The end of the road (are we there yet?)

pgmcpq

So it is Sunday, mile 17 of 18, stuggling at this point along a park waterfront, agsint a headwind and the cold. Pass a group of women. They stand out a little wearing headscarfs as was common in Ireland in the 1970s. As I passed them one turned to me and started singing in a Dublin accent 'Keep right on ot the end of the road". So I took this as a sign an registered for the Dublin marathon, alongn with Mrs. Pgmcpq, and brother-in-law-pgmcpq.

I have been lurking here for a while and found a long of great info - the pmp v. slower paced LSR thread I still go back to. So given that I have committed to Dublin I am staring a log here.

Background : mid 40s, living in the NE US - so weather is a major factor. About a year into running. Todate most has been at the 5k to HM distances. IN the last three months have started psuhing longer distances, longer weekluy milage.

PBs: 5k 21:30 (2009), 4m 30:33 (2009), 8k 34:23 (2009), 10k 44:23 (chip 44:12) (2009), HM: 1:39:54(chip) (2010)

Schedule :

Right now I'm focused on my first marathon in May (10 weeks to go) a smallish flat and fairly local marathon. Aim is 3:30 - probably ambitious for me but there I have said it - it would quality me to run Boston. I think 3:45 is realistic - I ran a 1:39 half-marathon on a hilly course in January. Before this I have the NY half marathon in March ( and a possible 10K three weeks before the may marathon.
During July-September there are some 5k/10k I would like to do ... but an not sure how to fit this with Dublin training ( I have comeg back from thje 5k and done a LSR later in the day - but one attmept at this left me nuring a sore IT band so I ma nervous about trying this again ). I have a few local AG wins I would like to defend in the short stuff.
Dublin in October will have the same aim - unless I make the 3:30 in May.
Later in fall there are a some 10k and an 8k race in November that I will focis on.

Aims:

Marathon : 3:30 - qualify for Boston
5k : Break the 21 minutes mark
4m: : improve to ?
10k : improve to ?
HM : Well I had said 1:40 and suprised my self in Jan ... so anything is a bonus
8K : Under 32 minutes (this will win me a prized)

Training:

Began training towards this early December. Weekly milage has been in the 40s, with some tipping into the 50s. I am now _trying_ to hit the mid 50s consistantly and hope to peak at mid 60s for a few weeks. Running five tiems a week - but going to pick up to six for a the next six weeks pre taper and see how that goes.

Not strictly following a training schedule. Trying to cheery pick the best from a few of them and add into that a pretty aggressive schedule of long runs. I try to get sone speed work, one sort-of tempo run and one long run in every week - though to my horror I discovered that my hills workout on a treadmill has been run too slowly. The speedwork has been a little erratic as snow and ice has made my local track unuseable for the past three weeks. The long runs I have been very diligent about as 15 miles plus is new to me. So far I have hit 20-22 miles 5 times, 18-20 3 times. None of these runs have filled me with the confidence that my 3:30 is realistic.

The other big problem is the weather - the snow has meant that many of my usual training routes are out of action. Only this week have some finally been cleared and we might be facing a new now storm on Thursday/Friday. The track has been unuseable for three weeks - so while I have improvised/used the gym it is becoming difficult to keep going. "Real life" has not been helpful either !

So for the last two weeks it has been :

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
12 | -| 10| 2hrs-bike| 6fast| 6| 1hrs-eliptical| 22(3h15)| 44

Long run was a shocking struggle. Had not planned on 22 but snow meant the rest of the weekwas limited milage with cross-training.

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
11 |5| - | 10 | 10 | 7 | 22(3h:08) | 4rec | 58

Better week. Concentrated on a confortable pace on LSR - it was also above freezing for the first time in quite a while whihc probably helped

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
10|10(pmp)| 7(6xhills)


OK ... deep breath ... submit

Krusty_Clown

Best of luck pgmcpq. That's a lot of long runs. Should see you through to a strong finish.

Later in fall there are a some 10k and an 8k race in November that I will focis on.

What's fall?

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Best of luck pgmcpq. That's a lot of long runs. Should see you through to a strong finish.

What's fall?

Touche !

Yes, fall : that which I do every time I fall asleep trying to get miles in on the treadmill. Embarassing. What I have done twice this winter - I'm sure the other guys training are thinking - "Well if he can't make it from one end of the park to another ....".

Trying to focus on the long run - though possibly/probably doing them too fast. The recent thread on how do you know if you can really do your pmp over the whole distance is one that has played on my mind from the beginning.

Krusty, your long runs I could only dream of ! Best of luck in Barcelona.

pgmcpq

Feb 24: 8 miles @ 7.38 : Hate running after dark but had to be done after a very early start to the day

Feb25: 5 miles a la threadmill, 1-2%incline, 1 warmup+4m@8.00 : *Sigh* forgot to set alarm - first time in thsi training. When I did get up and stuck my nose out the door, I was battered by big wet sloppy snow ( I know the eskimos have a swear word for this ). It was like being socked with a soggy cold pillow. Have run in snow before ... but enough is enough ... so off to the salt-mines gym and up on the treadmill. Tighs and hammies were (and are) feeling alarmingly stiff (did I skip strectching after last night ?), and I was now runnng late so kept it short and relatively easy - though I find the gym tough as it always seems a bit stuffy. Still I am following Terget's "keep the momentum going" creed.

Sadly given the snow my outdoor running may be done until I try the LSR ( I refuse to do the LSR on the threadmill as I always lose focus, misstep and fall once I go beyond the 7-8 miles range. I think the guys in the gym now take bets on when I am going to fall over :mad:).

pgmcpq

This is beginning to look like a weather report.

