HOW TO KNOCK 25 MINS OFF YOUR MARATHON TIME

PART 2
Peter Janssen trains the same runner to a 2.35 P.B.
click on page to enlarge

I MOVE INTO SECOND OVERALL IN THE RACE SERIES

Harrock Hill race 3
[PHOTO ROB ASHWORTH]
A sudden increase in temperature and humidity came as a bit of a shock to the system after such a cool summer so far!
Just a gentle jog before the start had you dripping in sweat, so waiting at the bottom of the quarry road for the start had me thinking that a nice cool beer siting outside a pub relaxing might be a better idea than subjecting myself to running over 3 very tough climbs on such a oppressively humid night.
Anyway after the start all thoughts were put to one side as we concentrated on climbing the first climb, I reached the top with Rob Ashworth still in my sights, which had me thinking I was going alright. Once on the downhill i found myself in a group of 3, I took back one place here then another after the parbold climb ,just before reaching the old ruins of the windmill, but then on the final downhill 3 guys came flying past me as my legs bluntly refused to turn any faster, this dropped me down to 11th place at the finish, 44 secs slower than last month and feeling very tired and drained! It took me a good 5 mins before I started to recover from my efforts and I just had to slump down on the grass and let my body cool down!
Once again I managed to win my age group, 3x in a row, but more importantly I have moved up to 2nd overall in the whole race series! Marathon winning legend Rob Ashworth had a great run just missing 5th place by seconds with 35.14
Our 3rd counter was Andy Hudson in 41.06 33rd, 6 secs faster than last month, Andy Bowker made the trip over from Blackburn to finish in 51st 43.27. Vicky Harvey like me finding the heat hard going finishing in 71 st place 46.42 1.09 slower but an impressive 7 places higher than last month. Cristine Cutner overcame the humid conditions to run 3 secs faster than the june race finishing in 87th 49.30. Carole James was very pleased that for the first time she managed to run up every hill without walking, no mean feat for sure! she finished in 51.25 93rd.
Next months race on 27th Aug is the last in the series and is part of our clubs Grand Prix , so try and make it down, its very challenging but great fun.
SERIES OVERALL RESULTS
RESULTS

Sun 27th
easy run with Jon = 1.08
Sat 26th
Long run inc 4 x 10mins and 3 x 5 mins at marathon pace = 2.30
Thur 24th
12 x 400m with Rob, felt really strong after my race and gave Rob a hard time! = 55 mins
Wed 23rd
HARROCK HILL RACE
Tue 22nd
easy run over the sandhills = 38 mins
Mon 21st
long run inc 8 x hills with club, - 2.37

HARROCK HILL RACE 3 RESULTS

PLANET EARTH INVADED BY ALIENS!

Aliens really are here

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July 25, 2008 12:00am

24 HOURS after former NASA astronaut and moonwalker Dr Edgar Mitchell stunningly claimed aliens do exist, we can present the video evidence supporting his claim. READ MORE AND HEAR THE INTERVIEW

HOW TO KNOCK 25 MINS OFF YOUR MARATHON TIME

PART ONE
BACK IN 2003 I HAD MY BEST EVER YEAR, RUNNING MY FASTEST LONDON MARATHON 2.48 AND THEN GOING ON TO SET P.B.'S FOR 4 MILES 21.31 AND 5 MILES 27.11
BACK THEN I USED IDEAS FROM PETER JANSSENS BOOK; 'TRAINING LACTATE PULSE RATE'. AFTER TRYING MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAINING I AM NOW COMING TO REALIZE THAT THE BEST WAY TO IMPROVE PORFORMANCE IS A COMBINATION OF HIGH MILEAGE AND LONG TEMPO INTERVALS.
NOW READ ON AND YOU TO COULD SEE A DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN YOUR RUNNING. CLICK ON TO ENLARGE PAGES;

HARROCK HILL RACE

Take it to the limit one more time
MY NEXT RACE
Finishing 9th last month, I'm hoping to back it up with another good run tomorrow, after reading Thomas's 5k race report I feel inspired to take it to the limit one more time!

