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Taming the marathon beast...
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13-05-2013 4:44pm#1So after months of reading and being inspired by other logs, I think the time is right to start logging my own adventures…
BACKGROUND
38 year old female, 3 young children, mad about running. On and off relationship with exercise pre kids - once a handy swimmer, spent a few years struggling to be a surfer, bit of a gym junkie at one stage too, never really interested in running.
3 babies in 5 years put the fitness out the window. Started running very casually 2 years ago when youngest was about 6 months old and just fell in love with the freedom, endorphins, me-time, etc. that I get from being out on the road. Have been more structured and serious about it for about 12 months - as long as I've been hanging around boards
Race history 2012
April 2012 - first 10km in 54:xx,
May 2012 - ran last 2 relay legs of the Belfast Marathon (9.7 miles) was the furthest ever run (not sure of time - probably 10 min miles)
June 2012 - 10km in 52:48
June 2012 - first HM in 2:02:xx
Oct 2012 - DCM in 4:27:38
2013 so far:
Mar 2013 - HM in 1:47:34 (PB)
April 2013 - 10km in 48:08 (PB)
May 2013 - Limerick marathon DNF (22 miles)
DNF
I trained for Limerick following the P&D 18/55 plan and found it tiring but manageable. I went in to Limerick aiming for a 4 hour finish but collapsed with dehydration and didn't make the end. I purposely restricted my fluid intake to avoid loo breaks so basically my own stupidity flushed all the training down the pan. Big learning curve and a humbling experience. That was a week ago and I want to put it behind me and move on…
WHERE TO NOW
Main goal for 2013 is DCM - hopefully a chance to run a decent marathon. Breaking 4 hours would be nice but I want to see how training goes, etc. before I commit to a time. After the experience in Limerick simply finishing would do!
Short term - targeting a local 10km on 5 Jun, a few 5km parkruns along the way, all working towards a sub 1:45 HM late July or early August (might as well start off optimistically!)
Marathon specific training then in Aug, Sept and October.
As I didn't run the full marathon - only 21.6 miles, recovery has been grand. Legs weren't sore and I've been out on the road a few times. The plan is to stick to easy recovery runs (HR <145bpm) for another week or 2, slowly building the miles and days running from 3 to 5 (or 6). I ran a 7.5 mile LSR yesterday so will probably increase this each week up to maybe 16 by HM time.
I am a bit clueless on how best to approach my training for now. With 3 weeks until the first 10km I would love a bit of advice on how to structure things. I know I'm recovering from the marathon so do I just keep things easy or add race specific workouts closer to the time? Should I aim for a PB or is it unlikely to happen so close to the marathon?
Anyway I have learned so much from hanging around on boards and am very much looking forward to the next chapter. Family/ work/ life commitments mean joining a running club is not an option just yet so I'm hoping keeping this log will be the next best thing. Let the madness begin…21
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I am a bit clueless on how best to approach my training for now. With 3 weeks until the first 10km I would love a bit of advice on how to structure things. I know I'm recovering from the marathon so do I just keep things easy or add race specific workouts closer to the time? Should I aim for a PB or is it unlikely to happen so close to the marathon?
Welcome to training log land!
I'll be an avid follower of this! That was a super post you put up on the graduate thread btw. Really some good learnings in there for people to be wary of in the future.
I would see a PB attempt well the cards on the back of the solid marathon training you have done and you should go for it. It's a bit soon after the marathon to be putting in speed work yet though and If I were you I'd keep ticking over with easy runs the next couple of weeks slowly building up to about 75-80% mileage you were on with P&D. For me I hope to build up to about 40-45 miles a week over the summer. Pretty managable for us P&Ders!
I went 13/20/30/30 mpw after rotterdam although you might be able to build up a bit faster after Limerick if your legs are feeling fine. Maybe 10 days our from your 10km you could put in a speed session to see where you are.0 -
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Yeah I sure am. Did Paris in April and shaved half an hour off last years DCM time. Am trying to break 4 hours off this years DCM which will mean shaving a further half hour off. So I really need to knuckle down!
