[Antonio247]

Well done, EG. You´re getting fitter and fitter. It´s going to be difficult for me to be faster than you in Almería.

[Sweder]

I can vouchsafe EG's apparent comfort in the closing stages. SP was somewhat startled, having assumed he would have no trouble holding EG off in Almeria. Ladbrokes have closed the book on that whilst they consult their form guide, but I can tell them based on what I saw on Sunday it'll be a close-run deal - provided of course they both enter for the same distance. SP of course didn't run in Brighton, taking his RC photographic responsibilities seriously, evidence of which we might catch a glimpse of in these hallowed halls before long. He did however share an insight into his unique training plan, showing a deft turn of speed as he devoured a modest basket of startlingly fat seaside chips. 'Elevenses' I think he called it

I spotted EG at several points in the race as our paths joined and he looked entirely happy. If I wanted to start a kerfuffle I might suggest that the errant visit to the pub the previous weekend had in some strange and cosmic way contributed to his impressive performance. Were I silly enough to do so no doubt I'd get short shrift, so I won't

[Sweder]

Not much doubt the gym's working some magic. 8+ hilly miles is not to be sniffed at, and we're still in November. This is good - we'll get you down for a Sunday morning session before long . . .

Facing a couple of weeks in hotel gyms myself. Not my favorite places but I'll keep your positive thoughts to the fore. Good stuff.

[El Gordo]

Not much doubt the gym's working some magic. 8+ hilly miles is not to be sniffed at, and we're still in November. This is good - we'll get you down for a Sunday morning session before long . . .

Facing a couple of weeks in hotel gyms myself. Not my favorite places but I'll keep your positive thoughts to the fore. Good stuff.

Hotel gyms are a lottery. The last hotel I stayed in for work was quite flash (the Stansted Radisson) and had a state-of-the-art gym. More usually, they are under-equipped and tacked on as a sort of afterthought.

Don't give up on the possibility of proper running. Why not check out runtheplanet.com, where you'll be able to get info on running facilities? Even in Sao Paolo or wherever you're going, there's probably a hash, or some other ex-pats' running group.

As for getting down for a run in Sussex, I would love to do it, but will consider it only when I'm sure I won't be holding people back. I'll see how things go. If progress continues, I'll definitely be up for it.

[marathondan]

A great, uplifting post EG - you must be feeling pretty pleased.

[stillwaddler]

Delighted to hear its all coming together for you El G and that you are enjoying your running again. Carpe Deum and all that.

[El Gordo]

Thanks all, though I've no idea where the Victorian pyramid explorer image came from. That was a bit of a weird one....

[El Gordo]

Here I am at 6pm on a Monday night. Plan was to go for a run this evening, but I've just wandered up to the post office to post my Forerunner 305 to Garmin, and it's blinkin' freezing out there. And anyway, my legs are still a bit achey after the weekend's exertions.

So I get to thinking.... How about going to the pub this evening for a few beers? Could I manage it without stuffing my face with crisps? Would I return with a headful of self-flagellatory mumblings...?

Dammit, I'm off.

[Sweder]

So I get to thinking.... How about going to the pub this evening for a few beers? . . . Dammit, I'm off.

Crikey! There I was thinking it was the ale that called you and now I see it's the prospect of Wigan v Everton . . .

[marathondan]

3 days on... do we assume you're still in the pub?

[El Gordo]

3 days on... do we assume you're still in the pub?

No, it was for one great night only. Though of course, all the usual consequences flowed, including the annoying weight spike that sets me back a week or so.

After my good long run on Saturday, I was in the gym on Sunday, then came my brief fall from grace, which meant two days off. Yesterday I had an easy 4 miler round the block to get me back in the saddle. Not sure what today brings. Could be a lunchtime run, or an evening trip to the gym. Am aiming for around 9 miles at the weekend, which should properly restore my feeling of holiness -- assuming it gets done.

[Antonio247]

Congratulations, EG. It´s great you´ve already managed to go for such a long run, nearly a half marathon so soon I´ll have to ask the organisers to hold ,apart from the "10" km and the half marathon, a marathon as well.

Saludos desde Almería

[marathondan]

EG, excellent news on your latest long run, and your progress towards Boston. I'll watch your FIRST progress with interest. I'm all for quality work in the shorter sessions, but it's the set-pace long runs that worry me...

Re the Oprah article: I didn't read the comments, but surely the main theme of the article, that fun runners are making elite marathoning less competitive, is spurious? The article seems rather sensationalist, mixing statistics about elites and fun runners in the same sentence.

[El Gordo]

EG, excellent news on your latest long run, and your progress towards Boston. I'll watch your FIRST progress with interest. I'm all for quality work in the shorter sessions, but it's the set-pace long runs that worry me...

The pace goals don't seem over-intimidating to me, though naturally it depends what your goals are. I'm hoping to make a real improvement this time, but even so, adding a minute (say) onto the proposed race pace seems to give me very achievable training long run targets. Perhaps more important, I'm probably more disobedient than you, Dan. If my long runs fall short of the pace target by 15, 30, or even more, seconds a mile, I'm not going to beat myself about it. I take those targets with a small pinch of salt, and tend to translate them into more palatable imstructions. So if they're telling me to aim for race pace + 30/60 seconds, I just read that as "try not to dawdle too much". Hal Higdon's plans I think suggest race pace + 1 or 1.5 minutes, so there's not a huge difference. In my case, far far more important is just to do the long runs. I've undertrained for every one of my previous marathons. Long runs have been frequently missed, or I've ended up walking for the last quarter of them because of a hangover. I can't help feeling that just to get the long runs done, and taking them a bit more seriously, will do me a lot of good.

