Official Running Thread

[Greg Bobkin]

Just got my Brighton Half number and race info.

Looking at that runbritain site you can also see a list of upcoming races that they are tracking and Brighton Half is one of them. It states the field size is 13,500 which is.....well.....too many IMHO. Has it always been that large? The start always feels congested and the toilet queues huge.

No, I remember doing it when it was the Sussex Beacon half (c.2003) and the field was tiny (relatively speaking). It was also under a tenner to enter (or maybe £12), which was a bargain!

The growth in running in general, the arrival of the marathon and a sponsor that can advertise it all over the place have all meant that numbers have rocketed. I wouldn't rush to go back, to be honest.

 

[knocky1]

PS talking of obsessive sad ******** I have been known to check my Parkrun time against all in my age category in every event in Sussex (West and East). It usually looks quite good until get to the Hove Park results!

https://www.nice-work.org.uk/file.php?f=dHJhaW5pbmdfcmVzdWx0cyMjMTcxMCMjeGxzeA==
Scroll to far right, excuse the expression, to find V60M.
I’m hoping to do the over 60s Sussex Road Relay on April 4th at Christ’s Hospital. Teams of 3 running 1.9 miles each with a baton. Looking at the results from 2018 it looks fiercely fast and competive from the old gits. Split seconds between them. Some big club names there; Tom Ulliot, the Gasson and Michael Miller who tore by me at Coombes Farm.
I’ll have to get in the team first....

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

https://www.nice-work.org.uk/file.php?f=dHJhaW5pbmdfcmVzdWx0cyMjMTcxMCMjeGxzeA==
Scroll to far right, excuse the expression, to find V60M.
I’m hoping to do the over 60s Sussex Road Relay on April 4th at Christ’s Hospital. Teams of 3 running 1.9 miles each with a baton. Looking at the results from 2018 it looks fiercely fast and competive from the old gits. Split seconds between them. Some big club names there; Tom Ulliot, the Gasson and Michael Miller who tore by me at Coombes Farm.
I’ll have to get in the team first....

Yes - this one has been run for many a year. That 1.9 mile course would be great for you and I think you'd take a few scalps. I'd have thought Arena would be putting together a number of teams? (Not that you wouldn't get into the 'firsts'.) I'm back in training but goodness me it's hard, hard, hard. I'm probably not fully recovered from the lurgy. Am aiming for sub 24 on Saturday! Got to learn a bit of patience and a lot of humility.

 

[knocky1]

SB and PB for [MENTION=474]Mr Blobby[/MENTION] on Saturday.
I've received a cheque in the post from [MENTION=33116]Garry Nelson's teacher[/MENTION] and have accordingly given him a week to not have a non 70%+ AG entered in the table.

NAME	5K SB	5K PB	SB AG	10K	10M	HM	M
Artie Fufkin	17:30	16:55	72.97%	35:47		1:17:00	2:44:37
Ninja Elephant	17:49	17:49	72.63%	37:33	1:07:57	1:27:43	3:10:49
Big Nuts	18:36	18:25	73.39%	38:10	1:05:38	1:27:42	3:15:59
Fitzcarraldo	19:33	19:33	66.07%
Mr Banana	19:48	19:28	66.58%
Bad Ash	20:46	19:40	65.25%	43:27		1:35:00	3:43:03
P's Harmonica	20:54	20:10	71.69%	43:03		1:33:56	3:27:19
Simgull	21:35	20:21	70.04%	42:45	1:11:46	1:38:14	3:44:28
Guinness Boy	22:35	22:04	64.28%	46:50	01:21:06	1:49:06	4:00:06
Mr Blobby	23:05	23:05	64.40%	48:54	1:20:05	1:47:44	4:13:22
chaileyjem	25:11	25:11	60.03%			1:43:42
Badger		18:05	%	38:04		1:22:57	2:56:33
Blue&WhiteSea		17:05	%	36:53	1:00:09	1:22:39
Curious Orange	[/td] [td]18:36	%	37:59		1:24:23.9	3:29:23
St Leonard's		19.44	%			1:34:35
Biffy Boy		19.55	%	41:31		1:33:17	3:18:39
Dazzer		19.57	%			1:36	3:43:
jimmygull		20:50		49:19			4:04:32
Knocky		17:45	%	39:52		1:34:00	3:50:49
Ben Eltons Bro		21:12	%	44:48		1:39:26	3:33:28
seagull-si		21.29	%			1:43:42
CompleteBadger		19:37	%	41:25	1:17:11	1:30:58	3:29:52
GNT		20:20	%	40:31	1:19:12	1:31:18	4:19:55
Soistes		21:51	%	46:14		1:43:12	3:51:33
lostinlondon		22:00	%	44.13
Greg Bobkin		20:54	%	42:	1:13:	1:39:00	3:57:37
Nathan		22:36	%	46:58		1:47:20	4:06:25
sjamesb3466		22:58	%	47:14	1:21:12	2:02:06
Bob!		22:41	%	45.39	1:16:42	1:44:21	3:53:35
HerrTubthumper		19:03				1:36:10	3:05:34
Notters		25:44	%
JoePrecious		19:44		46:19	1:24:08	1:38:13	4:04:30
Jonny Rainbow				41:43	1:12:40		3:24:38
Shippers						1:43:42

tr]
[td]Anchorman [/td]
[td]22:31 [/td]
[td]21:34 [/td]
[td]71.21% [/td]
[td]46.25 [/td]
[td] [/td]
[td]1:41:38 [/td]
[td] 3:55:00 [/td]
[/tr]

