Only five brave souls truned up in stunningly perfect conditions.
Scanked at the first set of lights for 20-30 seconds and then again at the second set for 10 seconds and could see Chris pulling away further and further every time.
Disapointing 33.29 - still discount the lights and it might have been alright, last over the line and 3/5 in terms of time.
Ho hum!
My handicap was set at the peak of marathon training in 2007 at 31.44 so I am older and clearly not as fast as I once was. Those rocket locket sessions really need to start paying some dividends soon......
Friday 31 October 2008
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Tuesday Intervals
On Monday I turned to my laptop at work and did something very bad to my back around the left shoulder. Agony at lunch, had to stop on the way back to the office. Had some very strong painkillers on Monday night, seemed OK Tuesday am. Made the mistake of running for the train and fourth footfall sent it into spasm and I had to stop and watch the train go in agony (again). Eased up by the time I'd got into work.
Finally made up my mind to take the risk and do the Tuesday reps. Figured either would loosen it up or destroy it.
Set off in plenty time and was the first of 13 to make the trip up to the canal. Enjoyed the hot air vent waiting for the others and not being exhausted before the session had even started.
Today's session was a nice complicated favourite - Justin this is for you! Each set is done four times, so twice on the way out and twice on the way back. Each set is a seven minute cycle as follows. Run for four minutes, rest for thirty seconds, run for one minute and recover for ninety seconds.
Second rep was interesting as just in front of me about two minutes into the four minutes on cycle Karen's watch strap popped and she decided to stop and come back to get it, Justin was right on her tail and just manage to get round her - luckily he made a leap to the land side, if he had gone the other way he'd have been in the canal!
Shame no-one I knew saw me on the canal for the first two reps, I actually held the pace with the back markers. Nice. Problem with that is I could only just stay with them on rep three and by the fourth I had zero acceleration left and limped in firmly the slowest kid on the block.
Still making progress, kept with them for 75% of the session, not that bad.
Now, some may wonder how good the A team really are. Well, Tim did Amsterdam marathon in 2hours 51minutes. That says it all.
When is Jean-Marc cumming back? I'm sure I'll be faster than him now. What ever happened to Martin? Come on guys......
Finally made up my mind to take the risk and do the Tuesday reps. Figured either would loosen it up or destroy it.
Set off in plenty time and was the first of 13 to make the trip up to the canal. Enjoyed the hot air vent waiting for the others and not being exhausted before the session had even started.
Today's session was a nice complicated favourite - Justin this is for you! Each set is done four times, so twice on the way out and twice on the way back. Each set is a seven minute cycle as follows. Run for four minutes, rest for thirty seconds, run for one minute and recover for ninety seconds.
Second rep was interesting as just in front of me about two minutes into the four minutes on cycle Karen's watch strap popped and she decided to stop and come back to get it, Justin was right on her tail and just manage to get round her - luckily he made a leap to the land side, if he had gone the other way he'd have been in the canal!
Shame no-one I knew saw me on the canal for the first two reps, I actually held the pace with the back markers. Nice. Problem with that is I could only just stay with them on rep three and by the fourth I had zero acceleration left and limped in firmly the slowest kid on the block.
Still making progress, kept with them for 75% of the session, not that bad.
Now, some may wonder how good the A team really are. Well, Tim did Amsterdam marathon in 2hours 51minutes. That says it all.
When is Jean-Marc cumming back? I'm sure I'll be faster than him now. What ever happened to Martin? Come on guys......
Sunday 26 October 2008
Long (and wet) Sunday Run
Extra hour in bed thanks to the clock move, but even that did not help motivation listening to the rain crashing into the window during am ablutions.
Still, Dave's smart car rolls onto the drive on the dot at the appointed time. It's on, come rain or shine.
My Garmin failed to fire up and Dave did not have a watch either so that was quite a relif to be running free for once, no electronics between us. Earlier chat of going longer or faster were quickly dismissed by the horrific weather and we thought about the missing marathon runners stranded in Cumbria.
Did the Nicky line out to Rebourn, road route back to Rebournbury Mill, over the ford and up Beesonend Lane and back through Rothampsted park to Harpenden about nine miles and no idea how long it took.
