Sub 3h15

Some interesting running stories this weekend it seems. Well done on the XC those that did tough conditions.

Also, well done on those knocking out the 20's. Nice to get them in the bag!

Picture of the weekend must go to AR though!

Scooby - no fun. I would be feeling sorry for myself after that!

Did my first race of the winter this morning. Canterbury 10. Weather was relatively kind just very windy but definitely could have been worse. I had forgotten how hilly the course was and the headwind on the exposed parts. I wasn't sure what to expect to be honest having done next to no mileage at this pace so far and on Friday I tried to run a couple of miles a bit slower than this and really struggled.

Anyhow set off and felt ok and settled into it quite well. Through the first two predominantly uphill miles in 7:04 and 7:05 respectively and followed with a 6:55 slightly downhill third. Mile 4 was more downhill and ran 6:51 and feeling really good. Mile 5 was mostly one long steep climb and although I ran 7:24 I went past lots of people struggling and I felt like I wasn't on the edge - just concentrating.

Mile 6 was flat but into a strong headwind in 7:10 and then 7 downhill into tthe same wind in 6:55.

Mile 8 had the last long hard hill and again overtook lots of others and completed in 7:24 followed by two flattish miles to the finish in 7:02 and 6:45.

Chip time was 70:58 (10.05 miles on Garmin) and felt controlled all the way so pretty pleased with this. Sure I could have pushed a little harder but bigger picture and all that.

Back to plodding tomorrow!

Not a bad start to the season DS2.

That was some put down Speedy. By my standards that was very quick!

Evening all. About 17 miles for me today with a few hils in there, good to get the LSR in, the serious training starts now! Hoping to bang out a sub 3:15 at the Lake Annecy marathon in April (same day as London!) 

One thing I need to incorporate into 2013. Strengthening exercise for the core. This is non existant in my regime at the moment. Can anyone recommend any programmes specfically?! 

Minni - thanks. I think sometimes in this country we just have to accept the conditions will get the better of us but just being out there in that shows amazing commitment which non-runners think is complete madness.  61 m is a good week.

I ended only on 38 over 4 runs and lost a couple of key sessions so it was nice to finish the week on a relative high. I did completely bin yesterdays recovery run because I felt a bit tired and was racing today.

frazerelli - sounds horrible but well done on sticking at it.

BM86 - good luck. I got forced into some core because of a serious back injury but do get a bit lazy. I got a Personal trainer at my gym to sort out a routine and I use a bit of that from time to time. There is some useful stuff in the P&D book that's worth a look.

I think most on here wish they did more but end up doing not a lot. The fitter I get running the less I want to do it!!! Not clever really but we all have limited time so we do what we need to.

Good running DS2. Are you still running Ashford 10k next week (and fancy jogging round another lap of the course afterwards?)

21M for me this evening (after 7 hours' orchestra rehearsal...) to bring up 70M for the week.  A clubmate took pity on me and joined me to 10 of the miles, which helped, as I was feeling pretty tired.  Just to ensure that pretty much every run this week had some weather-related negativity associated with it, there was a short but sharp hailstorm followed by a decent amount of rain at about 15M, so I ran the last 6M with frozen legs and feet.  Perfect.

Hope you recover soon, SD (and nice picture, AR!).  Nice racing from DS2.

Sunday bath done & dusted. Clean again.

Impressive numbers Jools - I'm barely making 50% of that. Sounds like a good return to the race scene DS on a lumpy course.

Hope the shoulder recovers SD. I'm feeling completely battered after yesterdays tumbles, but nothing damaged

'OO'50 wrote (see)

 

That was some put down Speedy. By my standards that was very quick!

 

You mean it normally takes you LONGER than 6 hours to run 18 miles??? I thought maybe I misread, but no, you definitely said you ran 18 miles at 18.30 pace.

Plan was for 14 miles tonight, but my calf started to hurt after about 7 miles, I got increasingly CNBA and also my pace was dropping horrifically.  I decided to finish it early and completed 9 miles. That brings me to 45 miles for the week, which is a bit closer to my volume target, but none of the miles are fast or long so quality is missing.  

Also I could feel the impact of my extra weight going uphill.  So I had a piece of christmas cake when I got home.

My longest run of the year is 10 miles so getting quite envious of this weekend's long runs

OO50/Speedy, I do recall a 3 hour run along the Pembrokeshire coastal path that resulted in an average pace of something like 18m/m. The terrain was somewhat challenging.

