Running (2 Viewers)

[CrawleySkyBlue]

Just getting back into the swing of running again after a few quieter mileage months.

Since the start of the year, I’m back up to 50km weeks.

A session of 5x 3km (1km off) today. With the on KMs at circa 3:55km per min on average. Ended up as a half marathon in 1hr28.

Did a 5km on Saturday in 18:07.

Someway to go before hitting the low 17s again, but starting to feel fitter again.

 

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[Travs]

Just getting back into the swing of running again after a few quieter mileage months.

Since the start of the year, I’m back up to 50km weeks.

A session of 5x 3km (1km off) today. With the on KMs at circa 3:55km per min on average. Ended up as a half marathon in 1hr28.

Did a 5km on Saturday in 18:07.

Someway to go before hitting the low 17s again, but starting to feel fitter again.

That's some session.... 15km at a solid pace.

My mate today did 4 x 10 minute reps at around 3:30/km pace which is ridiculous!

I'm training tonight and supposed to have a hill session with Godiva, but still tired from the weekend, so will be taking it very steady, and perhaps going to copy my mate's session on thursday (but not quite as quickly!).

 

[CrawleySkyBlue]

That's some session.... 15km at a solid pace.

My mate today did 4 x 10 minute reps at around 3:30/km pace which is ridiculous!

I'm training tonight and supposed to have a hill session with Godiva, but still tired from the weekend, so will be taking it very steady, and perhaps going to copy my mate's session on thursday (but not quite as quickly!).

I don’t know how people run consistently at 3:30/km pace or quicker. Mind boggling!

enjoy the training tonight. Recovery run for me tomorrow morning before work. Will aim for 15km if I get out of bed early enough, if not it’ll be closer to 10km.

 

[Travs]

3:30km pace for me is 3000mtrs race pace (or it was last time i did it... could perhaps take a few seconds off that now). Can run consistent km reps in close to 3:20, but stringing them together is a different matter!

Hoping to perhaps run a couple of track races for Godiva in the league this summer, but being somewhat of a reserve i'll have to slot in wherever needed (probably steeplechase!)...... although i've entered a 1500mtrs at Nuneaton in August.

We did hill reps in the back roads of Earlsdon last night. Didn't go flat out after racing sunday, but totalled 8.5 miles on top of 5.5 in the morning.

 

[Travs]

Had a run round Bedworth Parkrun this morning. It was the 4th anniversary and was far busier than usual. WIth a good 100 more people than usual. And a higher number of quicker runners at the front end as well (was the first time i've ever been outside the top 3 or 4).

A steady 19:32, although being my 3rd quicker session since tuesday evening, i wasn't expecting much more and just aimed to run smoothly throughout, rather than pushing for anything too quick.

Spotted a Northbrook top in the scrum of marshals at the start briefing, and boldly went up to them to enquire if they were "Rich from the forum"........ it wasn't!!

 

[We'll_live_and_die]

Had a run round Bedworth Parkrun this morning. It was the 4th anniversary and was far busier than usual. WIth a good 100 more people than usual. And a higher number of quicker runners at the front end as well (was the first time i've ever been outside the top 3 or 4).

A steady 19:32, although being my 3rd quicker session since tuesday evening, i wasn't expecting much more and just aimed to run smoothly throughout, rather than pushing for anything too quick.

Spotted a Northbrook top in the scrum of marshals at the start briefing, and boldly went up to them to enquire if they were "Rich from the forum"........ it wasn't!!

Nope I wasn’t there unfortunately, the core team has about 5 northbrook on it. I’m guessing you spoke to the guy with the beard

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Did 4 miles earlier this afternoon bloody freezing

 

[Travs]

Nope I wasn’t there unfortunately, the core team has about 5 northbrook on it. I’m guessing you spoke to the guy with the beard

Think his name was "Pete"

 

[tom88]

Started getting back to the gym now, furlough I lost 10kg but put 7 back on. Prefer treadmills to road running as where I’m from all dark country roads and not many paved routes.

started to do 30 minutes but high incline running, trying to run 100ft incline as quick as possible, then 200, 300 etc up to 500 foot.

absolute killer but heart rate goes through the roof!

any doing treadmill routines for me to try

 

[Travs]

I use treadmill often, as being a fellrunner, its an easy way to get the climb in.

