[belcarra]

Great running there and a brilliant time...well done!

[chinguetti]

Good going today, never saw you out there. Looks like the training is paying off in spades.

P.S., the photo's lovely but i'm sure thats a smile not a grimace of pain

[The_Boy_Wonder]

Mon 5th I was due to dp a recovery run, but when I woke up my achiles was very stiff. Achiles had given me a lot of problems around this time last year to the extent I stopped running for 3 months to try and get it sorted so I was a bit concerned. Heel lifts during the day didn't loosen it up much, so bailed on recovery run and went to the gym. Bike and cross trainer warmed everything up before I did a slow mile on threadmill. After that got busy stretching and seemed to have helped no end.

Tue 6th 9 miles @ 8.38 pace (Avg HR 146)
Can't remember a huge amount about this but I knew I didn't want to go too hard as it's the pace that seems to upset the achiles

Thurs 8th 9 miles @8.01 (avg HR 144)
Most of my midweek runs of 9 miles plus are after work which means uphill (and more often than not into the wind). Knew I'd be working late, so decided to get my run done in the AM. So a net downhill run into work, with the wind! Hence the low HR compared with previous Tue even though it was quicker

Fri 9th 16 miles @7.56 (avg HR 150)
My half time in Bohermeen is suggesting I could acheive something around 3.30 but to be honest none of my training for Barca on PMP runs has been at this pace, so I think I'm a bit unprepared. Decided to do this 16 mile run @ 8.00 m/m pace and see how it went. Ran from home into town and back out which meant first half down hill, second half uphill. Cross wind so no head wind to deal with for any great time.
Overall I held the pace fine. HR max was 164 and that was in the toughest uphill part. Avg HR for last mile was 153 so it hadn't risen massively over the run. All that said, on finishing I would have been too confident of holding the pace for another 10 miles. Not supposed to be easy I guess!

[The_Boy_Wonder]

Sun 11th
Recovery run 5miles @ 8.40 (not really recovery speed)

Missed interval work this week, but the long run was at PMP rather than LSR

Weekly total 39 miles

[The_Boy_Wonder]

Taper week
Tue 13th - 5 miles @ 8.07
Wed 14th 9 mile run home from work (uphill) @ 8.21 (HR 146)
Thu 15th 9 mile run into work (downhill) @ 8.07 (HR 146)
Nothing memorable about any of these

Sat 17th 9.3 miles @ 8.50 (HR 142) Basically the last LSR of the 12 week plan. I had over cooked the miles during the week, so took three miles off the plan to compensate. Off recent runs the HR looks a little high for the pace. Not sure why.

In addition to the above... My route had me at the running track in Kilkenny after 9 miles, so decided to include 10x 100 at that stage. Never find these easy. First 4/5 had me jogging the recovery 100m between the sprints. But I was fairly banjaxed that I started walking the recovery 100m for the later few. Half mile jog home after that to warm down.

total for the week 32 plus intervals

Another light training week ahead with the marathon on Sunday

[The_Boy_Wonder]

Mad busy in work this week so not so much done. Lucky it's final week of taper.

Got 9 miles done yesterday onthe way home. 7 miles comfortable and then the final two miles at just under 8 min miles (which might be PMP). So 9 @ 8.24 average.

Gym after work today and plan on doing two miles @ PMP again amongst bike and cross trainer and a good old stretch to finish off.

Then it's a flight to Barca in the morning and attempt no 6 at a good marathon on Sunday. Fingers crossed it'll all go fine. I've prepared properly and I just need to execute a solid run on Sunday. Looknig forward to it now. Although I know when I wake up on Sunday and line up at the start I'll go through the 'why am I doing this', 'four hours of running' routine! Here's hoping I'll have a PB that starts with a 3 cmoe Sunday afternoon

[RayCun]

No bother to you

[DigiJem]

Good luck on Sunday, your training has been great, I'm sure you'll bag a nice pb

[belcarra]

Best of luck man! Sub 4 will be no bother to you based on the runs in the park, it's simply a matter by how much!

Needless to say (But that won't stop me!) Do not go out too fast! Think of the first 10km or so as a training run back in the Park and keep to a pace that is almost too easy. Then push on as you like after that.
The latest copy of Runner's World has an article comparing two NYC elites last November. The female hit off at an incredible pace and blew everyone else out of the water up until about half way when she started getting progressively slower and was passed. Mutai on the other hand kept it steady for the first half of the race along with a group of 6 others, but he was able to push on faster in the second half for a course record by 2m37s!

It might be worth a look at in the airport while you're waiting for your flight - Should help to focus the mind!!

As I say though, no bother to you!

[PDCAT]

Best of luck this weekend Boy Wonder. Reading your log, you've made great progress this year. Hope you get the time you deserve.

[The_Boy_Wonder]

Originally Posted by belcarra

Do not go out too fast!

That's the trick alright. The adage about pace being the killer not the distance is very true. The balance between pushing hard enough and pushing too hard is so fine, and because we don't run the 26.2 too distance very often, it's difficult to know where the line is. To complicate it more is that I've improved quite a bit this year so I have less of an idea of where the threshold is. Here's hoping I don't make an ass of it!

[jackyback]

Good luck chief lets hope we all hit our targets.

[menoscemo]

best of luck. Don't even think about sub4 as that will just hold you back, you are much better! Keep it conversational and run by feel. Kick on in the second half.

[The_Boy_Wonder]

Finished Barca in 1.38.32. Delighted with myself. Thirty odd minutes off DCM in Oct '11. Nice reward for the training. Will give a better spiel on how it went when I get back. Think there's a pint with my name on it!

[menoscemo]

3:38 i'm guessing?

Well done.