If... the Unforgiving Minute

RandyMann

dna_leri wrote: »

No. I suppose I could run as a guest (from Connacht) but I have only planned one indoor meet this year, really as a tester to see what I could do. I am now back in endurance phase and will probably run the Masters XC in a week's time - not expecting much but the club should have a reasonable team.

Ok, good luck with that

menoscemo

dna_leri wrote: »

I have my eye on the Kinvaras too, lots of good reports but I don't see them hitting the discount rail in the forseeable future.

You can get them cheaper if you go for the 1's, most places sell 2's now and I hear the 3's are coming out pretty soon which should bring the price down again. But yeah, unfortunately not too many places sell them which is why you will always pay €80 minimum.

dna_leri

As I am planning to run the Masters XC next weekend, I decided I'd better get out there and get my body used to the muck, cold and wet. I could not have picked a better day for it. With a heavy fall of rain the night before and the schools XC on a few days ago the racecourse was in the worst condition possible. For some reason I decided to start out in a pair of older Adidas runners. At times I had a choice between being up to my knees in water or up to my ankles in mud and I discovered the water is easier to run in. It might be cold and make your shoes soggy but it does not drag you back as much.

After 3.5 laps in around 40 mins slopping around, I went back to the car and changed into my pumas to do 2 quick miles on the tarmac at about 6:15 /mile pace. I had orginally planned some strides at the end so this was a good substitute to get speed into the legs as I knew I would not be in the humour at the end. Then back our into the muck again, this time in spikes. I had swapped the pansy 5mm track spikes for 9mm real ones but if it's like this next weekend I will need to go for the extra long ones. I managed to stay on my feet and complete 4 good laps at an average 4:25 /km pace for a total about 20K in 1:35.

I spent longer getting my gear clean later than I did out running and I still have not tackled the runners. I could feel a slight twinge in the top of my left thigh on the last lap from pulling my leg out of the muck and it felt a bit sore as I went for a walk with the family later. I will take it easy for a few days and hopefully recover quickly.

RandyMann

Good Luck tomorrow

dna_leri

thanks RM - not expecting to feature at the pointy end though.

dna_leri

I kept it easy for last week, with a good fartlek session on Thursday and and drills and strides with my son on Saturday. I felt I recovered well from the niggles I had after the previous weekend, though I could still feel a tightness as I warmed-up.

Sunday was the National Masters Cross Country in Boyle Forest Park. I had volunteered to run with the club as we had a good turnout expected for the O-40 team. I had looked over the results from the previous two years and based on last year, I would have aimed for top 50 out of about 200 but the year before also in Boyle with roughly equal number of starters I would have been looking for top 100. So I set my sights on somewhere between the two. More importantly I wanted to be in the top 4 for the club and be one of the team scorers.

I have only ran a few cross country races in my life. I remember my first vaguely. I was in first year in secondary school and it was a reasonable flat course with only one hill, in Claremorris I think, but I hated every minute of it as I had not done the work for it. I don't think I did another one for over 25 years. The last XC I did was in Swinford in the Connacht Masters XC in 2008. There was muck everywhere (but not as bad as Ballinamore the year after, everyone tells me) which I could not avoid no matter how wide or narrow I ran on the bends. I am not good in muck, it sticks to me and slows me down. We won the team event that time and I think I was 4th scorer. I swore "never again" and was happy to focus on track and road.

I came back to XC this year in the hope of redemption and strength building. Sunday was probably ideal cross-country weather - not too cold, no real wind or rain. The event was well organised by North Roscommon AC with a nice bit of self-promotion for the area. By the time we started the course was well dug up from the earlier juvenile races. There were around 200 competitors lined-up for the masters event as usual. At the front of the pack, you had guys like Ciaran Doherty and Pauric McKinney from Letterkenny - top quality distance runners who could hold their own in any field. At the back you had lads in their 60's and 70's, also legendary characters, in contention for medal places in their age categories.