Sounds like we're very similar Sara..well except for the fact that you actually finished your second mara :eek: Well done on the Paris performance, would love to do that one some day 0 -
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So down to the nitty gritty..this log will track every run post Limerick. I want to keep a good eye on HR this time around. All runs for the last week have been very easy, keeping HR below 145bpm:
Wed 8 May
4.05 @ 10.53 Av HR 131
Fri 10 May
4.33 @ 11.08 (includes climbing steep sand dunes to access the beach) Av HR 135
Sun 12 May
7.38 @ 10.21 Av HR 136
Mon 13 May
3.08 @ 10.54 Av HR 126
Wed 15 May
5.15 @ 9.51 Av HR 137
Pace is picking up a bit but effort always the same. Wonder if this means I'm recovering? I definitely feel good, full of beans and not sluggish at all. Only glancing at the watch to keep HR down which makes a nice change from intense training.
Anyone got a table format for recording this stuff that I could pinch 0 -
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Eh not so sure about that! My second marathon time is similar to what you achieved in your first!Sounds like we're very similar Sara..well except for the fact that you actually finished your second mara :eek: Well done on the Paris performance, would love to do that one some day
I hope all your training for DCM goes to plan now and you can put the Limerick experience down to just that-An experience to be learned from :-)0 -
Thur 16 May
5.08miles @ 9.45 Av HR 137
Easy recovery running is getting a bit tedious, I am strictly keeping HR below 145bpm and this morning it took a lot of willpower to keep it there :rolleyes: All in good time I suppose but think I'll start adding strides to a few runs next week.
To ease the boredom I picked a HM for July - Clontarf on 13 July, we usually go away that weekend so a family break to Dublin it is Looks like a very flat course so a good chance to put the foot down 
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To ease the boredom I picked a HM for July - Clontarf on 13 July, we usually go away that weekend so a family break to Dublin it is Looks like a very flat course so a good chance to put the foot down
I've heard it's flat but the wind can be a killer there at times I'm lead to believe as it's exposed (source: RunningKing
) So just bare that in mind! 0 -
Thur 16 May
5.08miles @ 9.45 Av HR 137
Easy recovery running is getting a bit tedious, I am strictly keeping HR below 145bpm and this morning it took a lot of willpower to keep it there :rolleyes: All in good time I suppose but think I'll start adding strides to a few runs next week.
To ease the boredom I picked a HM for July - Clontarf on 13 July, we usually go away that weekend so a family break to Dublin it is Looks like a very flat course so a good chance to put the foot down
Clontarf would be a good course to try to get under 1 45. It can be windy but its very flat albeit with part of it on sand.
Myself and Chinguetti are pacing 1 45 there and we'd be glad to help you get around under that mark.
Just look out for two fine good looking lads with balloons stuck to their heads!0 -
Thur 16 May
5.08miles @ 9.45 Av HR 137
To ease the boredom I picked a HM for July - Clontarf on 13 July, we usually go away that weekend so a family break to Dublin it is Looks like a very flat course so a good chance to put the foot down
I have been thinking about entering this-I'm just not looking forward to the wind! I did the docklands run a few weeks ago which was on this route and oh my God I've never know such wind!! Beautiful scenery though which more than made up for it :-)0 -
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Clontarf would be a good course to try to get under 1 45. It can be windy but its very flat albeit with part of it on sand.
Myself and Chinguetti are pacing 1 45 there and we'd be glad to help you get around under that mark.
Just look out for two fine good looking lads with balloons stuck to their heads!
Excellent, someone to tuck in behind to get out of the wind 0 -
Good luck with the log A - I'll be following with interest. And see you in Clontarf in July - it is flat but wind has been a problem in the past and the sand was very dry and powdery one year (bring your sunglasses), making a pb difficult. Mrs D has done it every year but her course best is about 5 mins slower than her road pb.
BTW I hear the 2 hr pace group is the one all the cool kids will be with. 0 -
Good luck with the log A - I'll be following with interest. And see you in Clontarf in July - it is flat but wind has been a problem in the past and the sand was very dry and powdery one year (bring your sunglasses), making a pb difficult. Mrs D has done it every year but her course best is about 5 mins slower than her road pb.
