Monday 31 December 2007

running on new years eve

set out over jon's sandhill loop and did 3 x 10 mins fast aerobic, felt quite good and had a good time blasting over the sandhills. =1.17
since i started the ARTHUR LYDIARD training in the summer i've seen good improvements in my running and my motivation,enthusiasm and enjoyment of running and racing have returned !
my best race this year must have been the through the villages race when my body and mind did every thing i wanted of it.i played the race in my mind the day before and on the day it felt like i was replaying a video,i even ran the time i hoped for. it was a very good day.
so thank you once again mr lydiard for giving back my love of running !
wishing every one a happy and healthy new year !
my favorite running video of 2007
watch this vid to get motivated
for the new season,

Sunday 30 December 2007

BLACKPOOL MARATHON

After the excitement of yesterdays race i decided on a long easy run.conditions were very good,mild no wind to speak of and with the sun making occasional glimpse's through the thin cloud it was very pleasant to be out.
my thoughts turned to running the blackpool marathon in april. after telling brian i'll run it i can not really back down now! anyway it will be a good incentive to get some serious mileage in!
=1.42
LOOK OUT BLACKPOOL HERE I COME !

Saturday 29 December 2007

SOUTHPORT WATERLOO A C 5 MILE CLUB HANICAP


I GOT ONE HOURS SLEEP AFTER WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT AND AWOKE TO THE SOUND OF THE WIND BATTERING THE WINDOW! NIZ DECIDED TO GIVE THE RACE A MISS AND I DON'T BLAME HER,CONDITIONS WOULD BE HARD!
I GOT A LIFT WITH BRIAN AND TRACEY.
THE RACE WAS OVER THE SAND PATHS OF THE FORMBY PINEWOODS,2 LAPS TO GIVE A TOTAL OF 5 MILES.
I SET OFF WITH JOHN SPRACKLAND AND MARK ASHBY.JOHN SET A STRONG PACE WHICH I FOUND HARD TO MATCH BUT BY THE SECOND LAP I STARTED TO FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AND AS WE REACHED THE TURNING POINT INTO THE WIND ON THE SECOND LAP I STARTED TO PULL AWAY.THE WIND WAS SO STRONG IT FELT LIKE I WAS RUNNING ON THE SPOT ! SLOWLY I PULLED IN THE RUNNERS IN FRONT OF ME AND WAS PLEASED TO FINISH IN 31.31 JUST 1 SEC OFF MY HANDICAP TIME ! AS WE MADE OUR WAY BACK TO THE CAR THE WINDS STARTED TO PICK UP TO GAIL FORCE AND A SCRAWLY SHOWER HIT THE WINDSCREEN. LUCKY ESCAPE !
LATER AT THE PRIZE PRESENTION TRACEY WON A PLACE IN THE LONDONMARATHON A ND BRIAN JUST MISSED OUT.NOW BRIAN AND ME ARE THINKING OF RUNNING THE BLACKPOOL MARATHON. FIRST WE HAVE THE 4 VILLAGES HALF MARATHON IN JAN AND THEN THE TRIMPELL 20 MILE RACE,BUSY TIMES AHEAD !

Thursday 27 December 2007

the big dipper


thur 27th dec
I set off into a gusting wind and rain, out across the sand dunes onto jon's infamous loop.it was hard going at first fighting into the headwind but i reckoned on getting blown home.
half way into this loop you meet the big sandhills the biggest of which we call THE BIG DIPPER no matter how well you are going this sandhill will reduce your legs to jelly and induce some very heavy breathing [ enough to frighten picnickers at the summit on a hot summers day ! ].
with about a mile to go i pass the famous royal birkdale golf clubhouse,tiger woods will play here next summer,i head across the green field and passed the ancient mound to finish the loop. i decide to put in a few extra miles and head for the sandhills on the beach side.not a bad day at the office i think ! ok now click on the NEIL YOUNG video below and blow away a few winter cob webs.
=1.17
photo,NIZ at the top of the big dipper,the royal birkdale golf club can be seen in the distance.

