The Middle Ground

kaysdee (Kelly) wrote (see)

 I'm beginning to wonder if I have some issue with dairy and I'm sure my mother and sister both developed various GI issues at around my age. I probably do need to start considering diet.

Not to get too graphic, but I always drank LOADS of skimmed milk just as a casual drink. It got to the stage where at least once a week, i'd have issues when I did my harder sessions, even if I hadn't eaten 3hours before.

I've ditched the skimmed milk apart from small amounts with cereal, and I'd say the problem is 99% better now.

All that messing about cutting out/changing when I ate fruit,  lucozade, meat etc, and all that time it was the one thing I never suspected!!

I even completely cut out pasta for 9months, switching to rice as it's less troublesome on the stomach!!

Yesterday night was the 2nd time I've eaten it in 10months! Maybe that gave me a boost today!

Simon - Sheffield Hallam has some narrow paths and pavements and yesteday had 466 runners!  It's a two lapper and I really don't know where they put them all. So if you want to marvel at the organisation do that one.

However Graves is one of my top 5 parkruns.  A lovely rolling park.  A varied and challenging course (made more challenging by being 5.3k)!  Also the RD, Ollie is a great guy.  He seemed genuinely chuffed when PRF and I chose his event as the `actual' one for our 20-20 Yorkshire challenge last year. 

Thanks MrV - I have high HR and the plods.  I might try and play around with diet over the next week or so.

Simon how come you guys dont do Surrey then? I wouldnt recommend the Sheffield parkrun on the top of the hill. Hallam is a good one, in Endcliffe park I think.

Well done to SG on your XC run

Welcome to TOM

Nice to hear Alehouse going well, although perhaps you should ease back a little if lots of things are sore?

Loads of posts that I have read back, looking forward to having Duck to stay in a few weeks too! Nice to see Phil yesterday. Awesome running from Mr V with the sub 40 in a long run.

Nice to see Hilly and BR enjoying some parkrun tourism and sorry to hear that work scuppers Wardi from taking part too.

Hope YP can come back properly soon.

Shocking XC from me, had to stop and tie shoelace (muppet), but couldnt really be bothered, however all good training. 53 miles this week, not bad for an ease back week.

Permission got for a jaunt around Dulwich this Sat if anyone fancies a quick blast?

Thanks all for the welcome, I will try and stay de-lurked. Some great running and racing from you all, and particular props to Stevie G for what sounds like a brilliant XC. I don't think there was much between Simon and I, so I may have just made myself a target for the last race in our series.

Wardi - had a quick look on the results but didn't see any names I recognise... did you catch them at all? It must be flat there then  good time from you all things considered.

Josh - how much has changed in 3 months  great to see.

Welcome along TOM

Nice going there stevie, looks like you're on the up with form!

Simon, ok perhaps 5k was being a bit kind! Based on how I felt I think 8*400 in 72 w/60s rec would have just been possible, or perhaps 1s/lap slower, so almost right on the money for mile pace. Looking forward to Crane parkrun but I think I may have lost the legs for a good 5k now! 

Great long run as well!

Aw Curly you are too kind  shame about your XC today (including being relegated?) but good week's worth done.

5M this morning, reasonable pace/intensity as well. Probably just going to do basic speed Tuesday then have a mini-taper of just easy + strides before Saturday (I think 2 races counts as a decent day's training )

Simon - I'd go with Graves as well, Hallam must be a bit of a nightmare to run at the moment.

Mr V - I too am impressed by the sub 40 tagged on the end of a training run, not as easy as it might sound. It probably takes 36;xx fitness to be able to do that without completely wrecking yourself.

TOM - Initials MJ by any chance?

Hilly - Good grafting

SG - You obviously felt strong in the closing stages today and thats the kind of fitness that translates well onto the roads so good times ahead. You could wait for a soggy day and take that excellent form into a 5km spin around Black Park.

