Running

John Kelly an hour up on course record pace. Watching with interest...

https://live.thespinerace.com/#

8 turned up for pre-school running club this morning. 3 Y6, 2 Y5, 3 Y4 (OK so 4 of them are semi-forced to as their parents also run) but another 4 of them on a cold, wet, dark morning is a good sign.

Also the first proper one I've done since my ankle injury last August. Trail shoes and uneven ground were no obstacle.

A month ago it looked like this (didn't take a photo this morning, too dismal):-

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^ nice

This could be interesting: https://www.athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/kenenisa-bekele-to-take-on-eliud-kipchoge-at-london-marathon-1039927562/

Did my first run in 5 weeks last night after my exams and damn it hurt. My HR was at chilling 18bmp the entire time for what should’ve been an easy pace. I wasn’t expecting DOMs but I’ve got them.

What is the damage done after 5 weeks of no running and very limited physical activity?

Depends how well conditioned you were before 5 week break. What you describe is red flags of incoming virus/bug though.

I had raised hr for lower effort then excessive DOMs after Bowstones then within two days I had chesty lurgy which I'm only just getting over.

I hope it isn't that in your case.

I was doing about 50-60km per week before.

Urm I’ve not heard of Bowstones but it sounds tougher than my little jog last night that’s making me hobble today.

hose them down once your back, put them on underfloor heating to dry fairly slowly....

Yeah, I'd be mindful of having a bug in that case.

4 minute parkrun PB!

But that's because her previous one was 4 years ago and they grow a lot between 6 and 10.

Still, we took it relatively easy (not hard as Wimbledon Common parkrun is now really busy. ~650 people turning up and I thought it was getting too busy at ~400 or so a few years ago) as I'd like to get her doing it regularly rather than being pushed and hating it. She wants the "10" junior jersey so I've got her there for another 5 weeks at least. Decrackalon "Grip" Kiprun trainers worked well for her as there's a lot of several inch deep mud on the course.

Post-run Ice Cream was had. On a day when the puddles had iced over. Truly bonkers girl.

(Also the longest run I've done since I did my ankle back in August.)

Nice work! To both.
I'm off to decracklon today/tmrw.

Dulwich parkrun also had a lot. 778.
And a squad of Herne hill harriers youth team.

Might have been some mini marathon trials for the hhh youth team?

Sounds like some good parkrunning this morning.

I did the Box Hill fell race, which was much harder than I was prepared for and then I fell over twice in the last 800m. It is probably time to replace my five year old inov8s.

I really hope they both make it to the start line in decent shape.

I'm starting to train for a Half Marathon in May. I'm relatively new to running (ran 10k for the first time yesterday), but I am currently running 3 times a week.

Can/should I introduce structured indoor cycle training into the mix? I'm not training for anything specific (unlike last year), but I don't want to be slow on the bike come spring. I raced half a season of track last year, and I'm used to structured training, I just haven't done it for a while.

I built up my running last year, and found it very useful to still include cycling in training. it seems to me a lot of running is about injury management so including some alternate leg exercise is always useful, along with building slowly. I'm fucking rubbish at patience so have repeatedly been injured, but now looking back I've realised that the periods where I maintained strength work + cycling + running were much more successful than when I tried to do 5 runs a week. Running necessitates much less time training (until you've built up your resistance to it) and more recovery

thanks! yeah I also injured myself pretty soon into running (slowing down, sorting my form and strength training have all pretty much resolved the issue)

I think i'll start including some cycle training rather than increase the running load, especially as it seems better bang for your buck in terms of cardio-vascular.

I get a better bang for my buck running I think (certainly a higher heart rate) but I can't do more than maybe two sessions of running intervals a week, whereas I can quite happily do 5 sessions a week on the turbo. so cycling fits in where running can't

I've been prone to knee injuries since taking up cycling, then when I took up running it was worse. Strength work and yoga seem to have stopped a lot of it. Haven't ever trained seriously though.

Southern XC this weekend. Due to England Athletics being way too fast and efficient I can't do it. I had planned on leaving Kent after the last local x country race but have ended up being kicked out at the start of this week! So i'm now registered at a club, Ealing SOuthall and Middlesex, that I don't have entry for the Southerns, Nationals or final Surrey League of the season. Hey ho. So i might do a parkrun tomorrow.

It also means that my final race as a Kent AC member saw me fall over twice in the final 800m. I was coming down the hill in the Box Hill fell race and skidded on the mud about half way down then tripped over a tree root about 5m from the line. I ended the race bleeding from the knee, thigh, elbow, hand and chest. Good times.

The BOx Hill fell race has also knocked my training this week as I have had quad DOMS. Not ideal preparation for Chichester 10k next week.

Good luck racing and training this weekend.

What sort of pace would you need to be able to run a 10,000m to not finish last in the southern xc champs? I know it is relative - just trying to get a sense

you'll be fine

At the National last year this guy was 1000th. https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=810953

There will have been many more after him as well.

Thanks! I'm nowhere near that, but wondered whether a realistic ambition in the medium term would be to race and not embarras myself! Would like to get into shape to do an xc season next year.

Go for it. Are you a member of a club yet?

Sounds messy both administratively & physically! Enjoy the rest & good luck with new club.

No xc Northerns for me as club doesn't affiliate. Regardless, I've got lurgy again, felt great yesterday morning on a short slow run, today wiped out and sneezing lots.

Noooo! D'oh! Looked like a very good run from you in the last Surrey League, shame you're missing out on some big races. Will you be along for presentation night so we can see you off properly?

I'm in a sort of injury limbo, in that I'm pretty sure my left foot (PF? or similar but I've not been arsed to pay a physio to give it a name) is a lot better than it was immediately after my last XC race three weeks ago, but I've not tried it out on a run. I'm not in a hurry to race again so just want it to heal properly.

In the mean time, I've transferred my mojo to the gym and just did my first proper interval session on the Concept 2 rower in five years. Also did a 10k time-trial on it last week, 37:19, a bit off my 36:27 pb from five years ago when I was training for the British indoor champs. I think even when I'm back running I'll keep this up with a view to having a go at the champs again at the end of the year. I've been injury-proof on the rower so far in my life, touch wood...