Thursday 25th : gym 5 miles on the threadmill. By the time I left the gyn the snow was coming down.
Friday 26th: No chance to get out - even to the gym - did an hour on the sationary bike.
Saturday: Planed a 16 miles lsr with the last six at pmp. Unexpected guests meant fitting in a quick 8 miles at pmp ... then 3 hours off walking doing the tourist thing.
Sunday: Tried again to get the 16 miles in with the last five at pmp. By the time the folks had gone I was concerned about finishing while the sun was still up, ended up not eating enough as I had expected to get going earlier, not taking a gel, and was run off the the road by a cab driver into calk deep snow ... giving me a miserable, slightly nauseous 16 miles where I crashed around mile 14 .. shuffling home at 9mm+ in 2hrs 15 minutes with three bathroom breaks. A confidence/morale draining weekend. The only positive is that I did complete the 16 ( though at the end I was running up and down by my water bottle waiting for the Garmin to click over to 16. The only positive was acutally completing it.
I'm also trying to convince myself that the walking time on Saturday and Sunday morning factored in ... not convinced.

Monday 1st - 9 weeks to go: 5 mile recovery run. Legs feel ok but jsut don't have it. Concentrated on form. (Reading Brain Traing For Runners right now and am trying to put some of the stride "cues" into action).

So for the week:

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
10|10(pmp)| 7(6xhills) |5threadmill|bike|8|16| 54


At this point I am getting concerned about the quality of my training. I am tempted to back off but with a HM coming in three weeks I was planning to use a mini-taper for that race as a step-back week. So I guess I will play it by ear and see if things get better once I get control of my schdeule again.

pgmcpq

Well bit ironic - managed to tweak my knee when walking out of work. Not sure what I did but I know immediately that it was not good.
Been careful with it ... but it has not actually hampered running so I ma continuing on - really just feel it when I walk.

Tuesday: 9 miles with 3 x 1 miles at < 5k (~7mm for me) pace + 1.5 mile of approx. pmp. With the track still unuseable this was the nearest thing to speedwork in two weeks. Had planned to do 4X1miles but ran out of time and wimped out a bit. Could hear a woodpecker in the park while I ran - hard not to speed up to the rythem !

Wednesday: 9 miles at PMP - maybe a little faster slower.

I am having problems keeping a consistant pace. A lot of the runs I have done recently have been hilly so I could ignore pace ... but on flat I seem to gradually speed up until I pull myself back of find myself suffering. I've tried focusing on the sound of my feet, singing (silently! ) to myself but still. On LSR my pace is often all over the place. Not sure if this is soemthing that will be "alright on the night".

Second problem is that the first 2 miles of very run are a struggle. Don't know if this is just in my head. After 2-3 miles if often gets easier and I settle down but I would like to be able to get over this initial stuggle. I don't really warm up on long runs ... figuring the first mile will serve. This I should look at.

3 weeks to the HM, 9 weeks to the marathon. Plan to try a 24 mile run this week and then start a mini-taper/stepback for two weeks until after the HM.

rigal

Hey pgmcpq,

Just seeing your log now. Great to see runners based outside of Ireland posting here. Keeps things interesting!

Based on your HM time, mcmillan's running pace calculator (www.mcmillanrunning.com) and the training runs you are doing sub 3:30 is definitely possible for you. I ran 1:34 in Longford 1/2 last August and then ran the Amsterdam marathon 6 weeks later in 3:27 so I reckon you have a good shot at it in May all going well.

You are getting some big LSR's in at this stage. Are you going to do many more 20+ milers before the race in May? They're a great confidence builder if your legs can handle it but you do increase the risk of injury.

Snap on "brain training for runners" - I read it before running Amsterdam. It's a good book, bit technical in parts, but what he says re. embracing the pain etc is pretty good advice for marathon racing...

Best of luck with the goals and hope the knee injury isn't too serious!

rigal

pgmcpq

rigal wrote: »

Hey pgmcpq,

Just seeing your log now. Great to see runners based outside of Ireland posting here. Keeps things interesting!

Based on your HM time, mcmillan's running pace calculator (www.mcmillanrunning.com) and the training runs you are doing sub 3:30 is definitely possible for you. I ran 1:34 in Longford 1/2 last August and then ran the Amsterdam marathon 6 weeks later in 3:27 so I reckon you have a good shot at it in May all going well.

You are getting some big LSR's in at this stage. Are you going to do many more 20+ milers before the race in May? They're a great confidence builder if your legs can handle it but you do increase the risk of injury.

Snap on "brain training for runners" - I read it before running Amsterdam. It's a good book, bit technical in parts, but what he says re. embracing the pain etc is pretty good advice for marathon racing...

Best of luck with the goals and hope the knee injury isn't too serious!

rigal

Thanks Rigal,

Feel like a bit of an interloper but this board is pretty unique in terms of the quality of info - I've learned a lot just reading the debates on LSR pace etc and how people put their training together - though most of the logs are beyond my standard.

MacMillan shows me making 3:30 .... but only just - no room for error at all ! I deliberately loaded the 20miles+ runs on as they were new for me. I was unsure if I'd be able to get them in ...but so far so good and I seem to recover reasonably well. Max is 3 more, 2 is more likely as I have another HM in three weeks, but I"ll see how I feel. I have been trying to do a few "fast/pmp finish" long runs but it has not really come off. But I take your point - at this stage I need to bea little more careful. Like yourself I have itbs issues (I use alternating heat and ice pads)... so any training run can be abondoned at the first sign of trouble.

Brain Training was an impluse buy. Not sure I am at the "embracing the pain" stage yet - but it is interesting. I read a recent article that external association - focusing on external but race related things liek the runners around you - with periodic "body sweeps" to check on relaxed muscles, belly breathing etc, gave the best results.

dermCu

pgmcpq wrote: »

I've learned a lot just reading the debates on LSR pace etc and how people put their training together - though most of the logs are beyond my standard.

