Runners united: I run, I do running, I am a runner

well done chewy - great time, nice set of splits too. YOu sound like you enjoyed yourself!

Yayyy Chewy, I'm not surprised your pleased, that's a great time!!! Well done. I can see from your splits you had a good strategy of nit going off to fast. Looks like it worked. Brilliant! Did you enjoy it??

Look splits...

MILE TIME AVG. PACE
1 10:26 10'26"/mi
2 20:19 9'53"/mi
3 29:03 8'44"/mi
4 37:53 8'50"/mi
5 47:33 9'40"/mi
6 57:16 9'43"/mi
7 1:07:09 9'53"/mi
8 1:17:30 10'21"/mi
9 1:27:45 10'15"/mi
10 1:38:13 10'28"/mi
11 1:49:24 11'11"/mi
12 1:59:25 10'01"/mi
13 2:09:39 10'14"/mi

I'm back!

I finished in 2hr 9min 39sec. I am very happy and cannot stop grinning. Will post a full race report later.

Great race yesterday Driving. it's natural to feel after you could have gone faster but I think your strategy for yesterday was sound. Just getting out there and remembering why you love running (and racing) is worthwhile.

Am also guilty of not pushing myself in running. I think it is because am scared to try and fail. Perhaps it's the same with you? Am sure if we pushed ourselves and achieved our goal we'd feel great but even if we don't manage it we'd find something else out about ourselves that would be valuable. Listen to me?I sound like a cheap self-help book!!! But maybe you know what I mean.

can't wait to hear how the others get on today!

driving - there is something about running that makes me feel more alive than anything. I wonder if you can do something to tap into that feeling and open up yourself to your true potential? You are definitely your own worst enemy in holding yourself back. I agree your dad's early death may play a role but do you think in confronting your feelings you might overcome it and enjoy your running more in seeing what your potential is?

emma amazed that you remembered that! yes, somewhere deep down there's something going on with that whole dead of a heart attack at 45 thing (yes, I'm 45). I wonder what I can do about it?

chewy and debi and paws good luck today - particularly interested to read a tri race report - our first on here, I think, at least since I joined

not much planned today - pancakes and then allotment (will have to loiter outside and hope someone lets us in as left key in UK...), I will go out for a 6-7 mile recovery run (although my effort yesterday hardly merits it...) later on as I really want to up my game now

OK it is 6.30 am , I have been up for 40 mins now (thankyou 2yr old DS) and it is WET.

Detailed forecasts suggest it will dry a bit before the race but with risk of thundery showers. I hear Perth had flash flooding yesterday so it could be really wet underfoot, even muddy at the start.

Good luck Debi. Although, you sound really organised and probably won't be faffing on Mumsnet this morning .

Thanks for all the good luck messages.

don't know what the weather's like elsewhere in the uk, but really hope it's ok for all you racers tomorrow

chewy - I am guessing that since you're just up the road then your weather is pretty much the same as here - really do hope that it improves for you tomorrow

I have a feeling tomorrow's run for me will be in the gym - either that or I'll be running in wellies considering the amount of rain we've had this evening - roll on holidays and sunshine.

Good luck tomorrow, everyone! X

and meant to say, thanks for posting your report, driving. I think it's good for your confidence to have finished with the feeling that you had something left in the tank, although I recognise that slight frustration that comes with knowing you could have been faster. But like you say, your priority was to have a good run, which you did.

Re: discomfort - I don't know whether this will help, but if I'm suffering I try to focus on the rhythm of my breathing and footfalls, which I find helps to focus and calm me. I worry sometimes that I'm about to keel over but I've only really overdone it once, and felt properly ill - so I know if I'm not feeling like I did then, I'm OK really. I remember well what you said a while ago about your dad having had a heart attack and your understandable worries that you might have one too - that's a huge mental barrier to overcome when you're trying to push yourself.

ooh, good luck Debi. I've been wondering about doing a triathlon for a while, so will be v. interested to hear your experiences tomorrow. I hope it all goes swimmingly (or runningly/bikingly!) for you.

Good luck tomorrow everyone !

although debi - that para about a box with lots of things scares the hell out of me ... spends bike money on a handbag ;-) Sounds complicated.

Well done again driving - Sounds like the perfect run to banish negativity (and i sympathise with that !).

Feeling better today so will run tomorrow (might have done today although DH has been stuck in B'ham for those not on FB) - although we have a church obligation, followed by a family party followed by getting dd1 to another party but that is at my gym so if worst comes to worst I'll jump on the treadmill whilst she's there.

