Let’s move this over from the old one then.
I’m firmly on mission get under 17 again this summer. And it IS happening.
This is all (for now).
1 Like
Sub-17 is your NEXT% goal? 
Well i’ve done it before in ‘normal’ shoes. Maybe i’ll start a sub 16.30 group! haha
Got down to 17:07 with normal shoes and no real running focus before.
Aiming to get to 16:20 by October…2020
Mileage is going to be like so until 13Oct2019
30 21 30 15
35 24 35 18
45 31 45 23
50 35 50 25
55 38 55 28
60 42 60 30 (HM race week, inc race distance)
Swimming will once again return to it’s proud place of “not being done” after the HalfIronWar, with cycling more of a bimble as something different to do.
Stretching, core and gym work increasing with reduced swim time.
May get into the pool and splash around for 20 minutes after gym work.
2 Likes
I ran 16:42 pre London and then would have gone under 17:00 if I had taken the correct turn for the finish (it was dark!) last week. These are both in the 4%.
I am now going to retire then for a few weeks and see if I can get anywhere near that in “normal” race shoes…
Basically i am now operating a two tier pb system…
2 Likes
Ha ha ha - I think that’s how it should be!
I’ve either lost a massive amount of run speed since the HM in March, or doing my intervals in normal shoes just ain’t possible!
If we’re not training in them, do we need to add 4-5% onto all of our training paces?
I’m also finding the speedwork really challenging.
HM pace was 3:50/km, cruise intervals last night at 5*1km were at 3:45/km. quite easy as it’s a recovery week, but I’m really not sure where the other 15s/km are going to come from???
I know I can do it, as I ran a 3:17 opening km on Saturday.
Might have to drop back to doing the 400/800 repeats until my speed gets up, or just be patient and know that it will come.
So long as I do the session to the best of my ability on that given day.
So, i’ve been chatting with a friend. Both of us looking to go sub-17 this year, after a broken ‘attmept’ last summer (we were getting close then i went and got injured throwing myself off a cliff, so motivation and momentum was lost).
We’ve both been talking about (though may be obvious) the mentality of it all, and putting limiters on your own performance. Why obsess over the arbitrary 17, when the likelihood is there are much more gains to be made. So instead of training and worrying about going 3.24’s - why not train for 3.20’s?
A club member reecntly went under 16 and i thought that was crazy, unachievable type running (for me). But then it got me thinking - a couple of years ago i ran a 9.26 3km on the track - no specific training for it, and not in particularly great shape. That’s 3km at 3.09 pace. So why can’t i run 5 km (with some focussed training) at 3.20 or even 3.15 pace?
Basically i need to shift my mentality. Start training the body to be comfortable with 3.20 pace as a starter. I’ve devised an 8 week progressive program of weekly track sessions - though these do bob about the various ‘systems’ as i’m trying to encourage more people to our unoffical club track sessions. Outr club is trail and ultra oriented (so must are ‘scared’ of speedwork) and our ‘track’ is a bumpy, potholed, gravelly cinder track around a rugby club - so it’s actually quite stressful and tiring to run quickly on, constantly looking for footing, loosing speed on the gravel patches that are filling holes etc etc.
I’m going to try to get a bit more consistency of the ‘other’ mileage that fits into the rest of the week, and embarce at least one more session of harder running - tempo-esque type stuff.
Sorry - bit of a ramble. But i think i’m trying to get my half baked approach, with no real fixed goal, to be a little clearer in my mind! Also want to hear your thoughts on such endeavours. Always made more difficult with no ‘A’ race in mind. I’m just bumbling aling this summer before proper ultra training kicks in again in the autumn for my next 100 miler.
I guess i’ll always be giving away a few percent by not focussing on a single discpline - i like track, road, trail, ultra, bit of tri etc etc .
1 Like
Oh and my session from last night went quite well. Considering i ran 62 odd km a week prior, off no mileage or long runs, i was really impressed with how the legs had recovered.
Ran 6 x (400m, 60r), 4 min R, 6 x (400m, 30r), 4 min R, 4 x (200m, 60r)
400s at 1.16-1.18 , pretty consistent. So was happy with that.
Before Park Run, 5k was definitely a ‘so what’ distance, has it now overtaken 10k as far as ‘popularity’ and kudos?
Marathon still obviously reigns supreme in the pull-up-a-sandbag stakes with the grandchildren.