It doesn't matter in the slightest if some people are running faster than you. Just because you can run "fast" doesn't mean that you understand how you are able to do it or even how to structure a training plan.
My own personal feeling is that there are a significant number of people out there running relatively "fast" times despite the training they are doing. If a good coach got hold of them I'm sure there would see even bigger improvements.
Having said that the general level of knowledge on Boards is pretty good. I've learned a good bit on Boards from people who might finish behind me in a marathon.
The approach you are taking up to now is the best one: read a lot and cherry pick the best bits that work for you. Don't be afraid of trial and error to prove or disprove.

You seem to have taken well to long runs. Given that you ran a 1:39 half on a hilly course I'd say you look good for 3:30
What you've been able to do in a year is impressive. Just running consistently for another year will see your times improve, keep it up.

pgmcpq

dermCu wrote: »

It doesn't matter in the slightest if some people are running faster than you. Just because you can run "fast" doesn't mean that you understand how you are able to do it or even how to structure a training plan.
My own personal feeling is that there are a significant number of people out there running relatively "fast" times despite the training they are doing. If a good coach got hold of them I'm sure there would see even bigger improvements.
Having said that the general level of knowledge on Boards is pretty good. I've learned a good bit on Boards from people who might finish behind me in a marathon.
The approach you are taking up to now is the best one: read a lot and cherry pick the best bits that work for you. Don't be afraid of trial and error to prove or disprove.

You seem to have taken well to long runs. Given that you ran a 1:39 half on a hilly course I'd say you look good for 3:30
What you've been able to do in a year is impressive. Just running consistently for another year will see your times improve, keep it up.

Well, I when I found the logs I looked for some here that seemed like a match for my kind of range ...So I'd find one and read... "beginning runner", "never athletic" ok, ok this one looks like someone I could relate to... and by page 2 they were knocking back a 38m 10k and reflecting on what went wrong !!

I have looked at a number of the training plans and while they differ in the details they all basically agree on structure. In to that i have added an pretty aggressive set of long runs - as this is the bit that i have no real experience of. I am ready to (expected to) drop some at the first sign of trouble ...but so far so good.

To be honest I have learned the most from reading about failures - sorry I know might sound a bit voyeuristic but reading I did this and it resulted in that makes an impact that "you should do this" does not.

The 1:39 in the half was a complete suprise but while it suggest 3:30 is not a complete fantasy it is far from a done deal. I am running the NY Half in two weeks and am still undecided as to what I should aim for here. It is a flatter course but I have noticed that hilly courses often seem to generate the fastest times ....I guess any improvement on 1:39 would be good.

Thanks for the feedback - keep 'em coming.

pgmcpq

Thursday : Woke up with a head cold. Not part of the plan - worked from home and after some indecision took a rest day.

Friday: Worked from home again and snuck out in the afternoon for a quick 8miles@pmp. Despite everything felt reasonably ok. Certainly better than I would have expected.

Saturday: I had planned a 24 mile LSR with a finish at pmp. Was unsure if this was a sound idea after the 8 yesterday ... but decided to go ahead. Weather was great - first run above freezing so far this year - actually ran without a jacket for the first time this year. Almost packed it in after two miles as I thought I must be delerious when I heard and saw an ice cream truck. I mean yes, it was great - but still ice cream ??? Little Jimmy's Ice Cream & Italian Ices to be exact.
For the first time I tried pinning partially cut gels to my shorts. The idea is to tuck the gel inside the shorts, creasing the top and pinning the top on the outside of the shorts. That way the gel does not bounce around can be ripped off and opened wihtou breaking stride.
Not a success. The actual result was an open (un)saftey pin pin and unopened gel.

Overall did the 24 in 3hr 27 (8:37mm). Tried to get to pmp in the last 4 miles but was off at around 8:11 with a final mile @ 8:39 (with hills). Overall reasonably happy with the run - felt the pace was pretty sustainable, though the finish was a little disappointing. I tend to judge the run by how I feel at the end and by that standard today was a good day

Planning a 5 mile recovery run tomorrow for my first ever 60 mile week. Given my first thoughts on Thursday morning - have to be happy with that.

pgmcpq

Well having completed the 24 mile run I settled down to enjoy my post run carb feast. But since nothing can be easy I managed to drop a desert spoon on the middle to of my right foot. Bit sore but nothing I cannot handle ... a few hours later I had forgotten all about it.

Sunday : Woke up, rolled over, stood up .... and the middle toe of my right foot reminded me pretty damn quick that still had not forgotten about being mugged with a spoon. Really amazed as it seems like such a minor thing. So now I am perfectly symmetrical - head cold and sore toe. After a few hours I decided it probably would be ok if I kept my stride correct. So I did finish the week off with a 5 mile recovery run (@9m/m )- actually felt pretty good - better than I would have expected. Unfortunately I did tweak my knee again very early on before I have got into stride.

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
9(3 to HM)|5recovery| 9 (3X1m@5k) | 9pmp| rest|8pmp|24|5recovery| 60



Monday: Toe and head are both still a problem. Knee seems ok-ish again I think this is a minor issue. 9 miles with 2 tempo miles, 2 hills and 2 miles at pmp.

Planning on another 60 mile week with a 18-20 miles LSR on Saturday, and then a taper week (40miles including race) to the NY Half. Hoping the mini-taper week will be enough to resolve tghe niggles I am beginning to pick up - (symptom of overtraining or just par for the course? I don't normally get colds ... hummm ... the spoon however was just one of those things).

Thinking about 1:38:00 as a target for the half. The 1:39:54 in January was a surprise but ....assuming that it was not a freak result .... a 1:38 would be a nice confidence boost ? Still on paper it looks like a big ask ... dunno maybe I should think a bit less and run a bit more.

pgmcpq

Tuesday: 8+ miles total. 2 miles warmup, (3 x 1 miles @ 5k pace), + remainder at pmp. The plan was 4 X 1 miles on the track but the heart/legs were not in it and I wimped out. Part of the problem was I did the 1 miles stretches too fast. The glare on the Garmin got me confused so I found my self at 5:50+ m/m ( when I thought I was at 6:50 m/m and was pushing to get to 6:30) Slowed down but the damage was done - so these may fall into the junk miles category.

