I didn't get an opportunity to run in daylight today, so it was a not so scenic run along the A65 to Burley for this evening's run. No after effects from yesterday's race, but I was taking it steady rather than doing anything too ambitious. It felt good to just go out for a run after a day spent decorating. Tomorrow I'm promising myself a more interesting route.
I was thinking about Marc(Omeleteer)'s comments regarding my PBs. It is a bit embarrassing to have PBs that are more than a quarter of a century old. They don't reflect what I'm able to run now. Only my 5k PB is from this year & that's only because I'd never run a 5k until relatively recently. Another downside is that I've very little chance of setting a PB, except at 5k or marathon (although I don't really fancy doing another marathon). Maybe I should list 'recent bests' instead. On the other hand, it would be nice to think that I might be capable of running 34:25 again for a 10k (only 3 1/2 minutes improvement to make!).
Monday, 30 November 2009
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Thirsk 10 - snorkel optional
It was certainly wet today for the Thirsk 10, the lane just after the start was completely flooded in places. It resembled one of those triathlons where everyone goes running off into the sea at the start of the swimming section.
Everybody seemed to set off very quickly, maybe I was too near the front, or it was the desire to get through the cold puddles as quickly as possible. I went through 2 miles in 11:53 and 5 miles in 30:09, which is way faster than I was intending to run, but it didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I slowed quite a bit in the 2nd half, although I think that was mainly due to the conditions, as I still felt to be running OK & didn't get overtaken by many people. Unusually for me I was chatting to another runner during the race (I think that he was from Valley Striders). I don't know if this slowed me down or kept me going. At the end I didn't feel unduly tired, maybe I wasn't trying hard enough. I finished in 63:01 and was 4th M50.
There were some really good performances today. Congratulations to Sarah (runningbear) for her PB & being Northern champion again. Marc T got a PB as well & ran under 60 minutes for the 1st time. There were also some good runs from the Otley Carnegie track group.
Everybody seemed to set off very quickly, maybe I was too near the front, or it was the desire to get through the cold puddles as quickly as possible. I went through 2 miles in 11:53 and 5 miles in 30:09, which is way faster than I was intending to run, but it didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I slowed quite a bit in the 2nd half, although I think that was mainly due to the conditions, as I still felt to be running OK & didn't get overtaken by many people. Unusually for me I was chatting to another runner during the race (I think that he was from Valley Striders). I don't know if this slowed me down or kept me going. At the end I didn't feel unduly tired, maybe I wasn't trying hard enough. I finished in 63:01 and was 4th M50.
There were some really good performances today. Congratulations to Sarah (runningbear) for her PB & being Northern champion again. Marc T got a PB as well & ran under 60 minutes for the 1st time. There were also some good runs from the Otley Carnegie track group.
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Sod's law
Just looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow's Thirsk 10. It looks like we're going to have heavy rain, strong winds & cold. I've just been out for a steady 8.5k run this morning & the weather was very pleasant, little wind, no rain & even some sunshine. Pity we can't order that for tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to doing a race without any great expectations on time or finishing positions, just happy to see how it goes. This is especially true now it looks like we'll have adverse weather conditions.
After the race tomorrow, I've got 4 weeks with only one cross country race before the Ribble Valley 10k on December 27. I'm intending to do some more long runs, as I tend to shorten the length of runs that I do when I'm racing regularly. I'll need to get some long runs in as preparation for the Brass Monkey half marathon at the end of January.
I'm looking forward to doing a race without any great expectations on time or finishing positions, just happy to see how it goes. This is especially true now it looks like we'll have adverse weather conditions.
After the race tomorrow, I've got 4 weeks with only one cross country race before the Ribble Valley 10k on December 27. I'm intending to do some more long runs, as I tend to shorten the length of runs that I do when I'm racing regularly. I'll need to get some long runs in as preparation for the Brass Monkey half marathon at the end of January.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Plans for Thirsk
I took a day off from running yesterday, was a bit tired after the hard track session on Wednesday & probably still feeling the effects of the Abbey Dash.
Today's run was a steady 11.5k on the back road to Addingham & back on the main road. Pace was fine, with a couple of faster bursts, but generally felt very comfortable. On the way I saw Geoff Howard. His run last Sunday was very impressive, I believe that it was the 2nd fastest 10k this year in the UK for his age group.