Harrock Hill Race Series (3/4), Farmers Arms, Bispham (same as for Parbold Hill Race) GR 108/497130 A series of 4 races of 5.3 miles over the tracks and fields of Parbold and Harrock Hills, with virtually no road - under FRA rules Extensive prize list for each race and valuable prizes for the race series (3 to count) 2008 entry fees on the night only - £3 single race, £9 for series of 4 Contact: Andy Quickfall - Email (preferred) - tel. 01257 450339 - Venue map (Race 1 indexed with links): 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008

ENDURANCE

I always seem to run at my best when I'm putting in a high mileage. I remember reading that Greg Lemond needed a lot more miles than Sean Kelly to get fit because Sean had more sprinter type muscles than Greg. Well I would not dream to compare myself to a great 3 time Tour De France winner but i think am a real big old diesel engine that seems to go better the more hours I put in, so todays run should do me no end of good! Set off on my normal route over the sandhills to meet up with the guys from the club, Brian got us to do some hill loops in the pinewoods, I held my self back until the last effort because I have the Harrock Hill race on Wednesday, after, I headed back over the big sand dunes inc the infamous big dipper, as I got close to the Royal birkdale club house I found my way blocked by a high fence, I was hoping as the golf open championships had finished on Sunday the paths would by open again, Bummer! i had to retrace my way back and take a long diversion home, by the time i got home I'd been running for 2 hours 37 mins. despite having no energy drinks or tablets I finished feeling pretty good, a good sign I hope. 8 x hills [ efforts up and down the hill] = 2.37

THE LIZARD'S NATIONAL SPEED WEEK

CHEDDAR GORGE DOWNHILL GRAVITY RUN
WORLD RECORD MILE
DOWNHILL MILE RACE




Sun 20th
Easy run with big jon through the pinewoods= 1.06
Sat 19th
I set off on a long run, feeling a bit tired so kept the pace steady, I went over some of the biggest sandhills Southport has to offer,the hills are short sharp and steep and if that is not enough then the soft sand is there to make you work even harder! After an hour I reached the pinewoods which gave me some welcoming relief from the gusting wind.I headed back onto the sand dunes on my return trip, keeping away from the Royal Birkdale golf course as some of the paths are blocked because of the Open golf championships.i reached the tarmac after 2 hours 10 mins, picking the pace up on the road I started to feel quite strong reaching 9 then 10 mph at the end. = 2.35 mins
GIANT STEPS ARE WHAT I TAKE, RUNNING ON THE MOON

THUR 17TH
Put my Lunar Nike trainers through their paces running 3 x 1 mile with rob and Tracey in Vic park and the shoes came out of the test with flying colours, they are awesome, the best shoes I've ever had! They make you feel like you are running in bare feet but with loads of cushioning. The lunar's are a hugh evolution step up, go check them out at your local running store but make sure you take plenty of cash with you, you won't want to leave with out a pair once you've tried them on, for sure!
3 x 1 mile 5.31 5.31 5.36 - 48 mins
+ run with Niz = 18.20
WED 16TH
Run round parbold and harrock hill inc 4 climbs = 1.36
TUE 15th
easy run over the sandhills = 38 mins

MOUNTAIN BIKE DOWNHILL, AWESOME!

PAULA RADCLIFFE; LASTEST NEWS

Paula Radcliffe is training at "high intensity" in order to fulfil her aim of competing in the Beijing marathon
READ MORE

MOMENTS IN HISTORY; FASTEST GAME OF GOLF AND MORE

SEEING THAT THE ROYAL BIRKDALE GOLF OPEN IS ON THIS WEEK, I THOUGHT THIS STORY MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO RUNNERS!

Steve Scott: 'Gotta get to the 19th hole! ...'

Olympic distance runner Steve Scott set the record for the fastest round of golf on a regulation course, speeding around 18 holes at Dad Miller Golf Course in Anaheim, California in 29 minutes, 33.05 seconds. READ MORE

Scott Runs Fastest Mile, On a Downhill Course

Published: April 4, 1982

In Auckland, New Zealand,the fastest mile run ever timed will never be recognized officially.

