Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Runner's screed

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    48'35" for 10k this morning (7'48 per mile on average). Which is now the official PB after the trip/stopwatch fail disaster of a few weeks ago. That was probably going to be a bit quicker though as the 2 mile and 4 mile intermediate splits today were a touch slower than back then - 15'33 compared to 15'30 at 2 miles and 31'09 instead of 31'00 at 4. I'm still irked about it.

    My pace was clearly slowing throughout today, though. Those splits work out as 7'46/mile for the first section, 7'48/mile for miles 2-4 and 7'51/mile for the last bit. Better stamina than two weeks ago however, when my pace dropped from 7'46 to 8'02 and then 8'10.

    Comment


      Impressive numbers and progress, particularly running alone. When things get back to some form of normality you should try your local Parkrun and see what difference it will make having others to pace yourself against.

      I have continued to grind out miles (both running and walking) but my racing pace is long gone. Today I did a "virtual half marathon" - I don't usually hold with this sort of thing but it was one where the real event was in aid of a particular charity (Joining Jack) and the organisers were very keen for people to switch to doing it virtually rather than seeking a refund so that the charity continued to benefit so I didn't mind on this occasion. Plus I hadn't ran that distance since early March so it was something to motivate me. And also I had to post a "virtual 10k" time for a local event so it provided an opportunity to improve on last week's attempt (which I did, marginally). It was however absolutely boiling, but I got round and posted 2 hours 21 mins which is a long way off my best but I have actually done worse in "real" events on occasion so it is something to build on.

      Very little idea of when real events are going to get back to normal - I know there is a 10K in Blackpool later this month but think they are doing staggered starts rather than a mass start. I'm still seeing cancellations for autumn events (some of which had already re-scheduled from the spring) and with the local issues in the North I can't see much chance of normal events for the rest of the calendar year.

      Meanwhile in a parallel 2020 I'd be trail racing in the South of the US for the next couple of weekend, and I'm still getting race instructions coming through from the real 2020 to rub it in (most of the races in question are still going ahead).

      Comment


        I got a text from the Run in the dark people that they're still going ahead in November, I think that's optimistic, but you'd never know.

        Comment


          Originally posted by elguapo4 View Post
          I got a text from the Run in the dark people that they're still going ahead in November, I think that's optimistic, but you'd never know.
          There's a lot of optimism going on amongst race organisers, or at least some optimistic fronts being put up. I can understand it - for some of them it's their big thing for the whole year and they don't want to give up on it. I've had at least one where they have gone from "everything is still on track, entries still open!!" to a cancellation within a few days.

          Comment


            8km today in a few seconds under 49 minutes. Most importantly, I did the entire run non stop for the first time since last year. In the early months of this year my stamina ,always my best advantage, crashed and I was gasping after 3-4 kms. I'd like to work on my speed now, but baby steps first.

            Comment


              Just popping back into this to say that "Brittany runs a marathon" is a pretty good comedy fairly authentically based on running. I say this as someone who has a very high bar set on films about subjects I have a working knowledge of - bands, football etc.

              Comment


                I'll look out for that, presume it is on one of the several streaming services we've accumulated in the house this year.

                There are some almost-real events starting to happen (staggered starts, smaller fields) - a local 10 mile race re-scheduled from April went ahead yesterday, the first organised race round here since March. I'm entered for the re-scheduled Blackpool Half in a couple of weeks although they haven't finalised the details yet - think they were thrown by the "rule of six" thing (maybe that's the compromise, if any runners bunch up in groups of seven or more then thirty tweed-suited shooters are allowed to open fire).

                Parkrun of course announced their return just before the "rule of six" announcement, it will be interesting to see how much of a return they are able to make, as some land owners (including the Forestry Commission apparently) aren't going to be keen in the current uncertainty, and then there are local lockdowns to work around.

                Comment


                  Parkrun have now abandoned plans to return.

                  Comment


                    I'm running less often nowadays as Squash and Hockey are back (bizarre how Hockey and Football are OK, but a Parkrun isn't), but I'm still managing to get out twice a week, once for a run and the other for a training session of some sort. Today's was a tempo run, but it was also a ladder reset as I shortened the length of time running at 'tempo' but tried to do it at a faster rate. 2.85 miles covered in 20m 21s (the extra 21 secs to get to a convenient landmark to measure the distance against) works out at 7m17/mile. Given the target pace was 7m15, I'm happy with that. Now to go up in steps at that pace, running for 5 minutes longer each time and probably slackening the pace off slightly as I do (I got up to 45 mins at tempo at what was planned as 7m45 pace, but wasn't over that length). The aim, obviously, being to build endurance.
                    Next week is intervals, though. Which is also endurance/recovery. I've now found a 400m loop, and am working a ladder on that, adding a lap each time to move up from 5 to 8, and when I get to 8 resetting back to 5 but with 100m less recovery between bursts. The most recent was 6 x 400m with 200m between them. The target is to stay below 97 seconds for 400m, i.e. 6m30 pace. I didn't achieve that last week, though (average time 99.8s, last lap 101s). It will come in time, I guess. But a 6min/mile does feel like a big stretch still.

