4 Weddings, 2 Full and 3 Half Marathons

Killerz

Saturday 19th September

18.21 miles incorporating my weekly nemesis - howth head. Time 2 hr 30 min 55 sec (ie c.8 min 17 sec miles) Maybe its the fact that its a couple of miles less than my usual long weekend runs (20-21 miles), but i quite enjoyed this and recovered very quickly. Slow start - slight experimentation with breakfast material which didnt feel too good (wholemeal instead of usual white toast).

Next weekend will be an altogether different proposition - Dublin Half. So will have to wait two weeks for my next "long" run, albeit i'll be looking at 7 minute miles on Saturday next, rather than over-8's for these runs.

Killerz

Bally8 wrote: »

Hi Killerz hope you enjoyed the wedding. All this running and weddings must be messing with your head -April? :-)

Cant believe I was documenting my early August running as "April".... And worse still, only noticed it now!

Killerz

Sunday 20th September

A bit of cycling and gym work today. 55 mins cycling (to + from gym and 20 mins in the gym total c. 20k), some weights and core work and a swim. Nothing too strenuous though after the 18 miler yesterday.

Was tempted to stay longer and watch more of the Great North Run on the TVs by the machines, but didnt want to overdo it:D.

Killerz

Monday 21st September

10 miles, intended to be at PMP (c 7min 30sec miles), however, was feeling good, so ramped it up, and completed the 10 miles in 70 min, 10 secs (ie 7 min 1 sec miles). Happy with the progress.

Wednesday 23rd September

10k in 47 min 50 sec, relatively easy pace.

Counting down to the half-marathon on saturday now - should be fun!

Killerz

Thursday 24th September

40 mins on stationary bike - 16.3k. Slow, but enjoyable.
Core strengthening work.
Print pace band for Saturday.

Killerz

Saturday, 20th September

Had set myself a target of sub 1:29 today, but knew it would be a tall order. Banked some time in the early miles, was approx 1 minute up on my required pace by c. mile 8. That frittered away somewhat with the hills, which were largely weighted to the second half of the course.

Nonetheless, still went through 10 miles in a PB of 67:27. Granted, the only 10 mile race I ever did was the Phoenix Park 10 miler (c. 77min) last August 2008, and I've come on a fair bit since then.

I knew I only had 3.1 miles left, and had 22 and a half mins to at least break the 1hr 30 mark. Enough time, I assured myself. Plugged on, and with a mile to go, knew that I had 1:30 in the bag, and was going well. At 800m to go, I figured 1:29 was on. I legged it from about 150m out, totally focused on the line, and finished bang on 1:29:00 clock time, but this was bettered by my chip time of 1:28:40.

Delighted with that. I still feel I have potential to go faster aswell, so that's promising.

Great day, well organised. Good weather for it. Only gripes would be cups of water rather than bottles (had to walk at the water stations in order not to end up wearing the water) and some tight turns which really slowed me down. 1:28:40, a new PB for me (c. 1 minute faster than my Achill Half marathon time in July. Roll on DCM!

tisnotover

great running there, two PB's in the one race...well done!

Bally8

Well done Killerz, great running

Killerz

Sunday 21st September

Some gym work today - 40 minutes on the bike - 17km.
Core and strength work aswell.

Monday 22nd September

10 miles. Time 1:15:43. Slightly outside PMP, as still suffering a bit of stiffness after the half marathon on Saturday. Still happy enough with the run, all things considered.

Killerz

I dont know whats wrong with me - my dates are off again! My last posts should read 26th Sep, 27 Sep and 28 Sep.

Anyhow....

Wednesday 30th September

Back to the speedy lunchtime circuits - 6.5k. 5k in 20:20 - a little slack. To be expected - first speed run done since wedding + also still recovering from half on Saturday. Came in at 27:20 overall incorporating slower 1.5k at the end.

Thursday 1st October

The standard 10k home run - mid range pace, finishing in 46:19. Nice run. Noticing the evenings getting cold - long sleeve tops will be the order of the day soon!

Review of Q3 2009

Happy enough with the 3rd quarter of 2009, especially given one third of it was spent at wedding/ honeymoon. 2 half-marathons in sub 1:30 time (Achill and Dublin), and some solid training put in for the upcoming Dublin Marathon.

More to come - watch this space!

Reading Confessions of an Ultra Marathon Runner by Dean Karnazes. Proving to be addictive!

Killerz

Saturday 3rd October

Monster peak LSR today of 22.33 miles. Split it up into different pacings so as to try and stay on my feet for my target time of sub 3:15 at DCM.

Pacing splits were as follows (which I more or less stuck to):

• To mile 11: 8 min 30 sec miles (target 1 hr 33 min 30 sec);
• To mile 15: 9 min miles (up and around most of howth head) (target 2 hr 9 min 30 sec);
• To mile 18: 8 min 30 sec miles (target 2hr 35 min);
• To mile 20: 9 min miles (target 2 hr 53 min);
• To finish at 22.33 miles: 9 min 30 sec miles (target 3 hr 14 min).

Came in at 3 hr 12 min 58 sec. A little bit of walking mixed into it.

