Running (3 Viewers)

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
I managed to knock 94 seconds off my parkrun Pb at the weekend. Now at 22.20 down from 24.01 in September. It’s amazing because there was a pacer in September and I hung onto the back of him and was nearly dead/sick at the end. This week felt so much easier and I recovered so quickly after the finish.

Joining a club has made a huge difference to my abilities. I’m wondering what heights I can achieve now???
Which club did you join?
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
I managed to knock 94 seconds off my parkrun Pb at the weekend. Now at 22.20 down from 24.01 in September. It’s amazing because there was a pacer in September and I hung onto the back of him and was nearly dead/sick at the end. This week felt so much easier and I recovered so quickly after the finish.

Joining a club has made a huge difference to my abilities. I’m wondering what heights I can achieve now???

Northbrook are a good club, turn out in massive numbers for local events, and have their own 10km race. Possibly a little less focused on the big national events as Godiva, but they still turn out. I actually enquired about joining them but went for Godiva instead.

There’s some fantastic events coming up.... the league cross-country is worth doing, it’s a great event in its own right and builds strength (if you can run through all the sticky, slipper, muddy crap you get on the cross country, and still keep going, you’ll breeze it on the roads)

also the Midlands and national road relays coming up in March and April, held in Sutton Coldfield.... the premier club road events in the country.... Northbrook turn up in massive numbers for the Midlands and being part of a relay team is a fantastic way to bond with your club...

Given you got down from 24mins to 22:20 in such a short space of time, I’d say it’s a realistic goal to try and reach 20mins over time (without knowing your age, training regime, etc..... and it won’t happen over night)
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
It’s also worth mentioning that as you improve, the increments in your successes will slow down a little... you have a very steep improvement over a shorter space of time, but then it becomes progressively more difficult to make improvements... I got down to 20mins through my own running training through boxing, and after joining Godiva I sharply sped up to 19mins and eventually 18:34 (my current pb).... but despite consistent training and track work I’m struggling to do anything to improve that, possibly I’ve gone backwards a little too...
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Did anybody else enter that Coventry Runner competition on social media.... basically had to email them and say why you’d be a great choice to review some shoes and promote them (and Cov Runner), then you get to keep the shoes at the end of the review period...

I thought I had a decent chance as I put in a real good (or so I thought!) email.... but two ladies won in the end... I guess my lack of social media presence (Facebook only) didn’t help, as they promote over twitter and Instagram too...
 

Rich

Moderator
Travs what do you think the difference is between Bedworth and Cov parkruns? Someone said to me that 22 round Bedworth would be knocking on 20 around Cov. Not sure I believe that, but if true I’ll be heading to the memorial park pretty soon
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
No I’m pretty sure it’s not that much. If you’re strong on the hill at Bedworth then I reckon it’s probably quicker. Otherwise Coventry takes it slightly. But I doubt it’s more than 30 seconds either way.

Best to go and give it a try.

I went to Warwick Racecourse Parkrun a few weeks back and I would say that is faster than both. 95% pancake flat. I’ll certainly be heading back there for a pb attempt when ready.
 

Rich

Moderator
No I’m pretty sure it’s not that much. If you’re strong on the hill at Bedworth then I reckon it’s probably quicker. Otherwise Coventry takes it slightly. But I doubt it’s more than 30 seconds either way.

Best to go and give it a try.

I went to Warwick Racecourse Parkrun a few weeks back and I would say that is faster than both. 95% pancake flat.
I want to get into the 20-21 area ASAP so I can then take the foot off for a while before going for it again in the summer.
To answer some of your earlier questions I’m mid 30s, a couple of stone overweight with a poor diet. I’m hoping I can lose a stone or two and increase the pace from that too.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
I’m mid-late 30’s and feel I can improve, so I’m sure you can do wonders.If you do lose the weight then i suppose you could clear 20 mins easily (with the effort, and guidance of your club)
 

Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon

Well-Known Member
My fastest 5k is 21:11 but that wasn't at an organised park run or anything. I think ill get Cov Half out of the way and then see how fast i can do a 5k and 10k with some focused effort on that. Im also mid thirties and have been running regularly (as in 2 or 3 times a week) for around a year now
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
I want to get into the 20-21 area ASAP so I can then take the foot off for a while before going for it again in the summer.
To answer some of your earlier questions I’m mid 30s, a couple of stone overweight with a poor diet. I’m hoping I can lose a stone or two and increase the pace from that too.
Lost 8kg in about 6 months feel great. 48 though
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
No I’m pretty sure it’s not that much. If you’re strong on the hill at Bedworth then I reckon it’s probably quicker. Otherwise Coventry takes it slightly. But I doubt it’s more than 30 seconds either way.

