I missed running on Thursday and Friday, stress and depression hit home, hard! You
would think trying to sort out a few minor issues with the club Grand
Prix would be easy but yet again I hit a stone wall of negativity. Good
news is that I can see a change a coming! People are getting tired of
the way things are being run and it looks like a new wave of positivity
and encouragement are just around the corner, here's to THE NEW ORDER. Sat 30th At
least the rest did my legs good, I felt quite fresh as Tess and me set
off on another long run. Marius Bakken recommended 2 hours 30 min but
we ended up with almost 3 hours as we ran over the big sand dunes,
through the pinewoods then back between the two golf courses which
included the infamous 'Big Dipper'. = 2.49 Sun 31st Easy run with Sarah,Jon and Tess. Total time = 1.28 ARE RUNNERS SEXY CLICK HERE
Tue 2nd Had another great run today, once again it was a Marius Bakken session. 20
mins at 1/2 marathon [6.04]pace followed by 10 x 45 sec at 10 k [ 5.44]
pace.I felt confident and in total control of the session and hit my
target pace of 6.04 for the 20 min tempo run, a few mins easy and i did
the 45 second efforts round a half mile hill loop along Trafalgar Rd. I finished feeling energized and fresh!=1.00 Mon 1st Club session =2.05
Check out this video of Earl Fee and change your perceptions of what is possible. Amazing stride for an 80 year old, awesome!!!
Oh man it was cold yesterday, set off as the snow came down, my legs started to burn as the snow stuck to my running tights and freeze burned my skin. It was a very long hour and half run over the sandhills.
Working the endurance system while adapting to a faster pace through running faster and faster within each 3 min, Marius Bakken 1 min 6.48 pace-1 min- 6.10 pace-1 min 5.44 pace-2 mins easy x 6 I've
been doing my fast sessions in the dark, I kind of find it more
exciting and if I go out at about 7 pm there are no cars on the back
roads to get in my way. I
loved this session short and sweet, the hardest part was running at
6.48 pace, once I upped the pace the momentum made my legs flow round
and everything smoothed out. I added some hilly loops to give my legs some fast downhill running, before finishing on flatter roads'. It
was much warmer than Wed and I broke out into a nice sweat under my
thermal jacket, i took off my gloves and found I was running really
well. GOOD FUN SESSION :] = 38 mins
A custumer at work said they thought I was 32, OK, maybe they need glasses but I'm happy to go along with them :] Cus I'm 49 in March this year! But as they say age is just but a number and I feel better than I did at 20, back then I doubt I could have run a 1/4 mile without feeling really bad! Maybe I'm reversing the clock of farther time!!!
Friday is my normal rest day apart from doing some core and resistance training, but my lovely wife Niz wanted to do a run with me, so we headed out for a nice easy run for 21 mins.
An Interview with Running Form Expert, Jay Dicharry
Q: What is the most common form mistake you see? A:
Runners who don't extend the hips! Runners need to work on hip
extension stretching so that they can actually extend the hip and not
the back. Tightness of the hip flexors, which prohibits hip extension,
leads to so many other compensations that it’s crazy not to do
it. I can say pretty confidently that about 90% of the folks reading
this article will directly benefit from working on their hip extension.
READ FULL REPORT HERE
I
set out into a cool dark night to do yet another Marius Bakken session,
this time 30 mins at 1 /2 marathon pace [ 6.04] followed by 10 x 30 sec
with 30 sec rec.I
used my 5 K Birkdale - Hillside loop, but added two extra loops round
the Trafalgar Rd hill, up by Hillside to get the necessary distance in
. Surprisingly I finished with 5 miles at 6.03 pace!A few mins recovery and i was ready for my 10 x 30 sec efforts, this time I decided to use a short hill.Kicking
into the first one I felt pretty dam good, concentrating on knee drive
and good posture. Once I reached 30 sec I jogged easily for 30 secs
before charging downhill at speed,my Spira shoes made some fantastic pinging sounds as the springs in the soles recoiled at 13.8 mph Max!I carried on for 10 mins and felt buzzed by the end :]there
are many benefits from doing these up and down hill sprints, on the up
improves knee drive and ankle strength and the downhills promote faster
leg turn over and longer strides as well as improving the ability of
the legs to handle the pounding they will get in the Marathon. CLICK ON PHOTO for podcast on downhill running My
weight seems to be dropping as I stick to my healthy fresh veg and
fruit diet at work, which means I'm getting a little more frisky when I
run!Mon 8thClub interval session 7 x 800m at 10 K pace, plus run down and back = 2.10 My
next Race is the famous Parbold hill race on Saturday, this is a true
X/C race over just one 7 mile loop and with 3 brutal climbs, AWESOME
FUN :]
I've
been feeling like the Marius Bakken training has been working well for
me, and today i was amazed to be keeping up with guys I'd not been able
to stay with for many years. my
23rd place [ out of 500] is my best ever placing, back in 2003 [ my
best year running] i finished 29th. Today I finished almost 3 mins
faster than last year! This is cool, NO REALLY, REALLY COOL :] Report to follow.