Soaked right through, need to rewaterproof the jacket and leggings. Left blood red footprints on the conservatory floor as a blister went in the wet shoes and socks so that pretty much summed up the session.
Still, Dave's smart car rolls onto the drive on the dot at the appointed time. It's on, come rain or shine.
My Garmin failed to fire up and Dave did not have a watch either so that was quite a relif to be running free for once, no electronics between us. Earlier chat of going longer or faster were quickly dismissed by the horrific weather and we thought about the missing marathon runners stranded in Cumbria.
Did the Nicky line out to Rebourn, road route back to Rebournbury Mill, over the ford and up Beesonend Lane and back through Rothampsted park to Harpenden about nine miles and no idea how long it took.
Soaked right through, need to rewaterproof the jacket and leggings. Left blood red footprints on the conservatory floor as a blister went in the wet shoes and socks so that pretty much summed up the session.
Friday 24 October 2008
Threshold Friday
Threshold Friday
Fancied something longer, but with a couple of fast miles built in. Hooked up with the infamous Alan Ginn (famous for running so hard he foams at the mouth during the Hare and Hounds).
We settle on easy (for him so steady for me) out to the three bridges race starting point.
Alan claims it's my session and he'll just tuck in behind and perhaps "if anything left in the tank" he'll pick it up going over the last bridge. So off we go as far as Vauxhall Bridge back on the north side of the river and then over Lambeth and a 270 degree turn back under to complete the P shaped route. So the first step on Lambeth and the machine that is Mr Ginn kicks off. At three paces ahead he starts yelling at me to close the gap and stay with him. Then all the way back along the home straight he keeps upping the pace and making me go with him until with four hundred to go my breakfast is thinking about escaping and I can't push any more, but at two hundred to go something kicks in and a bit of speed appears from no-where and I'm at top speed sprinting for the line much Ginn's delight. 15.22 so not really too much to write home about, but better than festering in the office. Good session, thanks Alan - my amateur coach!
Fancied something longer, but with a couple of fast miles built in. Hooked up with the infamous Alan Ginn (famous for running so hard he foams at the mouth during the Hare and Hounds).
We settle on easy (for him so steady for me) out to the three bridges race starting point.
Alan claims it's my session and he'll just tuck in behind and perhaps "if anything left in the tank" he'll pick it up going over the last bridge. So off we go as far as Vauxhall Bridge back on the north side of the river and then over Lambeth and a 270 degree turn back under to complete the P shaped route. So the first step on Lambeth and the machine that is Mr Ginn kicks off. At three paces ahead he starts yelling at me to close the gap and stay with him. Then all the way back along the home straight he keeps upping the pace and making me go with him until with four hundred to go my breakfast is thinking about escaping and I can't push any more, but at two hundred to go something kicks in and a bit of speed appears from no-where and I'm at top speed sprinting for the line much Ginn's delight. 15.22 so not really too much to write home about, but better than festering in the office. Good session, thanks Alan - my amateur coach!
Thursday 23 October 2008
Thursday Reps
Thursday reps with the Lockett Rockets.
Even later than Tuesday and I can see the guys heading up to the canal some two blocks ahead and just make it to the towpath before the session starts.
I catch what I think is eight by one minute on thirty seconds off, but that's just one leg, we're doing sixteen of those and a two minute recovery after the eighth at the turn.
Rep three is just starting when I bump in to Stephen Matthew - who used to work in my team and does iron-man events - wandering along the canal on his phone. Unbelivably, he's on the blower to Clive Hill who is in my team and shares the news with everyone in the office that the Fit Scottish Bloke is quite some way behind the other runnners...... Thanks for that guys.
After the third or fourth I'm sure the group of five backmarkers stopped pulling away from me and I made it back at the end past the starting point - so the second eight were better than the first. None of the A team caught me this time so perhaps I should have tried to keep up the group of five on the first few a bit harder.
Even later than Tuesday and I can see the guys heading up to the canal some two blocks ahead and just make it to the towpath before the session starts.
I catch what I think is eight by one minute on thirty seconds off, but that's just one leg, we're doing sixteen of those and a two minute recovery after the eighth at the turn.
Rep three is just starting when I bump in to Stephen Matthew - who used to work in my team and does iron-man events - wandering along the canal on his phone. Unbelivably, he's on the blower to Clive Hill who is in my team and shares the news with everyone in the office that the Fit Scottish Bloke is quite some way behind the other runnners...... Thanks for that guys.
