Saturday Session - 9 November

"Ner ner ner" to YOU, Mr. Lizard! ;)

What: Rest
Why: Foot injury!

Last hard: Yesterday, nice wet cycle ride...
Last rest: Today

I follow the one true thread!

What: Maybe a 5min jog
Why: Final fitness test prior to Stowmarket 7 on Sunday (can't make my blimming mind up!)

Last hard day: Monday :-( 8K
Last rest day: Friday!

Why am I not in bed?

Where is everyone today?

What : Undecided, probably 5 mile easy with some hills or some gym work including 30 mins mixed pace.
Why : Did my Thursday fartlek yesterday (and got drenched) and want to do a long 16 miler first thing tomorrow so I don't want to overdo it.
Last hard : yesterday
Last rest : Thursday

Good luck if you're racing this weekend.

Is it really 1030 already?! At least its a nice day.
What: 3ish miles easy
Why: still surprisingly stiff from weights and lunges on Thurs, and doing x-country tomorrow
Last hard day: Wed
Last easy day: yesterday

thankfully, looks a bit drier here too.

what: early pm - marshalling English National Schools X-C Cup (NW regional) event in Arrowe Park - might just be a tad muddy....
later - short (probably 4.3K) but q brisk run
why: what else can you fit in on the day between a relatively long run and a relatively very long run?

last hard day: Tue
last rest day: Thu

yes indeed where is everybody and why weren't we invited?

what: 8 x 400m @ 1mile pace
why: cos Frank Horwill says so, the old maniac, this interval training every other day plan that he recommends for 10K training.
last hard day: Thursday 6 x 1mile
last rest day: can't remember so it must be a while ago

haven't achieved bio-systems melt-down just yet, but it's only a matter of time. hopefully I'll still be a functioning organism for Brighton 10K next Sunday, where it looks as though there will be a dangerously large assembly of forumites. does Brighton know what it's letting itself in for, I mean, Fat Boy Slim is one thing but ---

I'm here (briefly)

Wot: 1000 m swim
Why: Rest day
Last hard day. Yesterday - the intended steady 10 miler became brisk nine miler 'cos I didn't have enough time for the former. Then did a 50 lengths of the pool (new cross training regime). Then ate a huge wodge of cheescake, a 12" pizza and drank a bottle of wine to replenish depleted glycogen stores (valid excuse, I think)
Last rest day: Last Saturday

Afternoon all,

What: 50.7 mile cycle
Why: Because it is about time I started cycling again as cross-training, and the weather is actually amazingly pleasant
Last hard day: Today - it got a bit tough towards the end
Last easy day: Yesterday

Gareth

rest & fix computer clock

no further comment

I'm here filling in time.

What:
am 8M easy, pm 8M steady.
Why: Increasing mileage, feeling better on it.
Last hard: Thurs
Last rest: 8 days ago

Nice one Ironman, haven't cycled that far for years. I'm jealous!

What: 18 miles in about 2:10
Why: Long run ( had planned 21 miles but completely died after 15 and missed out 7th 3 mile lap)
Last hard day: today
Last rest day: Friday

Evening All,

Drew, looks like your ploughing into the FLM mileage! I'm envious you got your 18 miler out the way today and I've got mine looming!

Ironman,
sounds like a hell of a ride.

Achilles,
you Horwillian maniac, ...so your going through with this crazy plan then?!?!??!

What: Gym - bike, weights, row, shower, trousers.......
Why: X-Training
Last hard run: Thursday (Horwillian Horror)
Last rest day: Yesterday

Hi gang,

What: (proudly...) first fell race - Dunnerdale, 5 miles 1800 ft ascent.

Why: I blame one of my running partners for suggesting it.

Was going to post race report but I think I'll just babble on here instead.