The 40th Parbold Hill race, an epic adventure! Simon Tobin gave me and 3 of his friends Jen Unwin,David Unwin and Phil Shorrocka lift to the start of a truly Classical Parbold hill race. I warmed up with Simon, running part way up Hunters hill, legs feeling good, expectations high! We
got to the start line in the playing fields with 5 mins to go, only to
be told the start would be delayed by 10 minutes due to the large
number of runners still queuing to get a number! Thankfully conditions were not to cold and at last we were off, almost 500 stampeding wilder
beast charged forward, we banged and barged are way round a lap before
exploding out through a narrow gap out into the road. I effortlessly
made my way through the mass of runners up ahead. I could see the
flashing lights of the lead police car and the front of the race
unfolding in front of my eyes. After 1/2 mile we turned left and headed
straight up the quarry road, a sea of bobbing heads took on the
challenge of gravity, the 1st mile passed in 6.15,. I was going well,
slowly taking out runner after runner on my upward flight, after a very
steep section we emerged out on to the tops with spectacular views of
the local countryside all around. I pressed the accelerator button and
propelled myself forward ready for the downhill assault! Posture
tall, leaning forward from the ankles I locked into gravities pull,
They pay good money for this don't ya know, an awesome roller coaster
ride to die for! I flick my heels up behind me and drive my knee's
forward, faster and faster I plunge. I can see Chris Pedder just ahead,
this is amazing, he is such a good X/C runner it's rare for me to get
this close to him, my new training programme and healthy eating diet
must be working! All to soon we reach the bottom fields and head out
along the road, a left turn 400m further on and the climbing starts in
earnest again, knees pumping high, I gear down, shortening my stride
and increasing my leg turnover, I focus in on the runner in front
imagining I'm being pulled forward by a big rubber band. Through the
trees and out onto the notorious Parbold hill main road, as we go past
the church the grade increases and the runner in front starts to pull
away, negative thoughts flash through my mind, but i replace them with
positive feelings of power and drive. Onto the last section I fight
back increasing my tempo I pass the guy ahead, then another as I go
over the top [in 19th place] like a King of the mountains sprinter in
the Tour De France. We are greeted by a large enthusiastic crowd
cheering us on our merry way, two brutal hill conquered one to go! Soon
we turn left and follow a old farmers cart lane that's been here since
the mists of time, I start to slip and slide on the mud as my trail
shoes fail to bite into the slime, one by one a group of runners pull
past me, I desperately fight to hold last in line. at last after a long
slog up through the fields we reach tarmac and I use my road racing
skills to move up to the front of our fast moving group just in time
for the final off road uphill assault, I slip back again and by the end
of the climb I'm grimly clinging onto the back of the bunch again. The
old ruined windmill comes next, one of the highest points of the
course, a sharp right soon after takes me down a narrow rocky, muddy
path, I trip and smash my knee on a jutting rock, no time for damage
inspection, I clamber up and climb over a wall before charging down the
final descent. Across a road
and onto the last field, we are taken further out than normal due to
part of the field being re seeded for the spring, over a stream, a last
final all out effort as I try to catch the guy in front of me who is
starting to stagger as his energy drains away. I
cross the finish line muddy and bloody but elated and ecstatic in 23rd,
my highest ever finish in 15 years of trying here.Cool! 15
southport waterloo runners raced here, a great turn out, Brian Davey
had an epic battle with Neil Adshead and a very fast improving simon
Tobin to finish second of the SWAC runners in, Gary Kenny and Phil
bailey also had very good runs. Vicky Harvey just out paced a very fit looking Liz Stanfield, followed by Carole Handley and a smiling Rachel Thomas. Simon's friends D Unwin finished in 1.2.16 with Jen Unwin and Phil Shorrock both first timers here finishing in excellent times of 1.22.50 and 1.21.08.
What
kind of experience do you have? How long have you been doing what you
are doing? Are you constantly challenging yourself to get better? Are
you gaining experience or doing the same thing over and over? Are you
repeating mistakes or do you learn from them and improve? Dr Joe Vigil
summed it quite well for me once when he said; You can have one
experience thirty times or you can have Thirty years experience.”
Who would you rather be around and learn from? I have had to work too
often with people who have had one experience Thirty times. It is
stifling. Experience is a great teacher. You gain experience by seeking
out new ideas and new approaches, you rediscover old approaches that
previously did not work, but will work now. It makes each day exciting,
there is something to wake up for!
Training for the week Wed 17th Big sandhills easy with Tess, the sun was out at last = 1.27 Tue 16th Marius Bakken session, variation of speed-going long, learning pace control, having confidence. 12
min 6.04 pace, 3 min 5.44 pace, 6 min 6.04 pace, 3 mins 6.48 pace, 9
min 6.04 pace, 3 mins 5.44 pace, 1 min 5.44 pace, 1 min 5.44 pace with
2 min recover between each. tough session but made it through with flying colours :] mon 15th club fartlek session at 10 k pace, wet and windy and started to feel quite cold by the end. ran down and back = 2.07 RUNNING The B K Method