Lorenzo - did the cyclist overtake you going back down again?
Ant - keep at it and I'm sure things will come together soon.
SD - sounds nasty - take care of yourself now
OO - weather seems to have gone haywire! Well done on the 18 miler.
Speedy - ditto!
DS2 - nicely controlled racing. Always good to finish with a little bit left in the tank.
Bluemoon86 - welcome. Core strength is something that I'm very, er, weak at, I'm afraid. I'd love to visit Lake Annecy - what's the marathon course like?
FW - You're just a crazy kind of guy! Well done.
Minni - 61M is great mileage, especially with the weather throwing just about everything it could at you to try and stop you!
Jools - good going. More stonking mileage.
Bike It - taking care of that calf has to come first. Hope the plan comes together.
Blisters - I love Pembrokeshire; you probably had to stop to take in the scenery a few times.
6 easy miles this morning, inlcuding a recce of the park for tomorrow's reps. Flooded as expected.
Don't forget to log any Jantastic runs for last week before tomorrow morning!

Keir - looks like I won't be at Ashford 10k now. I haven't managed a decent long run in the last couple of weeks so have decided to just get out and plod instead. Hope you're not going down with anything. How are you feeling this morning?

Jools - impressive stuff - again! Doesn't sound too pleasant down there. I think we are getting off pretty lightly!

Also-ran - it was a relief to get back to some kind of racing and an even bigger relief to find I could run that bit faster after all the slow running. Glad I listened to those that know on here! You're bound to suffer a bit after all those falls. Hope you recover ok!

Bike it - good to see the miles building up even if it is a bit frustrating.

Gul - 'controlled' is probably a fair reflection. Just glad to see some progress, to be honest. Hope the park dries out soon!

Lorenzo - good weekly mileage and cyclist overtaking! Be careful of that knee! Probably just the usual aches associated with endurance training.

Lorenzo - you need some of those trainers with little retractable wheels so you can take more advantage of gravity and whizz down the hills! Take it easy on that knee. 53 miles is high mileage in my book too!
DS2 - I've worked out a different loop to avoid the new lake in the park. 1150m, which I can use for 1000m intervals with 300m recoveries tomorrow by doubling back at the end and doing the 1000m reps in alternate directions

Woke up and fancied doing something quicker today, so did one of the VO2 sessions from P&D 6 x 1200m that I really struggled with at the end of marathon training last time. Just wanted a confidence booster

I managed them all controlled with 5 reps at 5:50 pace and the last one at 5:35 min/m, 9 miles for the run.I think I had more to give, but just wanted to finish them successfully this time.

Gul - flooded park - does that mean field reps for you tomorrow.

x-post with Gul

Jools - I had a very similar run to you yesterday, but without the 7hr practice before hand and without the weather. Also similar weekly mileage. I've noticed this a few times. We seem to be on a very similar schedule.

Keep it easy Bike it and the volume will slowly come. I'm jealous that you still have Xmas cake in your house (although my wife did manage to pick up 4 Jamie Oliver Xmas puds in Tesco's the other day for £1.50 each).

Good consistent mileage again from you Gul.

Lorenzo - did the knee hurt on the LSR yesterday of just this morning? 

Makes sense DS2. Bigger picture and all that.

Good reps AR. How does that compare to where you were last campaign? 

Sore throat, blocked nose, persistent blister, achey legs and I managed to slip on the ice when just 150 metres from getting back home this morning. A few light grazes, but another hole in my running tights. I keep seeming to tear small holes on them when climbing over fences and through hedges to avoid water logged sections of road. If I carry on getting holes In them they will start to look more like fishnets!

edit: formatting

That's some run Kier, sounds more  like an obstacle course. And a serious case of man flu.

Sorry Speedy now I get it. Typo- I meant 8:30 pace. So I was pleased and you were righly appauled! 

AR - That is a really impressive session. I once (or twice) did 5 x 1200, trying to complete each rep in sub-4:30, so I know how tough it is. I am miles off doing that sort of stuff at the moment.

As I'm planning to do the Langreo Marathon on 24th March, time is pretty short for me. In fact, after this week's niggle put paid to what would have been my first 20-miler, a look at the calendar tells me I'm only going to get 4 in. That plus one HM raced and one done as part of a longer run, two weeks out. It's going to have to be enough, that's all. I'd better do a 10-14 day taper, no longer that that.

Tomorrow caution advises against doing any full-on speedwork, but hopefully I can bash out something similar to what they suggested on MT this week, i.e. 3 x 10 mins at progressively faster paces.