Running

Micropore tape FTW!

I have rolls of Micropore tape all over the place; work locker, running rucksack, bathroom at home, 5-a-side bag. Less of a problem when using running rucksack but still use it for a long run when it's going to be pissing it down.

Aug: 0km
Sep: 18km
Oct: 48km
Nov: 84km
Dec: 65km (holidays)
Jan: 120km (top of the world!)
Feb: 16km (holidays and illness)
Mar: 42km (holidays and apathy, it'll be 54km when I've run home tonight)

Current plan (which goes well until it all falls apart and I find various excuses for not doing some of the runs):-

Apr: 123km
May: 137km (inc first HM commute in, once a month from then onwards)
Jun: 145km
Jul: 89km (up until school holidays, no plan after that as no idea how we're going to cover it).

(None of these figures include the ~7km of running from 5-a-side I do each week).

Run home and then 5-a-side football an hour and a bit after is hard work. Feeling it today, but it's that lovely "It aches because I've worked hard" feeling.

^ 2-3 days of rest and bring on the supercompensation! you'll be flying

Got back on the track for the first time in ages yesterday, not really for any reason other than its a convenient place to run, but every time I go there on a nice day I cant believe how lucky I am, as it was only a short run with cadence intervals I even had time to lie on the grass at the end sheltering from the wind and soak up some rayz.

#livingthedream

^ 2-3 days of rest and bring on the supercompensation! you'll be flying

Wed: Rest (well, gentle swim with daughter and 2 or 3 miles of walking)
Thu: 12km run in to work, 8 hours rest slumped at desk, an hour of 5-a-side
Fri: 4k swim
Sat: 5k parkrun (hoping the supercompensation will kick in here, want a sub 25)

You cover a lot of distance over the week.

want a sub 25

How much of your training involves running faster than 5min / km?

What sorcery is this you speak of???

I'm all about the interval training - Run faster by running faster.

It'll never work.

That sounds too logical to possibly be true.

Im aiming over the coming few months to drop my 5k to around 22 minutes. Im at 23.22 but felt that there was a little more in the tank before I get the little black spots that appear in my eyes when close to exhaustion. Im also going to try and do a 10k without blowing up at the 8k mark.

How much of your training involves running faster than 5min / km?

I've done a 6k run at 4:57/km (https://www.strava.com/activities/250275276) that had a 5k section that was done in 24:41, so I know it's possible right now. But it's easier to happen upon a fast run because I'm feeling good rather than setting out to do a 5k at a specific pace and blowing up part way round. Also depends on the parkrun conditions (how busy, how boggy the Common/Heath is, etc).

The simplest way it'll happen is that I continue to lose weight. I'm 84.5kg at the mo, and the VDOT/fellrnr guides say that getting down to 76kg (which gets my BMI under 25) means I should be aiming for a 22:35 5k. (It's safe to say I could drop those 8kg, and a bit more, without worrying about losing any muscle mass.) Once I do get down to a more sensible weight then the track/interval sessions will begin.

Last time I was 76kg was in 2009 when I did London-Edinburgh-London on the bike. Apathy and fatherhood after that helped me pile on the pounds.

I've just taken delivery of a pair of Asics Fuji-Racer 3's:

in a 44.5/UK 9.5 (marked) which are too small for me - which is a bit odd as all my other Asics are this size, and fit very well.

Before I send them back does anyone want them?

I paid £54.98 so call it £50 as I expect I'll spend a fiver on postage.

Shoes are in W1 as I type this.

Favourite race of the year today - 20 miles, hilly, off road, hard.

5 minutes slower than last year but I'm putting that down to the underfoot conditions, still scraped under 2 and a half hours.

Last long run before London tomorrow, heading out to do 22 miles at 7.15 m/miles. Training hasn't been great the last couple of weeks, nothing specific just haven't felt right.

Had a great 14 mile hilly off-road run around Gower yesterday so I'm hoping for another good one tomorrow. Then racing The Gilwern Grunt on Monday which should be fun on tired legs :)

I think London sub 3 is going to be down to the weather on the day, just above freezing with a light drizzle would be nice :)

I'll give the drizzle a miss thanks, 8degrees and still is on order for Brighton next weekend!

I could live with 8 degrees but London always seems to be 25, after you've done all the training in the cold, dark and wet.

Good luck in Brighton :)

So I did my first ever Park Run this Saturday, while visiting my gf in Southampton.
Got a little over enthusiastic at the start, ran along the dirt to get into the front group of 20 or so, felt like a king for the first half mile, before suddenly hitting a wall and watching what was probably about 100 people slowly pass me while I considered which bit of foliage would be best to throw up in. Found a bit of pace again towards the last mile and finished with 22:25, which put me at 110/549 runners and is also a few seconds slower than I have run 5k at some point during a half, according to Strava.

Bit disappointed in myself as I think I could have been at least a minute or so quicker if I had just ran at my own pace, but this was my first time at actually trying to be quick over this short a distance.

Also my final excuse is that I was very hungover.

That's a very good time, esp. If hungover!

Fuji-racers returned, tried on the 45's which were still too small (although, and this is bending my mind, now the left one is too small whereas with the 44.5's it was the right one), and ended up with the 46's, which are a UK 10.5 (I normally wear a 9.5).

I'm just slightly worried that walking ~17 miles yesterday has caused my feet to be an odd size today, so the new shoes will live under my desk for a couple of days for a further try on/decision.

I just can't see why my other three pairs of Asics would be 44.5 and then these ones would need a 46 to fit.

In other news:

optical lactate thingy?

Yarp

His boobs aren't that big!