Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
Options
Comments
-
Hey DD, sorry for causing confusion and concern about GPS watches. I wouldn’t worry about it in training too much, just be aware of the issues and account for it at race time. As Krusty says “The boost you get from race day adrenaline, having water every few miles, cheering adoring fans and fellow brothers and sisters-in-arms will more than make up for those few seconds per mile.”
Thanks for the brilliant activity filled weekend!
If Dory Dory invites any of ye boardsies to her place, bite her hand off and book that flight/boat/train/car straight away. She has a fantastic house with a fantastic pool in a fantastic location surrounded by fantastic terrain that is an amazing playground for any run/tri training programme. We managed to squeeze in two cycles up on skyline drive, a hike (with views!), two runs on differing surfaces and lovely dips in the pool finished off with BBQ’ing by the pool in the gorgeous evenings. Any type of terrain is accommodated, field running, flat greenway and lots of hilly road or trail runs down in the valley or up at 3,000ft. Would love to have stayed longer to do so much more. But best thing of all DD and her OH are great hosts and great company! 0 -
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013
Plan: 2 mile warmup, 4 x (3 miles @ MP, 3 min recovery), 2 mile cool down
This was one of those runs that started off feeling good, got better and better with each passing mile, and culminated in the last mile feeling like I had broken free of any and all encumbrances and was just flying weightlessly. I must've been buzzing on delicious endorphins.
The weather this evening was tee-totally perfect for a run, and I'm sure the break from the heat contributed to this run feeling so amazing.....and hallelujah, I will take it!! I had programmed my Garmin exactly as the plan is stated above, so I never really know what my average mile pace is when I rely on a "workout" to feed me what to do next like that...therefore, all I saw pace-wise as I was running this was my pace "at that moment", and that meant what I saw was anything from 8:15 min/mile to 6:40 min/mile.
(I really need to apply myself and figure this Garmin thing out.) So...basically I just ran by feel - I kept it comfortable and at a perceived pace that I could hopefully hold for a marathon. Looking now at the data on my watch, it only shows me my average pace for each 3 mile MP set, but I may load the data onto my computer tomorrow and see if that will show the individual miles within the 3 mile sets as it would be interesting to me to see what each one came in at...especially my last mile which felt super duper fast. But for now...here are my paces* for each set....
1st 3 mile set - 7:46 min/mile
2nd 3 mile set - 7:33 min/mile
3rd 3 mile set - 7:31 min/mile
4th 3 mile set - 7:21 min/mile
Actual: 16.9 miles in 2:16:19 for an average pace of 8:04 min/mile
*paces not adjusted for any Garmin margin of error.
0 -
Thursday, September 5th, 2013
Plan: easy
I'll make this quick as I spent basically all evening getting caught up on Krusty's antics and adventures - epic stuff there. If only he could swim.:)
Gorgeous evening....perfect for a field run.....shared the field with several deer and their young fawns....slice of heaven on dry land. Whoop whoop.
Actual: 4.2 easy field miles0 -
Friday, September 6th, 2013
Run plan: easy
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous here tonight....but there is a change of season in the air, and it was a bit on the nippy side when I started out on this evening's field run. I think this is the most beautiful time of year here in the valley (peeps, you might want to take note to mark your calendar to come see Dory in September!!)....the mornings and evenings tend to be crisp and chilly, but the days tend to be sunny and warm so you get the best of both worlds when straddling summer and fall.
The run itself was fine and dandy...just an easy breezy trot while contemplating tomorrow's 3 hour slightly slower than easy run.
I decided on a few things for tomorrow's run - 1) I'd like to get at least 20 miles in the books for tomorrow, 2) I'm going to really embrace the "slightly slower than easy" pace and enjoy this 180 minute journey, and 3) I'm going to try and finish slightly faster than I started. Maybe it's the Straw-ber-Rita margarita I'm drinking as I type this, but those are my hopes at the moment. Could be epic fail, but I'll take snacks and refreshments with me, as well as a few of my favorite down and dirty crooners, so it can't be all bad. 
Actual: 4.2 easy-wonderful-heavenly-straddling-two-of-the-best-seasons field run0 -
Saturday, September 7th, 2013
Plan: 3 hours at a pace slightly slower than easy
Okay....it's WAYYY too pretty outside to be wasting too much time inside writing this report, therefore I will give you the condensed version.
As stated last night, my approach to today's run was to embrace the easy, go at least 20 miles, and hopefully finish faster than I started. And I really wanted to enjoy this run - which I felt shouldn't be too hard to do if I kept things comfortable and appreciated the beautiful day and the natural soundings I run in.