[

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

SB and PB for [MENTION=474]Mr Blobby[/MENTION] on Saturday.
I've received a cheque in the post from [MENTION=33116]Garry Nelson's teacher[/MENTION] and have accordingly given him a week to not have a non 70%+ AG entered in the table.

NAME	5K SB	5K PB	SB AG	10K	10M	HM	M
Artie Fufkin	17:30	16:55	72.97%	35:47		1:17:00	2:44:37
Ninja Elephant	17:49	17:49	72.63%	37:33	1:07:57	1:27:43	3:10:49
Big Nuts	18:36	18:25	73.39%	38:10	1:05:38	1:27:42	3:15:59
Fitzcarraldo	19:33	19:33	66.07%
Mr Banana	19:48	19:28	66.58%
Bad Ash	20:46	19:40	65.25%	43:27		1:35:00	3:43:03
P's Harmonica	20:54	20:10	71.69%	43:03		1:33:56	3:27:19
Simgull	21:35	20:21	70.04%	42:45	1:11:46	1:38:14	3:44:28
Guinness Boy	22:35	22:04	64.28%	46:50	01:21:06	1:49:06	4:00:06
Mr Blobby	23:05	23:05	64.40%	48:54	1:20:05	1:47:44	4:13:22
chaileyjem	25:11	25:11	60.03%			1:43:42
Badger		18:05	%	38:04		1:22:57	2:56:33
Blue&WhiteSea		17:05	%	36:53	1:00:09	1:22:39
Curious Orange	[/td] [td]18:36	%	37:59		1:24:23.9	3:29:23
St Leonard's		19.44	%			1:34:35
Biffy Boy		19.55	%	41:31		1:33:17	3:18:39
Dazzer		19.57	%			1:36	3:43:
jimmygull		20:50		49:19			4:04:32
Knocky		17:45	%	39:52		1:34:00	3:50:49
Ben Eltons Bro		21:12	%	44:48		1:39:26	3:33:28
seagull-si		21.29	%			1:43:42
CompleteBadger		19:37	%	41:25	1:17:11	1:30:58	3:29:52
GNT		20:20	%	40:31	1:19:12	1:31:18	4:19:55
Soistes		21:51	%	46:14		1:43:12	3:51:33
lostinlondon		22:00	%	44.13
Greg Bobkin		20:54	%	42:	1:13:	1:39:00	3:57:37
Nathan		22:36	%	46:58		1:47:20	4:06:25
sjamesb3466		22:58	%	47:14	1:21:12	2:02:06
Bob!		22:41	%	45.39	1:16:42	1:44:21	3:53:35
HerrTubthumper		19:03				1:36:10	3:05:34
Notters		25:44	%
JoePrecious		19:44		46:19	1:24:08	1:38:13	4:04:30
Jonny Rainbow				41:43	1:12:40		3:24:38
Shippers						1:43:42

tr]
[td]Anchorman [/td]
[td]22:31 [/td]
[td]21:34 [/td]
[td]71.21% [/td]
[td]46.25 [/td]
[td] [/td]
[td]1:41:38 [/td]
[td] 3:55:00 [/td]
[/tr]

[

You, sir, are a true gent!

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Very useful to have a nice reminder of the table ahead of sunday's Half Marathon showdown in Worthing.

I think I'm going to be missing out on parkrun this week in order to attend an Indian celebration in London (don't ask), but it's probably for the best anyway to avoid being unable to prevent running at great pace. I've been feeling my legs a lot after the last few days so I've slowed down on the pace and abandoned the speed work I had planned for yesterday. Just no need for me to knacker myself prior to the Half on sunday which is a real PB chase.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Very useful to have a nice reminder of the table ahead of sunday's Half Marathon showdown in Worthing.

I think I'm going to be missing out on parkrun this week in order to attend an Indian celebration in London (don't ask), but it's probably for the best anyway to avoid being unable to prevent running at great pace. I've been feeling my legs a lot after the last few days so I've slowed down on the pace and abandoned the speed work I had planned for yesterday. Just no need for me to knacker myself prior to the Half on sunday which is a real PB chase.

GNT Junior and Mr Jacques are doing this. (I last did it in about 1995!) Have you seen the forecast? Bit of a shocker - and if you manage a PB it will be doubly impressive.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

GNT Junior and Mr Jacques are doing this. (I last did it in about 1995!) Have you seen the forecast? Bit of a shocker - and if you manage a PB it will be doubly impressive.

