Stu Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 After my partial success in Stirling at the weekend, I'm eager to try and get under 1hr 40m for a half marathon. The next likely candidate is Kirkcudbright at the end of May. Anyone got any experiences of it to share? It kicks off at 11am on Saturday morning, so I'd have time to do the Dumfries parkrun beforehand. I appreciate this isn't ideal preparation to get a speedy half-marathon, but I'm always up for trying new parkruns. Kirkcudbright is undulating and usually a ridiculously warm day. The start and end is through the town and you'll do a lap of Twynholm in the middle, where you'll be tempted to neck someone's pint. The rest is through the lovely countryside. It's a great, community event. Usually only a couple of hundred folk enter. The route this year is new think it's just a reverse of the old one, so not entirely sure what it'll be like. You get very little by way of goodies at the end! I wouldn't be trying to do that and the parkrun though. Dumfries to Kirkcudbright is about 40 minutes and, as luck would have it, the parkrun and the half marathon start are at opposite ends of their respective towns. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Richelieu Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 6 minutes ago, Stu said: Kirkcudbright is undulating and usually a ridiculously warm day. The start and end is through the town and you'll do a lap of Twynholm in the middle, where you'll be tempted to neck someone's pint. The rest is through the lovely countryside. It's a great, community event. Usually only a couple of hundred folk enter. The route this year is new think it's just a reverse of the old one, so not entirely sure what it'll be like. You get very little by way of goodies at the end! Sounds quite nice. The heat does worry me a little, but if I stop off for a couple of pints en route, I should be grand Not worried about the lack of runners, or indeed goodies. The "bag of adverts" you get at the Great Scottish Run every year is a bit of a joke. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Sounds quite nice. The heat does worry me a little, but if I stop off for a couple of pints en route, I should be grand [emoji4] Not worried about the lack of runners, or indeed goodies. The "bag of adverts" you get at the Great Scottish Run every year is a bit of a joke. From memory you'll get a medal, which has been the same for the three years I've done it but is at least unique to Kirkcudbright, a banana, water and that's about it. There's usually a few water stations on the route too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broomhill Ultra Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 After my partial success in Stirling at the weekend, I'm eager to try and get under 1hr 40m for a half marathon. The next likely candidate is Kirkcudbright at the end of May. Anyone got any experiences of it to share? It kicks off at 11am on Saturday morning, so I'd have time to do the Dumfries parkrun beforehand. I appreciate this isn't ideal preparation to get a speedy half-marathon, but I'm always up for trying new parkruns. I mixed up Kircudbright and Kirkcaldy there, thought you’d totally lost the plot! I would advise that a 5k with any amount of effort is going to seriously undermine your chances of a HM PB. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Richelieu Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 22 minutes ago, Broomhill Ultra said: ! I would advise that a 5k with any amount of effort is going to seriously undermine your chances of a HM PB. Agreed. The problem is that due to the distances involved, I'd have to bomb it round Dumfries to get to Kirkcudbright in time. GIven the distance involved - and the fact that I'd still need to pick up my race number etc - it looks like this idea is a non-starter! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathematics Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Have ran two 10Ks in Antwerp this week, at the ridiculously slow times of 1h and 55mins. Do you proper runners find that you go slower when you don’t know your route? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesP_81 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Just done 10km along the canal in Inverness, first run in 2 months since breaking a toe. Unbelievable how fat and unfit someone can get in 2 months!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichtie23 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Just done 10km along the canal in Inverness, first run in 2 months since breaking a toe. Unbelievable how fat and unfit someone can get in 2 months!! Time? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 On 30/04/2019 at 16:17, Cardinal Richelieu said: Agreed. The problem is that due to the distances involved, I'd have to bomb it round Dumfries to get to Kirkcudbright in time. GIven the distance involved - and the fact that I'd still need to pick up my race number etc - it looks like this idea is a non-starter! I'd say it's definitely a non-starter. Even if the parkrun started bang on half 9 and you battered round in 20 minutes, you're giving yourself 70 minutes to get to Kirkcudbright, register, collect your number etc. Google Maps says it's 45 minute from the parkrun site (east of Dumfries) to the start (west of Kirkcudbright) so that's taking you to after half 10. Registration may well be closed by then. Dumfries parkrun is a lovely course in the grounds of the Crichton and is worth doing some time but I always enjoy the half marathon. It was the first one I did back in 2016 and the last couple of years I've finished 16th and 15th, mainly because it's a small event rather than my ability! Found a bit on the London Marathon site full of useless stats. Looks like I finished in the top 10,000/first quarter of the field, which I'm chuffed with. