Times for improvement....

rigal

thedeerhunter wrote: »

Piko here!
(decided to join up to keep a diary) .....
How are the hammers holding up?

Howdie P, and welcome to my log!

My legs are surpisingly good today and actually feel better than they did before the session . Had a cold shower afterwards and put ice packs on the thighs so that must have done the trick.

Looking forward to the race on Saturday. Hopefully Arnied and PC will make it to the start. Don't forget to wait for me at the finish..;)

christeb

Good session rigal, nice pace. have you considered doing a session of Yasso 800s in the schedule? I tried them last night, had to stop after 6: Top tip: don't eat a small portion of fish n chip @ 4pm pre 7pm interval session, you won't make it to the end!

Keep up the good work

Krusty_Clown

I think Tergat may have been referring to general Vo2max sessions. However, the V02max sessions in the P&D schedule are customized/specific to marathon training, and are tailored for the the stage you are at in the schedule. My feeling is that have definitely helped improve my speed/leg turnover (which has contributed towards a better 10k time(trial!)).

rigal

Wednesday 16.09.09

Day 3/Week 8 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Recovery Run - 3M, time: 26:28, average pace: 8:49 mins/mile, average HR: 141

Ran on the grass in Shanganagh just for a change of scene. Am missing the bike a bit now. Might try to get out for a spin over the next few days.

Today's top tip* - if you have a garmin and are doing a steady state session or race use the average pace field. Tried this for first time tonight and will use it again for the 10k race on Saturday. Very handy (+ obvious in hindsight!)

*Tip was shamelessly stolen from another training logger on here - think it was either Woddle or Krusty..cheers lads

bourne99

Good running there with the 19 miles! And I thought I was doing well!!! Congrats on the 1000 miles completed - I think I might make it to 100 soon! Woo!!

rigal

Thursday 17.09.09

Day 4/Week 8 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Run w/ 4 x 100m sprints - 8.14M, time: 1:07:31, average pace: 8:17 mins/mile, average HR: 148

Saturday 19.09.09

Day 6/Week 8 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

LAKE 10K RACE - 6.25M, time: 42:22 (chip time), average pace: 6:48 mins/mile,

Sunday 20.09.09

Day 7/Week 8 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

MLR w/ 5M @ PMP - 12.88M, time: 1:45:35, average pace: 8:11 mins/mile, average HR: 158

Felt surprisingly good during this run given all the booze last night. Legs were grand after yesterday's race as well which make me wonder Seemed to have loads of energy and struggled to keep the pace slower than 8:15 so just ended up finishing off with 5 @ PMP. Nice day for a run..

rigal

The Lakes 10K RACE - 6.25M, time: 42:22 (chip time), average pace: 6:48 mins/mile,

Felt pretty good yesterday morning before the race and was fairly confident that I'd have a decent chance of sub-41 with sub-42 a given. Oh how wrong I was. I can't make excuses as the conditions were perfect (cool with a light breeze) and the course was relatively flat with only one bad hill and a few nice downhill stretches.

I went out a little fast and did the first mile in 6:22. I wasn't too bothered though as that was only 10secs faster than target pace. Anyway, miles 2 and 3 were awful. I really started to struggle and couldn't keep the pace up. Managed to hang on and didn't do too badly on the hill (think that mile was 7:00 mins). I dropped the pace a little for about 500m after the hill and managed to find a second wind. I knew that even sub-42 was out the window at this stage and was struggling to stay anyway positive. But alas I turned the next bend and could see the deerhunter in the distance, about 500m away. He had gone off hard at the start and was obviously struggling so I spent the remainder of the race trying to catch him. Finished about 7 seconds after him so was happy enough.

We went out on a serious session last night so that's the last blowout now before amdam!

Positives - great race and nice to get a PB. This is probably the kick up the @rse I needed.

Negatives - Didn't meet my target time (2009 goal is sub-42). Looking back at my splits I was running closer to 15k / 1/2 Marathon pace.

Today's top tip - be ambitious with your race targets but don't be unrealistic :rolleyes: Next time I go for a fast 10k I'll do some more specific training for it.

rigal

Monday = rest day - too tired after work for a recovery run or cycle (lame I know)

Tuesday 22.09.09

Day 2/Week 9 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

VO2 Max- 10M w/ 4 x 1200m @ 5k pace with 2mins jog recovery, time: 1:20:04, average pace: 7:58mins/mile, average HR: 158

Splits were: 4:49/4:47/4:46/4:48 - now that's what I call consistent pacing folks :P

Did this with arnied (deerhunter cried off with man-flu and he wasn't missed after his speedy exploits last week!) down in UCD and we both agreed that it was one of our best training sessions year to date. Both of us were really feeling tired early in the third 1,200m so we were very happy that we kept it going for the full 4 repeats.