Best wishes to all for tomorrow x

so, leisurely start this morning - slice of toast, tea and banana and then on bike to start with about 10 minutes to spare - just as well as the start was about 10 minutes late! I didn't manage to go to the loo beforehand which was a problem later on...weather cool and a bit breezy. Started off on the flat and into the wind - first mile is pretty easy, as is second. I am tooling along at easy pace (as defined above by Moshi) but keen to run a happy race to put demons to rest. 3rd mile is my slowest, mainly because I end up talking to a colleague through most of that one. Mile 4 is down and then up again, but produces my best split (all relative) - if I'd run the whole thing at that pace I would have been thrilled. By this time we have looped around and the sun is getting pretty hot. The final mile is all uphill - a slow steady one (known as Kyber) - a nice lady tells me that 'you can do it' as I toil upwards. I am at this point towards the back, with the assorted body shapes group but still running easy. Quick sprint to the finish.

In retrospect I am annoyed that I didn't push harder, but then I've run very little that last 3 weeks, and I also recognise that most of my difficulty is psychological - I can run faster, but my mind won't let me and tells me that I can't do it. I was happy to get round easily in not too terrible a time in a good atmosphere. The fastest woman in my age category finished in 32 minutes . But I feel a bit more confident now - any tips for helping me banish my demons and run through discomfort?

Thanks for all your good wishes and congratulations - you've been very patient with my moaning and groaning!

Good luck for tomorrow!

Moshi you're a star - you have given me the best advice possible, especially with heart monitor I did look into the Bupa training plan but I find plans too hard to maintain and I know for a fact that 13 miles won't be a problem for me so I could carry on doing what I'm doing and finish it BUT I would love to do it under

paws, chewyand debi - good luck for tomorrow - hope conditions are good for you.

driving - glad you enjoyed it and well done.

Oh, just read back and realised I forgot to mention about visualisation - I meant to go through the pre-race routine and also the race itself. It helps with transition in particular by focusing on the order of events when removing/adding clothes/helmet/shoes which is vital as you can be DQ if you forget a helmet on your bike (although not if you run with it!)

Right it's coming up to dinner time so a final good luck to paws, chewy and debi for tomorrow! I suggest you try some visualisation when in bed tonight if you aren't already doing that sort of thing. In particular with triathlons I find it very useful in preparing for a race mentally and also to anticipate any unforeseen events and being in a position to deal with them without getting all flustered. Really looking forward to the race reports!

Well done again to driving! I hope you have well and truly beaten your bete noire and banished that negativity to the corner where it should stay.

fanny - I don't use a HRM and always go by the CanIHoldAConversation rule. Yes, means an easy pace ie heart rate probably no higher than 140bpm, no means it is somewhere between that and maximum. All out efforts means not being able to talk - around 90% of maximum - and snatched conversation means tempo ie around 75%. It is all very rough and approximate but it is easy to get obsessed with figures and I like to try and go by feel. Plus life is complicated enough without having to find the HRM as well as the Garmin when I nip out for a run !

fanny - are you using a schedule currently? It not take one from Runners World (they helpfully have time goals which gives you an idea of what sort of weekly runs you need to fit in to achieve a goal time. I can help guide you through the runs they suggest so you understand the role of each and what can be missed if real life intervenes.

I bet I could do with a heart rate monitor couldn't I? .

Great advice there Moshi - half my problem is I use running as a calorie burner so I'm always trying to do longer runs whereas I'm burning out hence I'm getting slower. Can you help with regards a good training plan - I'll be doing 11 miler tomorrow morning so what should rest of my week look like... (in prep for GNR) - only if you don't mind - haha you have 4 kids, here's me asking you for help!! the reason I would love advice from you and not a book or magazine is because you're a mum too... You understand how my body will sometimes be totally done in from 2 toddlers and a precocious 8 year old... . Thanks so much!

fanny - I wouldn't get too caught up in times and what you lost. I imagine you know whether you feel on form and like you are improving or not as, I think personally, having babies tends to give you a good awareness of your body as a runner. 30 mpw is a good base although my feeling is that you are better off targeting your HM this autumn and then using the winter time to get some good base marathon miles in for a spring marathon. In particular as you run better in wintertime. I am also asthmatic but think running helps it and especially in summertime. Nothing to be gained by rushing into the endurance events. I think many beginner runners target marathons too soon and are better off looking to train for 5Ks and 10Ks before moving onto HMs and finally marathons. The body has more time to accustom itself to the repetitive impact and avoid injuries.

I also take time to wake up in the mornings. Our bodies are cold and take a while to get going. But races are typically in the morning so it is not such a bad thing to get used to morning running. Do you adjust your pacing for distances? Your week's running should ideally be split into a longer run (a Long Slow Run or LSR), a tempo run and/or speed/interval session and a shorter recovery run. Each has their own part to play and together they combine to create a lean mean racing machine on race day that goes faster than ever having tapered and absorbed the training!