Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

TheRoadRunner

You're some man for the punishment KC. Don't know how you ran a quality 20 miler the day after a 5 mile PB.

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

You're some man for the punishment KC. Don't know how you ran a quality 20 miler the day after a 5 mile PB.

Well, it is in the schedule (give or take a mile or two). The few beers I'd promised myself afterwards helped with the motivation!

Today: 10 mile recovery run
Decided to get it over with in one push, rather than splitting it into a double, so I could chill for the evening. Followed up with 30 minutes of core, weights and foam roller. Body feeling a little more limber, but my knee isn't as bendy as it should be (that's a professional medical diagnosis right there).

Summary: 10 miles in 1:20, @8:03/mile, HR=~119

Abhainn

Strong run on Sat KC. Did similar to you Sunday morning and turned out to be a very solid weekend for both of us.
Your in the best shape. Nearly there

Krusty_Clown

Today: 9 mile aerobic slow run
Had to jump on a work conference call at mid-night last night (this morning?) for 90 minutes and slept crap afterwards, but the one consolation was I got to take an hour off this morning (some consolation!). But I was delighted to have that hour to head off to towards Bray head on the coastal path. Weather was incredible, and the scenery mesmerizing. No sign of the dolphins, but that would have been sensory overload territory. Body is in a complete shambles. It refuses to believe that it was running 4:57-5:37 miles last week, and has resigned itself to finding 8 minute miles a struggle. Hoping for a miraculous cure (apple cider vinegar?) for tomorrow's 6x1k @5k pace intervals. Last week, before taper.. Last week, before taper.. Last week, before taper..Last week, before taper..

Today: 9 miles in 1:08, @7:39/mile, HR=130 (:eek: need sleep!).

Dory Dory

Krusty...a really random question for you - do you wear two pairs of socks or one when running?

Krusty_Clown

Dory Dory wrote: »

Krusty...a really random question for you - do you wear two pairs of socks or one when running?

That is a little unusual. Eh.. Just the one pair for me. One on each foot, if that helps?!

TheRoadRunner

Dory Dory wrote: »

Krusty...a really random question for you - do you wear two pairs of socks or one when running?

not too sure but he wears women's shorts and underwear (night time runs only though)

donothoponpop

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

not too sure but he wears women's shorts and underwear (night time runs only though)

...and he wears those $$$ oakleys on his head at night, and extends his arms and makes "brrrmmmmm" aeroplane noises running downhills.

Krusty_Clown

Haha. This abuse from the boxer-short bandit, and the hardy-hill runner turned Armani smock wearer?

Krusty_Clown

Today: 11 miles including 6 x 1k @5K pace
Ugh. I thought I'd find this session a little easier, given that I ran a mile significantly faster last week, and ran 5 miles just a little bit slower a few days ago, but it seems that there are no easy rides in marathon training. Three mile warm-up with work buddy, before the lucky fecker got to turn back and enjoy the easy jog back to work. A quick bit of stretching, and I launched into the first interval. It went surprisingly well, finishing @5:20 pace, with an average HR of 153. Tidy! Turned around and ran the second one back the way I had come. Light headwind, maybe 3 or 4 m/s, made all the difference. You wouldn't even notice the breeze at marathon pace, but at '5k' pace, it's enough to tip the balance and make it hard work. So the odd intervals were comfortable (relatively speaking) and the even numbered intervals were quite tough.

Intervals: 3:21/3:23/3:21/3:22/3:22/3:23
Pace: 5:20/5:23/5:21/5:22/5:21/5:23
HR(ave):153/161/159/164/162/165
Recovery: 2:20 easy jog (70% of interval time).

In contrast to the last 1200m intervals, the jog back was uneventful (no stopping for a lie-down!). Comparing this session to the last time I ran it (also had some wind) I seem to have managed much better this time, so some positives to take out of it.

Summary: 11 miles in 1:16, @6:52/mile, HR=148, TE=3.7

shels4ever

Had spotted your work buddy on his way back today and expected to see you flying around somewhere.

Krusty_Clown

shels4ever wrote: »

Had spotted your work buddy on his way back today and expected to see you flying around somewhere.

Ahh yes. A return to the innocent days of 6 mile easy runs. When a stretch had more in common with a yawn, my pint glass was used for something more meaningful, and dinner didn't have to contain potatoes, rice, pasta or couscous. 1pm on the 16th of April; avert thine eyes lord, retribution shall be most unholy.

shels4ever

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Ahh yes. A return to the innocent days of 6 mile easy runs. When a stretch had more in common with a yawn, my pint glass was used for something more meaningful, and dinner didn't have to contain potatoes, rice, pasta or couscous. 1pm on the 16th of April; avert thine eyes lord, retribution shall be most unholy.

God man you need a beer....

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

It seems you are in great shape KC, are you pleased with this marathon campaign compared to previous ones?

TheRoadRunner

Vaughn Easy Stepchildren wrote: »

It seems you are in great shape KC, are you pleased with this marathon campaign compared to previous ones?

He will tell you at 11.52 am (EDT) on April 16th

Krusty_Clown

Vaughn Easy Stepchildren wrote: »

It seems you are in great shape KC, are you pleased with this marathon campaign compared to previous ones?

Hi Jackyback, it's hard to compare previous marathons, as for each marathon, my mileage, intensity and levels of commitment have gone up. I ran my first marathon on less than 40 miles per week, and for every subsequent outing, the mileage has gone up by about 10 miles per week.