After the third or fourth I'm sure the group of five backmarkers stopped pulling away from me and I made it back at the end past the starting point - so the second eight were better than the first. None of the A team caught me this time so perhaps I should have tried to keep up the group of five on the first few a bit harder.
Tuesday 21 October 2008
Intevals, long reps
Tuesday reps with the lockett rockets.
Shade late to Bunhill row, crossing the road just in time to see the back of the pack heading off to the canal about a minute ahead of me. By the time I caught up with the tail end of the group of sixteen we'd arrived at the canal and I was exhausted before the session had even started. Legs we reminding me about the soggy 13 miles (see below - Lost In Harpenden) I'd done on Sunday and really did not want to move at faster than race pace.
I'd forgotten to take my stop watch so needed to hook up with someone else to do the reps with and luckly Aisha was there and agreed to put up with me.
We did eight sets of three minutes on with one minute recovery, with a two minute recovery at the half way point. I threw a tactical "slow" fourth rep, allowing the elite to pull further ahead and did an about turn at the half way point jogging through the two minutes recovery. The A-Team began to catch us at the end of the seventh, but that inspired us and nothing like a buddy beathing down your neck to focus those last two reps.
Jogged back and job done. Must do some streaching tonight.....
Shade late to Bunhill row, crossing the road just in time to see the back of the pack heading off to the canal about a minute ahead of me. By the time I caught up with the tail end of the group of sixteen we'd arrived at the canal and I was exhausted before the session had even started. Legs we reminding me about the soggy 13 miles (see below - Lost In Harpenden) I'd done on Sunday and really did not want to move at faster than race pace.
I'd forgotten to take my stop watch so needed to hook up with someone else to do the reps with and luckly Aisha was there and agreed to put up with me.
We did eight sets of three minutes on with one minute recovery, with a two minute recovery at the half way point. I threw a tactical "slow" fourth rep, allowing the elite to pull further ahead and did an about turn at the half way point jogging through the two minutes recovery. The A-Team began to catch us at the end of the seventh, but that inspired us and nothing like a buddy beathing down your neck to focus those last two reps.
Jogged back and job done. Must do some streaching tonight.....
Sunday 19 October 2008
Lost In Harpenden
Sunday long run, still dark when the roar of Dave's car confrimed the inevitable, seven am and time to get going on another "long" run. GPS finally locks on to enough satellites and it's off we go. Annoyed at first to find my Garmin had gone all metric on me courtesy of last week's Herts 10km, but as Dave's was counting in miles it felt like I went further than him as my Garmin beeped more than his. I could get used to this, 21km sounds much more than 13 miles.
Wee twist round Redbourn today to make the loop longer then back up the steep climb through Beesonend lane.
Comming back through the houses on the Deerings I spot a wee path and make the mistake of asking were that goes - Dave claims to have been up there once and it will get us to Rothampsted. So off we trudge through the muddy path. However at the end of the fenced section, just beyond the houses on Prospect Lane this path shoots off at a diagonal towards Redbourn. But there are tractor tracks we follow into the fields heading toward a tree line thinking it marks a path or the park boundary. By now we are knee deep in sodden grass and when we finally make it to the end of the field we realised that this is actually a golf course - Hammonds End on two sides, houses on the other and only the way we came to get back out. Thought about running over the golf course but decided they'd probably not be too pleased to see us and thought about jumping though some gardens to get to the road, but did not fancy being a guard dog's breakfast so off we go back the way we've just come getting even wetter on the way back.
We then squelched our way back to Harpenden, giving up all hope of a decent time and refecting on how we've discovered somewhere new........
Wee twist round Redbourn today to make the loop longer then back up the steep climb through Beesonend lane.
Comming back through the houses on the Deerings I spot a wee path and make the mistake of asking were that goes - Dave claims to have been up there once and it will get us to Rothampsted. So off we trudge through the muddy path. However at the end of the fenced section, just beyond the houses on Prospect Lane this path shoots off at a diagonal towards Redbourn. But there are tractor tracks we follow into the fields heading toward a tree line thinking it marks a path or the park boundary. By now we are knee deep in sodden grass and when we finally make it to the end of the field we realised that this is actually a golf course - Hammonds End on two sides, houses on the other and only the way we came to get back out. Thought about running over the golf course but decided they'd probably not be too pleased to see us and thought about jumping though some gardens to get to the road, but did not fancy being a guard dog's breakfast so off we go back the way we've just come getting even wetter on the way back.
