Sub 3h15

Speedy - Sorry to hear such bad news, hope your Dad recovers quickly and completely.

Good work from the self-harming RFJ, the back-doors-blowing Frazerelli,  from Jools and OGL and an impressive LSR early doors from Minni.

First race report of the year: the Country to Capital 45 was a hard day. The sleet and rain petered out just before the start at Wendover, but the largely trail/XC crossing of the Chilterns was very muddy, the sort you either slide about on or sink into. Fiendish navigation too and no markers. Then 3 hrs along the towpath to Paddington, mostly into an increasingly sapping and cold headwind. Not done enough (i.e.any) VLSRs while trying to reinvent my training, so it was a relief to finish in reasonable shape. Final score 6hrs24,15min down from last year but the conditions account for part of that. Position about 17th I think.  Positives: a nice chunk of TOTF; and some metronomic pacing as for the last 28m or so the average pace stayed the same to within a second or two a mile; and a long sleeved shirt with sleeves in the sort of pink you would use to decorate a 5y.o. girl's bedroom 

Good luck to next weekend's racers Blisters/Minni/Efecol, and any others

Thanks for the wishes folks. Dad will be 81 next month, so he's hardly a spring chicken. Sadly the prognosis isn't good. They do think he'll regain movement in his leg, but not in his arm. He's going to be in hospital for at least a month. Currently he's in the acute unit at the Newcastle RVI, but once he's stable they'll transfer him to the specialist Cherryburn unit, which will be much easier for mum to get to. 

Speedy - thoughts are with you and your family. Hope things turn out OK.

Good 20 miler bagged from Minni - what's the weather like in your neck of the woods at the moment?

Great performance from Poacher - I can imagine how it was running along the canal. Not pleasant. Brought back memories of my C2C experience a few years ago. 2 valuable lessons learnt:

- 45 miles is a bliddy long way
- don't eat a Scotch egg at the fuelling station.

Ant - encouraging run.
TR - 20% improvement is going some!
Joolska - nice parkrun course PB.
Lorenzo - I sometimes forget how fortunate I am to work just 3/4 of a mile from home. Good hilly MLR.
Martin - very impressive LR. I've always thought a fast bit just before the end and then a warm-down was more sensible anyway.
Birch - pleased to hear it's going well.
Blisters - good luck!
Minni - well done on the unfuelled 20 miler.
OGL - just coming to the end of base-training; a couple before weeks before I start my own 10k training schedule. Promising parkrun.
F(W) - good set of reps for an undulating road.
Ant - not this year, thanks.
RFJ - good day at the office (apart from the self-inflicted wound).
((Speedy)) - praying your dad recovers well.
Mennania - that's some hill!
Poacher - excellent result given the conditions. Well done.
Rest day for me

Taking daughter no. 2 back to Uni today so a late run planed. Assiming I don't get marooned in snow.

Great run Poacher. Impressive mileage in those conditions. Do yo use sealskin scks or treat your XC shoes with any water repelant stuff? Any chance of a pic of the pink  jersey?

It sounds like he is getting good care Speedy, but that it is gong to be a hard month of commuting for you and your mum.

Happy driving OO. Can you run there for a change of scenary?

Excellent work Poacher! If nothing else, as you say, great TOTF. But of course there's far more to it than that. 

Wonder how Blisters is doing in Gloucester? Looking forward to the report.

16M in the bag in vile conditions: lashing rain and gusty winds. Not that pleasant, and legs were tired from the off, but lungs and head felt better than when bashing out last week's 14M. Quads burning pleasantlly. Now for a hot bath.

Anyway, av. 7:52mm, 135bpm. 50.05 miles for the week.

Well done, Poacher.  Given the conditions and lower training, that compares extremely well to last year.

14M for me: cut back weeks rock

Poacher - reassuringly nuts !

Speedy - hopefully the 81 yr old dad has the resilience of the 81 mpw daughter.

Martin - 18M bagged, didnt enjoy it much though. My body is groaning with the re-introduction of more than 100M/month, but like Keir says I have a (sub3) streak to maintain and they dont maintain themsleves.

Sorry to hear your news Speedy - all the best for your Dad and your family.

Nice work Poacher - very good result considering the lack of specific build up - it shows your underlying condition is very good. 

I ran 6.5 miles on Friday and my calf strain reappeared at mile 5.  It heals pretty quickly so I might pop out later.  It looks like I'm going to have to keep the runs pretty short for a week - I might run doubles as MartinH did

Speedy My thoughts and wishes are with you and your family

RFJ Very nice race, with a bit of self harm thrown in for good measure.

Poacher Great report and very, very impressive pacing.

Ant Character building.

FINgers Always nice to have something left in the tank.

Unfueled run today. I normally eat porridege about an hour before setting off, but decided to get up and go. Chippy tea last night of chips, curry, steak pie and mushy peas.

I decided to run 18 miles by feel rather than check pacing. As I got to half way I realised it was very slow and paniced slightly. I felt like jacking in, but decided to go further and use a bit of time on feet. Ended up as 20 miles (on nothing but water) at av of 8:29mm, HR 69% average. Last 15 miles were actually nearer 8:22 pace, but first 5 were 8:52 pace (really cold when I left the house, plus my mind wasn't confident being completely un fuelled).

All in I am happy, as my quickest miles were my last 2. That also gives me 2 x 20 milers in 2 weeks. The slow start was what is was, but the last 15 were fine.

Speedy: best wishes for your dad.

Frazerelli! yes parkrun was at windy Silverknowes. Interesting reps by yourself, part of a grand plan or just keeping your hand in?

OO: if Miss OO is only 15 then you have a possible training partner for a few years, before watching her disappear in more senses than one.

Blisters: where's your cotton wool?

Mennania: Keep running the hill at the end, you'll benefit with the extra strength from this during a race.

Poacher: nice race, but I don't think I'll be joining you at any ultras.

Ant: A 16 in the bag, you must be nicely back into mara training then.

FINgers: A 15.5 and a total of 48 for the week, is this full training or are you still building your total up?

TR: How many 20+ runs and how many 15 to 20s are you intending in your (non) plans.

Bike it: What brings on your calf strain? is it distance or speed?

Scooby: Sounds like your "central governor" wouldn't let you take the handbrake off too early, will you be repeating this run?

My 19:10 parkrun or thereabouts has been given as an 18:58 must have taken longer to get my breathe back than I thought.

Out at 7:30am (too late for the early morning nutters club) a light dusting of snow on the ground, By mile six it was gently falling again, by mile nine it was a blizzard, by the end there was two inches on the ground.

13.4 at a relaxed 7:37pace

Some great runing going on, Scooby / OGL / Jools / FINgers and Ant on top of Minnis and Lorenzos runs yesterday

Poacher Excellent effort well done

Speedy Hope all works out ok with your Dad

1hr 45 mins as planned totalling 12.56m (8:22mm) a tad tired and sore after yesterday, but 51m for the week.