Runners United - Conwy Cockwatch, a live birth and Alex "Rhet" Ferguson in one thread. What more could we ask for?

running great report about your toe and about the wee jaunt. I must admit that my pelvic floor isn't what it was and I had to forgoe the star jumps in the warm up.

Well done jez too.

Thanks for the top tips on trail shoes - rhet and sticky some one mentioned aisic kayanos (?) as being quite cheap to try out - anyone any experience of them?

I love the fact that on this thread on the same day we have races that are hard work due to the heat of an Australian summer and the windyness in the north, east and south west of the UK - a real contrast between an Australian summer and a Scottish winter.

peach hope things are settling down a bit with the wee one.

rhet - hope things start soon for DP and you.

Am in awe of all the triathlon chat, it's not something I would do - I swim keeping my hair dry.

You might remember about 15 threads ago I mentioned a family rowing event (boats and paddles rather that shouting and slamming doors) that DHs cousin had roped me in to - well our first practice is next Sunday - no idea what to expect - except for being very cold and sore arms.

Must refresh screen before posting!

Rhet, I think your baby deserves a fresh thread! Once it's started you can tell DP she's got 1000 posts in which to produce the goods. She'll love that.

D'oh!

My moderate plan had me running 5 times a week for a half.

Will definitely add some recovery weeks in. 12 weeks to go !

runners yep, 30 day shred. It's brilliant. Makes 20 minutes feel like an hour, it's very intense.

Half watching MOTD at the same time. So very very sad about Gary Speed.

Night everyone xx

Quickly dropping by to say well done to ravers. Good rubbing by you all. V tired. DH leaves on Tuesday for SF and then I shall be on my tod trying to get stuff done for the move and juggling the kids and dog until the end of term. Yawn. V tired. Over'n'out.

rhet I went for moderate intensity as I don't want to aggravate my hip more than necessary. I'll look at it again tomorrow with hard.

no, ages to go yet...I think the smartcoach thing is aimed at newish runners, so you need to select 'hard' as your intensity to get something that looks (to us) like a proper running plan. I just did that, based on my upper weekly mileages, for a 10k in April - it has me running 50 mile weeks and 15 mile long runs ...might use it, actually!

Hmm, think I may have to get shredding. Is it the 30 day shred that you use?

oh I'm posting so much, I'll be making rhet all jumpy

ange that definitely sounds wrong. The "moderate" is 3 days per week.

oh yes, have also made "rest days" = "shred days". I'm not really one for following things religiously (says the lawyer!!)

well, I've not used it before! However, I have made it my own by adding in the park run. That way, I have the LSR, the longish run with speedy bits in it, the recovery run (around 5 - 8 miles) and the 5k park run to try and go as fast as possible on. That seems like a good combo to me!

It's brill reading about all the races here.

Very interested to hear that some people do do breast stroke in triathlons - I thought freestyle was a pre requisite so would rule me out ... I did the GN Swim earlier this year but did it breast stroke.

I had a fiddle with the Smart Coach and it just gave me things to do on Thursdays and Sundays and the rest as rest days (if only :)) even when I put in training hard for a marathon, dunno what I was doing wrong? Too tired now I think.

Have arranged to go to first running club tomorrow night.

Thanks for the feedback sticky, monkey and wheely.

The first speedwork comes in Wk2 (of a 15 week plan) and is:
Dist: 5mi, inc Warm; 2x1600@10:05 w/800 jogs; Cool

By week 6 it is:
Dist: 7mi, inc Warm; 3x1600@9:59 w/800 jogs; Cool

Week 14 is:
Dist: 10mi, inc Warm; 5x1600@9:47 w/800 jogs; Cool

I guess it is a case of sustaining that speed over the distances that helps. But I don't quite get how this translates into speed on the day. Is it simply that your body is used to going faster for longer? I can't quite get my head around the fact that the longest long run is 11 miles but at 11.58m/m, and how that translates to (ideally) 10 minute miles on the day.

Did you all follow the plan religiously?

I just looked at that smartcoach too and also thought it all looked a bit easy. And very slow. I don't really see the point in going for a 2 mile run.
but I did like the easy week every 3 or 4 weeks where the milage drops, I didn't know that was allowed.

DH has just pissed me off by telling me the wrong facts about his mum's school and the strike, I then started a thread about it, then he told me the correct story.

ps don't think DD2 is going to be born on this thread, either...

sticky that sounds like Hal Higdon...

wheely I was looking at another plan (forget which now, there've been so many!) - which specifically said that it was giving an easy week every 4 weeks to reduce the risk of injury (and this approach had been scientifically proven; whether that was by the Laboratoire Garnier it didn't elucidate!)

runners when I did a HM plan on smart coach my recommended speed cane out about a minute slower than I usually do on all runs. And lots of easy runs (4 a week with 1 speed or tempo). I like the fact every 4 weeks it gives you an easier running week. I might incorporate that idea into my plan although tweak it so it falls in helpful weeks - like Christmas. But different things work for different people.

runnerstipple I was confused too as even the speedwork seemed very slow? - but I'm no expert and have never really cracked speedwork. Need to get cracking though, as my hm is 14 weeks away.

Running well done, good time and well done for not falling when you tripped. Hope the toe feeling better soon. Entertaining after a race now thats hardcore.
Well done on ds progress in potty training cherry
Well done jez looking forward to the report

runners I'm using the smart coach for marathon training, based on my GNR time and average weekly mileage. The first couple of weeks the "speed" work seems easy, but it soon turns the ratchet.

I.e. this week I'm on 5 miles (2 miles at 9:24), but by week 6 it's 7 miles (3 miles at 9:18) and by week 14 it's 8 miles (4 miles 9:07) (for me the pips would be squeaking by then, but hopefully I'll be all trained for it :)). The LSRs are just that, so no timing on them.

What do yours look like further down the plan? And are the fast miles also accompanied by general mileage?

Well done running, hope the toe is soon better. Poor you, but what a superwoman. I think I would have been putting my foot up and milking it . I tried to view your Garmin download but it told me I 'do not have sufficient privileges to view the activity' .

oh and yes rhet - my erstwhile secretary would frequently accuse me of being a worky ticket! The geordies are great, it has to be said. But it's hard to beat a word like "bockety". Brilliant!