Sub 3

HR Keep off the Gospel Oak track; it's got my name on it next week, cos pnd say so!

LD hope you are feeling better after some rest.

I ran 251 miles in February, which is more of an indication that I am logging and timing more of my runs.

Felt inspired by PP training run! So decided to cook the pace a bit more tonight. Managed to run a PB for 10KM(39:03) and HM (01:24:29). Really pleased with that run home from work Just hope the legs play nicely for my 20 miler tomorrow. 

Al_P - very wise, not too much beer mind !

Dids - oh how the once mighty STrava World ranker has fallen !

HR - sounds like things are on the up

TB - no chance, your legs will be toast !

7M, 1.75k, 5M. funny when you think of it as an easy day but it was still 2hrs of aerobics. 45M for the week due to no Sunday long run.

Well massive read back. Some highlights with equally big apologies to those I've read but missed commenting on (many of you):

Jools big mileage. 23m wow.

DanA likewise big mileage  

LD great 20m. Wow shifting for a training run. But now you've done your hamstring. Oh lord Very kind remarks about the book by the way.  

Great runs from Padams, CW, SL, TB, Postie postie, CC2. LJ,   

AW great training week  

Great race by LS21  

PP you continue to be a hero to me. I love your attitude and method    

Al_P hope you get over the quads issue quickly. Seems a bit better now?

TT likewise with your injury - best wishes.  

TR keeping on keeping on  

OSI agree about doubles. Has always been trouble for me. Doubles = troubles as far as I go.

Nichs2  lol ok!!

This has been a crazy week but I'm sorted now with flat, work, wifi and running. I've been sitting in the pub most nights (the wonderful Tufnell Park Tavern - bloody hell hitting some good pubs lately) but have been almost totally focused on the job preps which seems to have paid off. Have sunk a few pints along the way but love that. All carb loading. Waiting for the Butcombe to settle in the cellar - they've had it for over a week now but won't put it on til it's ready. Yum.

Anyone on here ever done the Half Mucker or Full Mucker Dirty Weekend? Have seen it pop up on facebook and it looks suitable crazy!

You lot talk too much, how do you have time to train?!!!

297 miles in February for me. No PBs. I would probably have PB'd at 5k had it not bucketed down with snow on race day though. 

HR - what's the title of your book?

Big monthly miles by you both CC2 & LJ, impressive.

LD -- Zatopek effect. Repeat. Repeat. Bon chance. I've just vegged out with a can of Hobgoblin, a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate (good for the mighty-chondria you know), and a whole film about slowing one train down (Unstoppable). Oh, and a glass of Shiraz. It's all about recovery.

TR -- do you a deal; if I have to PB, so do you -- you've been training a lot for a long time now...

Al_P -- glad things are looking positive.

CW - no, I dont have the running miles under my belt this time. I'm 25% down on last year for Jan and Feb. Im already punching well above my weight running low 2:5Xs off some commute running and a long run. I was ~2:50 shape last yr, so expect to go a bit slower, although its all done on feel not pace so who knows what will happen - last year I felt carp on race day. Been meaning to ask hows the niggle's been on the higher mileage ? 

Abbot Ale and Merlot here !

TR do you mix the grape and grain with ease? I never know if that's just bollox, or a serious thing to avoid?

CC2 kind of you to ask: The Boy in the River (Pan Macmillan 2012) available on amazon etc. As LD alluded there's even a bit of running in it, including a couple of marafuns.

In a lovely mellow post-pints haze. My entire approach to running is almost diametrically opposite to the pillock I was on here four years ago when no amount of telling me would stop the manorexic nonsense of avoiding every evil bit of goodness (yes I know it's paradoxical) under the sun. Ah the bliss now of running, drinking and eating cheese.

HR - times change eh, its all about balance and running becoming part of your life ! I dont pour them in the same glass, just had a bottle of Ale and then a couple of glasses of Merlot, no cheese though.

Just been for a restrained 2.5 beerios wearing my 'I've trained harder than Marigold' t-shirt.  I reckon it's good for another day or so..   Best of luck at Bath fella, conditions look good.  Hope Jools flys around as well.

5m easy with Mrs Wardi tonight, think I will have a blast around the Parkrun in the morning.  York Racecourse looks very pretty in a mixture of sun and clearing mist.

Good to hear the book is doing well HR, I always buy the Mrs something grizzly to read for her birthday later this month so it's on the list!

Nice mileage CC2!  & good to see Al P off the edge of the bench.

TR/CW.. behave!  You have already got me thinking of tomorrow's grape blend!

LD - Unlucky on the hamstring. Make sure it's properly sorted before the next test run.

PP - Quality MP run.

Al_P - Good to see you're back in to it.

Tim - Nice run. Looks like you've got a few official PBs to bag this year!

Wardi - Hope the parkrun went well. Nice morning for it.

Feb Stats - 236m, Avg Pace - 7:13m/m, 1 XC race.

After 3 days rest last weekend to sort my shin out, I ran easy Monday and Tuesday this week with no issues. Then had 2 days off due to being busy with work. Yesterday I ran 15m early doors, but after 9m my shin started aching. I managed to get home without any real pain, but will rest up again this weekend instead of doing XC today and a 20m tomorrow.

