The Running Thread Vol 2

[RizzoTheRat]

Re. earlier posts about energy bars/gels, I did the Worcester 10k at the weekend and the goody bag included a pack of sweets that claimed to be 37 calories per bag. What's the point of giving people low energy sweets after a race?

[egor110]

I tried a gel on Sundays long run.

Didn't st myself so all's good, think I'll stick to proper food though as I kept thinking ohh is that my stomach making noises.

[Cybertronian]

egor110 said:

I tried a gel on Sundays long run.

Didn't st myself so all's good, think I'll stick to proper food though as I kept thinking ohh is that my stomach making noises.

Which brand did you try? Give the Isogels from High 5 a go - much thinner and lighter on the stomach.

[egor110]

Powerbar.

[smn159]

Having had a Garmin 225 for 6 weeks or so now it has (I assume) used info from my recent runs to tell me that I should be able to run 5k in 18:46 - which is about 3 mins quicker than my current PB

Is it wildly inaccurate or am I being a lazy bd and not trying hard enough?

[Cybertronian]

smn159 said:

Having had a Garmin 225 for 6 weeks or so now it has (I assume) used info from my recent runs to tell me that I should be able to run 5k in 18:46 - which is about 3 mins quicker than my current PB

Is it wildly inaccurate or am I being a lazy bd and not trying hard enough?

It's a little bit of both!

Newer Garmins now use a VO2max look-up table to base the calculation, and inevitably, the tables tend to use best case examples for the calculations. In other words, it's what you could potentially achieve with the right training, dedication and time.

My Garmin has me pegged as 60-61, which equates to a 17:02 - 17:22 5k, whereas my PB is currently 18:14. I do think I'm a touch faster than my PB, and possibly even sub-18 shape if everything came together for me on the right day; 17:30 or faster feels like it's at least a year or two away if I focus my efforts.

VO2max is a decent benchmark for comparison, especially for 5k or shorter events, but recent thought suggests lactate threshold is a better marker for long distance athletes.

[smn159]

OK thanks - parkrun this morning so I'll see what I can do!!

Have been focussing on longer runs and intervals for the last couple of weeks, so a chance to see if it's making a difference yet.

[egor110]

Bristol half tomorrow , can't wait.

[KTF]

Anyone doing the Winchester half tomorrow?

[Cybertronian]

I'm at Robin Hood Half in the morning. Treating it as a training run for the Yorkshire Marathon in two week's time.

Good luck to all those racing - enjoy the cooler temperatures!

[Tycho]

Good luck tomorrow everyone.

[NatAsp]

Wow, Bekele just won at Berlin, second fastest of all time. Just a few seconds off being 5k, 10, and marathon world record holder. Mo Farah, take a bow!

[Cybertronian]

Ran at the Robin Hood Half this morning as a marathon pace session ahead of the Yorkshire Marathon in 2 weeks. Surprisingly brutal climbs in the first 5k, which thankfully evened out for a pretty flat second half, though still littered with switchbacks and sharp turns. Managed to nail my target pace with 6:48 per mile average and an 89:22 finish.

The organisers had a promotion on where 36 goodie bags out of some 10,000 had a golden ticket inside for free entry into next year's race. Looks like I'll be running the course again in 12 months

[egor110]

Bristol half in 1.40

Pleased with that , i used to run really quick 2004-2006 then stopped until january 2016 , did a half in april in 1.53

Bristol is pretty much flat with a few sharp slopes , awesome crowd support , decent amounts of water=lucozade sport.

[KTF]

1h50 pacer at Winchester half today. 1:49:15 chip and 1:49:59 gun. Gun time was a complete fluke.

[PeteB0]

I ran my first half marathon yesterday (Cheltenham) after temporarily switching codes from cycling. After some crap results earlier in the year, and general boredom with training on the same roads, I fancied a bit of a change, so made the step from the occasional 10k to more of a running focus.

I ran a 1:34:30 which I'm happy with, and the break from cycling has been great from a fitness and motivation view. I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike now and will mix in some duathlons next year. No more HMs though; running for 1hr+ is too dull for me.

[tenohfive]

PeteB0 said:

I ran my first half marathon yesterday (Cheltenham) after temporarily switching codes from cycling. After some crap results earlier in the year, and general boredom with training on the same roads, I fancied a bit of a change, so made the step from the occasional 10k to more of a running focus.

I ran a 1:34:30 which I'm happy with, and the break from cycling has been great from a fitness and motivation view. I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike now and will mix in some duathlons next year. No more HMs though; running for 1hr+ is too dull for me.

That's a cracking time for a first HM, well done. If you're getting bored though then consider hitting the trails - much more interesting.

[PeteB0]

tenohfive said:

That's a cracking time for a first HM, well done. If you're getting bored though then consider hitting the trails - much more interesting.

Thanks. From the cycling I knew what effort I could hold for a HM duration so it was largely a case of finding the right pace and getting (and keeping) the legs onboard. Running is generally a lot harder work than I gave it credit for.

And good shout on the trails; I've generally enjoyed the off-road stuff more so I'll consider giving that more of a go.

[johnwilliams77]

PeteB0 said:

I ran my first half marathon yesterday (Cheltenham) after temporarily switching codes from cycling. After some crap results earlier in the year, and general boredom with training on the same roads, I fancied a bit of a change, so made the step from the occasional 10k to more of a running focus.

I ran a 1:34:30 which I'm happy with, and the break from cycling has been great from a fitness and motivation view. I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike now and will mix in some duathlons next year. No more HMs though; running for 1hr+ is too dull for me.

That's very very good. I am only a year into running and best is in the 1hr 50's.

[tigger1]

Cybertronian said:

Ran at the Robin Hood Half this morning as a marathon pace session ahead of the Yorkshire Marathon in 2 weeks. Surprisingly brutal climbs in the first 5k, which thankfully evened out for a pretty flat second half, though still littered with switchbacks and sharp turns. Managed to nail my target pace with 6:48 per mile average and an 89:22 finish.

The organisers had a promotion on where 36 goodie bags out of some 10,000 had a golden ticket inside for free entry into next year's race. Looks like I'll be running the course again in 12 months

Good effort! It was a nice flat course, aside from the queue up to the castle (miles 2+3) - but you'll have been in front of that.

I ran the Robin Hood marathon (second marathon for me, previous time I blew up at 20 miles). This time, ran through all the way and finished in 3:49 (40 mins faster than previous marathon in 2013). Was aiming for sub-4 hours, so it went well.

Gels - I use a mix of SiS gels and Whitworths shots on longer runs:

http://whitworths.co.uk/our-products/shots/

They're light and tasty, but the bags are a bit too easy to tear, so you need to be careful with them. Best eaten with water to wash down, which isn't great, but less chance of "doing a Paula". I tend to eat nothing from 3 hours before race until about an hour in, and then "eat" every 3 miles or so. I also try to avoid washing down gels / shots with lucozade - too much sugar in one go for me