I got into good position from the mass start and kept an eye on two guys ahead of me from the club. After 200m we hit the hill for the first of three times and I could feel I was already working hard. After the hill was a reasonably grassy part followed by heavy muck as we finished the lap, which sapped my strength every time around. There was good support out on the course which kept me going. During the first lap I passed one of my clubmates and another came past me. For a while I ran alongside another guy on the O-50 team and tried to encourage him along as he did for me in a 10K race last year, but he dropped off. I also lost a few places on the second time up the hill and heard someone count me into about 65th position on the way down.

At the end of the 2nd lap, I was waiting for the bell but not yet. So it was back up the hill and through the muck again before the bell and then a shorter loop to finish. By now one of my socks had slipped down inside my shoe and a nice blister had developed. I could feel my knees wobbling several times, but I stayed upright. I passed one guy on the run in but the next group was too far ahead for any heroic sprint finishes. I still have not seen the full results but I guess I finished about 75th as I expected, and hopefully as 3rd place finishes I helped the club into the top ten.

Cross country is good for building strength - the aches in my muscles now are testimony to that. I am not in a hurry to do my next one but "never say never again". In the meantime I will stick to the road and track.

Seres

Fairplay Kevin , it was tough as hell out there , i forgot you were doing it and what reminded me was the kids were takin photos with my mums camera and by accident they took one of you . When i was looking over them i saw the photo , very surpising

dna_leri

Seres wrote: »

Fairplay Kevin , it was tough as hell out there , i forgot you were doing it and what reminded me was the kids were takin photos with my mums camera and by accident they took one of you . When i was looking over them i saw the photo , very surpising

Nice one Seres, send it on if I don't look like a ... and I'll add it to the collection. Hope your kids got plenty of you too. I saw you going well in the intermediates and gave you a shout out as you came by the finish area but you had your race face on and probably heard nothing.

Seres

dna_leri wrote: »

Nice one Seres, send it on if I don't look like a ... and I'll add it to the collection. Hope your kids got plenty of you too. I saw you going well in the intermediates and gave you a shout out as you came by the finish area but you had your race face on and probably heard nothing.

Ill try , it was on my mothers phone and most of the photos taken were of nothing, so as long as she hasnt deleted them ....
I couldnt hear or see ( my vision was blurred) anything from the church to the finish , at that stage i was hanging by a thread ! Thanks for the encouragement though

dna_leri

Not much to report these days.

Training has only been average this past few weeks. I have had a few niggles and twinges that made me ease back. It was supposed to be a transition phase in my training anyway, which also meant I did not have a clear enough focus. I have managed one good workout each week and the rest have been easy runs and drills.

I had hoped to run a local 5K this coming Sunday. I ran it last year, finishing 3rd in 18:52 with a good finish which gave me confidence for the year ahead. It's an out and back course that is slightly uphill on the way back. Still not sure if I will run this year. If I am feeling good on Saturday and I can rearrange my family's schedule then I will go for it. I will not be expecting a PB, more just to enjoy the race and compare to where I started and ended last season.

In other news, results were finally published from last week's masters cross country. Overall I came 68th or 69th and 20th in the M40 category with the team finishing 5th - not too bad.

I also weighed myself at the start of the week - something I only do about once a month as I don't want to react to minor changes and surprisingly I have lost a couple of Kg since the start of the year and am only 0.5Kg off my lowest weight from when I was running 5K-10K PBs last September.

Now all I need to do is get my sh1t together and put in a few good weeks' training. I hate procrastinating but next week is going to be crap at work - early starts and late finishes - so another week of maintenance and then spring training starts in earnest.

dna_leri

Bad week at work as expected but did ok with the running.

I did not get to do the 5K race at the weekend although I felt up to it. It was eldest's 13th birthday so that took priority. Another few years he won't even want to talk to me so I made the best of it while I can. The race was won in about 18mins so it might have been a handy one - I'll get another 5K before long.

I was tight for time on Tuesday but managed a 6 x 1K interval in 3:5x with 1-2 mins recovery. I felt reasonably comfortable but still got a good workout. As part of a sports science student's I was weighed before and after this training and I was surprised that I lost 0.5 Kg during that short session on a mild day in February. Presumably that was all sweat. If I remember my physics correctly that is equal to 0.5 L of water - about what I would take after a run anyway.

