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Tuesday 26 May 2015

Kent Roadrunner Marathon (Week 3 of 4)

Week 3


Week 3 of 4

Mon 18/5: 4.0 Miles @ 8:46/mile
Mon 18/5: 6.21 Miles @ 8:44/mile
Tues 19/5: 4.0 Miles @ 9:21/mile
Tues 19/5: 8.0 Miles @ 8:54/mile
Weds 20/5: 4.0 Miles @ 9:32/mile
Weds 20/5: 4.0 Miles incl John Carr 5k 17:31 (3.1 Miles @ 5:37/mile)
Thurs 21/5: 6.21 Miles @ 8:57/mile
Fri 22/5: 4.0 Miles @ 9:08/mile
Fri 22/5: 6.21 Miles @ 8:44/mile
Sat 23/5: 4.0 Miles incl Market Harborough parkrun 17:54 (3.1 Miles @ 5:45/mile)
Sat 23/5: 3.5 Miles @ 8:38/mile
Sun 24/5: 2.0 Miles incl Bupa Westminster Mile 5:07

Total Mileage - 56.13 Miles




The penultimate week before Kent Roadrunner was very much about getting stuck into some slightly quicker stuff.

With 2 half marathons and 3 marathons in the previous 6 weeks a bit of leg sharpening wasn't going to be any bad thing, that is as long as nothing broke or fell off in the process of course!

First up was the final race in the 3-part John Carr 5k series:



Wednesday 20th June - John Carr 5k Race 3 17:31 (Hannah 18:04)


As can be seen from the start line below, a pair of well sharpened elbows don't go amiss in the frantic early stages of the John Carr races.

Standing on the start line this week it didn't  feel as though there was much chance of getting anywhere near the 17:27 clockings of the first two races, so to see 17:31 at the end was a pleasant surprise.

Hannah's 18:04 took the overall series win but the First Lady on the night was none other than Susan Partridge, the UK's No.1 marathon runner in both 2013 and 2014.




The best thing about the John Carr races is that Guinness is served at very competitive rates no more than 20 metres from the finishing line :)

But just to ensure that full rehydration is achieved speedily the nice people at Saltaire Striders also give you one of these :






Saturday 23rd June - Market Harborough parkrun 17:54 (Hannah 18:33)


Saturday saw a return to Market Harborough parkrun, last visited on the way down to the London Marathon 4 weeks ago.

17:54 on what is a tight, twisty course felt like a good effort.



And here was Hannah pulling out all the stops in an effort to win the least coordinated outfit award:








Sunday 24th June - Bupa Westminster Mile 5:07 and a bit (Hannah 5:07 and an ever so slightly smaller bit)


The big event of the week this week was the Bupa Westminster Mile, which starts in The Mall, roughly at the same point as the London Marathon finishing line, and finishes in front of Buckingham Palace.

The start line:



..... and an eager bunch of parkrunners waiting to get under way:



We haven't done anything shorter than 5k for months but past experience has often led to very, very close finishes between Hannah and myself over a mile. 

Of course it could be considered that she blatantly cheats by the very fact of being younger, oh and quicker, but I'd hate to be accused of making excuses ;)


The Race -

600 metres to go:

Up until this point I had no idea who was sitting right behind me but it soon became clear when Hannah made her first kick for home.

So the gauntlet was thrown down. 

The best tactics now must surely be to sit and wait and go for a mad surge at the end, right? Erm, but I'm sure I had promised myself some time ago never to get into a closing stages battle against the Oldroyd kick again! Oh well, in for a penny and all that ............





50 metres to go:

Here we were after turning the final corner and not an inch was being given :



..... and with 25m to go:



........ and across the line not having a clue who had got there first!

But looking a bit more closely one numpty made the schoolboy error of putting the chip on the wrong shoe ...... and therein the seeds of my defeat were sown :p

Just look at those shorts:



What is amazing is that some bloke in another heat managed to get a time that that placed him between the two of us!

Anyway, times of 5:07 and 5:07 represented road mile PBs for both of us, so the battle to the finish line delivered the goods :)

And considering the fact that the Female British Championship Mile was won in 4:39 by Rachel Bamford on the same course a few minutes later, 5:07 for a Guinness Swilling, marathon running, Alfette Tupperware is not too shabby at all :)


All happy, smiling faces after the finish (pic courtesy of James Lampert) - James Lampert, Hannah Oldroyd, Steve Darby, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Danny Norman, Matt Lambourne





Marathon Building Blocks:

15th Feb: 18.6 miles @ 6:16/mile
22nd Feb: 10.0 miles @ 6:04/mile
28th Feb: 3.1 miles @ 5:48/mile
28th Feb: 3.1 miles @ 5:50/mile
1st March: 13.1 miles @ 6:24/mile
8th March: 26.21 miles @ 6:23/mile
14th March: 3.1 miles @ 5:46/mile
14th March: 3.1 miles @ 5:36/mile
15th March: 20.0 miles @ 6:25/mile
21st March: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile
22nd March: 9.65 miles @ 6:18/mile
28th March: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile
29th March:  11.2 miles @ 6:08/mile)
4th April: 3.1 miles @ 6:00/mile
12th April: 26.21 miles @ 6:35/mile
18th April: 3.1 miles @ 5:40/mile
19th April: 5.8 miles @ 6:04/mile
26th April: 26.21 miles @ 6:32/mile
4th May: 26.21 miles @ 6:40/mile
6th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:36/mile
10th May: 13.1 miles @ 6:15/mile
13th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:36/mile
16th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile
17th May: 13.1 miles @ 6:03/mile
20th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:37/mile
23rd May: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile
24th May: 1.0 mile @ 5:07/mile



Next Week:

With such a short build up for this one, we are already into the taper week, and with Kent Roadrunner being at 9am on Saturday morning quite a short taper week it is too.

It will simply be a week of alternating 5ks and 10ks at the usual 8:00/mile +, a very relaxed week and then 17 laps of the Gravesend Cyclopark, which is not at all flat. In fact, it is decidedly lumpy so getting the pacing right will be as important as ever.

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