Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

PaulieC

Finally got to get out to Awesome Walls yesterday. It is pretty awesome alright. Did the taster session, learned the knots and belay etc. Got exactly one climb in on the smallest wall and then spent the rest of the session roping the kids . I did a small bit of bouldering, but hardly enough to break a sweat. I must admit, I just didn't think about the fact that two people are needed to actually climb

Krusty_Clown

PaulieC wrote: »

Finally got to get out to Awesome Walls yesterday. It is pretty awesome alright. Did the taster session, learned the knots and belay etc. Got exactly one climb in on the smallest wall and then spent the rest of the session roping the kids . I did a small bit of bouldering, but hardly enough to break a sweat. I must admit, I just didn't think about the fact that two people are needed to actually climb

That's exactly why I'm trying to rope more people into it! (see what I did there?!). I was actually there myself yesterday, with the two bosses, from around 5pm to 8pm. Good climbing, but tough work after the Masters XC slog-fest. Anyway, we're there a couple of times a week. We usually boulder mid-week and rope-climb (lead/top-rope) at the weekends when we have a little more time, so if you want to meet and climb (or just get belay'ed!), just holler.

RacoonQueen

Well done yesterday. Tough slog out there, dunno how yee ran 7K of it!

Krusty_Clown

Monday (cont'd): 5 mile recovery + 5 mile recovery
After the earlier threshold session, just wanted a few easy miles, so joined Keith in the field across from work, sliding and sploshing around for 5 miles in the darkness. Headed home soon afterwards and it was still pretty early, so snuck out for another sneaky 5 miles, to bring it to 22 miles for the day.

Tuesday: 5 mile recovery + 10 miles easy
Hectic work schedule, so opted for an easy pre-breakkie 5 mile run in the park. A heavy night of rain had left the park in swamp-like conditions that threatened to pull the shoes off of me, and sapped the energy levels (the average pace of 8:46/mile tells a story). Can't get worse than this, can it? Sure.... Sure it can..

Stretched out the run home to 10 miles, taking in Sandyford and Foxrock. Lovely run, where the pace naturally picked up, where you feel like you're flying after a couple of recovery runs. Pace: 7:09/mile

Wednesday: 5.5 miles easy + 16 miles easy
Still trying to tick off the brunt of the week's 100 miles as early as possible, with a view to racing on Sunday, so despite the evening's planned medium long run, I ticked off another 5.5 mile easy run into work, which took 41 minutes, which ranks as one of my fastest run-mutes. The route is generally uphill and with a backpack and no breakfast I tend to be a bit creaky, so 7:31/mile is good going.

Took a break from work and ran the 2.x miles down to Cabinteely Park to meet BB and Neal. Took them on a tour of South Dublin congested traffic routes, in an attempt to maximize the number of dangerous road-crossings. Despite crossing almost 47 busy roads and my best attempts to kill-off my club-based competition, we divested ourselves of Neal after 11 miles, BB after 15 miles, and I plodded home for the final wind-swept mile, to clock up an enjoyable 16 miles and 22 miles for the day and a rather frustrating 59.99 miles for the first three days of the week!

Thursday: Strength Endurance Hill Circuit
Legs understandably a little tired after the mileage loading of the first few days, so a strength endurance hill session was probably less than ideal, but it was difficult to juggle the schedule in a manner that would give me suitable recovery before the race on Sunday. 4.8 mile warm-up brought me to my 'pain-hill' (like a pain-cave, but it's real). The session was tough and the tiredness in the legs was evident, but I got through all of the drills with aplomb, with the exception of the 'bounding'. It was like I had a mental block when it came to the bounding. You know that co-ordination movement where you try to pat your head with one hand, while trying to rub your belly in a circular motion with the other hand? It was like that. For the bounding section, I'd hop and jump and skip in an attempt to bound, but the synapses weren't firing, so I just launched into the final sprint. Will have to watch some more bounding Youtube videos. Highlight of the run came, as I was skipping my way up the hill in my bright green luminous Dungarvan t-shirt and shorts, while a farmer passed by in his car in the other direction. Staring at me, like I was insane, I'm sure he was considering releasing the two sheep-dogs, which were bouncing around inside his car going ape-sh1te.

