wannabe ultra runner?

touie2: thanks. Hope the bruise settles soon.

Slaneuk - Strava, few things I really like about Strava:

1) Segments - any reasonable climb is recorded and your time up it is automatically put into the leaderboard (any other Strava runner who has run the same ascent) for that segment, you also get a contrast and compare on your fastest times on the segment.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1623233

2) It provides an Activity Feed, much like a Facebook feed for people who you are following, great to see what your running buddies are up to. 

3) You can sign up to all sorts of challenges:

http://app.strava.com/challenges/run-base-mile-blast-2013

4) Paired with a heart rate monitor, gives you a 'suffer score' which is fun:

http://app.strava.com/activities/33613445

5) Converts your pace uphill / downhill to a Grade Adjusted Pace:

http://app.strava.com/activities/33613445

I think it does some pretty fancy cycling stuff but i have not used that, as my bike remains an expensive cellar decoration (just ask MRS Stewart)

Some of the features have found their way through to Garmn I think. 

strava doesn't support my timex watch T_T

hmmm, haven't read back at all ... but will check out strava, the app on my phone is totally cr*p!

Cross training for me this week - have upset the peroneal tendon (I think) on my right ankle last week - a combo of a fast 10-miler with hill reps, followed by a long run 48 hours later and then running off the summit of Ben Rinnes in serious minus temperatures was all too much . So am hitting the mountain bike this week, bonus being all the sand on the coastal path is currently frozen so much easier to bike!! Trying to decide whether to stick with XT all week or risk a run tomorrow ...

aw cragc- hope you are ok ! take it weasy, yes the bike sounds good idea til it feels better. thats what running faster does to me- always end up with niggles- that must be myold age telling me something i think!!

cragchick: sympathies, and good luck for speedy healing - give it a few days. Also, if you're doing some self-massage, as well as workig on the peroneal (including right up just below the knee, check the posterior tibial (the opposing muscle) - I've got a posterior tibial tendon problem at the moment and certainly in the early stages when I started massaging I realised the peroneal was tender as well.

Thx for that Alistair, very interesting. I think the only one that would interest me would be the convertion to adjusted pace. The only true comparisons, I find, are in race conditions so comparing training runs doesnt do it for me. I'm not hugely interested in others training runs unless I'm there with them. And as for heart rate things, I gave up on measuring that years ago when I found it was staying the same during hard sessions.

Take it easy CC. I find as a rule of thumb when I have an injury, I wait til it gets better then add another weeks recovery time to be sure.

I am trying to be more sensible in my old age, but sometimes it's haaaaard!!! Running is what keeps me sane ... however I am rediscovering my love of my knackered old mountain bike for the time being ...

Hi 

My first ultra in May dukeries 40m, I'm a bit worried my current weekly milage is a bit low @ 30 miles a week? The weather is not helpful. My intention was to be at about 50 miles a week by april. Also my long runs are only 16 miles, feel i should be a bit further ahead & doing 20 miles. I'm starting to panic a bit. 

Rosko we are almost in the same position, except I will be doing 50M in march..
Friends ask me if I can do the race, i have no confident at all..  

Rosko, Eldred, Hi! Suggest you go to http://www.ultramarathonrunning.com/training/ and look up some 50-mile training programmes to see how you're doing - an easy one to follow (from my experience) is http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50m.asp (Ultraladies 50 mile schedule), which uses a "two weeks hard, one weekeasy" approach. There's also a good schedule for training for races about this length (40 miles to 100K) in Bryon Powell's book "Relentless Forward Progress", reaching a peak at 51 miles per week.

Before my first 50 in August I worked up to e.g. 30+12 and a few weeks over 50 miles per week. I've got Thames Trot 50 in just over a week and I've not managed as much running, due to injury, but I did manage 30 +10 last Sunday/Monday (with the 30 in snow reaching 4 inches deep), so I'm feeling I should be okay so long as my injured ankle holds out...

Don't forget you're allowed to walk during the long runs - I use "walk the uphills", mostly, although some people use e.g. "run 25 mins, walk five" - it's getting lots of "time on feet" that's important, not speed.

Psychologically, I find it good to either set myself a long run over part of the course of the race I'll be doing (so for NDW50 I did one run which was the first half, another which was the second half), or to have a long loop or out-and-back such that you know you're heading for home now! - that can make the last few miles easier.

And don't forget to practice eating and drinking while you run/walk, and carrying your foot/water/emergency clothing with you - the day of your race shouldn't be the first time you wear your backpack!

And don't forget to take time to look around you while you're out on the trails, and enjoy it!

Thank Debra

I am pretty used to my backpack and gears as there are regular long distance hiking stuff. I have done a few 10hrs+ day hike. 

Troubled by a miss footing last week.. I think I would do fine, just amount of pain involved to finish the run. worst come to worst I would just DNF the race, wont push my self going through unnecessary harm to my body

Debra, thanks for that link - that's going to help me greatly!

Eldred Lee wrote (see)

I think I would do fine, just amount of pain involved to finish the run. worst come to worst I would just DNF the race, wont push my self going through unnecessary harm to my body

eldred-- i think WIB and i would say .......FINISH!!!! no DNF!!

Great info Debra thanks.

Managed 17 miles in the snow today although it had mostly turned to slush by the end of the run, feeling more confident that i can notch the milage up on the long runs now. 

Eldred, Snap!, Rosco: you're welcome.

Started our parkrun this morning with another stern warning for runners to be careful, because kids tobogganing had turned areas of snow into sloping ice rinks! By the time we'd finished processing the results, it had mostly melted and the route was muddy again...

 The Angel of North guards the entry to a hidden path. The hills on horizon mark what will be the turning point on the Tyne and Wear Fat Ass later this year. 

Yesterdays run was part of an 18 mile run in the snow. It was knee deep at the 10 mile point  

Tim, great picture. I did a mere seven miles or so today, with no snow, although the brief hail shower a couple of miles in led to several minutes of running very carefully on tiny marbles... Also ran the last 2 miles or so carrying a grass rake in one hand and edging shears in the other - freebies left by the curb; it seemed silly to bring the car back to get them!

Ankle is a lot better - still not 100% but the exercises and extra massage I've been doing finally seem to be paying off and I'm now hopeful it will be pretty much recovered in time for TT50 - what it will be like AFTER that, is a different matter. Oh well; at least I have 10 weeks from TT50 to SDW50.

After an enforced week off, back at it today, great to catch-up with DAYTREKKER and scope out some of the Dukeries course changes. MR DAYTREKKER is looking decidedly sprightly, me not so much. Will be taking a look at some of the other changes next week.

Yeah quite a good 10 miles race today, was pacing my friend to do sub 1:30. Quite comfortable with it except the ending where the uphill and headwind makes effort a little more.

Sad thing is that my ankle seems not that well yet