I'll have a BQ please Bob

Sat: Frank Duffy 10 mile 68:51
Last year I completed this in just outside 80 minutes at that was a good day at the office for where I was. I'd hoped to go under 70 in it this year, so the idea was to keep the pace under 7 minute mile the whole way around. I managed to do that through the first 8 miles without ever feeling under pressure or uncomfortable. I was a minute up on where I wanted to be after 8 miles, so two more 7 minute miles and I'd be under 69 mins. At this stage I was still climbing up the upper glen and by the time I'd reached the crest of the hill average pace was 7.42, so I got busy on working a bit harder. Finished mile 9 in 7.07, so I didn't have a huge amount to make up on the flat mile 10 to get the 69. Only the effort at a sprint finish in an effort to over take one guy (who'd been 30/40 yards ahead of me for the last three miles) did I feel that I was over extending myself. HR averged 162, and the sprint at the end produced 181 for a max.
So far so good with this DCM plan.


I popped the time into McMillan to see what equivalent prediction time it's giving. 3.13. I'm fairy certain if I tried to acheive that, I'd be a mess by mile 20 (if not before) but I will up the intensity of the harder sessions and maybe 3.20 can be the stretch target. It also indicates my long runs should be a little quicker than I have been doing.


Sun: 20 miles @ 8.14 (HR 143). Solo slog in the heat of the day. Not much to report other than sort of getting lost somewhere around Finglas/Glasnevin, and foolishly going 13 miles without a drink


57 miles for the week

Monday: 12 miles @ 7.49 (HR 154) - My default mode is to be a lazy runner and plod somewhere between 8.30 and 9.00 minute miles. I was happy I put a bit of effort in. This run included a trip up Knockmaroon

Tuesday: Early morning 9 miles back into work @ 8.55 (HR 134)

Wednesday: 11 miles @ 7.35 (HR 156) - The plan had 11 miles with 7 at LT. So 2 warm up miles were followed with miles as follows, 6.57, 6.58, 7.08, 6.59, 6.57, 7.05, 7.04 and then 2 easy miles. Tough enough session but happy to have it done.

Thursday: Another early morning 9 miles. Pace 8.50 and HR 134.

Friday: Happy enough to have a rest day. I lost a toenail in Dingle, so it was a bit uncomfortable with the runs this week, resulting in me obviously chnaging something with how I run as I picked up some nice blisters on toes.

Saturday: 20.7 miles @ 7.52 (HR 153). Decided to push the pace on the LSR this week to see how it went. Wasn't feeling the love for loops in the park so headed off on the same route I did a few weeks back with one or two detours. It was a bit on the warm side and not for the first time running up the Upper Glen Rd knocked the sh!t out of me along the way, but kept the pace going. I was happy enough to get home in the end. If I was able to hold the average pace from today for the full 26.2 it would bring me to a 3.26 marathon.
Encouragingly the HR is about 10 beats under the HR rate I averaged in Barcelona, so I might have a few more seconds per mile to improve on this run

beeduybe wrote: »

Some really impressive training the last few weeks. You're well on track for DCM.

Cheers. Been trying to put the extra pace in, rather than just going through the motions.
Your own log is showing you're in good shape for DCM too

Now to stay injury free and in good health for the next few weeks and we'll be sorted!

jcsmum wrote: »

No mention of any ice cream I see... tut tut!

I could spout some nonsense about cleaning living, but it was just a case of being too busy boozing!

In an effort to appease your disappoinment I should let you know I have indulged in some post-LSR McFlurry wispa gold's and McFlurry galaxy caramels over the past couple of months. Not quite Muprhy's but will that do?

jcsmum wrote: »

Best of luck tomorrow. I'm considering hanging on to the 1:40 pacers for a bit.

For about a mile, before you speed off down the road ahead of them!

Good luck to you too, will keep an eye out for the fancy new singlet or will you be hollering "step aside, club runner coming through!!":D

Sat: Race Series Half Marathon 1.29.39
Last race before DCM. Decided I'd line up with the pacers and give it a go. As the first 10 weren't overly testing and my 69 minutes for the 10 miler three weeks back, I was confident I could stay with them until 10, and then see how things unfolded up the last testing three miles. That said I'd have been very happy to go under 1.32 as a more realistic target.
Things were a bit congested with the crowd around the 1.30 pacers, so pushed on a bit down the Kyber (without getting ahead of the pace) kept ahead of the pacers until mile 3 and I thought we were a little behind schedule but nothing to panic about. Water stop at mile 3 was a bit of a disaster for me. Everyone usually goes for the first table, so I passed the first two tables but couldn't get a cross traffic to the tables and ended up just knocking the water out of the young lads hand in attempt to stretch across. Was annoyed at the time, but it was a lesson learned for the next one. I think the pacers pushed a little through mile 5 (fastest on my garmin). My HR had been a bit high through the first few miles (same pace as 10 miler, but HR 10 beats up), but hoped it would settle down miles 5 to 10 as the elevation was easier. Got myself ready for the water stop at mile 7 as I was taking a gel. There was about a 70/80 meter gap between pacer 1 and pacer 2 with clusters of runners around both, so got myself in the gap between them and got the gel in just before the water stop. Wasn't making any mistakes and went straight for first table. I did stop dead there with other runners but managed to get a cup and got most of it into me! Not much to report over the next few miles other than feeling a bit claustraphobic down the footpath as the pacers had closed to ten yards apart and we were all one group, so I'm sure it was quite packed for the other bigger pace groups.
Once we had ten miles done and I knew the race really was beginning here. Tried to get more water on board at the last water stop but was focused on the fact we were running uphill already, and I was behind the pacers. I didn't think Military hill was going to be quite that tough as it didn't take as much out of me as Upr Glen during the ten miler. So by the time I got to the top I was 20 yards behind pacers. I knew I'd catchup through the S bends and the drop down towards the hospital, but was worried then about the Upper Glen Rd drag up ahead. Caught the pacers again, but half way up the Upper Glen I was going backwards, 10/20/30/40 yards. So really was just working as hard as I could and try and not let the gap get any bigger. Anyway, got to the top and the next job was to try and close the gap, again. My HR was up at 5k pace now, so I just kept pushing and I was getting closer once we got on to Furze Rd. Pacers easing off and the cheering crowd helped and I managed to get across the line just under in 1.29.39. I was delighted the line came just in time as the tank was empty.