Frustrating as I've only run a total of 55m in the last 2 weeks, but I want to make sure I'm 100% recovered for a triple bill of warm up races I have planned in a couple of weeks, so I can accurately assess what form I'm in before VLM.

some excellent running going on, such as Jools, Marigold, CC2, TR and CW, fantasic by PP (by the way I noticed I that, despite a poor week, I'm not far behind you on FE for 2013 mileage, nowhere near you or ever will be in most other regards!).

LD - hope the inebriation is softening the hammy blow, one of the few injuries I've not had in the last 18 months, hope it doesn't lay you up for long. Equally hope others with injuries/niggles (such as TT and AD) are back on track soon. I feel way off schedule but it's probably not too bad, still a whole month till taper madness

HR - the book sounds harrowing but fascinating, have added it to my wish list which I'll get round to once I've read the Christmas/birthday books. 

Sierra Nevada pale ale (feel like a traitor but it's such a good bottled beer) and strong cider last night.

I don't understand most of Nichs2's summary, but did 218miles for Feb, avg pace too embarrassing to mention made worse by Monday's ill advised slog, one successful Wembley outing (that's for RaceJase ) 

Poor 5 miles today after two days off, quads of lead, tried for 7'30s, just about managed 8mm, god knows how tomorrow's going to go with 7mm Thameside 20 Miler - plan was to do 15 at 7 and then last 5 at sub3 pace (6'50), now I think it's just hang in there as much as possible.

Have a good weekend one and all.

Ohhhhhh baby! Salvation comes in the form of an elliptical trainer. 

My kettle may be soiled, but this little beauty just let me unload two hours of sweaty anger with no hamstring pain at all. In fact, i can only assume that it will speed up the recovery with all that blood and stuff coursing through the nearby veins.

If I have to, then will grin and bear a couple of weeks of this. It will at least stop me going silly on the sweets and ale.

The dreams of glory are still alive.....ALIVE!!!

Nice morning for the nadbuster too, if a little chilly once we were on bikes.  3:03, as much a reflection of my lack of proper bike miles as anything else - the two runs actually went pretty well and were in the same ballpark as other times I've done this race.  On reflection I was probably holding back a bit too much at the start of the second run, I didn't want a repeat of the car crash I had at the end last time out, but in the end I went pretty well up the last hill.  Lost a contact lens  at the start of the third bike lap, which hasn't happened before but didn't affect things much, other than making the tight corners a bit more tricky.

HR - all sounds very exciting, I guess you don't get bored often with the stuff you get up to!

LD - take a bit of time off running, as others have said, you've got plenty of miles in the bank. Sounds like you can keep the fitness up on the elliptical trainer anyway.

Andy D - sounds like you're being sensible. Make sure it's fixed before trying to run again (see LD for why!).

CD - well done at the Nadbuster. Were there lots of fast guys there this time?

Work social last night, so had some beers (maybe 6), but was in bed by 10:30pm so not too bad. Long run with some clubmates this morning and ended up running 22M - I didn't know where we were, and had done some extra miles beforehand, so had to follow them back! Oh well, good training, and it was slow (about 7:45m/m average).

100km sportive tomorrow, which will be about 120km including the ride there and back. At least there shouldn't be any ice for the first time in a while!

TR -- Been meaning to ask hows the niggle's been on the higher mileage ?
Not bad, I admit. Odd twinge from old places but generally just fatigued crankiness rather than actual injury. Maybe the occasional LD-style 6 m/M dashes home from work on fresh legs in my low-mileage regime are as or more damaging than twice as much mostly slower stuff. Also always happy to drink Abbott and/or merlot (and eat cheese)...

AndyD -- sorry about the shin. I've said this before, but I treated mine with a) some stern massage, b) flapping feet up and down exercises or working them against hand resistance, and c) stretching them by kneeling up on bed, sitting on my feet stretched out flat behind me, and rocking around gently. All still part of my preventative daily-ish regime.

CD -- the time doesn't mean anything to me, but glad you had a decent outing there by the sound of it.

LD -- going elliptical should give you twice as much focus... (err coro would get that).

padams - the men's field wasn't quite as stacked as the November one but more loaded at the top than usual for the spring edition.  Dave Vaughan won again.  Vicky Gill & Tamsin Lewis also turned out to add some quality to the women. 

Things that are good for a hamstring Part 2 - off to "20/22 NQ" tonight to be down with the kids. That's a trendy Manchester club in a "creative space" in an old Warehouse in the Northern Quarter. Bar crawl first, 3am finish, lots of dancing. 

Will find out in the morning the wisdom of this, but I reckon it's good, healing exercise.

(Me Julie phoned round her mates "what are you wearing etc?" and is getting all dolled up in a dress and heels, saying "don't like my hair, does my bum look big in this?, hope it's dark where we are going" etc.

Meanwhile, I'm having some cheese on toast to soak up the beer, will make a token effort to get my hair quiffed up, find an old curry stained shirt in the bottom of the wardrobe and rub a cloth over my docs. 

We'll then be an hour late - which will not be my fault - Julie, looking beautiful but feeling insecure will have a big glass of wine on an empty stomach and disgrace herself. she'll sober up when she sees me disgracing myself even worse and make a mental note of everything. Will argue about it in the morning).

Let battle commence!