Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Barkley Marathons (135miles, 60,000ft gain) start today. Garry Robbins is trying again, fingers crossed.

You can download the Ginger Runner's documentary "Where Dreams go to Die" for $7 to get an idea of the impossible
 
firstborn said:
47 and a half miles (gotta count the half) in the peaks today, slowly slowly like a snail. Recovering with cheese and IPA. Half marathon on the weekend to look forward to with some mates who I enjoyed the MdS with. Hard work this getting old lark.
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Are you not tempted to round up to 48? Well done and I hope you enjoy your forthcoming half marathon.

D.P. said:
Barkley Marathons (135miles, 60,000ft gain) start today. Garry Robbins is trying again, fingers crossed.

You can download the Ginger Runner's documentary "Where Dreams go to Die" for $7 to get an idea of the impossible
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The Barkley Marathons: The Race Which Eats Its Young is quite an interesting documentary about the same and it is/was available on Netflix so worth a watch.

I forgot to post but a couple of weekends ago I did the Inverness half marathon. I was treating as a bit of a training run en route to the Brighton Marathon next month which is my main goal in the first half of the year. I actually forgot to work out pacing beforehand so went out relatively easily and then as I was feeling pretty good I went along working out roughly what I needed to do to go sub 1 hour 30 minutes, it ended up being a new (gun time) PB for me of 1:28:24 with a negative split and actually felt fairly comfortable in doing so. I don't know if that's a strategy that'll work for me in a marathon but it was quite a nice change to go more by feel rather than feeling too tied to a prepared pacing strategy.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Are you not tempted to round up to 48? Well done and I hope you enjoy your forthcoming half marathon.
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Haha, no longer. Years ago I would have major OCD about rounding up, ensuring I hit 5 miles, 10 miles 13 miles and worrying about if 8 miles was psychologically better than 7. Time has told me that the detail ain't worth worrying about. That is unless you are achieving great things, it's then the detail counts.
 
Barkley conditions look to be deviating this year. only 5 runners made it to loop 3 (of 5), on loop 3. 2 of those gave up on loop 3, someone is still lost, and the 2 race leaders just finished loop 3 over the the time limit. So this year not a single person even completed the "fun run" of 3 loops. A few people lost out in the woods still.

Really sucks for Garry Robbins. he has trained so insanely hard for 3 Barkleys. Something like 1million feet of climbing each time, 12 hour training runs through the night in blizzard conditions, sleep deprivation training, intensive navigation training, and this is a guy who has set some of the FTK times on really tough courses, has he course record at HURT 100. I had the great pleasure of talking to Garry last year at the end of my Squamish 50m. He shared lots of words of encouragement after my first Ultra and invited me back to the 50-50.
 
Funny how things work out. I went for a run before football last night as usual. Went for a slow paced run as wasn't particularly feeling keen and hadn't eaten much all day. Ended up being around what i'd need for a sub 2hr half marathon and it feel as if i could've kept the pace all day.

Also @D.P. I bumped into an old colleague who i've not seen for about 5yrs, he mentioned that he's got the Boston Marathon in 3 weeks. He's probably about 50 now and when i last saw him he was doing around 38min 10k runs so i imagine he'd be in a similar grouping to you :)

EDIT - Haha this is quite amusing to watch. Using the Strava Flyby you can see my path overlap with Charlie and us stop and chat for a minute or so before carrying on. Not sure if everyone else can view this or not.

https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1473701205?c=gcw2h0nk&z=F&t=1QkJIe&a=VeXWVw5w1lc

EDIT2 - Also it's no wonder i get so many requests from those dodgy porn based profiles with my sexy looking profile picture.
 
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Marvt74 said:
Funny how things work out. I went for a run before football last night as usual. Went for a slow paced run as wasn't particularly feeling keen and hadn't eaten much all day. Ended up being around what i'd need for a sub 2hr half marathon and it feel as if i could've kept the pace all day.