Steve Scott, an American, was timed in 3 minutes 31.25 seconds in a mile race down Auckland's main street today. The course dropped 200 feet over the distance. Mike Hillardt of Australia was second in 3:32.25, Ray Flynn of Ireland third in 3:32.75 and John Walker of New Zealand fourth in 3:33.93.

I WONDER HAS ANYONE RUN FASTER?

BACK IN THE GROOVE

It feels good to be building up the miles again, yesterday I ran down over the sandhills to meet up with the club. Brian set us a session of 20x 30secs. I ran the efforts at about 4.30 pace, after the session I ran back with rob and Mike over the sand dunes and then along the coast road, I finished with 2 hours 6 mins, job well done!

MICHAEL RIMMER WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 800M

Just watched Southports own Michael Rimmer winning the 800m at the nationals with a blazing sprint finish, my claim to fame; i beat him in a club mile race back in 1999, er, he was only about 12-13 at the time! But hey did I really need to tell you that!
my finish time was 5.01
BEST OF LUCK AT THE OLYMPICS MICHAEL! GO KICK SOME ASS!

CLICK ON NEWS STORY TO ENLARGE

First of the long runs

Set out to Robs house on a cool windy day, Was a bit worried Rob might give me a hammering and expected I might get left behind! we heading off to the Royal Birkdale golf course [ the scene for the British open championships over the next two weeks,its massive with the golf fans around the world!] along the big sandhills and then through the ainsdale and formby pinewoods before returning along the wind swept beach. the last 3 miles were along the coast road and it was here i noticed that Rob was started to lose pace and starting to suffer! I find the CHIRUNNING really helps on these long runs because you don't have to use you leg muscles as much as normal running, your forward lean and gravity pulls you forward so all you have to do is pick your feet up and relax the legs but keep your core muscles engaged so you can hold a good posture, AWESOME!
I felt relieved to finish feeling good, but maybe i was lucky because Rob was feeling the effect from his last two runs. av pace 7.8 mph 19.11 miles =2.26

MY NEW NIKE LUNAR TRAINERS

CHECK THIS OUT
Rob recommended these shoes to me and after a test run i bought them straight away! they are very lite yet have amazing cushioning, the shoes seem to take the form of your feet so it feels like running in bare feet but with padding! my first session in them was the thursday night interval session, with rob,Sarah, a very nice girl from Scotland who at 17 has a p.b. of 2.18 for the 800m, very impressive! and a new guy called paul who got back into running after 20 years when he turned 40. we ran 8 x 500m .I think this session was more like an endurance run for Sarah! anyway it turned out to a good workout and the shoes seemed really good! 8 x 500m - 1.00
WALKING ON THE MOON!

MONSOON AT HAIGH HALL
Torrential rain did not damped the spirits of 6 brave SWAC members who dared to get wetter than ever before! When most other runners ran up to a minute slower than last month Rob Mcgrath once again showed his strength finishing 6th, 1st v 40 in the same time as last month, Rob now moves into 3rd overall in the series and also 2nd vet with just one race to go.
I have been testing out a new prototype running shoe said to give you more bounce, reduce injury and help you run faster. well they didn't help me on this occasion as I ran a minute slower and felt like Zebadie from the magic roundabout as I bounced up and down the hills! but it was good fun bouncing through the hugh puddles, I did manage to finish 13th which gave me 4th and 3rd vet in the series so far.
Back on the comeback trail Tracey Peters put in a solid performance to cross the line in 28.24 looking pleased to overcome the demanding conditions and the tough course.
Now to the exciting part! there was much speculation as to who out of Niz Bowker, Sarah Reynolds and comeback kid Jon singleton would finish first, well Niz put in a fine display of controlled running, steady on the uphill, but zooming downhill at great speed! She came into the finish in great style looking far fresher than most of the runners who finished, she went over the line in 35.05,i have now promised to buy her a new pair of super light racing shoes, hopefully this will inspire her to train a little bit more! Next into view was Sarah who after a good battle with Jon managed to pull away on the downhill, finishing with 38.02, Sarah now moves into 5th overall in the ladies completion!
It was good to see Jon racing here once again, he must have run more races here than most people, maybe in excess of 35 times over the years! Jon finished 26 sec behind Sarah after putting in a strong challenge!
We all went to the after party at the rugby club and all received prizes except Tracey and Niz!
Paul Carroll thanked every one for turning out in such atrocious conditions, maybe next time it will be a glorious summers evening, well we can live in hope! On a final note, thanks go out to Jon for the fantastic taxi service on such a horrible night, but I think the £50 bill was a bit on the steep side! only joking! RESULTS

