Ooof. 2356 running miles for the year, so probably comfortably 2400+ with 11 days to go….only 482 on the bike though, and that was all done in the 5 weeks I was injured and couldn’t run.

Slightly disappointing year with regards marathon performances (2 solid times, but no PB as London was too hot and North Dorset 2 weeks later and also hot), but PB’d at 10k (37:07), quarter marathon and 10 miles (61:32), so still just about getting quicker at 48 :-)

Roll on next year and here’s hoping late April in London is a bit cooler this time!

Ex-Brickie now Lecturing in construction at a college, teaching classroom thoery, workshop practical and assessing NVQs.
Our clientele are somewhat demanding and generally not very motivated, but that’s modern teenagers for you.
Paperwork and pressures for results are ridiculous.
Holidays are great.
Pay is ok.
Don’t miss the early morning-late home of site work.
Don’t miss the wet and cold and sunburn and backache.
Do miss the ability to tell someone to **** off and that they’re a c**t when they need it :wink:

Just wear any pair of road bib shorts with a lightweight pair of shorts over the top if you feel shy…inadequate ;-)
Even a pair of old running shorts if you’re feeling cheap.

My Fitness Pal app on the phone and log EVERYTHING and don’t cheat/lie to yourself. I was doing 1800 calories a day (plus the extra to account for the daily running) for a few months and lost 2 stone.
If you exercise every day then it’s surprising how much you can get away with eating

I’m using Salomon Sense Mantra 2’s as my spring/summer trail race shoe.
About 250g with a rock plate and enough cushioning for hard pack trails as well as loose stuff.
Not great for muddy mud or lots of road, but a good compromise and comfy enough for anything up to marathon distance.
The Mantra 3 is a little bit changed i believe, but not sure what they’ve done with it.
Sense Pro’s are a little bit lighter and less cushioned but my mate smashed a 4:39 37 mile very hilly ultra win in them the other week so they must be pretty good!

Already done it! ‘Retired’ to Poole 12 years ago when i was 33.
Still working obviously, but being here definetely has it’s perks.
Loads of beaches obviously; busy (Bournemouth/Sandbanks), quiet (head west a bit).
Enough work to keep the money coming in…and close enough to commute if you really must.
New Forest and Purbecks for riding and walking and family related stuff.
Huge sports/lifestyle scenes (roadcycling/MTBing/running/watersports)
No rush to move anywhere else anytime soon.

FWIW the charity i support get charged £140 for Brighton and have a minimum target of £250 (same target as Great North Run).
Entry if you pay for it yourself is over £50.
For London the target is £2500 and all places are taken for the next 2 years already.

London is a bit of an anomoly really, as it’s the one big race that most non-runners and a large proportion of club runners are desperate to do.
The ballot over subscription every year is massive and after a few failed attempts many give up tyring and go down the charity route for a guaranteed entry.
No real objection to this if they choose a charity close to them for whatever reason and do something other than the run to raise some funds (like quiz nights, bake cakes to sell etc); begging only gets so far.
Some will also pay a fair chunk of the target ammount themselves as their ‘entry fee’.
I’ve done a couple of things for charities i have no real link to, but made sure i raised the minimum (which was easy enough as i wasn’t very fit then, so friends could see it was a challenge).
My first marathon last year (Brighton) was for a charity very close to me and i raised well over the target as family and friends knew the importance to me and twitter followers/blog readers also stumped up brilliantly.
At work i did awareness talks as part of staff training on the condition i had and just left a collection tin near the door if anyone wanted to donate, but didn’t shake it under their noses.
Now i’m a more serious runner i wouldn’t ask for donations as i’m sure people would say “well you run 60 miles a week already so why should i?”.
IF i ever run London (and i’m in no hurry to as logistically it looks a nightmare), then it’ll be because i have run 3:15 (for a 40+) in a local marathon and qualify as good for age … maybe next Sunday if it goes well :?
For genuine ‘charity runners’ doing a one off run for a charity that means a lot to them, then fair play that’s a proper challenge and i’ll give to it … if they are going to try their best, train and RUN it. Not if they are just going to rock up on the day and walk round. If they do the training they might even start to like it and keep it up afterwards.

There’s a reason cross races are less than an hour long! :wink:

Double wrap the bar tape, ride on the tops and drops not the hoods all the time.

I never wore a helmet when i was a bmx-er unless it was in a park that had helmet rules. That was in the 8o’s though when NO ONE wore helmets unless racing, and the 90s when NO ONE wore helmets unless racing, in contests or riding vert ramps.
I only started to wear one once i started riding a mountain bike and road bike.
BMX has changed a bit recently in that many more top riders visibly wear lids riding street, park and even trails in magazines and videos, partly as a result of some high profile head injuries (e.g. Mike Aitken).
Most race tracks/clubs will enforce helmets and long sleeves when club members are riding, but it is impossible to police when it’s just the public there, the alternative being fencing off and only allowing access during official sessions.
I guess some parents just don’t care or consider the risks as we would.

