I am really enjoying the Girls on the Run!

I haven't run since Wednesday, but I got in a few good bike rides- 14, 21, and 25 miles. 11 hours of sleep last night and a rest day today.

Keep up the great work, love reading all your updates!

ftrobbie wrote: »

@Just_Ceci thanks, you are an inspiration to me, I would never of thought about bricks until I read your posts many months ago. I have been scared over the last 8 weeks of pushing too hard in case of breaking down. You and many others have kept me going and hoping that it would all be ok in the end. I stayed away because I was scared, I like pushing boundaries but also dislike failure. I sincerely wish you well with running your own race and then pacing your girls through to their own personal successes. Have fun, you are a star, continue to shine brightly.

Thanks! You have inspired me also!

so i did my b210k and was looking at the HM.

does this plan look reasonable?
my asics

it's not repeats but I've got at least 2 hills (one "easy" and one steep) and the longer i go the more steep hills i run into. big evil hills.
thanks

So yesterday was the Clarendon Half Marathon, part of an event run by Winchester Rotary each year. The Marathon runs from Salisbury to Winchester, along the Clarendon Way national path, with the Half starting from Broughton halfway along the route. It's all detailed at http://www.clarendon-marathon.co.uk/

It's my second run of the event, it was my first HM, in 2014, so I was keen to run it again as my fourth. Last year I'd managed to pick up a knee injury at about the10Km point, which meant about six week of reduced training afterwards. Classic ITB Sydrome and on reflection I should have bailed out at about the 12or 13km point,

I wasn't all that well prepared for yesterday, a new job is leaving my training difficult to plan and it's been pretty disruptive.

Kit wise I was using my Saucony Xodus shoes and wearing my Inov-8 race vest with two 500ml bottles and carrying Honey Stinger chews, and an SIS gel in reserve. I opted to take two chews at 5km intervals. Previous year I'd used SIS gels but felt the third landed heavily and left me feeling a bit queazy. This time the chews seemed to work well and they're fairly easy to consume on the move

It's a trail race, but the first 6km or so is largely on stony path, farm roads or metalled roadways. It makes trail shoes a bit more challenging, but I was conscious of it this year so quite focussed on my form. I managed to maintain a reasonable pace until the first steep climb, just after coming off the main road. My plan was to walk this hill, as it had hammered me the previous year. Managed to maintain a decent pace, including a quick stop for a photograph.

I was maintaining a reasonable average pace, hitting the 10Km point a little ahead of the 60 minute plan. 58:58 left me pretty comfortable, although that was just before a persistent hard climb up the the highest point on the route. At this point the path was reasonably narrow, so tricky to make much progress as it got a little congested. In general people are pretty good about letting others through, stopping where there was an opportunity to clear the path and let the faster runners through. Personally I found myself shutting back and forth amongst the same group of people at this stage. Everyone was responding to the changes in terrain, and giving the route to whoever needed it.

The nature of the route had completely changed by this point, much more forestry, and soft underfoot. So for me the trail shoes came into their own at this stage. Downhills were faster, and very comfortable.

The biggst change in my approach was taking the opportunity at each aid station to slow and walk, replenish either from the aid station or my own bottles.

I was struggling a bit by the 16km point, with the undulating terrain taking its toll. The surface was very challenging b ths point, lots of tree roots and branches slowing the pace to avoid tripping.

The final steep climb was expected, and tough. Lots of people breaking to walk intermittently by this time. I had to stop for a bit and walk as I tweaked my left hamstring, although walking it out certainly helped.

One of the big benefits here was thenumber of people supporting, unusual in a trail race. In some ways motivating, and in others pushing the pace to avoid stopping to walk in front of the audience cheering you on.

So the last mile was faster, and by this time there was a bit of jostling for position. The course had opened up and people were getting very focussed. Still chatty, and friendly, but pushing the pace and reaching out to the finish line.

I managed to get in at 2:13:32. A bit disappointing as it was slower than the previous year, but uninjured and feeling a bit fresher. To the extent a 5km recovery run this evening was easily achievable.

All in all a good session, a few lessons to consider. Feeling fresher afterwards and able to continue supports my objectives for next year with several races in closer succession.

The bling:

Robbie, all the races I've done have been short fields and on trails, so stunning scenery and not particularly crowded beyond the first kilometre. That seems to make a huge difference to the experience.

I'm repeating the Harewood Forest 10K and the Ox half next year, although adding the Dark Ox 10K the night before the HM. I'm not sure about the Invader half next year. I enjoyed the race but te date is awkward, I' away on reserve training immediately afterwards again and I think the poor diet has contributed to the challenges recently. I didn't really recover properly. I'm also now doing a full three weeks before...

So next season is looking like a full in March, two 10Ks and a Half in May, full in June then subject to recovery either the full or HM at Clarendon again. I may do something at the Bad Cow weekend in September, probably the 10K, possibly also the HM.

The Harewood Forest is my usual training area, but the others are just good fun events.

Nice report MM, well done!

I ran speed intervals with the local running store last night-
4 x 400m with 30 seconds rest between (was supposed to be at 5k pace, but I was faster)
1 mile all out
4 x 400m at 5k pace

I ran a total of 4.1 miles in 38:17 not including the resting times. I felt good throughout, except for when the large group of guys lapped me before I had even finished the first lap. I was probably the last one to finish the workout, but I don't really care. I am feeling better about my chances for 10k in under an hour! I will keep doing speed intervals or hill repeats at least once a week.

b210k w12d1 done. can't wait to do a ten k and then an hm!

@moyer566 when and where is your 10 k race?

yeah, tell me about the whining i am doing another 5k in a couple of weeks, Oct 18 and after that i will shoot for a 10k! but, like you, 10k is probably the max i will do, at least for a while

LLduds wrote: »

@Just_Ceci - what are you using for your speed training? Is there an app or something you recommend? I seem to do better with apps that tell me what to do

I do some sort of sprint intervals or hill repeats to work on speed. (When I was training for my half, I sent my plan to my girls' bike leader who added sprint intervals or hill repeats one day per week.)

I downloaded an app called "Interval Timer AD". It lets you set time intervals and notifies you when the interval is done. (I use this in conjunction with RunDouble or Strava) My favorite looks like this:
15 sec Sprint
3 min Easy run
30 sec Sprint
3 min Easy run
45 sec Sprint
3 min Easy run
1 min Sprint
3 min Easy run
45 sec Sprint
3 min Easy run
30 sec Sprint
3 min Easy run
15 sec Sprint
3 min Easy run

For hill repeats, I have a favorite hill that is pretty tough- run up hard, slow run or walk down to recover- repeat.

I usually run about a mile to warm up (for sprints and for hills) and then keep running at the end until I'm at whatever distance I want to get or until I'm back where I started.

The local running store has a free speed clinic every Monday, which I plan to get to more often. Since it's on a track, it's usually distance intervals.