Sub 25 - and beyond!

Welcome runs-with-dogs!

are you doing any speed work, intervals or the like?

Ugh. Yes. I joined a local club for the first time at the start of the year and they make me do all sorts of horrible things I'd never do on my own - I've always been a slow and steady (ahem, and lazy) kind of runner. My Monday evenings are now taken up with brutal interval sessions that make me want to vomit and cry all at the same time.But I won't complain too much as I'm definitely getting faster...

Thanks for the welcome Daz

Sub 24 mins was a bit easy yesterday.

Small friendly group of runners, think about 35 for this inaugural race. Ran along the sea front to see how breezy it was. Decide to run 4.5 min/km pace as it is bloody windy. 2.5km into the wind and assisted on the return.

Splits

1st 4min 22s Wow, and into the wind

2nd 4min 36s Feeling it now

3rd 4min 28s Struggled to the half way point

4th 4min 17 Yippee wind assisted

5th 4min 10s Went well

Unofficial time 21:53

Time is correct and I came 10th,

wait for it

out of 25.

Ockham - Well Done on the sub-22

I'm right in the middle of lots of long/slow hilly stuff atm
- managed 4x1k on Wednesday and averaged low 4:30's, compared to low 4:20's a couple of weeks ago

I've got monster races lined up for this weekend (Ennerdale Horseshoe) and next (Welsh 1000m Peaks), but might be able to concentrate more on shorter/faster/flatter stuff after that...

New challenge tommorow morning !

Going to try my first 5k parkrun.

Have a 10k PB of 52:38, and HM of 2:00:14 (Only done 2 races :P), so time to add a 5k to my set of PBs.

Finished 72nd, just ahead of one of the U14 (I think) runners. Never manage to stop my watch on the line, so unsure of my time till it goes up on the official results page

Also got my HR to a new max of 192, so maybe my true max is 195 or so (Not tested it properly yet)

Think it was quite good tho !

22:53 so pleased with that for virgo intacto 5k. (10k = 52:38, HM = 2:00:14 other new pbs.)

Hello those of you who have been here long enough to remember me (and to those who haven't)! Finally feel like I'm getting back to where I should be. Ran a parkrun (5k) pb a few weeks ago of 20.35 and managed 20.51 yesterday. Also came 5th (out of 64) in a 5 mile race on Wednesday in 34.42!!!!!!!!!!!!  Even more Mr. A. Mazing because I ran 9 miles on the downs in the morning. Good to see everyone is still at it and improving. I've started a http://imfithove.wordpress.com/ of my exploits so if anyone is interested please have a look. Even those who aren't interested please have a look!

That link should say blog! I'm trying to get to grips with modern technology and failing.

Which parkrun is that James? I do the Brighton & Hove one. Around 400 people each week now. Getting too big for the park really.

I'm doing Bewl 15 miles next Sunday. Why? Daz knows I'm a track girl at heart! Have begun doing "Wales Wednesday" which means running twice on Wednesdays. It is so named as I went on a running holiday with 9 of the Arena (80 AC - my running club) crew where we ran 10 miles each morning and 5 in the evening. It certainly seems to be working as I am getting back down to pb shape (I have finally accepted more running = faster running). Track session tomorrow. Like run-with-dogs this session makes me want to cry and be sick but I love it and must persevere as I want to get better.

JamesB - Congrats on the sub-23 that's a great start!

Ostrich - Welcome Back!
your blog looks good - particularly like the pic of running shoes - but if I did all mine, you'd need two widescreen monitors to fit them all on!
sounds like it will not be long til you go sub-20

I have been shamefully overlooking speedy stuff in favour of my beloved hills
I might be doing a 5-Mile race on Wednesday evening, but even that's a bit undulating/traily so not really a PB course
the Sale Sizzler 5k series is fast approaching, and I think I might force myself to do one, even though I know I won't PB, just to see exactly how slow I am atm

Hi hope its ok to join in.  I started doing  parkruns in early March and find them very addictive.  I started off with a time of 23.35 and have got that down to 21.53 though the rate of improvement has slowed down somewhat recently.

My local parkrun course (Banstead) is not the fastest due to a horrible hill at the halfway point.  I'm taking part in 5k London City race in a few weeks. Hoping for a quicker time as all  on road and pretty flat.

Would love to go sub 20 at some point though I am getting on a bit (45).