Thursday went well at work so I got away in time to run in the local Fit4Life league 2 mile race. I had missed the first 2 races and had not expected to make this one either. I started at the back of the field in this handicap format - almost missed the start doing my warm-up.

I let 2 others in the group move ahead as I did not want to really race this and tried to keep them in sight for a fast finish. One part of this route is perfectly flat and I felt good moving along this stretch. I pushed a bit in the last half mile and finished in 11:20 with a bit still left in reserve. Actually that was my fastest ever 2 mile but hopefully I will go a lot faster later in the year.

After standing around for a while chatting, I then jogged back to the start and did 2x1K in about 3 mins. I got a bit of stick from others doing their cool-down but I felt it made it into a good workout when I had not gone flat-out in the race. There are another 3 legs in this series which I will try to make in the next few weeks.

Serious training starts today, or maybe tomorrow.

dna_leri

I don't know what to make of my long run on Sunday.

I started off feeling heavy and sluggish so decided to do the loop with just one big hill, which in my head was 6.2 km, instead of the 9.5K loop with 2 big hills. The first lap was 31 mins, about 5 mins per km in my head, slow but to be expected. I put in a bigger effort second time around but it was still 30 mins, fair enough. For the third lap, I stretched out my legs and moved a bit better for a 28:30 lap which I guessed was about 4.5 mins /km - better. Afterwards I felt pretty tired but I rationalised that it was my first 90 min run in 3 weeks and I probably have lost some fitness in the last 6 weeks anyway.

Today I was updating my training log and realised that I had not run that exact route before and it is actually further than I thought. The 6.2 km I had in my head is for a different loop and this one is at least 7.2 km if not more. That puts a whole new perspective on the run. It means my paces for each lap were 4:18, 4:10 & 3:57, which are way faster than I should be going for that type of run. McMillan says 4:14-4:51 for my long run, though I usually try to keep it in the "easy pace" range of 4:14-4:33.

I obviously don't use a garmin thingy and because it's off-road I can't mapmyrun accurately so I will have to remeasure the route with my phone gps app the next chance I get. Either way I now feel a whole lot better about the run and instead of a sh1tty-slow long run, I probably did a bit-faster-than-I-should-have long run, which is much better for the ego.

dna_leri

After a few weeks running aimlessly, I decided to join in with the distance guys for a track session of 5 x 1ml. The pace averaged 5:50 off 3 min recovery, which is around my last 10K pace but I was pleased with how comfortable it felt - no real breathing stress, nice and controlled ending with a 5:43. We did a few of them counter-clockwise, which felt strange to me, but for non-track guys it's probably a good idea. I often struggle with my training at this time of the year after a long dark winter so having company for these sort of reps makes it easier.


I also put together my training plan for the next couple of months.
I will start my track season with a low-key 800m race in 7 weeks time.
Over the next 5 weeks, I will run 3 winter league road races over 1-2 miles.
Similarly to last week, these will not be flat out but I'll try to finish strong.

I will drop-in on the longer sessions on the track - 1K to 1ml intervals.
Other key sessions are on hills: 3-400m hill intervals plus a 20K+ long run over hills.
The main focus is to build strength.
I will introduce short hill sprints as a transition to speed work which I will start just 2 weeks before my first 800 so I won't expect to be close to peak for it but I can build from there.

Sounds good now anyways.
Let me know if you have any alternative suggestions?

T runner

dna_leri wrote: »

After a few weeks running aimlessly, I decided to join in with the distance guys for a track session of 5 x 1ml. The pace averaged 5:50 off 3 min recovery, which is around my last 10K pace but I was pleased with how comfortable it felt - no real breathing stress, nice and controlled ending with a 5:43. We did a few of them counter-clockwise, which felt strange to me, but for non-track guys it's probably a good idea. I often struggle with my training at this time of the year after a long dark winter so having company for these sort of reps makes it easier.


I also put together my training plan for the next couple of months.
I will start my track season with a low-key 800m race in 7 weeks time.
Over the next 5 weeks, I will run 3 winter league road races over 1-2 miles.
Similarly to last week, these will not be flat out but I'll try to finish strong.