BTW I hear the 2 hr pace group is the one all the cool kids will be with.
Thanks for the heads up C, running on sand and in to the wind sounds like my worst nightmare :eek: Are ya pacing the 2 hr group then?0 -
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Sat 18 May
4.29miles @ 9.57 Av HR 135
Bit stoppy starty this one as the dog was with me, helps keep things slow mind you
Sun 19 May
9.32miles @ 10.00 Av HR 139
Had to wait for hubby to come home from a stag do before getting out today - much prefer morning efforts - less traffic, not so many crazy dogs barking after you and a lot more privacy to jump behind a hedge to pee :P
So as a girl who likes plans I have been thinking about how to plan my next 8 weeks up to the Clontarf half. I have come up with a kind of plan, mostly based on a HM plan from Runners World but including a Sunday LSR which will progress to 16 miles the week before the half.
The week ahead looks like this:
Mon 3 m recovery
Tues 6 m progression run
Wed 4 m easy
Thur 8 x 90sec intervals, 90 sec recovery
Fri Rest
Sat 4 m easy
Sun 11 m LSR
Am working on a googledocs training log but think it'll be a while before I figure out how to post from that on to here
I'm looking forward to this plan - a few short, fast workouts during the week instead of the long endurance runs from marathon training. Bit of a change for me, and progression runs will be fun - I have a bad habit of starting fast and finishing slower - time to change me thinks 0 -
Sat 18 May
4.29miles @ 9.57 Av HR 135
Bit stoppy starty this one as the dog was with me, helps keep things slow mind you
Sun 19 May
9.32miles @ 10.00 Av HR 139
Had to wait for hubby to come home from a stag do before getting out today - much prefer morning efforts - less traffic, not so many crazy dogs barking after you and a lot more privacy to jump behind a hedge to pee :P
So as a girl who likes plans I have been thinking about how to plan my next 8 weeks up to the Clontarf half. I have come up with a kind of plan, mostly based on a HM plan from Runners World but including a Sunday LSR which will progress to 16 miles the week before the half.
The week ahead looks like this:
Mon 3 m recovery
Tues 6 m progression run
Wed 4 m easy
Thur 8 x 90sec intervals, 90 sec recovery
Fri Rest
Sat 4 m easy
Sun 11 m LSR
Am working on a googledocs training log but think it'll be a while before I figure out how to post from that on to here
I'm looking forward to this plan - a few short, fast workouts during the week instead of the long endurance runs from marathon training. Bit of a change for me, and progression runs will be fun - I have a bad habit of starting fast and finishing slower - time to change me thinks
Good luck with the log Runchick. I'm just thinking now that I'm back running (well for the moment) that I might follow your plan and see how I get on. It doesn't look too tough. I've been thinking of Clontarf half as well.
My little sister did it and complained about the difficulty of running on sand.
Sure whatever surface it is, its never easy.0 -
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Big Logger wrote: »Good luck with the log Runchick. I'm just thinking now that I'm back running (well for the moment) that I might follow your plan and see how I get on. It doesn't look too tough. I've been thinking of Clontarf half as well.
My little sister did it and complained about the difficulty of running on sand.
Sure whatever surface it is, its never easy.
Hey BL great to hear you're back on the road This Clontarf half sounds like a bit of a nightmare but hopefully the conditions will be ok on the day. I don't know that part of the world at all so if its tough I'll just slow down and enjoy the scenery Maybe see you there 0 -
Mon 20th May
3.25m @ 10.52 Av HR 132
Slow recovery run, nothing to report except a niggling hip flexor for the last mile. Wonder if the body's trying to tell me something :rolleyes: Might stick to easy runs for a while longer...oh and start some regular core work - I've got away with that one for too long now
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Hey BL great to hear you're back on the road This Clontarf half sounds like a bit of a nightmare but hopefully the conditions will be ok on the day. I don't know that part of the world at all so if its tough I'll just slow down and enjoy the scenery Maybe see you there
Yeah, will keep an eye out for ya if I'm still injury free and happy to run 0 -
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Wed 22 May - Easy
4.31m @ 9.53 Av HR 135
Can't even remember this run, it was my daughter's 5th birthday so I was probably too preoccupied with party planning to even notice anything else I was doing
Thur 23 May - Intervals
4.51m @ 9.03 Av HR 155
1 mile warm up, 8 x intervals (90 sec / 90 sec recovery), 1 mile cool down
I finally worked out that I can manually set laps for intervals so even though I didn't know my pace at the time, at least I can look at it after.