First 7 miles - up, up, up. That's right, the first 7 miles are all about the uphill...and about my tummy doing backflips (which resulted in an emergency stop in the woods)...and about the 2 coyotes that were blocking the road in front of me. I kept this nice and comfortable, and other than the momentary issue with my gut, this was enjoyable.
8:49, 8:43, 8:28, 8:39, 8:29, 8:33, 8:44
Next 7 miles - nice ups and gentle downs. This 7 miles is a net downhill, but it's a kind and gentle descent with some spiky uphills. I was still feeling strong and very much enjoying the pace I was going at. I'm still having some difficulty configuring my Garmin (translation: I haven't tried to configure it) so basically this was another run by feel session as the only paces I could see on my Garmin were either the cumulative overall average pace of the run, or the pace at that moment in time (which is all over the place!). I much prefer to see my average pace for that particular mile/lap, but for some strange reason my Garmin is not showing that at the moment.
8:14, 8:32, 8:23, 8:14, 8:05, 8:22, 8:14
Next 6 miles - the flats of the Greenway. I had a decision to make when I completed mile 14 - do I keep going straight on Main Street and tackle a mile long hill, or do I turn off and treat myself to some nice flat surface as my reward? Ah, not much of a debate was warranted at this point and the reward it was. It's always impressive to me how much easier a paved, flat surface is to run on. The only thing that got in my way was dear, sweet Mrs. Dougans who was walking her adorable dog and who had to hug and kiss me multiple times then comment on how sweaty I was. But she's always such a boost to the ego and she always makes such a happy fuss over me, so I do enjoy seeing her when I'm running. Again, I did these miles by feel, but I allowed myself to open it up a bit because I was nearing the end and I wanted to see how much I had left in the tank. I kept things controlled and fairly comfortable (with a little bit of push), but by the time I completed mile 20, I was pretty much well spent.
7:59, 8:04, 7:44, 7:45, 7:32, 7:28
Final 1.6 miles - on the dangerous highway, nasty uphill, undesirable gully. This was just a slow trot back to the clinic to finish up. I was pooped. And I was glad this was over.
9:44, 5:05 (9:15)
Actual: 21.6 miles in 3:00:00 for an average pace of 8:20 min/mile0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
DukeOfDromada wrote: »RGIII going down! ;-)
He went down....but was clawing his way back....When I was marathon training last year I remember being told that my 22 mile lsr time would/should equate to my total marathon time....
If you gave me one guess who told you that I would pick our beloved Kurt. Either way, whoever told you that was certainly smoking something as there is no way in hell I'll be any where near 3 hours for 26.2 miles. My M.O. is to look better on paper than I do in reality. But I'll be giving it everything I have on the day. shotgunmcos wrote: »you are in great shape. yoga, sharpen the saw..
Ohmmmmmm...... 0 -
Advertisement
-
-
When I was marathon training last year I remember being told that my 22 mile lsr time would/should equate to my total marathon time....If you gave me one guess who told you that I would pick our beloved Kurt. Either way, whoever told you that was certainly smoking something as there is no way in hell I'll be any where near 3 hours for 26.2 miles.
It's more generic advice to answer "how fast(slow) should I be running my LSR's at?" rather than an indicator from which you can extrapolate your marathon time. You're racing this weekend in a half, right? That'll be a very useful indicator of your Dublin time.
("Beloved", awww shucks, I love you too sweetie) 0 -
Kurt Godel wrote: »It's more generic advice to answer "how fast(slow) should I be running my LSR's at?" rather than an indicator from which you can extrapolate your marathon time. You're racing this weekend in a half, right? That'll be a very useful indicator of your Dublin time.
("Beloved", awww shucks, I love you too sweetie)
Ahhh....your explanation of the correlation makes sense. And, yes I am running a half marathon this weekend. I hope I feel spiffier than I did last night otherwise it will be a bust.
(nothing like waking up to a good old fashioned virtual lovefest!) 0 -
-
Kurt Godel wrote: »It's more generic advice to answer "how fast(slow) should I be running my LSR's at?" rather than an indicator from which you can extrapolate your marathon time. You're racing this weekend in a half, right? That'll be a very useful indicator of your Dublin time.
("Beloved", awww shucks, I love you too sweetie)
If I was you I would be running this weekends HM at a much faster pace the your PMP. I would be aiming for around 7.15 per mile pace. Just my 2c 0 -
You could cross reference things with a Yasso 800 session.
