Thames Trot 50 Training

its good to track what you guys are doing...  i managed a 42k run sunday 9th dec, felt pretty good after and ran ok tues through fri that week then failed miserably to get out last sunday - got up late and set off but just felt crap and came home after 45 mins instead of 4 hours....  not sure why, just felt low not really sore legs or anything.  Most weeks am managing tues-fri mornings 9-12 km (sorry just dont think in miles yet) - and hope to do proper long run this weekend. 

Was feeling somewhat unsure that I would be able to finish the Thames trot as its my first ultra and then got the email saying free entry if you give up your place before the end of the year...  now what to do!!

Also if anyone needs a free bed in oxford and promises they arent psycho we have a spare room someone would be welcome to  and even if i dont run i can do transport as would come to help out if not running

Laura, that's a very kind offer, and tempting if nobody else has taken you up on it (I could reciprocate sometime with a bed in the Bromley/Croydon (south-east London/Kent) area.

Still hoping my ankle will be better in time. It really wasn't happy yesterday after treatmill assessment run Wednesday morning plus 6.7 miles Wednesday evening, but it's barely twinged today, so I'm intending to try a run tomorrow.

Evening all! Lovely weather we're having....

Trials for most of us, it seems. What did you decide Laura? (Just do it, you know you want to

Debra, good luck, watch the mud with the ankle!

baljc, hang on in there!

So tomorrow night I might be a (sort of) ultra-runner if the "50k" Portsmouth Coastal mara goes ok. I'm definitely running this as a rehearsal for TT, plan being to end up feeling I could go 10, 20 or even 30k more.... but we shall see. I have the bag packed with loads of nosh, spare pair of shoes (trails in pack, starting with road shoes) so I will certainly look like the strange ultra-runner who wandered on to the marathon start line, but hey who's checking?! Happy weekend running all anyhow.

NID

NID: good luck and enjoy!

Laura if you managed a 42k training run recently I don't see why you won't manage the Thames Trot. I'm sure I did it on less.

DON'T GIVE UP YOUR PLACE!

Its no big deal missing a training run - listen to your body - if you felt crap then bailing was the right thing to do - its no big deal.

Even if you DNF - you'll have learn't many many useful lessons - what is the worst that can happen.

Stick to your original intention - succeed or find out what you need to do better next time! 

You're an ultra-runner, NID, well done.

I managed 18 muddy miles on the Ridgeway, I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's my longest since being hit by that car, so I'm happy that I could manage that. I'll try a 20 this week, and then see if I can blag the Trot.

Out of interest - how much walking do people doing TT end up doing? Thinking back half of the field rather than front half....

I live in Reading and have been seriously worried about what will happen if the Thames Path is still flooded on 4th Feb.  The Thames is so flooded around here that you can't tell where the riverbank is for miles from at least Goring to Shiplake and beyond.

For peace of mind I contacted the organisers yesterday and asked if they had a contingency plan in place to prevent the race being cancelled.  They have!!!!!  They will offer an alternative route if necessary.  Excellent!!  I've put in a riduclous amount of training as it's my first and possibly only ultra (very busy - work, young family so lack of training time).  I was getting very very worried but can heave a sigh of relief as I head out on another run.

Ran Heaton Park (Manchester) parkrun yesterday!!!... Hoping to get a long run in either tomorrow to finish off 2012 or 1st Jan (after managing my parkrun) to start off 2013...

NID: ankle is much better, thanks, but still not 100% - I didn't push to run my fastest during the 5K parkrun yesterday. I'm also trying to stick to pavement rather than trail, to reduce the work for the lateral stabiliser muscles, and I'm massaging. Found a good site (Athletes Treating Athletes) so I'm following some self-treatment info. from there. Hope I've not lost too much fitness over the last few weeks of reduced running volume.

NID (again): If you can manage a 31-miler and feel "tired, but not destroyed" you can probably do the 50-miler okay. Re. walking, I'm thinking about trying 25 mins running, 5 mins walking, but I've never tried it before...

The towpath at Iffley is under about a foot of water and I saw on the local news yesterday that the finishing field in Henley is similar. Last week's long run, where I had to negotiate an impromptu ford after and hour and then ran the next 20km with wet socks and shoes has brought home to me how much that mashes up your feet!

53km for me today, dodging the flooded roads around Oxford, stopping here and there to buy water for my Nathan bottle, and nutrigrain bars. That's the furthest I've ever run  . I still think I'm setting out too quickly though - I can't get out of my head that I'm "going for a run" rather than just "time on my feet" and even the easiest pace I start out at is a bit of a challenge after a couple of hours. Stairs are a struggle this evening.