Scotland? I’ve heard of it and seen it on the news. Is it up North near London?

Yours,
Concerned from Dorset (near France)

If you go for big miles, be prepared not to ride your bike much (unless you’re a budding triathlete and/or have a VERY understanding wife).
There’s a reason most of my bikes are for sale on here at the moment :(

FWIW, the quick local runners (sub 3hr marathons, sub 60min 10 mile, 17min 5k) are mostly doing 60+ miles a week (and more this time of year as marathon training peaks).
The REALLY quick local guys (sub 2:30 marathon) are doing 100 miles a week and marathon length runs every Sunday 8O

For fast stuff, track work we do is varied, but for instance:

400 – 800 – 400 – 800 – 1200 – 800 – 400 all at faster than 5k pace (e.g 5:20 min/mile pace instead of 6:00 min/mile pace) 1 minute-90 secs rest between each set.

Adds speed and also benefits mentally in races as you know you are racing at a slower pace than you have run in training.

For the little amount of miles you do a week that’s not bad times you’re doing.
I got down to 20:30 5k and 43min 10k with about that sort of mileage and doing intervals once a week.
I reached these without really being fit enough, as the drop off to my 10 mile (1:20) and half marathon (1:44) times was far too much.
This was as far as i could get being ‘unfit’.
If you really want to improve your times, then some long base miles and a serious upping of your weekly mileage is probably needed.

I spent 4-5 months doing mostly low heart rate (135bpm ish) runs 40-50 miles a week to make myself more efficient and fitter…and 1 1/2 stone lighter.
My mile pace for this heart rate went from 9 min to sub 8 min/mile and subsequently made all higher effort paces significantly faster as well.

My 5k time has tumbled to 18:26, 10k to 39:02, 10 mile to 64 mins and half marathon to 1:26.

Current weekly schedule is:

Long run Sunday…12-22 miles depending on if marathon training or not.
Monday recovery…6 miles at low heart rate 8:30min/mile approx.
Tuesday…10 mile tempo run at marathon pace 7:30 min/mile approx. (or club track intervals)
Wednesday…rest day
Thursday…club run 10 miles at 7:30 ish
Friday…6-8 miles easy 8 min/mile ish
Saturday…3 miles easy to parkrun then 5k parkrun (fast or easy depending on whether i can be bothered to try hard or not 8))
If in full marathon training then some double run days will be added to get the mileage high enough.

Still a 45 yr old mid packer in bigger local races but quick enough to make me happy and motivated :-)

I don’t drink at all and haven’t for about 10 years.
I think it’s great.
There you go; an unqualified recommendation :-)

“Bikelab’s Richmond shop was a disaster. Worst customer service ever”

Not the same people involved. They were the reason the Poole one had to shut…

With regards a fast’ish 10k times relevence.
3hr marathon require 6:52 min/mile which would give you a 43 minute 10k and a 90 minute half.
No way are you running a marathon at 10k pace, so it goes without saying that running 6:52s needs to feel relatively easy and be at a more sustainable heart rate.

A 37 min 10k is run at 5:57 min/mile; this gives you a fair bit of leeway to back off the throttle and give yourself a decent chance of holding pace for 3 hours.

I know that in my case, i can run 6:52s for a half marathon but would need to knock it back for a marathon, hence why i know i can’t run sub 3 …yet.
My 10k pace is 6:17 min/mile (39:03PB), so i either need to drop that somewhat or make my stamina significantly stronger so i can sustain 6:52 for longer.
In reality, what will probably happen is both. The distance/speed work i’m doing will increase my ability to hold pace longer and at the same time will speed up my 10k/5k pace…with a bit of luck :-)

“Bikelab got shafted”
“What happened there? Friends living that way always seemed to like the shop”

Not really for me to say, but Clive’s got a cracking job now so it all worked out ok in the end :-)

Rich at Ride in Ashley Cross will sort you out well.
Rockets and Rascals (on the Sandbanks road) is spannered by Johnny who used to be in Ride…and has great coffee.
Primera have 2 shops; an MTB angled one a mile up the road from Ride towards Branksome and the more Roadie main store in Charminster.
Bikelab got shafted a few years back and had to shut, but Martin their main spanner is now in The Forge cycleworks in Ringwood.

“Why is the marathon such a holy grail for non runners? Beats me! Most competitive club road runners I know tend to use their 10K times as a yardstick to judge themselves and others by.”

To be fair, even with a lot of club runners i run with marathon times get talked about a lot, and plenty base their seasons and training around marathons.
I agree it’s a shame non-runners don’t see the value in other times and distances though.
The standard question when someone finds out you’re a runner is ‘so have you done a marathon then?’
I’m much prouder of my 5k, 10k and 10 mile times than of the fact i ran an average marathon once.

It’s also a bit humbling when you run a 1:30 half and are still 20 odd minutes behind the winner :|

“Yes, I’d also like to run a sub 40 10k….”