1 Like
Popularity - definitely. Kudos - i have no idea? I just like the fact that you can have multiple cracks at a 5km in a ‘season’ (especially with Parkrun’s entry into the fray), whereas there’s only the odd 10k - in a less populous area like mine - over the course of the summer, unless you’re willing to travel. And for just over 30 mins of racing, i most definitely am not.
Personally i just want to lay down a time in 5k, 10k, HM and mara that i can be happy with when i stop running/get even slower. I’m not happy with any of my PBs at the moment, and know that there is more available, without getting silly.
Obviously finising 2nd in my second 100 miler, having only decided to enter a week or two prior is the one i’ll tell the grandchildren!! 
Derby has had an evening 5km series, up and down a flat bypass road, for years.
All the LuffBra lot used to schlep up the M1 to run it.
I used to love those. Got my PB chasing down some Team GB women down there.
Have you read an article on this?
I have, but now cannot find it!
In a nutshell, you don’t train with pace at all.
All intervals are done at a HR%, so you’re not limiting yourself to a pace, or getting shafted when you’re tired/fat/weather beaten etc.
Then you just go out and run your race.
I believe me having a very loose target of “somewhere between 1:25 and 1:30” for the half, massively helped me run a 1:20 (along with the shoes!)
Those 400 times are roughly a 17:30 5km time, right?
I’d be blowing on those 400s, but can see 17:30 as achievable within the next four/five weeks.
For me, I want to run a 75HM, so that’s 3:30/km pace.
I’m therefore training at that pace.
First is that 5km, then I’ll do a local 10km (Alderley Edge bypass road - flatAF!) To dip under 35 for the first time (PB is 35:01, which was unexpected, second best is 35:26)
After the 10km, I’ll reassess where I am and keep on trucking, or enter the HM and “beast mode”
No not done any readin on it at the mo.
Problem with HR, for me, is mine works out a little weird and gammy. So makes trainig to traditional perecntages a bit difficult, so i’m not sure how to set them. In my head i know roughly what is sustainable at various intenstities etc, and i use a combo of that and pace normally. Last night i just ran on feel. Elected to run the 400s just under ‘400 pace’ if that makes sense i.e. i was looking for accumulation of fatigue and challenging my body to keep going under that load. The 30sec recoveries were nasty.
If i had to guess, i’d say i’m in 17.15-20 shape at the mo.
Racing a 4km relay race on Friday, so that should give me an idea of where i am. Unless i’m on final leg, in which case, depending on how it’s panning out, and may be a tactical run instead.
Blimey you folks are fast! Quickest I’ve ever ran a 5km is 18:19 and that was a lifetime ago 
1 Like
And? Where were you?
I’m struggling to hit 3:36/km for my reps at the minute…legs are just so heavy 
My HR is in the right zone, and I’m not quitting, so the correct training stress is being applied.
The improvements will come, just have to be patient and ride this lethargy out.
OH! I might parkrun tomorrow, hoping to better these splits:
3:17, 3:37, 3:57, 3:45, 3:33
(Or, how not to run a 5km - first 400m is on a track, last 400m is on a track…I reckon my track 5km would be rapid!)
Wouldn’t there be too much bounce with Vapors on a track; you’d be out of control 
It’s not super bouncy track, but it’s very very nice to run on.
It was supposed to be tonight, not track but on paved surface down on the riverside. Unfortunately can’t run now - had an issue with one of our team being ‘claimed’ by another club … politics bla bla … and he opted not to run for us so as not to rock the boat with his other club. We then weren’t able to replace quick enough, and a couple of the other guys admitted that they could do with binning it off for various reasons.
So, like you Poet, i’m going to head down to Parkrun tomorrow morning to see what happens. Have done two really easy runs yesterday and today, and the illness seems ot have gone. how the body will be under proper stress though, who knows!
I’ll head out aiming for something around 17.30, but will ultimately be guided by RPE. Oh and wind, bloody wind!
1 Like
Well, I messed that RIGHT up!
Kept something back over the first km, after last time.
Going great, then a stitch hit at the first mile.
Could not shake it and pace dropped to 18:40 estimated finish by 3km.
So just jogged home.
That hasn’t happened for ages.
Pissed me right off
1 Like
Well done today GB, bit of sandbagging with your time, even if you were equipment doping 
Jeff
2 Likes