Thinking about the Thirsk 10 on Sunday, I'm still not getting too streesed about pace & target time. I haven't run a fast 10 mile race for many years. My two attempts this year, both at St. Annes, were notable mainly for the strength of the gale blowing off the sea. In the first I set off too fast and suffered in the wind on the way back. In the second I set off slowly to have plenty in reserve for the hard second half. The best that I achieved in these was 67 minutes. Looking at my expected time for 10 miles based on my 10k time from last Sunday, I should be able to run between 62 & 63 minutes. So there's a big difference between what I have done & what I should be able to run. At the moment my plan is to set off at a comfortable pace & just see how it goes.
Today's run was a steady 11.5k on the back road to Addingham & back on the main road. Pace was fine, with a couple of faster bursts, but generally felt very comfortable. On the way I saw Geoff Howard. His run last Sunday was very impressive, I believe that it was the 2nd fastest 10k this year in the UK for his age group.
Thinking about the Thirsk 10 on Sunday, I'm still not getting too streesed about pace & target time. I haven't run a fast 10 mile race for many years. My two attempts this year, both at St. Annes, were notable mainly for the strength of the gale blowing off the sea. In the first I set off too fast and suffered in the wind on the way back. In the second I set off slowly to have plenty in reserve for the hard second half. The best that I achieved in these was 67 minutes. Looking at my expected time for 10 miles based on my 10k time from last Sunday, I should be able to run between 62 & 63 minutes. So there's a big difference between what I have done & what I should be able to run. At the moment my plan is to set off at a comfortable pace & just see how it goes.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Track session
Well it was certainly tough weather conditions at the start of tonight's session, strong winds, driving heavy rain & cold. Coach Pete said that he was taking pity on us and changing the session from 2000 metre reps. The session that we did actually seemed harder than that, so I'm not sure that it was made easier. We did 5X400m with 100m recovery, followed by 5X600 with 200m recovery, then it should have been 5X400m with 200m recovery and 5X600m with 400m recovery. Due to a misunderstanding I ended up doing reps of 4,6,6,4, rather than 4,6,4,6.
Initially I was running with Steve W, then Mark I joined in after the first 600m. Steve had to stop with a pulled muscle after another couple of reps. In fact by the time we'd finished there were only a couple of others still running, everyone else seemed to have called it a day early. I think that the Otley runners were saving themselves for the Thirsk 10.
After a slowish start, average pace for the whole session was 88 seconds per lap, which was quite respectable considering the conditions & the length of the session. The total of 10k of efforts, 3.6k or recovery & 3.2k warm up/warm down was by far the longest track session we've done so far. The 2000m reps couldn't have been any tougher.
Overall I felt fine, less tired than yesterday & the achilles problem seems to be sorting itself out.
Initially I was running with Steve W, then Mark I joined in after the first 600m. Steve had to stop with a pulled muscle after another couple of reps. In fact by the time we'd finished there were only a couple of others still running, everyone else seemed to have called it a day early. I think that the Otley runners were saving themselves for the Thirsk 10.
After a slowish start, average pace for the whole session was 88 seconds per lap, which was quite respectable considering the conditions & the length of the session. The total of 10k of efforts, 3.6k or recovery & 3.2k warm up/warm down was by far the longest track session we've done so far. The 2000m reps couldn't have been any tougher.
Overall I felt fine, less tired than yesterday & the achilles problem seems to be sorting itself out.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Bit tired today
Tuesday evening is the Ilkley Harriers club run. In recent weeks, I've tended to go with a group that wouldn't be going at too brisk a pace, considering that I have a track session on Wednesdays. Today there didn't seem to be much on offer (apart from some 9 minute mile groups), so I decided to join Nick R's fast group. Tonight's offering was 10 hilly miles at 7:15 - 7:30 pace, which was a bit further & a bit faster than I really wanted to do. I made my excuses at the start explaining that I'd cut the route short.
The thing that I like about the club runs is the social aspect of being able to catch up with how people are doing whilst having a good run at the same time. This evening, however, I didn't get involved in too much conversation, rather concentrating on conserving a bit of energy for tomorrow's track session & Sunday's Thirsk 10. Including my run to the club, I ran 13km, which was sufficient for me.
The thing that I like about the club runs is the social aspect of being able to catch up with how people are doing whilst having a good run at the same time. This evening, however, I didn't get involved in too much conversation, rather concentrating on conserving a bit of energy for tomorrow's track session & Sunday's Thirsk 10. Including my run to the club, I ran 13km, which was sufficient for me.
