Sunday 28 December 2008

NIKE SHOE BARGAIN!


Zoom

Here is my bargain of the week,
I picked up a pair of
NIKE ZOOM EXPLOSIONS for £39 They are ideal for forefoot strikers with a energy return pad under the ball of the foot and are very light!

DAM! I just found them even cheaper HERE FOR £30
NEWS UPDATE!
I was that impressed with the shoe I ordered a second pair direct from Nike [ ordered Sunday and received Tuesday morning, now thats what I call good service and all for £ 30 + p&p].

Friday 26 December 2008

Tuesday 23 December 2008

UNLOCKED, THE INCREDIBLE TRUTH ON HOW TO RUN FASTER, EVERY DISTANCE FROM 100M TO THE MARATHON GUARANTEED!

READ


How to create speed in running - Jack Nirenstein

Running--Just Undo It is a revolutionary book that will make major changes to the way everyone runs. Jack Nirenstein's claim that all running records were broken by using his technique is not a gimmick to sell his book. The technique the record holders won with is the basic technique of the Nirenstein method. What they did was drop their feet at a shorter forward reach, on average, than anyone else in the race. They beat the previous record-holders the same way.

Nirenstein's book is opposite to the other techniques that have been published. They tell you to extend your stride by pushing back harder at the ground to run faster. Nirenstein contends that it is impossible to push back at the ground while running. The front muscles of the leg that cross the knee push the foot down and forward to support and to toss the body up. Everyone tries to push back at the ground, but it never happens. The part about the longer stride making you run faster is also not true. The longer you reach ahead, the slower you run.

According to the author, the fact is that if you are not falling forward, you can't be moving forward. Only gravity can make you fall forward and increase your speed. Your sense of balance anticipates whether where you land will make you fall. It won't let you shorten your reach unless you are doing the right things to exchange your feet in time to keep you from falling. You are jumping straight up while you are falling to keep you level with the ground. There is a lot you must know about form before you start to train. Every one of the techniques in the Nirenstein book must be used or you could be derailed from running.


Sunday 21 December 2008

FLU STRIKES HOME!


Both Niz and myself have been very ill this week, fever, muscles ache , dizziness and all the rest!
My Doctor warned me not to run as it would drive the virus deep into my body, well there wasn't much chance of that as I'm so weak its hard work just standing up right now!
Having flu reminds me of a family holiday back in 1969 during the moon landings, I came down with chicken pocks and had a dreadful fever, in the middle of the night I some how found myself outside the hotel staring up at the moon, did I really see Apollo 11 up in space or was it just a feverish hallucination !

Monday 15 December 2008

THE ONLY WAY TO RUN FASTER

Gravity pulls you for all speeds from walking to sprinting. When you drop your feet behind your body's center (navel high), the speed increases exponentially with each stride. The more steps and farther back you drop your feet the more speed increases. You level off when your coordination stops. At that point your feet reach ahead of center. The less ahead, the less slowdown from the speed you reached.
Landing off balance more than the others always wins because gravity pulls you faster. You can't do that without falling unless you exchange your feet faster (up and forward). The speed spreads the feet apart and you need to work hard to keep them together as much as you can. The effort to shorten your stride pays off to land more to the rear. Far behind the center of balance at the start and less in front of center when you reach your pace.
When you stand centered between your heel and toe the heel is pressing from behind and the toe is pressing from in front. You are centered between both supports and no muscles can push you, because your legs are designed to push you straight up, not forward. You can't move forward staying centered. you need to lift the front support and fall forward. When you reach your pace your feet drop ahead. The more they drop ahead the more you lose the speed you reached.