At under eight weeks to the marathon, less than two to the half marathon, this is proably my last track/speed session (though having the track back from under snow makes it very tempting). But form here on out baring the LSR, the half and a possilble 10k three weeks before the marathon - everything else will focus on PMP or just below. A lession learned from reading discussions on here.

Have started to get a periodic pain in my right knee. This is new - it seems to appear and then disappear after a mile or two. I suspect it is the result of a sloppy stride when I get tired. After the toe incident Mrs pgmcpq has given me a plastic spoon and confiscated all cutlery and sharp pointy objects in the house.

catweazle

I got three colds in quick succession before xmas, i never got them before this, I would eat curries for breakfast if I was let.

I was recommended Vitamin B Complex by a dietician to stop this, havent had a problem since, maybe that might work

pgmcpq

catweazle wrote: »

I got three colds in quick succession before xmas, i never got them before this, I would eat curries for breakfast if I was let.

I was recommended Vitamin B Complex by a dietician to stop this, havent had a problem since, maybe that might work

B ? Interesting I will have to try that. I've been doing traditional C thing with some raw garlic.

I read somewhere - and I think it was Hal Higdon who said it but I could be wrong that 40% of runners training for marathon or longer distances get a cold during training. Seemed to suggest it was a symptom of over training - though I find him a bit conservative - almost anything seems to be a potential sign of trouble.

Like my curry - but I am not sure I could manage a vindaloo for breakfast !

pgmcpq

Wednesday: 10 miles : average 8.21m/m.

Great morning, crisp, sunny.

Wildlife : the woodpecker is back. I cannot tell where he/she is but it close. The Canadian geese are also starting to arrive in numbers and are getting aggressive - I had to surrender a path to them this morning.

Felt good but legs were alarmingly heavy for the the first four miles but cleared up - though the final miles were harder than I would have expected.
Possibly I should have kept this to recovery pace after yesterday but I don't know how long this weather will last and hate to 'waste' it. My head cold is getting much better, toe seems to be settling down. Knees are still causing me some concern but we'll see how they are after the next rest day (Friday).

During the morning runs I always need to stop at around the 5-7 miles mark and hit a bathroom. Not a big problem except that it makes it hard to know if I am making progress. So the 8:20m/m includes a bathroom break off .... 1 - 2 minutes .. maybe. So it might be a pmp run ... or might not !

Krusty_Clown

The hard part is that bathroom break schedule will eventually become park of your marathon race schedule. Don't get into the habit of regular pee breaks, as I did. Every second may eventually count!

This log needs more wildlife photos. Look after that knee!

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

The hard part is that bathroom break schedule will eventually become park of your marathon race schedule. Don't get into the habit of regular pee breaks, as I did. Every second may eventually count!

Yeah ....not been a problem on race day so far - touch wood - but it is a bit of a concern. Not really sure there is a lot I can do about it. I am impressed with how you handled it in Barcelona and still got back on track. For me every second WILL count - I already feel the pressure .... Damn had to say pressure didn't I. Back in a minute ....:D

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

This log needs more wildlife photos. Look after that knee!

Maybe when I get to 25 posts ! Just remember the goose was a least 6'4" and a good 200lbs and his mates were with him.

pgmcpq

Thursday: Well .....had intended doing a recovery pace run but I forgot and lapsed in pmp.

8 miles @ average 8.01m/m. Actually pretty happy with that. All miles were under 8m/m with the exception of two outliers - A 8:39 to start (I always struggle in the first mile - the downfall of my first attempt at half marathon ) and an 8:26 in a mile mostly uphill with a stop at the top for water - so I'll cut myself some slack there. Finishing mile was comfortably under 8 so for me for seven days on the run that's ok. Tomorrow _will_ be a recovery run !

pgmcpq

Friday : Well again intended a slow near recovery pace but it turned cold and I ended up trying to get the run in before the rain started. 7 miles : pace was well over 8m/m even though I felt I was pushing it. Average of 8:15 at 6 miles, then slowed as the last mile was done on grass.

The pace (in it's absence) definitely suggests that tomorrow my legs are due a rest day ... might swing by the gym if I feel enthusiastic and do some light core/flexibility work.

pgmcpq

Well, lighting, thunder, fallen trees, we had it all. So Saturday was a rest day with some core work.
Sunday :I had just given up and was resigned to heading to the gym when the rain finally eased. So I chanced it. Interesting run. I was looking at the garbage all over the park, in odd places and seeming to form a jagged line. I was thinking that it was an odd way for the bins which had blown over to have distributed their contents when it dawned on me that I was actually looking at a tide line much as you'd see on the beach. The park is along side the mouth of a major river - probably a couple of miles of water. So it seems my running park had flooded. I was running at low tide - just as well. Meanwhile I had the park to myself other than love lorn teenagers and someone making very strange noises in the upper area. Having left my water near where this guy was I had some concerns. On my second loop I realized that he was doing vocal exercises and by my third loop an one man opera was on the go. Wish I had his lung capacity.

Oh .. the run. 18 miles with an attempted final 6 at pmp. As ever the first couple of miles felt rough (is this the product of age?) but then it settled down. Never felt great but the rain and headwind did not help. Target for final six miles was to keep them below 8,00. Actuals were 8.03, 7,45, 7.49, 7.50, 7.30, 7.46. No sure what happened on the first(thirteenth - wind may have been a factor) or fifth(seventeenth - some downhill) but pretty happy with that effort, tends to suggest I was doing better than I felt. The final six ( homage to Bettlestar Galactica) were tough but I was not out of gas at the end. All in all a good end to the week.

