Hard Training - Dawn (Hilly) - Page 104 - Training

Hilly

03/12/2004 at 08:08

Gee Mike you were burning the candle last night:o)

I'm surprised you achieved all you did with still having to do a full time job-well give or take the odd hour for running here and there:o) Most elites today don't do 'work' do they during the day?

I love the sound of Longleat 10k, is it flat, where can I get an entry form and what are the race limits? Questions, questions!

So no racing half 2 weeks before, but what about doing a half at marathon pace 2 weeks before as a final long(ish)run. Would that be ok? Obviously I would have to be very disciplined not race.

FAS

03/12/2004 at 08:13

Got to butt in here - but you have been told not to do it!!!! What would be the benefit? You will hopefully be in the best possible condition at that point and you never know how - despite being disciplined you just might get carried away. Even just run round the opposite way if you want to be there. Use the entry fee for a nice big bar of chocolate!

Mike Gratton 2

03/12/2004 at 08:43

Hi Hilly, You could of course get away with the half, but there is also a good chance that it will still bein your legs 2 weeks later and that would be a pitty. As FAS says, if you feel you want to be at the event go and have a run around the other way and cheer people on - FLM is too big a target to mess up this time around and the half will always be there to do in the future.

Most of my generation did work of some kind - Charley Spedding ws a pharmasist and also worked for Nike for a while, Steve Jones was in the RAF, Eamon Martin worked for Ford. Hugh Jones was a full time student so I guess he was closest to being a pro runner. I think to bridge the gap between what we did - 2.08 & 09's to what they do now you would have to be full time with full time medical back up.

Longleat is available to enter on line on this site, I will have an entry form on my website in the next 24hrs. It is a figur 8 course starting and returning to the Marquis of Baths little house each time - pretty flat, with just a short rise on each loop, but no real hills....having done the risk assessment and planning of the course I think it is going to be a beautiful run.

daisybop

03/12/2004 at 15:14

Hi Hilly,

Well done on yr training and also your times.I am trying to work on getting my times down as well.Just a question I am going to direct to mike.

Hi mike gratton2:Do you have any advice or tips/programmes that I can do:Any advice is greatly appreciated.I do a track session on a tuesday evening:But get confused because I am training myself.I do a speed session down at a park on a saturday morning usually 180x10 reps.I have been doing this for a while and seem to be getting nowhere.Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Daisybop!

Daisybop!!

Stranded in Turkey

03/12/2004 at 17:03

Mike,

Just thinking about some of the runners you mention there - shame there are no biographies or autobiogrpahies out yet on any of you.

Simon

Mike Gratton 2

03/12/2004 at 18:53

Hi Simon, I think that there is a book coming out about the hitory of LM by John Bryant, but don't know how much background will be in it on the past winners. You would have to go back through the archives of RW and AW to get the life stories I guess.

Hi Daisybop, It's difficult to give advice on speed work without knowing what you are aiming at as any speed work needs to be done in relation to your target race - speed work for 100m sprinting is very different to that for the marathon. By-the-way, I did get your e-mail and sorry I didn't get chance to reply yet, bit trying to move office and BT have messed up my internet connections.

Tigger's mate Roo

03/12/2004 at 18:59

Risk assessment at Longleat ? - Eaten by lions (or tiggers):-) ?

2:08 - what about the British men who aren't acheiving that and are full-time ? How many British runners (in actual numbers) do you suppose there are who currently are regularly running 100 mpw (apart from Big Tim and barnsley runner) ?

Hilly

03/12/2004 at 19:30

Thanks DB, hope you find a training programme that works for you. Do you have a target race or distance you're trying to improve?

Mike-thanks for the info on Longleat. I think I'm going to do that one as it sounds really nice.

Simon-you like your autobiographies!:o) I'm reading Paula's at the moment, which I'm enjoying. Do you plan on doing one Mike?

TmR-I'm sure there must be a few guys doing 100miles per week. Well you'd think there would be. I don't think runners are as tough as they used to be (not meant in a put down way)due to better standards of living today.

