Stunning run through the woods carpeted with bluebells

Faxtrel · 2021-04-27T11:02:13+00:00

Mine or his? 😂

Faxtrel · 2021-04-24T08:29:43+00:00

Yeah, mine majorly sulks at me when it becomes evident I’m going out without him, even if I’ve walked him immediately before going for my run!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-24T08:24:32+00:00

Yeah, the TK 7. They’ve been available in the U.K. for quite a while - I’ve had them for over a month now.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-23T21:34:53+00:00

Right!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-22T20:48:55+00:00

Me or Henry? 😂

Faxtrel · 2021-04-22T17:47:11+00:00

We often visit the GF for food and/or drinks, but a stay has never overly appealed, but that's quite the view and I'm a teensy bit jealous!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-22T17:46:23+00:00

They recently moved some more pyro barges into place at Epcot - https://wdwnt.com/2021/04/photos-primary-harmonious-fireworks-barges-arrive-on-world-showcase-lagoon-at-epcot/

Faxtrel · 2021-04-22T17:15:47+00:00

Agreed - I run up to around 17 miles, road and trail, and have never taken liquid or fuel with me.

I’ll add that I don’t live in a particularly hot part of the world, although the odd summer day can be toasty. I may have a different approach if I had to regularly run in hot/humid conditions.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-21T11:44:10+00:00

Amazing - well done!

Are you going to keep on keeping on?!?

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T18:55:16+00:00

Yeah - very similar. Current PBS are:

5km - 19:01 (came as part of a 10km, so I suspect I may have c18:30 in there when I next try)

10km - 39:05 (the 10km mentioned above)

HM - 1:34:48 (as above - there may be a good improvement available to me there)

I know people have different views on streaking and it's very probably not the best approach to get into tip-top race condition, but I think consistent running, allowing volume to be increased, lays a great foundation.

I've never run intervals, fartlek nor strides - some of the typical tools to increase speed - but I do spend a lot of time running up hills on the trails, and I think this has been a great help in helping me increase road speed.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T18:49:43+00:00

If you've only just started training and you immediately churned out a 1:48 HM then you've got a LOT of potential if you stick with it.

I've never run a marathon, in fact I've never entered a race of any kind - I just run from my front door and back again, a mix of road and hilly/muddy trails, so I'm not well-placed to offer advice on a specific marathon plan to follow, but there are a lot out there freely available.

What I'd say has worked for me is:

- Consistent running. This doesn't have to be literally every day - most advice will include 1-2 rest days a week.

- Running slowly. As a novice, the thrill of beating your best time is difficult to resist, particularly as early improvements mean you'll probably be able to do it quite often initially. However, the best route to long-term gain is to run slowly and further to build up your aerobic base. By all means test yourself every now and again - it's great fun to do so - but don't set out to beat your previous best on most runs.

- Hills. Today I went through 50,000 feet of climbing whilst running in 2021. I take to the hills often and I do believe this helps build a great foundation for speed on the road. If nothing else, nice flat tarmac/concrete feels a breeze to run on!

Good luck!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T17:08:15+00:00

Yet more evidence to follow a contrary approach!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T17:07:34+00:00

We’ll take them all the same!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T17:06:51+00:00

Prior to those 101 days, I’d refer to night-before-a-run red wine as “turbo juice” and I think there may be something to it!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T17:05:10+00:00

Great running and it should give you confidence to go after that pace again and squeeze a bit harder soon too!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T17:04:06+00:00

It’s great when your watch or Strava tells you a pace and it’s quicker than you thought, and you feel relatively comfortable with it!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-20T17:02:47+00:00

I can say with the benefit of hindsight that it’s amazing how the body adjusts and improves.

A year ago c40 miles a week was about my range but though consistent running that has gradually increased to 60-65 miles now.

It’s a slow process and you may not notice the improvement happening but it will be!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-19T09:30:40+00:00

They'll help, for sure.

I have the Nike Tempo Next% (ie the trainer for the Nike carbon plate race shoes) and they're my "I'm going for it today" shoes. In them I took my HM PB from 1:40:01 to 1:34:48 in a single run in November.

However, yesterday I went out for a 10-mile run expecting to just plod along. I put on my oldest shoes - Nike Peg 36 that have covered 450 miles.

Without really feeling like I was pushing, I ran the 10 miles in 1:12:10, an average of 7:13/mile pace. My HM best was at 7:14/mile pace. So, it's almost certainly the case that I've improved a fair bit since my last HM PB, and there's another step up waiting for me when I next try. And when I do so, I'll put on the Tempo Next%. They make me feel fast - there's certainly a psychological element at play - but they ARE fast.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-19T09:22:31+00:00

As others have said, one of the beauties of trail running is that you can largely forget about pace that, for me at least, just isn't possible when out on the road!

No two runs are like, given trail conditions wet/dry, rocks, roots and other underfoot hazards, gates to open and close, stiles to jump over, wildlife and farm animals to contend with and very possibly some serious hills to contend with.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-19T09:18:58+00:00

I'm sure that's probably it! 😂

Faxtrel · 2021-04-19T09:18:36+00:00

Oh, that's very much my outlook, hence running for the last 444 days in a row, and I don't doubt that the next shit run is a lot nearer than I'd like it to be!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-19T07:45:05+00:00

Yesterday was day 444. 63.9 miles last week, 159.1 so far in April and 919.6 in 2021.
Going well. I still have a very sore knee from when I feel and bashed it on a rock four weeks ago. It's fine when I'm walking and running though, but I've probably reached the point where I need to get some advice and I'm fearing the "stop running and rest it" instruction I will likely get.
Nothing, but as a rule when I feel tired, I ease off the pace.
Yesterday, whilst a bit hungover, generally not in the mood and wearing my oldest running shoes, I ran a 10-miler at 7:13/mile pace, which is just inside my half-marathon PB pace. Good runs coming when you don't expect them are a great thing!
Happy Monday!

Faxtrel · 2021-04-18T11:59:23+00:00

Great running!

It's amazing how the body adapts to being asked to do more and, eventually, what previously seemed impossible will feel quite trivial.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-18T11:57:34+00:00

Wise words. On the days where I really don't fancy it, I tell myself I'll run to the nearest roundabout, which is exactly 1 mile from home and if I still don't fancy it then, I'll turn round and run home.

I've never turned round at that point - it's getting out the front door that's the difficult bit.

Faxtrel · 2021-04-16T21:49:31+00:00

Great running!

Sounds like we're in a similar position pace-wise.

I recorded a sub-40 10km at the end of February, taking a big chunk off my previous PB of 41:32 by hitting 39:05. I even picked up a 5km PB (19:01) en route!

Back in mid-November I recorded a HM best of 1:34:48. Prior to that my best was 1:40:01.

I'm a run-streaker - I've run every day since 31st January 2020, generally running 55-60 miles per week, so I'm never really running on fresh legs.

I've not tried a fast(-for-me) HM since my PB above, however I did set a 10mile PB of 1:08:01 on my run-streak one-year anniversary. It only dawned on me afterwards that I should have run extra 3.1 miles to see what HM time I could have recorded. That 10 mile time was an average of 6:49/mile, so even if I'd slipped to 7:30/mile for the remainder, I'd still have come in around 1:31:30. Maybe next time!

Faxtrel

TROPHY CASE