The weather was mixed to say the least - wind, rain, sunshine. Hello to anyone on the coast run route up to howth who passed me today - there were a lot of runners out. Ran to mile 13 (Summit Inn in Howth) with a friend of mine (also training for DCM, but is still "fresh" out of Dingle, so he didn't want to overdo it. Was painful running on to the end without him!

I feel good having done that distance, but it was tough.

rigal

Great running Killerz. Fairplay covering that distance on a day like today.

Killerz

rigal wrote: »

Great running Killerz. Fairplay covering that distance on a day like today.

Thanks Rigal - I drew inspiration from your long run last week!

Killerz

Sunday 4th October

40 minutes on the gym bike - 17km. Average resistance 8.
Core work otherwise.

4 nice ice-cold bottles of budvar to round off the evening, and a tough training week.:D

Monday 5th October

10 mile at PMP (ie 7m 30 sec) - Came in at 1 hr 14m 30 sec - just under.
Long day at work made this a tough run.
Also, time to break out the long sleeve running tops, i think.

rigal

What's your plan for next weekend, will you do another long run?

Killerz

rigal wrote: »

What's your plan for next weekend, will you do another long run?

I'm hoping to go with 20 miles on saturday morning. I know that a 3 week taper is preferred by some, but I feel I had a bit of a rest (enforced) at honeymoon time, so I think I need the time on feet. Nonetheless, I will give it a good bash, probably doing 8 min/miles, but wont push it if i aint feeling it!

Killerz

Wednesday 7th October

6.9k lunchtime run in just under 28 mins. 5k in 20 mins flat, slowing right down for a couple of hundred metres, before ramping it up again for the final push home.

Felt good throughout. Great day for running.

Killerz

Thursday 8th October

10k home from work in 44.58 - my best 10k training run for a while. Felt good for the full run, and took the hills in my stride, which was nice. A great feeling.

Saturday 10th October

Last LSR of my DCM preparation. 20 miles. Horrible. Didn't like this at all. Long week at work + was out last night (albeit not drinking, and stayed off my feet all night). Up this morning for a 9.45 am kick off.

Had planned on doing 20 x 8 min miles. Didn't feel great from the start. Pushed on, with quite a few walk breaks, just to keep my sanity! Ended up averaging 8 min 30 sec miles, which is still good, but is making me think about re-evaluating my 3.15 target.

On the plus side, wore my planned marathon gear, and that went all good. Also on the plus side is the long-awaited taper time. Bring it on!

Killerz

Monday 12th October

10k home - really pleasant run on a nice evening in Dublin. 47:31. Not pushing things too hard now - just keeping limber. Only a few runs between now and marathon time. A day like today weather-wise would be ideal.

Killerz

Wednesday 14th October

c. 10.5k run home from work. 5k running at variable paces. 5 x 4-500m bursts at full pelt, with 5-600m jogs in between. Last 5.5k at relatively easy pace home. 50:57 overall.

Thursday 15th October

Gym - 18k on the bike in 40 mins - an improvement on previous performances, moving resistances between 7 and 10.

Core work - abdominal, shoulders and chest presses.

A matter of days now to the Dublin Marathon!

Killerz

Saturday 17th October

9.7 miles - 1:15:25. Just a little over 7 and a half minute miles. Absolutely lovely day for running. Felt pretty good for the most part, happy that i'm keeping myself ticking over ahead of the marathon.

Sunday 18th October

Gym - 25 mins/ 10.5k on the bike + strength work. Little touch of a hangover today after a few beers last night.

Killerz

Tuesday 20th October

10k home at slow enough pace - 47m 29 sec. Enjoyable letting off steam after a hectic day at work.

Wednesday 21st October

Gym - bicycle work for 40 min - 16.6k, nothing too strenuous.

Off work now until the marathon. wedding to attend on friday, but will take it relatively easy at it. Not sure if my 3h 15m target is still a goer - will only know for sure on the day, I suppose, but maybe 3h 20 to 3h 25 may be more realistic.

Lets see how the weekend goes.

Killerz

Thursday 22nd October

Last run before the marathon.

45 minutes - roughly 9k, altho i didnt measure it or anything, just went out and ran to keep loose.

Weekend

Went to the last of 2009's weddings for me, taking it relatively easy.
All set now for tomorrow, hopefully the rain and wind will stay away, and we'll all have a great day.

Race no 1070 - say hello if you see me. Good luck to all other participants!

rigal

Best of luck Killerz! Looking forward to reading the race report.

Killerz

Monday, 26th October 2009 - DCM

The day began at 6.45 am, after what i must say, was a really decent sleep. Had the rice krispies and toast, and headed in from Artane at 7.40.

Cracking day for running - no wind, not too cold (in fact, I was probably slightly overdressed).

Had two key aims for today - first was to beat my Cork time of 3.25 odd, second was to try and go sub 3.15. I was feeling pretty confident about both, and was raring to go when the gun went. Bumped into Hunnymonster - great to meet the Boards legend herself, and Ziggy Stardust (I think that was the name) at the start, both of whom were on pacing duties.