A 5 mile run back to work (wading through a carpet of hailstones that had mysteriously materialized on the ground) took me to 13 miles for the session. The week's mileage took its tool on my climbing, which was rubbish. Tried bouldering for 90 minutes, but was just worn out, so spent most of the time watching my daughter putting down problems like she was climbing a ladder.

Friday: 7 Miles recovery + 5 miles recovery
Schedule called for 6+6 miles recovery, so happy to take it easy as was feeling a little knackered.

Saturday: 5 miles recovery + strides
Suffering from a Roscommon hangover (like a normal hangover, but more of a sprint event, as you don't go out until 11pm, and then try and go as fast as possible until the finish), so a few easy miles around the bothrins of Roscommon, with a few strides thrown in as a nod towards Sunday's race. Had to slow right down as got an unexpected pain in my right glute, but a liberal dose of Tiger Balm seemed to do the trick.

Krusty_Clown

Why did I agree to do this race? How could I possibly have thought it was a good idea? T-Runner had mentioned it in his log, so that probably sewed the seed. Then when I got a message on Facebook about a Sli Cualann team, I was semi-sold. The timing was all wrong, at the end of a peak mileage week, but I'd fared pretty well in the Enniscorthy 10k, so surely this would also go well? Riding on a wave of delusion, I arrived out at Cow-Park in Dunboyne, and after searching for 10 minutes, located the team. Based on the registration sheets, it looks like I had been registered as an individual entry rather than a team entry (will have to wait on the AAI results, if they ever appear to confirm). If I'd known that I wasn't running for the team, I'd have packed up my gear and high-tailed it back to Rsocommon, for the full-Irish breakfast I'd over-looked in favour of the race. Still, nice bunch of lads turned out for Sli Cualann, so always a privilege to run with them. After a 1.5 mile warm-up in the slop and muck, I lined up in the starting gate with the rest of the club. A bit of wrestling as none of us wanted to take the front slot in the starting gate, but in the end, we settled for myself and Mick Byrne sharing the front spot.

Billy Porter had warned that it would be a very fast start, so I kept my eye on the race starter and gunned it as soon as I heard the pistol. Possibly for the first time in my brief XC history, I actually started well, and slotted in somewhere around the top 30, out of the 150-200 strong field. I could see Mick Byrne and DL (who was unfortunately still struggling with a chest infection) up ahead, so I figured if I could close the gap with the two lads, I'd at least be positioning myself in the right place in the race.

I think I ran reasonably well for the first mile (5:40), passing a number of runners and settling into a decent clip, but after that, things went rapidly down hill. As we started onto the second lap, I caught Mick Byrne, who urged me to push on, but within two bends he was past me again, and all I could do was try to chase in his wake, relying on him to find the best path through the slipping/sliding mud. Where he seemed to spring across the surface, I seemed to sink with each step and struggle to find any traction. Images of Bambi on ice came to mind, as I seemed to have to take some many more strides to cover the same ground. Still, I chased Mick as he forged ahead, taking scalps as he stuck to his pace, while others languished in the mud.

Finishing the second lap, I caught DL, who had succumbed to his chest infection and limited lung capacity, and couldn't hold his early pace. He urged me forward as well, but at this stage, I was finding the going incredibly tough. It wasn't a cardio pain, it was a general weariness that started in the legs and finished in the head. The mud was really sapping my strength and I was finding it tough to lift my leg with each step (mile 2: 5:46). Mick had opened a gap and continued to run strongly, but by contrast, I was a broken man. The head had dropped, the shoulders had dropped, and any race ambitions or thoughts of performing well had deserted me. Through the third lap, I was passed by a Rathfarnham runner and I clung to him, hoping he'd drag me to the finish. I couldn't think beyond getting to the finish line, getting out of this mud and going home. A lack-lustre 5:57 for my third mile, the reward for a complete draining of will.

