Long Post Warning!Ok Lets take it from the start ....
Friday:
Left work at 12, dashed home and collected the boys so that hubby could collect the Ka. He then wanted me to stay "just in case there are any problems". This meant I left MotorPoint at 1.50. Stopped for petrol and left Derby about 2 at the latest I guess.
Motorway driving was fine apart from the fact that I was convinced someone would pull out in front of me so I was clocking every car and their plate before I passed. The A42 was slow and the M42 slower with twat in white van dodging and weaving between cars (which included him pulling out in front of me). Then as we got toward the NEC it slowed again. Thick traffic and 50-60mph. I was slightly nervous but mainly fine.
I stayed within the speed limit and the road was moving nicely and I soon hit the M5. I looked at the time and was well impressed! Shortly everything slowed again. This time it was the curse of the rubber neckers. 2 Crashes the other way had closed the motorway. My mind leapt back 3 weeks ... if my motorway had been this busy .... I blocked those thoughts.
Not knowing the local area and having realised I may have had directions but no Atlas I stopped at the services. Massive car park and who do I see???? Beanz, XB, Elephant Feet and RB! I mean how on earth did that happen! I was intending to buy an atlas but instead we formed a convoy and followed XB!
We arrived! Forest everywhere (OK so it was in the Forest of Dean!) and Meldy played teacher and organised us all into rooms! The lovely people at Trailplus had given us forumites a whole floor to ourselves to play in! Problem was this was the top floor! From entrance to our floor was 50 stairs!!
I was bunked with Freemers, Rio Fair and RB06 and it wasn't long before we were all laughing like school kids and changing into kit!
I plodded with RB and we decided to just do a short one - just 2m out and back. Quick shower and then the fun started! Keith welcomed us and introduced the camp and the team and then it was tea followed by a brief pub visit and bed (apart from Rio who rolled in at 11:30!)
I was top bunk ... no problem with that apart from the mattress was level with the "bar" so I had a restless night "checking" I was asleep against the wall!
Saturday:
Somehow we all managed to agree to get up for the breakfast run! Alarms went off at 7AM! I then realised how little I had drank yesterday so downed 500ml Lucozade sport before we trotted off. Again it was a short run but this time we had the instructors with us! My HR was telling me I was running at 80% yet I was chatting away and felt fine doing the 2m.
This was followed by breakfast and then a brief chat on kit. This is my only complaint about the weekend. The kit talk did not mention ladies bras! This was then followed by talks about runs and endurance and the 1st practical session. Threshold runs (thr).
We trotted out to the wood and I opted with a little encouragement(!) to do the shorter 2 mins thr instead of the 5 or 10mins. Part of me thought I should do and would be OK doing the 5 mins but I am so glad I didn't!! Jackie discussed the plan and then we were off. The idea was to "work up" in the 1st 100m to a pace that was about 80-85% of MHR. This she said would be when you could only really say 1-2 words. 1st time she passed me I got "you're not working hard enough!". By the end of the 1st 2mins (which was uphill too!) I had hit 193, yet Jackie said this was about 80%. Given the MHR I had seen was 206 this made it seem higher! She had already said on the breakfast run that 206 was wrong! We repeated this exercise 5 times, 2mins out then jog back to the start, and each time I hit 193 at the end (HRM recorded 196 max that session). We were advised that this session was to demonstrate thr and that in practice we would have a shorter recovery and to look at 5 sets of 2:1 with a 15min warm up and cool down.
Clever Beanz then worked out that if Jackie said 80% was that 193 then my max is 240!! So according to the formula I am -14!!
Back to camp (4.2m in total) and another shower before lunch. This was followed by a talk on nutrition and hydration. I merrily sat there with my cuppa tea and 500ml recovery drink (having had 500ml drink before/after shower). This talk was followed by a practical session on Kenyan Hills! Needless to say not only were my legs laughing at me by now but yep I got a stitch!
Kenyan hills - find a hill of about 10% incline which you can run up for 1min. Run up this hill and then run down and then run up and ..... keep going! We were advised (as plodders!) to do 15mins warm up/cool down and then Kenyan Hills continually starting at 10mins of UPHILL work! Yes that means about 20mins in total of continual running up and down your chosen hill!!!
Back to camp, quick drink and then stretching (which we were told should be done daily ideally!) before the rush to the showers!
A nice surprise was that tonight's meal was 3 courses with wine! Very impressed! I was however totally shot and in bed before 10! So was RB. Rio was down the pub again and again in at 11:30!
Sunday:
Surprisingly after the hard work of Saturday we slept quiet well yet we all managed to get up in time for an 8AM breakfast. This may have been because we knew we had a run at 10 and didn't want to feel ill! I had a massage booked for 12 and we all sat down and worked out our long run strategy as the camp had a method of runs that meant the whippets at the front did lots of looping back!!
RB and I set off with HRM set to 168max. By Mile 2 I was swearing and cursing at having to keep on walking! We were doing about 15mm pace! Jackie then told me to "turn the damn thing off and just run! Run at conversational pace and enjoy!" So I did! I did however keep an eye on my HR and noticed that my normal long run pace was actually about 75%. The notes said Long run 60-70% up to 75% when experienced. So sorted!
