GEBRSELASSIE and the LAUGHING SHEEPDOG!

NATTERJACK SEASIDE 10K
With less than 3 weeks till my local 10k I don't have much time to do any special training, All I can really do is sharpen up my marathon running muscles a bit!

Mon 29th 20x 15 sec sprints with 15 sec recovery, followed by a easy-steady run over the sandhills. Tess the mad sheep dog was taking the piss out of me and laughing at my lack of speed, I think she must by related to GebrseLASSIE, I guess it is a bit embarrassing that I could only reach Haile's average marathon pace at the end of my 15 second sprints! But when your own dog laughs at you, then it really is to much, don't ya think!= 1.26

OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY

VIDEO

GOING UP SNOWDON

Mon 22nd
The day after the marathon we took a trip to SNOWDON and went on the ancient steam train up the mountain. Niz looked a bit worried as the train bumped and rattled its way up into the clouds.
'The Snowdon Railway Conceived by a group of businessmen over 100 years ago as a replacement to the ponies that used to carry visitors to the summit, it is Britain's only rack railway with tooted racks in the centre of the track that engage with cogs under the carriages. The engine (some are steam others diesel) is always below the carriages.

The only serious accident happened the day it opened when the engine ran away for a while. Control was regained quickly but a passenger jumped off and sustained fatal injuries'.

I have run up the mountain many times [ twice in the mountain race] but never been on the train before, it made for quite an entertaining afternoon and gave Rob,s and my legs a nice rest! If you have never been before I recommend a visit , the place is incredibly beautiful, and the same goes for Beaumaires ANGLESEY as well!

We spent the evening in the Liverpool arms Beaumaris Anglesey.

Steph, Rob's mate took a liking to the local bar maid, and we all had to laugh when Niz's food came, she ordered ' MUCHO SHOULDER OF LAMB', it was Hugh, massive! Rob had to help her finish it off!

Pics, 3/4 way up snowdon, Niz,s new Teddy Steph, named after Rob,s mate!

Sun 28th The plan was to run a 10k race at Parbold, but as I was still not feeling great I decided to run 2 x 3 miles tempo in and around the outside of Vic park. The first effort went like this, mile 1 in 6.11, 2 in 6.14, 3 in 5.58 = 18.23 , 6.07 av pace. the second 3 miles went by in 18.51 with mile 4 in 6.10, 5 in 6.32 and mile 6 in 6.09 = 6.17 av pace.

Sat 27th Easy sandhills run with a few fast bursts, felt very average! = 52 mins

Fri 26th Easy run over the sandhills with Tess the dog, felt good at the start but felt a bit weary by the end! = 1.28

Thur 25th I spent much of tue-wed in bed feeling ill as the virus rampaged through my weakened body! by Thur I was starting to feel better so went down to the club session [ my first run since the marathon] 6x 150m = 40mins

ANGLESEY MARATHON RACE REPORT

THE 3 R's MASTER THE ANGLESEY MARATHON
On the start line representing the club was defending champion Rob Ashworth, inform Rob Mcgrath and me!
With 1400ft of climbing and most of it in the second half this was no p.b. course but a very tough challenge!
Last year the two Rob's faced gale force winds and driving rain, this time we had almost perfect conditions with almost no wind and wall to wall sunshine, if anything it would prove a bit on the warm side!
Rob Ashworth sped away at the start, while Rob Mcgrath and myself hung back and stuck to a more sensible pace. The first 7 miles are mostly downhill and i really enjoyed cruising along and looking at the breath taking scenery,
Rob and me ran the early stages in a group of 5 runners including a very tall guy who had run 2.44 at this years London ! we were to later leave him well behind.
The serious climbing started at about 9 miles, we went through 10 miles in 1 hour 4 mins, by which point it was just Rob and me running together, I was feeling really good and started pushing the pace on the uphills. rob latter told me he was going through a rough patch.
By 17 miles i could feel my energy start to drain away and by 17.5 Rob started to pull away on one of the many climbs, at this point Rob Ashworth was coming into our view, it was pretty evident that he was going through a hard time as he laboured up the climb!
By 20 miles the 2 Robs were together while behind i was dropping back.
At 22 miles the final climb started, by now I was down to running on body fat as my carb stores ran out! This 2 mile climb was a bitter blow, despite suffering like hell i still passes 4 runners, one guy stopped as i dragged my body past him.
I was now running on pure will power [ i had nothing else left!] I wanted to walk, no I wanted to stop! I felt dehydrated and sick in my stomach, Each mile felt longer and harder, could I keep going!
Up ahead Rob Ashworth put in a last desperate attempt to break away from hard man Rob Mcgrath, Rob A got 50m advantage by the top of the hill but Rob M pulled him back at 25 miles.
At last i made my painful way to the final 1/4 mile, i just about got ready to turn in for the finish but the marshal shouted no and pointed to the next turn off 200m further on! how cruel, more climbing!
Some 4 minutes before, the same thing had happened to Rob Ashworth he uttered the words"BLOODY HELL" the two Robs came into the final straight neck and neck, both too tired to sprint, so they came to a spur of the moment gentleman's agreement and crossed the line together for 7th place in 2.54.
At last i got to the 26 mile sign and some how sprinted down to the finish line in 11th 2.58, only seconds later to collapse in a heap begging my wife for water!
THIS WAS MY TOUGHEST EVER MARATHON BY FAR and respect goes out to every single person who finished!
The virus that left me completely drained after only a 2 mile tempo run just a week before the marathon returned the day after the Marathon, [sore throat,cough and running nose ] I guess the virus never fully left my body and might explain why I felt so drained in the closing miles, but hell who knows!

