Runners United: Where we support each other through the good runs, the bad runs and everything in between.

[Themasterandmargaritas]

15/10/11 - Donadea Forest Trail 10k - rhetorician
16/10/11 - Abingdon Marathon: MoshiMoshi
16/10/11 - Aviemore 10K: Piffpaffpoff
16/10/11 - Richmond Castle 10k: Stickylittlefingers
22/10/11 - Shockabsorber 10K Richmond Park - sfx
23/10/11 - Thruxton Mass Attack Duathlon- DebitheScot
23/10/11 - Big Fun Run 5k Edinburgh Holyrood Park - Bumply
23/10/11 - East Coast Run 10k - Ibbydibby
30/10/11 - Great South Run: Wheely, squix
30/10/11 - Nairobi Standard Chartered Half Marathon - M&M
05/11/11 - Glendalough Trail Run - rhetorician
06/11/11 - Lancaster Half Marathon - Fannybanjo
06/11/11 - Bonfire Burn 10K - Futurity
13/11/11 - Stebbing 10 Mile - bonkers20
19/11/11 - Maasai Mara Half Marathon - M&M
20/11/11 - Leeds Abbey Dash (10k) - DrNortherner
27/11/11 - City of Norwich half marathon: ibbydibby, MoshiMoshi
27/11/11 - Bicton Blister (10M) - RunningAllDay
22/01/12 - Four Villages Half Marathon (Helsby) - Fannybanjo
19/02/12 - Brighton Half marathon - Wheely
04/03/12 - Milton Keynes Half Marathon - pawsnclaws
11/03/12 - Cambridge Half Marathon - Futurity, Runnerstipple, Cherry (what have I done??)
25/03/12 - Edale Skyline - (21 miles. 4,500 ft climb) Hatwoman
10/03/12 - Blackpool Half Marathon - DrNortherner, Fannybanjo
01/04/12 - Reading Half-Marathon - RunningAllDay
22/04/12 - VLM: ibbydibby
29/04/12 - Shakespeare Half Marathon - FairyBasslet
27/05/12 - London Bupa 10K - Futurity
09/06/12 - Blenheim Sprint Triathlon - Cherry

Yay ! Well done on sub-hour futurity - fab fab ! And good news on feeling better afterwards.

And fantastic fanny on sub 1.50 half !! Well done - all those hills did the job.

Looking forward to reading race reports from both.

Great race report rhet - well done again.. its been a great weekend all round for hte three of you. I think I said before but I visited Glendalough on a study tour of early medieval Irish stuff as part of my degree. Beautiful... want to go back now.

cote - sorry about cancelled race, how frustrating.

Sciencebint- sorry you're still having issues. You must be going insane. I don't know anything about aquajogging but I have seen people in my local pool with strange things (paddles and things) whilst swimming. I hope you find something to keep you going in the meantime.

ooh had to leave that post and go off and so it managed to x-post with fanny. Great race report. Splits and report reads much like my run last week (except extrapolated over another 3 miles of course) so know how you feel over the last couple of miles. I retch like that too sometimes (last week wasn't until over the line though) - tis grim and its hard to get back to it afterwards so well done.

You must be on a high though now and deserve to be ! So pleased for you getting sub 1.50 .

Thanks wheely - yes very similar to yours. I hit mile 10 at around 1hr23 and you know what, you popped into my head! You know what though, those last 3 miles were tough, you get loads of training in at faster than HM pace, I intend to do tonnes of 10 milers at 8.10 pace in the future, I'm not going past 12 miles in training either. Its pointless unless i decide to do marathon but if I do, it'll be late next year. I'm going to work extra hard on pushing myself the last few miles in training. After March, I'm going to get into 5 and 10ks, I've realised I'm best at shorter faster runs.

Except of course I didn't run another 3 miles ! LOL at 'better at shorter runs' - you're not so bad at longer runs .

Interesting you don't think it was helpful going over distance . I think I've decided to follow one of Paula radcliffe's plans as the long runs start at 8 miles and build to 14 and its 12 weeks and if I start next week i'll have an extra 2 weeks in hand to run another couple of runs at distance.

wheely a 14 miler fine but I was going 16 miles plus. I did a 14, 15 and 16 miler since the GNR (along with 3 13.2 milers) and I know now that I don't need to keep doing 13 plus milers every week, I can do the distance no problem BUT can I
do the distance comfortably at my desired HM pace... No, not yet. Last mile showed that. So only way in my opinion, is to concentrate on working on my fatigue and doing steady runs at my HM pace then upping pace last section. I do believe I'm a stronger short distance runner, I regularly whack out 21 min 5ks in training and it's not a huge effort, I'd probably surprise myself at a 5k race. Definitely going to add one in in Feb. Have you entered a HM yet?

Plus I need to get on a track too and work
on sprints and good timed intervals! Haha not much is it?

Am doing Brighton half in Feb.

Yes, 21 mins v fast ! I think 23.5 ish my pb for 5k and don't think I'd get much faster. Don't much like shorter distances and don't think i"m designed for them as a midget with short stumpy legs.

I did 5k this morning, first since last w/e and was at MILs and forgot ipod and I could hear my feet slapping really hard. It's no wonder I get sore feet. Really need to work on this.

BTW I think I deserve a medal for 2 weekends in a row at MILs . Today she was making v. Caustic comments about dd2s hair (for those who've not seen the pics its a white blond and mad curly - but it really suits her ) - I was livid.