Hey. Thanks for that. I actually saw Yasso 800 referenced on Marthastew's log and thought what I read was quite interesting. Thanks!griffin100 wrote: »If I was you I would be running this weekends HM at a much faster pace the your PMP. I would be aiming for around 7.15 per mile pace. Just my 2c
The plan is to race this weekend, I just hope I feel more love than I did last night. Fingers crossed I get in the groove and the course is kind to me.0 -
-
-
Marthastew wrote: »Very best of luck with your half marathon this weekend DD:D I'm looking forward to the podium place photos on Facebook, you have put in amazing training over the last few months. After this Half you can start sending me special requests for your accommodation in Dublin:)
Like you, lots of fun peeps who are doing DCM are racing the Half in Athlone this weekend, Mr Stew included. I'm taking the easy option and running the Full for fun; a bit like you did in Disney...... except instead of Dory it's Marthastew...... and instead of Disney it's Athlone;);) so in fact it will be nothing like what you did:)
Go smash it sista!:D
Aw, thanks O. The race for me is this Sunday morning. The weather is looking pretty good, I'm just hoping the hills are minimal and the legs cooperate. I've eaten way too much this week and my normal training routine has been a bit off these last few days all in the name of fun (which we all need from time to time) in the form of a "gift" from out of town , so I am hoping this will not be an issue for me on the day. Fingers and toes are crossed for your Mr. Stew....and you have fun with the marathon. I guess we can call you Goofy for doing 26.2 miles just for fun!!!
And.....6 weeks, I believe, until I arrive on your lovely island....so chats of my accommodation will be met with huge smiles and excited anticipation. We can nail down some plans next week. 0 -
Hokie Half Marathon
Virginia Tech
September 15th, 2013
When I saw this event online I was so excited to sign up as this is my alma mater and a very special place for me. Thoughts of being back on campus where I spent four years of higher education to participate in the inaugural Hokie Half Marathon brought smiles to my face in the weeks leading up to this day and wishful promises of doing myself proud by hopefuly running a respectable PB that would reflect where I am in my marathon training leading up to DCM.
I took off with two friends midday on Saturday to trek the 3 hours down to Blacksburg. Not a bad drive, especially when you get to sit in the back seat in your own little world listening to classic rock like AC/DC and Metallica. The first thing we did when we arrived at Tech was checkout the Expo (very poor, to be honest) and get our bibs and parking passes...then off to the bookstore to drop some dough in the form of much needed and proudly worn Virginia Tech apparel. I am now dripping in maroon and orange with liberal showings of our mascot, a turkey (the Hokie bird!!) on various parts of my body. Ah, life is good! After the expo and my shopping spree, I hooked up with my nephew who is a sophomore at Tech and I treated him to dinner and a little bit of shopping for himself. He's a wonderful young man, so to be able to have him all to myself and spoil him is a treat for me. Back to the hotel room at a respectable time....got my gear together....then lights out.
Awoke at 4:45am well rested, which was a blessing due to the fact that I was exhausted when my head hit the pillow the night before. Showered and had my usual breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios with whole milk, juice and a banana....then down to meet my friends, and we were off to the very chilly 7am start. The atmosphere as I milled about the start line was good - music jamming, animated chatter and laughter, the National Anthem, and then a very quick gun start. The start was so abrupt that it actually took me by surprise, but I had positioned myself near the front so it didn't take me too long to get in the groove. My previous half marathon PB pace is ~7:30 min/mile, so I had in my head to perhaps start off at that pace and try and amp it up in the second half of the race. But, I also knew the second half of the course contained the worst of the hills and was going to be fairly tough going so I struggled a little with race strategy, and in the end decided to not be obsessed with my pace but rather to run more by feel while keeping my body totally relaxed with proper form and pretending I was out on a no-pressure early morning training run in a great setting with fellow Hokies all around me.
Miles 1 through 6 flew by like no body's business. If there is one thing I've learned through racing, it's that thou shalt not start off too fast in a race of this distance for if you do, you will be hating life by the halfway point. So with that in mind, I smiled as many ambitious runners sped by me like they were doing a 5k while I got into my comfortable rhythm and tried to put the body in neutral to conserve as much energy as I could to sustain the next 90-some minutes. I found it enjoyable to run silently with various strangers who seemed to be plodding at my pace. The first person I attached myself to was a young-ish gal in a very bright orange top. We appeared to have the same plan and cadence until we reached various hills where I would shorten my stride and employ my arms a bit, and to my delight consistently moved ahead of her. She'd catch me on the flats as I'd just ease the effort right on down to conserve myself for later in the race. Being able to very comfortably pass her on the hills was a good mental thing for me as I knew the volume of hills I'd be facing starting at mile 7 and this gave me great confidence. I finally passed her for good on mile 4, but I kept the method of picking a target, running with that tartget, then hopefully passing that target for much of the race.
