Set out on a cool night to do another of Mariosbakken's sessions, this time i had to run 20 mins
at level 3 [ marathon-1/2 mp] followed by 10 x 1 min at level 4 [ 10k
pace]The idea of the session is to train the body to handle a fast pace
when already tired. After a warm up i kicked into the tempo run, I was aiming at 6.04 pace as I was only running for 20 mins. the first couple of mins i got that aweful
not warmed up feeling that I wouldn't be able to hold the pace, but
then my legs warmed up and I settled into a fast but steady effort. my
loop has a couple of short hills in the first half with the second half
being faster. i was doing sub 6 pace on the way back, I wasn't
breathing hard but I did have to concentrate to stop my pace dropping,
onto my half mile finishing curcuit and I had 2 mins to go, i was feeling quite strong andfinished right on targetwith 3.29 miles in 20 mins with an average 6.04 pace. Now i had a couple of easy mins jogging before I started 10 x 1 min at 10k pace. I
moved onto some quite back roads then off i charged again, i was
looking for 5.44 pace and I found that no problem. I finished my 10th effort and decided to see what i could do if i really pushed it, 5.18 averagewas the answer for effort no 11, Awesome, I'm very happy with that :] I did all this wearing my brand new Nike zoom red rock trail shoes! Well,
they only just came through the post, so I had to try them out! I was
gutted when my last pair wore out in the summer because no one had them
in stock any more, so i was made up when I saw Direct Sports had the
mark 2 version [ £38 ] in stock last week, great, great shoe,
light, flexible with loads of grip and so comfy too, I love em :] I also really like the Marius Bakken
2.45 training plan, the sessions change each week and you have target
paces to go for, so you feel you've really achieved something at the
end of each workout, Also i think the fact that you never go harder
than 10k pace means you don't dig yourself into a hole you can't get
out of, my normal way is to push to the limit on each effort, but it
can take too long a time to recover from that sort of intensity! Synchronicity Also
in the post; my internet friend David O'Meara [ The one mile runner]
sent me a signed copy of his new book 'Creating Amazement' cheers
David :] I've been really getting into mind training in the last couple
of weeks and David's book has lots of answers on how to change your
mindset to achieve amazing things, wow! Cool! I'll do a rewiew of his book once I've read through it. Ok thats it for now, take care and happy running :]
Rick thats a great workout, I like the sound of what your doing...... I am still working up to 10k pace I am taking each session a bit faster but not pushing it as I dont want to be injured again ;-)
My Marathon training is similar there is no need to go quicker than 10k pace really for marathons, I am going to go over my plan soon with Coach Reg I cant wait.
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!!!
Rick nice session and I think the video is great :)
From RICKS RUNNING on Wed, Feb 03, 2010 at 09:29:06 from 79.78.169.139
thanks Sam.
Just think If an 80 year old guy can run like that, then anything is possible :]
Thu, Feb 04, 2010
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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.
Rick you must have been running when I was, I went over sand dunes near the end of my session LOL
You know what thats a cool race on the video wanna do that one too now ha ha
Oh the cold yesterday ouch I had a t-shirt, long sleeved run top and my light weight water proof jacket and My tummy was so cold my hands, face was frozen and my legs were red too brrrrr cold today as well :(
From RICKS RUNNING on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 03:09:38 from 79.78.249.22
Yes it was not nice out there, glad to see the snow melt, yeah that race looks cool :]
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
That session is exactly like a session thats in the Burn the fat book, I have done that session years ago its really good isnt it, hard but good.... nice work out Rick. Love the video too, I run mid/forefoot ! and do barefoot training on the beach in the summer
From RICKS RUNNING on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 12:05:35 from 79.78.249.22
Running on the beach barefoot to strengthen the feet and ankles sounds like a great idea, yeah might try that in the summer, think my toes would get frost bite if I tried that now!!!
Yes I liked the session and if it speeds up my metabolic rate and burns fat all the better:]
I've been eating fresh veg and fruit at work and lost a few pounds but my target 10 st 10 lb still seems a long way off, think i'm 11 st 4 lb right now. Ryan Hall at same height as me is only 10 st 0 lb.
ok thanks for the comments, happy running this weekend and lets hope for no more snow!
Sat, Feb 06, 2010
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AGELESS!!!
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.
Hey Rick thats a great race well done You can turn it into a race report, when You enter it in the date on the calendar there is an option to tick the race box :)
Love the report, and so glad you have done the best in 15 years, the training is paying off, as its a pretty testing course too! I miss Parbold hill races, and may try and fit one of the races in from over that way this year fingers crossed eh:) Are you doing the Liverpool Half Marathon ???
From RICKS RUNNING on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 02:34:50 from 79.70.178.132
Thanks Sam,
Yes if things go well i hope to have a good race at Liverpool.
Yeah you should do some of the Harrock hill races, 'good fun':]
Great I shall see you at the half, but it wont be for long, as I am sure you will be racing that one, and even if I was racing you will be well ahead :-)
What time are you aiming for in the half? is anyone else running it from the club. I hear the team did well at the xcountry in the mid lancs league Mens team won yeah :)
From RICKS RUNNING on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 08:49:01 from 79.78.178.231
Hello Sam, think there will be a good turnout at Liverpool as it's in the club GP, I think the liverpool 1/2 website has a list of runners already entered.
Yeah the guys did well at the X/C, it's good to see some young guys coming through at last:]
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
Rick great picture :) wow great training week too, that marius Bakken workout sounds lethal and the club fartlek I wish i could run with the club, but it just doesnt work running in the night, Dylan has something on most nights, and its all a bit hectic :(
Great workouts Rick :)
From RICKS RUNNING on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 03:36:25 from 79.78.130.39
Thanks Sam. shame you can't do the clun sesson, it's good fun running in a group.