Best to go and give it a try.

I went to Warwick Racecourse Parkrun a few weeks back and I would say that is faster than both. 95% pancake flat. I’ll certainly be heading back there for a pb attempt when ready.
If you want a challenge do killerton when it’s been raining.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
The league cross country season wrapped up at the weekend. In Div1 the final race was at Leamington Spa, on and around the old golf course at Newbold Comyn.

we at Godiva had a good day but wasn’t enough to give us top 6 for the year, we were narrowly edged into 7th by our rivals at University Of Warwick. Birchfield Harriers won the league this year pretty convincingly, ahead of the Olympic academy stars of Loughborough Uni.

in Div2 Kenilworth narrowly missed out on promotion back to the top flight. Massey Ferguson sadly relegated down to Div3.

In Div3, Sphinx just missed promotion up to the 2nd, whilst Northbrook and Nuneaton Harriers were mid-table.

Only the National Cross-country champs remain, in a fortnight at Wollaton Deer Park in Nottingham.... a pretty ferocious course... it really is a great sporting event and should receive tv coverage. The men’s race is an absolute stunning spectacle, with up to 3000 on the start line, you can feel the floor rumble when the gun goes.... if you’re in the middle of that and you go over, you’re not getting back up!

personally I’ll be hoping for top 800 or 900...... have done the National twice before.... once was my first cross-country race for about 15 years, and once when injured.... have never made the top 1000 yet.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
I’ve got the opening race of the North Wales Fell Champs at Conwy, otherwise I’d be at Bedworth. Good luck!
 

Great_Expectations

Well-Known Member
Yet to do a Park Run so far this year. Reading this thread has tempted me to run one tomorrow (probably Bedworth as it’s the 2nd anniversary), however I’ve had a virus all week so still not feeling too great. Last thing I want is to make it worse again for the weekend.

I’m running the London Landmarks Half at the end of March, but every weekend in March is taken with various events, so I’m rapidly running out of time to train and it’s harder after work. However after a quiet January, I ran a 10k about three weeks ago and out of nowhere 10 miles last week. So even if I don’t complete a significant run before the Landmarks Half, I’m (maybe naively) confident I’ll have enough to get through.

Probably going to sign up to the Coventry half in April.

There’s also a Warwick one in early March, which I might try albeit I’ll be quite hungover so possibly not ideal. Has anyone done that one before?
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
National Cross Country champs in Nottingham tomorrow, on a course which is always monumentally tough, but promises to be even worse with the recent weather.

Godiva with a fairly strong team, albeit missing perhaps our two best runners (our Somalian superstar working, and another very fast guy is racing in the under 20’s where I expect he will fare very well). But I think we’d usually hope to be in or around the top 30, whether we manage that tomorrow remains to be seen...

Teams also going from Sphinx, Northbrook and Masseys.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Chaos at the National XC today. Muddy as hell, water jumps were all heavily flooded and were about 20 yards long rather than a “jump”.... saw quite a few people stuck fast in the mud and needing help to get pulled out. Combined with the hills and some good running ground, made for a really tough course, the toughest I’ve ever experienced on the cross-country.

Personally a little disappointed, coming 1079th after setting a target of top 1000.... nearly 1hr04 for 13km (I’d be looking to knock that off in around 50 mins on the road, which gives an indication of how tough the course was). But could do no more on the day. But had a great race with an old schoolmate from Nuneaton Harriers.... after swapping places a couple of times, I put a big shift in the middle third of the race hoping to break him.... when I glanced behind he was only 20 yards behind me and I knew it would go to the wire.... luckily held on by 4 seconds in a desperate dash for the line.

team-wise... with the depletion’s mentioned above, and our fastest guy today getting injured warming up and unable to run, we managed 29th team which I feel was a great success.... 4th Midlands team behind Bristol &West, Birchfield Harriers and Notts AC.