IT WAS ARTHUR LYDIARD'S BIRTHDAY ON THE 6th OF JULY
READ MORE

Bull-runners injured in Pamplona

VIDEO

After my experience with the cows at Harrock hill there was no chance of catching me doing the Pamplona run!
Instead I ran out over the sandhills to meet up with the club and we did a very enjoyable fartlek session, I then ran back with Rob over the biggest sandhills. I finished feeling pretty good and looking forward to building up my base training again for a marathon in september,
= 1.56

THE ART OF RUNNING; RUNNERS NEEDED!

Runners sprint past Tate art work

The artist advertised for participants in running magazines

Runners are sprinting past works of art and visitors at the Tate Britain as part of a new exhibition at the venue.

Martin Creed's installation consists of a sprint through the site's neo-classical sculpture galleries every 30 seconds for the next four months.

The 50 runners will be paid £10 an hour to don their running gear and run through the Tate, avoiding visitors.

Denying his work was pretentious Mr Creed said: "This is something to look at, just like a painting."

The artist, who won the Turner Prize in 2001 with the installation, The Lights Going On And Off, said: "It's literally not pretentious because they are not pretending to run."

'Not safe'

Each 12-to-15-second run through the 282ft (86m) gallery is followed by an equivalent pause.

Mr Creed said: "The rest between each runner is the frame that lets you see the running.

"Sometimes when you go around museums you feel it's quite a laborious task Martin Creed"

"The regularity of it is very important. That's what makes it easy to look at.

"There's a pattern for you to look at. You'll be sure that they're coming every 30 seconds so hopefully you can enjoy it."

Work No 850 was partly inspired by a five-minute viewing of the catacombs of the Cappuccini monks in Palermo, Italy, when he arrived at the crypt just before closing time.

He said: "I thought 'Why do you have to look at paintings for a long time? Why not look for a second?'.

"Sometimes when you go around museums you feel it's quite a laborious task."

The Wakefield-born artist advertised for participants in running magazines and sports clubs and is still searching for more sprinters.

But energetic visitors will not be encouraged to join in "because it's not safe", he said.

THE VERVE

The best thing to happen at GLASTONBURY
THE VERVE

NIKE, HEALUS AND MORE BOUNCE!

THOMAS LEFT THIS COMMENT;Thomas said I thought you were joking when you first linked to those!...[ HEALUS RUNNING SHOES]

HI THOMAS, no i was not joking about the HEALUS PROTOTYPE SHOE, though I can see where your coming from! I am always looking for something that can give me an edge when it comes to racing!
First impressions on the shoe;well to be fair the shoe i have is for high mileage use weighing 400g,It does feel like i am running along on a giant piece of rubber, they do reduce shock impact, and you feel like your bouncing along,remember zebadie from the magic roundabout!
Anyway i tried running 2x 1/2 mile to see if I could run faster; result I ran the same times as in normal trainers! mmmmm! I would like to get hold of a pair of his light weight racing shoes though, MY VERDICT ON THESE SHOES, RIGHT NOW THE JUDGE IS OUT OF THE BUILDING, so to speak!