I will drop-in on the longer sessions on the track - 1K to 1ml intervals.
Other key sessions are on hills: 3-400m hill intervals plus a 20K+ long run over hills.
The main focus is to build strength.
I will introduce short hill sprints as a transition to speed work which I will start just 2 weeks before my first 800 so I won't expect to be close to peak for it but I can build from there.

Sounds good now anyways.
Let me know if you have any alternative suggestions?

I do the odd 10 by 80-100m flat out steep uphill (15-20 secs) after a tempo or after any aerobic run. Do until legs are a little jellified.

Gives your legs a good burst of strenght as you use all the muscle fibres. Its not a session but its useful as a "top up".

Your long fast run there on the longer than you thought route was very impressive. Even though its not specific to teh event your currently targetting, having a good variety of runs (while getting in your specific sessions), can often give a better stimulus to your overall condition before you go very specific.

That pace over an off road hilly run is very encouraging.

dna_leri

T runner wrote: »

I do the odd 10 by 80-100m flat out steep uphill (15-20 secs) after a tempo or after any aerobic run. Do until legs are a little jellified.

Gives your legs a good burst of strenght as you use all the muscle fibres. Its not a session but its useful as a "top up".

Your long fast run there on the longer than you thought route was very impressive. Even though its not specific to teh event your currently targetting, having a good variety of runs (while getting in your specific sessions), can often give a better stimulus to your overall condition before you go very specific.

That pace over an off road hilly run is very encouraging.

Thanks T.

It's a good point you make about the short hill sprints, they probably do fit well after an easy or aerobic run as they are not enough on their own to make a full session. I did do a bit of that last year ala Canova. In the past I have also done them as part of a form/drills session. I need to think about which is most useful to me at this stage, probably the former as its strength focussed.

I did pay the price on Monday for my faster-than-planned long run but I had recovered enough by Tuesday. But a long-tempo probably should have a place in my schedule, maybe as an alternate to my long run every second week. The trouble with training for something like an 800m is there are a lot of angles to cover, but the upside is that I should never get bored.

RandyMann

Hey D, Do you do any strength work in the gym?

dna_leri

RandyMann wrote: »

Hey D, Do you do any strength work in the gym?

RM,

Short answer, no I never go the gym.

Longer version, on my 3-4 "off-days" I either run at easy pace or I do a strength work-out at home in my "mini-gym" (aka office or junk-room). In practice that is a once a week "gym" session right now, in the past up to 3 days a week so i am just maintaining. When I do work-out, it's a combination of body-weight activities (planks, superman, crunches etc) and low-weight dead-lifts, squats, lunges.

You have probably noted that I do not log these workouts here and that's deliberate. I base my training around my 3-4 key sessions a week and the rest is a bonus or supplemental. For now these workouts are not key to what I do and will be the first to get dropped if there is pressure during the week.

TBH I would like to do more (and heavier) weights but I find it puts pressure on my knee (especially my dodgy left one) so I err on the side of caution. To do it right I would have to join a gym and get good S&C coaching. Even as a sprinter I was never the explosive power guy, and now with my focus on 800m+ I hope I have enough natural speed to cary me through.

RandyMann

Sounds good. Would you have a rough idea of what your 200m time would be like now?
A mate of mine started an 800m, sub 2 training program (thinks its an 8 week program) from Brianmac.co.uk
There is gym work on it but light stuff only. His best 200m time would be low 27 secs. He can run 38 min 10k.
I think he may be overreaching to go for a sub 2 program. I am guessing maybe 2:10 800m would be more realistic...

dna_leri

RandyMann wrote: »

Sounds good. Would you have a rough idea of what your 200m time would be like now?
A mate of mine started an 800m, sub 2 training program (thinks its an 8 week program) from Brianmac.co.uk
There is gym work on it but light stuff only. His best 200m time would be low 27 secs. He can run 38 min 10k.
I think he may be overreaching to go for a sub 2 program. I am guessing maybe 2:10 800m would be more realistic...