Sunday 14 December 2008

VIRUS INFECTIONS, X/C RACING AND CLUB CHRISTMAS DINNERS


After getting ill a week last Saturday, I spent the Sunday and Monday with aching muscles and sore throat. I had a day off on Monday before getting back into my running on Tuesday, I ran down to the club session at my fastest over cruising speed thanks to GRAVITY RUNNING but felt a bit flat once we started the fartlek session thanks to my lingering illness.
In fact because Brian was ill I was given charge of the group and under Brian's orders I had them run 3 loops with 3 efforts each lap, it seemed to go well and everyone said they enjoyed the run.
Paul was flying [ it might be because he's been practicing GRAVITY RUNNING since I sent him the e book 'JUST UNDO IT' anyway it took a 4.50 paced effort at the end to beat him !
Running home I felt drained but still took the long way home to give me 2 hours
Wed 10th I ran easy over the big sand dunes with no problems, because of a X/C race on Saturday I made this into a long run of 1 h 49 mins
Thur 11th LEG SPEED SESSION I cut the session down to 6 x 160m as I felt drained and was coughing in the damp air. = 34mins
Fri 12th Core training
Sat 13th BLACKPOOL X/C after very heavy rain the course was flooded in places and quite muddy. I was holding my own for the first lap but ran out of energy on the second and final lap [ thanks to the virus I think] I did pull myself together over the last mile, but overall I could have done better given a clean bill of health! In the evening we enjoyed the club Christmas dinner with 40 or so members turning up, very good event!
Sun 14th Fartelk run over the sandhill 6 with Sarah and Jon boy 1.05

Monday 8 December 2008

FOREFOOT OR HEEL STRIKE THE GREAT DEBATE

THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF DEBATE GOING ON BETWEEN BLOGGERS AS TO WHICH IS BEST, HEEL OR FOREFOOT STRIKE!
Back in the 80's most long distance coaches use to recommend a heel strike in the belief that it was easier on the calf muscles!
As a result Nike and the other shoe manufacturers started making shoes with more and more heel padding, the Nike Air Max being a good example, unfortunately these shoes were like running with jelly fish on your feet. Result; many injury problems as the runners feet wobbled all over the place!
So next Nike and the rest start inventing stability bars and roll bars etc to correct there unstable shoes, They even had the nerve to charge us extra for all these gadgets, which after all were designed to correct there own shoe faults. Man, how gullible are us runners!
Thankfully the African runners came along and showed us the natural way to run, years of bare foot running gave them a beautiful biomechanically perfect running action and it all starts with a forefoot strike with the toes up off the ground.
At long last shoe manufactures have started to make changes to there shoes and even some of the shoe makers now admit they got it wrong in the past/
Sadly some runners still cling on to the mistaken believe that heel striking is best, maybe one day they will see the light, maybe after chronic knee or foot pain brings them to a grinding halt!
Reason why heel striking is bad for your body;
1/ THE HEEL CAN NOT ABSORB SHOCK, try running bare foot on a dirt path landing on your heels!
You would never heel strike running bare foot so why do it when wearing shoes!
If you change from well padded shoes to light weight shoes for a race you stand to get hurt! without large amounts of padding landing on your heels will send shock waves up your legs, knees and back, ouch!
Reasons to forefoot strike;
your body was designed for forefoot striking.
By landing on the balls of your feet with toes up the arch acts as a natural shock absorber and spring giving you return energy.
landing on the balls of your feet will set you up for a natural smooth flowing stride. VIDEO
Tips for good forefoot running
1/ Keep feet, ankles and calf muscles relaxed.
2/ Keep your toes slightly up! pressing down into the ground with your toes makes your arch rigid and stops it working as a shock absorber and spring, lift your toes up slightly and feel your feet turn into loaded springs!
3/ land more behind your center of gravity, see GRAVITY RUNNING BELOW.
4/ Don't push off, once your foot touches down relax your leg muscles, let the road drag your feet back.
5/ start with just small amounts of forefoot running, slowly build it into your runs.
THE HUMAN FOOT

Sunday 7 December 2008

TOUGH WEEK

Freezing conditions inc hell stones made the first part of the week hard going, then after finishing work on Saturday morning I felt weak and dizzy with a sore throat! Four hours in bed and I didn't feel any better, so I spent the rest of the day in bed and gave the long run a miss!
Getting up in the evening I felt somewhat better! so I ran a 3 mile tempo run, I'd planned to lift the pace in the last mile and a half, but ice on the pavement and road meant I kept losing traction!
I was happy to finish with an average of 6.20 pace, not bad taking into account the darkness, freezing temperature and icy conditions!
Sat 6th Tempo run 3.01 miles = 19.05
Fri 5th Core training
Thur leg speed session x 10, max speed 15.9 mph = 37 mins
Wed 4th Long run in the big sandhills, very cold, good job I could run off road as the roads were very icy. Last 1/2 mile was very funny, as old people cautiously crossed an icy back road I found my self skiing along as mad dog dragged me oblivious to the surrounding conditions! = 1.33
Tue 3rd Club fartlek session, ran down and back to give me 2 hours, despite hell stones at the start this turned out to be my fastest ever average pace for this session. = 2.00
Mon 2nd Core training
The GRAVITY RUNNING is going really well, getting faster and faster!