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Richelieu Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 37 minutes ago, Stu said: I'd say it's definitely a non-starter. Even if the parkrun started bang on half 9 and you battered round in 20 minutes, you're giving yourself 70 minutes to get to Kirkcudbright, register, collect your number etc. Google Maps says it's 45 minute from the parkrun site (east of Dumfries) to the start (west of Kirkcudbright) so that's taking you to after half 10. Registration may well be closed by then. Dumfries parkrun is a lovely course in the grounds of the Crichton and is worth doing some time but I always enjoy the half marathon. It was the first one I did back in 2016 and the last couple of years I've finished 16th and 15th, mainly because it's a small event rather than my ability! Found a bit on the London Marathon site full of useless stats. Looks like I finished in the top 10,000/first quarter of the field, which I'm chuffed with. You're talking sense of course, but of course, I could pick up the number beforehand, persuade them to send it out to me, or probably best - just give up the whole idea. Kudos on the marathon finish. How crowded is it to run? I've only ever done one marathon and swore I'd never do it again, but I guess the London one is pretty much the pinnacle. In other news, just been reading about "tapering" ... I've heard of it before but didn't really pay any attention to it. As I understand, if you're running a marathon - you do your longest run several weeks before, then calm your jets. Does the same apply for half-marathons? I'm sure the science behind it is sound, but it requires more preparation than I've ever given to running! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesP_81 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Time? Just over the hour mark by a few seconds. At the end of last year I was running 10km in 52 mins. Was the first time I've ever felt absolutely starving and had nothing at all in the tank at the end of a run. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the jambo-rocker Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 (edited) On 27/04/2019 at 09:03, pub car king said: My foot hurts along the bottom outer edge it's like an ache but there's no signs of any bruising and doesn't feel tender to touch. Any ideas It could be your shoes. I've had problems where I've ended up shifting my weight over time onto the outside edge as well. I'd recommend rolling a tennis ball or something similar on the ache and see how you get on. A cricket ball if you're feeling masochistic. If that doesn't work, I'd recommend going to a runners shoes shop and getting a pair tailored to how you run there. It's pricey, but it's worth it in the long run. Edited May 2, 2019 by the jambo-rocker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bernardblack Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Have ran two 10Ks in Antwerp this week, at the ridiculously slow times of 1h and 55mins. Do you proper runners find that you go slower when you don’t know your route?I’m not a proper runner by any means but I get what you mean here! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saigon Raider Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 9 hours ago, Cardinal Richelieu said: You're talking sense of course, but of course, I could pick up the number beforehand, persuade them to send it out to me, or probably best - just give up the whole idea. Kudos on the marathon finish. How crowded is it to run? I've only ever done one marathon and swore I'd never do it again, but I guess the London one is pretty much the pinnacle. In other news, just been reading about "tapering" ... I've heard of it before but didn't really pay any attention to it. As I understand, if you're running a marathon - you do your longest run several weeks before, then calm your jets. Does the same apply for half-marathons? I'm sure the science behind it is sound, but it requires more preparation than I've ever given to running! Here is the last three weeks of my marathon plan - there is a definite taper off in terms on the distance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dons_1988 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 10 hours ago, Cardinal Richelieu said: You're talking sense of course, but of course, I could pick up the number beforehand, persuade them to send it out to me, or probably best - just give up the whole idea. Kudos on the marathon finish. How crowded is it to run? I've only ever done one marathon and swore I'd never do it again, but I guess the London one is pretty much the pinnacle. In other news, just been reading about "tapering" ... I've heard of it before but didn't really pay any attention to it. As I understand, if you're running a marathon - you do your longest run several weeks before, then calm your jets. Does the same apply for half-marathons? I'm sure the science behind it is sound, but it requires more preparation than I've ever given to running! Purely just a recovery thing I think. I am doing 21 miles this weekend (3 weeks before Edinburgh) and that'll be me until the day, longest I'll probably do before then is 15-16 miles. I suppose it depends on fitness levels etc in regards to a half marathon but I know if i did 21 miles a week before the marathon my body wouldn't be fully recovered. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 11 hours ago, Cardinal Richelieu said: You're talking sense of course, but of course, I could pick up the number beforehand, persuade them to send it out to me, or probably best - just give up the whole idea. Kudos on the marathon finish. How crowded is it to run? I've only ever done one marathon and swore I'd never do it again, but I guess the London one is pretty much the pinnacle. In other news, just been reading about "tapering" ... I've heard of it before but didn't really pay any attention to it. As I understand, if you're running a marathon - you do your longest run several weeks before, then calm your jets. Does the same apply for half-marathons? I'm sure the science behind it is sound, but it requires more preparation than I've ever given to running! Persuading them to send it out in advance might be best as I doubt you'd be able to collect it early enough to get to parkrun. It's a shame as it's only in the last few years the start time has been moved to 11am. It used to be 1pm but it was too hot so got brought forward. Had they stuck with that you'd have had plenty of time. There's other races in the area in the next few months but most are Sunday so you'd need to make a weekend of it to take part. The congestion wasn't as bad as I thought it would, although it is a bit horrendous in places. The start is obviously a bit clogged up and there were a few other areas as well but I didn't find it too bad. My main annoyance early on is I was passing folk who should never have been anywhere near the same start time as me - dunno if they were older folk who've done all the marathons and were being set off earlier because it was known it would take them forever to complete it! The marathon was the first time I've done tapering. Did a 23 miler a few weeks before then gradually cut back my runs. My longest run the following weekend was 14 miles, then down to ten. The last week I did five on Monday, five on Wednesday and that was it. I've never tapered before so no idea if it made a difference! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bernardblack Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Purely just a recovery thing I think. I am doing 21 miles this weekend (3 weeks before Edinburgh) and that'll be me until the day, longest I'll probably do before then is 15-16 miles. I suppose it depends on fitness levels etc in regards to a half marathon but I know if i did 21 miles a week before the marathon my body wouldn't be fully recovered. Glad to read this as it’s similar to my plan.20 miles this weekend and that’s my final long run until the big day. Unsure what to do the week of the marathon though? Maybe a couple of midweek 5k’s? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dons_1988 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 16 minutes ago, bernardblack said: Glad to read this as it’s similar to my plan. 20 miles this weekend and that’s my final long run until the big day. Unsure what to do the week of the marathon though? Maybe a couple of midweek 5k’s? I'm no expert as a first timer too but my plan is to just focus on recovery. A couple of gentle runs during the week to keep the legs moving but I wouldn't say I'll do any "training" as such. I did 20 minutes slow jog (8km/h) on the treadmill on Saturday before the half marathon just to loosen the legs up and think it helped, certainly didn't do me any damage. I predict I'll do a lot of stretching/foam rolling etc that week too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 2 hours ago, bernardblack said: Glad to read this as it’s similar to my plan. 20 miles this weekend and that’s my final long run until the big day. Unsure what to do the week of the marathon though? Maybe a couple of midweek 5k’s? Aye, you should be fine with that. I did 5 miles at the running club on the Monday night and the same on my own on the Wednesday morning at a gentle pace. That was me until the Sunday. I'd been going to go to a track session on the Thursday night just to do the warm-up but the pishing rain and thunder and lightning put paid to that. While tapering you'll almost certainly feel you should be doing more and your fitness is dropping. Don't worry about that, you'll be fine. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dons_1988 Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Did my 21 miles yesterday so tapering begins from here. I was a bit slower than hoped (just over 3 hours) but I’ll be better on marathon day I reckon. Definitely had another 5 miles in me anyway. 3 weeks seems very close now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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