11th place in my hardest marathon yet!

With 1406 ft of climbing this was a real challenge, report to follow, when I recover!

RESULTS

MARATHON COUNT DOWN, ONE DAY TO GO!

ANGLESEY MARATHON 2008

VIDEO OF THE 2007 ANGLESEY MARATHON
southport waterloo's ROB ASHWORTH WINS!

Run Faster Training Tip; High Knees

ARTHUR LYDIARD says "The knee lift is the key to running properly. The knees must come up so the thigh is as near horizontal as possible and feet should lift high behind. This shortens the lever established by the knee, and it is indisputable that the short lever will move faster than the long one. A foot coming through low to the ground produces a slow stride, a foot coming through high gives a fast stride.
Hold one end of a pencil and move it to and fro, then do it with a 3 ft ruler.
Which is easier to move. "
MATT FITZGERALD of BRAIN TRAINING FOR RUNNERS SAYS;

concentrate on driving the thigh of your swing leg forward a little more forcefully than you normally do. A more forceful forward- upward movement of this leg will create a counter balancing downward-backward action in your opposite leg as it comes into contact with the ground. [Think of the way your free arm moves in opposition to your throwing arm when you throw a ball hard.]

Next time your out running try lifting your knees a bit higher you should feel an increase in speed! On hills concentrate on a higher knee lift, you should be able to climb a little bit more powerfully and with a faster leg turn over!

SO MAYBE THOSE SCRUFFY KIDS ON THE STREET CORNER ARE GIVING GOOD ADVISE EVEN IF THEY DON'T KNOW IT WHEN THEY SHOUT " GET THEM KNEES UP!"

TRAINING TIP; THE FORWARD LEAN

Back in 2004 we went to CLUB LASANTA and on one of the days we went to their RUNNING SCHOOL, a very attractive sexy Irish girl checked out our running styles and showed me how to lean forward to improve running efficiency!
By leaning your whole body forward from the ankles not only do you take advantage of the pull of gravity but you also land under your center of gravity, if you run upright your landing foot will land in front of your center of gravity causing a breaking affect and also you have to use your leg muscles to pull your body weight forward until you are directly over your landing foot, very wasteful!
i used the forward lean to smash my p.b.s for both 5k and the 1/2 marathon in 2004. I also won the CLUB LASANTA 10k and 1/2 marathon.
Thur 18th
Arthur Lydiard leg speed session
With Rob, Steady Eddie and Tracey, 6 x 160m
=46mins
Wed 17th
Easy in the sandhills = 36mins

TRAINING TIP; RUNNING TALL

Good posture is very important if you want to run your best;
ARTHUR LYDIARD says, " Picture how the ballet dancer stands tall, flexible, powerful and seeming barely to touch the ground at all as he or she moves. America's greatest sprint coach, Bud Winter,emphasised running tall, the Australian middle and long distance coach, Percy Cerutty, called it "lifting yourself out of your pelvis". You should feel as if you are centimetres taller than you are. Far too many runners do not get that feeling or attitude. They sit in a bucket as they run, if you can picture that alongside the ballet exponent".

5.18 MILE

Arthur Lydiard's program called for a 1 mile time trial, after being ill at the weekend I was not looking forward to it. It was a dark and gloomy wet evening and I had to really force myself outside, but once I got going I felt surprisingly good!
Me being me I decided to run 1 mile at 1/2 marathon pace 6.05 [ well it use to be my 1/2 pace] I then took a minute easy before charging into a flat out mile in Vic park, 5.18 this was very encouraging, and compares well to the 5.20 I ran before the Blackpool marathon in April, in fact its my fastest mile in 4 years. I finished with a warm down mile in 5.54 then set off for home a little more confident about my big race on Sunday!