Thursday 4 December 2008

DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN RUNNING SPEED, GRAVITY RUNNING UPDATE


I have seen a dramatic improvement in my cruising speed since I started gravity running less than 2 weeks ago! My steady 80 % of max HR pace has increased from 8.6 mph to 9.1 mph.
I am constantly amazed each time I look at my Garmin to see that I am now running at what used to be a tempo effort yet now feels like a steady endurance pace!
This is pretty cool stuff, I just hope my age group rivals don't get to hear about this and adapt to gravity running!
I'm started to get excited about kicking some serious ass next year!

Sunday 30 November 2008

HOW THE GREATEST RUNNING COACHES IN THE WORLD GOT IT TERRIBLY WRONG!

In his book Jack Nirenstein proves how the greatest minds in running got it terribly wrong when they told us to push off the grounded leg to run faster .

If you really think you can push yourself along with your leg muscles try these two simple tests;
1, stand on one leg, now push as hard as you can with your leg muscles.
2, Stand a foot away from a wall now lean into it, feel gravity pressing you into the wall, now exert maximum leg power, can you feel any extra force against the wall.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE THEN READ HIS BOOK BUY

Sun 30th Fartlek Run with Sarah and Jon, sandhill 6 = 1.03
Sat 29th Big Sandhills, running through the mist, this was one of the coldest days for a long time, hard work. = 2.00
Fri 28th core training
Thur 27th Robs session = 50 mins
Wed 26th Steady run big sandhills = 1,25
plus run with Niz = 26.30

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T TEACH

AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS

Tue 25th Club fartleck session
After getting advise from
Adarian of NLAAF and also reading JUST UNDO IT I was now running without sciatic pains for the first time since I started running 15 years ago !
In a way I feel a bit pissed off that I was given such bad advise in the past, anyway I was absolutely flying along in the club session, reaching a max of 14.6 mph on the last 1/2 mile effort! A few people must have wondered how I had got so quick so suddenly! Well the answer is in the book my friend, I will tell no more, after all I have done months of homework to come up with answers to run faster! So you can do a bit of homework yourself! check out NLAAF and read Jack Nirenstein's book

I increased the length of the run by running down at marathon pace and running home with Rob and Tracey, after leaving Tracey at her house I blasted another 10 mins at marathon pace to take the run out to over 2 hours, a very good day at the office. All that was left to do was a very hard night shift! [8 HOURS OF WEIGHT TRAINING!] am I super duper human or what!!!
Club fartleck session = 2.02

Saturday 22 November 2008

Jack Nirenstein Gravity Run


Here is a book that could blow your mind and turn your concept on what is correct running form upside down! MORE BUY
Sun 23rd NIZ'S EPIC RUN
It took a bit of persuading to get Niz to run this afternoon, strong gusting winds and squally showers and hell stones made for a tough time out on the sandhill 6. Niz is training for a X/C next Saturday and I was impressed how well she coped with the atrocious conditions. Jon, Niz and myself finishing the run in the dark, happy to get back to the warmth of the car. = 1.03

Sat 22nd long steady gravity run over the big sandhills with mad dog! = 2.02
Fri 21st fast steady run =32 mins
Thur 20th Robs session = 1.03
plus gym work out
Wed 19th easy run sandhills = 1.20
plus run with Niz = 34 mins
Tue 18th Club session hills = 1.46
Mon 17th core training

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Next Level Athletics and Fitness


After 15 years of heavy foot slapping, I tried many things to cure it, POSE RUNNING, CHIRUNNING etc but it wasn't till I came across Adarian's website that I found the answers I was looking for.His knowledge and understanding of how to run fast is far beyond anyone I have come into contact with before.
His training techniques are fresh and exciting and if you really wish to run faster with less injury then you really need to check him out!