The marius Bakken sessions get even longer next week!
When I first saw the programme I was like 'no way' but now I've found i can complete them my confidence is building, plus losing 6 lb in weight so far this year helps too :]
Sat, Feb 20, 2010
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NAUGHTY< NAUGHTY< VERY NAUGHTY AND THE LONG SLOW RUN !!!
Tess and me headed out on a long one over the big sand dunes and through the pinewoods.
We got stopped twice by rangers going through a private path inside the woods.
Seem I need a pass from 'Natural England' who control the Ainsdale pinewoods, oh well :{
Finished with 3 hours and 1 min.
Don't really like these slow runs but i know it will do me good in the end!
In Ewen's last post he gave a link to Steve Magness's website. I
found a very interesting article he had written on 'learning how to
run'. In fact Steve was basically saying everything i thought i knew
about correct running form was incorrect!!! At first I felt a bit
annoyed, but I kept an open mind and the more I read and watched his
video's the more what he was saying made sense. basically in simple terms he teaches you to use the 'hip stretch/reflex mechanism'so you can run with less effort. Think of the road like a treadmill, with the road moving under your feet. As you land let the ground drag your foot back so your hip and leg are fully extended behind you [see photo above]. Allow
a passive toe off, now the interesting bit, keep your leg relaxed as
your foot lifts from the ground, now feel your knee moving forward
without any conscious effort on your own part, at the same time your
knee will bend letting the heel come up towards your butt and all this
happens without effort, no powerful and tiring knee drive or hamstring
butt kicking needed! And even better the faster you run the faster
and stronger will be your knee drive and heel lift and I repeat this
all happens without conscious effort!!! 'Hip stretch/reflex mechanism' So how does this work ? Simple!
by letting your foot get dragged back more, which in turn extends your
hip and leg the muscles and tendon in front of the hip are stretched,
as the foot leaves the ground after toe off the muscles snap back, like
a elastic band, pulling your leg forward! It took me 2 runs to get
the hang of this 'new to me' way of running. It feels much easier than
my normal way of running, your just using energy to hold yourself
upright in a good posture instead of burning lots of energy driving the
knee and kicking your heels up, very very cool :] now as i look at
photo's and video's of elite runners i notice they all have this very
extended hip and knee and are using their muscles and tendons as
springs! So please read Steve's article and video and have a go at
turning your legs into powerful springs, let us know how you get on,
remember to keep an open mind, it will be worth it in the end! READ HERE VIDEO Oh, and a big thanks to Ewen for the link!
I asked Niz to take a video of me running along the sea wall near Southport pier on a dull windy afternoon. I've been working at usingSteve Magness's'Hip stretch/reflex mechanism'running
method for the last couple of weeks.I can see that my knees and heel
are coming up nicely without effort but I can see a few faults, my head
is looking down and I'm bending forward at the waist, so I've got room
for improvement! it's really useful to have a video taken of yourself so you can see and work on your faults. What do you think of Tess's running form? Check out Steve's website and video's on correct running mechanics READ HERE VIDEO
UPDATE: official time 1.18.30, chip time 1.18.22 Position 21st out of 5000 + 2nd age group 45 New 'ALL TIME' P.B. YES! :} :} :} RESULTS My unofficial time on my Garmin showed 1.18.17, 5.59 pace!
I sprinted all out at the finish and missed the clock, so will have to wait a few hours for the official results. It was a cold windy morning down at the docklands start, with a stiff sea breeze to chill the bones! I was shaking on the start line, not with fear but with the cold! the
race started soon after 9.30 am, I got a good start and within minutes
we were charging up Parliament hill, after 1/2 mile or so we moved onto
nice rolling roads where I picked up speed and started averaging 10.2
mph. Next we detoured through princess park and then Sefton park. I was running with a good group of runners and we went through 6 miles just on 35 mins. I was going really well and I knew it! The Newton shoes felt great but the cold air was making my left calf tighten up a bit, I tried to relax it and it did ease off. Next we passed through Otterpool park then turned out onto the sea front and hit a massive headwind :[ 10 miles passed in 58.59
well up on target, but the wind felt incredibly strong, I was now
running with one other guy in yellow and I asked him to work with me,
taking turns at the front then dropping back and getting shelter. Oh man this last section felt endless, it was cruel, it was the enemy trying to stop me from getting my p.b. Just
before 11 miles team mate Gerry came passed powering through the block
headwind, I tried to hold him but could not and he slowly pulled away! Soon
i could hear the finish line commentator and I pushed as hard as my
tiring legs [ sucked empty of energy from the horrible wind] would
allow! Mcmillan now says I can run a 2.45 Marathon :] Anyway I'll post my official time as soon as the results come out, but pretty sure it's a new P.B. not
bad for someone who has been running for over 17 years and last set
their 1/2 marathon P.B. 6 years ago, oh and did I tell you I'm 49 now,
but better than ever!!! THE IMPOSSIBLE IS POSSIBLE! believe it :] Thanks
go out to Marius Bakken for his great training programme, AWESOME! I
hope this shows that with correct training P.B.'s are still possible
into your late 40's! and maybe beyond :] team mates Angelaset a new p.b.[great run] improving from 1.37 down to 1.32 note; please check out her website, click on her name and help her charity, thanks. Simon
and Paul did not do quite as well, Simon just missed breaking his P.B.
with 1.28 and Paul did not feel good from 3 miles on and finished with
1.33 LIVERPOOL HALF MARATHON RACE PHOTO'S
I did all this wearing my brand new Nike zoom red rock trail shoes!
