Sunday 29 November 2009

2010 - A year of great challenges!

I look around a few blogs on here and see great plans being prepared. To name but one I've just read about, Ultra Running Collie and his "man-servant" heading for the coast to coast. So as a rallying call to myself and others out there, lets really push the boat out, reach for the stars and leave no stone unturned in a quest to explore the potential of the everyman (and woman). I'll keep my big plan secret for 2010 for now as it still seems unachievable. But I will say - pending the delivery of a new chequebook - I'm entering my first 50. Not even 50, but 55 for the premier of the Hardmoors 55, which isn't that far off so I really need to get my (muddy) boots on.

Too early to summarise 2009, but I've made steady progress and some good leaps, from ultra to multi-marathon, with numerous marathons along the way to take my marathon or over distance count from 5 to about 15.

For now I'm kind of ticking over with LDWA challenges in last few weeks and another 17m today. A really muddy affair after the East Yorkshire area has suffered a mini-deluge in the last few hours - though an East Yorks deluge is probably business as usual for those in the Lakes, Peaks, Dales, mountains. Good undulating fun with the club running from the black mill at Beverley Westwood to the black mill at Hessle foreshore.

So any tips training for a 50? Most people just say lots of 4-6 hour runs. Great stuff! I enjoyed my prep for the three marathons doing lots of 3-5 hour runs. Lots more LDWA challenges and fell races..... wish I could do this for a living.

3 comments:

  1. de- you could lead the country with that sort of rallying cry
    think you're in great shape for the hardmoors..you've really moved through a few gears this year
    the sandwich approach is popular..bit of mayo..seriously, rest fri, long sat long sun rest monday. i'm doing more of that now and into 2010 but early on im trying to do long tempos on the sat followed by lsr on the sunday. then i'll drop the sat tempo for ano lsr.
    another great race is the highland fling in april. you'll breeze it by then ..2 miles less than the hardmoors..easy ;)

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  2. Ta UC, thinking of starting a new political party, the Ultra-running Loon party, consider yourself invited to join the senior ranks :)

    That plan suits me. I'm a bit of a weekend warrior, I tend to run one or two runs at weekend, one of them tends to be long (occasionally both). Week tends to be two shorter, faster runs, sometimes three with an easy one in between.

    I'll take a look at HF.

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  3. Hey Danny. sounds like you have had quite a year! not disimilar to mine in fact. I like the idea of doing a 2009 review! I hadn't thought of that :-) re a 50 (km or miles?) I approached it in pretty much the same way as marathon training. two keys differences - training for time on your feet not miles covered, and focus on your pacing plan even more! What I found worked out great was to do my long run (for 50m this was between 20 and 28 miles) and then continue in a jog/walk pattern for anything from 30mins to 2hrs). good luck!

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