TAKE THE BRAKES OFF YOUR RUNNING AND ADD A SPRING TO YOUR STEP

WATCH VIDEO
One simple technique that can make a world of difference to your running. Learn how to land on the balls of your feet the correct way and turn your feet into powerful springs, AWESOME!
TREADMILL TRAINING
SPEED
RUN UP AND DOWN HILL FASTER

Sunday 16 November 2008

TRAINING FOR THE WEEK

Sun 16th sandhill loop with Jon and Sarah, fartlek session =1.05
Sat 15th Steady run over the hills of Parbold and Ashurst Beacon, inc four climbs= 1.52
Fri 14th easy sandhill run =38 mins
Thur 13th ROB,S SESSION hills = 1.00
plus weight training and treadmill
Wed 12th long run over the big sandhills at easy pace = 1.45
plus run with Niz= 24 mins
Tue 11th club fartlek session, kept to aerobic pace = 1.42
Mon core training

Wednesday 12 November 2008

TEN YEARS OF TEN MILES

This Sunday is the PRESTON 10 RACE
BELOW ARE MY TIMES OVER THE YEARS, INC AGE RELATED TIMES;
Thanks to Brian Grice for compiling the times.
THE MISSING YEARS 2005-6 WERE DUE TO ILLNESS
Age Adj Actual
1997 61.06 (61.07)
1998 58.47 (59.12)
2001 57.51 (59.31)
2002 55.30 (57.29)
2003 56.19 (58.47) SET THE DAY AFTER A 30 MILE COASTAL PATH RUN!
2004 54.50 (57.38)
2007 54.18 (58.21) SET 2 MONTHS INTO ARTHUR LYDIARD BASE TRAINING

Sunday 9 November 2008

AGE GROUP WIN IN LANCASTER AND MORCAMBE 1/2 MARATHON


RACY TRACEY MAKES BIG SPLASH AT MORECAMBE HALF!
Five of us made the epic trip to Lancaster in atrocious conditions, blustery wind and torrential rain!
Steady Eddie drove Rob Mcgrath, Sarah Reynolds [ spectating] Tracey Peters and myself to the Salt Air sports stadium for the start of the Lancaster and Morecambe 1/2 marathon.
Once again the rain miraculously stopped just in time for the 11 0' clock start!
I found myself at the front after a 100m, as I had run the Ashurst X/C the day before my plan was to try and run at my hoped for LONDON MARATHON pace. I slowed down and let the fast guys past and settled into a steady effort, MAN on a mission Rob came cruising by on a quest to break 80 mins for the first time as a V40. A lot of the course was on cycle tracks which run along side the picturesque Lune river, the early miles were into a direct headwind so I found a big tall lad to shelter behind. By the time we got to 7 miles we started to get the wind on our backs and got blown along at a fair old speed! I was feeling quite good and in the closing miles I put the hammer down sweeping up runner after runner in front of me. The last 400m was on the running track and i wound it up, flying past my rival for the 1 st v 45 just before the line! 1.22.13 on the clock, very pleasing after yesterdays hard x/c.
Rob Mcgrath stormed round to finish in a new v 40 p.b. of 78 mins and 11th place.
Tracey Peters was running really well until she fell head first down a water logged ditch at 8 miles, opps!!! A friendly Scottish runner stopped to drag her out, now battered,muddy cold and wet and looking not unlike a swamp monster Tracey bravely battled onwards with the kind encouragement and support of the Scots chappy. and if things couldn't have got any worse for the poor girl, the heavens opened up and sent a deluge of hell stones smashing down upon her freezing body just as she entered the running track for the final 400m. Tracey finished cold and dejected just missing out on a new p.b.
WE all thought the combination of cycle tracks, dirt trails and scenic country roads was great fun, apart from a very cold and damp Tracey! But as they say, you can't please all the people all the time!
RESULTS

Saturday 8 November 2008

TWO RACES IN ONE WEEKEND CHALLENGE


RACE ONE; ASHURST BEACON COUNTRY PARK X/C
Set high up at the top of Ashurst Beacon in the country park, this has to be the best X/C course in the north west, with 5 steep hills and copious amounts of mud! I Found the first small lap extremely hard going in the deep mud and hitting the first steep climb after only a couple of minutes running made for little or no time to settle in,I got a horrible feeling of wanting to stop! I was slipping and sliding all over the place. By the second lap Amanda Crook came past me, which gave me a shock! I decided to change back to CHIRUNNING, the smoother style seemed to help in the mud and i got back into a good rhythm. Into the final lap I seemed to get stronger passing several of my team mates in the closing mile to finish 5th counter for the club , we had an impressive 20 SWAC members turn out today!
Conclusions from this race; nowhere as fit as this time last year, but then I am only just starting my base training, this time last year I had two months of high mileage under my belt and was flying! Next stop
THE LANCASTER AND MORECAMBE 1/2 MARATHON tomorrow which I intend to run at marathon pace.