Splits for intervals: 7.09, 7.13, 7.08, 6.44, 7.20, 7.22, 7.17, 7.52 (last one was up hill and in to the wind)
I was working hard for these, having to walk after the last few. Max HR hit 177 so effort wise I was right out of my comfort zone. Great session even though it was hard work, delighted with this one actually:D0 -
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Friday 24th May - rest day
Saturday 25th May - easy with strides
4.1 @ 10.08 Av HR 142
Threw in 8 x 30 sec strides to mix things up a bit Also did 10 mins core work - would like to have done more but had 3 kids climbing over me thinking it was great craic so ended the fun sooner than planned
Sunday 26th May - LSR
11.23m @ 9.58
Not sure of HR for this one as HR on garmin was playing up but I kept things nice and easy. Great to be back runnning a decent distance again
33 miles for the week, bit more planned for next week:
Monday - 3m slow recovery
Tues - 6m with 2@MP, 2@HMP
Wed - intervals - 4 x 3 min fast, 3 min recovery
Thur - 5m easy
Fri - Rest
Sat - 1m slow, 2m@HMP, 1m slow, 2m @HMP, 1m slow
Sun - 12m LSR
Running 6 days now with Monday a very, very slow recovery run.0 -
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Wed 29th May
enforced rest day...Mr Runchick had the same bug so was off work which meant I actually got rest - spent most of Tues and Wed sleeping - probably a blessing in disguise:)
Thur 30th May
Feeling better so headed out for 5 easy miles
5.11 @ 9.49 Av HR 143
Threw in 4 x 30sec strides as I hated having missed Wednesday's interval session.
Fri 31st May
Supposed to be a rest day but the dog's walk turned in to a wee jog - who can resist a run in this weather
3.22m @ 11.00 Av HR 127
I have a 10km next Wednesday evening and am less confident about it now I've been sick and missed this week's interval session which really was a key workout for the race. I'll see how it goes but there's another 10km 2 weeks after this one which I think I'll do too and is more likely to be the better race for me.0 -
Sat 1 June - kind of tempo run
7.03m @ 8.45
This run was 1m easy, 2m @ HMP, 1m easy, 2m @ HMP, 1 m c/d and splits were: 9.19, 7.59, 7.48, 9.53, 8.01, 7.55, 10.13.
All looks good written down but the reality was it was a very tough session and I stopped for 5 or 10 seconds at the end of each mile to catch my breath Not sure of Av HR as it played up for a while at the start but I know the HMP miles it was in the 170s and looking back at HR from a half in March it didn't get that high until the final few miles. So what does this mean...am I still feeling the effects of beign sick this week? Am I not as fit as I thought I was?
Anyway glad its done. I have a wedding today - which I elected to drive to for the sake of the 12 mile run I have planned for tomorrow - god what has happened to me - I'm not even marathon training - running is taking me over (and I'm not even good at it) :eek:0 -
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Sat 1 June - kind of tempo run
7.03m @ 8.45
This run was 1m easy, 2m @ HMP, 1m easy, 2m @ HMP, 1 m c/d and splits were: 9.19, 7.59, 7.48, 9.53, 8.01, 7.55, 10.13.
All looks good written down but the reality was it was a very tough session and I stopped for 5 or 10 seconds at the end of each mile to catch my breath Not sure of Av HR as it played up for a while at the start but I know the HMP miles it was in the 170s and looking back at HR from a half in March it didn't get that high until the final few miles. So what does this mean...am I still feeling the effects of beign sick this week? Am I not as fit as I thought I was?