I have not done a flat out 200m in a while, I would hope to be 26.xx but I don't really know. 10K time does not give a great indication but at least it shows he has some aerobic conditioning, 5K is probably a better marker - I was happy to go under 17 mins at the end of last year.

If your mate is in the same age category as us then a 2min 800m is a tall order. As you know, you will see plenty of O-40's going under 26s for the 200m at the national masters but the best 800 in recent years was 2:02.

I know the brianmac program and have borrowed elements from it and probably will again. I think the target PB +/- 5% pacing are good guidelines but very tough. I think your mate will struggle with the specific endurance stuff though - something like 4 x 1000 (2:37.5) [8'] will be a tough session! Even at 2:10 +5% that's 2:50.6 - still a ballbreaker.

Brianmac puts a lot of store in the Kosmin test and I would recommend your friend does one and bases his target time off that result - details are on the website. That being said my Kosmin prediction is still a long way ahead of my actual - maybe I still have to make that breakthrough!

RandyMann

dna_leri wrote: »

I have not done a flat out 200m in a while, I would hope to be 26.xx but I don't really know. 10K time does not give a great indication but at least it shows he has some aerobic conditioning, 5K is probably a better marker - I was happy to go under 17 mins at the end of last year.

If your mate is in the same age category as us then a 2min 800m is a tall order. As you know, you will see plenty of O-40's going under 26s for the 200m at the national masters but the best 800 in recent years was 2:02.

I know the brianmac program and have borrowed elements from it and probably will again. I think the target PB +/- 5% pacing are good guidelines but very tough. I think your mate will struggle with the specific endurance stuff though - something like 4 x 1000 (2:37.5) [8'] will be a tough session! Even at 2:10 +5% that's 2:50.6 - still a ballbreaker.

Brianmac puts a lot of store in the Kosmin test and I would recommend your friend does one and bases his target time off that result - details are on the website. That being said my Kosmin prediction is still a long way ahead of my actual - maybe I still have to make that breakthrough!

Hey D
I should have mentioned earlier, he is not a masters athlete, hes 32 so that is in his favour.
He did mention the 4 X 1000 in 2:37 which we both said sounds like a bit too much too ask. He is due to do that in 2 weeks time.
On the 5k time, he can do low 18min in training but he does not have a recent race time. Your sub 17min bodes very well for you.
He is trying to follow the program as close as he can and he is due to do the Kosmin next Tuesday, I will let you know the result but the 2nd Kosmin(4 weeks later) test will give an indication on how well that program is working. The real test will be when he does his first race on April 25th though.
I agree with you, your natural speed puts a lot in your favour for your 800m pursuit.

dna_leri

Did my first hill session in a while last night - I joined in with the club on 300m hill repeats.
Around this time last year I did 10 reps in 1:20 then progressed to 1:15 with a 2:20 jog back on the same hill.
Yesterday I did 10 in average 1:16 and finished with 2 more on my own, the last one in 1:07.
Recovery jog back was around 2.5 mins.

I felt comfortable throughout and concentrated on maintaining proper form. I focused on a good backlift for the first 6 and then landing on my forefoot with good knee pick-up for the second half of the set. My breathing stayed under control but I could feel my legs tiring as the reps progressed - exactly the effect I was looking for.

It was a warm evening and I started with 3 layers on top and finished with just a t-shirt for the first time in ages. I don't think I have ever seen so many people out running over by the Riverside which is at least partially due to the great work by the council in improving the area, putting in running/cycling paths and outdoor gym equipment around there. In fact there is a new path just completed which I have not yet run on but I am told is a great circuit of about 1.3 miles. I don't usually have much positive to say about the local council but this time I have to give them their due.

dna_leri

Long run Sunday was a bit of a slog.
Just over 20 km in just over 95 mins on a hilly trail.
Pace was in the range 4:37 to 4:47 /km.

Legs felt heavy and tired as I started but unlike last week I did not push it.
I tired and slowed over the last 5K.
Considering the hard week and change in training this was to be expected.

I have been feeling some stiffness in my right hip the last few days.
Again I put in down to the change in regime but it's not going away so I will keep an eye on it.

Key sessions for the week are long intervals Tuesday and a 2 mile Fit4Life race on Thursday.
The plan for both is to stay with the group and finish strong.