                    PB for 5k on a training run last week, though. 22m 20s for it, or 7m11/mile pace. And I wasn't trying to set a time when I started, before figuring out I felt pretty good so thinking "Why not" and beginning to push. I reckon there is more still in there. As every runner ever who had just set a best time said!

                    Sub 22-minute and then 7m dead per mile (21'45") are the next targets.

                    Comment


                      Well, I've not done that (above) yet, but with other sport canned for the second lockdown I'm back running most days, and trying longer distances. In that vein, I'm just back from running 20k for the first time. 1h42m17s for it. I was hoping for under 1h40 (or 5min per km), but next time maybe. I reckon I still had more in the tank at the end, and it's pretty windy today (~35mph gusts) which won't have helped any.

                      Comment


                        Not trying a 5k this week, but instead going for pushing the 10k time. Which I got done in a new PB of 47:22.9, which is 7m37/mile. Was hoping for 7m30, but on a windy day I'll accept 7 secs per mile slower, especially when taking over a minute off my previous best time for the distance.

                        What was also pleasing was the consistency of the splits, which I've adjusted slightly to be on the mile marks rather than close to them (plus or minus 0.02 miles) as the reality was.
                        1st mile - 7:37
                        2nd mile - 7:38 (15:15)
                        3rd mile - 7:36 (22:51)
                        4th mile - 7:32 (30:23)
                        5th mile - 7:40 (38:03)
                        last 1.22 miles - 9:20 (47:23) @ 7:39/mile

                        Comment


                          Excellent work Janik, I'm only dreaming of figures like that. I'm hovering around the 57 minute mark at the moment.

                          Comment


                            I went running today. It was a mud apocalypse. It doesn't seem like it's been raining all that much. But it evidently has.

                            Comment


                              December was sopping wet in most of England, I think. It's all mud around here, for sure. All my running now is on paved footpaths.

                              Got some new cold weather running gear as presents. Shorts and a t-shirt won't get me through the next two months without becoming a Janikicle. They are men's running trousers, erm leggings, erm thermal pants, erm... OK, OK, they are tights! But it's better than being frozen.

                              Comment


                                I wear latex running leggings this time of year and a hoodie, but overall, I rarely get cold, unless it gets below zero.

                                At one point today my shoes were so wet I thought I'd just power on through the bog and the mud. But I quickly realised there was no traction at all running on the mud. It was crazy.

                                Comment


                                  I unashamedly wear leggings/tights in the winter months, as well as the protection from the elements there are benefits in terms of circulation, or so I tell myself anyway.

                                  It's been a good end to the running year here, the last three runs have been blue skies and wintry scenes in the fields, with enough ice underfoot to have to where trail shoes and to be alert where you were planting your foot. I have actually been keen to get out amongst it this week which hasn't always been the case in recent months.

                                  I don't do Strava but keep my own manual records and this year finished on 1,432 miles of running and walking (though with a much higher walking proportion than in previous years). This compares to 1,062 last year and 867 in 2018. 2020's total included only seven "races", and seven parkruns, whereas usually I'd be clocking up the miles in events and less so in between - this year has been very much the loneliness of the long distance solo runner. In reaction to the first lockdown I did 170 miles in April, then topped it with 175 in May, then reduced it because I was exhausting myself (not just from the actual exercise, but three days a week I was getting up and doing six miles before starting the WFH shift, being showered and seated for not long after 8am, which was ruinous).

                                  Bleak outlook for the return of any sort of organised running locally in the next few months - there are usually two well attended 10Ks round here in January, one got canned long ago and the other cancelled today, with even the announced back up dates in February and March looking overly optimistic. In the absence of weekend races I did get to complete the Cumbria Way over the course of a few weekends, and am planning other similar ones (e.g. Dales Way) but those plans are on hold obviously given the current tiering system.

                                  Comment


                                    I went for my first run in a couple of months today. I still prefer cycling, but it was wet and grey and dark and a bike ride would have been unpleasant. I wore leggings/tights. It turns out that you don't become a faster runner who enjoys it more just by having a few months off.

                                    Comment


                                      Derek - what are latex running leggings? A quick Google has brought up some unexpected results.

                                      I'm with you Walt, I wear leggings when it gets below about 5 degrees - they do nothing for my figure, but keep out the cold. I squeezed in one last run of 2020 this evening, and wore gloves for the first time this winter.

                                      I finished on 412 miles for the year, my lowest total mileage in the four years I've been running, but according to Strava, I ran 110 times in total (the most I've ever done in a year); not bad considering I had almost a month off in the summer after a self-inflicted injury needing seven stitches to my eyebrow.

                                      The furthest I've run this year was about seven miles, compared to the 26 and a bit when I did the London Marathon last year. Not having any races to prepare for means I've been sticking to shorter runs. This is probably the fittest my heart and lungs have ever felt, but not having gone to the gym for nine months and having done almost no resistance training means I'm probably the weakest I've ever been.