Some comparison with my last marathon is valid though, as the target was the same (but mileage has gone from 75mpw -> 85mpw). When I picked the 2:42 target last year, it was just an arbitrary number that I was working towards. I got lots of PBs on the road to the marathon, but they weren't the kind of achievements that suggested I was in the right kind of form for my marathon goal. Despite serious doubts, I stuck with the target anyway, as I'm quite pig-headed, and not one to settle, even if it means failure. I reckon if I'd been less greedy stupid stubborn, I might have finished around 2:45, but it just didn't seem like a good return for a couple of thousand miles and months of hard training.

This time around, things are a little different. I didn't take much of a break from my last marathon plan, so I was starting from a good base. I've been doing three core and weights sessions per week and I reckon that has helped me massively, particularly with keeping good form over the increased mileage (less prone to injury). Then of course there's the 85 miles per week. The PBs are good (everything from 1 mile to 50k!) but they still suggest I'm a little shy of my target (except for my 5 mile time, but I reckon that it's a bit flattering). So while I still have a healthy level of doubt, I'm a lot more optimistic than I was the last time out. I've put in some solid work; with a bit of luck, I'll get close to my goal.

Actually, I prefer TheRoadRunner's answer: I'll tell you at 12:42am (EDT) on Patriot's day!

TheRoadRunner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Actually, I prefer TheRoadRunner's answer: I'll tell you at 12:42am (EDT) on Patriot's day!

Does the race not start at 9.10 am (EDT) or maybe we have uncovered KC's new target time

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Does the race not start at 9.10 am (EDT) or maybe we have uncovered KC's new target time

9:10am to 12:42am = 3:32. That's do-able. What's the wager?

If I have my facts right, at 9:10am, those of us in Wave 1 will be escorted from the 'Athletes village' (oh-oh, feelings of elitist grandeur:))) to the start line, for a kick-off at 10am. I'll try and finish up for 11:52am, but I'll need a strong tail-wind.

TheRoadRunner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

9:10am to 12:42am = 3:32. That's do-able. What's the wager?

If I have my facts right, at 9:10am, those of us in Wave 1 will be escorted from the 'Athletes village' (oh-oh, feelings of elitist grandeur:))) to the start line, for a kick-off at 10am. I'll try and finish up for 11:52am, but I'll need a strong tail-wind.

Yes thought it was a bit weird that different corrals were starting at different times. That makes more sense. Sure you'll have an idea by 11.52 am if you're on for 2.39 or not

Krusty_Clown

Today: The final 15 mile mid-week run!
Delighted to head off on the last mid-week 15 miler, as I generally have to work later to catch-up on the missing time and work. But if I could bottle today's run, I would keep it in a fridge and only take it out every once in a while, just to hold it against the light and admire it. Beautiful conditions out there. A light head-wind on the way out to Dodder Valley Park, then the sun broke out and had amazing weather on the way back. Pace picked up on the way back, and despite best efforts, couldn't slow down. Felt like a running machine; food goes in, miles come out. Ahh... for more days like this... Bliss.

Summary: 15 miles in 1:40, @6:44/mile, HR=141

Peckham

That's the sort of feeling one should have in week one of training, not the final week before taper. This week is all about resentment, doubt and general grumpiness! ;-)

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

That's the sort of feeling one should have in week one of training, not the final week before taper. This week is all about resentment, doubt and general grumpiness! ;-)

Yeah, dunno what happened. Last few days the legs and body have been knackered. Maybe I just recovered from the two races last week. Maybe it was the idea of my last 15 mile run. Maybe it was the powdered Panda horn I put into my porridge this morning.

aigster

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Peckham wrote: »

That's the sort of feeling one should have in week one of training, not the final week before taper. This week is all about resentment, doubt and general grumpiness! ;-)

Yeah, dunno what happened. Last few days the legs and body have been knackered. Maybe I just recovered from the two races last week. Maybe it was the idea of my last 15 mile run. Maybe it was the powdered Panda horn I put into my porridge this morning.

great running, lots of work done... Enjoy the taper!!...

myflipflops

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Pace picked up on the way back, and despite best efforts, couldn't slow down. Felt like a running machine; food goes in, miles come out. Ahh... for more days like this... Bliss.

Oh for those days. It's a wonderful feeling and a great sign for you.

T runner

Krusty, just something i didnt consider re. the session i suggested.

I was very well rested before that (5-6 days very easy). Youre on a high volume now and the session is too demanding 3 weeks out especially in the context of running Conn at M pace.

Id suggest running the first 9 at Easy pace. 7:10-20 miles or whatever feels controlled and easy. The last 2 miles could also be done at Race pace rather than harder. Doing it harder will give you a recovery problem that you dont need into the last 3 weeks.

You dont need a big whack to your fitness now, just another controlled push that fits into the context of the surrounding training weeks. i.e keep surfing the wave youre on.

Im thinking of toning my Sunday run down also even though im quite well rested for it.

Krusty_Clown

T runner wrote: »

the session is too demanding 3 weeks out

Yep, that makes sense. Will soften it up around the edges. Thanks.

Today: 10 mile easy run
Easy run in the park, first 5 miles with work buddy followed by another loop on my own. Legs are back to normal (tired!).
Summary: 10 Miles in 1:17, @7:39/mile, HR=~128

Evening: 45 mins core workout + weights.
Jaysus, weekends ain't what they used to be. Hope these sacrifices have a pay-off.

Dory Dory

The sacrifices will payoff for you, no worries. But you're up way past your pre-marathon bedtime!

Dory Dory

The sacrifices will payoff for you, no worries. But you're up way past your pre-marathon bedtime!

Dory Dory

The sacrifices will payoff for you, no worries. But you're up way past your pre-marathon bedtime!

Dory Dory

The sacrifices will payoff for you, no worries. But you're up way past your pre-marathon bedtime!