Beautiful days,esp compared with yesterday and Dunnerdale is a fantastic quiet part of the South West lakes between Coniston and Eskdale. Never done a fell race before (just events organised by the LDWA which aren't formally races, or timed) so my partner and I were lapsing into hysteria beforehand feeling like we were carrying great banners shouting: 'We're newcomers and don't know what the hell is going on.". There was a huge field - 170 + I would say, most looking ferociously fit, and sporting fellrunning club vests. Lots of ogling opportunities for perfect male physique - lean, rugged and muscular legs! Anyway I digress, race preparation was not exactly by the book - knackered after nightmare 2 days at work, hung over after only 2 glasses of wine, no decent breakfast and not a clue as to the route or its conditions. We pretended to look at the route description posted up in the village hall and nod knowledgeably at each other whilst scanning the hillside for landmarks.
'Remember, the pain you feel is your own; it is self-inflicted and character building' shouted the organiser by way of motivational send-off. As soon as the race began the happy relaxed chatter turned to total silence as everyone was instantly pitched into anaerobic breathing; by the time I'd got to the top of the first checkpoint my legs had turned into lactate induced jelly and so the descents weren't quite the bounding fast stretches I'd hoped for.

The route was basically four ascents to checkpoints with descents and short ridges in between in a horseshoe shape. Everyone goes up the steep bits in a line bent double, hands on knees, then make it up by flying down the other side. I kept overtaking people on the uphill stretches only for them to fly past me on the downhill sections - they obviously knew something I didn't about racing technique! There was plenty of evidence of this week's rainfall - the ground was sodden and it was fun to splash your way down through rivulets and streams. I only got worried when i went up to my thigh in a bog and had to be pulled out by a conveniently positioned runner who I'd been busting a gut to get past but who suddenly became my best friend!
Totally different to my normal fellrunning which is slow and steady - this was serious pain from start to finish and exhilarating at the same time, average heart rate 92%
Finished in 61 minutes, the most difficult way of running 11 minute miles that I know of!

Oops, 12 min miles in fact.

Hi Laura L

Sounds like you had great fun. I've race lots of XC but have alway's fancied a go at fell raceing but you don't get many in Kent!!!
One day I wil try though.

My second 8M run went so easy I'm seriously hoping for PB's next year.

Well done, Laura. I'm envious - I SO want to be a fell-runner (possibly because of the opportunities to eye up those perfectly-defined legs that fell-runners have). It sounds like the most fun that can be had while working that hard.

I think I'm almost back in action now, but am amazed how much cardiovascular fitness I've lost in less than three weeks without hard training.

What: Gym session. Bodypump class followed by 20 mins stepping intervals, 20 mins alternating power-walking and slow running at a serious incline on the treadmill, and 600m swim. Then went to the new Harry Potter movie to take my mind off missing the Cheddar Half this afternoon.
Why: A bit less than a normal training Saturday, but I'm still recovering from injury and inactivity.
Last rest day: Tuesday.
Last hard day: Thursday. And today.

I plan to try a short road run tomorrow if my ankle doesn't suffer for today's efforts.

w/e 9.11.02

Sun - 12 miles
Mon - 2 miles
Tue - 6 miles
Wed - 6 miles
Thu - 6 miles
Fri - 6.5 miles
Sat - (day off)

Laura, that sounds brilliant. I loved your report! I want to do it - nothing to do with oggling gorgeous men, honest.
What: I'm ashamed to say another terrbile hangover, so it was a 40 minute run, of only around 4 miles!
Why: I keep asking myself that! Out again tonight, but driving as Autumn Challenge tomorrow
Last rest: yesterday
Last hard: Wednesday night

what : moderate session in gym, run, cylcle, row and swim.
why : to feel i've earn tonight's beer and curry
last hard day : last sunday
last rest day

bit of a slack week this week. Will hopefully get out of a 6-7 mile tempo run tomorrow.

Well done Laura!! Sounds as if you really enjoyed the pain! Sounds like the kind of run I'd enjoy. Such a shame I'm so far away. I'm sure I'd enjoy some of your fell runs.

Anyway today I did Cheddar and am still on a high as I got a 1/2m pb of 1:34:22. I was on for breaking 1:34, up until the 10mile point, but got a bit of a stich at 11 miles and that with tiredness accounted for loss of pace. Previous 1/2 best was 1.36.57 so a good chunk off.

Originally, I was aiming for a negative split as after my muscle soreness earlier in the week I wasn't sure if I could run at pb pace. But was running quite smoothly in the first few miles decided to run as I felt.

Mile splits were 6.51, 7.00, 7.10, 7.06, 7.08, 7.06, 7.24 (up hill section), 7.03, 7.20 (another slight incline),7.17, 7.29 (got a stich), 7.24 (knackered), 7.15, 39secs

Now aiming for a 10k pb in a few weeks time at the Christmas 10k.