My current PB was set into the biblical wind a couple of years ago - I was working really hard to get there and I'll happily do the same again! Rain doesn't worry me, I just don't want to be slapped in the face too much!

 

[Bozza]

Who'll be trying to snap up a pair of Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%?

"The Vaporflys have been shown to improve running economy by 4-5% – an improvement of around 90sec for an elite male athlete in a marathon – but there are some suggestions that the Alphafly could be worth more like 7-8%.

That will raise eyebrows. However Nike said the Alphafly will be legal when it is released this summer. The company say its shoe has only one carbon fibre plate and a sole thickness of 39.5mm, which means it comes under the 40mm limit set last Friday by World Athletics."​

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/feb/05/nike-air-zoom-alphafly-next-shoe

 

[BiffyBoy]

Who'll be trying to snap up a pair of Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%?

"The Vaporflys have been shown to improve running economy by 4-5% – an improvement of around 90sec for an elite male athlete in a marathon – but there are some suggestions that the Alphafly could be worth more like 7-8%.

That will raise eyebrows. However Nike said the Alphafly will be legal when it is released this summer. The company say its shoe has only one carbon fibre plate and a sole thickness of 39.5mm, which means it comes under the 40mm limit set last Friday by World Athletics."​

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/feb/05/nike-air-zoom-alphafly-next-shoe

I'd (almost) bet the vaporfly next will take at least 15-20 mins off the average 3-4 hour time .They're amazing and very addictive. One thing to consider is that I've had massive lower back strain after using them. So I get the speed and then suffer big time vs something more neutral.

 

[soistes]

I’m hearing that Worthing half has been cancelled due to weather conditions

 

[knocky1]

I’m hearing that Worthing half has been cancelled due to weather conditions

You’re right. Ninja is jinxed.

 

[Mr Blobby]

I’m hearing that Worthing half has been cancelled due to weather conditions

Indeed. I am doing the CRUK Winter 10k in London, that is in doubt as well, but no final decision made yet.

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

This is worth reading about Vaporflys and the validity of the results of the elite runners using them: https://sportsscientists.com/2020/0...-and-the-issues-for-the-integrity-of-running/

 

[Artie Fufkin]

You’re right. Ninja is jinxed.

Oh no!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Who'll be trying to snap up a pair of Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%?

"The Vaporflys have been shown to improve running economy by 4-5% – an improvement of around 90sec for an elite male athlete in a marathon – but there are some suggestions that the Alphafly could be worth more like 7-8%.

That will raise eyebrows. However Nike said the Alphafly will be legal when it is released this summer. The company say its shoe has only one carbon fibre plate and a sole thickness of 39.5mm, which means it comes under the 40mm limit set last Friday by World Athletics."​

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/feb/05/nike-air-zoom-alphafly-next-shoe

These are going to get snapped up immediately but I think the Alphafly's are a no from me, for now at least. I'm not sure I'd be up for taking the evil looks and critical comments from fellow runners on the start line of a race wearing them.

 

[Artie Fufkin]

This is worth reading about Vaporflys and the validity of the results of the elite runners using them: https://sportsscientists.com/2020/0...-and-the-issues-for-the-integrity-of-running/

Thanks for the tip. I need to read this. Ross Tucker is great value! He has a really good podcast (The Real Science of Sport). Very smart guy, doesn't like Nike much.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

You’re right. Ninja is jinxed.

I'm glad it's not just me who has noticed! I had planned a slower week for next week to recover from the Worthing Half, I'm either going to have to reconsider that or run a hard and fast sunday long run anyway and not interrupt the plan. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Badger]

These are going to get snapped up immediately but I think the Alphafly's are a no from me, for now at least. I'm not sure I'd be up for taking the evil looks and critical comments from fellow runners on the start line of a race wearing them.

I'm actually more tempted by the Saucony shoes when they come out in the summer (or maybe earlier, given the 4 month rule and the Olympics). I'm sure they'd be a better fit for me than the Alphafly with my slightly wide feet. I've also heard they're much more stable and give better support on the edges of the shoe rather than just concentrating on middle.

I was also looking at the Brooks offering: https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a30731582/brooks-hyperion-elite-running-shoe-first-look/
I'd like to give them a try. Although I doubt they'd let anyone try them out given they're only supposed to last 50-100 miles.


I feel like I'm going to be the odd one out at the Boston start line, wearing my bog standard New Balance 880s.

 

[Badger]

I'm glad it's not just me who has noticed! I had planned a slower week for next week to recover from the Worthing Half, I'm either going to have to reconsider that or run a hard and fast sunday long run anyway and not interrupt the plan. Decisions, decisions.

A bit of rain and wind? Why schedule a race in February if you're going to let that stop it?

Having said that, I'm doing another treadmill run today, to avoid the snow. My weekend runs will definitely be outside though. Apparently it going to be -15C on Saturday morning, so it could be a fast one!