Monday 3 November 2008

AWESOME,TRULY AWESOME!

Its as if I've only just learn't to run!
I'm so excited about my running since I started using the techniques from the
EVOLUTION RUNNING VIDEO
I even decided to go running straight after a very heavy night shift, once I was warmed up I was amazed how easy it was for my to hold marathon and faster pace! I'm getting so much more power into each stride now, its incredible!
10 x 150m leg speed session = 43 mins
Tue 4th Ran down to CLUBS FARTLEK SESSION then ran back , felt very strong, but tired on the way home= 1.38
Wed 5th BIG SAND DUNES with mad Dog = 1.37
Thur 6th Went running in the morning and man its so warm for this time of year, sweating in just a teeshirt and shorts. Took a flatter route over the sand dunes, running at a easy steady pace.
MAD DOG accompanied me, she decided to roll over in some dog SHIT, oh man what a terrible smell, YOU DIRTY DOG! = 1.00

Train Hard, Win Easy. The Kenyan Way. click here

Saturday 1 November 2008

LONDON MARATHON TRAINING STARTS TODAY

TRAINING PROGRAM; DISTANCE TRAINING FOR MASTERS by ARTHUR LYDIARD
Training started with a whisper rather than a BANG! The first 4 weeks of the program called for no more an hour a day!
I'm going to follow the basic principle of the plan but add in extra miles, from the new year I aim to run a 30 mile over distance run once every 3 weeks.
Well anyway MAD DOG and me headed off into the big sandhills, wearing my thermal top and Ron hill vintage bottoms I soon found myself sweltering in the afternoon sun!
I have now put in 3 runs using the techniques from the
EVOLUTION RUNNING VIDEO , I really feel like I'm starting to generate more power and running more efficiently !
= 1.33
Fri 31st Core training
Thur 30th Robs speed session, I ran with Steady Eddie and Racey Tracey, keeping my effort aerobic. 7 x 0.6 miles at m.p. = 1.08
Wed 29th Big sandhills with mad dog! = 1.30
Tue 28th Rest
Mon 27th Leg speed session 10 x 150m = 1.13

Wednesday 29 October 2008

EVOLUTION RUNNING, RUN FASTER WITH LESS EFFORT

EVOLUTION RUNNING VIDEO
I'm
always looking for ways to run faster and I was really impressed after watching the video clips.
Video 5 shows you how to run downhill faster with less impact, I tried the technique and WOW! it works.
This is pretty exciting stuff, after all at 47 I'm not going to get any faster unless I can improve my running efficiency and economy/ I have now sent off for the DVD to find out more, check out the link above to find out for yourself.

