mr b's comeback

[Marco]

I was thinking on the way up how much get-up-and-go i've lost in my running and training since having post-viral respiratory problems. I'm really flat mentally, more so than aerobically possibly, my lungs are becoming better and better, but my head is still well out of the game. I've totally lost my focus and i don't have that sharpness and racing edge any longer, i can feel that it's missing. I've only done one race since backing off it a bit to focus on steadier stuff, but i'm finding it hard to get out and get going and i'm concerned i might not get that racer's snarl and tenacity back again.

Any advice?

My advice is that if you're "finding it hard to get out and get going", then it's worth considering not doing it, and doing something else instead.

I don't know how long you've been running, but I know it's some years. Very simply, you might have become bored of what you're doing and it might not be giving you the same excitement/enjoyment that it used to. At a point such as this, I would consider either a different form of running, (such as middle distance track), or possibly even a completely different sport.

As Graham Breeze has proved with his cycling, as long as you're doing the same level of cardiovascular training you won't lose that. You might lose muscular adaptions, but you will retain the neurological technique so if you (hopefully) find you miss it again it wouldn't take long to make a return.

[Travs]

I'll race MrB over 1500mtrs track

Reckon it would be a close one!

Although i think you'd beat me all-ends-up in your prime Marco

[Marco]

I'll race MrB over 1500mtrs track

Reckon it would be a close one!

Although i think you'd beat me all-ends-up in your prime Marco

Not necessarily; 800m and 1500m share a similarity with fell in that the fastest runner doesn't always win. Although shorter in duration, the ability to screw up your tactics is massive.

I once beat a runner who was a quite a lot better than me in a 1500m. I was struggling in second place on the kerb with 250m to go, when he came past me on the inside (presumably he was boxed in behind me). Now you can't do this, and he should have been disqualified. The mistake he made was to shoulder barge me into lane 2 when he came back onto the track. I was so very angry that I would have rugby tackled him if he'd been close enough. Instead, I spent the whole of the finish straight pulling him back, using every drop of a very large adrenaline surge, to pass him for second in the very last metre.

I didn't make a complaint afterwards, because I knew I'd done better than I would otherwise have done. I'd have gladly taken third before the start.

[Travs]

I'm sure you put up a time somewhere on here, and it was way quicker than i'll ever manage.

I managed 4:45 last spring, though like you say, tactics and circumstances on the day play a part. I was in a pitched battle for 1st from 600mtrs out and that definitely helped my time, possibly 7-10 seconds, there's no way i'd have done that time if i was on my own.

Got another one booked for august but i'll be surprised if i beat 4:45

I do very much enjoy the track though... its intense!

[mr brightside]

When i was training for the Leeds 10k ages ago, i enjoyed the weekly duels at parkrun, but it's a drag in the winter. Ice, frost, mud and changes of route depending on the severity of all of it. I've got another cold now, starting to sound like Bob Phlegming all over again. The love of a good woman would sort me out, but they're like hen's teeth at my age.

[noel]

I think the love of a good woman wouldn't help your cold. Whereas it might harm your 5k times.

[Marco]

I'm sure you put up a time somewhere on here, and it was way quicker than i'll ever manage.

I managed 4:45 last spring, though like you say, tactics and circumstances on the day play a part. I was in a pitched battle for 1st from 600mtrs out and that definitely helped my time, possibly 7-10 seconds, there's no way i'd have done that time if i was on my own.

Got another one booked for august but i'll be surprised if i beat 4:45

I do very much enjoy the track though... its intense!

I think it's hard to get a good time in a race if all the runners are fairly equally matched; with everyone in with a chance of winning no one wants to go early, so everyone tends to watch each other until the second half of the race. This leads to exciting close racing, but not PB times.

At one Vets/Masters track meeting I ran at only half the timekeepers had turned up, so there were only 4 runners in all the sprint events and twice the number of races. This meant the whole programme ran late. To save time they merged the M40 and M50 800m races, resulting in 15 runners on the track. To spice things up further, the first bend wasn't run in bends and we all started behind the 10000m starting arc. We did draw a playing card from the pack for our positions, and I got the 2. The start wasn't as crazy as you'd imagine; I was a fast starter and took the lead to get out of trouble, but other people had the same idea so it turned into a two lap burn up with a lot of people getting PB times.

[mr brightside]

I think the love of a good woman wouldn't help your cold. Whereas it might harm your 5k times.

She might heal me.

[mr brightside]

Parkrun this morning, 21.31, killed myself, faded terribly. I've got a right headache now.

[Marco]

I was thinking on the way up how much get-up-and-go i've lost in my running and training since having post-viral respiratory problems. I'm really flat mentally, more so than aerobically possibly, my lungs are becoming better and better, but my head is still well out of the game. I've totally lost my focus and i don't have that sharpness and racing edge any longer, i can feel that it's missing. I've only done one race since backing off it a bit to focus on steadier stuff, but i'm finding it hard to get out and get going and i'm concerned i might not get that racer's snarl and tenacity back again.

Any advice?

Why not try the Blubberhouses 25, as recently mentioned by Matt, on the 27th of March?

https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.ph...&event_id=9180

Just up the road from you, and with a refreshment stop on route it's likely to be friendly rather than fast. Currently 170 entrants, (250 limit), including Matt.