Today's Training

[Travs]

Grass session tonight.

5 x 90 secs.... first 60secs at a decent pace, followed by 30secs very hard.

This summer i've been enjoying dong these grass sessions without regard for pace... nice to run hard without the pressure of timed track work.

However i sneaked a look at my last few reps, and was averaging 3:19-3:22/km pace.... this is a bit of an improvement over last summer when i recall doing the 60 second reps in about 3:25/km if i was running well.

Session finished off with 5 x 60mtr sprints... which i use as an opportunity to look at technique rather than outright pace.

9.5 miles for the session, plus 4 miles AM.

Thursday we're on the track for a mix of km's and 200mtrs... quite looking forward to see how my km pace stacks up as i haven't done that distance rep on the track for some time.

[Travs]

Track session last night.

3 x (1km, 200 jog, 200mtrs)

600mtr slow jog between sets.

My target was 3:15 for the km's and 33secs for the 200's.

Having never previously done a km rep below 3:18 i was somewhat sceptical that i'd get anywhere near the target... but gave it a good go.

km's
3:18
3:19
3:21

200's
34
35
35

Only really fell apart on the very last lap of the last km, where despite throwing everything at it, i dropped a couple of seconds. But overall very pleased with those km times.

Was a tough session mentally... due to racing commitments, and others doing a different session, there were only three of us doing this... one was going close to 2:50/km and the other close to 3:05.... so i found myself adrift at the back, and it was quite windy as well... i generally prefer shorter reps on the track, but once get to km and above i think they are easier to do on the road.

11.5 miles for the session. Weekend session is 3 x 10mins but remains to be seen whether i'll do it uphill or on the flat, or road/treadmill.

[Llani Boy]

A sunny evening with a nice cool breeze for yesterdays RATRun from one of our favourite venues at The New Inn at Flash.
Only 5 of us set off over Oliver Hill to Axe Edge End. Across the dampish moor to Cheeks Hill and then a lovely traversing path that carries the Dane Valley Way to Reeve Edge Quarry, Danebower Chimney and down to the Pack Horse bridge at Three Shires Head.

Apparently, in the old days, this area was rife with criminals as with it being the meeting of the Cheshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire boundaries if the local lawmen turned up the criminals would nip over the relevant border where the lawmen had no jurisdiction.

Slightly uphill along a rough bridleway to Hawks Nest and then steeply back up to Flash. just over 7 miles, 1,074 feet in 1hr 13 min.

No food is served inside the New Inn but the owners allow us to eat our own picnic inside which was washed down with excellent Indian Runner 4.1% from Wincle Brewery. This is currently my favourite real ale by a long way.

[Mossdog]

First run outside of Teesdale since returning from a week's backpacking down sarf.

Bowderdale - The Calf - Calders - Great Dummacks - and back. 13.31 miles 2398 ft 2hrs 41 mins.

Hot and hotter, especially on the return leg with the breeze behind me.

My Hilly Twin Skin socks - about only 4th time of wearing - decided to strangle my big toes, feeling like cheese-wire, as the toes gave way and the inner skin of the sock tightened. So I spent the return half of the run sockless (surprisingly refreshing!) and the Hilly's were consigned to the bin on return- GrrrrH

[Mike T]

First run outside of Teesdale since returning from a week's backpacking down sarf.

Bowderdale - The Calf - Calders - Great Dummacks - and back. 13.31 miles 2398 ft 2hrs 41 mins.

Hot and hotter, especially on the return leg with the breeze behind me.

My Hilly Twin Skin socks - about only 4th time of wearing - decided to strangle my big toes, feeling like cheese-wire, as the toes gave way and the inner skin of the sock tightened. So I spent the return half of the run sockless (surprisingly refreshing!) and the Hilly's were consigned to the bin on return- GrrrrH

Did a hole develop or did the 2 layers just separate in a big way?

