainly can be done.  Just need to man up a bit.  I did enjoy my morning run in the snow today, with a nice few supportive shouts from some London Welsh players heading into training.

I quite like the treadmill, but only use for speedwork these days.  Can't seem to run for more than a minute without pressing a button, so I usually do a 16 x 2 min session starting at 15 km/h and finishing at 18 km/h off 45 sec recoveries.  Proper hard work that is.

Can't believe Oprah didn't get to the heart of the matter and ask the question we all want to know.  Was Lance juiced up when he ran his 2.46 mara PB?  Or more importantly, was he when me and him had a smackdown at NY mara in 2006.  I remember clearly overtaking him on the first long bridge; in hindsight I should have come out with a witty snide comment.

TT - nice ranking.

Jools - you are running some seriously good times nowadays.  VLM yes?

Oh, and I've got some VLM news which will make you all laugh.  Will also be guaranteed to get CRAB to come out and mock.  Will post up later when confirmed.

Cheers Dan. The news sounds interesting! I read somewhere that they reckon he was doped for his marathons as I think it was about the same time he was getting back to triathlons. I'll try find the link about it.

PP - I have done some bigger weeks over the last while, so the ton hasn't come out of nowhere, but it's been a case of 80-90 one week and 20-40 the next......... Sounds like a good plan with Finchley. I'm hoping to get a bit of LT work done over the next few weeks and then start getting more specific starting with the Bramley 20.

Nice racing SL and Jools. You're so mature and blasé about prizes Jools -- picking up the odd trinket in local races is about the sum of my ambitions, so I always feel compelled to hang around for them!

ZaTTu -- impressive mileage (my personal record is only 65 miles in a week, on a few occasions, but maybe I'll try some more in this campaign if I get niggle-free).

Which country are you in, M.?

Just a basic run-commute for me today which will make for a 50 mile week. I'm still heavy from Christmas and still have a slightly niggly ankle, which is annoying, but it doesn't seem bad enough to stop running for a fortnight or anything like that (maybe I should have done over the hols; now I'm getting conscious of races coming up).

Dan A - Oh, and I've got some VLM news which will make you all laugh.  Will also be guaranteed to get CRAB to come out and mock...

...TT - Cheers Dan. The news sounds interesting! I read somewhere that they reckon he was doped for his marathons as I think it was about the same time he was getting back to triathlons.

TT - I've never tested positive. I like my credibility on this.  Are you calling me a liar or a doper? I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles..Vive La Marathon.

As you slur! 

Charlie - nice picture.  Upon closer inspection, it's just as well you didn't look behind you though...

Dachs - very good!

Dan - oh dear, are you going for the WR for the fastest marathon dressed as an asparagus? Fastest marathon wearing an Xempo t-shirt? (Is it "an Xempo" or "a Xempo"?)

ZaTTu - I would have thought we would try to reschedule the FH10 if it can't be done on Sunday, but haven't heard anything yet. Will let you know if I get any insider knowledge.

So, anyway, after being away over Christmas/New Year, I found returning to this thread and reading all the massive amount of posts rather daunting, so I have delayed re-posting.  Can't catch up with everything (or, indeed, very much at all), but best wishes to Selbs for what sounds like a very tough time.  Good 5 miling action from Jools and SL, and great racing over a frankly idiotic distance by Padams.

I've been getting back to 50+ mile weeks for a bit now, so the pace is heading back to where it was.  Haven't done much exciting running-wise, apart from a few failed attempts at getting the Woodley parkrun record before Christmas, and my first cross-country race in almost 20 years last weekend.  I found it a tough reintroduction to XC, but finished 6th and helped the club to its usual 2nd place result, so can't complain too much.  Next target is Wokingham Half, which I note that various others are also doing, including ZaTTu and Al_P.  Al_P, I'm aiming for a similar time to what you've put down, but didn't want to say so in public...

Vaguely decided that the marathon target for the year will be Abingdon.  I note entries open quite soon.  Anyone else aiming at this one?  ZaTTu - I note this is now the club marathon championship race.  According to the newsletter, a "vocal minority" campaigned for the marathon to be included in the club champs.  I think this is a reference to you...

I'll be at Wokingham, Dachs.  Like the photoshopping!

Turns out I was third lesser spotted last night, albeit B&W have kindly promoted me to 2nd in their race report!  I need to do a shorter cool down, as Weston AC now owe me 2 bottles of cheap plonk 

Looking forward to DanA's news ... this had better be good!

lol. Very good CRAB. Maybe I'm just a cynic?

Cheers Padams. I might get to do it yet then if I'm lucky!

CW - I also have a few more aches and niggles when I'm carrying a bit more weight. Once it goes, so do they.

Nice one Jools.

Very good Dachs That was December's newsletter, and yes, I saw it. It [the vocal minority] wasn't just me. I can't see the point in asking for opinions if you dismiss them out of hand and then refer to them in such a manner in the newsletter. As for Wokingham, I certainly won't be anywhere near what I put down, but I should be better off than I thought hopefully.

Ended up going for the sensible option of the treadmill as the wind was blowing the snow horizontally. It wasn't as bad as I feared.
Initially planned session was {8 x 1/2m, 1 x 1m} @ 5m effort. I thought I'd optimistically shoot for 5:30 (10.9mph). It ended up feeling easier than expected, so I changed the session to {3m, 2m, 1m} off of 6min recoveries at the same pace.

...told you CRAB would raise his head above the parapet.

News is that RW are looking for sub 3 pacers for VLM and I've said that I'd volunteer as I forgot to fill in my GFA form.  Think I got the gig based on PB's rather than previous record at London   Anyone dare to follow me???

Actually they need a couple more (one for each of the three starts).  If anyone on here is interested let me know and I'll suggest to the man in charge at RW Towers who will make the decision.

DanA: Blue Start? (As in see you there, rather than offering to be a pacer; clearly don't have the credentials myself!)

Bloody hell DanA, have they seen your VLM CV ? Maybe you should employ a helper to carry on when you cant.

MTB ride home through the snow was a bit dicy at times, the nippers are up on that big hill sledging away now.

Fck me, the sub 3 aspirants have got to try and keep up with Dan A?

Better start plugging away with those 100 mile weeks, even those 100 mile runs!

(respect, mate)