DID YOU EVER SEE THE CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO, ABOUT A DESIGNER FROM NIKE WHO PUT A STEAL SPRUNG PLATE INTO A RUNNING SHOE WHICH GAVE THE RUNNER MORE FORWARD THRUST AND INCREASED SPEED! THE PROTOTYPE SHOE WAS GIVING VERY GOOD RESULTS AND LOOKED LIKE A GOOD IDEA BUT THE SHOE NEVER MADE IT INTO THE SHOPS.
JUST THINK ABOUT THE FORCE WITH WHICH YOUR FOOT HITS THE GROUND, SURELY THERE MUST BE THE TECHNOLOGY TO USE SOME OF THAT ENERGY AND TRANSFER IT INTO FORWARD MOTION, RUNNING SHOES DON'T SEEMED TO HAVE IMPROVED MUCH SINCE I STARTED RUNNING BACK IN 93!

Sun 6th
gentle jog with Sarah, Rob and Jon, managed to stay dry after the morning downpours! = 55mins
my second run of the day was with Niz, we ran out along the beach and back. we are all running The Haigh hall race on wednesday and it will be interesting to see how Niz, Sarah and Big Jon get on! =29mins
Sat 5th
easy steady run over the sandhills and through the pinewoods in new HEALUS running shoes = 1.57

Fri 4th
first test of new HEALUS running shoes, 2 x 1/2 mile selworthy hill loop, 2.48 2.45 = 38 mins

new shoes with a bounce

I now have a pair of the healus prototype running shoes, see my full report soon!

LIFE IS A ROLLER COASTER

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER

CHORLEY 4
Heavy afternoon rain gave way to much kinder conditions by the 7.30 start.but the early raIn seemed to have put some runners off, but not 5 intrepid souls from SWAC. This race marked the return of Tracey Peters who am glad to say is back on the road again after a serious ankle injury which required hospital treatment! also on the start line was inform Rob Mcgrath and Carlos Irizar who is going through a glorious purple patch, getting faster with each race he runs. Sarah Reynolds was here to only days after her Triathlon . Rob took a few more seconds off last months time finishing 13th 22.02 and winning first v 40 yet again, Rob will soon have enough vouchers to buy a whole running store! Carlos easily achieved his target of breaking 25 minutes looking very smooth with a elegant running style he crossed the line very happy with his finishing time of 24.45, I have a feeling that he could be pushing under the 24 min barrier be next month. Tracey almost missed the start after getting lost and reached the start line in a breathless state,once into the race she found the going tough, but ran well to finish in 27.13 close to her p.b. and am sure with a few more races she will surpass her previous best times. Only days after a tough Triathlon Sarah looked relaxed coming into the finish running 36.18, 8 secs up on last month! As for me well they say life is a roller coaster and after a great race last week i pulled my back muscles lifting a heavy weight! i abandoned a run on monday after 20mins because of my legs feeling weak with sciatic pains, Tuesday I felt a bit better so thought i would risk the race, once running i felt uncomfortable and could only manage a restricted short stride. Even though I won my age group i felt disappointed with 22.50 So am hoping a trip to my chiropractor this morning will sort me out. Remember its Haigh Hall next week, its a very enjoyable event so come on down! RESULTS

REAL BITCH OR THE SWEETEST THING?

CHORLEY HARRIERS 4 MILE RACE SERIES

MY NEXT RACE IS THE CHORLEY 4 ON WED 2nd JULY
RESULTS

Tue 1st
ONE HOUR OF CHIRUNNING PRACTICE WITH STEADY EDDIE
Mon 30th
PULLED MY BACK MUSCLES CORE TRAINING, ONLY ABLE TO RUN FOR 25 MINS, 5 X LEG SPEED.
was not very 'focused in' when doing my core training, result i lifted my dumb bells up with straight legs, DUMB OR WHAT, Just like THOMAS am going through some highs and lows, after a great Blackpool marathon [ 11th and 1st v45] I went through a bit of a low, which i found to be iron deficiency,I sorted that out and bounced back to have my best race in four years last week only to hurt my back on Monday!
IS THERE A LESSON IN ALL OF THIS; YES, LIFE CAN BE A REAL BITCH, BUT SOMETIMES ITS THE SWEETEST THING! [great U2 video]
Sun 29th
easy run with BIG JON round the pinewoods = 1.05