Saturday 25 October 2008

STANDISH HALL TRAIL RACE


MY MOST ENJOYABLE RACE THIS YEAR!
After working the night shift I got just 3 hours sleep before the alarm woke me, i could here the unwelcome sound of the wind and rain lashing against the window!
If I had not arranged for Paul to pick me up I would have rolled over and gone back to sleep for sure!
As if by some miracle the rain stopped just in time for the race, only to start again after I finished! This was round 2 of the series,the first one being back in February when I finished 9th.
After a week of steady aerobic running I was hoping to feel better than in last weeks 10k.
I was wearing the new prototype Healus running shoes,and many people asked me about them [they are designed to reduce shock by having a shock absorbing sprung plate placed midfoot in the shoe] .
Among us at the start was super legend RON HILL , so we were in very good company. We headed off along a pot holed lane filled deep with muddy water, with so many runners on the path you had no choice but to splash straight through the flooded pot holes. After half a mile we turned up a steep hill, by which time I was just starting to get into a nice rhythm, up ahead team mate Richard Carey was pulling away from me, but there was little a could do but hold my own pace! Once at the top I took full advantage of the HEALUS shoes and blasted down the steep concrete lane, pulling up behind another runner as we hit the forest, this was awesome fun zigzagging in and out of the trees as we looped round the woods. At one point I almost bailed out as I over cooked it on a muddy corner! Now the climbing started in earnest once more , up through the trees I was feeling good! Next was the hardest part, climbing alongside the edge of a field [ seemed like a paddy field it was so water logged ] i was starting to struggle, but then I remembered to RELAX and I got back into a nice rhythm again.
The second lap started as we hit the steep climb again, half way up a guy on a mission came past me,so I tagged onto his back and used him to pull me to the top, as soon as the path leveled out I put the hammer down once more and kept it going on the downhill, taking out a couple of runners on my way. i focused in on a group ahead and slowly but surely I closed in on them, through the forest I could see Richard Carey for the first time since he left me behind on the first climb. I pulled in behind him as we squelched through the paddy field , finally we came out onto the pot holed lane for a final dash back to the finish I passed Richard and put in an almighty effort to catch a group of 4 in front of me! I finished with a big grin on my face, legs plastered in mud!
This had been a awesome race, awesome fun, FANTASTIC DAY! and the wet conditions made the race even more fun!
I finished in 21st place, but I was happy enough, my aerobic fitness has gone downhill , but a few months base training should fix that!
Paul found his first trail race hard going but said he'd be back for more taking into account he was only wearing road shoes he did really well. Racey Tracey peters finished first lady and the girls won the team prize for SOUTHPORT WATERLOO, all in all an excellent result!
RESULTS

Thursday 23 October 2008

CORE TRAINING FOR RUNNERS DVD


I think many runners would benefit from buying this new DVD from Greg Mcmillan Running.

Tuesday 21 October 2008

END OF TERM REPORT


SOUTHPORT 10K
"Rick (37.06) just beginning to recover from his grueling sub-3hr Anglesey Marathon".
SAID THE REPORT IN MY CLUBS WEBSITE NEWS REPORT!
The end of season race told me what i already knew, ie, that i was burned out and in need of a rebuild!
i started following Arthur Lydiards training last summer 2007 and my improvement was amazing,in the winter I followed his base training, running up to 10 hours per week, during this time i ran a race every two to three weeks, my races were awesome, each time I felt strong and even ran a p.b. in one race, not bad for someone who has been running for 15 years and thought there best day,s were behind them!
I started anaerobic training in Feb and recorded my fastest ever mile interval session in March! i then ran the Blackpool Marathon in April, the race went really well, just losing 10th place when I got sent the wrong way with 200m to go, but i still won my age group and finished 11th.
After that i went against Mr lydiards advise and carried on doing intense intervals, BIG MISTAKE! at first I stopped improving then started to have eratic races before burning and crashing out, IF ONLY I HAD LISTENED TO THE MASTER!
Anyway i am looking forward to building up my aerobic base again , in November, following ARTHUR LYDIARDS MASTERS PROGRAM FOR THE MARATHON! as long as I stick to the program I know i will have a great London Marathon!
Tue 21st Ran down to meet up with the club for a fartlek session I kept my effort aerobic and relaxed and had a good time running with the guys, there was a thunder storm on the way home with some heavy rain, but I was really shocked when i was almost home to see big chunks of hell stones on the pavement, man am glad i missed out on that!
= 1.35
mon 20th Managed to fit in 10mins on the treadmill as part of my gym instructors course, at least it help loosen my legs off a bit!

Saturday 18 October 2008

RUN UP TO 15 SECONDS PER MILE FASTER, WITHOUT INCREASE IN EFFORT!

GETTING READY FOR THE LOCAL 10K
Thursday Friday and Saturdays runs over the sandhills have been on the easy side apart from a few fast stride outs.
Danny Dreyer of Chirunning gave me a useful tip on how to run faster without using your leg muscles, after I complained that I didn't have enough speed in shorter races using the chi method. Danny suggested that i try"rotating my pelvis as my legs swing. This allows you to gain valuable inches with each stride. By keeping your cadence at 90 and increasing your stride length you gain speed. Your speed will increase according to your ability to rotate your pelvis and drive with your hips (not your legs). This will engage your core muscles which are much stronger and last longer than your quads". This sounded a bit strange at first but i was surprised how my stride length increased and I seemed to get an added thrust pushing me forward, yes it really seems to work! My oblique muscles now feel a bit sore, but i guess it just shows I've not been using them before. Danny suggests that I could increase my stride length by up to 4 ins, some quick calculations in my head has me thinking that this could save me up to 15 sec per mile, anyway I'll give this pelvis rotation trick a go in the 10k on Sunday although I'm not sure that I will be able to maintain it for the duration of the whole race, but hell its worth a try! MORE
Sat 18th Another easy run with Tess on the Velvet trail with some fast stride outs, max 12.8 mph, felt good! = 33 mins.
Fri 17th
easy run over the sandhills with some fast strides,=35 mins.
Thur 16th easy sandhill run with some fast strides = 37 mins.