Occasionally I'd get a shout from Emer and mini-Emer, or RQ, or some of the other boardsies that I'd met over the years, which would lift the spirits a little, but otherwise it was a death-march to the finish. As I passed Emer on the 3rd or 4th lap, she shouted at me to lift my head, and that was the final nail in the coffin. Not only did I feel beaten on the inside, I clearly looked beaten on the outside. Still, I just about held on to the Rathfarnham runner, slip-sliding through the mud and wishing I was anywhere but Cow Park, in Dunboyne. Finally, we got out of the mud for the last time, and there was a general surge, as finally (but briefly), we could do what we were designed to do: run! Everybody's pace lifted as finally spikes found traction. We hit the finishing straight and despite picking up the pace as much as I could, one runner went hurtling past us and there was no catching him. The rest of us finished in the same order we had been in for most of the last lap.

I had little interest on where I finished, knowing that it was a really lack-lustre performance, but it was great to hear that UltraPercy had finished in a very impressive 4th spot, having only surrendered the podium over the last few hundred metres. Mick Byrne got a deserving M50 gold, showing the rest of us what true grit is made from. I hung around just long enough for some club photos and chatted to NiallG4 and Blocky and a couple of boards posters, before slinking off home to wash away the mud and memories of a truly awful performance.

Sunday evening: A couple of hours of rock climbing (where thankfully I'd regained my form and climbed really well, before being dumped on the side of the M50 on the way home, to run the final 4 miles of the week to wrap up the peak mileage week of 100 miles. So that ends the base-building part of the 5k plan and the next five weeks is concerned with the 'pre-competition period'. I think I'm definitely stronger as a result of this conditioning, and in fact, I think it would be a great lead-in to a marathon training plan. I'm not going to read anything into my performance in the XC, coming as it did at the end of a very tiring week, but instead, treat it as a reminder that I'm in the early stages of training and that there is a point where entering unscheduled races during training is counter-productive.

RayCun

You're in as first scorer for the team and 34th overall, well done!
http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/master-men-ind.pdf

AuldManKing

so your 100m week is the end of the base building part of the 5k plan.
The 5k plan. 100m week. :eek:

Out of interest, what was your peak mileage for your marathon training?

Cleanman

AuldManKing wrote: »

so your 100m week is the end of the base building part of the 5k plan.
The 5k plan. 100m week. :eek:

Out of interest, what was your peak mileage for your marathon training?

My sentiments exactly! Ye aul fellas are maniacs.....

ultrapercy

Your very hard on yourself Gary. 34 in a field like that is no disaster and you beat a lot of very good runners. I think we get spoiled running road races where a top finish can be gained almost as a matter of course, yesterday every place was hard earned and nothing given up easily. The experience can only do good mentally as well as physically.

RacoonQueen

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Occasionally I'd get a shout from Emer and mini-Emer, or RQ, or some of the other boardsies that I'd met over the years, which would lift the spirits a little, but otherwise it was a death-march to the finish. As I passed Emer on the 3rd or 4th lap, she shouted at me to lift my head, and that was the final nail in the coffin. Not only did I feel beaten on the inside, I clearly looked beaten on the outside.

Lol...I was told to just let it go...I stopped about 400m later

smmoore79

Thats a serious time KC! Everyone feels that sh1t during cross country but looking at your placing, ya were 2 places behind a sub 2 30 marathon or 3 seconds. Id deffo have been happy with that position! Most of those lads would also be placing well in the Seniors next Sunday, Id personally be happy with a top 60 finish in that race which is proabably what 34th position in the Masters equates to...

