Congratulations to all the marathoners!
I found out yesterday that I failed to win a ballot place for London 2020. Disappointed but not surprised ... there were more than 10 applicants for each spot. Exploring the charity route now as I have got it in my head that I should try to run my first marathon next year when my age will be the same as the distance in kms. Perhaps a childish reason but gives me a target nonetheless. As it will be my only marathon, I want to participate in a major race rather than just any event.
Well done guys, hat off to you.
After my first half Sunday, I am really feeling the need for more of that distance and guessing a couple more under my belt I may well try for the biggy.
Well done again
Pitch
I too was in the ballot for next year’s London Marathon but failed to get a spot. I will however be lining up at the start thanks to a charity spot with JDRF.
Anyone running the NYC Marathon next month?
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Completed a 13k mountain race this morning, ranked intermediate/high technical, the ascent was 550 metres, I think almost half of which was in the first 4/5kms certainly felt like it, lots of rocky goat trails and not a few stretches were hands and feet climbing, absolutely stunning coast views though..managed to come in 2 hrs, 9 minutes and 8 seconds which given a woeful lack of proper training for the ascents and a temperature of 26 c by the time I finished, I'm pretty chuffed with. Sore tomorrow I'm certain.
The winning male time was an hour and 7 minutes, incredible effort.
Last edited by Passenger; 15th October 2019 at 09:05.
Interesting experience earlier this week. I left home in the very early hours to drive up to Silverstone to the Porsche Human Performance Laboratories to get a medical and stress ECG carried out. It's an entry requirement for a race I'm taking part in next month that I have an at-rest ECG, medical and stress-test ECG within 30 days of the start of the race.
The centre there is very much geared up for this, as it's a yearly requirement for racing drivers to have the same tests. Very professional set-up, and the guy I'd been chatting to there prior to booking was pretty knowledgeable about endurance running as they have a lot of the UK Marathon des Sable entrants coming there each year for the same tests.
Never done one before, but it was pretty much as I'd imagined. Wires attached to chest, and an incremental ramping up of resistance on the bike every couple of minutes while maintaining the same cadence. They had a treadmill there but wouldn't let me use it - said it'd be too hard to get my heart rate up to the 85% max they needed for the test to be valid! I haven't cycled for a while and my legs were starting to go to jelly long before I'd got a sweat on, to the point I actually thought I might not be able to finish it. Rather embarrassing..
I managed to blag a breakfast after I'd finished, by which time the restaurant had started to fill up with customers each with a Porsche Rep sat with them. They explained if you've got a new car on order or are considering different spec options you get an invite to come and test different cars out out as they have them kitted out in all the different guises; or if you've just bought a car you get invited to spend the day with an expert who'll show you 'how to get the most out the car' (i.e. how not to crash your new toy and look like an idiot..)
In case you're wondering I had the Porsche Full English
I prefer the vintage 80's models personally..
Help, please, from any of you more experienced runners:
wiser (and less kind) counsel on this thread will remind me that Ronald Reagan was still president during the last of my Great North Runs, but I quite fancy a crack at a fourth (and final) half marathon, so I’m after a good 13M training plan.
I’ve been running again since Jan, with regular parkruns around 26 min and a Sept 10K in a miraculous 53.30 (Mr Kipchoge needn’t lose any sleep) so I don’t want one that starts at couch, but equally, the improver/intermediate plans I’ve seen look err, quite aggressive… Does anyone have anything tried and tested?
With a race date say 25 weeks away, should I be aiming to keep up my current 20-25k three-sessions-a-week and swap to a plan 20- (or 16 or 12) weeks out, or go straight into a plan and keep repeating the last pre-taper week, or just pad the plan with random repeat weeks?
At what stage and at what distance should I be introducing rehydration/refuelling (and what, and how)?
All advice gratefully received!
The only thing missing from your request is what your aim is for the run, are you just trying to complete or do you want to run a time in line with your other efforts?
