PeteM01 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 A few chip times were spectacularly off. I know of at least one runner whose chip had him over ten minutes quicker than he actually finished. Think mine was about right, 3 minutes or so faster than last year. Would have been better but for a broken toe at the end of January, and the bad timing of this race with the Ponds Forge 10km swim only two weeks earlier...excuses, excuses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 A few chip times were spectacularly off. I know of at least one runner whose chip had him over ten minutes quicker than he actually finished. Mine was only 1 second different from my watch time. My friends times were also pretty spot on. I thought the top 5 looked a bit fishy though. 1 9 Toby Spencer 01:10:56 2 4094 Gareth Sampson 01:12:08 3 7 Alex Plant 01:19:29 4 12 James Douglas 01:19:31 5 4640 Andy Buddery 01:19:39 Very big (time) gap between 2nd and 3rd. Wonder if it was anything to do with the coppers trying to heard the lead runners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Hack Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Mine was only 1 second different from my watch time. My friends times were also pretty spot on. I thought the top 5 looked a bit fishy though. 1 9 Toby Spencer 01:10:56 2 4094 Gareth Sampson 01:12:08 3 7 Alex Plant 01:19:29 4 12 James Douglas 01:19:31 5 4640 Andy Buddery 01:19:39 Very big (time) gap between 2nd and 3rd. Wonder if it was anything to do with the coppers trying to heard the lead runners? As one of the lead runners, I can pretty much confirm that yeah. A lot of the elites didn't start and some dropped out at the police blockades, though a lot of us just kept running. We were actually expecting it to just be a training run for us, we were going to run the course but the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful rather than serious. We had no idea the masses had followed us until getting to Eccy Rd, before then I genuinely expected to see the roads get reopened and no crowds out. The other issue was that we had removed our numbers at the front to avoid any argument that we were there 'officially'. Most of us kept hold of our numbers but a few discarded them. I was getting my position shouted at me from some of the crowd and I think there were probably three runners between official second and third. That's me they've given 5th to there, and unless runners dropped out along Brightside Lane I should have been 8th. edit: just reread that and realised it could sound like I'm describing myself as an 'elite' - I'm definitely not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudbeer Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 As one of the lead runners, I can pretty much confirm that yeah. A lot of the elites didn't start and some dropped out at the police blockades, though a lot of us just kept running. We were actually expecting it to just be a training run for us, we were going to run the course but the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful rather than serious. We had no idea the masses had followed us until getting to Eccy Rd, before then I genuinely expected to see the roads get reopened and no crowds out. The other issue was that we had removed our numbers at the front to avoid any argument that we were there 'officially'. Most of us kept hold of our numbers but a few discarded them. I was getting my position shouted at me from some of the crowd and I think there were probably three runners between official second and third. That's me they've given 5th to there, and unless runners dropped out along Brightside Lane I should have been 8th. edit: just reread that and realised it could sound like I'm describing myself as an 'elite' - I'm definitely not! Well done great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 edit: just reread that and realised it could sound like I'm describing myself as an 'elite' - I'm definitely not! Yeah, amazing time, well done. I only needed to overtake 960-ish people, and I'd have been nipping at your heels! Well done to all the elite runners actually; and thanks, for choosing to run. I hope they still dish out the prizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Hack Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Thanks guys, well done yourselves. Just been lucky with injuries recently, meant I could get a proper run of training in for once. Well done to all the elite runners actually; and thanks, for choosing to run. I hope they still dish out the prizes. No chance of that sadly. We were told no prizes right away. It would have been hugely problematic I guess given the erratic chip placements, one of the 'top ten' actually ran over 1:35. A shame as my club likely would have taken the team prize had the race been run 'officially', though I can't complain about not getting a placement prize for 5th / 8th / whatever as there is no way I'd have been that high if it hadn't been cancelled! (That said, it is a bit frustrating when they say 'no refunds' as well as 'no prizes', having it both ways there!) A few other bizarre quirks towards the front end too. My mate