Krusty_Clown

smmoore79 wrote: »

Thats a serious time KC! Everyone feels that sh1t during cross country but looking at your placing, ya were 2 places behind a sub 2 30 marathon or 3 seconds. Id deffo have been happy with that position! Most of those lads would also be placing well in the Seniors next Sunday, Id personally be happy with a top 60 finish in that race which is proabably what 34th position in the Masters equates to...

He's the lad who went sprinting through on the final straight. I reckon he must have started five minutes after everybody else!

NiallG4

smmoore79 wrote: »

Thats a serious time KC! Everyone feels that sh1t during cross country but looking at your placing, ya were 2 places behind a sub 2 30 marathon or 3 seconds. Id deffo have been happy with that position! Most of those lads would also be placing well in the Seniors next Sunday, Id personally be happy with a top 60 finish in that race which is proabably what 34th position in the Masters equates to...

Good to talk to you yesterday KC. Well done on a great result at the end of a high mileage week. Thanks SMMOORE. I sneaked in at 52nd. It really was a quality field.

smmoore79

NiallG4 wrote: »

Good to talk to you yesterday KC. Well done on a great result at the end of a high mileage week. Thanks SMMOORE. I sneaked in at 52nd. It really was a quality field.

Time-wise ya werent far off Krusty at all, just goes to show the depth of the national cross country races that 20 lads could get between yiz. Savage race aswell NG, Id say your happy out with that result!

smmoore79

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

He's the lad who went sprinting through on the final straight. I reckon he must have started five minutes after everybody else!

Id say he just started conservatively and picked yiz off. I reckon you have a knack for XC, even if it did hurt. 34th is really good, 2 years ago you would have done well to get top 70!!

NiallG4

smmoore79 wrote: »

Time-wise ya werent far off Krusty at all, just goes to show the depth of the national cross country races that 20 lads could get between yiz. Savage race aswell NG, Id say your happy out with that result!

Happy enough. There were no strategies yesterday. Pure survival all round.

BeepBeep67

XC is a different beast and Mick Byrne is in his playground in those conditions.
I was reared on it getting dragged to the 4 corners of Ireland and it still knocks the stuffing out of me.

there's always next year

dna_leri

Tough going KC but no shame in your position, there is great depth in that field (and lots of mud too I hear) - there were some fast guys behind you.

Did you get Steve Magness book yet?
The 5K training plan seems to be the same one you are following, I think the real strength of the book is the blending of the science and the experience/coaching side rather than just the plans.

Stazza

A cheeky little triple on Monday
2x15 min threshold
16 miler
strength endurance hill circuit
National Masters Cross Country
100 miles for the week

…and that’s the final week of the pre pre competitive phase. Gotta take that lad:) That’s a great week in anybody’s book.

Just my three cent etc… I’d be careful with the races on top of the finely balanced workload. You’re setting yourself up for a storming 5k – don’t spoil it by tipping the scales the wrong way. If you can keep to the plan, you’ll surprise yourself and a lot of other people who finished ahead of you…

Krusty_Clown

ultrapercy wrote: »

Your very hard on yourself Gary. 34 in a field like that is no disaster and you beat a lot of very good runners. I think we get spoiled running road races where a top finish can be gained almost as a matter of course, yesterday every place was hard earned and nothing given up easily. The experience can only do good mentally as well as physically.

You make a very good point. I had been discussing this very thing with Beepbeep a couple of days before the race, during our mid-week long run. This year so far, the results have been: 1st, 2nd, 1st, and 15th. It would be easy to convince one's self that one is in fact a much better runner than one really is, based on the results from running smaller races, in less competitive environments. I'd mentioned that I needed a race like the masters XC to put me back in my place, and re-energise me for the next few months of training. The truth of the matter is that my finishing position has little to do with my sense of under-achievement. It was more down to my inability to influence the race I was running. I couldn't slow down, or speed up. There was no sense of performance, only trudging onwards towards the finish line. I can't fathom how you guys at the top of the field managed to run any quicker. I can't see how it would be physically possible, given the conditions. I can only come to the conclusion that I'm a fast basterd, and as such sunk into the mud, while the quick, light runners skipped across it.

