P + D training for VLM 2013

Hi All

Haven't posted for a few days - still here but been busy! Have followed the 55-70 plan to the letter since the last post which meant the dreaded 10M w 5M @ LT pace last night in the wind & rain!!

Anyway managed to complete the session as follows; 7:38, 7:16, 7:23, 7:07, 6:18, 6:06, 6:16, 6:17, 6:21, 7:28 (plan was 4M 'gradual' acceleration, 5M @ LT then a 1M cooldown) so genarally happy that it went more or less according to plan - felt tired at the end though!

Great LT running from everybody yesterday - congrats to all!

14M @ 7:45 - 8:00 today then a recovery day tomorrow (lovely!)

Morning all, 4 mile recovery run for me this morning, on the treadmill for them by 5.15am, very pleasant and another episode of The Wire watched.

Some great LT runs by everybody yesterday. 
Agree with Go Caz on the wind, does make it difficult to achieve pace sometimes and certainly to maintain a steady pace. 
Mark F could be a good idea to shift some of those sessions to a time when you can really concentrate on them, it would allow me to run on some flatter stuff in the daylight rather than the long slopes in my town when I run in the dark.
15w I think Manchester certainly has it's own microclimate, the subject of many a joke and comment.
NP think most of us are back to shorts probably now, but cold baths?  Have tried them and not sure it did anything.  There seems to be some dispute to their value in some circles, I'll let them sort that out first.  However I do often dip my feet and lower legs into a bucket of water when I get back from a long run to cool them off and it feels ok, think it is just as it creeps upwards
SR I am with you on the where to fit the fast stuff in, do it early and then relax for the rest of the run

Dave - well done on your LT run.

14 mi for me also, hopefully will be dry and sunny.

Dave - Great LT Run. Do you mind me asking what kind of time you are targetting? Do you have a Marathon PB? I still have no idea how my training paces will translate to goal Marathon time, so would be good to find out from others how their training paces relate.

Cheers. Chris.

There are some great LT sessions being done. Well done everyone.

Hi Chris

I'm targeting the magic (for me anyway!) Sub 3hr barrier so all my training paces are based on a marathon race pace of 6:52 per mile

I ran 3:13:38 in April of last year at Milton Keynes in horrible weather (which qualified me for the 2013 VLM as I'm 48) - I know I can go faster though as I didn't train specifically for a time at that attempt (just to get round) and having run two sub 1:24 halfs in 2012 (as well as a half PB of 1:23:24 in 2011) I'm confident with the P & D 55/70 schedule I'll at least get close (that's the theory anyway!)

Good luck with the training - what time are you targeting btw?

Well done on all those fab (and fast) LT runs guys

15West wrote (see)

No Pain wrote (see)

Cold baths great for your legs trust me

Not so good for your other bits though.

LOL . But 15 mins . Thanks but no thanks. I'm a wuss and prefer a hot bath!!

Did my 12 mile MLR today. Yet more strong winds and rain but it was positively springlike out there with 9 degrees. TBH, I don't half mind the wind - it's the cold and the slippery conditions that do my head in. And I'd rather not have the cold spell come back. Did a progressive run starting at 9mm and finishing at 8mm.

Back from a very windy 14 miles. Hard it was. The strong headwind mixed with driving sleet reminded me of the Manchester marathon last year - good times!

Also - my headphones broke. Any recommendations?

15West wrote (see)

I thought it was pretty mild today. Maybe Manchester is in it's own little microclimate. Also...I've been running in shorts all winter, but then I am very macho.

Warm and sunny here today

Afternoon all

I did the dreaded 10 miles with 5 LT last night into the same strong wind.  I essentially ran a square and on 3 of 4 sides there was a headwind - how does that work.

Chris - I have all sorts of problems with toenails - currently missing 3 and 4 hanging on for dear life.  It can take ages for them to come off.  I dropped a drawer on my big toe in August and it is just hanging on.  I also have a new toe problem with resulted in a blood bath in my sock last night. Absolutely no idea what happened and I can't see any break in the skin.  I've also tried bigger shoes which did not help - I just totally rubbed the soles and heels out of my socks so went back to the smaller ones which don't seem to make the problem worse.  I might try those socks tho'.

It is still incredibly windy here today so my recovery miles will be very slow I think and in the dark which is a pity as it is lovely out at the moment.

NP - the only cold bath I do is a wander into the sea when I've finished running when on holiday so pleasantly cool, not icy cold.

Good LT Fiona, agree tough out there.  In a previous job I used to work on airfields which generally have a roundish perimeter track.  They are all open and windy and the wind never changes direction, it's always in your face.

Any guys who have played football will know that feeling when you push your foot into a sock before a match and think "what's that sharp bit sticking in my foot" pull the sock off to reveal somebody's toenail from a previous match  At least it's been laundered

Well, I'm still not training but at least I can contribute to the toe discussion! Fiona, it sounds like you got a blood blister under your toenail which burst during the run from the same pressure and that'd be where the blood was from. Not a problem but whichever toenail it was will probably fall off eventually. Nick, if the black toenails are uncomfortable you might try draining out the fluid -- NN would know...

Meanwhile I am cross-training and have just been to my first x-biking class. The actual sweatiest thing I've ever done, I think. I have not been taking cold baths.

Arghh I cannot keep up with you lot!  Well done everyone keeping on keeping on, very inspirational - well except for the shrivelled bollocks part... 

Literatin - hows the achilles?  

Chickadee - brilliant time to be aiming for!  I often wonder whether I will reach the sub 3:30 one day - hopefully I will. 

Re feet - mine are a mess.  My right big toe has no toenail at all and is always blistering because of the lack of protection.  Might get a small Durex on it. 

My training back on track - yee ha.  I have done my 10 mile general aerobic (well it was 9.2 miles 1200ft climb of bloody tough trails), 5 mile recovery run (which was 520ft of climb....) and today's LT session was in horrendous wind and could only do 4 miles of it, the 5th mile was effort of running my fastest mile ever but Garmin was telling me 8:30m/m!  Oh well, they always say LT should be on effort not pace (I pray I didn't see anyone I knew, I thought they would ring an ambulance, I would have looked desperate).  LT was all between 7:49 and 7:27.  9 miles average pace was 8:19m/m.  Rest tomorrow then big 18 on Friday.  Longest run since Chester Marathon.  I didn't do the 18 on Sunday like I said, it would have been suicide after being ill.

15 - yep, I agree re weather today similar to Manchester marathon but the rain was not being quite as big a bastard.

HeOw - good to have you and your potty mouth back.