RUNNING THROUGH THE WINTER

Training through the winter is not always easy,you will have dark nights wind,rain, and the cold to contend with !
it helps to have a focus,a goal to aim for like a spring marathon or a summer series.
try to keep a positive frame of mind.be proud of yourself that you have the discipline to carry through your training at this difficult time.soon it will be spring and we can enjoy the sunshine and see the results of our hard training.
BE STRONG !

NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE;LIKE A HURRICANE

UNTRACEABLE

Wednesday 26 December 2007

getting back into the training

mon 24
ran jons sandhill loop,4 mins fast 1 min easy all the way round/
= 1.00
tue 25
christmas day,my wife was working in the afternoon so i got out for a short run,not feeling too good as i am starting with the cold.
i cooked the turkey and even baked a cake and did all the decorations on it, almost proud of my self !
8x 120m leg speed = 40 mins

wed 26
decided to get a long run in even though am still feeling a bit rough,started slow and easy,ran over the sand dunes and through the pinewoods, found a couple of new paths to keep me interested.started to pick the pace up over the last few miles and didn't feel all that bad.
= 2.17

Friday 21 December 2007

marathon conditioning

conditioning
here is ARTHUR LYDIARD's aerobic base training,which i will follow for the next 8 weeks.
this training will work very well for all distances up to the marathon.
after 8 -10 weeks you move onto power training and then intervals.
2 week cycle
Monday: Aerobic running 3/4 to 1 hour.

Tuesday: Aerobic running 1 to 1.5 hours.

Wednesday: Run hilly course 1/2 to 1 hour.

Thursday: Aerobic running 1 to 1.5 hours.

Friday: Jog 1/2 to 1 hour.

Saturday: Run hilly course 1/2 to 1 hour.

Sunday: Aerobic running 1.5 to 2 hours.



Monday: Run hilly course 1/2 to 1 hour.

Tuesday: Aerobic running 1 to 1.5 hours.

Wednesday: Time trial 3000 or 5000 meters.

Thursday: Aerobic running 1 to 1.5 hours.

Friday: Jog 1/2 to 1 hour.

Saturday: Relaxed striding of 4 to 8 times 200 meters.

Sunday: Aerobic running 2 hours or more.

Tuesday 18 December 2007

pete doherty to run london marathon

click on to enlarge
pete to run london marathon

the news comes as a bit of a slap in the face to all serious club runners who got reject letters in the post.
what next, kate moss strutting her stuff in high heels and lighting up a new cig at each mile marker in the 2009 london marathon !
lets hope pete takes it seriously and gives the race some respect.i take my hat off to him if he finishes in under 5 hours,but will they drug test him after the finish and will he wear his famous hat ?

Saturday 15 December 2007

SOUTHPORT WATERLOO A/C NEW YEARS DAY COASTAL PATH RUN 10.30AM



Southport waterloo a/c have been holding a new years day coastal path run for more years than i can remember.
starting at hall rd life boat station at 10.30am and finishing at the fishermans pub at weld rd some 14 miles later.
what better way to blow away the hang over than doing this social run ! you will run over dirt paths pinewoods and sandunes and in the afternoon you can relax over a pint or two in the fishermans rest.
i have run the coastal path many time in training and i think i hold the unofficial record for both ways none stop with 3hours 41 mins.
john burnett holds the unofficial record one way with 1 hour 39 mins

Tuesday 11 December 2007

ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY



very little running over the last 3 weeks,due to a calf muscle tear which happened at the end of the preston 10 mile race. the injury was caused by a long term problem i have of turning my feet inwards.back when i first switched from cycle racing to running a use to get bad sciatic pains down my legs. i visited the birkdale chiropractors where doctor fullwood told me that he had seen me out running and that i was pointing my feet inwards . this was causing me to slap my feet down hard sending shock waves up my legs and also causing a twisting action upon my calves .
to change ones long standing style is not all that easy,if i concentrate am ok but if i get tired or don't think about it then i go back to pointing the feet in and my problems start again.
anyway am now back on the road to recovery and plan a slow steady build up. i now plan to reach a peak in june through to end of august, racing the hilly summer evening races from may onwards plus some longer races before hand.
havin had very good results from ARTHUR LYDIARDS base training i plan to put another 2 months of this aerobic base training in from jan - end of feb, power training in march then anaerobic training in april and may.this should get me to a peak for my favorite summer races.
i had entered the longridge 7 mile race this sunday but if I run it now it will just be at a steady pace.