A sub 40 10k is a lot easier than a 3hr marathon.
My 10k is 39:03 but no way am i near 3 hrs for a marathon.
6:17 min/mile for 39 mins is a LOT easier than the 6:52 m/m you need to do to run 3 hrs.
3hr marathon runners need to be doing 35/36 min 10k’s!

FWIW i did a marathon in April while still ‘half fit’. Did a 16 week programme and was running 1:40 half and 20min 5k at the time.
Managed 3Hr45min but vowed not to do another until i was fit enough to do it justice…which i still don’t feel i am.

It’s taken me 6 months at 50 miles a week to get down from 1:40 to 1:30 half marathon, 44min to 39:03 10k and 20+min to 18:50 5k

That’s 5-6 days a week running (long runs, hills, track, recovery, tempo and racing).
At 44 with a young family, i wouldn’t have had time to cycle as well (even if i’d had the energy!).

Sub 3 is the top end of most clubs, inhabited by 6-7 day a week runners doing 15-20 miles every Sunday and a weekly mileage upwards of 60 miles (up to 80+ when fully into marathon programme).
They’ll be doing enough speed work and intervals to be cracking out 17 min 5k’s and sub 60min 10 milers as well.
Big undertaking and not something i’d want to mix with bike training /racing.

again,…unless you are very talented/fit/lucky

1:30 half and 3:00 marathon are very different beasts.
My last couple of halfs have been 1:31 and 1:32, yet i’d be more than happy with a 3:20 marathon.
The training loads needed to get that fast for that sort of distance are pretty heavy duty and you could write off any riding for several months (you won’t have time and will be knackered)

…unless you are very talented/fit/lucky

Anthrax – Among the Living

or any one of South of Heaven, Reign in Blood or Seasons in the Abyss

Time for teachers to join in.

They wouldn’t know how to work their arse off, other than polishing a seat with it.

Yeah, thanks for that.
Those 20 years breaking my back as a tradesman on site, giving me the knowledge and experience to pass on to learners felt really easy and not at all like hard work. :?
Glad it was appreciated by some.

If we’re all rubbish teachers, it must be a really easy job.

If anyone fancies taking my ‘Environmental Sustainability in the Construction Industry’ lesson in a minute feel free.
I’ve got a lovely class of half asleep disinterested 16yr olds waiting for you :-)

Recent improvements at Tank Museum make it a good day out now, even the missus and kids enjoyed it the other week when we went.

I’d give the monkeys a miss, always makes me a bit sad looking at them.

The state of the weather down here the last couple of months, any walking in the Purbecks will be a bit of a mess unless it’s in the sandy bits around the golf club/Franks tank area.

Bring your running shoes, i’ve got 15 off road miles to do Sunday :?

As said before, budget is key to bike advice.

Pete Poddy off here lives near there (Farnboro’?) and works in a bike shop doesn’t he, might be a good place to start?

If the kids are shortish, IslaBikes are the general go to for scaled down decent kit.

As someone said up there ^
Ritch at Ride Cycleworks in Poole stocks Yeti and Santa Cruz and is well worth a call.
Santa Cruz not too boutique/niche down here, they’ve been crawling all over the Purbecks for years : )

Corfe to Charminster every day is a bit of a trek too. Broadstone to Tower Park is bad enough :wink:

Nice to see the Purbecks video there :-)
Haven’t ridden over there for a while since i sold the MTB and concentrated on running and road.
Judging by the fact i can’t see the hills out the office window because of the low cloud, i would imagine the Franks Tank trail at the end of the film will be looking somewhat different today :?

Mk1 XR2 was my first car. Used to go through front pirelli P600s like they were going out of fashion.
Had to have a new engine after 90,000 miles after the head went pearshaped and i sheared all the teeth off the driveshaft by driving like a knob :?
Brilliant little car…until i wrote it off by falling asleep at the wheel :(

Best car i’ve ever had.

Guilty as well.
Sold my mtb earlier this year as i never used it although still got a couple of road bikes and a cx bike.
Started running just over a year ago and have dropped my 5k from 25mins to 20mins in 9 months :-)
Done a couple of 1/2 marathons, a few 10 mile races and loads of 5 and 10k’s.
Have entered a marathon next year so Sundays are now for long runs meaning no cyclocross for me this winter either :(

No as tough or varied as Reading, but race it hard and it’ll still be fun.

Basingstoke track is ok.
Basically skirts some football pitches near the tennis club so reasonable flat, but does have some ups and downs, some bits in the trees and a couple of sets of barriers.
Vets and Seniors are similar really, fast boys off the front and pretty spread out after half a lap. At least with the Vets racing with the juniors and ladies there’s usually a huge field and someone to have a battle with.

Reasonable (and safe) enough place to start. Full cromo frame would be better, but you could always upgrade to a good one later for under £200 if you get into it.
Not light for racing use but plenty of bike for street/park/trails.
Big difference in how the 20.6 and 21″ TT will feel, especially if you’ve got long arms.