Monday, 23 November 2009
A change is as good as a rest
Today I went for a run on my own, rather than with 6000 other people. Instead of the A65 out of Leeds, I opted for the Strid Wood, paths rather than tarmac. I was also running considerably slower than yesterday.
The river was quite high after all of the recent rain, but the paths were still passable, albeit the river was at the same level as the path in a couple of places. There were quite a lot of people out walking today, typically those walking on their own, or couples are generally friendly towards runners, often passing the time of day. Not so the large groups of walkers who will resist any attempt by anyone to share the path with them.....I've never quite understood this.
I feel quite relaxed at the moment about the forthcoming Thirsk 10 on Sunday. I'm not expecting to run a particularly fast time (unlike yesterday, when I was hoping to be able to run under 38 minutes), so I'm happy to see how it goes. Maybe as we get nearer to the race I'll get a bit more motivated to aim for a target time.
The river was quite high after all of the recent rain, but the paths were still passable, albeit the river was at the same level as the path in a couple of places. There were quite a lot of people out walking today, typically those walking on their own, or couples are generally friendly towards runners, often passing the time of day. Not so the large groups of walkers who will resist any attempt by anyone to share the path with them.....I've never quite understood this.
I feel quite relaxed at the moment about the forthcoming Thirsk 10 on Sunday. I'm not expecting to run a particularly fast time (unlike yesterday, when I was hoping to be able to run under 38 minutes), so I'm happy to see how it goes. Maybe as we get nearer to the race I'll get a bit more motivated to aim for a target time.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Quite happy with that
My plan for today was to run with David B at a steady 3:45- 3:50 minutes per km pace (we run together at the Wednesday track sessions). We went a bit too fast for the first 2 km & went through halfway in about 18:40, which was ok. The second half was a bit slower than the first half, probably paying for the fast start. There were plenty of other Ilkley runners just in front, Paul O, Steve C, Andy W & Richard R were all going well. I finished in 37:53 which was my best 10k time since 1983 and a minute and a half improvement on my best time this year. David was one place behind me with a pb of 37:55. Also from our Wednesday training group, Josie H & Rachel B from Otley AC both had very impressive runs today.
Thanks to Marc & Sarah (runningbear) for good vocal support at halfway.
Strangely my achilles feels less sore now than it has done for a few days. Next week is the Thirsk 10 mile race. Having tapered for the Abbey Dash, I'm intending to do a more 'normal' week of training, so I'm not sure what effect that will have on my race at the weekend.
Thanks to Marc & Sarah (runningbear) for good vocal support at halfway.
Strangely my achilles feels less sore now than it has done for a few days. Next week is the Thirsk 10 mile race. Having tapered for the Abbey Dash, I'm intending to do a more 'normal' week of training, so I'm not sure what effect that will have on my race at the weekend.
Saturday, 21 November 2009
The day before the Abbey Dash
Having felt sluggish yesterday, I was in two minds about going for a run today, but decided to do a flat steady 5 1/2 miles. I ran at a quicker pace than yesterday & felt much better for that, although the achilles is still a bit sore.
At the track on Wednesday, we'd been discussing the pace to run on Sunday. I'm not really sure about my capability at 10k, having not run one on a fast course since March. For 5k, I've been consistently running under 19 minutes all year, so I'm tempted to set off at that kind of pace and see if I can keep it going for twice the distance. The argument against that is that I'm generally much faster at shorter distances, so maybe I'll 'blow up' in the second half. The other complicating factor is the weather, we're forecast to have very strong winds for the race, which generally isn't great for fast times. We'll see what happens.
At the track on Wednesday, we'd been discussing the pace to run on Sunday. I'm not really sure about my capability at 10k, having not run one on a fast course since March. For 5k, I've been consistently running under 19 minutes all year, so I'm tempted to set off at that kind of pace and see if I can keep it going for twice the distance. The argument against that is that I'm generally much faster at shorter distances, so maybe I'll 'blow up' in the second half. The other complicating factor is the weather, we're forecast to have very strong winds for the race, which generally isn't great for fast times. We'll see what happens.
Friday, 20 November 2009
Taking it easy
I'm not very good at this tapering for specific races. Yesterday I didn't run at all & today I've done a very slow 7 miles at about 1 1/2 minutes per kilometre slower than my pace should be on Sunday. As a result of this, I feel sluggish & seem to have got my old niggling achillies injury back again.
