The runners' thread...
- Thread starter windhoek
- Start date
- Status
crimsondonkey
pfm Member
Good run and nice time, you can be justifiably proud of yourself. Much carbs for you as a treat!
cutting42
Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
Congrats. An outstanding achievement and a phenomenal time. That is very respectable running indeed and a time I will probably never get to without a considerable amount of additional training. I still think under 60 is pushing it for me but I will take inspiration fro your success and make an extra effort.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
I started training sometime in June and along the way, I've managed to drop my weight from 12 stone 4 to 10 stone 11 - I'm probably heavier than that now as I've been eating like a horse since I finished - and well, I've got fit again - fit for the first time in years.
I think I got lucky with the weather as it was cool with drizzle instead of cold with heavy rain as was forecast, and I reckon running with 20,000 participants or so in front of cheering spectators brought out an extra pace that wasn't there on any of my training runs. And as well as finding out my official time was 47.52, it turns out my official placing was 930th.
On your day Gareth, don't be surprised if you crack 60 minutes with time to spare (weather permitting and max effort applied!) as running with thousands of others in front of cheering spectators is an inspiring and normal ability-defying experience.
Go Gareth!
I think I got lucky with the weather as it was cool with drizzle instead of cold with heavy rain as was forecast, and I reckon running with 20,000 participants or so in front of cheering spectators brought out an extra pace that wasn't there on any of my training runs. And as well as finding out my official time was 47.52, it turns out my official placing was 930th.
On your day Gareth, don't be surprised if you crack 60 minutes with time to spare (weather permitting and max effort applied!) as running with thousands of others in front of cheering spectators is an inspiring and normal ability-defying experience.
Go Gareth!
ian123running
pfm Member
20,000! Quite an event and I know (from London) the power of the crowd. But also check out local running clubs and enter a few local road races. In my area there are loads of these, low stress, no crowds, no starting pens. Everyone just lines up roughly alongside people they know to be similar.
And don't forget the cross country season is almost with us in the UK - some really great races and opportunities for exercise, mud and hills (sometimes), scenery, history and camaraderie - yes people would take the p*ss if they heard a metronome. Can be high effort but there's no great interest in finish times and pb's as every course is different and they're not accurately measured anyway.
That's my target right now, our first, of five, County XC races in early November, after about 3 years of almost no running. Don't be fooled by 'County' - the pace ranges from very swift to very gentle as all ages compete, certainly to 50min - 60 min or more 10k equivalent. I love watching the finish and the fiercest rivalries and eyes-out sprinting between the older, slower, men, and women, who may have been racing among themselves for 5, 10 or 20 years. (that includes me now I guess). Fabulous.
Ian
And don't forget the cross country season is almost with us in the UK - some really great races and opportunities for exercise, mud and hills (sometimes), scenery, history and camaraderie - yes people would take the p*ss if they heard a metronome. Can be high effort but there's no great interest in finish times and pb's as every course is different and they're not accurately measured anyway.
That's my target right now, our first, of five, County XC races in early November, after about 3 years of almost no running. Don't be fooled by 'County' - the pace ranges from very swift to very gentle as all ages compete, certainly to 50min - 60 min or more 10k equivalent. I love watching the finish and the fiercest rivalries and eyes-out sprinting between the older, slower, men, and women, who may have been racing among themselves for 5, 10 or 20 years. (that includes me now I guess). Fabulous.
Ian
cutting42
Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
I started training sometime in June and along the way, I've managed to drop my weight from 12 stone 4 to 10 stone 11 - I'm probably heavier than that now as I've been eating like a horse since I finished - and well, I've got fit again - fit for the first time in years.
I think I got lucky with the weather as it was cool with drizzle instead of cold with heavy rain as was forecast, and I reckon running with 20,000 participants or so in front of cheering spectators brought out an extra pace that wasn't there on any of my training runs. And as well as finding out my official time was 47.52, it turns out my official placing was 930th.
On your day Gareth, don't be surprised if you crack 60 minutes with time to spare (weather permitting and max effort applied!) as running with thousands of others in front of cheering spectators is an inspiring and normal ability-defying experience.
Go Gareth!
Thank you very much.
I am way heavier than you, currently 14 st 6 but was over 19st 8 two years ago so it has been quite a journey. I am trying to lose more weight but it has become secondary to getting fitter.
I have not run a big event before so am hoping the Shoreditch 10K will carry me along with DJs on the route and spectators.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
I meant to say, even though I couldn't quite get to the front of the slow group at the start, I was somewhere between 10 and 15 rows back, starting from the very back would have been a huge mistake as overtaking was really difficult in places as there were quite a few pinch points and some of them such as the Kingston Bridge lasted about 500m, maybe more. I would have struggled to get to the front of my allocated group from the back never mind make progress through the rest of the field if I'd went for a 'back of the pack' starting strategy. In fact, I reckon I would have been lucky to crack 60 minutes if I'd started from the back as there would have been too many people in front of me for me to run at my natural pace, which was compromised by two or three minutes anyway, I'm sure, because of the amount of runners and varying width of the track, as it were. F1 drivers think passing at Monaco is hard? They ain't seen nothing!
