GreenMatt

Hmm - maybe. I'm wary of hurting myself, though. I'm only leaving a week between an all out PB half marathon and an all out PB (hopefully!) 10K, so I kind of want a whole week without running just to be safe...I guess I shall see how I feel mid next week.

This whole thing is driving me insane, to be honest....never thought I'd be in a position where I wanted to run and had to force myself to stay home. Only running once this week (tomorrow) after my half marathon, tho I have a 10K on Sunday in which I am aiming for a PB. And then another whole week of no running! I know it's good in the long term, but it's driving me crazy.

Thanks, guys. Various calculators and ranking sites suggested that I should go faster based on my 5K/10K times, but given that the furthest I have ever raced is 10K, I was chuffed to be able to finish it at a quick pace and even outsprint a few people at the finish. Next one in September - hoping to drop my time under 1:44.

So, ever since I started running again I have been working towards the half marathon. Today, it arrived. 1:46:08. Most pleased. Matt

6 minutes? Eek....that's a LOT of time to make up. Give me a year. Matt

I feel pretty sure that a 5 minute mile is beyond me, ever, so wow! Would be interesting to do this again some time - marathon training starts in June, will be interested to see if that helps or hinders my mile time.... I shall wear my NF T-shirt today in celebration. Matt

LOL - good Arnie one liner there. Matt

*awaits aj's new time* *refreshes* *refreshes* Matt

The two I use most often are: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" (Steve Prefontaine) and "Keep going, keep going, keep going, until something inside you says - keep going" (Frank Horwill). Oh, and quite often just a repeat of something like "What would Chrissie Wellington do? What would Mo Farah do? What would Haile do? What would Ian Sharman do?" etc etc etc. Good to have people to look up to!

Phew, just made it into 1st....but didn't make it under 6:30, which I'm peeved about. According to McMillan I should be doing under 6:15! Dream on. Matt

Ah. This one isn't going to go so well for me. Taper started.

Just broke 200 km, so I'm happy to finish up in the lead. Matt

Not sure this high mileage (for me, at least!) is doing my speed much good....today's 5K race was the first one since coming back to running where I haven't PBed. Twenty seconds off my PB. Weird, as I've been running well. I guess everyone has off days!

DAGGNAMIT! (watches mookie recede into the distance again)

The problem is that it really depends on your individual tolerance for certain foods. For what it is worth, I run a 5K race at 9 am every Saturday. My routine is to get up about 7 am, and immediately drink a cup of tea and eat a banana. I then make my way to the race, and have a sip of water every few minutes from about 8.15 to 8.40. I go to the loo at 8.45, and then I'm ready to rock and roll. Leaving that much time between eating allows you to digest and allows any 'issues' to manifest before you start actually running... (p.s. I'm not entirely this OCD, but you get the picture!) But as I say, it's a bit different for everyone, and only experience can really tell.

I am so running this on the Iffley Road track where Roger Bannister hit the first sub four mile. bring it on!

And lord knows what Ryan Hall could have done if he had run it..... I just feel really sorry for Mutai. He might not get to the Olympics now, which would be ridiculous!

Every Sunday is bringing my longest run ever at the moment, which is pretty exhausting but also very motivating! 23ks logged today. Matt

Must....catch...signalguy! Matt

Totally - check out a basic aquathlon or triathlon training programme if you want cardio which your body can handle 5-6 times a week, perhaps?

Basically, what other people have said. Though it doesn't sound like overtraining syndrome, it *does* sound like an injury brought on by overtraining, which is a bit different. I know it's easy to say, but remember - we only get better when we recover. No one ever got to their peak fitness by not making time for their body to heal and come back stronger. 6 times a week is definitely a lot, btw. I'm really pushing myself hard at the moment and I'm only running 5 times a week, albeit with 2 x strength training and a swimming session thrown in there. Anything more and I know that I would get injured...which would destroy my consistency. And consistency is the way to improve running times! Matt

Excellent! Don't think I've ever won a race before. Matt

Fastest Mile would be great....I live very close to iffley road track, where Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile for the first time. I've been itching for an excuse to go and bust out a mile there.

It really depends on how many rest days your body feels like it needs. I preserve one day (Friday) as a total rest day and another (Monday) as a swimming day with no running, which is basically active recovery. I bung both of my weights sessions in the evenings after (easy) morning runs. Anything works, really, as long as you listen to your body...different people find different things cause physical stress, I think....

Strength training is certainly good for sprinting. A friend of mine is a very very good powerlifter and won all sorts of sprint titles in his youth simply from his weight training base.