If assuming the second then I would be inclined to find a program that builds to a half over 16 weeks or so, and then plot a schedule that a) repeats some of the early weeks, so that you build gently to longer distances and b) think about building in a three or four rest/easy weeks in the program so that you can control your fatigue, often life gets in the way of training and the easy weeks can be used to either repeat a week if you’ve struggle to fit in training or if tired, take an easy week and substitute in 3 or 4 easy runs not worrying about pace or distance so much. I find that shorter periods of quality training i.e. 2 or 3 weeks followed by an easy/rest week enable me to recover and train better than trying to keep the intensity high (which most programs seem to require you to do) for a 12 or 16 week period.
Fluid intake is something you will need to work on through out training along with refuelling, my simplistic approach is to try to eat non-processed food, and reduce my sugar intake - I find that 3 good meals a day suits me, it fits my lifestyle and training and provides me with enough fuel for 7 days a week training. Every now and again I fall off the wagon, but then just re-adjust and start again... Fluid, drink more water, running, if you are well hydrated you should be able to go 1 hour or 1.5 hours with out to much trouble with out any additional intake, but if it is hot then you can create laps that go past your house/car and leave a bottle outside and get used to taking a small drink each time you go past.
Basically, build distance slowly, and try a few things out with food/drink, and try and understand what works for you, as each athlete is different and needs to think/find what works for them.
Good luck with the training!
Thanks,
The more I coach people, either as a Tri coach or as a swim coach, I find that it is too easy to either kill yourself and get put off training/competing, train for a single race/effort and then feel grateful that the training effort stops and then the training habit stop when I think at a maturer age, it is better to look for a steady improvement and make the training and competing enjoyable and achievable which should mean that people can continue to compete, and enjoy themselves with out the pressure of a single race/event where it is a do or die effort!
Doing something is is better than nothing and doing more is better again! Don’t over complicate or get to caught up with training levels etc. Do something and enjoy it!
Ran my first ever half marathon last weekend - the Royal Parks Half. It was the farthest I’ve ever run - as a 100-200m sprinter and triple jumper in my youth, endurance has never been my forte and this was no joke! Ran the first 10k in 51:34 then my ITB kicked in with vengeance over the last 5k. By the end of the run, my son was literally carrying me over the line. Wasn’t able to walk properly for 2 days and thought I had torn the meniscus but an MRI confirmed otherwise. Just hugely inflamed and lots of fluid around the knee and hip. But we ran for Prostate Cancer UK in memory of my late dad, and we were well pleased with the funds raised for them.
Great photo. Well done to you both.
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Well done! Feel sorry for your son though as you must have ruined his time ... Also great work on hiding your pain. I can’t smile when my ITBS is troubling me.
Last edited by FK77; 20th October 2019 at 15:17.
Thank you, ah sorry for being slow on the reply, bit like my running, it was this one
https://www.lineadesalida.net/carrer...rail-la-azohía
My number was 128. A humbling experience this but I'm going to have another crack at it next year with a far more serious attitude to the training. Happy not to be last, I know Oscar the winner, great bloke and an actual rocket scientist...saw him later with his prize..a cured ham what else. The landscape pictures convey how lovely, and steep it was.
Last edited by Passenger; 20th October 2019 at 18:42.
Thanks - such a great atmosphere and event. He’s a good kid and it was great to run together. We’ve run quite a few 10ks together and always considered it good bonding time doing it for a cause, not the time per se. Will be doing the London Winter Run so hope to dip into the 40’s by then.
Did the great 8 Dundrum at the weekend. Superb event. Up the road out of the village and into the hills, across the board walks and onto the beach, 2 miles up the beach, back across the boardwalks and a hard 2.4 miles home to the village.
This was my 3rd race so starting to gain a bit more confidence, pushed hard from the start and tried to hold it. Ended 91st out of 1100 odd, very happy with that.