You can (obviously) do any routine that you can do on the roads.... for some reason i prefer to do treadmill interval sessions based on time, rather than distance, perhaps because treadmill running doesn't quite equate exactly to road running in terms of speed/distance. Last week i did 4 x 10 minute efforts, with 3 mins jog between. Although that is a fairly heavy session... something simple like 2 or 3 minutes hard, with same rest period, is a good starter.

When i do hill sessions on treadmill, i'll do it all at maximum 15% gradient.... my "efforts" will be running (although you really have to change down a few gears if you want to run for anything more than a minute at 15%), and "rests" will be power-walking. Something like 5mins hard, 5mins rest.

As i always say... be very wary of jumping straight into vicious interval sessions before you've got a nice solid endurance base of steady running. Until you're happy going out multiple times a week and running comfortably for 30-45mins, you're always better off just trying to build that aerobic base.

 

[Travs]

Club night, 3 x 1 mile reps around Warwick Uni, with 2 minute rests.

5:46
5:48
5:51 (although had to negotiate round a couple of cars on this one)

Decent session, running reps under 5:50 is decent by my own standards.

A solid start to the week, 29 miles in last two days.

 

[Travs]

The final league cross-country fixture yesterday at Leamington. Really nasty underfoot conditions. had my best ever placing, finally getting into the top 150 (136th), although to be honest it was this fixture that i'd been targeting, being a notoriously nasty and hilly course it suited my strengths.

Godiva finished 9th for the season, firmly in mid-table. I scored in every fixture for the b-team, and we were 5th... which shows we are strong in depth, but just need one or two of the elite guys to step up and turn out for the club.... but issues this year such as covid and injury have affected a number of teams.

Sorry to Leamington being relegated to Div2. But congratulations to Kenilworth swapping places with them.

Nuneaton, Sphinx, Northbrook and Masseys all fighting at the top end of Div3 but none of them able to snatch a promotion place.... Sphinx narrowly losing out on a final-day battle... they had been my tip to be the most successful of the other local teams.

Next weekend is the National Champs at Parliament Hill in London, a huge event.

Then the next big event is the Midland Road Relays at the end of March, in which all of the above teams will likely feature heavily.

 

[Travs]

Club night with Godiva... 6 x half mile reps with 90secs rest.

2:53
2:50
2:52
2:55
2:53
2:52

Even squeezed a lucky 7th rep out...
2:53

Pleased with that after a hard race at the weekend.

Easy miles all the way to saturday now, with the National Champs in London.

 

[CrawleySkyBlue]

5x 1km for me this evening at just under 3:36/km average. (2 min 30 rests). Felt good tonight.

Will do a 10km later in the week at sub 40 hopefully.

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Lost the motivation for the last few day’s went out and did 4 miles yesterday

 

[larry_david]

Half marathon done in 01:47:34 which km pleased with actually. Can always be faster. Moron groups of people in the way at times does not help.

Never know what to do after a long run though. Rest? Nap? Carry on as normal?

 

[We'll_live_and_die]

I gave myself a true test this morning. Rosliston parkrun in 25:14. That was 100% all I had, shows how far I’ve fallen in the past couple of years but I’ll get back to it.

 

[CrawleySkyBlue]

3x 10 mins @ 3:40/km ave (3mins rest). 15km I’m total including warm up and cool down

 

[Travs]

National Cross Country Championships yesterday at Parliament Hill in London.

Underfoot conditions were absolutely abysmal, but for once at theNational it was pleasant and sunny instead of absolutely freezing.

