The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner

[craigbetts]

Let's get this diary going again. I didn't get the chance to say hello on Saturday Dan as I was to busy folding to evilpie, he is just to big for us skinny runners and scares me so much I folded like a cheap..... every time he put his chips in the middle.

I hit the treadmill 4 times last week, usually loathe them and only use them for hill/interval sessions but with my ankle being tender I thought a flat landing to ease back into would be ideal. Today I used my 610 for the first time in anger, can you stop it from rotating through time, hr, virtual partner and current activity? The run was not that impressive and despite lots of cardio in my 2 month self ban of running I was sluggish as I opened up. This could of been down to 3 nights of little sleep and come the last couple of miles of a steady 7 I was feeling pretty good, although again the glimpse of home can do that on a run. I have a long way to go before I am back on track but with the fancy 610 I am going to have a good go.

A bit of recommended reading for all those running types is Eat and Run, Scott Jurek. A bit of view of his life and his beliefs, the bit I love most is how much he was struggling financially when he was on top of the tree in the ultra scene. Just goes to show it's a real labour of love and not about the money. I think he is doing well now with Brooks and books and so on.

[kinboshi]

Let's get this diary going again. I didn't get the chance to say hello on Saturday Dan as I was to busy folding to evilpie, he is just to big for us skinny runners and scares me so much I folded like a cheap..... every time he put his chips in the middle.

Haha, just buy him loads of pints of Fosters.  That should help.

I hit the treadmill 4 times last week, usually loathe them and only use them for hill/interval sessions but with my ankle being tender I thought a flat landing to ease back into would be ideal. Today I used my 610 for the first time in anger, can you stop it from rotating through time, hr, virtual partner and current activity?

Yes, I've set mine not to rotate through the screen automatically.  You can also select which screens you want to show in the rotation (manual or automatic rotation), including 4 custom screens.  I usually have mine on a custom screen, showing four things: current pace, average pace, distance covered, time elapsed.  Other stuff is on other screens I can scroll to if necessary.  I don't both with the HR screen, that's more for analysis after the event.

The run was not that impressive and despite lots of cardio in my 2 month self ban of running I was sluggish as I opened up. This could of been down to 3 nights of little sleep and come the last couple of miles of a steady 7 I was feeling pretty good, although again the glimpse of home can do that on a run. I have a long way to go before I am back on track but with the fancy 610 I am going to have a good go.

Your unimpressive run is probably still pretty impressive.  What sort of pace do you usually run?

A bit of recommended reading for all those running types is Eat and Run, Scott Jurek. A bit of view of his life and his beliefs, the bit I love most is how much he was struggling financially when he was on top of the tree in the ultra scene. Just goes to show it's a real labour of love and not about the money. I think he is doing well now with Brooks and books and so on.

Will have to look it up

[craigbetts]

7.30min/miles today, although today's run is part of my 10k loop which takes you on a green road (its always boggy but with the recent snow it was slip slide all over) and a ploughed field, here you need to have your footwear tied very securely. The rest of the loop is on back country lanes where you rarely see a motor vehicle, today there was a few and the farmers were out shooting (i once almost ran onto a shooting range in Malta when I was oblivious to my surroundings with my ipod on).

 Tbh I am not a huge fan of doing miles on the road though I will be taking things easy for the time being and with me hoping to get a few fast 10ks under my belt I will be on the road a bit more.  Usually I am either side of 40 mins for 10k which is nothing special and after reviewing last years t24 result this was the avg time per lap for the winning team. My strength would be my stamina  and I have a decent rate of recovery.

Progression is going to be the key to my training and i am hoping 2013 is the year of a 10k Pb, it may be 10 years since I ran a mass 10k race and I need to target one in April. Any ideas?

[kinboshi]

40 minutes is a decent time for a 10K.  The average times at the tr24 are way slower than that. 

I need to target some 10Ks and probably a half or two before July - so will have a look and report back

[Jon MW]

40 minutes is a decent time for a 10K. ...

lol I'm targeting 30 minutes for a 5k in August so that sounds epic to me

In my defence I hate running, if it was something I liked there might be more chance of me putting in more training for it, as it is I'm just making my target time easier instead.

[iangascoigne]

First visit to this thread. Using it as an inspiration to get fit. Today I jogged from lounge to fridge in 10 seconds. I will keep you updated as to progress.

[kinboshi]

Team of five entered into this year's Thunder Run (http://tr24.co.uk) in July.

The team consists of three blondes and two of my friends from uni.  Again, I'm the worst runner in the team, but as I'm captain I can get away with that.

Gatso is taking part again, and this year we have a Thunder Run virgin - in the form of craigbetts!  As there are only five of us this time round, that means more laps and a lot more training required.  Gulp.

[craigbetts]

Team of five entered into this year's Thunder Run (http://tr24.co.uk) in July.

The team consists of three blondes and two of my friends from uni.  Again, I'm the worst runner in the team, but as I'm captain I can get away with that.

Gatso is taking part again, and this year we have a Thunder Run virgin - in the form of craigbetts!  As there are only five of us this time round, that means more laps and a lot more training required.  Gulp.

Oi oi Skipper! super pumped for this event, love to have races to train for and lots to learn in terms of nutrition/training etc.

Will hopefully be securing a place for this tonight.....

http://www.beaconsultra.com/

it sold out in under 4 hours last year and was a very enjoyable day.

[kinboshi]

Nutter.

[vegaslover]

Team of five entered into this year's Thunder Run (http://tr24.co.uk) in July.

The team consists of three blondes and two of my friends from uni.  Again, I'm the worst runner in the team, but as I'm captain I can get away with that.

Gatso is taking part again, and this year we have a Thunder Run virgin - in the form of craigbetts!  As there are only five of us this time round, that means more laps and a lot more training required.  Gulp.

How comes only 5 runners Dan for your team??

[kinboshi]

Eight runners was too many. The seven were had the previous year was better,but everyone wanted more of a challenge.

A team of six or more has to be mixed, and our female runner from last year wasn't a definite for this year.So going as a five made sense.

Does mean 5 or 6 laps each though...

[kinboshi]

Oh, and one team member from last year is running it as a solo runner this year!

[craigbetts]

Sunday's are run days! A few of the routes around my house go through the village Rauceby, this place is stunning and somewhere I have earmarked as a future home owner. The reason for the mention is as you run through the back of South Rauceby you run slightly up hill and on the exit of the village you are greeted by a great view of the surrounding area. You can not see a house, it is fields, trees and wildlife. The view combined with a gentle decline make this my favourite section of all of my runs.

When I used to read runners world, one of the pages was readers favourite runs. The one mentioned above would be up there but not my favourite. Do any readers of the thread have a favourite and if so what makes it.

Dan I sent monies for the team event over the weekend.

[kinboshi]

Thanks Craig.

The Thunder Run route is picturesque, but not sure you get to enjoy the scenery too much during the race.

In May there's a 10k on the Thunder Run course, and I'd definitely recommend doing it to get an idea of the route. May 9th I think...with drinks and eats at ours after.

[kinboshi]

6th May

http://www.provelosupport.co.uk/events/events/wiggle-thunder-run-10k/