Sub 3

feel surprisingly chipper after my mini booze up. I discovered that my eldest's boyfriend (whose capacity for beer was responsible for a late dash back to Tesco before it shut), went to Tonbridge School. A bit of googling revealed it's a £30K/year affair. The most expensive school in the country .... yes, even Boris and Cameron paid less for their pampered education!

So, I've decided that, for all his many faults,  should he be willing to marry a pleb like my daughter, he's most welcome.

Also decided my latest hamstring pain may be from strengthening exercises. Anyway, giving it a rest today as I've got to go and face my youngest daughter's irate teachers. Her complete disregard for getting to school on time, or at all, is putting a strain on their ofsted ranking. 

Then it's a meal out that I rashly booked for us all when I learnt about my eldest's potential life in the lap of luxury. The public school twit not only drinks a lot but he plays American Football and eats huge amounts. When I see the bill I will just have to see it as an investment in her future.

Talking about all the healthy food must have made me hungry, just devoured all the biscuits in a meeting.  Just telling myself that it's part of the carbo loading for the HM on sunday.

Have laughed out loud reading back over the day's posts.  Particularly loved the description of Marigold in the Red Lion and CW's directions for getting there.

Current focus is ignoring the forecast for Sutton Coldfield (heavy snow Friday evening into Saturday morning...) for the Midlands Road Relays.  Have a good Prom Run, SL: not for me tonight due to the relays.

Great training going on and interesting weight/diet chat.  My weight seems to hover around 9.5st (I'm 5'9ish) but I am not sure that necessarily translates into any greater speed.  I could eat much more sensibly - I tend to eat very healthily, but then am unfortunately addicted to refined sugar/sweets and end up bingeing a lot in the evenings (when I'm not trapped at work). I run generally in the mornings and without fuelling first, plus seem not to eat that much during the day.  All of which translates into a rather foolish plan.

Have been keeping up the running since last weekend's 20.  13 Mon, 11 Tue, 5 recovery yesterday and 8 this morning.  Finally think I've decided against going in for Edinburgh and will just build for Berlin in the autumn and maybe do some shorter stuff.  Haven't done anything with greater speed than 6:45s for my 20 on Sat.  Any ideas on good starter sessions to get some pace back?

Thanks for the GPS co-ordinates, CW (I also laughed).  I'll certainly try to get along in 4 weeks, even though I'm not running - will be good to meet you all and hopefully congratulate you on what should be (judging by the training going on) some great results.

As for diet:

Breakfast, lunch fuelled by 5 rounds of cheese sandwiches

Tea something off the OH's current Paleo diet

Snacks anything edible thats not nailed down or locked up.

With LD's recent conversion to all things Papal I hear that red shoes are well and truely blessed.

Hardly run recently due to all plans benig scuppered by my personal ToD.

Anyway:
Breakfast: muesli (100-125g) with full-fat milk
Lunch: sandwich, crisps, cake, fruit
Dinner: pasta/rice (100-125g), etc. with some sort of vegetarian protein (eggs/cheese/beans, etc.) plus yoghurt/dessert
Snacks (if not in court) as required.  Usually biscuits or malt loaf.  I always mean to keep healthy snacks around, but fall back on refined sugars and fat - they're just too tasty!

Scales are broken, but 5'2" and (going by the fit of clothes, etc.) 7st 5lb.

good to see that CRaB is still trying to play with the big (mileage) boys !

Padams laid back approach to his diet is as laid back as his approach to training and rcaing, I love it when someone as good as Padams is so "whatever" about it all.

Dids - are you on the complete rest for a week ? if not I reckon its time to sack it anyway

Cw - nice, not sure how heavy my luggage was in comparison, must have been a few ton given that my sandwiches ere in there !  but i guess 6:26s for you are somehwere around what 6:38s are for me, I only did 8 at that pace though (although mile 9 does go up Farlington Avenue - I bet there's a strava recoerd for that baby !).

thats enough menu's - you all under eat

No fridge magnet in the VLM pack ?!?!?.....................bllx, no point in carrying on now............

It appears that I misheard the shoe info and that Pope Francis has cast out such ostentatious attire. VLM plans are now in jeopardy.

TR -- "mile 9 does go up Farlington Avenue - I bet there's a strava recoerd"... you had me wondering with those accurate mile splits previously whether you were a closet Garmin junkie... probably own more than one pair of trainers after all, too!

... but quelle horeur! You're right on the fridge magnet. It's a disgrace. Hope Timex dish some out at the Expo. Mind you, I could reorganise the bits on last year's one, and leave just one displaying 2:42:38 between my 2011 and 2012 numbers on the fridge -- there has to be some advantage in clocking the same time twice...

CW - the map my run measured 8M goes up and down the the main road along the bottom of the hill (2M each way), Farlington aveune is pretty much spot on 1/2 way along the 2M route, so 1M w/u then 2 complete end to end runs gives me a measured 8M, then its up and over the hill with a bit of a loop tagged on round the industrial estate to bring up 4M. There is a Strava record - but it was set on a bike . I told dids folks cheat and bike em ! its 0.6M av 7.4%

......I'm quitting now anyway, no fridge magnet........

Crikey, I ask PP for a recipe and suddenly everyone is revealing the content of their lunchboxes (fnaar, fnaar).  If anyone wants to give their binlids (or themselves) an Easter treat, Tesco currently have a box of 12 Cadburys Creme Eggs for a mere £2.95.  I've got four left!

LS21.. hope the fare from the chippy was tasty, did you remember the bag of scraps? 

SL.. great miles & pace again.  Enjoy the curry - I did read that Jalfrezis are better for you than Kormas - all that cream is not good on the calorie count apparently.

Great sessions Marigold & Al P.

CW.. I reckon most folks would think they need a few bits from a ship's navigation system to read those co-ordinates!  Nice run with the luggage today, hope Nerys disappears.

Take care of yourself LJ, plenty of fitness in the tank so a few days rest won't do any harm.

Dids.. if you did damage the hammy originally it will have 'bonded' over the first few days.  Trouble is it tends to mend in a knot which shortens the muscle.  The running you are doing will be stretching the shorter muscle hence the aches.  That's my amateur 'from a distance' diagnosis anyway!  The physio/masseur will normally try to iron out the knot which is great fun!  Still, sounds like the family of your daughter's escort might be able to pay for the wedding.

Good to see you making progress RS.

Nice training TR, CRAB, Lev.

Welcome Running Owl.

7.2m on the treadie last night with 6 x 1k @ 5k pace.

14.3m outdoors today, got the biting wind out of the way in the first half!  Like Jools said the forecast looks interesting up here for the next two days.  I can see the York Parkrun being off if we get all the snow we're promised.

Nicely done wardi   Rib-Eye steak, home-made ratatouille, curly kale, asparagus and brocolli for me tonight. Was very nice indeed! And yes the weather is shite - currently looking dodgy re the Northern 12 Stage on Saturday. Decision tomorrow afternoon apparently.

runningowl - the sub-3 is there for the taking. Just run smart and don't be greedy and you should be fine, especially after Sunday's fine performance.

Can't believe there's no fridge magnet! Not that I've entered anyway, but still..... I blame George Osbourne.

A reasonably standard Thursday evening pork chop and black bean stir-fry for me, except one of the veg was helda beans, which I've not had for a while  A bit like giant mange tout, a nice bite if you throw it in near the end.

This was after 14.5M w/ 10M @ 5:49/m. HR a bit elevated suggesting the cold is still lingering, but happy with the pace and the legs felt strong enough.