We then squelched our way back to Harpenden, giving up all hope of a decent time and refecting on how we've discovered somewhere new........
Saturday 18 October 2008
Catch up intervals
Had a spare forty minutes on Saturday morning so decided to catch up and get some reps in. As I was in uncharted territory (near sandpit lane) went for an out and back with eight sets of two minutes on, one off. Only the first rep actually cleared five hundred m which is pretty disappointing as they all need to be more than five hundred to get a sub twenty minutes five km in or even the elusive sub forty ten km.
Still much more enjoyable once I got off Sandpit Lane itself and out through the Oakland college site along the lane through the fields and out as far as the Hatfield road gate.
Still much more enjoyable once I got off Sandpit Lane itself and out through the Oakland college site along the lane through the fields and out as far as the Hatfield road gate.
Friday 17 October 2008
Lazy Friday
Too tired to do much this week. Ran out to Westminster and thought about a time trial around the three bridges route, but was too whacked after a tough week and so swift about turn and back though the tourists.
Ran out some niggles, but tired - and why do those quads hurt? Something wrong....
Ran out some niggles, but tired - and why do those quads hurt? Something wrong....
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Tuesday Intervals
Today's session was almost as hard to remember as it was to run. I had to have it explained several times, but actually not that complicated really. So here goes, first run as fast as you can for four minutes, take a well earned rest for thirty seconds, sprint for one minute and recover for ninety seconds. Thus producing a seven minute cycle repeated four times, twice out and twice back. Lovely!
Set off as usual at the back of the twenty or so in the pack and struggled to keep up with the back markers through the first rep, but felt stronger in the second. By the third the elite had started hammering through although I was pleased to nearly catch Neil on the fourth and final. Kept Karen and Aisha in sight on the way back so not sure if that makes my me bottom of the class. Must try and get some other weaker runners along to this.
The elequent workmen lunching along the canal gave their usual encouragement, there was also a distinct lack of tramps and scanks today.
Set off as usual at the back of the twenty or so in the pack and struggled to keep up with the back markers through the first rep, but felt stronger in the second. By the third the elite had started hammering through although I was pleased to nearly catch Neil on the fourth and final. Kept Karen and Aisha in sight on the way back so not sure if that makes my me bottom of the class. Must try and get some other weaker runners along to this.
The elequent workmen lunching along the canal gave their usual encouragement, there was also a distinct lack of tramps and scanks today.
Sunday 12 October 2008
Herts 10K 2008
A new 10km p.b. for me over a tough course. I did this race the first time they ran it in 2006 and it has improved massively since then. Two course changes since then, firstly to avoid clashing with the golfers and secondly to avoid a mud ridden steep climb to the finish. Challenging hill profile which desends down to the lowest point after 3km and then climbs to the highest point just after the 6th. I went through the 5km mark at 20:20 and struggled to keep the pace and then recover it after the hill was done. Still, my time of 41.50 (chip time - I had it as 41.47 on the Garmin) is much faster then the 43 something I did the course in back in 2006.
At the end, I've never had such a wonderful processing experience. Plenty of room and people to take your chip off for you, then funnelled past the small girls who put your medal round your neck, maidens with chopped fruit on trays lined the route to the massage tent. Met my mate Dave in there and enjoyed the massage and a chat. 10/10 for the organisers of this one!
At the end, I've never had such a wonderful processing experience. Plenty of room and people to take your chip off for you, then funnelled past the small girls who put your medal round your neck, maidens with chopped fruit on trays lined the route to the massage tent. Met my mate Dave in there and enjoyed the massage and a chat. 10/10 for the organisers of this one!
Thursday 9 October 2008
Thursday Intervals
Made it to the Locket Rockets session at lunch today, choice of lots of little reps or six by three on one off. Seemed like the right option to go for the latter and made it as far as the second gas cylinder which makes it about 5km out and back. Nearly caught on the 2nd last and last rep, but held out to the end. Last by miles on the way out......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