CoteDAzur how gutting about your race. But well done for still getting out there and getting a pb .
Well done fanny, sorry you were disappointed at the lack of knobs . Thats a shame about the powerade and feeling ill but all the more to be proud of that you still did it and sub 1.50.You must be so chuffed.
All this talk of not doing the full miles in training for a race. Im sure it works but can't get my head round it, think I would find it really hard to do a race psychologically if I not done the full miles.
Feeling very rough today, totm. So thought I would get some alcohol to drown my sorrow and help with the cramps. The woman in morrissons refused to serve me as I had no id , the mood I was in I am surprise I did not lamp (not that I'm a violent person). They should really have radars so not to challenge horomonally charged woman that have not drank fo a whole month. I know I am always told I look young for my age, but to be id'd is just draft. Anyway got some else where.

I rely on the treadmill for intervals . A v easy way to do them. I had said I was going to give up my gym membership now I don't need the creche for dd2 but am going to have to convince dh of the necessity I think.

at your MIL commenting on your DD's hair. It's sounds amazing. I had extremely white hair as a child (until late teens too) and none of mine have it. What did your MIL say? You get stuck into your training, I wish I'd have done few shorter races before my first HM. You'll know yourself better than I did after that 10 miler last week. Very good training race that. Hey, 23.5 ace for 5k! And you could get quicker!

Wow orangehead at being ided ! How old are you ? I can't believe thinking about it that I am twice legal drinking age and it only seems like yesterday we were faking id to buy Newky brown (class)

oh definitely a medal Wheely and some of my I finally got.

orange oh no no no, I don't recommend anyone not doing the full miles, this is just for me, I will do the odd 13 miles but NOT every week. I don't need to get the miles under my belt anymore. I think it's actually gone against me.

Im 33. There was a woman in the news the other dawho was Ided, I think she was something like 89 and showed her bus pass and they said they wouldn't take that someone not engaging brain there.

Another fab report Fanny. Hope you're still in the basking in the glow of a race well run.

now orange you're sure that's not stealth boasting there? There's no way anyone would think I was under 50 30! Hope you feel better soon.

She was sitting down the opposite end of the table and piped up 'wheelybug, your dad was right 'dd2's hair does look like a mop'. BIL says 'i love dd2's hair'. MIL 'do you ? ?' In a tone.

Ok my dad should not have joked about it either but that would have been in march so she's stored it up .... Grrr. I also know that my dad thinks dd2 is ace Nd my MIL can't cope with her hair.

Oh wow orange. When you're not hormonal you'll look back on that and be flattered !

No boasting Sticky I was properly peeved and think I even said to dh something about never shopping in Morrisons again [orangehead having a bit of a tantum].
Wheely . Was that in dd2's earshot?

wheely dratted MIL - I had that white blonde hair as a kid too (well, till I was in my teens, actually) - you hardly ever see it in Ireland. I don't know how collectively we seem to have accumulated such a bunch of (at best) tactless and (at worst) dysfunctional parents...

great report fanny I'm not sure about the mileage thing - I think you need to build your endurance, not work on your speed, personally. You know you have the speed, it's maintaining it over distance that you find hard - ergo, you need better endurance, no? Will send you the pages from my book tomorrow and see if you think it describes you

cote agree, doing the race anyway is hardcore! my legs have got progressively more sore as the day has gone on, but will probably be better tomorrow - 45 mins of hard downhill running has taken its toll on my quads. I also have a cold :( and stiff shoulders (from the uphill arm pumping?)

getting jumpy about DD2 now as well - less than 4 weeks to go. I can't imagine what it will be like having a baby in the house. Any tips for preparing DD? that's one of the things I'm worried about. Going to put down first year essays and watch Downton Abbey now...

great weekend all round, I'd say

wheely I hope your DD didnt hear. What a stupid thing for your MIL to say. Do you reckon when our offspring get partnered up, we'll be handed a step-by-step guide on how to piss them off? I can't imagine having so many opinions about things which are none of my business right now...

orange have a from me, my love. Some people just love to have a leetle bit of power to wield, don't they ? Just shows how inadequate they are as people.

Fanny have you thought anymore about stockport 10? Im in stockport and would love to do it but don't think I am up it, if it was perhaps a month later. Planning on doing first 7 miles on wednesday so could probably build up to 10 just about for then but there is two hills in it might be different if flat.

rhet young lady, I never take offence as I've had best advice from you all on here and each of you have helped me enormously. Re speed, I want to get faster, my aim is a sub 1.45 HM but it's going to take a while to
tune my body! I need to manage to finish next 2 HMs at constant pacez I agree re endurance but how's best way to sharpen it? I can do the miles no problemo so can only assume I need to work on getting myself trained to not flunk final stage. Training plans great but they are too general iykwim, we are all so different! Any tips welcomed!

Yes orange but she's only 2.7 so wouldn't notice at the mo but it won't be long till she does and dd1 was there and is almost 7 so fully aware of what she hears !

Rhet - you'll be fine when dd2 comes along, you'll soon wonder what you did without her. No advice re dd1 - my dd1 was over 4 when dd2 came along and was desperate for a sister by then !

Thanks Sticky

rhet if you've not already got it, DD1 loved "I'm a big sister now" www.amazon.co.uk/Im-Big-Sister-Joanna-Cole/dp/0688145094. It's a bit American, but the message is just right, imo. I just "translated" Mommy and diapers (DD1 couldn't read at the time, so it hardly mattered!). They still love it; in fact, I had to read it to them this afternoon. It seems to reassure them in their relationship, which is very sweet.