The Running Thread Vol 2

[Cybertronian]

tigger1 said:

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.

It was pretty congested for me still by the castle. I ended up running on the pavement a few times due to how busy it was with everybody trying to hug the apex of all the turns. If the organisers want to grow the event, they seriously need to reconsider how they space out the waves for the early parts of the course, or cut that section out entirely.

Good effort on the marathon and a nice sizeable chunk off your PB! Did it become rather quiet for you once the half marathoners peeled off at halfway? As I was driving home, I saw the eventual winner of the race at around mile 24 looking like he was in a very dark place, mentally.

[tigger1]

Good job on the golden ticket - jammy bu66er!

Agree about the castle - there's too many people for it to narrow up as quickly as it did that early in the race. I've run it about 5/6 times (half), and didn't notice it being as tight last year.

I was lucky this time compared to my first marathon, I didn't get isolated at all in the second half, which made it much better psychologically. It would have been miserable in that wind having to run around the lake on my own. Took turns with a couple of guys into the wind, which worked well for us all. Made it easier to switch off and just keep plodding along in a group. Can't comprehend running 26 miles at sub6 minute miles though (my half pb is 95 mins).

I do think I got excited about mile 11/12 and accidentally picked up my pace a little because I was keeping up with people running the half who were about to finish!

[campionissimo]

So last night on facebook a friend posted that she'd done a 5k run that evening in 29mins something.

I thought, woopie doo, I know that route. Surely it's not 5k, and anyway, I could walk it in less than that.

So I've just donned some cargo shorts and my old tennis trainers and gave it a go.

Bl**dy hell, 5k is there and back. I'm knackered, lugging all 16st of me around the lanes. I did it in 34:41. I hated every minute of it, but curiously i'll probably head back tomorrow and try and set a PB. I must remember to pause my app when stopping to pick a mouthful of blackberries though......

[john2443]

campionissimo said:

So last night on facebook a friend posted that she'd done a 5k run that evening in 29mins something.

I thought, woopie doo, I know that route. Surely it's not 5k, and anyway, I could walk it in less than that.

So I've just donned some cargo shorts and my old tennis trainers and gave it a go.

Bl**dy hell, 5k is there and back. I'm knackered, lugging all 16st of me around the lanes. I did it in 34:41. I hated every minute of it, but curiously i'll probably head back tomorrow and try and set a PB. I must remember to pause my app when stopping to pick a mouthful of blackberries though......

I've been tail 'runner' at parkrun 5k and done about 40 mins mostly walking with an occasional jog so walking it in 30 mins is optimistic, as you found out!

Non runners don't realise how fast or slow a particular pace is, the fat unfit git at work who said about my 23 min 5k 'It's not exactly sprinting' nearly got a swift kick!
I nearly challenged him to do it in 46 mins but thought he'd have a heart attack so backed off!

[ukaskew]

I've never run more than 5k since I started in April, and rarely run more than twice a week. The heat absolutely kills me (it does even when walking ever since I had a serious heart virus a few years back)so even 5k has been a big struggle at times during the summer, even though I only run parkrun (9am) or at 9pm.

Went out last night, lovely cool weather, just kept going and covered 10k in an hour! It was the strangest feeling, never felt out of breath at all and only really stopped because I got home and it was gone 10pm.

I've gone from feeling like the Bath Half I've signed up for next March is an impossibility, to now thinking I really might be able to do it.

[Mothersruin]

I've just entered my first ever organised race!

The Darwin Day Half Marathon in Shrewsbury next February.

That should keep be busy!

[egor110]

ukaskew said:

I've never run more than 5k since I started in April, and rarely run more than twice a week. The heat absolutely kills me (it does even when walking ever since I had a serious heart virus a few years back)so even 5k has been a big struggle at times during the summer, even though I only run parkrun (9am) or at 9pm.

Went out last night, lovely cool weather, just kept going and covered 10k in an hour! It was the strangest feeling, never felt out of breath at all and only really stopped because I got home and it was gone 10pm.

I've gone from feeling like the Bath Half I've signed up for next March is an impossibility, to now thinking I really might be able to do it.

You'll be fine for Bath half , ample time to properly train gradually pushing up the miles.