Also @D.P. I bumped into an old colleague who i've not seen for about 5yrs, he mentioned that he's got the Boston Marathon in 3 weeks. He's probably about 50 now and when i last saw him he was doing around 38min 10k runs so i imagine he'd be in a similar grouping to you :)

EDIT - Haha this is quite amusing to watch. Using the Strava Flyby you can see my path overlap with Charlie and us stop and chat for a minute or so before carrying on. Not sure if everyone else can view this or not.

https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1473701205?c=gcw2h0nk&z=F&t=1QkJIe&a=VeXWVw5w1lc

EDIT2 - Also it's no wonder i get so many requests from those dodgy porn based profiles with my sexy looking profile picture.
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I have also recently been getting loads of these. I tend to spend some time investigating them to make sure they are dodgy ;)
 
My running this week and last has been poor, only got out twice last week, and did a 10k Monday, that's it though.
May try going out tomorrow just for a gentle trot, the weathers just too depressing!
Cant wait for the summer, then I can complain that its too hot, and I cant run :P
 
Much the same here. Three weeks to go and it seems like I am suddenly unable to get out for numerous reasons. Holiday next week so will get some easy mid/long ones in whilst everyone else is asleep and then 2 weeks to go once I am home!

Still > £700 to go in sponsorship, but it doesn't have to be in until June so shouldn't be too difficult :eek:
 
Given the lack of posts i assume everyone else was equally slack with running over the bank holiday weekend as me!

I really need to sort myself out, haven't ran >6 miles for about a month now and have probably only averaged once per week in the last few weeks too.
 
My running has been lax lately. No real excuses really either, fed up with the weather as I can't run any distance without running off road. Booked onto the Blackpool Half at the end of the month though.

I did the Darwen Half last weekend. Started the day with a stomach bug and had to stop at a cafe half way round to relieve myself. Unfortunately, about a mile from the end it caught up with me again, the pain and danger of going code brown was immense and the nearest place aside from knocking on some poor souls door was a pub... which was closed. I ran into the kitchen door and thankfully the chef was more than happy to let me in... phew! So it took me 2:17:44 to complete, but I made it without going full Paula Radcliffe, although my friend was waiting for me at the end shouting "Come on Paula!" :D
 
Marvt74 said:
Given the lack of posts i assume everyone else was equally slack with running over the bank holiday weekend as me!

I really need to sort myself out, haven't ran >6 miles for about a month now and have probably only averaged once per week in the last few weeks too.
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I did 18.5miles Thursday then went on vacation. With 2 weeks to Boston taper is well underway so I didn't mind 3day without running. Wasn't really slacking though as i was teaching my daughter to ski. Not used to skiing backwards for so long, or demonstrating snowplough turns so got a good strength training workout.

Yesterday was 11 easy, today was another 11 miles with 7x800m intervals. just some easy runs over the next days, maybe 13-15 Thursday.
 
Dup said:
My running has been lax lately. No real excuses really either, fed up with the weather as I can't run any distance without running off road. Booked onto the Blackpool Half at the end of the month though.

I did the Darwen Half last weekend. Started the day with a stomach bug and had to stop at a cafe half way round to relieve myself. Unfortunately, about a mile from the end it caught up with me again, the pain and danger of going code brown was immense and the nearest place aside from knocking on some poor souls door was a pub... which was closed. I ran into the kitchen door and thankfully the chef was more than happy to let me in... phew! So it took me 2:17:44 to complete, but I made it without going full Paula Radcliffe, although my friend was waiting for me at the end shouting "Come on Paula!" :D
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Lol. Been there myself a couple of times running. It is amazing how your standard of privacy decrease as the desperation increases.
 
Holidays at the moment so not much happening. Did 26km the other day but 5.30am when everyone else is asleep didn't help. Just over 2 weeks to go so as per d.p. Just a few easy ones planned once I am back. Need to clear the holiday food as well! Bit of poor planning really but there you go :-)
 
Marvt74 said:
Given the lack of posts i assume everyone else was equally slack with running over the bank holiday weekend as me!

I really need to sort myself out, haven't ran >6 miles for about a month now and have probably only averaged once per week in the last few weeks too.
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I came down with D&V the week before Easter and then holiday the week after Easter. I managed a nice run along the beach in Holland, but only one run. Running somewhere flat makes you feel like The Flash :D :D I knocked 20secs / KM off my usual time!
 
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