Massage was great and at £25 for 45 mins I was not complaining! It seems that my IT band complains when on a camber and the lovely Louise said this was most likely to all be linked to the weakness in my right side! Looks like My fizzio was well and truly right!
After lunch was the final talk and it was all about the final week and the day leading up to the marathon. As this course is designed for FLM runners it was FLM they talked about. I had to get up and leave because the more Keith talked about it the more emotional I got! My heart was racing and the memories were flooding back! By the time we finished I was raring to go! I was an athlete in training! I WAS going to get my GFA! There was no stopping me! I was knackered but determined!
An amazing weekend! I can't believe it was just 48 hrs! So much seems to have happened. I've run 15m in those 48 hrs, which is 12m more than I had run in the previous 3wks! Yet I feel happy, motivated, encouraged and raring to go! Tonight I have been sat here thinking .. tomorrow .. rest, recovery run or swim?????
I've also re done my MHR in Fetch and it seems that all my long runs (when I wore a HRM!) where at the pace advised but my intervals where too easy! So Spans is doing a FAB job on me! Mwah!!
I also asked about losing weight and have been advised to do lots of "body conditioning work" which is lots of work at 60-65% ideally running before breakfast (30-60mins) to raise the Resting Metabolic Rate but anything to get the heart going and often. So my initial goal is Reading and then lose the bulk of me excess weight. I don't actually care if my next race is Brass Monkey 2007 as Keith has reminded me to think long term and that is the GFA.
I'm sure I can do this and with Spans watching over me I know I will!
For those of you interested the basic week was:
Monday Rest/Recovery Run (30-40mins) or Cross Train (max 60mins)
Tuesday Quality session - Kenyan Hills
Wednesday Rest/Recovery Run (30-40mins) or Cross Train (max 60mins)
Thursday Quality session - Threshold run
Friday Rest
Saturday Quality session - 30-40 mins Fartlek or marathon pace
Sunday Long run
Marathon training should not see your long runs exceed 3hrs or 4hrs if you insist on adding 30mins walk at the beginning and end. For half marathons this will be 1hr 45- 2hrs.
My advice to anyone watching is "if you can afford the dosh then do go to a TrailPlus weekend! Ideally with the forum for added fun but anytime!" I am happy that this is the best value for money I have had! Brilliant! Totally Brilliant!
Friday:
Left work at 12, dashed home and collected the boys so that hubby could collect the Ka. He then wanted me to stay "just in case there are any problems". This meant I left MotorPoint at 1.50. Stopped for petrol and left Derby about 2 at the latest I guess.
Motorway driving was fine apart from the fact that I was convinced someone would pull out in front of me so I was clocking every car and their plate before I passed. The A42 was slow and the M42 slower with twat in white van dodging and weaving between cars (which included him pulling out in front of me). Then as we got toward the NEC it slowed again. Thick traffic and 50-60mph. I was slightly nervous but mainly fine.
I stayed within the speed limit and the road was moving nicely and I soon hit the M5. I looked at the time and was well impressed! Shortly everything slowed again. This time it was the curse of the rubber neckers. 2 Crashes the other way had closed the motorway. My mind leapt back 3 weeks ... if my motorway had been this busy .... I blocked those thoughts.
Not knowing the local area and having realised I may have had directions but no Atlas I stopped at the services. Massive car park and who do I see???? Beanz, XB, Elephant Feet and RB! I mean how on earth did that happen! I was intending to buy an atlas but instead we formed a convoy and followed XB!
We arrived! Forest everywhere (OK so it was in the Forest of Dean!) and Meldy played teacher and organised us all into rooms! The lovely people at Trailplus had given us forumites a whole floor to ourselves to play in! Problem was this was the top floor! From entrance to our floor was 50 stairs!!
I was bunked with Freemers, Rio Fair and RB06 and it wasn't long before we were all laughing like school kids and changing into kit!
I plodded with RB and we decided to just do a short one - just 2m out and back. Quick shower and then the fun started! Keith welcomed us and introduced the camp and the team and then it was tea followed by a brief pub visit and bed (apart from Rio who rolled in at 11:30!)
I was top bunk ... no problem with that apart from the mattress was level with the "bar" so I had a restless night "checking" I was asleep against the wall!
Saturday:
Somehow we all managed to agree to get up for the breakfast run! Alarms went off at 7AM! I then realised how little I had drank yesterday so downed 500ml Lucozade sport before we trotted off. Again it was a short run but this time we had the instructors with us! My HR was telling me I was running at 80% yet I was chatting away and felt fine doing the 2m.
This was followed by breakfast and then a brief chat on kit. This is my only complaint about the weekend. The kit talk did not mention ladies bras! This was then followed by talks about runs and endurance and the 1st practical session. Threshold runs (thr).