Wardi - Did you go to the birthday bash as well? It looks like Helen put on a good do...

I've met Curly too.

Curly – Shoelaces coming undone during a race is a real motivation killer. I triple knot these days in races!

Simon – Rest of run was quite slow. Around 8.10s I think. Good work on your first race in a while. Got the competitive juices going? What was the logic behind the 20? Seems long for a MD runner, even in base!

SG – You can just claim you are good at everything then

BR – Sounds like diet is something worth exploring. If you’ve had/have a nasty virus they can sometimes be the trigger for intolerances.

PRF – I hope so as it didn’t feel especially tough. I’ll certaily be gunning for a 36.XX at Dewsbury.

Mr Viper wrote (see)

Curly – Shoelaces coming undone during a race is a real motivation killer. I triple knot these days in races!

Behind pit stops, this is the biggest dread pre race! My laces snapped before the race yesterday, so had to quickly use some road race trainer laces in the offroaders...meant using about 9 knots!

And even then one section was so gloopy it felt like a wrong step would have the shoe off!

TOM - hullo!  Hilly Fields hill session tomorrow?? 

Simon - Excellent long run, any marathons planned in the near future? Ah, go on.

SG - Sounds like a fantastic XC result, well done.

MrV - Nippy finish.

Completely mental XC course for me on Saturday, Surrey Div 1 at Ham. Almost completely flat, lots of grass, a bit of mud and... a 100 metre section of Thames overflow which magically (OK, tidally I guess) rose from merely shin-deep to thigh-deep between laps 1 & 2.  And it was feckin' cold!  I'm pretty sure the standard in this division is getting stronger every match.  All ten of our scorers have run sub-75 HM, and our 10th scorer finished 52nd in what I thought was a very good run.  I was just outside the top 50 for a lot of the race (despite a 5:37 first mile!) but managed to find another gear in the last 1.5 miles when I saw quite a tight group just in front, and overtook I think 14 places to finish (knackered) in 37th.  Briefly chatted with Curly afterwards (I've met her several times now...) Sorry to hear about the relegation but maybe a promotion fight next year will instill a sense of purpose to rally the troops and get some momentum going for wider participation? 

Followed this up with 60-odd miles on the bike yesterday, quite hilly.  Then lots of roast lamb.  Slept well last night!

MrV, lovely finish to the run.  Confidence in buckets, eh?  Simon, 20?  Sticking with that maxim of being able to run a decent marathon in base?

SG, shoelaces, no longer a dread after a few more XCs like that - the gloop can take your shoes regardless of how well you tie them!

The training has not been bad this week, and the achilles concern at the start of the week has turned out to be a passing niggle that responds well to slow running.  Perhaps a bruise.  All my runs this week have ended up either feeling short or feeling long, never any middle ground of just right.  Yesterday I could have gone on if I hadn't been booked in for cooking, but did go for a walk as well later to add a few more muddy miles.

Roast chicken for me, with potato wedges.

Loads to catch up on it seems, Curly was the 1st Middle Ground threader I met….

Welcome TOM

20miler Simon, nice one, you might start to feel the benefit in a week or two, that’s how it seems to play out for me anyway. I have done Sheff Hallam, its not the best, if you do Graves Park I might see if I can get down to do it, as it’s on my to do list of parkruns.

Plenty time to build supporting mileage Ratzer.

Sounds like you have now achieved what you set out to achieve with your thread and Moraghan coaching Stevie, ‘being more of a contender locally’ or something like that.

Nice work Mr V, I was planning a similar session this weekend but the legs/head cold wouldn’t allow. Looking forward to BM on Sunday, I hope the weather (or my cold) doesn’t scupper things. I think you might surprise yourself with a strong run

Hilly, BR – Locke Park looks good, its on my to do list!

Shame about the relegation Curly, good mileage though.

I missed it, but what’s the race you have coming up Duck?

Hopefully the parkrun helped to blow some cobwebs off for you Wardi, looking forward to a minni thread/forum meet up on Sunday.

