Running

So managed the Viccy Park 10k - 48:57.....pretty pleased with as as I'm really not a runner! Results implying I even got 2nd in my category (V50), but I can't really believe that.
It was really cold and a bit wet, but I really enjoyed it....might have to do some more of this running lark.... My only concern is mixing running and riding - I've got sportives booked for the next few weekends - running kills my legs for a couple of days afterwards, maybe I'll need to build up a bit slower when I'm not riding so much?

@Steves welcome to the dark side.
Adrenalin gained in running outweighs hours in the saddle.
Last night league race of season for me tonight.
Good sequence and about 52 mins 10 k with 30 controls navigation
Southsea . Beer and margaritas after. Life is good

Feeling pleased, came 31st on green man with a time of 8hrs 40. Managed to run all of it, apart from some super muddy sections and silly inclines, put it down to red bull and ibuprofen.

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Doing the Bath half a week today and I'm getting a cold. Generally I find running makes things worse if I feel like I'm getting sick so not sure if I should avoid it until the day? Or is that asking for a really miserable unprepared time? I have totally failed to follow any kind of training plan and not expecting a good time anyway but any advice appreciated.

you're not going to make yourself any fitter or less fit running or not between now and then, rest up, and go into it on Sunday with no expectations other than to finish, start steady and get faster if you can or steadier if you cant.

Its supposed to be fun and a lovely city, so whats not to look forward to?!

Thanks, that seems sensible. I shall rest worry-free and hope my body sorts itself out in time.

29km along the river to Richmond and back yesterday. All went well until 25km and then it was a bit of a struggle to finish. No walking but ~45s stops at 8k, 15k and 22k to eat gels and have some water (they were in a small rucksack, didn't want to be carrying anything in my hands, need to sort out the bladder for the rucksack.)

24k, HM, 35k long runs left to do before the taper.

Also, runner in LMNH jersey somewhere near Kew. Was tempted to DAS you...

I had a great run on Saturday. My gf wanted to do the park run and then run home to get up to 8 miles as she's training for Reading Half so I ran the park run at my own pace then another 5 miles with her. A slight miscalculation left us with an hour walk to get home after we'd finished the 8 miles...
The park run was great (as always) but more so than usual because I ended up racing against a great runner from Team Bath. She beat me by 3 seconds and I knew there was no way I could beat her after about 3 km but she towed me around into 6th place overall and 20:02 - a new 5k PB. I didn't push right to the start at the beginning so I'll take that as a sub 20 :)

I had a terrible run on Sunday. I was supposed to be doing 18 miles but my feet are destroyed after Saturday. The tendons that pull the big toe up are really tender and walking is painful, running worse. I made it 4 miles before realising there was no way I was going to make it 18 and walked back. Really put a downer on my day :(

Some googling this morning seems to indicate I may have extensor tendonitis:

Extensor tendonitis most commonly occurs due to the foot rubbing against a shoe. It tends to affect people who spend long periods on their feet, people walking or running on uneven surfaces or up and down hills and people who lace their shoes too tightly.

That'll be all of the above! Fortunately it looks easy to treat. Rest, change lacing pattern (or just don't tie shoes so tight), strengthening exercises, and calf stretches.

I have missed 2 long runs on the trot now which is pretty frustrating and I feel stupid for going all out at the park run. The end goal is the marathon so why am I racing a 5k? I'm entered into Reading Half and was planning to go for a good time but I've just set a new HM PB a few weeks ago so don't have anything to prove. My training plan has a 20 miler on the weekend of Reading so maybe I'll just use it as a training run and keep going after the finish.

Now I just feel stupid that it's taken this to teach me a simple lesson!

you're not going to make yourself any fitter or less fit running or not between now and then, rest up, and go into it on Sunday with no expectations other than to finish, start steady and get faster if you can or steadier if you cant.

Best race advice ever.

Amazing work @user49586. Good mud coverage.

I had a pretty good weekend running: got my arse out of bed for parkrun for the first time in ages, which was good. It started raining on the way home afterwards so it all worked out quite nicely. On sunday I did a 10k race in the park next to my house - so nice to leave the house 20 mins before race start and not have to think about trains or changes of clothes or anything. I did this race 2 years ago and took more than 3 minutes off this year, woop! Yes, that's 3 mins faster than "extremely slow" but still slightly reassuring after feeling so down after the HM last weekend.