Based on my Lakes race time mcmillan suggest these intervals should be run at 4:47.6 to 5:02.2 so we were bang on target.

ITB is tight now so will give it plenty of TLC between now and Thursday's 10 miler.

Top tip: listen to Gregory Mc and run your intervals at the correct pace.

rigal

Wednesday 23.09.09 = rest day

Thursday 24.09.09

Day 4/Week 9 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

General Aerobic - 10.04M time: 1:19:57, average pace: 7:58 mins/mile, average HR: 152

Still not sure what general aerobic pace is even after checking the P&D book again . Anyway we ran at a comfortable 8:00 min pace, PMP. Felt pretty good apart from on the uphill bit at the end where my knees were a little stiff. Very happy with my HR - definitely fitter now than I was pre-Edinburgh.

Reckon I'm missing a trick by not getting any recovery runs in between the key workouts but it's a catch 22 - if I do them it might cause the ITB to flare up again. Booked the physio for next Wednesday so will see what he says.

Bought the last of my cycling gear on wiggle earlier so I am ready for my assault on the cycling world after Amsterdam..:D

Krusty_Clown

Aerobic is somewhere between fast and slow.
Pace should be somewhere between your LT and recovery zone (in terms of both pace and heart rate). I actually put together a spreadsheet for this, and it's attached to 'a' page in my training log. I'll send it on this evening. Looks like you're going well though. You could always cycle for the recovery sessions if you're worried about the IT band.

rigal

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Aerobic is somewhere between fast and slow.
Pace should be somewhere between your LT and recovery zone (in terms of both pace and heart rate). I actually put together a spreadsheet for this, and it's attached to 'a' page in my training log. I'll send it on this evening. Looks like you're going well though. You could always cycle for the recovery sessions if you're worried about the IT band.

Cheers Krusty I'd be interested in taking a look at that.

Re. IT Band - When I saw the Physio at the start of the month he told me to take 3 weeks off cycling as he thought it was contributing to the problem. From the little research I've done online it seems that cycling is unfortnately a bad idea for those with IT Band trouble. Looking forward to getting out after the marathon though. Half thinking I'll join a club.

rigal

Saturday 26.09.09

Day 6/Week 9 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Long run- 22.04M time: 3:05:08, average pace: 8:24 mins/mile, average HR: 155

Headed for Brittas this morning with Arnied. He picked me up at 7:30 as we wanted to get on the roads early before the traffic picked up. We went via Wicklow Town and did a couple of water drops along the way.

So plan was to park at the main beach car park and run south for a few miles before doubling back, running to Blainroe and back again. We both wanted to push the mileage one last time before amdam so aimed for the following paces over 22 miles:

Mile 1-5: 9:00 mins/mile Actual: 8:47 mins/mile

Miles 6 -15: 8:30 mins/mile Actual: 8:28 mins/mile

Miles 16-20: 8:00 mins/mile (pmp) Actual: 7:49 mins/mile

Miles 21-22: Warm down Actual: 8:14 mins/mile

This was without doubt the best long run I've ever done. Everything seemed to click into place and even though it got quite sunny and warm, that didn't really bother me. At the 18 mile mark I was thinking - I feel better now than I did after 10 miles in Edinburgh and that feeling continued as we carried our PMP pace on into our final two warm down miles. Felt like I could have gone on and finished the 26.2 which is a new feeling for me!

Got back to the beach and went straight into the sea for a quick swim. Damn cold but so effective at loosening out the legs again. Then had a shower and back up the road to Dublin again. Would recommend this run to anyone living in South Dublin who wants a change of scene with no interruptions to their running. Scenary was beautiful and there are a few nice rolling hills to keep things interesting -

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14381307

This was just the lift I needed coming into my three week taper.:)

ike

Great run rigal, sounds like a real confidence booster

Krusty_Clown

Great running. WRT the aerobic pace runs, stick your pmp into Mcmillan, and look at the [Endurance Workouts] section just under the main table. Aerobic runs would be the equivalent of easy runs. Faster than both LSRs and Recovery runs, but not as fast as Tempo/Stead state.