60.63 miles for me last week, that’s the first time I have backed up a 60 mile week with another. Feels ok as well, head cold aside I think I am in decent shape at the moment, I hope I get to prove it at either Brass Monkey or Dewsbury in a couple of weeks.

Fish n Chips, mushy peas, tea bread and butter for me yesterday, proper Yorkshire ones n’all. Haddock cooked in beef dripping, Yum!

Sorry Curly, I seem to have started a 'thing'. I hope to meet you again some time.

On the gloop front, I nearly lost my trainers at Harrow Lodge parkrun - quite the mud fest. But highly recommended assuming you're not allergic to that sort of thing, a good one-lap course, erring on the side of being a bit long.

No Hilly Fields for me this week, PP - I've cross country (London Colleges League) on Wednesday, so trying to let myself recover a little from the weekend. I did love it last time, mind, such a great session.

And I'm JM, PRF, though perhaps that's what you meant!

With the BM on Sunday in mind can anyone suggest a couple of fairly light sessions to keep things ticking over this week without being too tiring?

Mr V – I have used fartleks in the week leading up to a race quite well. You can gauge how you are feeling and how hard you can push as the session progresses and then adjust. I tend to run 2 miles easy, then a mile brisk (slower than MP but still a decent lick) to get warmed up and then start dropping in stride type efforts (2 lamp posts fast – 2 easy type of thing) with a few longer efforts (1/2m – 1k at target HMP)  mixed in to get the HR up. It’s a fun run to do on your own, and it never seems to take long to recover from.

Another thing to try, is practice target race pace. Say 5 x 1k at target HMP with longish recoveries. Not too taxing, but will keep you ticking over nicely and will give you a feel for race pace.

Mr V - I've got BM on Sunday and I have 1m intervals to do tomorrow, a 10miler on Wednesday and lots of 5 & 6 miles in between.

YD - I'm trying to contact you on fb but it seems to be down on my phone and I can't access it from work - I'll send you a message on here re: BM.

Thanks for suggestions, all. I reckon I'll go with Graves.

Mr V, see http://championseverywhere.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/model-for-lydiard-method.html for an explanation of how long runs can work well for MD runners. I've also found long runs excellent for general strengthening in the past, and also for making the shorter long runs less demanding and easier to recover from.
In a way you can look at it as training in order to be able to train better.

SG, my club mate - who won our XC on Sat - wraps tape round his spikes ever since he lost one in the mud.

Curly, we are in the Surrey league, but Div 3. Sorry to hear yours didn't go well, but as you say a decent week of mileage.

TOM, unfortunately I won't be round for the next one since that's the weekend I'm up in Sheffield.

Duck, are you going for sub-18 on the 26th?

Phil, nice XC-ing. Division 1 sounds tough, but I suppose it should be.

Ratzer, I don't know about running a decent marathon, but I suppose what I've been doing could be considered marathon training (ignoring the weight training and fast reps on the track). Asics would probably consider it ultra marathon training. take care of the achilles. Mine flares up every so often and it always panics me.

YD, Nice mileage. The pace/HR ratios you've been posting suggest you're in decent shape. Would be good to see you at Graves. I've fancied beating you in a parkrun for a while now ...

MrV - My favourite pre-HM session in recent times (or any pre-something-in-the-threshold-vicinity) is a race-pace tempo-lite, say 6 miles inc. 3 @ ~HMP. Doesn't have to be target pace exactly, but the sort of effort you could imagine doing for a hard tempo run of 5/6 miles, but stopping sooner so that you're still relatively fresh.  If I did this on a Thursday I might take a similar approach to a Tuesday interval session as well, e.g. if I'd normally do 10 x 800, maybe do 6 x 800 @ ~5k.

Simon, i took some tape and scissors and was going to do some kind of tape up job.

But then the laces snapped and i had more secure ones anyway!

Just lost a long read-back post!