I am still wearing my Dexshell waterproof socks - and if my toes get a bit tender I add Injinji toe socks underneath. I dare not change from what works.

[Mossdog]

Did a hole develop or did the 2 layers just separate in a big way?

I am still wearing my Dexshell waterproof socks - and if my toes get a bit tender I add Injinji toe socks underneath. I dare not change from what works.

Definitely holes - and I'm quite fastidious when it comes to nail cutting too ! Merino seems to work better for me.

[Travs]

3 x 10 minutes today.

Having not fully recovered from thursday night, and being aware that doing three sessions a week is pushing the limit for me... made it a tempo session on the treadmill... not pushing as hard as recent weekend sessions which have been my toughest sessions of the week.

A good runout. Longer run tomorrow and then final session on tuesday before a couple of races.

Have invested in a pair of XC spikes for the coming winter... usually run in my fell shoes but think i'm at a point where wearing the correct footwear when its really muddy might actually shift me forward a couple of places.

[Travs]

An easy run out today, to view a local 10km race. So the run was spaced between various stops to spectate.

So despite clocking a solid 15 miles today, it has felt like an easy day.

Total for the week 77.5 miles.

Just got to grind it out until tuesday, then a few easy days before two consecutive weekends of racing.

The excellent Four Fans race next week. Feeling confident and ready to really attack it, will be going all out for a pb and a good placing. But really with not racing so often this year, i can't be 100% sure where my form is, but i'm surely in better nick than i have been for the last couple of races.

[anthonykay]

Beacon Hill and Windmill Hill; seemed rather laboured, but the time was reasonably fast. My last training run before racing in the Lake District. And I can now reveal that the race I have entered is . . . not on the FRA calendar. But it is on SIentries, and it's the Swirral Grind 850, organised by someone who never mastered subtraction at primary school. The start at Patterdale is at 150m, and the finish on Helvellyn summit is at 950m, and there's no downhill. 950-150=850? Anyway, 46 years after my first fell race (which was actually a hill race, since it was in Scotland), I am eventually doing an uphill-only race (assuming that it isn't cancelled due to lightning danger, torrential rain, etc; the weather forecast hasn't been looking good).

There are 22 entries so far (entries close on Wednesday), and I think I will have my work cut out to not finish last. I may well be the oldest runner there (there is one other M60, and the only F60 is definitely younger than me). Just looking at the four female entries, three are established fell runners who are faster than me, and the other one is on runbritain and has done a sub-20 parkrun last year.

[Travs]

Beacon Hill and Windmill Hill; seemed rather laboured, but the time was reasonably fast. My last training run before racing in the Lake District. And I can now reveal that the race I have entered is . . . not on the FRA calendar. But it is on SIentries, and it's the Swirral Grind 850, organised by someone who never mastered subtraction at primary school. The start at Patterdale is at 150m, and the finish on Helvellyn summit is at 950m, and there's no downhill. 950-150=850? Anyway, 46 years after my first fell race (which was actually a hill race, since it was in Scotland), I am eventually doing an uphill-only race (assuming that it isn't cancelled due to lightning danger, torrential rain, etc; the weather forecast hasn't been looking good).

There are 22 entries so far (entries close on Wednesday), and I think I will have my work cut out to not finish last. I may well be the oldest runner there (there is one other M60, and the only F60 is definitely younger than me). Just looking at the four female entries, three are established fell runners who are faster than me, and the other one is on runbritain and has done a sub-20 parkrun last year.

I spotted this race only a couple of weeks ago... as you rightly suggest, not being advertised on the usual channels, it was hard to find.

As someone looking to get into uphill races a bit more "seriously" next year, it really appealed... uphill races are quite hard to come by. However i found it too late.

I notice they also had a similar race on the Langdale Pikes earlier in the year... i'll definitely be keeping an eye on their website next year.

Personally i'd have my money on you avoiding last place... the lineup isn't full of recognisable names, and your experience will count for a lot.