Ran the first mile bang on pace (7 min 26 second mile) - despite some significant human traffic, and an extremely slow first corner onto Leeson Street. Lost a few seconds on the second and third miles (including toilet break at first water station). Was back up on pace tho as I headed through the Phoenix Park.

Found Chesterfield Avenue in PPark a long and slow drag, but knew that it would be downhill out of the park after that. Went through 10k in 46.15 - well on course for sub 3.15 (knowing that there would be some fade through the latter stages).

Out of the park and on through Kilmainham - great support there, and past Mrs Killerz in Rialto at about 10.5 miles. So far so good - feeling pretty strong. On around the corner and into Dolphins Barn area - the crowds were great - it was like the Tour de France going thru there, they were creating a little corridor for runners to go through. Crumlin Road was another long, slow drag, then left past the appropriately named Halfway House pub at 13 mile marker. Went through half marathon at 1.35.36. Still feeling good.

Pushed on, taking advantage of the water stations and energy drinks as i went onwards. Had a bit of support at Bushy Park (15.5 miles) and Milltown (18 miles) areas, which spurred me on further. Also took my first energy gel at 15.5 miles - felt i might need a bit of a boost.

For most of the mid-section of the race, I was about 4 mins ahead of pace, and thus at the back of my mind, I was thinking about a sub 3.11 boston qualification time.

Went through the 30k mark in 2.15.15. 12k to go, just under one hour to do it in. Miles 19 and 20 were okay - Clonskeagh, Roebuck. Then Mile 21, with its difficult hill up to the top of fosters avenue. Arnie D and another one of the lads were there though to shout me up to the top of the hill, then it was down Fosters Avenue and almost turning for home. The rest of the family were shouting me on halfway down Fosters (21 miles), which was great encouragement.

And so the difficult last 5.2 miles. Started to feel pretty wrecked coming up to the 22 mile marker by RTE, but pushed on. The next couple of miles as far as the RDS were pretty gruelling - not a whole lot of supporters, and a long straight road. However, had a couple of supporters there at RDS which pushed me on again. 2.2 miles to go, and a second gel consumed. Was still 4 minutes ahead of time, but slowing slightly, and knowing the pace wasnt sustainable to the end.

Pushed on, as I was approaching the 25 mile marker an older gentleman (wearing yellow as far as I recall), started stumbling forwards then backwards in front of me, then suddenly collapsed. A few onlookers rushed to his aid - I hope he was okay.

As I entered the final mile, I was wrecked. Just pushing it now, just trying to get round the front of Trinity, where I knew the crowds would pull me through. With legs like lead, I hit the 800m to go sign, and pushed for home, past some more family support and towards the end. I realised I wasnt going to get the sub 3.11, but pushed anyway, and came home in 3.11.21 (chip time) - 543rd position overall. Really delighted with that.

And so, in summary - mission accomplished. Felt really good to have made a significant improvement since Cork in June, and Dublin 2008 (just under 3 hours 49 mins). The morning went really fast - much quicker than I thought it would.

Overall, I thought that the race was exceptionally well organised and marshalled, except for the first bend onto Leeson Street, which was far too tight. The supporters were excellent, the atmosphere was great. I can't really compare it to other marathons as this is only my third (Dublin 08 and Cork 09 were the first two), but this marathon must be up there with the best of them.

Congrats to everyone else who did it, especially first timers, but also those who were completing DCM No. 30 - what an achievement.

Feeling a bit tired today - may have something to do with the post-race rehydration in O'Donoghues after.

Gringo78

fantastic time...well done...and very even pacing aswell, the way a marathon should be run. Great improvement in the short since of time since Cork.

rigal

Brilliant running Killerz. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it!

What's on the horizon now???

Arnied

Great report Killerz, the improvements you have made over the past year are truly phenomenal and very encouraging, you must be truly chuffed given how well you maintained the pace throughout the whole race. I will second rigal's question and ponder what the future holds? Sub 3.00?

Killerz

Thanks lads - I am indeed very happy with the progress made. Thanks for your support along the way.

What next indeed.

The connemara ultra in April is the next thing on the list - have been thinking about this for a while now, and really want to give it a bash. Then Berlin and perhaps Dublin over the rest of 2010. The aim will be for a sub 3 by the end of 2010, all going well, although I am under no illusions about the level of work that will be required to make that work. In fact, i'd say it could be tougher than the ultra (maybe).

Other than that, will try and fit in a couple of smaller races (eg Raheny 5, Aware 10k etc, maybe a half-marathon) to keep myself on the straight and narrow.

Havent thought too much about training programs or anything yet.. just taking it easy for a few days.

With that, will be closing this log off in a few days, to open a new one on the Ultra!

Killerz

Thursday 29th October

Took myself out for a short run (c.30 mins - 3/4k), did not map it, or bring a stopwatch, as it was about loosening out the legs after the marathon on monday.

Each step was sore on the ol quads, but it alleviated significantly towards the end of the run.

Saturday 31st October

Woke up without real leg stiffness for the first time since Monday. Went for c.12k after watching the arsenal game. Horrendous rain throughout, but found it invigorating nonetheless. Just under 61 mins total, felt good throughout, but tight enough on the calves.

Time to start thinking of an Ultra training plan.