Killerz

Good stuff Rigal. 22miles, at a really good pace. Just knowing that all you have to do is tack on a further 4 miles on the day is a great confidence booster. I may try a similar approach for my last two long training runs for DCM over the next two weekends.

rigal

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Great running. WRT the aerobic pace runs, stick your pmp into Mcmillan, and look at the [Endurance Workouts] section just under the main table. Aerobic runs would be the equivalent of easy runs. Faster than both LSRs and Recovery runs, but not as fast as Tempo/Stead state.

Thanks KC. Looks like I was a tad too fast then. McM says 8:05-8:35.

Killerz wrote: »

Good stuff Rigal. 22miles, at a really good pace. Just knowing that all you have to do is tack on a further 4 miles on the day is a great confidence booster. I may try a similar approach for my last two long training runs for DCM over the next two weekends.

Cheers Kilerz - doing the first 5 miles at a slower pace meant that in my head it felt like a long warm-up so it was as if the long run was only starting after that. That probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense!

BTW - So much for your sub-1:35 goal yesterday!! Congrats - great running (again!!)..

rigal

Sunday 27.09.09

Day 7/Week 9 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Recovery run- 3.0M time: 27:44, average pace: 9:15 mins/mile, average HR: N/a (didn't bother wearing it)

I've been missing these runs for the past few weeks but felt I had to get one in today as the legs were getting a bit stiff as the day progressed. Ran 3 miles on the grass pitches in Kilternan. Felt good to stretch the legs after yesterday.

osnola ibax

Great lsr yesterday rigal, that must give you great confidence heading into taper.

Did you have any niggles / probs with it band and if so did you employ the patented stop'n'stretch technique. I think you will certainly be good for 3:30, and I hope to join that club next year. Which Mara is it Amsterdam?

rigal

osnola ivax wrote: »

Great lsr yesterday rigal, that must give you great confidence heading into taper.

Did you have any niggles / probs with it band and if so did you employ the patented stop'n'stretch technique. I think you will certainly be good for 3:30, and I hope to join that club next year. Which Mara is it Amsterdam?

Cheers OI - Yeah I'm doing Amsterdam alright. Cannot wait for it now. Congrats to you. Knew you'd do it. I didn't post in your log as there were so many great times and pb's recorded out there that I'd be posting all day.:)

I had a few niggles in my right knee during the first 15 miles y'day but they weren't long lasting. I had it in my head that I wasn't stopping for anything so was glad I didn't have to. That's one thing I learnt during the Edinburgh marathon when I hit the wall - don't stop unless you really have to as it is so tough to get the legs going again.

Right ITB is still tight but manageable, looking forward to seeing the physio on Wednesday. Might change my mind once I'm in there though :pac:..

rigal

Monday = Rest day

Tuesday 29.09.09

Day 2/Week 10 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

VO2 Max- 7.9M w/ 5 x 600m @ 5k pace with 90 secs jog recovery, time: 1:03:19, average pace: 8:02mins/mile, average HR: 156

Met up wth thedeerhunter and arnied and did a 5 mile warm up around the UCD campus first then back to the track for the 600s. Splits (HR's) were - 2:22 (173) / 2:16 (179) / 2:22 (183) /2:17 (183) /2:17 (182)..

These were slower than the same session two weeks ago which was intentional as we went too fast that night. Thedeerhunter was barely breaking a sweat after the first three 600s while arnied and I were suitably fatigued. We egged him on and told him to go on at his own pace for the the last two. He ended up finishing about 30 seconds ahead of us for each of those 600s.

Another good session in the bag. ITB band/right knee were quite sore during the warm down so it's a good job I'm heading to the physio in the morning.

rigal

Went to the new physio this morning and got to the route of my itb band problems. Turns out my core (glutes) are too weak and this is causing overpronation in the right leg when the muscles get fatigued. According to the physio this was more than likely the cause of the problems in the calve area that I had before Edinburgh.

She did some "dry needling" which was damn sore but will hopefully be effective. I can continue with the rest of my training plan and will go back for more treatment next Thursday. She said that there's a decent chance it would cause me trouble during the last 5 or 6 miles of the race but given that we've identfied the problem, it's being treated and the 22 miler on Saturday went fine I'm staying positive.