Anyway glad its done. I have a wedding today - which I elected to drive to for the sake of the 12 mile run I have planned for tomorrow - god what has happened to me - I'm not even marathon training - running is taking me over (and I'm not even good at it) :eek:
Sounds like just a bad day at the office. One day its good, next day a disaster.0 -
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Just so I can get this straight in my head.
You drove to a wedding and stayed on the dry just so you could run 12 miles today?
I've bottled up my acquisitions of craziness on boards for the last few weeks but thats just mental!!
Oh yes there's no end to my craziness What's even more mental is that I had a ball at the wedding without copious amounts of booze, I enjoyed a run the next morning while most others I know were dying a death and got more satisfaction from this than I really want to admit to :rolleyes: (ok I could polish off my halo here and leave out that I went on to clean a bottle of wine last night and skipped any recovery running this am :eek:) 0 -
Mon 3 Jun - slow recovery
3.2m @ 10.56 Av HR 127
Tues 4 Jun - Easy 4 miles
4.5 @ 10.17 Av HR 137
Wed 5 Jun - 10km race
This was my first race since Limerick marathon a month ago and for some reason I was nervous about it. My 10k PB was set in April at 48.08 and my aim for this one was to beat that by anything resulting in 47:xx. Basically the plan was go out at 7.35 pace and try to stay there..simple plan, how hard could it be? Very hard it turned out
The heat was unreal even waiting to start but I had hydrated well all day and there were 2 water stations on the course so wasn't overly concerned. Started out keeping a tight eye on the garmin and actually found it hard to control the pace and not go too fast. First mile 7.35 and the pace actually felt comfortable so I was quietly confident. Somewhere during the second mile the pace began dropping. Mile 2 ended with a steep hill which I knew was followed by a downhill so I didn't mind taking the hill easy as I knew I could make up good time the other side so second mile 7.48. Things got progressively worse from here. I don't know if it was the heat but I just couldn't keep up any kind of pace. I tried just concentrating on pushing forward, trying to use the power in my legs to speed up but the tank was feeling scarily empty. The power just wasn't there. Mile 3 8.16. After mile 3 I was becoming increasingly aware of stomach cramps and my growing need to get to a loo. Sorry for the details but basically I had issues which I finally resolved just before mile 5 by ducking behind some bushes :eek: Mile 4 8.23, mile 5 8.50 (includes the unscheduled stop) I felt a bit better after this and continued on. There was a girl in a local club vest just in front of me so I just told myself to hang on behind her at all costs and thats what I did for the rest of the way. Mile 6 8.12. I crossed the line with garmin time of 50:51. Goodness knows how long it would have taken me if I hadn't followed the club vest...chances are I would have given up completely and walked :rolleyes:
Oh another worrying thing from tonight was my HR. It averaged 176 which is extremely high for me.
I felt absolutely flat after this one. I was very disappointed with the time and my inability to hold any kind of pace. I'm hoping the stomach bug I had coupled with the heat were to blame. My husband did a time trail on his bike last night and had a very similar experience, finishing unusually slow for him, so we are both blaming the bug we had recently.
I feel like I'm making excuses though and at the back of my mind I'm questioning my own abilities. I have entered another 10km in 2 weeks so really hope I can put the demons to rest and run the race I like to think I'm capable of then. Onwards and upwards :rolleyes:0 -
I feel like I'm making excuses though and at the back of my mind I'm questioning my own abilities. I have entered another 10km in 2 weeks so really hope I can put the demons to rest and run the race I like to think I'm capable of then. Onwards and upwards :rolleyes:
Good grind tonight Runchick and you lost hardly any time in those bushes!! The good thing about the shorter dictances is the quick turnaround time you can have unlike the marathon.
Another bash at it in 2 weeks and the result will more than likely be much more positive. You need to get a couple of these into you before you get the right feel for the pace. I was the same with my 5km races recently.
Look forward, not back. 0 -
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