We trotted out to the wood and I opted with a little encouragement(!) to do the shorter 2 mins thr instead of the 5 or 10mins. Part of me thought I should do and would be OK doing the 5 mins but I am so glad I didn't!! Jackie discussed the plan and then we were off. The idea was to "work up" in the 1st 100m to a pace that was about 80-85% of MHR. This she said would be when you could only really say 1-2 words. 1st time she passed me I got "you're not working hard enough!". By the end of the 1st 2mins (which was uphill too!) I had hit 193, yet Jackie said this was about 80%. Given the MHR I had seen was 206 this made it seem higher! She had already said on the breakfast run that 206 was wrong! We repeated this exercise 5 times, 2mins out then jog back to the start, and each time I hit 193 at the end (HRM recorded 196 max that session). We were advised that this session was to demonstrate thr and that in practice we would have a shorter recovery and to look at 5 sets of 2:1 with a 15min warm up and cool down.
Clever Beanz then worked out that if Jackie said 80% was that 193 then my max is 240!! So according to the formula I am -14!!
Back to camp (4.2m in total) and another shower before lunch. This was followed by a talk on nutrition and hydration. I merrily sat there with my cuppa tea and 500ml recovery drink (having had 500ml drink before/after shower). This talk was followed by a practical session on Kenyan Hills! Needless to say not only were my legs laughing at me by now but yep I got a stitch!
Kenyan hills - find a hill of about 10% incline which you can run up for 1min. Run up this hill and then run down and then run up and ..... keep going! We were advised (as plodders!) to do 15mins warm up/cool down and then Kenyan Hills continually starting at 10mins of UPHILL work! Yes that means about 20mins in total of continual running up and down your chosen hill!!!
Back to camp, quick drink and then stretching (which we were told should be done daily ideally!) before the rush to the showers!
A nice surprise was that tonight's meal was 3 courses with wine! Very impressed! I was however totally shot and in bed before 10! So was RB. Rio was down the pub again and again in at 11:30!
Sunday:
Surprisingly after the hard work of Saturday we slept quiet well yet we all managed to get up in time for an 8AM breakfast. This may have been because we knew we had a run at 10 and didn't want to feel ill! I had a massage booked for 12 and we all sat down and worked out our long run strategy as the camp had a method of runs that meant the whippets at the front did lots of looping back!!
RB and I set off with HRM set to 168max. By Mile 2 I was swearing and cursing at having to keep on walking! We were doing about 15mm pace! Jackie then told me to "turn the damn thing off and just run! Run at conversational pace and enjoy!" So I did! I did however keep an eye on my HR and noticed that my normal long run pace was actually about 75%. The notes said Long run 60-70% up to 75% when experienced. So sorted!
Massage was great and at £25 for 45 mins I was not complaining! It seems that my IT band complains when on a camber and the lovely Louise said this was most likely to all be linked to the weakness in my right side! Looks like My fizzio was well and truly right!
After lunch was the final talk and it was all about the final week and the day leading up to the marathon. As this course is designed for FLM runners it was FLM they talked about. I had to get up and leave because the more Keith talked about it the more emotional I got! My heart was racing and the memories were flooding back! By the time we finished I was raring to go! I was an athlete in training! I WAS going to get my GFA! There was no stopping me! I was knackered but determined!
An amazing weekend! I can't believe it was just 48 hrs! So much seems to have happened. I've run 15m in those 48 hrs, which is 12m more than I had run in the previous 3wks! Yet I feel happy, motivated, encouraged and raring to go! Tonight I have been sat here thinking .. tomorrow .. rest, recovery run or swim?????
I've also re done my MHR in Fetch and it seems that all my long runs (when I wore a HRM!) where at the pace advised but my intervals where too easy! So Spans is doing a FAB job on me! Mwah!!
I also asked about losing weight and have been advised to do lots of "body conditioning work" which is lots of work at 60-65% ideally running before breakfast (30-60mins) to raise the Resting Metabolic Rate but anything to get the heart going and often. So my initial goal is Reading and then lose the bulk of me excess weight. I don't actually care if my next race is Brass Monkey 2007 as Keith has reminded me to think long term and that is the GFA.
I'm sure I can do this and with Spans watching over me I know I will!
For those of you interested the basic week was:
Monday Rest/Recovery Run (30-40mins) or Cross Train (max 60mins)
Tuesday Quality session - Kenyan Hills
Wednesday Rest/Recovery Run (30-40mins) or Cross Train (max 60mins)
Thursday Quality session - Threshold run
Friday Rest
Saturday Quality session - 30-40 mins Fartlek or marathon pace
Sunday Long run
Marathon training should not see your long runs exceed 3hrs or 4hrs if you insist on adding 30mins walk at the beginning and end. For half marathons this will be 1hr 45- 2hrs.
My advice to anyone watching is "if you can afford the dosh then do go to a TrailPlus weekend! Ideally with the forum for added fun but anytime!" I am happy that this is the best value for money I have had! Brilliant! Totally Brilliant!
Comments
great report
and that, my dear, if simply fantastic
Hmmmm.... kinda makes me think I should do some training !!!
;o)
:o)
You sound well motivated!
Got to agree with Jackie - stop worrying about numbers and just enjoy your running :o)
TP is a truely amazing event!
and yes I know you will enter a maraFUN RB!!!
Cath I believe it is you that I have to thank for talking me into this - shame you were not there to share!