Anyway, top tip, Gareth... don't start from the back of the pack!
Anyway, top tip, Gareth... don't start from the back of the pack!
cutting42
Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
We have pens! I think I said sub 70 on the application which I am now regretting a little.
Not quite sure how it will work and how many entrants there are but will try to get to the front..
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
Here's a pic of me on the run
I went out for a six-mile run this morning and it's just as well I was aiming to run slow because that's all my legs could manage; 180SPM with short strides. There's a half-marathon up in Perthshire next Sunday and if I can get the time off, I think I'll give it a go and see if I can at least match the 1.51.xx I managed in 1997.
I went out for a six-mile run this morning and it's just as well I was aiming to run slow because that's all my legs could manage; 180SPM with short strides. There's a half-marathon up in Perthshire next Sunday and if I can get the time off, I think I'll give it a go and see if I can at least match the 1.51.xx I managed in 1997.
ian123running
pfm Member
Windhoek,
That would be quite an achievement! You should be very comfortable at your target pace (just about 8:25 minutes per mile) compared with your 10k performance (around 7:45). So this should be possible and the pace predictors say so, but they assume you have the endurance under your belt so can be pretty misleading as predictors, really. How many long runs have you done? What's been your longest on your feet in the last few weeks? Is your body prepared for the much greater endurance needed? Is the Half relatively flat or hilly? And will you be fully recovered by then?
Sounds like a great goal though and you obviously have the momentum and improving curve. If you do it, work out your Age Graded performance in 2017 compared with 1997!!
ps I really enjoyed the running form video you posted thanks. At the moment I'm almost entirely running off road / hilly training runs because of my location, but I do want to get out on flat road and try the 180 SPM etc soon ...
Ian
That would be quite an achievement! You should be very comfortable at your target pace (just about 8:25 minutes per mile) compared with your 10k performance (around 7:45). So this should be possible and the pace predictors say so, but they assume you have the endurance under your belt so can be pretty misleading as predictors, really. How many long runs have you done? What's been your longest on your feet in the last few weeks? Is your body prepared for the much greater endurance needed? Is the Half relatively flat or hilly? And will you be fully recovered by then?
Sounds like a great goal though and you obviously have the momentum and improving curve. If you do it, work out your Age Graded performance in 2017 compared with 1997!!
ps I really enjoyed the running form video you posted thanks. At the moment I'm almost entirely running off road / hilly training runs because of my location, but I do want to get out on flat road and try the 180 SPM etc soon ...
Ian
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
Those are questions I need to ask myself and how I'm feeling this morning suggests tackling a half-marathon just two weeks after an all-out effort 10K is probably two weeks too soon, at least as far achieving a better time than 1.51.xx I ran in 1997.
According to this Loch Rannoch Marathon/ Half-Marathon web-page, it's a flat course with some hilly sections, which sounds fine as I've done a fair bit of uphill running over the last four months. It might be too soon and I might be working, so I might have to give it a miss for one reason or another, although I'd prefer to do it so I can maintain and build upon my running momentum before winter comes.
According to this Loch Rannoch Marathon/ Half-Marathon web-page, it's a flat course with some hilly sections, which sounds fine as I've done a fair bit of uphill running over the last four months. It might be too soon and I might be working, so I might have to give it a miss for one reason or another, although I'd prefer to do it so I can maintain and build upon my running momentum before winter comes.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
Thanks JTC
I seem to recall reading that runners can take a break for a few days without losing much if any of their residual fitness, maybe even up to a week, but the flip side is that the effects of an injury are residual as well and without adequate time to heal, the residual effects of an injury can come back to haunt us runners just as much if not more so than the effects of the original injury. Knowing when to train and when to take a break - not to mention having the willpower to take a break when we know we should - are firey dice we must roll... but only when it's time to roll them dice!
I've got ten days to make the jump from 6 miles to 13.1 and right now, my body ain't up for it. I'm hoping my residual fitness will be enough for me to give it a decent go on the day as I simply don't have enough time to build up adequate mileage to adequately prepare for the half-marathon. I could fail spectacularly, but them's the firey dice I gots to roll... I just hope it's time to roll them dice in ten days' time!
cutting42
Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
I managed to fit a couple of 5K runs in while in San Francisco for a conference - it's a great place to run. I stopped to take this snap one morning:
I did a couple on the Bay path as well earlier this year, it is a lovely place to run.
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
I just hope the saying 'It's better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained' is true as I need to take another day off and might take tomorrow off as well as still don't feel great having done my typical weekly mileage (10-15 miles) in the space of three days, with Sunday, of course, being an all-out effort day.
It turns out that entry to the Rannoch half-marathon will remain open until Monday so at least I've got until then to figure out where I'm at in terms of essentially doubling my long run distance in one day from six miles to thirteen. I might do an easy nine miles run on Sunday and see how I feel. If my legs feel fine I'll sign on the dotted line
It turns out that entry to the Rannoch half-marathon will remain open until Monday so at least I've got until then to figure out where I'm at in terms of essentially doubling my long run distance in one day from six miles to thirteen. I might do an easy nine miles run on Sunday and see how I feel. If my legs feel fine I'll sign on the dotted line
- Status