Oh, and I have not had a drop of the demon drink since Wednesday of last week.
But that's nothing to do with Lent you know.
It's just coincidence that my next race is on Easter weekend.
I can't remember the last time I stayed off it for that long.
It'd better do me some good.

dna_leri

I had planned a session of long intervals with a few club guys like last week but for various reasons I was on my own. So instead of following the group plan, I had to figure it out for myself. I decided to keep it to 1K, I did not think I could manage mile reps on my own. I was not sure of the right pace so I just set out at what seemed right.

I hit the first 200m in 35s, slow down, then brought it home in 3:16.02. The next 2 reps I did the same thing, too fast to 200m then 1K in 3:16.01 & 3:16.44. I don't usually bother with the fractions of seconds, I was just pleased with the consistency, but it could not last. My recovery was a 400m slow jog in 3 mins. On my 4th rep, I slowed to 3:22 - just under 5K PB pace. I probably could have pushed myself hard to finish faster or do another one in 3:30 but better to quit while I was ahead. Session done.

Lesson learnt: it's easier to do long reps with a group (I knew that) but always have a backup plan in case you end up on your own.

But even without a plan it was a good workout and this is a session I will come back to again and look to eventually increase the reps to 5.

dna_leri

Did another of the Fit4Life series last night, 2 miles the same as two weeks ago.
Last time out I ran 11:18, this time was 11:07 so a nice improvement.

I did a good series of drills and strides for my warm-up. I was starting with two others, one who was about 10s ahead of me last time and another guy who was hoping to hang on to us and get pulled around.
I started off quickly, at a similar pace to the 1K reps on Tuesday which were probably still fresh in my mind. One guy who started after us soon sped past at a super pace and went on to finish in sub 10 mins.

One of the guys stayed on my shoulder for the first mile. By then we started to catch the main bunch as we went up the hill and I think I lost him in the crowd. I kept it steady after the hill and finished well without having to dig too deep. I don't usually set the pace in a group so it was good to do it this time. I think I was second fastest overall and caught all but a few of the early starters.

11:07 is around my 5K PB pace, not sure if I could add on another mile at this pace yet but maybe soon. Next week it is a mile race, don't know if the course is flat but looking forward to giving it a blast anyway.

RandyMann

dna_leri wrote: »

Did another of the Fit4Life series last night, 2 miles the same as two weeks ago.
Last time out I ran 11:18, this time was 11:07 so a nice improvement.

I did a good series of drills and strides for my warm-up. I was starting with two others, one who was about 10s ahead of me last time and another guy who was hoping to hang on to us and get pulled around.
I started off quickly, at a similar pace to the 1K reps on Tuesday which were probably still fresh in my mind. One guy who started after us soon sped past at a super pace and went on to finish in sub 10 mins.

One of the guys stayed on my shoulder for the first mile. By then we started to catch the main bunch as we went up the hill and I think I lost him in the crowd. I kept it steady after the hill and finished well without having to dig too deep. I don't usually set the pace in a group so it was good to do it this time. I think I was second fastest overall and caught all but a few of the early starters.

11:07 is around my 5K PB pace, not sure if I could add on another mile at this pace yet but maybe soon. Next week it is a mile race, don't know if the course is flat but looking forward to giving it a blast anyway.

Nice running there. What sort of time would be hoping for in a mile distance, if its a flat course?

ps, no kosmin this week, next week instead

dna_leri

RandyMann wrote: »

Nice running there. What sort of time would be hoping for in a mile distance, if its a flat course?

ps, no kosmin this week, next week instead

Well I did a 5:!5 on a cold day at the track around Christmas.
My target for the year is 4:50 but I'll be happy to go sub 5 first.
On the road another 5:15 will be ok for now.