Thursday 16 October 2008

RUNNING PERFORMANCE AND AGING

Thanks Mike for your question on yesterdays post, i thought it was worth replying here as its a pretty interesting subject;
Blogger Mike said...

Wow Rick, that's really impressive. Do you find that you're putting in more miles nowadays than say 8-9 years ago or is it about the same?

15 October 2008 22:55

Blogger RICK'S RUNNING said...
Hi MIke, I've tried many different types of training over the years,i can see that from looking at my training logs that the years when i put in a high mileage base are the years i ran best.

After 15 years running and before that 10 years cycle racing I'm happy to say that a high mileage type program works best for me and the times when my running has gone downhill are when i have moved into intense interval training and low mileage.
On aging and performance; at 30 i thought I had peaked out and started to lose interest in the sport of cycle racing, at 33 i took up running, at 39 i had a great year but then had 2 indifferent years, I thought I had gone passed my best, but then I increased my mileage and then went on to set new p.b.s over all distances from 5k to marathon at age 42-43.
I did not really know about lydiards methods until last year.
i started training his way last summer 2007 and went on to have an awesome winter and spring, getting close to my best! but I blew it this summer by over doing the anaerobic stuff! I found Lydiard was right to say you only need 5 weeks of intense intervals.
I now intend to follow Lydiards program for masters starting in November as I want to run a great London marathon.

Thanks for your comment Mike , taking into account that you are only just getting back into running you should have many years of improvement ahead of you, enjoy!

16 October 2008 00:51

Wednesday 15 October 2008

CONSISTENT OVER THE AGES

It was interesting looking back at my performances over the last 12 years in the NATTERJACK SEASIDE 10K, I was surprised how well I have managed to hang on to my speed despite my increasing age!
1995 37.54, 96 38.17, 97 37.39, 98 36.47 99 35.15, 2000 37.47. 2001 35.22, 2006 36.35,
2007 35.57

Todays run a easy fartlek session over the sandhills = 1.18

Tuesday 14 October 2008

RUNNING IN WATER

Here I am running in the pouring rain, splashing through inch deep puddles and fighting a nagging wind that breaks my rhythm and soul, I go through the 1/4 in 79 secs, but now I'm into the head wind , trying to stay relaxed and at the same time push close to my limits. the 1/2 mile comes in 2.42, round the corner and I have the wind on my back, accelerating hard out the bend i desperately try to increase my pace up to 12 mph, I glance at the Garmin at 3/4 distance [ 4.07]. I gather myself for the final assault, squeezing every last bit of energy out of my legs, sprinting into the wind all the way to the finish line, 5.29 ! Oh well, not exactly the confidence booster I was looking for, but under the conditions am not sure if it was good or bad!
This time last year I was 6 weeks into my ARTHUR LYDIARD base training and feeling really strong, this year I've run two marathons and run a hard summers race campaign which left me tired and burned out, I would dearly love to race well on Sunday in the local 10k, but i think am much in need of rebuilding my base, before I can ever think of running to a good level again!
3 x 1 mile, 1st mile steady 6.01, 2nd mile hard 5.29, 3rd mile fast relaxed 5.52 = 45 mins
Evening
I went to the gym with Niz and after going round all the weight machines i ended up on the treadmill! with the grade set to 2% I got up to an impressive 11 mph, I was thinking this felt remarkably easy when i realized it was in fact set for kph, oops!!

Monday 13 October 2008

NATTERJACK SEASIDE 10K


FINAL WEEK COUNTDOWN
Today I ran down to Victoria park and completed a mile of sprints, sprinting each straight then jogging easy for 30 seconds before charging into the next straight.

