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Great North Run Race report (Read 786 times)


Slow-smooth-fast

    Well I will firstly start by saying that I did indeed exceed others and my own expectations. This was my first ever half marathon and I wasn't 100% sure about the correct pace to approach it. I had in my head around 1:36, but as the race started I decided to just go by feel. I have never really gone with this strategy before but I thought that I would just put in a nice and relaxed first few miles and assess how I felt. Mile 1-6 felt quite sedate but still I was surprisingly running better than I had anticipated.

     

    My 10k spit was 44:14

     

    From here I pushed on as I felt good.

     

    Mile 7: 6:41

    Mile 8: 6:46

    Mile 9: 6:57

    Mile 10: 6:53

    Mile 11: 6:57

    Mile 12: 6:59

    Mile 13: 6:22

    0.23 mile: 6:12 pace

     

    Overall finished in 1:31:29

     

    A great day for me and the best race I have run. I just seemed to time it perfectly and only hit a little lull up mile 11-12 which was a gradual incline. I don't know what to set my sites on now. I am so elated, pictures to follow.

     

    Comments welcome please with any feedback.

     

    Me in the middle:

     


    "I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009

    xhristopher


      You didn't exceed my expectation. You confirmed it. 

       

      Told you so.

       

      Good race. Enjoy the payoff for your work.

        Really good race Eddy - recover well but keep the momentum - this is just the tip of the iceberg....

         

        M.T.A. Loving the Jazzy Green Silence!


        Slow-smooth-fast

          Really good race Eddy - recover well but keep the momentum - this is just the tip of the iceberg....

           

          M.T.A. Loving the Jazzy Green Silence!

           

          Cheers, they are a great shoe, increase my pace noticeably!

           

           

          Another pic we took from the race

           

           

          Love to hear the f/b from you guys on the race. I feel a little sad now that it is over and really am not sure where to go from here. Anyone any advice? Should I stay on with the high mileage or tone it down and try to get my speed better? Feel like as I have done this big race now I lack direction. Comments welcome please.

          "I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009

            Love to hear the f/b from you guys on the race. I feel a little sad now that it is over and really am not sure where to go from here. Anyone any advice? Should I stay on with the high mileage or tone it down and try to get my speed better? Feel like as I have done this big race now I lack direction. Comments welcome please.

             

            Nice job on the breakthrough! This isn't advice so much as knowing exactly what you mean. I had two big break through races this year and my solution to this directionless feeling was to hire a coach. I did not tell him "my goal is to break..." or "I want to run a marathon" or anything like that. It was "what next?" I've been happy with it so far but haven't had a race time to back that up due to life getting in the way of my summer.


            Slow-smooth-fast

              I suppose my next goal is to run a fast 10k by Christmas. Need to speak to Nobby I think. I want to get under 39. Is this possible?

              "I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009

                I suppose my next goal is to run a fast 10k by Christmas. Need to speak to Nobby I think. I want to get under 39. Is this possible?

                 

                39 for a 10k is significantly harder than 1:31:29 for an HM. But - you have time, so you can certainly start working towards it. I would suggest that you get into some 5k races ASAP. Presumably you're in the UK so there should be a parkrun near you http://www.parkrun.org.uk/.  For a 39 min 10km you should probably be doing about 18:45 for a 5k. - that's 3:45 per km or 6:02 per mile. Try doing some intervals at that kind of pace - do 5x1000m or some such at that pace with say, 2min recoveries. If you can do that kind of workout without feeling like you're about to die then you have chances...


                Slow-smooth-fast

                  39 for a 10k is significantly harder than 1:31:29 for an HM. But - you have time, so you can certainly start working towards it. I would suggest that you get into some 5k races ASAP. Presumably you're in the UK so there should be a parkrun near you http://www.parkrun.org.uk/.  For a 39 min 10km you should probably be doing about 18:45 for a 5k. - that's 3:45 per km or 6:02 per mile. Try doing some intervals at that kind of pace - do 5x1000m or some such at that pace with say, 2min recoveries. If you can do that kind of workout without feeling like you're about to die then you have chances...

                   

                  Cheers for that. My legs are somewhat lacking in speed at the moment and that does sound fast when you put it like that. Is it beneficial to actually do intervals at your target pace or is that perhaps going to invoke an injury as you are pushing hard? Should I build to it or do shorter intervals where I can actually maintain that speed?

                  "I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009

                    Cheers for that. My legs are somewhat lacking in speed at the moment and that does sound fast when you put it like that. Is it beneficial to actually do intervals at your target pace or is that perhaps going to invoke an injury as you are pushing hard? Should I build to it or do shorter intervals where I can actually maintain that speed?

                     

                    Most 10k training plans will have you doing some intervals at faster than your target pace. It's hard to know what's best for you - everyone responds differently, so to some extent it's a question of trying different things and find what feels like it's working well.

                     

                    I certainly find that intense running causes problems - but then I'm 47 now - when I was younger it was different. In any case ease into things - don't go with a sudden and dramatic change... build up both the length and pace over time. I find that doing hill repeats is a way of getting some relatively intense work with fewer problems.

                     

                    But I think racing also helps which is why I mentioned the parkruns - 5k is a great distance to race because it's short enough that you can do it pretty often and still recover well enough to train.

                    BeeRunB


                      Nice job, Eddy. Good race.Cool


                      Slow-smooth-fast

                        Nice job, Eddy. Good race.Cool

                         

                        Cheers Jimmy, very happy!

                        "I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009

                          Great race!

                           

                           Citius, Altius, Fortius

                          2018 Goals:

                          Get Lucky Half  1:47:59

                          Grandmas Marathon

                          Fall Marathon - Twin Cities??