Going to test out a club this week, exciting! (also, nerve wracking)

An enforced rest may not do much harm - look up the "Zatopek effect". I had two weeks' complete rest before a HM once but managed to PB. Mainly due to better fitness base, but the pace I managed on the day was a pleasant surprise. Having said that, if you do start to feel better in a few days, a short shake-out run on Thursday or Friday might help to feel less sluggish. Otherwise just sleep and eat well.

@user49586 - Blimey, top effort!

Big endurance weekend for me, 46 miles in 3 days (all in my lovely new shoes) and the achilles isn't complaining, even after a good heel-drop session on the incline board today followed by a jog to the gym and half hour on the Concept 2.

Tomorrow I'm volunteering for a study into exercise-induced asthma, which involves testing lung capacity, and analysing what I'm breathing out during a controlled cycle ride. I'm a "control", but I'll be interested to see if anything comes out of it, as the only point of note in the pre-test questionnaire was owning up to "excessive mucus production". Nice.

Oh, I forgot - at my 10k yesterday I got heckled by a gang of lads doing community service, dressed in orange overalls and brandishing gardening tools. Three lap course, luckily they'd gone on a break by the final lap (or unluckily, maybe that's what I needed to run faster?).

Lots of impressive running going on, well done all.

Did my first parkrun on Sat as a chance to see how the rehab is going. Forgot just how horrible a 5km is. Hampstead only has about 300 yards of flat, so can't really tell much from the time, but was about 15th percentile. Would want to be between 5-10th, so a long way to go, but still, progress ftw!

The ponds were back down to 4 degrees for the post-race dip, with an icy breeze, which was just as painful...

Ah, that'll be Brockwell Park. I did two laps as part of my run yesterday, about midday. Km markers were still out, and I had a friendly "keep going fella" heckle from one of the high-viz lads, who probably thought I was still racing. Nice running in the 10k!

Nice work all. 3mins off a 10k PB is impressive @hats

Shame about the foot niggles - Visiting a physio about mine tomorrow.
Yeah, use Reading as a fast-finish training run. Could do 5mi before the race at long-run pace, first half of the HM at a Mara pace, then blast the final 10k (if you can) at 10k race-pace. Jealous!

And no more Saturday runs!

Legs hurt after Sunday's run (my longest ever), no great surprise there. Did the usual post run routine; stretching, warm bath, large dose of protein, cold bath, etc.

Biceps hurt. Very odd.

Now a sore throat and annoying cough and feel bloody freezing despite wearing many extra layers. Ugh.

^ Eat loads.
A waiting list has just opened for Thames 100, think I hate myself enough to apply.

^ Eat loads.

There's something I excel at. I wonder what's available in the work restaurant today...

Shame about the foot niggles

Getting better quite fast so hopefully a bit of rest and different shoes/lacing will sort me out.

Yeah, use Reading as a fast-finish training run. Could do 5mi before the race at long-run pace, first half of the HM at a Mara pace, then blast the final 10k (if you can) at 10k race-pace. Jealous!

That would be nice but I think it's unlikely I'll have enough left in the tank to be running at 10k pace that sort of mileage!

So the last of the training for the HM I'm doing on Sunday is done. Have a bit of a cold so will prob just do a very easy 20mins on thu/friday.

I plan to eat 2 gels on the run, when should I eat them?

@Greenbank holding/swinging your arms as you run will use your biceps so it's not too surprising they're tired too.

@dst What's your target time for the HM? You need to time it so there is time for the sugars to make their way into your blood before you are getting tired, but not too early on. Are you running Bath?

Surrey. My target time will be somewhere between a (just) sub 1:40 and 1:50.

I regularly see someone running along the Thames with his arms hanging straight down immobile- looks weird and simian, might try it out.

One 20 minutes before the start and another after 40-50 minutes, you shouldn't technically "need" to take on board extra energy but there are plenty of reasons why its not a terrible idea, but if you haven't got your stomach used to trying to digest things while running reasonably hard then you may give yourself a case of runners trots if you over do it.

nobody wants to do a Paula...
http://guynonymous.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/shittyrun.jpg