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
8(2 to HM)|9(2 tempo)| 8(3X1m 5k) |10 |8 pmp |7 |rest|18 (6 pmp)| 60

pgmcpq

Monday : HM is Sunday so this will be a light week. Knees are still being cranky so I am going to ease up on the milage more than I had intended ... was looking at 40 (including the race) but might dip below this.

Morning are tough now. The clocks went forward here this weekend which means it is now dark in the morning again. I had been increasing my milage by getting out earlier before work but this is now a challenge.

6 miles : As ever was meant to be recovery but found myself going much too fast. Again knees are bothering me though when I focus on my stride it seems to clear up. Getting a little concerned about this now. It might be that my milage has exceeded the limit of what I can take. Next two weeks are mini-taper to the HM and then a recovery/rebuild week so I should have a better idea by then. I know I have been following a higher-risk strategy to date but at this point I need to become a little more careful about taking chances.

pgmcpq

Tuesday: Went out to push it today in a last hard session before the HM. 7 miles, average 7:27m/m. Knees held up ok during the run after being iced for much of Monday evening. Pretty happy with that effort. So going to set 7:25 as my target pace to try to break 1:38.

Unfortunately the HM course is largely similar to the course I ran in January - with loops of Central Park so my hopes for flatter are blown away. Central Park is nothing but hills (the worst being the NW corner) and is 2/3rds of the course. Ce la vie.

pgmcpq

Wednesday: Plan was 7 miles at recovery pace. Ended up 7 miles at 7:48m/m. *Sigh* way,way too fast - I have no discipline ( in my defense it was too tempting being back in a calm sunny morning ) - hope this does not come back to bite my this weekend.

Not a bad run - legs were a little heavy. Knees ok - though one is was little sore to the touch afterwards. Curiously I did get a stitch at between miles 5-6. This has happened a few times recently - I was able to breath my through it but this is unwelcome development. Also got a sudden pain in my hip early on which seemed to come out of now where and had me worried. Putting this down to middle age.

Plan is to take Thursday off, 7 miles (4 easy) on Friday and then the HM on Sunday. Hopefully enough to let the few niggles settle down.

pgmcpq

Thursday : rest
Friday: 7 miles, 1 mile on grass.

Tomorrow will be a rest day - maybe a mile to stretch the legs but that will be it. So now we get to see what 395 miles in the last 7+ weeks equals in term of improvement on 1:39:54 with a slightly easier but much more crowded course !

pgmcpq

Sunday: Well, I guess training does work ! 1:35:02 for a new PB (by 4:54).
Start was crowded (11,000+ runners) and had me worried, but have learned to be patient. Actually my first mile was 8:03 - so it was better than I thought at the time. At mile 5 some guy having a conversation over his shoulder ran into me but I was able to stay on my feet. Running Central Park clockwise seems easier that clockwise as in January. From mile 2-8 ran a fairly consistent pace 7:10-7:22, out of the park it's down hill (never really knew that) and kind of impressive looking at the ribbon of runners down to Time Square. Crowds got large and noisy and I unwisely threw in a 6:45m/m. I was able to back off back to 7:01, but the remaining 4 miles were below 7m/m. At mile 11 I began to get worried because I was finding myself looking for the mile markers - never a good sigh - and knew I could not sustain the pace, at that point I dropped to a 6:51 mile. But I was able to re-focus on form/breathing and finish reasonably well.
Average pace 7:16. All in all happy ... but there is a tinge of regret about that :02 ... so close to < 1:35 !

Physically fine - seem to have come through without picking up any niggles. Knees were ok - despite the last three miles yesterday being on concrete. Starting to get optimistic about the full marathon ....

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
7|6recovery| 7fast|7|rest|7|rest|13race| 40

pgmcpq

New week:

Six weeks to the marathon. I suspect much of this week will be recovery before the final two/three week push - we'll see how the legs feel in another few days. Would liek to ramp back up to the 60 miles and get in at least 1, maybe 2 more 20 mile plus LSR. From next week I might try some of the suggested mid week PMP temp runs.

Monday: 5 mile recovery run. 1 mile (mile3) on grass. Went for a massage last night so now both leg and shoulder are sore today ! But I am happy enough that other than tired there are no ill effects after yesterday.

Abhainn

pgmcpq congrats on a great PB. Your 3:30 looks well on course. I did a 1:31 before my first marathon which I came at 3:14 on the day.

Yes wise to take this week relatively easy. Nothing hard or anything like 20 mile LSR stuff.

Krusty_Clown

Great running pgmcpq. You're set up nicely for the final big push over the top (guess who's been watching The Pacific!).

actwithoutwords

Congrats. That's a really fantastic time. Chopping off 5 minutes is great work as well.

pgmcpq

Abhainn wrote: »

pgmcpq congrats on a great PB. Your 3:30 looks well on course. I did a 1:31 before my first marathon which I came at 3:14 on the day.

That's interesting - that only twice the half + 13 minutes. For myself I'd be a bit more cautious than that. Given your recent job in Cyprus I'd be careful about modeling myself on your numbers ! But it is comforting that the most pace predictors now project at 3:30 finish at worst (though it still has to be run).

Abhainn wrote: »

Yes wise to take this week relatively easy. Nothing hard or anything like 20 mile LSR stuff.

Umm - you may have have saved me there ! I had been undecided aboutng about a gentle 18 miles at the weekend - I did it after my last half in January though it proved to be a struggle. I'll take the advice and scale back and see how I feel. I plan to run "on feel" until the weekend - keeping it at the "not hard" level. Would you suggest skipping the LSR completely ?

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Great running pgmcpq. You're set up nicely for the final big push over the top (guess who's been watching The Pacific!).

Thanks - though as a lifelong "foot soldier of life" I tend to be a bit fearful of of the "over the top boys" analogy. I tend to think Blackadder tbh.

pgmcpq

actwithoutwords wrote: »

Congrats. That's a really fantastic time. Chopping off 5 minutes is great work as well.