I really don't think I'd have squeezed under 1.30 without the pacers as I'd never have paced myself that perfectly nor would I caught them without them being a visible target up ahead in the last half mile.

HR averaged 168.
So 7 and a half minutes off my PB from Bohermeen in March and all in all a very good day at the office.


Sun 17 miles @ 8.50 (HR 138) Met up with Vagga and Grizzly for an LSR. First couple of miles were fine, but legs were becoming increasingly heavy as the miles passed. Still got the job done

Mon: Rest after last weekends efforts

Tue: 12 miles @ 7.45 (HR 151)

Wed: 9 miles easy back into work @ 8.48 (HR 129)

Thurs: 9 miles @ 7.54 (HR 149). This run included 5 x 0.6 mile intervals (plan was 1000km, but I'm a miles man and 0.6 miles was a lot easier to keep track of. Normally I dread these interval sessions but wasn't too preoccupied about it until I was two miles into the warm up. And after that I didn't really enjoy the run. Intervals had paces of 6.34, 6.30, 6.25, 6.31 & 6.40. Got a stitch in the middle of interval 2 and hamstrings were none too happy during interval 5. Warm up, recovery sections and warm down were all pretty slow.

Fri: 5 miles early miles. Pace 8.53

Sat: 21 miles @ 7.42 (HR 148)
Down home in KK. I knew friends were out for a 20 miler at 7am, but didn't make it out of bed in time so it was a solo run. I had read an article on McMillan about fast finishing LSR's, and I think I read Meno or CL doing something similar, so I said I'd mix up the LSR and give this a go.
11 miles @ 7.56 (HR 144)
6 miles @ 7.30 (HR 152)
1 easy mile @ 8.11
3 miles @ 7.04 (HR 163)
Tough enough run. Legs felt okay at the end and definitely had more miles in them, but not sure what pace they'd have taken me. Not HMP anyway.

Mon: Rest

Tue: 12 miles @ 7.48 (HR 154) Not much to report other than trying to keep pushing the pace in the run as previous week hadn't been great in terms of quality of runs

Wed: 9 miles into work @ 8.23 (132) Pace probably a little to quick for proper recovery run

Thurs: 9 miles @ 7.50 (HR 154) This run included 5 x 1000m intervals off 2 minute recoveries. I got a new garmin on Monday and this was the first opportunity to try out this feature not on my old one. Interval pace for the five was 6.32, 6.33, 6.21, 6.38 & 6.39. Pace probably not at 5k pace but when you're doing these on your own its hard to keep pushing right out to the end of the interval. Tbh in the middle of the fourth interval I wasn't going to bother with the fifth, but toughened up enough to start it and was fine then really

Fri: 9 miles back into work 8.40 (HR 133)

Sat: 21 miles @ 7.48 (HR 152). With Berlin the previous week and Athlone 3/4 this weekend, there was no takers for a group run in or around my pace, so I was on a solo run. So with that I decided to do the previous weeks prescribed PMP miles per the P&D plan, which was 20 incl 12 at PMP. I didn't really plan the run out too well, but knew it was roughly 8 miles from home to parkgate street and same back via different routes, so I was covering a different route through parts of Dublin 15 to make up the extra four. First 8 miles were fine and went through them in an average pace of 8.04 and the HR averaged 143.
Started off the PMP, trying to get the pace under 7.30. Everything was going fine but not planning out the route meant I went almost 14 miles without any fluids (normally just bring money and pop into a shop). I actually went from mile 6ish through to mile 14 without passing a shop and in hindsight I should have taken the small detour into Chapelizod village. So after some sports drink and at 14 miles I was in parkgate street and I knew I was going to be going over 20 miles and the shortest route which meant the slow pull of Chesterfield Ave and the company of a head wind - fun times. It wasn't until about mile 16/17 that I knew I was struggling to hold the pace. I have been trying to do my LSRs off just water or some sports drink (ie no gels), but going 14 miles without anything meant I'd run the glycogen stores way too low. I got 19 miles done, and I just couldn't hack anymore PMP (11 done instead of 12). 11 miles @ 7.28 (HR 159). Looking back on the stats when I got home I can see HR was 169 for the last mile which is where I'd imagine will be over the final few miles in DCM, so I shouldn't really have been 'quittin' on the PMP. That said I hadn't felt that rough in a run since DCM 2011.
Last two miles averaged 8.22 pace which was suprising seeing as I was in a jock (would have expected much lower)

Not the performance I was hoping for from the last 20 miler. When I was finished my confidence had taken a real battering and thinking that 3.15 might just be a bridge too far this time around. Some more reasoned thinking since knows part of the poor performance was down to my hydration or lack thereof. Still the seed of doubt is festering. I'm pretty annoyed with myself not to getting the basics right.

Sun: 5.3 easy miles @ 8.46 pace


65 miles for the week. Weekly mileage will drop off now over the last three weeks to give the legs time to recover for DCM