I've never really followed running schedules, rather I've run depending how I feel on a particular day. So to have a rest day when I'm not injured, very busy or travelling somewhere is difficult to come to terms with. Similarly, deliberately running slowly when I'm not particularly tired seems to be counter intuitive. We'll see how things go on Sunday & it may all prove to be beneficial.
This morning's run was the 'two bridges' run from Ilkley to Addingham & back. The river is quite high at the moment after all of the rain, but the off road sections of the route weren't too muddy.
I've never really followed running schedules, rather I've run depending how I feel on a particular day. So to have a rest day when I'm not injured, very busy or travelling somewhere is difficult to come to terms with. Similarly, deliberately running slowly when I'm not particularly tired seems to be counter intuitive. We'll see how things go on Sunday & it may all prove to be beneficial.
This morning's run was the 'two bridges' run from Ilkley to Addingham & back. The river is quite high at the moment after all of the rain, but the off road sections of the route weren't too muddy.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
First Blog
I decided to have a go at this blogging. I've started to read other people's blogs, so I thought that it was only fair to write one myself as well. It's going to be about running, which hopefully you would be able to guess from the title.
This week has been preparation for Sunday's Abbey Dash. Monday I did a steady run of 6 miles, including Carter's Lane, nothing special to report. Tuesday was the Ilkley Harriers predictor run. My intention for this was to run well below race pace, given that I had a track session on Wednesday & I'm supposed to be tapering for the Abbey Dash. I set off running with Jeff P, but after a mile or so decided that he was going a bit quicker than I probably should be running, so I let him go. Shortly afterwards, I was overtaken by John T. As we went up the hills to the top of Clifton Road, I managed to go past JT again & was not too far behind JP. For the next couple of miles, I gradually gained ground on JP, but when I eventaully caught up to him, he decided to accelerate. I did think about giving chase, but somehow managed to curb my competitive instincts. At the finish I was about 5 seconds behind him and about 20 seconds after Richard R & Steve C. I had run faster than I was intending to do, but felt very comfortable with the pace. No results yet for the predictor, but I certainly won't have won it.
Wednesday was the Carnegie Track session. Last week was a very tough one, so this week we had a relatively easier session in preparation for the Abbey Dash. We ran a pyramid session, 2X400m, 2X800m, 1X1600m, 2X800m & 2X400m. The group that I run with decided to run at 90 seconds per lap pace, which is 3 or 4 seconds per lap slower than we are capable of running that session, so it felt very comfortable and we were able to complete each effort one or two seconds inside our target. We have made good progress over the 10 weeks or so that we've been running at the track & have a group that runs really well together. The question now is can we run at that kind of pace on Sunday?
Today is a rest day from running as instructed by coach Pete.
This week has been preparation for Sunday's Abbey Dash. Monday I did a steady run of 6 miles, including Carter's Lane, nothing special to report. Tuesday was the Ilkley Harriers predictor run. My intention for this was to run well below race pace, given that I had a track session on Wednesday & I'm supposed to be tapering for the Abbey Dash. I set off running with Jeff P, but after a mile or so decided that he was going a bit quicker than I probably should be running, so I let him go. Shortly afterwards, I was overtaken by John T. As we went up the hills to the top of Clifton Road, I managed to go past JT again & was not too far behind JP. For the next couple of miles, I gradually gained ground on JP, but when I eventaully caught up to him, he decided to accelerate. I did think about giving chase, but somehow managed to curb my competitive instincts. At the finish I was about 5 seconds behind him and about 20 seconds after Richard R & Steve C. I had run faster than I was intending to do, but felt very comfortable with the pace. No results yet for the predictor, but I certainly won't have won it.
Wednesday was the Carnegie Track session. Last week was a very tough one, so this week we had a relatively easier session in preparation for the Abbey Dash. We ran a pyramid session, 2X400m, 2X800m, 1X1600m, 2X800m & 2X400m. The group that I run with decided to run at 90 seconds per lap pace, which is 3 or 4 seconds per lap slower than we are capable of running that session, so it felt very comfortable and we were able to complete each effort one or two seconds inside our target. We have made good progress over the 10 weeks or so that we've been running at the track & have a group that runs really well together. The question now is can we run at that kind of pace on Sunday?
Today is a rest day from running as instructed by coach Pete.
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