Again a bit of a surprise than me - at mile 10 "ish" I glanced at average pace on the watch and though - "Umm .....I really hope I haven't screwed this up" followed by "Well, in the worst case I crawl home at a 9m/m and it will still be respectable". It is interesting - there was little tangible evidence from training that I could sustain this pace - so going in I was not sure that even 1:38 was on the cards - but you really do have to trust the training and suspend disbelief ... if you see what I mean.

Abhainn

pgmcpq wrote: »

Umm - you may have have saved me there ! I had been undecided aboutng about a gentle 18 miles at the weekend - I did it after my last half in January though it proved to be a struggle. I'll take the advice and scale back and see how I feel. I plan to run "on feel" until the weekend - keeping it at the "not hard" level. Would you suggest skipping the LSR completely ?

You have long runs behind you, enjoy taking it easier this week. You would be surprised how much that PB took out of you, I've been there. Move the LSR to sometime next week

pgmcpq wrote: »

Again a bit of a surprise than me - at mile 10 "ish" I glanced at average pace on the watch and though - "Umm .....I really hope I haven't screwed this up" followed by "Well, in the worst case I crawl home at a 9m/m and it will still be respectable". It is interesting - there was little tangible evidence from training that I could sustain this pace - so going in I was not sure that even 1:38 was on the cards - but you really do have to trust the training and suspend disbelief ... if you see what I mean.

Ditto. Last June I was dissappointed at beating me HM best by 1 min to 1:23. On the day though it was warm and only when I reflected later that probably had something to do with it.
Fast forward 3 months and I smashed my next HM by 5 min to 1:18. Some times performances aren't easily explained.

shotgunmcos

Well done on your HM pb. Stick to the plan and your Marathon goal will fall in line with that form

pgmcpq

Abhainn wrote: »

You have long runs behind you, enjoy taking it easier this week. You would be surprised how much that PB took out of you, I've been there. Move the LSR to sometime next week

Thanks - that settles it for me. I'll scale back the weekend run ... and try to work from home next Wednesday.

Tuesday: 6 miles ... a cold, damp morning that really took me by surprise when I got out the door. Really was not dressed for it ...
Intended 5 miles at recovery-to-gentle pace ... but again after a few miles the pace started to increase and every now and again the thighs would give me a gentle nudge about slowing up. And the extra mile ? Well ...

Wildlife : The park was almost empty this morning. Running though the wetlands preserve I saw what I think was a hawk (falcon?) sitting on top of the of the lamp posts. Looped around to make sure that this was not early morning madness but no there he was. About a foot high, brown with dark patches ... looking a bit disheveled ... but sat there calmly eyeing me up. So the extra mile at the end was me looping back a few miles later to see it he was still around - but no. Really should see if I can find a small light camera - never been much of a morning person (running works as I don't have to think) so this is all new to me.

pgmcpq

Wednesday: 7 miles @ average 7:40. Nice day, sunny calm - just the sort of day to remind you that running is "fun". Legs felt back to normal, at least no residual aches from the weekend. Decided to press the run a little but not excessively... so the final result was pleasing.
In the evening 30 minutes on the stationary bike ... just to give the legs something new to think about.

Thursday: 7 miles and then some. Starting to focus on leg strength in the next few weeks. So bookended the run with some aggressive hill climbs. At the end bumped into another runner who had moved away last year so did another slowish part of mile with him.
In the evening 25 minutes back on the stationary bike .... just as an escape from other duties !

Friday: 7 miles. Windy, cold and damp morning. Tough run - probably tougher than I wanted to do this week but wind was unavoidable - knocking close to a minute off my pace when I turned into it. Happy to get to the end of it.

pgmcpq

Saturday: I had noticed some IT band niggle on Firday so 30 minutes in reverse on the elliptical.

Sunday: Well having abandoned ideas of a long run but feeling pretty good after a rest day, and wanting to colear the head after a rough week at work, I decided to split the difference and try 16 miles. I also wanted to try out the current candidate marathon shoes - same brand/size/order as what I had been wearing but still want to get a few miles on them. It was clear after five miles that it was not going to be a good day at the office. Usually I expect to feel miserable for the first couple of miles but today the endorphins just did not kick in. Drizzle at mile 8 turned to rain at mile 10. Decided to try to finish the last 6 miles at pmp :
8:08, 8:06, 8:59(water break), 7:40, 7:57, 8:01. Neither great nor terrible.

I'm starting to notice that weeks where I throw in a few session on the stationary bike seem to be much rougher than others despite lower mileage.

After a relatively down week it's time to start ramping up for one last peak.

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
6|5recovery| 6recovery | 7pmp+bike|7(3*hills)+bike|7|eliptical|16| 48

pgmcpq

Monday: 6 miles recovery.Wet, cold, grey. Not fun. Even as a recovery run this was a struggle - I did discover a new section of waterfront to run on - other. Pace was slow even for a recovery run ( 9m/m+). May well take tomorrow off as the weather is likely to worsen (Though they are predicting high 70s ...about 24 centigrade here by the weekend ).

pgmcpq

Tuesday: Got up. Looked out at heavy rain. Returned to bed. The thing I fear most is that once I do this once it will become a habit. In the evening did an hour on the stationary bike (listening to a podcast on NAMA - only fell off once).