Stranded in Turkey

03/12/2004 at 19:59

Hilly,

Just finished Steve Ovetts and got my hands this week on the Frank Shorter autobiography which I had been looking for for ages.

Particularly when injured, found it a great way of keeping motivation up.

Simon

Hilly

03/12/2004 at 20:28

I think I'm going to be buying a few more to read. I love reading about how others have trained and their achievments.

Glad you're over those awful months of stress fractures!

JEvaNs*

03/12/2004 at 21:28

Just thought I would pop in and say hello!

I think I am being blessed and not being given an FLM ballot place - phew! I am really busy with 'stuff' at the moment so am just running to rack up miles - I take it this is sensible? I am seeing these few months as this 'rest' period of training I hear so much about.

I AM going to run Snowdon though. Not a race I will be able to go for time in, but it will get me back into the habit of running over Caerphilly mountain which in turn should line me up for some lovely fast flat autumn races!

Ooo! On the subject of books, Paula was in my home town of Loughborough the other week and I do believe my lovely mum may well have got me a copy of her book for my birthday!! I will let you know next week! My mum is top and is really proud of my running stuff so I would like to think that Paula knows of the ins and outs of my running history now!!!!

And another thing too - I am doing the Woburn 10k - is this another of yours Mike? I saw it in Race Service in RW mag this year and the report suggested it was a wee bit windy for a PB. I am not doing any specific training for it, but I am definately going to 'go for it'! Hoping sub-50 or sub-whatever-I-get-on-the-12th-in-Western!

JEvaNs*

03/12/2004 at 21:29

And can I just add, 4:50am and running by 5am. It's the only way to be! (that way being SHATTERED! but I love it)

Blisters

04/12/2004 at 00:07

When's Longleat 10k? Would the family get free passes to the lions etc? It could be a family day out. Normally a 2 hour drive would be OTT for a 10k, but......

ceal

04/12/2004 at 09:11

hilly good luck in your 10k tomorrow. I think it is tomorrow! I shall be racing a 5 miler at the same time.

Hilly

04/12/2004 at 09:57

Hi Jen, I'm sure you'll enjoy Snowdon. It's on my list of ones to to!

blisters-it's on 9th of Feb. It'll take me 1½ hrs to get to, but it sounds a good one to do and I like to do at least one new race a year. Might see you there then?

ceal-the race is next Sunday, but I couldn't get an entry (left it too late and my friend who offered me her number, as it's a race where you can transfer, had got rid of it because at first I said no. That'll teach me! So now I'm going to have to wait until Boxing Day and do the cold 'Round the Lakes' at Poole Park. It's flat, but it's 4 times round the lake and if it's windy and cold....Brrrr!

ceal

04/12/2004 at 09:59

Oh bad luck hilly.

Mike Gratton 2

04/12/2004 at 11:18

Hi Jen, Yes Woburn is one of our events too, looks like we specialise in doing races around safari parks as we also organise a run and bike ride at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent....it's reaaly all come out of charity connections, but the venues make for good races. Woburn was very windy on the day of the race last year, it's fairly undulating but I wouldn't say it was a particularly tough course - Spencer Barden did the Rhino Run 10km we organised there in Oct in a few seconds over 30 mins.

I'm still working on the training guide Hilly, but don't think my life story is interesting enough to write a book about - hopefully interesting enough for the occasional magazine article and to share on the forum.

ceal

04/12/2004 at 11:20

That's your opinion Mike!

Sean Fishpool

04/12/2004 at 12:33

Hello all (hello Mike!)

I've just introduced Mike's new Marathon thread in the FLM folder. Very scary...

It's right here

Thanks Mike - it will be a fantastic read

Sean

Hilly

04/12/2004 at 16:55

Oh I don't know Mike, it would be good to read how you went from 'normal' runner if you ever were(?) to elite and winning FLM and other achievements. It could be based on the 'steps' it took to get to winning FLM. Lots of 'ordinary' runners out there who would read it I'm sure!:o)

Just been on your new FLM thread, at the moment all I can think of is WOW that was some training!:o)