RandyMann

Hey D, regarding that Kosmin test, he failed. He went out in the first half and did 403m in 60 secs but he said he didnt recover well enough to do it again and gave up. I was expecting he would as he is lacking some discipline and he does all his training on his own.
He said he would try it again this Friday but I told him that may be a bad idea and try it next week but pace it properly(so I bet he will try it again Fri ).

dna_leri

Sunday's long run was an uneventful 19K on a hilly trail at about 4:20 /km (7 min/mile).
The route has two good hills each just over 1K long with about 30m elevation gain.
Not much by hill runner standards but good enough for me.
I also finished with 5 short hill sprints, not flat out but around 90% effort.

Plan for track on Tuesday was for:
1K @ 5K pace = 3:23
800m @ 3K pace = 2:34
400m @ 1ml pace = 1:12
200m @ 800m pace = 33s

I don't usually do anything as complicated, mainly because once I start my session, I want to be focused on my running and not on remembering what to do next. The purpose of this one was to try and get the feel for the different paces and to wake up my system before a 1 mile handicap race on Thursday, so I wrote the times on my hand and hoped the rain would not wash it off.

Actuals were:
1K @ 3:21
800m @ 2:37
400m @ 1:12.7
200m @ 29.3
Recoveries were all 3 mins.

I lost a bit of concentration at the end of the 800 and slowed too much and I pushed a bit hard on the 200 with the wind at my back but given the windy conditions, it was ok.

dna_leri

Did the next round of the Fit4Life league last night in surprisingly good weather conditions. The 1 mile course was not flat but there were no hills worth mentioning, just a few ups and downs. The only real problem would be the 180 degree turn-around and some congestion in this handicap race. I did not really have a plan or tactic in mind for this race but I was thinking around 5:15 would be good.

I started with a group of 6, with one guy a few seconds behind who had beaten me by about 15s in a previous 2 miler. One of the lads hit out pretty hard and I was happy to go with him and I led the group through the first 200m in I'd guess about 35s which I think took the sting out of most of them.

We passed a few tail-enders over the first half and I planned to check my split time at the turn-around and use the opportunity to see how close my pursuers were. But I was concentrating so much on the turn and my own run that I did not even take-in who was where.

With about 400m to go, I caught the main pack and got a good run through on the inside without having to weave much. I picked up the pace a little to finish strong without getting into a full sprint. I stopped my watch on the line at 4:57.1 - I was surprised, I expected 5:10-5:15. The rest were not far behind with next best finishing in 5:00 & 5:03.

I can not be sure of the accuracy of the distance - it is not officially measured or certified - so I am not sure if I should count it as a PB. But it is a great indicator and I know now I could do 5 min mile on a track in good conditions with a strong field to pull me along.

Legs felt it afterwards but I recovered well with a few steady miles. Last race of the series is in two weeks time - another 2 miler but the handicapper will punish me for this week's performance.

RandyMann

dna_leri wrote: »

Did the next round of the Fit4Life league last night in surprisingly good weather conditions. The 1 mile course was not flat but there were no hills worth mentioning, just a few ups and downs. The only real problem would be the 180 degree turn-around and some congestion in this handicap race. I did not really have a plan or tactic in mind for this race but I was thinking around 5:15 would be good.

I started with a group of 6, with one guy a few seconds behind who had beaten me by about 15s in a previous 2 miler. One of the lads hit out pretty hard and I was happy to go with him and I led the group through the first 200m in I'd guess about 35s which I think took the sting out of most of them.

We passed a few tail-enders over the first half and I planned to check my split time at the turn-around and use the opportunity to see how close my pursuers were. But I was concentrating so much on the turn and my own run that I did not even take-in who was where.

With about 400m to go, I caught the main pack and got a good run through on the inside without having to weave much. I picked up the pace a little to finish strong without getting into a full sprint. I stopped my watch on the line at 4:57.1 - I was surprised, I expected 5:10-5:15. The rest were not far behind with next best finishing in 5:00 & 5:03.

I can not be sure of the accuracy of the distance - it is not officially measured or certified - so I am not sure if I should count it as a PB. But it is a great indicator and I know now I could do 5 min mile on a track in good conditions with a strong field to pull me along.

Legs felt it afterwards but I recovered well with a few steady miles. Last race of the series is in two weeks time - another 2 miler but the handicapper will punish me for this week's performance.

Nice running D, a sub 5 mile is a milestone I would like to reach in the future.