mon 10th dec
core training

MAD DOGS AND ICE BATHS !
tue 11th dec
set out on a beautiful winters afternoon,crisp and cold with a low winters sun barely getting above the horizon.
headed out to the sandhills where mad dog tess got a shock when she dived into her favorite pond to find her self crashing through thin ICE ! i've heard that ice baths are good for you but thought i'd give it a miss !!
tested the calf muscle out by doing 5 mins fast aerobic 2 mins easy all the way round JON'S sandhill loop. we use to think this was 6 miles round untill i got the garmin,only to find out with a shock it was only 4.7 of soft sand and endless sand dunes.
total for the day = 1.18.54

Almost had a Paula Radcliffe moment !
wed 12th dec
steady run round the back roads of parbold and harrock hill,inc 3 climbs.
hope to slowly build the mileage up again over the coming weeks.
awful stomach pains today,blame it on the works Christmas meal ! stomach almost exploded, so cut the run short,just made it to the loo in time!!! almost had a Paula Radcliffe moment. = 1.20

thur 13th
core training

sat 15th
ran with tess over the big sandhills, 4 min fast aerobic 1 min easy all the way round.
running alot better than last weeks run. 11.30 miles =1.36.03

Tuesday 4 December 2007

PAGON FESTIVAL


I always thought it was a good idea of the pagan's to celebrate the shortest day and welcome back the returning sun, i always find it hard training at this time of year. summer only seems moments ago and its so depressing as the afternoons get shorter and shorter! i look forward to the 21st dec [ shortest day ] and after that spring seems just round the corner.
my calf muscle was sore today,but i think i know what the problem is,i've been turning my right foot inwards and if i keep it pointing straight ahead it feels much better! going to have to work on this. easy run over the sandhills = 40 mins

STONE ROSES,I WANT TO BE ADORED !



click here for STONE ROSES

mon 3rd dec

ran down to meet up with club,there was a really good turn out tonight,we put in 8 efforts and then i ran home with Tracey and john. my calf started to tighten up on the way home,so am goin to do plenty of massage and stretching on the muscle.
=1.49

Sunday 2 December 2007

herb elliot on percy cerutty, legendary australian coach


click here for the story of the great Percy Cerutty, Australian coach

part of percy cerutty's training was to get his athletes to
do repeated sprints up steep sandhills, years later harry wilson would get steve ovett to do similar training to help biuld his strengh and power!

riders on the storm

click here;riders on the storm,the doors

found my self singing "riders on the storm" as i splashed my way round the sandhills in stormy conditions.
jim " hey lizard, its an awesome day to be out riding the waves " well jim, bit on the cold side,think i'll stick to riding the sand dunes! hey lizard do you take drugs? no jim,i find the the natural runners high is all i need! sounds cool lizard ! anyway jim how you been keeping, well you know lizard i've just been hangin out playing my music and writing a few poems. sounds cool jim.

strange the inner voices in ones mind as you run along !
glad i got the long run in yesterday as conditions are pretty grim!
just a easy run today,hope to start picking the mileage up again next week. = 44.38

Saturday 1 December 2007

INTERVIEW WITH THE LIZARD PART 2

click here,"HERE COMES THE SUN" ; BEATLES
HOW DID THE TRAINING GO TODAY LIZARD ?
pretty well,seemed to have recovered from the calf muscle injury,so back on track !
WHERE DID YOU RUN ?
well mr hammertime, i ran over the BIG sandhills with my mad sheep dog tess,these sandhills hit you one after another,they would break a weaker man ! i got into a groove as you would say and ran the paths like water going down a stream [ not water down a drain ! ].
AWESOME !
we had to face a very strong headwind on the way out but at least we got blown home and it was sunny and mild which was kind of lucky after the mega heavy rain last night.met the legend that is legendary LEZ [ old drinking buddy ] ,think he was out catching rabbits or something! i did 4 mins fast aerobic 1 min easy all the way round the sandhills. for a total of 1.34.58
I'M IMPRESSED LIZARD !
well you know hammertime am impressed that you can dance in your baggy trousers !