actually 'ran' 1:17, but finished a shade behind me because he pulled out at Ponds Forge for a couple of minutes and only rejoined when he saw everyone else behind us had also decided to run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudbeer Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Thanks guys, well done yourselves. Just been lucky with injuries recently, meant I could get a proper run of training in for once. No chance of that sadly. We were told no prizes right away. It would have been hugely problematic I guess given the erratic chip placements, one of the 'top ten' actually ran over 1:35. A shame as my club likely would have taken the team prize had the race been run 'officially', though I can't complain about not getting a placement prize for 5th / 8th / whatever as there is no way I'd have been that high if it hadn't been cancelled! (That said, it is a bit frustrating when they say 'no refunds' as well as 'no prizes', having it both ways there!) A few other bizarre quirks towards the front end too. My mate actually 'ran' 1:17, but finished a shade behind me because he pulled out at Ponds Forge for a couple of minutes and only rejoined when he saw everyone else behind us had also decided to run. Gypsy If you have time could you give us a brief idea what sort of weekly training is needed for that sort of time. TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Hack Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Gypsy If you have time could you give us a brief idea what sort of weekly training is needed for that sort of time. TIA. Hi. Everyone is obviously different, with different capabilities and different needs, but I can give you a rough idea of what I have been doing. For context, I'm pretty new to competitive running, having only joined a club in December of this year after a couple of months of running solo to get my baseline fitness up a bit. This time was a 15 minute PB on a June 2013 half marathon, but wasn't completely out of the blue based on performances in shorter races recently. I'd guess that in December I was round about a 1:30 runner, which should give you an idea of how much improvement its possible to make in a relatively short space of time with the right training. My average weekly mileage is about 35-40. That's light for that kind of time, and I'll be pushing up towards 50 this month. This incorporates quite a lot of speedwork and tempo work though, and includes long runs of about 12-16 miles a week. An average non-racing week might be: Monday - 5 mile easy Tuesday - 9 miles with club, some at tempo pace of around 6:30 min/mile. Weds - cross training day (I play squash, usually) Thursday - Speedwork session, details vary but example might be three sets of 4 x 400m with 60 secs recovery between reps and 3 minutes recovery between sets. Friday - rest Saturday - parkrun / hill training Sunday - Long run, 14 miles I do vary it quite a bit though, and have been racing maybe a couple of times a month. I think the weekly speedwork is essential, and long runs of longer than HM distance are also important. More mileage should also help me get quicker and I would definitely advise that for someone looking to reach their potential. Would obviously advise against trying to do too much too quick though, as I said the time spent building up a base was very important in remaining free of injury since December. Really it's been joining a club (I'm with Sheffield RC) that has made the difference though - training is often all about motivation and being able to push yourself on speed sessions and tempo sessions is much easier with other runners around you and everyone supporting each other. Would never have been able to put so much into training just on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Great advice, thanks Gypsy Hack. I'd say I'm averaging about 120 a month at the moment; which I've built up to over 18 months or so. Most in a single week for me is 42 miles. One thing I find that helps and motivates me, is logging all my runs in a spreadsheet so I can see monthly milage, and also performance improvements over time. It great to see how the monthly milage translates in to better performance; as it just motivates me all the more to carry on! Am also trying to mix up my weekly runs; so some longer runs and some short fast ones (a park run for example). I've noticed my performance isn't consistent though; some weeks (or months) I feel stronger and faster than others. I guess there's an element of lifestyle, diet, getting a good nights sleep etc. Tempted to check out Sheffield running club. Can I just ask, is the Tuesday night session off-road? What's the surface like? (sometimes have a problem with my ankle and not great on uneven rocky surfaces). Also, is the speed work session at the EIS, on their 200m indoor track? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteM01 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Flippin' 'eck. I run 8 miles once a week with longer runs on Bank Holidays. Anything more would wreck my knees! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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