Wednesday 30.09.09

Day 3/Week 10 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Core work (better late than never :rolleyes:) - 30 mins followed by stretching.

asimonov

hey rigal, just looking at the 'dam marathon site there, looks great with the stadium start and finish. Are you just flying over and back for the race or going to stick around for some r&r afterwards.

rigal

hiya,

It looks class alright - really looking forward to it now. I think it'll be especially good finishing the route in the stadium - hopefully it'll be a memory to cherish!

There's four of us heading over on the Friday at lunchtime and back on the Monday evening. The only R&R will be before the marathon me thinks. God knows what kind of shape I'll be in for work on the Tuesday..

R

rigal

Thursday 01.10.09

Day 4/Week 10 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Recovery run- 3.65M time: 31:39, average pace: 8:40 mins/mile, average HR: 148

Right thigh still pretty tender from physio session the day before. Took it very handy.

Saturday 03.10.09

Day 6/Week 10 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

8K TIME TRIAL- 8K/5M (+2.5M WU/WD) time: 35:23, average pace: 7:07 mins/mile, average HR: 182

Had to go home for the weekend so didn't get to do the 10k timetrial with arnied. Disappointing time but happy with the amount of effort I put in (see HR). Set out to do 10k but went too fast initially and struggled hugely after 4k's when I turned and had to run into the gale force wind. I was truly exhausted at the end of it so in that sense I think I simulated race conditons. Fairplay to anyone who did an LSR in that weather!

Sunday 04.10.09

Day 7/Week 10 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

MLR- 16M (Incl. 4M @ PMP) time: 2:14:58, average pace: 8:26 mins/mile, average HR: N/A(Strap in the wash)

Did this with arnied after a 3 hour drive down from Derry yesterday morning so wasn't relishing this run at all. It was fine once we got going but legs felt a little tired after Saturday. We planned to do 10miles at LSR pace and the do the last 6 at PMP. Arnied got cramp at mile 14 so we slowed it down to LSR pace for the last 2M.

rigal

Monday 05.10.09

Day 1/Week 11 (:eek:) of the P&D 12 Week Plan

Recovery run (jog)- 3.18M time: 32:33, average pace: 10:13 mins/mile, average HR: 131

Core work & Stretching - 30 Mins

Nice jog with the GF in Shanganagh. Managed to squeeze in 6 x 100m sprints as well.

Did some decent core work and stretching when I got home. Feeling pretty good today - had loads of energy jogging around the park. I'm a bit apprehensive about tomorrow night's track session (8M W/ 3 x 1M @ 5k pace). Hope the ITB holds up. It should do as it's been fine since last Friday - just a little stiff.

rigal

Got my rejection email from the organisers today. Not disappointed at all really. Will definitely do it at some stage, just a matter of when.

--amadeus--

3 updates in 1 day - you been busy!

Some good sessions in there, you feeling confident?

rigal

--amadeus-- wrote: »

3 updates in 1 day - you been busy!

Some good sessions in there, you feeling confident?

Cheers amadeus. I was quietly confident of sub 3:30 in Edinburgh and failed (3:49) so I don't want to count any chickens but I will very disappointed if I don't do it this time given my training has been good. Time will tell!

How are you feeling about sub-3? Great performance on the predator run today btw - big confidence booster I'm sure.

rigal

Tuesday 06.10.09

Day 2/Week 10 of the P&D 12 Week Plan

VO2 Max- 7.92M w/ 3 x 1600m @ 5k pace with 2 mins jog recovery, time: 1:07:29, average pace: 8:31mins/mile, average HR: 158

Met up wth thedeerhunter and arnied at UCD again and did a 2 mile warm up within the campus first then back to the track for the 1600s. Splits (HR's) were - 6:37 (181) / 6:25 (184) / 6:28 (183) - McMillan says 6:31-6:46 for these intervals based on my 10k time a few weeks ago so happy enough. We followed the intervals with a 2 mile warm down.

Delighted with this session. I had been worrying about the ITB Band but it passed with flying colours and I had no pain or stiffness during or after the run. Hopefully this continues to be the case for the remainder of the taper and the marathon. I have one more physio session on Thursday night.

The remainder of the taper consist of an MLR (12 miles this weekend) and a few shorter runs, some with strides or PMP miles included next week. Tonight was the last hard session of the training plan - roll on race day.:)

Killerz

Must be a nice feeling to have completed the hard work ahead of Amdam, Rigal. It's probably a bit early to ask (but i'm sure you've thought about it) - with London out of the question, have you got any marathons planned/ pencilled in for the year ahead?