                                      Hopefully there'll be the opportunity for a few races next year.

                                      Comment


                                        Originally posted by Forest Gump View Post
                                        The furthest I've run this year was about seven miles, compared to the 26 and a bit when I did the London Marathon last year. Not having any races to prepare for means I've been sticking to shorter runs. This is probably the fittest my heart and lungs have ever felt, but not having gone to the gym for nine months and having done almost no resistance training means I'm probably the weakest I've ever been.

                                        Hopefully there'll be the opportunity for a few races next year.
                                        I did a marathon in February, which seems about three years ago and initially kept fitting in a longish run each weekend but without anything specific to train for it just seemed too much effort (and occasionally pain) for no payoff, so the longest I have ran in the last seven months or so has been my 10km route. I've done a lot more walking, partly because it doesn't matter what I've drank and eaten the night before (which has been a big factor in lockdown), I can still get out and do 9-10 miles no bother, secondly because I don't have to get changed into running gear to do it, thirdly because I can stop for a coffee and cheese bake halfway round and lastly cos it's alright innit, just having a wander with a podcast on?

                                        Comment


                                          Latex... did I mean lycra? I suspect so. Reebok stretchy things.

                                          Comment


                                            I ended 2020 by running a half marathon distance for the first time. Which wasn’t that much of a step up - I had previously done 20k runs so 21.05k is not that much extra (in fact the 20k route with a little extra loop added in the middle). But it was nice symbolically. I wasn’t trying to push, it was meant to be running within the comfort zone, and wristwatch not stopwatch so not greatly accurate for timing, but it took ~1h50. Which was also reasonably pleasing.

                                            Comment


                                              7.7 km today in 48 minutes. Not bad,could have done another couple of kms, but I started needing to use the toilet, so I could turn right, and be home in two minutes, or go straight and risk it. No contest really.

                                              Comment


                                                I picked up the baton again last week after only two runs in 3 months.

                                                I managed to do 4km last Monday (4th Jan), with a 250m walk after 2km, but then managed to do a full 5km on Wednesday. On posting my stats on Facebook, an old friend of mine, who has been doing 5km a day for the whole of January to raise money in support of a mental health charity (I forget which one) popped up and asked if I wanted to run with him. We agreed I would run this past Monday, so on Friday I did my first evening run and completed 5k with no real issues ready for Monday.

                                                I spent all day really nervous on Monday because I'd never ran with anyone before (fully socially distanced, I hasten to add) but for the first time ever, because of his pace, I was able to chat whilst running and when the 5km was completed I wasn't even overly tired - for the first time I felt I could do more than 5km. Realising that this slower pace is what I should be sticking to I really looked forward to my run this past Wednesday. However, as usual, I went too fast and just about completed the 5km. It appears I need someone to monitor my pace.

                                                I'm off again in an hour, as lunchtime runs have now become my thing, which is something of an achievement for me. Up until December, I had only run between 5 and 6 in the morning due to an odd fear of people seeing me run. Now though, I'm quite at ease with it. Hopefully, I can get my pace down a touch to see if I can push up to 10km (which is my ultimate aim at the moment)

                                                Comment


                                                  In the post today I got the goodie bag for a 10k that I was entered into last February. It was postponed then, due to Storm Ciara, with entries rolled over to 2021. For obvious reasons this is now not taking place as planned (they're doing a virtual race instead). Hopefully we might get to run it in February 2022.

                                                  Comment


                                                    Originally posted by Simon G View Post
                                                    I picked up the baton again last week after only two runs in 3 months.

                                                    I managed to do 4km last Monday (4th Jan), with a 250m walk after 2km, but then managed to do a full 5km on Wednesday. On posting my stats on Facebook, an old friend of mine, who has been doing 5km a day for the whole of January to raise money in support of a mental health charity (I forget which one) popped up and asked if I wanted to run with him. We agreed I would run this past Monday, so on Friday I did my first evening run and completed 5k with no real issues ready for Monday.

                                                    I spent all day really nervous on Monday because I'd never ran with anyone before (fully socially distanced, I hasten to add) but for the first time ever, because of his pace, I was able to chat whilst running and when the 5km was completed I wasn't even overly tired - for the first time I felt I could do more than 5km. Realising that this slower pace is what I should be sticking to I really looked forward to my run this past Wednesday. However, as usual, I went too fast and just about completed the 5km. It appears I need someone to monitor my pace.

                                                    I'm off again in an hour, as lunchtime runs have now become my thing, which is something of an achievement for me. Up until December, I had only run between 5 and 6 in the morning due to an odd fear of people seeing me run. Now though, I'm quite at ease with it. Hopefully, I can get my pace down a touch to see if I can push up to 10km (which is my ultimate aim at the moment)
                                                    Heart Rate monitors are good for this. To firmly stick in z2 right now (~140-150bpm) I need to run really slow. I about 2 minutes a mile slower than when I got my stress fracture a year ago. After 9 months of injury I am prepared to take it slowly but also really frustrated about the speed of progress.

                                                    Comment

                                                    Working...
                                                    X