13 sprints in a mile,
average pace 4.54 ,
the strong winds meant that my target of sub 5 min pace proved harder than anticipated.
total running time = 40mins

Saturday 11 October 2008

SMOOTH RUNNING


Today I ran a relaxed tempo run over the sandhill 6 loop, overall I felt smooth and in control of the session finishing an amazing 12 secs faster than last week! But I had a lot more left in my legs this time, I decided to run a second lap at a easy endurance pace. Once I got back on the road for the last 1 .5 miles home I quickly got up to marathon pace and finished feeling like one of those Duracell batteries, I wanted to go on and on!!! Sandhill 6= 36.32 plus easy steady run with last 1.5 miles at M.P.
Overall a good weeks training with a nice steady improvement in form, apart from Thursday when I had very tired legs, but i blame this on spending the day walking round Chester zoo with Niz!
=1.40

Fri 10th Rest
Thur 9th easy = 52 mins

Wednesday 8 October 2008

TEMPO, TEMPO


After starting training as a gym instructor i was advised to join a gym to get experience of using all the weight training equipment etc, so I did my first session last night. Today i found my legs felt pretty sore after using the leg press machine . Arthur Lydiard's programme called for a 2k and 3 k tempo effort, but seeing that I've still not gone metric yet I changed this to a mile and 2 miles. The first mile [ 5.41] felt like a real effort , I ran the second effort inside the Kings gardens, [the scene of many a short distance club race in the past] maybe the thought of my 3 club victories in the 3k inspired me as I felt much better and in control during the 2 mile interval and cruised round at 5.49 pace . 1 mile 5.41, 2 miles 11.40
I guess the important thing is I ran the 2 mile effort over 30 secs faster than last week, even if i feel i should be capable of 5.30 pace!
= 1hour 14 mins

Tuesday 7 October 2008

BLASTING THROUGH THE FLOODS


Todays run was wet,wet,wet! [ oh no sounds like that dreadful Scotish pop group of the 80's] But at least it was warm. Tess and me ran a fartlek session over the sandhills, surging over the steep dunes and pushing the pace on the flatter sections. One good thing about the rain is it makes the sand firmer to run on making for an ideal running terrain. i was feeling much stronger than last week and once again enjoyed my running.I even sprinted up the notorious BIG DIPPER without blowing a gasket ! Towards the end of the run we came back through the park, only to find the path flooded, "to hell with it" I thought and blasted straight through the ankle deep water! Well I couldn't have got much wetter any ways!
= 1.16

Monday 6 October 2008

Enjoyed my run!

I was highly impressed to read of the p.b.s set by THOMAS, GRELLAN AND MIKE, its a great feeling when every thing starts coming together and all the hard work and dedication pays off!
As for me, well at last i started to feel better, the virus and the marathon took its toll upon my body and I had a dreadful feeling that i might never enjoy running again.
Thankfully I started to feel stronger today, finding myself hitting Marathon Pace even into a strong head/cross wind and it felt comfortable , Ah yes, this was more like it.
I headed for the rugby ground and did Arthur Lydiards leg speed session, 10x 150m at faster than mile pace. I then headed back with the wind reaching 10 then 11mph for a while!
Deciding to extend my run, I took an excursion into the sand dunes. I guess you could say I enjoyed my run today, which at the end of the day is what its all about! = 1.07

Friday 3 October 2008

FLORA LONDON MARATHON 2009


ITS NICE TO KNOW I'M OFFICIALLY GOOD FOR MY AGE!!! 'ho,ho'

It was great to get my acceptance letter today from the LONDON MARATHON , now I can start my 5 month Arthur Lydiard marathon training program in November.


Fri 3rd
Tempo run over the sandhill 6, at a fast relaxed pace 36.45 plus easy run = 1.16

Thur 2nd
Leg speed session with rob and tracey max 14.7mph, felt much better= 42 mins

Wed 1st
1 /4 mile[ 80sec] and 2 mile [12.14] tempo, very windy, not feeling good! =40mins

Tue 31st
Easy fartlek session, running over the sandhills =46 mins

Wednesday 1 October 2008

LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Click To Play

chasingKIMBIA Season Three; The Trailer
I only came across this series of videos today, they are from last year but definitely worth a look if you have never seen them before!

Monday 29 September 2008

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

Saturday 27 September 2008

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

Tuesday 23 September 2008

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!
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