Wednesday: Decided to try a mini-tergat like session. Did 5-4-2 miles at pmp ... 12+ miles total with warmup as much as I can fit in time wise. ( Actually though about stopping at 1 on the final pmp stretch so I could have 5-4-1 anmd make witty remarks about overlapping fullbacks/wing-halfs but .... ). The first 5 were a struggle ... as ever I am a slow started and at the final 2 the effort was beginning to take a toll. Middle 4 were good - though the pace ducked down to close to 7m/m (pmp is 8m/m .. maybe a couple of seconds less) which was not too clever and probably accounts for the final 2 being a stuggle. All in all good to get back out pushing the boundary a bit.

pgmcpq

Thursday: 10miles@pmp. Warmed up but still grey and dreary.
Well I know that two "hard" sessions in a row is not generally a good idea but I need to move the LSR this week to Saturday so this time it was necessary so Friday could be an easier run. Intended to attack a few hills but after the first two it was clear that this was unlikely to happen. Gritted teeth got me through 10 miles and 4 small hill climbs. Thigh muscles seem heavy and my focus was off so I found my breathing and stride both losing form. Breathing is a concern as this should be automatic. Stride problem often arise when I get fatigued. Sill 10 miles @ 8m/m on the day following 12 miles and including a bathroom and drink break .... might not have been pretty but got the job done.

pgmcpq

Thursday: After the morning run I went to work. Had to run for the light rail.
Didn't make it ! More speed work required ?

Friday: Finally some sun ! A relaxed 6 miles @ 8:15m/m - faster than recovery (again the pace picks up as soon as I take my eye off it ). First four were on (very soggy) grass in an attempt to get the run in without the knees noticing. Focusing on getting my breathing back under control again.

pgmcpq

Yikes, realized today that I am exactly one month away as of today.
Somehow the time ticking away didn't really register until today.
So with 4 weekends, and 2 full training weeks, 2 taper weeks, left my plan is (subject to change - the close the race gets the more likely sessions are to be abandoned at the first sign of trouble ) :

Week|5|4|3|2|1|
Milage | 60 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 25 |
Weekends LSR |20 (final5mp)|22|17(final5pmp)|13(final3pmp)|race
Mid weeks | Tergat 5,4,1 | Tergat 5,4,3,2,1 | Tergat 5,4,3,2 | 8pmp? | 5pmp? |


Looking back I have been neglecting any tempo runs so I will try to throw in some my third quality session in the next two weeks.

The number in the race are small (part of the reason I've chosen it), though there is a larger hallf and relay that takes place in parallel. It's over two loops ... I'm told it can get lonely on the second loop !
However that there was no 3:30 pacer last year. There was a 3:20 pacer and a 3:40 pacer so I'm undecided what to do ... I'd really like to follow a pace group for the first half to avoid going out to fast ... maybe keep the 3:20 guys in sight for the first n-miles ?

pgmcpq

... feet

Saturday: Temperature was about 70F (maybe 20C ?). First warm weekend of the year which means .... having to make my way through wedding parties taking photos to get my water bottle - 'cuse me ... eh just getting me water there mate ... 'cuse me...

20 miles. Planed on a 5 mile PMP finish.
It was three weeks since my last 20 mile or longer run. Forgot how hard it can be. First 10 miles were fine (other than the usual encounter with an expandable dog leash). After 10 it became harder than I expected/remembered. Coming to mile 15 I was not sure that I had enough for the final five at pmp. However, actually pumped out the last six miles at : 8:10, 8.11 (water break), 7:34, 9:04, 7:28, 7:31.

Well other than the 9:04 pretty good. The 9:04 however .... I stopped at 17.9 miles as my foot was bothering me. Sure enough I found a a large blister on the top of my second toe. I have never had problems with blisters before. I had been thinking of adding a mile or two to the end but now I just finished off the final two miles.

Sunday: After some work on the blister I set off gingerly to try a 6 mile recovery run. All went well. Later that day I put shoes on to go out ... and could barely walk ! It seems to have reblistered again. Again cleaned the area up after we returned Sunday night. In addition a small to on the other foot has picked up a bruise.

There are no new shoes here, I use vaseline and Glide on feet for long runs. I think the problem is that the weather has heated up and last summer I was wearing a pair of Asics Evolution2 that has a nice mesh top that probably kept the feet cooler. The Evolution series has now bulked up and I am not a fan of the added weight.

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
5|6recovery| bike | 12 | 10PMP|6|20(5PMP)|6recovery| 60



Monday: Well .... I figured I might as well keep pressing on - either the blistering was going to force me to stop or I'd skip a recovery day. This close to the taper it seems a bit silly to stop. I decided to try running with a running sock (usually just use what ever comes to hand for training), different shoes, as well as vaseline. 8 miles Of more or less, 1 warmup, 2 tempo, 6 short hills, the rest at PMP. Between hill 2 and 3 I was stopped by a guy I know to see who asked me where I got the it supports band I run with. So I volunteered to get him some (any excuse to go play in the local athletics store!). Again at 6+ miles in I had to stop and deal with the same blister again. After drying off the toes a little I finished the run.

At this point I am getting a bit frustrated with this damn blister - I keep draining it but it keeps blistering.... ( Telling people I have ducked out of training because of a blister .... I can just _feel_ the eyes roll ). Well see how it goes today.

Finally : Good luck to all those running Connemara or Rotterdam this weekend.

pgmcpq

Tuesday : 7 miles recovery pace. Nice morning if a little humid. Did the first 3 on grass - found the session curiously tough. My guess is yesterday took more out of me than I realized. Blister problem continues but seems a little better - think its going to be part of the daily routine for a while - hopefully it'll be sufficiently ok by the weekend.

Update :

Just come across the following comment from tergat from an old thread on tapering :

Long runs are a critical element of marathon training, but it is important to back off the duration so that your legs wont be too sore on race day. If you having been really pushing the mileage high and your long runs long, then start tapering the long runs about 4-5 weeks before race day..

Hummm ... I have been pushing the long runs though last weekend was my first 20+ in three weeks. I had planned 22 this weekend as my last 20+ run but this makes me think again ...

pgmcpq

Wednesday: 12 miles. Morning are starting to get warm here now. Had semi-planned a tergat style 5-4-3-2-1 while knowing it was likely to be abbreviated due to time. Ended up as a 3-5-3 the first break being forced "by nature". Found the session very tough. When I looked at the times afterwards I was keeping a 7:05-7:20m/m pace ... really too fast for my level. Blister remains a problem but did hold up for the run without any major discomfort.