Hi all, and Daz and welcome Geoff!

Daz - That is nowhere near all my shoes but I couldn't stand high enough with my camera to get any more into the shot! The one on the blog was me standing on the coffee table being stared at bemusedly by the cat  I did toy with the idea of lying my shoes out on the pavement and taking the photo from my living room window (I live on the first floor) but feared being carted off to the loony bin.

B&H parkrun isn't very flat either alas. Maybe to get a pb I need to go flat but I will only really count it as a pb if done at B&H parkrun as I've done 125 there (and none anywhere else ). My friend's flat 5k pb is 30 seconds faster than her B&H one so if I get sub 20 there I will be extra pleased!

Did a good track session on Monday. Someone else took it so made a change. Have a look at my blog for details (sorry, can't be bothered to type it out twice ).

http://imfithove.wordpress.com/

Good to hear you are all well on the forum. I'm slowly making my way back with short runs!!

Been getting back out to ParkRun the last month and am off again tomorrow. PB at Bradford is 20:52 and my last two efforts have been frustratingly close (20:58 and 20:55). Last Saturday's run was made all the more irritating because I was well set for a sub-20:50 but pushed too hard on the last little bit of hill and ended up being sick on the 'back-straight'!

To those who also do a more difficult ParkRun - try to get yourself to a flatter one once in a while. My one effort at Hyde Park (Leeds) last December was 20:32 and my two 5k-splits at Bradford 10k were 20:44 and 20:43. Shows how tricky a bit of hill-work can be.

Geoff - work hard and a sub-20 is always a possibility. Don't feel like your age will hold you back - just take a look at some ParkRun results to see the number of VM40+ runners that go well under twenty minutes.

Forgot I have the second Clacton 5k race tonight, drat have not trained since last one.

Ah well, see if I can do it in around 22 minutes.

Helloooo again fellow runners!

Wednesday conatined my favourite race of the year. The Weakest Link relay. Teams of 4 run 2.5 legs then as the last runner comes through the team join them for the last 2.5k (so the leg 4 runner has to run 5k straight). I requested first leg as I like a nice long rest before I have to run again. Damnable sprinters! Amazingly I came in as first lady by a good margin over 2nd place. 2nd legger kept our lead which meant as she handed over we were basically assured victory as our leg 3 and 4 runners are VERY good! (19 and 18 minute 5kers respectively). On the last leg we must run as fast as the slowest runner (hence "The Weakest Link") so everone crosses te line together. I was not the weakest link so the last leg was nice and easy for me thankfully! We ended up winning by a good 600 metres or so and a £10 running shop voucher was the icing on the cake! An excellent evening finished off with fish and chips on the beach. Have a look on my blog if you like for a full report and a photo of the winning team. Success!

On the complete other end of teh running spectrum I'm running the off-road Bewl 15 miler tomorrow!

Well done Isobel.

Second Clacton 5k was winder and the direction of the wind was reversed. So the last 2.5k was bloody hard. Someone threw up a good couple of hundred meters in front of me, but could still smell he had black current juice before the race. He still beat me. Said to my wife before the off, will do the first 2.5k in 10 mins and then coming back 12 mins. Not far off the mark.

1k 4.00 mins

2k 4:06 mins

3k 4:25 mins

4k 4:48 mins

5k 4:58 mins

For a time of 22:17. Came in 18th of 47

I didn't feel 'up for it' on Saturday and after 2k decided I wasn't going to push too hard. Strangely, I ended up doing an 'easy' 21:02 which is only ten seconds shy of my Bradford ParkRun PB! Almost wish I had pushed a bit but it was a nice marker to show myself that I am more than capable of going faster than 20:52. Was pretty happy after that performance.

I also didn't feel 'up for it' on Saturday due to a few beers and a late night, the first parkrun I've done following a night out.  Time was 22.29 about 40 secs off my PB set in early June. Will have a proper go at next Saturdays parkrun in preparation for a 5k race in London the following Thursday which is on all on the road and pretty flat.

Wahey! this thread seems to have kicked back into life - lots of 25-20 minute action

by way of celebration I even did 4x1k at lunchtime

I forced myself to go off too quick, so knew I'd get a "tailing away" set rather than a nice consistent one... and I did!: 4:17, 4:24, 4:26, 4:29
better than the dismally slow set I did about a month ago
but still a way off my PB pace of 4:22