BB wrote:

XC is a different beast and Mick Byrne is in his playground in those conditions.

I was thinking that it was natural conditions for some of the Wicklaw men! Having come from Roscommon (largely underwater at the moment), I'm surprised they're not at the forefront of these XC races!

dna_leri wrote:

Did you get Steve Magness book yet?
The 5K training plan seems to be the same one you are following, I think the real strength of the book is the blending of the science and the experience/coaching side rather than just the plans.

That's good to know. Hopefully there's a little more reasoning behind the plan and the specific workouts, as I'm making up much of it as I go along. I tried to buy if from Amazon.co.uk, but the £14 + £5 seems a little disproportionate from the $20 that Amazon.com is looking for. Was hoping the Book Depository might pick it up. Kindle version seems to be only available in the US. Will definitely grab it at some stage, as I like the structure of the plans and would like to see what he has laid out for the marathon.

stazza wrote:

Just my three cent etc… I’d be careful with the races on top of the finely balanced workload. You’re setting yourself up for a storming 5k – don’t spoil it by tipping the scales the wrong way. If you can keep to the plan, you’ll surprise yourself and a lot of other people who finished ahead of you…

Very, very good point. Deep down, I know racing during these peak weeks is a bad idea, but the common sense escapes me at times. This is where a coached structure would be useful; somebody to call you out, when you try and do the stupid stuff. The good news is that the plan has some lower mileage weeks with races, so that will whet the appetite and keep the gnawing gremlins at bay!

Abhainn

Ditto a lot of that. Mick I d say was born in a muddy field and skirts it like a skater.
Id say many road runners found it hard out there, The guy that finished 3 secs ahead of you had a fine 8km win previous Sunday. Id say he was wondering why he ventured there also, keep it up lad

dna_leri

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

That's good to know. Hopefully there's a little more reasoning behind the plan and the specific workouts, as I'm making up much of it as I go along. I tried to buy if from Amazon.co.uk, but the £14 + £5 seems a little disproportionate from the $20 that Amazon.com is looking for. Was hoping the Book Depository might pick it up. Kindle version seems to be only available in the US. Will definitely grab it at some stage, as I like the structure of the plans and would like to see what he has laid out for the marathon.

Got the Kindle version for £8 last week.

Try http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00II6SY4W/ref=oh_d__o01_details_o01__i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Krusty_Clown

dna_leri wrote: »

Got the Kindle version for £8 last week.

Try http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00II6SY4W/ref=oh_d__o01_details_o01__i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Found a few bits and bobs I needed from Amazon. so have ordered the paperback. Now I just need time to read this and the latest Jack Daniels. With the higher mileage weeks I only get around 10 minutes of reading time before I crash for the night. It's an age thing.

Which reminds me:

AuldManKing wrote:

so your 100m week is the end of the base building part of the 5k plan. The 5k plan. 100m week.
Out of interest, what was your peak mileage for your marathon training?

Marathon peak mileage was 100 miles or so, but that was a completely different structure. It was sustained high mileage (with 3 x 100 mile weeks), whereas this program peaks, then immediately drops the mileage to focus on quality. This week, the mileage is down to 90 miles, which by comparison, is almost a recovery week. I'm kidding. I was discussing this with a club-mate a while back and we came to the conclusion that there really isn't any difference between a 90 mile week and a 100 mile week. You cross a line when you go over 80 miles in a week, but after that, it's just details. Below 80 miles, running is a personal commitment. Above 80 miles (10+ hours of running per week), it moves into the obsession category and begins to intrude in other aspects of your life. This statement is not in any way intended to offend those to run shorter/faster distances where significant mileage is not required; just more specifically talking about the impact of high mileage.