Paces miles 1 through 6 -
7:11, 7:05, 7:09, 6:57, 7:03, 7:03
Miles 7 through 13.1 were certainly tougher than the first 6, but I kept telling myself that this was a lovely, short training run (I mean, what's 13.1 miles when you are churning out miles and miles each week under Ecoli's plan???) and forced the body to stay relaxed and the mind to be happy. The hills starting at mile 7 saw many casualties and more scalps to add to my "hill rack" as I passed the strugglers in spite of my pace slowing predictably and relatively understandably. Many of the miles of this section were on a nicely wooded bike trail which gave great cover and beautiful surrounding and feel. There was also a brief section where the course doubled back on itself so it was thrilling to see the leaders, who were all from Ethiopia. Not kidding. There was a winners' purse (not significant, but still...), and that helped draw a few really good runners. I believe the male winner came in at 1:07 and the female winner came in at 1:16, and the organizers announced that they will try and more than double the purse for next year. I did have one sight tragedy during this section in the form of me losing one of my water bottles I was carrying. I was trying to get my shot bloks out of my belt and while unsuccessfully digging for my bloks, I dropped my bottle. I didn't bother stopping to pick it up, just said feck it and kept going. My pace started to pick back up on mile 10, and I was back to blazing and feeling like a million bucks on mile 12. Happy days!!! But then don't you know it....some fecker decided to play a cruel joke and ruin my joy by inserting the worst, longest, most brutal of all hills smack dab on the final full mile, mile 13. UGH!!! I was pretty well spent at this point, but just sucked it up and tried my best not to puke as I climbed this beast of a mountain. (there may be some slight exaggerating going on here for creative effect :)) I was definitely huffing and puffing by the time I reached the top of the hill (first time I huffed and puffed) and turned left to see the glorious finish line. As I neared the line, the clock read 1:34:45, which totally blew my mind (didn't necessarily have designs to go 1:35, but delighted!)....so I dug in as deep as I could to try and avoid the dreaded 1:35:00....but I was just too far away. I stopped my watch as I crossed, and it read 1:35:00. Nope, I couldn't give that extra second away if I had wanted to today to get under 1:35, but tee-totally delighted with my time.
Paces miles 7 through 13.1 -
7:18, 7:23, 7:19, 7:05, 7:11, 6:51, 7:18, 2:01 (6:21)
Some final thoughts - today's time is a 4 minute PB for me, and I feel a very accurate reflection of where I am at this stage in my training. I'm running more by feel and perceived effort and less by the pace on my watch. I'm also very pleased with my time in the context of the course. I feel I am right on target to have a good go in Dublin, and this race has given me a boost of confidence and added enthusiasm to finish off this awesome training plan (thank you Luke!!!) in style. The official results will not be posted until later today or tomorrow, but based on the printout I saw, I came in 74th overall and 18th lady home. (See edit below on final rankings) I won't say about my age group as I don't want to jinx it...but my placement looked pretty good based on what was posted on paper.
Two clothing notes I'd like to make at this time - 1) for good luck, I wore my Dublin race shirt claralara gave me as a gift, and 2) when I was stripping down after the race I realized I had put my bra on inside out. Hey, whatever works, right?
This race was a blast. Not only did I perform well, but it was well organized and appropriately challenging. The race shirt is fab, the Hokie medal is super awesome, the finisher's shirt I received at the finish line was a nice bonus (so two shirts were received!), and the Hokie Half car magnet will be placed on my vehicle with pride. I will be back next year, you can count on it!
Oh, and griffin, you were bang on target with your suggestion of going 7:15 min/mile today. (1:35:00 for 13.1 miles is a 7:15 pace) Maybe you can get your crystal ball out and sprinkle a little fairy dust and help me predict my Dublin pace.:D
Actual per Garmin: 13.3 miles in 1:35:00 for an average pace of 7:09 min/mile
EDIT: final ranking - 51st out of 1075 runners, 9th lady home, and 1st in age. Whoop whoop! 0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
Ahh my bragging right are down to just 5k now
You might be under the 1.35 yet - crossing the start line my finger always wavers for a second or two before pressing start.
I will be shocked if you aren't picking up another age grade 1st prize with that time!
Great running!0 -
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
Monday, September 16, 2013
Swim
Because of the Hokie Half Marathon race yesterday, today was a rest day in terms of running. I have to admit, I was really tempted to have a trot around the field this evening when I got home from work because my legs felt good and the weather was perfect for running, but because my training plan has yet to deceive me, I decided that I need to keep the faith and continue to trust in its wisdom. So, I turned to my pool for tonight's joy.
Just 10 x 200 yard free....not particularly fast, not particularly slow....while the pool heater chugged and churned and worked its little heart out to ensure my comfort as it relates to the pool-lifestyle to which I am accustomed - translation: toasty warm 85 degree Fahrenheit pool water.:) It's getting colder here, so this is the time of year that steam rises off the pool as I swim, and the electric bill goes up...but I've only got another few weeks until I shut it down for 6 months, so until then I will swim in steam!
Actual swim: 2,000 yards0
Advertisement