Running

Hind sight, just what the PE teacher liked.

I'm my first ever race, a 10k on the 22nd of January in Victoria Park. Right now I'm doing about 4:20/km for 6km runs, twice a week. Should I be running shorter and faster, or longer and slower, or a mix of the two?

If I really pushed myself and did the right training I think I could do a 40 minute run, but I don't know what that training is...

1 month away so not worth changing owt in training, especially as next week or so high probability of missed sessions thru either Christmas excess or Storm Barbara.

Enjoy the first one, use finish time you achieve as a benchmark to shape your training for another one.

Try this short program.

Also - sub40 and you've never trained? I hate you.

Thanks for that, I'll check it out. 40:00 would be a serious push and I'd probably ruin myself doing it, but time trials and hill climbs have taught me all about that so we'll see.

Is there a scherrit for running shoes in London or does that not really exist for trainers?

I presume you mean a shoefit thing. There should be as we have one up here in Sheffield which is a combined running shop and sports injury clinic.

Do you have a problem with your current shoes?

I think i was out a bit later than you. That next bridge, Putney, is quite a lot further...and there are a lot more boathouse slipways with random boats coming in and out to negotiate.

Week one of marathon training is go. Tougher than expected 11 on the North Norfolk coast this morning, it was much chillier than the sunshine suggested it would be.

re. mobilephones and races, they were obligatory kit for the trail race i did in Dorset the other week, and it was excess weight, and i doubt it had signal for the majority of the race.

Ta for hint, might be too far/awkward to Putney then. T'other way looks awkward too. GU Canal worth exploring?

Good luck with official Mara plan, what's your target again?

I use a spare tiny call/text only Nokia as it has oodles of battery life and weighs little. Useful for kit check passing, but as you say most races that need phone do send runners into signal free places.

Have you actually managed your 6km run comfortably at 4:00/km pace or better?

Conventional scaling up for expected times would be 5km at 3:50/km (19:20) could equal a 40 minute 10k

Intervals are good for working on speed and endurance but they are hard work on your own to push on. We have Monday speed sessions and a three week rotation of this lot was good fun.

2,3,4,5,5,4,3,2 minute efforts with 90 second slow walk recoveries
3mins with 90sec recoveries (×8)
3min out, 3min back faster, 3min rest (×5)

I won't be able to stick to very a structured 10k plan over Christmas and new year, family time and international flights into the mix, so these interval sessions thrown in when I can will be great, thanks.

I've not done 6km at 4:00/km, working towards it. 4:12 today. My PB for 10k is about 43 minutes though, from last year and certainly not at race pace.

http://www.graemestewart.com/running-pace-and-speed-conversion-table/
This is a handy pace/time chart as its got Km and mile paces as well as most of the race distances covered. It used to have coloured blocks (screenshot) that covered a few benchmark times and could be used to predict reasonable times for other distances.... you can see the downward trend of the yellow blocks.

Race pace a 5k and see how that fits

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I'm hoping for another 4 in lunch times followed by xmas eve park run.

Just the park run to go! Was hoping to get out today at lunch time but had to get xmas stuff, managed to get out yesterday though when I wasn't planning to. Swings and roundabouts.
Running is good at the moment, need to find a HM training plan to follow and actually sign up for Reading then find something for later in the summer to aim towards, maybe (ideally) a first ultra if legs don't explode.

(preempting the "what are your running goals for 2017" post)

I think I have two goals at the moment.

1) get up to a 30+ mile run, preferably entering some kind of event.

2) Get fit and fast enough to properly challenge for the V40 category in next winter's Urban Nights series. It's been good to knock chunks off last year's times and I've managed to more than half the gap between myself and the winner with not too much training. A good summer of running and I reckon I could be up there.

It's not a proper goal but if things come together well then I'd consider the Bradfield Boundary run next December.

2016 went well for me. I PB'd in all distanced entered, the largest being my 10mile time coming down by over 5mins. Moving further away from work and so run-commuting 3-4 days of the week has helped my running considerably.
Although the training up to my first marathon in Spring didn't go exactly to plan, I enjoyed the event and my 'performance' means I can easily PB in 2017.
2015 mileage - 670mi
I hope to end 2016 on 1200mi
2017 2000mi+

In 2017 I'll be moving from my Tri club to a dedicated running club, so hope to get in more structured training with the club. I'd also like to finish in the top 10 within the club for the Dorset Road Race League. The new club won the overall league, so there's quite a bit of competition, but it's also about consistency.

I also need to finally crack that 40min 10k barrier - Got within 15seconds in November. I'll probably enter the (apparently fast) Chichester 10k that @PhilPub recommended.

I think another couple of minutes off my HM time is possible - as @dbr mentioned upthread about 'ruining' yourself - I need properly learn how to do this as I know that I race too conservatively. I've got an 18mi off-road jaunt with @_Leon in early March (@Arducius interested?) that will serve as good training for the Reading Half.

Oh and juggle this around training for a sub-22min 10mi TT and bettering my 25mi time...

See you there!

2016 review: not quite hitting the heights of 2015 because there was no target marathon to help me focus on high mileage, plus I was happy to spend a lot more time on the bike including my first ever bike tours, including 800 miles down the US Pacific coast. Awesome! Mileage, year-to-date: running 2,361; cycling 3,255 in the training log, but actually 4,000+ including all journeys. I did manage a single running PB, 16:04 for 5k (road).

Main target for 2017 is another crack at a sub-2:30 marathon. If I can manage that at London I can spend the rest of the year doing shorter distances, hopefully log some good age rankings (turning V45 in June) and post some times that are good enough to qualify me for the England V45 team in the annual International Masters home nations' cross country champs in November, which next year takes place in N Ireland. I think I'm the fittest I've been at this time of year, so pretty optimistic going into marathon training.

I PB'd in all distanced entered

Same here, all within the first 4 months of the year! But then I only ran a couple of park runs, 2 HMs, and 1 marathon (which was my first and only - so far). Then after London everything fell off a cliff!

The New Forest jaunt looks like it could be good, is that the one you did last year? Good excuse for a weekend away!

The New Forest jaunt looks like it could be good, is that the one you did last year? Good excuse for a weekend away!

Yep, the planned 18mi turned into more like 19miles due to Jason's maprunning skills. You get a lunch and desert at the end too. We could always pick you up from the stn en-route if you can't get a whole weekend away. Or it's a 6mi bike ride from Brockenhurst.

Hah, sounds like my year.
Followed a training plan for London, did a sub 19 5k, sub 1:30 HM, 3:15 for London, very pleased with that lot. Then since London I've been a bit lazy and haven't done anything structured. Ho hum. Need to get something in the calendar to focus on otherwise I just amble along.

2016 has been pretty bang average. Highlight was definitely the week in the Alps trail running. Pb'd at 800m and at parkrun but nothing spectacular. Enjoyed the national 6 stage in Birmingham despite being in the final 10 on leg 1. I'm on 2,087 strava miles for the year but i think slightly more than that as i've not logged everything.

2017 is a return to the London marathon. Target 2:35. I'll plan the rest of the year once that is out of the way.

Done sweet fanny all this year, running-wise.

Babies, wives, but mainly the commute, and no events entered, have meant I've not bothered.

I've penciled in a few events next year, with a sub-20 5k targeted in the first half.

Run and Become

I got faster, did a half marathon, had a rest and got slower. Some more XC for next year and hopefully another HM and maybe longer.