If I want to achieve the 5k time I think I might be capable of and the marathon time I think I might be capable of, it's going to take commitment and lots of miles.

Krusty_Clown

Monday: 10 miles easy + 6 miles recovery
A little residual stiffness and tiredness from Sunday's exertions. Plan was for 9 miles easy, but on the way to Marlay Park, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a trail, and had to follow it to it's conclusion, which added an extra mile to the trip as I wound my way up to Lamb Doyles pub, before resuming the run towards Marlay. I got the best out of the day and despite the previous day's race, really enjoyed the run in the relative calm and sunshine.... At one point, felt something in my right shoe and stopped to remove two exposed rusty safety pins that had been making delicate pin-pricks in the sole of my foot. Note to self: check contents of shoes before going running.

Had decided to run home from work to tick off the other 5 miles, but that was before the gale-force winds picked up, and the rain rattled the windows with its ferocity. I must confess to having had some guilty thoughts about a treadmill as I battled my way through the wind and stinging rain, trying to turn my head away to ease the icy headache that was forming. Naturally, as I arrived at the park which is part of my commute, the gates (that seem to remain open 364 days of the year), were locked, meaning an extra mile running into that stabbing icy cold rain. It's a cruel, cruel country at times.
Summary: 10 miles @7:21/mile + 6 miles @7:51

Tuesday: 20 mins LT + 5 mins @ 10k pace
Reluctant as I was to hit a session just two days after the XC, there's another session to fit in this week and there's only so many days in the week to play with. Did a quick spot-check in terms of niggles (sore left shin, sore right achiles, sprained right thumb, aching left shoulder, pain in ball of right foot, sinus infection, pleghm factory and general weariness); nothing that would inhibit completion of an LT session, so threw on the running clothes and headed to the cinder. The puddle prediction model suggested that the cinder track would have some water features but would otherwise be largely water feature free. Arriving at the track after three miles of easy running, there was a decent sized icy trough that would leave me pretty soaked, but wouldn't hamper pace significantly. I wasn't too alarmed about the 20 mins @LT, as I'd found the 2 x 15 minutes pretty comfortable last week, but didn't know what to expect from the 5 minutes @10k afterwards. Unknown territory.

3 Mile warm-up: 7:34/mile
20 mins @LT: 5.6k in 19:51 @5:42/mile (3:32/km), HR=154
mins rest/easy>
1,600m @10K: 5:19/mile (3:18/mile), HR=159
3 Miles warm-down: 7:37/mile

As predicted, the LT section was pretty straightforward. Definitely noticed it get a little harder as I moved beyond the 15 minute mark (which had become the more typical duration), but the average heart rate of 154 suggests it was pretty comfortable. I made sure to tie my shoelaces properly this time, as I didn't want to have to start this session over half way through. :rolleyes: An easy three minutes (that included swapping over my lap sheets) and I launched into the 5 minutes at 10k pace (which I'd decided to stretch to 4 laps of the track for completeness). I was coming in a few seconds ahead of my 200m split targets, but it was hard work. I'm sure if I didn't have Sunday's XC race in the legs, it would have been a damn sight easier, but the change in pace from the LT was definitely noticeable. Finishing the 4th lap, I was surprised to see 5:18 for the split which might explain why it was tough. The average HR of 159 is around what I would expect.

The three mile uphill run back to work, into the headwind was pretty painful, but I was glad that I'd completed the first of the sessions in the next stage of training. Will need to head out again this evening, to tick off another 5/6 miles (recovery pace) in order to hit the weekly mileage.
Summary: ~11.1 miles in @1:14, @~6:39/mile, HR=~138

Krusty_Clown

Tuesday (pm): 6 mile recovery run @7:49/mile
It wouldn't have mattered if I had crapped myself during this 6 mile recovery run; the weather was so much better than Monday evening that I was going to enjoy it, no matter what. I didn't (just for clarity!). See it's not the those sh1tty days where you opt to run outside, instead of hitting the treadmill, where you really benefit. The pay-off comes the next day, and the next day, and the day after that. Bad weather makes the average weather feel so much better.