Give this plan a bash , stick the miles in your mobile/calendar then enter Bristol half in sept and you'll smash your Bath time.

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marat...

[krallicious]

Ran Berlin on Sunday and it is really well supported with a great atmosphere. I was going for a 4 hours as a warm up for having a crack at 3.30 in Frankfurt in 4 weeks but I had a terrible race.

Cramp in both legs at 25k, not being able to digest any gels and feeling generally sick every time I took on liquids so by 30k I had nothing left in the tank and was over 3/4 hour off my PB. Add to that a buggered right ankle, a huge 7cm diameter blister on the sole of my right foot and blisters on the ends of 4 toes means that I am hobbling around like an 80 year old.

I have read about races that just just don't your way but never believed they could be so bad! Still looking forward to Frankfurt but I think it will just be a amble aiming for 4 hours.

[Foliage]

Sprained my ankle last Thursday, its still swollen and a little painful but also itch's. Ive got a half marathon in 2 and a half weeks whats the chances of me being able to do it?

[BossHogg]

ukaskew said:

I've never run more than 5k since I started in April, and rarely run more than twice a week. The heat absolutely kills me (it does even when walking ever since I had a serious heart virus a few years back)so even 5k has been a big struggle at times during the summer, even though I only run parkrun (9am) or at 9pm.

Went out last night, lovely cool weather, just kept going and covered 10k in an hour! It was the strangest feeling, never felt out of breath at all and only really stopped because I got home and it was gone 10pm.

I've gone from feeling like the Bath Half I've signed up for next March is an impossibility, to now thinking I really might be able to do it.

18 months ago, I couldn't climb my stairs without getting out of breath! Change of lifestyle and regular exercise allowed me to complete the GNR this year.

[ukaskew]

egor110 said:

You'll be fine for Bath half, ample time to properly train gradually pushing up the miles.

Give this plan a bash , stick the miles in your mobile/calendar then enter Bristol half in sept and you'll smash your Bath time.

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marat...

Thanks, my main concern is that I'm already hovering around now comfortably doing a couple of 5ks and a longer run (10k) in a week, and I've got 24 weeks to go until the half, so it's figuring out which programme to follow without going backwards. I've signed up for 4 10ks in Bath between November and February (one a month on a Sunday).

I'm tempted to follow a 12 week programme now and run a half myself over the Christmas break, see how that goes then start an Intermediate programme after for the final 12 weeks before the half itself.

[johnwilliams77]

ukaskew said:

Thanks, my main concern is that I'm already hovering around now comfortably doing a couple of 5ks and a longer run (10k) in a week, and I've got 24 weeks to go until the half, so it's figuring out which programme to follow without going backwards. I've signed up for 4 10ks in Bath between November and February (one a month on a Sunday).

I'm tempted to follow a 12 week programme now and run a half myself over the Christmas break, see how that goes then start an Intermediate programme after for the final 12 weeks before the half itself.

Seems like a reasonable plan. My half marathon was in many ways easier than my 10km's 6months earlier due to much improved fitness, lots of training (running and strength) and shedding some lbs. Don't worry.

[egor110]

ukaskew said:

egor110 said:

You'll be fine for Bath half, ample time to properly train gradually pushing up the miles.

Give this plan a bash , stick the miles in your mobile/calendar then enter Bristol half in sept and you'll smash your Bath time.

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marat...

Thanks, my main concern is that I'm already hovering around now comfortably doing a couple of 5ks and a longer run (10k) in a week, and I've got 24 weeks to go until the half, so it's figuring out which programme to follow without going backwards. I've signed up for 4 10ks in Bath between November and February (one a month on a Sunday).

I'm tempted to follow a 12 week programme now and run a half myself over the Christmas break, see how that goes then start an Intermediate programme after for the final 12 weeks before the half itself.

I think the plan i linked was 12 weeks so you could just spend 2 weeks before upping mileage each time or
do some hilly off road running on the 2nd week to mix things up a bit.

Running off road is far softer on your knees but there is more risk of rolling your ankle.

[RizzoTheRat]

egor110 said:

Running off road is far softer on your knees but there is more risk of rolling your ankle.