Due to the huge numbers,(about 2100 starters in the men's race) they usually have numbered start pens allocated for each team.... but they didn't bother today and it was a complete free-for-all. By the time i'd finished warming up and got the the start i found myself stuck quite near the back.

The leisurely start from the back probably helped in some ways, but in the first couple of km there were a number of bottlenecks and complete standstills at tight corners... i reckon it was well into the 2nd mile before i was able to move at anything approaching race pace.

Still worked my way through the field and missed my target of top 1000 by 29 places and a mere 20 seconds! Gutted!

Godiva men 28th team (4th Midland behind Bristol & West, Nottingham, and very closely behind Tipton Harriers).

Kenilworth and Nuneaton finished in the 90's. Northbrook around 120th. None of the other local teams fielded a full team which is a bit of a shame.

In the women's we had two finishers inside the top 30. 17th team (2nd Midland behind Bristol). A great result for the ladies. Nuneaton, renowned for their strong female section, were 40th team.

 

[We'll_live_and_die]

24:05 at parkrun this week. A massive improvement from the 25:15 that seemed a real battle last week.

 

[Travs]

I raced over at Church Stretton in Shropshire on saturday.

A very interesting race, with so much variation packed into 6 miles. There were two alternative routes to the first summit, and the 2nd half of the race was packed with options across the top of the Long Mynd plateau.... i reached the valley with nobody in sight behind me and was looking forward to a comfortable last couple of km into the finish, when suddenly two people came pelting down a steep slope to the left of me, and i found myself in a huge battle for 11-13th place.

Finished 12th in the end. Was top 6 at the first summit, and true to form with my climbing being my strongest attribute, i slowly dropped places throughout the remainder of the race.

No race for three weeks now, until the fantastic Midland Road Relays at Sutton Coldfield.

Have booked an hour at the track next weekend at Pingles. Remains to be seen whether i do a session or a fast 5km attempt. Will depend on how well i recover from this weekend, and depending on whether i get Derby tickets for the following weekend.

 

[Travs]

Had an hour booked at the track last saturday. Unfortunately the legs weren't fresh enough to attempt a fast 5km (which had been the original plan), nor to go for a real fast 400mtr session.

So opted for a 400mtr session, but a bit slower reps than usual, and only 1 minute rest between, to work on endurance rather than pure speed.

16 x 400mtr reps then, at approx 18min/5km pace.

Then went over to the inter-counties cross country at Loughborough, in which Warwickshire were competing. In the ladies, Julie Emmerson of Coventry Godiva was top performer in 7th, with Warwickshire 14th. In the mens, Jack Gray (Cambridge & Coleridge) was 9th or 10th, with Warwickshire again 14th.

 

[robbiekeane]

Signed up for a half marathon in July. Get my arse out and get some miles

 

[1ccfc]

A massive thank you for all the advice in relation to my blister problem. I invested in new trainers and running socks at the same time, so I'm not sure what made the difference. However, I'm now running blister free, which as you might already know makes a huge difference. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply .

 

[Travs]

Was the Midlands 12-stage Road Relays at Sutton Park yesterday.

I didn't attend this year, but the Cov Godiva ladies recorded a famous victory!

Men's race, Notts AC and Bristol & West were first two as usual.

We were about 17th or 18th with a depleted team (usually challenging for top 6.... but even i was up for selection for the 1st team yesterday, which is not a good sign!!), but most importantly made the top 25 and qualified for the Nationals in a couple of weeks.

I think Leamington, Nuneaton & Kenilworth all finished around the 30's. Of the other Cov teams, Northbrook fielded two full teams around about 48th and 49th... impressive turnout from them... Sphinx, Masseys didn't field a full team but ran incomplete teams. We also ran an incomplete 2nd team.

 

[Travs]

Building up for the Yorkshire Three Peaks Race at the end of the month...