Many thanks for this! Yes, I was hoping for something perhaps under 2 hours (didn't want to commit in writing before I see how my training resolve holds with snow on the ground).
The 'Runners World' plans I've seen are quite a jump from 10K training, so I'm more than happy to build up a little slower. Good tip for a water stop too, do you recommend any of these gels/sachets mid-run as well?
I will also be adopting the phrase 'maturer age'...!
Ive tried a few of the gels, I’ve found them OK, but you need to practise with them as many people say that they get an upset stomach on them. The main thing is to try them and get used to running and taking them, and don’t introduce anything new in on the day. In reality most people can run for a couple of hours with out additional nutrition (and probably with out addition hydration), they just find it easier to do it with a little boost. A gel will give ~100kcal, a half marathon will burn ~2000kcal so they only replenish a bit, but it can be a positive boost to have one!
Try a few things out in training and find out what works for you, but better to start off slower with gels etc. And build them rather than taking loads when you don’t need them!
Just signed up to the Bristol Triathlon for next year, just as my train mojo has run away. Really haven’t been feeling it for the last week so am taking a rest week(!) and trying to find the motivation to get on with it next week!
I’ll also be signing up to the Swansea Triathlon which is two weeks later, and hoping to race faster than this year. My target is to get under 22:30 for the run off the bike so need to be out running!
Funny how these things happen...
Finally gathered the courage to up my distance and ran my first half marathon today! I run home from work (16.6km which was my longest distance until now) once a week. Today I thought let’s see how I feel when I get close to home and go further if possible. I felt pretty bad near home (as usual lol) but decided to keep going anyway to add one of my 5k routes to the commute. I would have been happy with anything under 2 hours but managed to complete 21.55km with 313m total climb in 1:54:31. Really pleased with my time, even though I am fully aware that Mr. Kipchoge recently ran double that distance in just 5 more minutes. I have even more respect for him now!
Couldn’t have picked a worse time to do this though ... dark, cold, windy and pouring rain throughout. Carrying a bag full of stuff on my shoulders didn’t help either.
Normally I only wear my smart watch when working out and put my ‘dumb’ watch in the bag when running home. However, I recently got this and only started wearing it on my birthday earlier this week. Didn’t feel comfortable having it bouncing around inside my bag just yet. Thought it would be safer on my wrist. I’m sure it can cope with the rain :)
^^ that’s a decent time in bad weather and carrying a pack. The next one will seem easy!
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Awesome to be out in that weather with a beautiful submariner on your wrist. Great time well done.
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Thanks guys. It was very satisfying for me, especially considering I used to think 5k was my limit, not too long ago. Off to the gym now but will mostly do upper body stuff. Lower body is unsurprisingly more sore today.
What a cross-country in the Thames Valley League yesterday. There was mud, mud and more mud! Hills, tight downhills, then great sandwiches and cakes. The next league race at Hand Cross next weekend (which is a very bumpy one) has a lot to live up to! Tight calves today, but that is not too surprising. This post could well have been in the BP "Reasons to be cheerful" thread.
Well done buddy and great wrist wear
Pitch
Wrong! Did it again last night. Same route and same weight in the bag but I was about 2m 40s slower and it didn’t feel any easier. It wasn’t even raining but was even colder than first time. I don’t know whether it was because of still being tired from the previous evening’s DIY, due to consuming only 1 energy gel during the entire run as opposed to 2 at regular intervals first time round or simply because all runs/days aren’t equal. Deep down I know it was because of not wearing my “lucky” Sub lol.
Glad it was still well under 2 hours. It was a solo run again and not like I was competing against anyone else so not too bothered about it.
Signed up for another 56km Ultra Marathon in Cape Town at Easter. Haven’t run in a few months, training started today!
Good luck!
I want to run a marathon before my next birthday as I got it in my head to do it while my age is the same as the distance in km. Irrational, I know, but whatever.
