Sub 3h15

Some good, tough LSRs and nice wekly mileage from Ant, Fingers and RFJ.

Take is easy and hope the recovery goes well Bike-it and SJ. How about a cycling target for the season from you both as well?

Well done TR. I predict 19m next week 

Scooby, I just knew you would end up with a 20! Good final finish. How was the unfueled thing? A good exercise to repeat? Did you 'carb-load' as soon as you got home?

My first win today (since the Kent 12hr championships in 2004!) Apologies for copied post from the sub 2.50 thread, but I've used up my 'me time' credits for the weekend!

Thanet duathlon in which I came 3rd overall last year. Not sure how I would fare with less cycling and no speed work this time. 

First 2.4m road run @ 6.10m/m 165bpm (86%) felt hard - but I was pleased to be 2nd, 8 sec behind the leader at this point. Made up a couple of seconds in transition and soon caught and passed him on some technical bits on the bike. 

The 9m bike section was so, so wet and muddy. Came to a complete standstill on a few occassions in the water and mud. Really tough going. On the back of the course I came off 3 times and ended up wadding next to the bike for a bit. Fell off twice again on the 2nd lap which had been churned up even more by the riders. Although it was flat and had 1m in total of tarmac the bike split averaged 5.56m/m - 157bpm (83%)

I lost some time in nd transition with standard rather than elastic laces on my trail shoes, but I didn't want to lose them in the bog. Run was over the same course as the bike and I enjoyed overtaking 20 riders over the loop. Worst bit was where they redirect the runners through 5 water filled dykes. The worst was just short of waist deep and so slippery it was hard to get out of. 7.45m/m 159bpm (84%) for these 4.5miles. 

Overall 1hr 32min and the win, 90sec ahead of 2nd place, who is a sub 3hr marathon runner / IM athlete and also 11 yr younger than me. 

Finished the day with some intervals pretending to be a boy eating dragon, chasing my kids round a local playground

Forgot to say OGL - I liked your good post regarding marathon mileage yesterday. 

Very well done Keir!   Can't believe your pace in waist deep water!

I didn't have a CB handle - much too young, but my porn name is Snowy Houston!

Wow thats splendid Kier very well done.

Got back early from Manchester so popped in a 17 miler at 7:03 pace, inspired by Minnis splendid effort. 46 for the week. 

Great stuff from Keir - I've never done an off road duathlon but it sounds technically and well as physcially challenging.

Good unfuelled 20 from Scoobs.

Am I missing something - why has Minni suddenly fessed up to having a porn name?! 

Congratulations Keir - what a fantastic effort in all that mud! Now time to Muc Off, I suppose?

Great miles from FINgers, Jools, TR and RFJ. Also nice going, OGL (good pace, there). Glad to see OO50 was able to "pop in" 17 miles...at 7:03 pace.

Scooby - You can't do LSRs too slow, especially not at this stage. That's quality TOTF, that is. Love your pre-run dinner the night before.

FWIW I always do my running unfuelled. As I think I've been taken the p*ss out of before on here for, I'll have a cup of tea and juice from 2 squeezed oranges, but that's it. later on in the campaign, for, say, my 3rd or 4th 20+ miler, I'll take 2 PowerBar gels and take them at a drinking fountain in the city somewhere, but that's it. The previous night's dinner is the key.

Er, yes, I think the Gloucester Marathon is next week. It all gets a bit cryptic on here sometimes, so it can hard for lesser mortals to follow...

 *Edited for dodgy syntax

'OO'50 wrote (see)

Wow thats splendid Kier very well done.

Got back early from Manchester so popped in a 17 miler at 7:03 pace, inspired by Minnis splendid effort. 46 for the week. 

Apologies I meant 8:03 pace of course. Otherwise I'd still be crawling home

Keir Great result in what sounds like a tough course.

In relation to unfueled. Previously I have done an 18 miler and normally do both 22 milers as unfuelled. 22 unfuelled gives a very rough mara time. However, this is the first time I have not had porridge an hour before the run. Straight up and out the door 15 mins later. I currently struggle to get up on dark cold mornings, so going straight out helped that. I believe the slow start was a mixture of mind and cold. For the first mile I was clenching and unclenching my hands to try and warm my fingers up.  I will definately be doing at least one 22 miler unfuelled (prob last LSR prior to taper), not sure about missing breakfast.

Lying in a hot bath with a bowl of cornflakes made it all worthwhile. Plus a guilt free massive roast dinner. Just off for some tea as well

'OO'50 wrote (see)

 

Apologies I meant 8:03 pace of course. Otherwise I'd still be crawling home

No, you'd have been home ages ago .

Scooby - In the bath with cornflakes? Good work. I went straight in a hot bath when I got in from my run this morning (had cereals and banana with tea while the water was running) and found myself going "aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh" for about ten minutes, it was so nice in there. Didn't want to get out.

Well done Keir great result

OGL - last yr I did 3x20, 3x21, 1x22 and 1x23. I missed two weekends in March with a sore calf and one in Jan. I did a 24 and a 26.5 in 2011, but reckon its a waste of matches. I just made sure that I made some of the runs last 2:4X in 2012 and made the 23 last 2:52 (race day turned out to be 2:51). I'd like something similar this time, I have a 10K in feb and possibly a 10M in March so need to fit 7ish 20-22 around those runs. 3 weeks out will be a 20, 4 weeks out will be the 23. In a few weeks time I'll start chasing a midweek 13ish too. If I'm too busy to do a long run one weekend then I'm happy that I can miss one now that I'm up to 18 and have enough weekends to make sure I bag approx 7 or 8 20-22.

Keir - nice one on the win. Dykes too ! whatever next ? No to a 19 next week, I've reached my limit til the 20s appear. I'm supposed to be doing the Stubbington Green 10K anyway, but have two morning footy games, and an afternoon indoor crkt game so cant really go MIA. Also have a tight hammy and achy knee that dont like the upping of the mileage. So 90% sure that the 10k wont happen.

Wow, well done Keir.  You took some good scalps by the sound of things!

Some nice LSR being run this weekend and some good miles being put in the legs - keep up the good work

Excellent victory Keir.  Hard work and consistancy pays off.  Sounds like a good fun race with all that mud.  Might have a few MTB races in the summers but that's about it I think.  

OGL - my calf strain seems to come on with the mileage as I was just at easy pace.  It's minor and quick to heal so it shouldn't keep me out long.  Probably I'll go out for a mile or so later anyway.

I do pretty much all my LSRs on a just a coffee and no food.  I don't take any food or drink just because I don't want to carry it.  I did buy a Nathan water bottle holder when I was in SA and took it on all runs, but that was because it was just so hot.

Excellent C2C Poacher on what sounds like a very energy-sapping course.  Enjoy Africa.

Well done everyone on a weekend of longer runs.

Congratulations on the win Keir.  Massive confidence booster.

Character-building Ant.

Good that you finished fast FINgers.

You'll soon get used to it TR.  I always find the January runs tough.  Once the first 20 miler is out of the way it gets easier

Bike-It - Take it easy.  I was doing 3.5m at lunch & same again in evening.  Not worth injuring yourself again though chasing miles.

Nice one Scooby.  Once you get mentally used to unfuelled runs they get easier.

4 mile easy run today and a huge 34.5 miles for the week!!

Ah, thanks for explaining it Minni. I wondered when, with tissue in hand, I google imaged Snowy Houston, I was left feeling particularly cold. 

Goldie Waggott. Not sure I'd get many bookings.

19 this morning on a light dusting of snow. My presence is not yet required up North apparently. 

Congrats on the win Keir, what goodies did you get?