Northbrook came 71st team I think.... Sphinx didn’t field a full team, and I don’t think Masseys turned up at all (apologies if mistaken).
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
I went over to the Inter County Cross Country championships at Loughborough today.

I think the results were...

1st North East (is that a county?!?)
2nd Yorkshire
3rd Hampshire

The standard was incredibly high... I reckon had I been fortunate enough to have been selected (not a chance of me reaching that standard!), it would have been a huge fight to not have finished stone dead last...
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Coventry park run for me today. An unexpected sub 19 mins - pleased with it especially seeing as I'd had a few beers the night before at the Huckerby/Whelan/Hedman event.

Great stuff! You must have finished close to my clubmate who finished 18:56 or 18:59 or similar.

Fell race tomorrow in Shropshire... Welsh Champs/South Wales Champs.... History in the making as Cov Godiva taking a team to a (non relay) fell race for the first time ever... Depending on how strong the Welsh heavyweights who come over from Llanberis and the Valleys, could possibly be a top three team position.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Fun and games on the mountains the last couple of weeks... Last weekend Cov Godiva took a team over to the opening Welsh Champs race. We had the race winner, the u23 winner, and three of us in the top 20, yet we were only 4th team. Some of the dedicated fellrunning teams are so strong.

Yesterday was in southern Snowdonia for the opening race in the British Championships... Great stuff, 5 miles up to the summit, turn round and 5 miles back down. - 7 windchill, no visibility, snow, rain. Managed to come 168th in a very attritional race.
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
Fun and games on the mountains the last couple of weeks... Last weekend Cov Godiva took a team over to the opening Welsh Champs race. We had the race winner, the u23 winner, and three of us in the top 20, yet we were only 4th team. Some of the dedicated fellrunning teams are so strong.

Yesterday was in southern Snowdonia for the opening race in the British Championships... Great stuff, 5 miles up to the summit, turn round and 5 miles back down. - 7 windchill, no visibility, snow, rain. Managed to come 168th in a very attritional race.
I live on the doorstep to the peaks, taking up trail or fell running feels more appealing than road running to me. I think there is a local club so I might try to get along one day, that said, with two young kids perhaps fell running is too much time realistically.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Plenty of clubs based in the Peaks. The two biggest are Dark Peak and Pennine based to the east (Sheffield, Hope Valley) and west of the peaks (Hayfield area) respectively.

There are also very solid clubs at Glossopdale, Matlock, Holmfirth, Staffordshire Moorlands (Leek), Buxton and Macclesfield.

I'm sure any would be glad to have you along...
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Well it seems all the local clubs have had to close down their activities. Our club/track/training has closed down.

Our coach sending training sessions to us via WhatsApp to complete on our own. Did the first last night.
 

Great_Expectations

Well-Known Member
London Landmarks Half Marathon has been cancelled (not surprised).

While understandable it’s disappointing as I was looking forward to the spectacle of it all. It’s a similar route to the marathon (albeit obviously shorter), so I was looking forward to taking in all the sights, as during the marathon it was just a case of finishing!

Personally it’s not great either, as I tend to need a goal to aim towards otherwise I’ll end up getting complacent/not bothering!
 

CrawleySkyBlue

Well-Known Member
Working from home is good for my ‘training’ regime. Knocked out a sub-40 min 10km yesterday and a 19 min 5km today on my usual route (which is probably a bit harder than my usual parkrun which I’ve been doing in 19:00-19:15 recently). A few more weeks of this and I’ll need a Parkrun to get a new PB. I’ve added in a few rest days too (slower jog or a long walk - which I must say are a lot more enjoyable than a long, quick run).

I’m not sure what I’ll do if Boris bans all but essential reasons for leaving the house!

Stay safe everybody.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
I'm working from home now and picking up a treadmill tomorrow, so training twice a day then, and hopefully similar results to come!

Personally I think exercise is essential.
 

skyblue1991

Well-Known Member
Just been on a 3.5 mils run. Not trying to achieve PBs or anything, I just do it for the exercise and endorphin boost.

I'm not the biggest fan but with my regular training session closed I'm just making do.

You never feel worse after a run!

Sent from my I3113 using Tapatalk
 

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