Went over to Shropshire to do a 12 mile/4100ft training run that i last did just after the first lockdown ended. I was in decent shape then, and obviously raring to go, so my 2hrs21 back then seemed a tough target.

Went hard at it, but without knowing my split times at each summit from last time, had no idea how i was doing. Reached the halfway turnaround at the far summit in 1hr05, so less than half the time used, and three of the five climbs out of the way.

No time to be complacent as the climbs are long and drawn out on the return. Soon became clear i was chasing 2hrs05, and whilst i threw everything at it, had to settle for 2:06:30

Not sure exactly what part of my training routine is benefitting me... i expect the constant 70 mile weeks... but felt better than i have done at any of my races over the winter period. Maybe it just all came together.

Next sunday have a long 18 mile fell race above Llangollen. Was hoping for another real big effort and hopefully a pb.... however there's a possibility i may have to run for Godiva at the National Road Relays on the saturday. This can't be turned down... you have to do your club duty, and it would be a rare honour indeed to run in the Nationals (more a sign that we are struggling for people through injuries/illness)..... but it won't half make the sunday race unpleasant....

 

[CovBrummie94]

Completed the London Landmarks Half Marathon yesterday. 1:54:44 was my chip time. A little disappointed I couldn't go below 1:50 as that was my target but my legs just didn't have it in them to push for the last 3k. I was losing 2 minutes per km from the 18km mark until the end. My preparation certainly wasn't helped by a 7-day holiday in New York 2 weeks before race day or the lager and cigarettes at the Blackburn game on Saturday afternoon. Despite my disappointment I raised £300 for Teenage Cancer Trust and got to enjoy all of the sites of the cities of London and Westminster while getting 21km in the legs.

I'd certainly recommend it for anyone looking at half marathons next year.

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Got me first run for a couple of weeks planned later this afternoon, not gonna enjoy it but will get it done

 

[Travs]

National 12-stage Road Relays on saturday.

A number of teams were depleted. We had a good start and were hovering around the 20's-30's for the first hour, but as we then relied on our "squad runners" in the later legs (myself included), we fell back to finish 50th.

Leamington looked to have had a similar tale... they were in the top 10 after the first leg, but the rest of their race had a similar theme to ours, and they finished 46th (in fact i was overtaken by the Leamington guy on my leg).

Was a thrilling race, with so many of the top team also missing star runners... Tonbridge came from 3rd place at the start of the final leg to snatch the victory by about 10 seconds.

1. Tonbridge AC
2. Highgate Harriers
3. Bedford & County
4. Bristol & West
5. Leeds City
6. Hercules Wimbledon

Yesterday ran an 18 mile fell race above Llangollen and on the moors near to the Horseshoe Pass. But saturday had taken it's toll and i fell 8mins short of a pb, in 2hrs39.... although conditions were also far from favourable (mud and ice aplenty)

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Got 5 miles done today , for the first time in a while 54:53 . Not the best time but more bothered about distance

 

[Travs]

Club night was 12 x 400mtrs with 1 minute rests.

Still heavily fatigued from the weekend, i did alternate reps, giving me a good 3-4mins between each one to recover, loosen up and do some drills. Started slowly, building up to about 80% effort by the final few.

Would like to get some harder sessions in before next week's track 10,000mtrs race at Pingles on wednesday night. But realistically i'm not going to recover if i do, and it will be far more beneficial to ensure i get to the start line with fresh legs.

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

I have to up the distance as I’m doing a run on the 13th of may at Coombe abbey . The event is on all day and you can do as many laps as you want I’m planning on doing 3 which is roughly a half marathon

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Got 5 miles done earlier

 

[tom88]

Started to pick the distance up now before I work on pace.

Doing the Coombe Abbey 10k on the 13th May

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Started to pick the distance up now before I work on pace.

Doing the Coombe Abbey 10k on the 13th May

I’m doing that too , got roped into it the other day .