Bloody conkers keep nearly doing me in at the moment, merrily jogging along and then accidentally step on a bloody great brown ball bearing

[naturals]

krallicious said:

Ran Berlin on Sunday and it is really well supported with a great atmosphere. I was going for a 4 hours as a warm up for having a crack at 3.30 in Frankfurt in 4 weeks but I had a terrible race.

Cramp in both legs at 25k, not being able to digest any gels and feeling generally sick every time I took on liquids so by 30k I had nothing left in the tank and was over 3/4 hour off my PB. Add to that a buggered right ankle, a huge 7cm diameter blister on the sole of my right foot and blisters on the ends of 4 toes means that I am hobbling around like an 80 year old.

I have read about races that just just don't your way but never believed they could be so bad! Still looking forward to Frankfurt but I think it will just be a amble aiming for 4 hours.

I was there too! It was my first marathon and I desperately wanted a sub 4. Sadly it wasn't to be and I limped across the line (slightly too literally) in 4:18.

Anyone know where I go from here in terms of training plans? I really want to run more marathons but I presume there's a plan to follow once you've already achieved the distances required which doesn't involve starting back at short distances again.

[RC1807]

Just spent the last 5 days in Geneva on a business trip.

As usual, I couldn't sleep well in the hotel the first night, so by 05:00 I was bored of laying in bed... I got my running gear on and went out and ran down to the Quai du Mont Blanc, then back to my hotel.
7.5km and a PB over that distance.

At the end of my conference yesterday, having packed most of my stuff, I decided to get my running shoes on again and did the same route - TWICE. The most I've covered non-stop before is 10km. Yesterday I managed 14km with an average pace that beat my 10km best before.

I was very pleased with that - especially as I had a 3 course meal and 2 glasses of white wine at lunch!

[The jiffle king]

RC1807 said:

Just spent the last 5 days in Geneva on a business trip.

As usual, I couldn't sleep well in the hotel the first night, so by 05:00 I was bored of laying in bed... I got my running gear on and went out and ran down to the Quai du Mont Blanc, then back to my hotel.
7.5km and a PB over that distance.

At the end of my conference yesterday, having packed most of my stuff, I decided to get my running shoes on again and did the same route - TWICE. The most I've covered non-stop before is 10km. Yesterday I managed 14km with an average pace that beat my 10km best before.

I was very pleased with that - especially as I had a 3 course meal and 2 glasses of white wine at lunch!

Great work!! 2011 I spent the weekdays of the first 6 months in Geneva and the mild winter massively helped me train for a good marathon. I lost track of the number of times I started on the bridge outside the Swisshotel just off Rue du Rhone and ran left or right around the lake. It's a great place.... but quite pricey on food/living/everything

Not run much for 3 weeks as had plantar fasciitis but seems okish now. Done only 13 miles this week, but learned to swim a mile during the downtime, so hopefully have not lost too much. Got a 10 mile race to plan for before the Thanksgiving half in November

[The jiffle king]

Foliage said:

Sprained my ankle last Thursday, its still swollen and a little painful but also itch's. Ive got a half marathon in 2 and a half weeks whats the chances of me being able to do it?

Very difficult to say, but I would rest up as much as possible, and decide 3 days before. I'd expect that you could make it round as the training part is done and you're into taper.... just your taper is quite severe.
Hope you can make it, but it's touch and go!

[Tycho]

RizzoTheRat said:

egor110 said:

Running off road is far softer on your knees but there is more risk of rolling your ankle.

Bloody conkers keep nearly doing me in at the moment, merrily jogging along and then accidentally step on a bloody great brown ball bearing

Wasn't like that when I were a lad. You couldn't find conkers back when you were allowed conker fights in school, now they're everywhere.

[Rich_W]

Well it's that time of year again. London Marathon Ballot results.


Inevitably after the 7th time of trying I will expect the Commiserations magazine. Although this year only half will be mailed out and the rest get an eZine version instead. TBH I haven't really run properly all year. Longest was a 10K a month or 2 back, so not really in any sort of form so would probably defer anyway.


What I find odd is that the charity Sense (who I have donated to in the past and ticked a box to allow comms with) elected to send me some chocolate through the post. It's caught my attention. But I wish charities would spend their resources more correctly on actual charitable work and not on potential dead leads like this.