More challenging for me are the interval and tempo sessions. It's something I've never really done before, but it's the main reason that I want to try out this plan. I've had to wake up to the fact that I have only one pace: slow. I never seem to vary it, regardless of how long a training run is. Actually, I have two speeds: training and race. The latter is faster, but it still doesn't vary regardless of the length of the race.

This has never bothered me before, partly because I've never noticed it, but mainly because I've rarely been interested in making big improvements. Or rarely thought they were possible. The only way to do something about this is to try to force the pace in training. I just need to be careful. The one time I tried this, I ended up injuring myself. For that reason, I'm thinking of going for the interval sessions in the 'first time marathoner' schedule, and the long runs of the improver schedule. They seem much less hostile, and more do-able.

Re the Oprah article: I didn't read the comments, but surely the main theme of the article, that fun runners are making elite marathoning less competitive, is spurious? The article seems rather sensationalist, mixing statistics about elites and fun runners in the same sentence.

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I'm too impressionable. I felt quite bruised by it, until I read some of the comments, and had a rethink. A sentiment expressed by many of the respondents is along the lines of "you're just feeling sore because you're no longer doing something that sets you apart from the man in the street". I think that's at the heart of the writer's resentment.

[Sweder]

Oprah article: spurious is a very good word. There's a lot of snobbery in the running community as is evidenced by some of the threads on RW. I don't buy it and won't accept it. What for me feels like a Herculean effort appears to the next guy like a lazy trudge. So what? Our Brighton Sundays are evidence that runners of all standards can enjoy one anothers' company and share encouragement and tales of muddy glory no matter how diverse their ultimate goals.

My issue (at London this year at any rate) is with the number of people who set out to walk a marathon start to finish. Go walk in the hills, trek the Dales or maybe take a long walk off a short pier; marathons are running races and places are denied genuine runners - of all shapes, sizes and abilities - by people who want the medal and the t-shirt but are not prepared to make one ounce of personal sacrifice to get there. They should have snipers in watchtowers along the course picking off the [i]smokers/I] at least. Sheesh :mad:

Encouraging news from the towpath mate; great to hear. I really must get back in the gym and review my approach - the benefits appear undeniable.

[Sweder]

Excellent post this morning . . . you must've felt like you were pulling a few Gs on those intervals. A glimpse of potential as Bob Rotella would have you believe . . . regardless another positive step on the road to Boston

I'll catch up with that book soon. Sounds right up my alley.
For now it's time to strap a 777 to my slightly infirm derrier for eight hours on the AA funride to Miami. Yipee

[marathondan]

EG, ref today's post:

1. I look forward to the day (maybe when you publish a training guide?) to seeing the phrase "6 x 3 minutes heavy panting" in a schedule.

2. Reserving a spot for energy gels (without actually acquiring any yet), behind the goose fat, may say more about the trials of the amateur runner in one sentence than a hundred blog posts could* .

3. Do you have to keep gels in the fridge? Maybe the ones I have left over from 2005 won't be at their best? (Or was the whole goose fat thing metaphorical?)

Lovely post. Great job on the intervals, too. Might try a spot of fartlek tonight meself.

[SIZE="1"]--------------
* I'm referring to ordinary blog posts of course; not the superior fare served up by the resident chefs du prose on this site.[/SIZE]

[Sweder]

My Berry Bros Christmas hamper - ordered pre-economic supernova - arrived in my absence. It's a Kiwi Special - 4 x 3 selections of the rightly-lauded tipple with the curious selection of flavours in every mouthful. The excellent Cloudy Bay (2007 yet none the worse for its recent vintage), a 2006 Pinot (as yet untried), a surprisingly delicious 2005 SB variation Te Koko and for those celebratory moments their version of good old bubbly, Pelorus. I am, this year at any rate, very much the Marlborough man.

Rather like your increasingly heart-warming and entertaining missives, this delivery has hastened the arrival of the Christmas Spirit at Chez Sweder. It's fair to say I sweep the board when it comes to Seasonal Grumpy Old Curmudgeon awards but I can't help rubbing my hands at the prospect of a defiant rage against the gathering gloom, armed as I am with supplies of good wine, my reprieved wood-burner with its well-stocked lean-to and a steady flow of much-missed El Gordo wit and wisdom

[El Gordo]

Sauvignon is best drunk young, so no problem there. Am envious of the array of delights in store for you. Don't waste 'em on just anyone -- you'd better hope that SP missed your message . Never tried the other Cloudy Bay wines you mention, but I'm sure they'll be worth it. As we speak, I'm sipping a stunning 2001 Pommard, yet another item in the mixed case I was given a while ago by MW friend of mine, Richard Bampfield as a thank you for doing some web stuff for him. The Cloudy Bay came from there too.

For the record.....
I'm having a horribly busy couple of days workwise, so until I manage to finish the report, I'll mention that I had a splendid 24 hours stretching from mid-Saturday afternoon to mid-Sunday, encompassing new shoes, a great QPR performance and victory early Sat evening, a brilliant evening in the theatre, and a memorable 12.25 mile run on Sunday lunchtime.

[Sweder]

. . . and a memorable 12.25 mile run on Sunday lunchtime.

Nicely tucked in at the end EG.
Blimey, SP better get his finger out. So had I come to that