After pursuing multiple avenues but failing to get in to London 2020, I managed to secure a charity place in the 2020 Berlin Marathon. Will have all of Spring and Summer to train and should hopefully achieve my goal a month and a half before I turn 43, if all goes well.
You’ll be fine. Berlin is amazing by all accounts and a nice flat course! Distance runners get better with age!
Along with 3 mates from cycling club I’ve just signed up for the “dark skies Kielder marathon”
It’s on 21 March, starts at 5pm
I’ve done GNR a couple of times a few years ago but this is unknown territory for me/us.
Training started, we are currently at 8 miles 3 times a week.
Fingers crossed !
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Chaps
I had big issues in the summer with shin splints in both legs and after a six week layoff and physio I was back on it in September completing a half and smashing my 5k time and getting quicker. Left leg has been absolutely fine but right has progressively got worse and laid up once again. I am back to the physio at the end of next month to unstick my lower leg again, but any self help or suggested experiences in addition to early thoughts in this thread would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Pitch
Last edited by Pitch3110; 28th December 2019 at 11:50.
Not run in a few months but managed a sub 1hr 10k on Boxing Day despite a pulled calf muscle. Need to up my game in 2020 and would like to beat my total distance in 2019 of about 145km.
Also continuing Bootcamp and am trying a weekly Crossrun in January, so will see if that improves my running.
Continuing my streak of managing 3 runs a week despite being away on holiday. Since November 2018 when my physio allowed me to resume running, I have either not missed a planned/scheduled run or have made up for any skipped sessions by running 2 days in a row (which is something I normally avoid). This is despite travelling a fair bit during this time.
Seemingly permanent pain in my knees, especially the left one, scares me from trying too hard to better my pace but I have run 1,338km so far with 2 runs still remaining in 2019.
I hope to kickstart my running again in January at some point. I had the Midnight Sun Marathon pencilled in for next year before I fractured my pelvis in a cycling incident in early September. Aiming now for 2021 for that.
Back to static bikes in the gym at the moment and building from there.
New Years Day double Parkruns tomorrow, Canons Park at 9, then Harrow at 10.30. Anyone else doing the double?
My running comeback was going well until late September when a slight niggle in the back of my ‘good’ knee developed into serious pain and swelling. After a 1 week rest it felt better, so I did a 40 minute hilly run on rough ground...........2 hrs later I couldn’t walk up the stairs. It eased after a few days but it isn’t right, currently awaiting the results of an MRI scan and X ray to see what’s going on. I’m 62 next week, still feel fit enough to be running, but my legs don’t seem to agree.
Like that bloke in that film said.....’I’ll be back’.
Happy New Year to all forum runners/ joggers, enjoy it whilst you can and remember.......’Be careful out there’
Nice chilled NYD double here with a group of friends - Stratford upon Avon and then Leamington Spa
Have been away from running (or should I call it 'jogging') for around 3 months and in that time have put on a lot of weight! Your post has inspired me to get back on the PRs. I am going to do the local 9am today (will not dare attempt a double). For me it will be a very leisurely stroll around! Good luck with your double this morning.
I hope you made it today. The Parkrun organisers are proud of the fact that the average PR time has got 10 minutes slower over the last few years. Last year it slowed,but only by 3 seconds. The average is now 32.5 minutes, and shows that the PR are achieving their aim of being more inclusive and available to, and for, all.
Sadly injuries have slowed my double time from a total of 47 minutes last year to 63 minutes this year, and just pleased to get round. Ah well, whilst I was never a proper runner, I still used to be able to do 37/38 minute 10ks many (many, many) years ago.
I am a distinctly average runner, the times and distances that some here are capable of are way beyond what I can do, and what I'll ever do. However, in the last couple of years since I started running, I've noticed how good it has been for me both physically and mentally, and I think that'll do for me. I've slacked off for the last week and a half, so I need to get out again. Happy new year to all, and time to go out and run!
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Well done to those who went out to the PR today, I was going to but just didn't get up in time.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day