Wednesday: 5.7 + 7.5 recovery
Feeling a little bush-whacked, I stuck to the shortest route for my run-mute to work. The scheduled called for a 6+6 recovery, so I lengthened the evening run home, and the weather was so damn good, I just wanted to keep running.


Thursday: Alternation - 800 @10k / 800 steady for 5 miles
Cinder track weather update: Mostly dry with sunny spells, interrupted by occasional light showers, fresh breeze from WSW, with few water features to contend with.
I'd mulled the idea of hitting the road for this session, but with the strong winds, 10k pace segments and traffic, I figured hitting the cinder would be the best bet. I was looking forward to this session, as I've never done anything quite like it. For the 10k sections, I figured anything around 80 second splits would be a good result (and an easy number to remember). I shed the layers and got started.

800m @10k splits: 2:40/2:42/2:43/2:41/2:37 (bit of show-boating on the last one)
Average pace: 5:23/mile (3:21/km)
Average HR: 157
Steady 800m splits: 3:05/3:11/3:09/3:12/3:38

I haven't done a non-stop session like this before, and it was very enjoyable. Kind of like intervals, with none of the getting cold parts. Even the steady 800s felt pretty comfortable by comparison to the 10k sections (at an average 6:21/mile). After finishing the last 800 at 10k, I kind of forgot that I had to do another 800m steady (a by-product of doing intervals, where you stop to heave after the last one!). Started going again, but the knackers who had been circling the cinder tack with their pit-bulls on tow were moving in for a closer inspection, so I had to grab my jacket and do the last 800m as part of my warm-down. There are a few more sessions like this in the schedule, but mostly at 5k pace, so I doubt they'll be quite as enjoyable.

Summary: 11 miles in 1:13, with 5 miles in 29:43.

Dory Dory

Good god, remind me to never get behind on your log again. I needed 3 energy gels and 1 sports drink to catch up! Congrats....well done....keep up the good work....it's sow seeds and not sew seeds.....you can always have me send you things via Amazon.com or anyplace US.....and with all this talk about 100 mile 5k training, when is your next marathon? :)

Krusty_Clown

Thanks Dory. Months and months and months to go until my next marathon. It's so far in the distant future, that I'm trying to put it as far from my mind as possible, but thanks for bring it right back up. Every time someone asks me what I'm training for at the moment, and I respond with '5k', the responses responses range from 'why?' to 'can't you already run a marathon?'. Without wanting to sound like Chivito, sometimes you have to work much harder for the shorter distances!

Itziger

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks Dory. Months and months and months to go until my next marathon. It's so far in the distant future, that I'm trying to put it as far from my mind as possible, but thanks for bring it right back up. Every time someone asks me what I'm training for at the moment, and I respond with '5k', the responses responses range from 'why?' to 'can't you already run a marathon?'. Without wanting to sound like Chivito, sometimes you have to work much harder for the shorter distances!

Depending on the mood I'm in, that one either cracks me up or drives me mad. Now, I know not everyone in the world is as into running as most on here but you'd think the average semi-intelligent human could figure out that it's not ALL about distance.

My other fave is this. Happens every year.

Me: So are you doing the marathon then on the xth?
Colleague: Yeah. What about you?
Me: Nah, just the half.
Colleague: Me too.

Krusty_Clown

Itziger wrote: »

Colleague: Me too.

Hah, That's a peach! Still, at least your going longer than the 10k marathon!
In future I'm just going to respond that I'm training for a 5k marathon. That'll shut them up!

KielyUnusual

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Hah, That's a peach! Still, at least your going longer than the 10k marathon!
In future I'm just going to respond that I'm training for a 5k marathon. That'll shut them up!

Great! You're training for the minuscule marathon too. What's your longest run going to be?