Rest of the morning was a disaster : Missed the light rail again on the run. In the failed final sprint I forgot to validate my ticket. Got on next train 20 minutes late, ticket inspector did a spot check ... so I got pulled off the train and sat on the platform as my sumons was written - War and Peace was completed in half the time - train is now gone and I have a $74 dollar file + loss of a $1.90 ticket. Keeping my dignity I told the trumped up rent-a-cop where he could put his light rail and walked to a PATH station (subway effectively). Waited for the train - got on train - train departs - subway has signal failure - train stops. Does finally resume the journey but by this time I am beyond caring. So commute time 1 hour, 40 minutes (normal 35 minutes door to door), cost $77.65 (normal $1.90). Public transport howareya - seriously ticked off - ( ok my own fault but it's a crazy system and $74 ....?) going back to driving.:mad:. Ok nothing to do with running but I have to vent somewhere .....

pgmcpq

Thurdsay: 6 miles .... actually cannot remember much about this.
Friday: Go up to a minor storm so spend 45 minutes on the elliptical + a light core workout
Saturday: 22 miles in 3hrs 06 (8.27m/m?) Curious run .... The first 14-15 miles were fine ... and then it all became a bit of struggle. I also went out 2hrs30m after breakfast - too soon as I know know - as I had to stop at 18.5 miles after a slightly worrying 2 miles. Form was poor, pace starting out too fast and my usual trick of converting thoughts about distance and time into review of my stride, breathing, shoulders etc did not work. Very happy to get to 22.
I don't know if the knowledge that this was my last 20+ miles run before the marathon was playing with my head. I had the sense that my patience was completely shot. So with no attempt at fast finish miles this run did leave me uneasy in that it seemed tougher than I would have hoped at this stage.
Sunday: 6 miles recovery. Much more of a struggle than it should have been. Again a poor run where instead of enjoying a leisurely run in a great day .... I was wishing for it to be over. Combined with yesterdays run this is poor ... pre-taper madness ?

While neither run was a objectively a disaster I would like to have finished the week on a more positive note. More unhappy with my mental discipline than anything else (really did lapse into the 'are we there yet' mode). Reading reports from Connemara yesterday I need to give my self a good talking too.

Consequently I have decided to take Monday off my legs completely and focus on core work. Looking back I have run 19 of the last 22 days and used with a bike or elliptical on the other 3 days. A day off might get my head, legs and lungs back in the game !

WeeksToGo|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
4|8(6hills)| 7recovery| 12 | 6recovery|elliptical|22|6recovery| 61


Three weeks to go ! This is my last full week of training.

pgmcpq

Tuesday: 10 miles, overall average 7:39m/m. 1 warm up, 4 tempo, ~2.5 hills, 2.5 < pmp.

Well it's not often I say this but the decision to take Monday off was a good one. Much better effort today. Did not break out the splits but the first 5 miles were at an average of 7:30. Fractionally slow for tempo miles .. but overall a good session. Felt much better about my general form.

It must be said it had cooled off this morning a bit. I am becoming a bit concerned that ofter a winter of serious training adjusting to summer may take me time - time I will not really have. Still can't worry about the things I cannot control. Under the heading of things I can control ....got some irritation on the same toe that had the blister. Now that is a worry as the shoes this morning were the same model I plan to use on race day. They have served me well to date ... strange that now it seems to have become an issue.

pgmcpq

Tuesday PM: 30 minutes on the bike.
Wednesday: 8 miles (~5 on grass) average 8:30m/m. Well ... that was a bit of a shocker. Left the house this morning and realized it had suddenly got much colder than it had been, and there was a hint of frost. Went back and grabbed the nearest running vest ... went back out again and almost returned once again to get gloves ! Decided to gut it out. I had intended a recovery run but probably due combating the cold the pace was quite a bit faster than intended (<8m/m). Intended less than 8 but hung around to try to meet up with another runner who had asked me to get him a knee brace. He failed to show (again!).

Still getting some friction on the toe. Don't know it this is because the initial swelling has not gone down or what. I have also developed this strange habit of tensing my right hand and making a fist. I am having some chiro adjustment done over there but this is a strange little habit I have picked up.

As the mornings get brighter and warmer, the park gets busier so there have been no wildlife sighting for a while. I am starting to notice some fairly serious looking runners show up ( the well worn gear, the relaxed arms and shoulders, the smooth looking stride ) and putting in some decent mileage.

pgmcpq

Wednesday PM: 30 minutes easy on the elliptical.
Thursday: 8 miles : average 7:50m/m ...(7 miles around 7:05-7:15 and one 11+m/m bathroom break ). Intended 7 miles at PMP ... actual was a bit faster than that. One more mile thrown in to make up for the break at mile 5.
Ok run .... did leave me wondering how likely pulling another 14.2 around the same average would be ! Finally delivered the knee brace.

Really, really, really need to try to hit my planned paces. I have real problem keeping a consistent pace - once my mind wanders at all I tend to speed up.

pgmcpq

Thursday PM: 20 minutes backwards on the elliptical ( I started doing this late last year after IT band problems - cannot remember exactly what it is meant to achieve.
Friday: 6 miles (5 @ 7:40m/m). Quick run squeezed in before a visit to the chiro ( shoulder problems this time - as one wit put it to me "You're wrecking limbs very methodically - one at at time going counter clockwise). Think this is part fo why I keep tensing my right arm. Run itself was more of a struggle that I would have hoped for. Morning was was cold and damp - had a slight attack of "runners nipple" after first four miles - bit of a suprise on this short a run. Mrs pgmcpq decided to join me this morning for the first time in a while.

Plan is now for a 16 LSR tomorrow, 3-5 mile recovery Sunday and then .... I am offically on taper time.

Reading thorugh reports of Connemara is interesting. That people find the energy to hold converstions with eachother on the run is amazing to me. I need all the oxygn I can get to simply run.