A Q&A with Bazman

--amadeus--

How fast do you do your threashold or tempo runns? What about the best pace you can hold for a track session?

Would you be pleased if you could hold a sub 5:40/mile pace for a lap or two? What about for a mile? Of course if you held it for 10 miles you'd finish a 10 mile race in 54 minutes, a pretty impressive achievement. Or a 71 minute half marathon.

But imagine holding that pace for an entire marathon. 26.2 miles in 2:22, in Dublin that gets you 15th overall and 4th Irishman. So step up our very own Bazman who did exactly that!

Bazman has very kindly agreed to submit himself to an interrogation here so we can all pick his brains on his training, nutrition, racing, strategy, his favourite colour socks, whatever!

So fire away, ask whatever you want and he promises he'll answer...

--amadeus--

And I'm going to start:

1 - What was an average training week? How many miles, what is the breakdown of fast and hard miles versus soft and easy?

2 - What pace did you run your long runs at? Were they steady pace? How fast did you run your recovery and easy runs?

3 - What was your refuelling strategy for the race?

4 - What's next?

donothoponpop

This year has been a golden one in the mountains, with general imra %'s of winning times dropping to the great joy of many a plodder. Many corks have popped in celebration of this golden era of the Everyman. So before we stock up on bubbly for the new season, have you any plans to come back, or are you focussed on the roads now?

NeedsTraining

Impressive running Bazman, times I can only dream of.

Some nutrition q's.

How carefully do you select your food?
What would be a typical days meal plan?
What do you eat as a snack?

I find I am always hungry and end up eating rubbish to get full.

Cheers,

NT

menoscemo

Thanks for doing this.
What pace do you run your recovery runs at?
What is your normal LSR pace? Do you introduce PMP miles into your LSR's? If so, up to how many?

Pherekydes

No disrespect, but wouldn't Tingle be faster?

--amadeus--

Pherekydes wrote: »

No disrespect, but wouldn't Tingle be faster?

Not over a marathon

Anyway you have to have a little hyperbole to draw in the punters...

I've dropped him a text, I hope he shows up now and doesn't leave us all hanging...!

rainbow kirby

Do you own any "lucky" items of clothing, and do you have any idiosyncratic pre-race rituals?

What shoes did you wear for DCM?

If a boardsie was to have bought you a drink after the race, what should they have got you?

What's your opinion of barefoot running?

Fluorescence

Worst moment you've ever had in training/race?

Funniest moment?

bazman

A few small corrections for a start
- I ain't the fastest runner on Boards.ie. Far from it. Can title of thread be changed?
- 2:22 marathon is 5:25/mile pace

It's a privilege to have been asked to answer questions on athletics, but in doing so I want people to know:
(a) Relatively I ain't that fast - there are many Irish faster
(b) Relatively I ain't that experienced. Athletics started for me in 2005 and running over 70 miles in a week was an alien concept before 2008.

Happy to share my experiences - there's nothing to hide, no big secret formulas. It my limited experience is of interest/benefit to some people then great - happy to help.

To start with I've attached my training logs covering 2009 & 2010. These should answer a lot of questions and raise a lot more. I've a busy week in work and away for weekend, so there may be delays in answering questions.

donothoponpop

bazman wrote: »

A few small corrections for a start
- I ain't the faster runner on Boards.ie. Far from it. Can title of thread be changed?

Changed to "A q&A with Bazman", that ok?

--amadeus--

Hmmm, modesty & maths, two things I'm not good with

Very interesting training log, I really like the layout. One questions off it (this could be a long thread, I hope you're ready for that...) I'm amazed at the amount of racing you do. For example you did 2 races a week in the 4 weeks after after your hamstring injury. Is there a reason for that or just because you enjoy it? How is your recovery and does it affect your training?

bazman

Q: What was an average training week? How many miles, what is the breakdown of fast and hard miles versus soft and easy?
See spreadsheets - has all you're looking for

Q: What pace did you run your long runs at? Were they steady pace? How fast did you run your recovery and easy runs?
In 2009 all long runs were relatively easy (7:00/mile). In 2010 in preparation for marathon I started doing long runs faster (6:00/mile).

Q: What was your refuelling strategy for the race?
No high GI foods or drinks on morning of marathon (e.g. no sports drinks). I took a gel 15 mins before race (IsoGel) and another 5 mins before. During race I took 2 other gels (miles 9 & 15 I think). Rest was all water.
Mistake was not taking on enough electrolyte - cramp was an issue over last 8 miles.

Q: What's next?
Hopefully London marathon

Q: This year has been a golden one in the mountains, with general imra %'s of winning times dropping to the great joy of many a plodder. Many corks have popped in celebration of this golden era of the Everyman. So before we stock up on bubbly for the new season, have you any plans to come back, or are you focussed on the roads now?
I did run the leinster league in 2010, primarily as a means to getting fit again. Lost the motivation for running in late 2009/early 2010 as you'll see from my logs. Strategy worked - hill running is fun and got me back into shape. I'll always run hill races, although probably not as many in 2011. I do want to race the Irish Champs some year, although probably won't be for a while as the races are in general too high risk.

Q: How carefully do you select your food?
Not carefully. I'm heavy & it's due to diet. It's something I'll focus on in 2011. The only time I was focused on diet was in lead up to national track champs in 2009. It worked - got down to 66kg on a healthy diet. In general I get good food in, but unfortunately I also love jellies, chocolate & ice cream.

Q: What would be a typical days meal plan?
I plan to eat most days I don't have any particular meal plans. When I go shopping I try to buy healthy stuff and no convenience food.

Q: What do you eat as a snack?
Luckily I love fruit, so as much as possible I try to snack on fruit. Unfortunately more often than not it's jellies, particularly when tired in work for the energy rush.

Q: What pace do you run your recovery runs at?
5:00/km

Q: What is your normal LSR pace? Do you introduce PMP miles into your LSR's? If so, up to how many?
Recently I'm trying to run LSR faster. Starting at 6:30/mile and move to 6:00/mile. What's PMP miles?

Q: No disrespect, but wouldn't Tingle be faster?
None taken. Only one way to sort this. 7pm at Irishtown
Not sure what Tingles times are, but mine are 1:59 for 800m, 3:57 for 1500m, 14:47 for 5km, 30:20 for 10km, 68:12 for half, 2:22:05 for full marathon

Q: Do you own any "lucky" items of clothing, and do you have any idiosyncratic pre-race rituals?
Not really to be honest.

Q: What shoes did you wear for DCM?
I wore Adidas AdiZero Ace. They're a slightly heavier simple version of the Adios which I wore in Florence. Ace were better for me as had more heel & cushion, although Adidas reps would more recommend the Adios/Boston for marathon. I also considered Nike LunarRace & Streak, but they didn't feel right for the distance. I'm pro Adidas at the moment - they just fit like a glove. Was very happy with shoe choice. Running shoes are an obsession of mine - I've most models on the market. I'll prepare something specifically on this.
I wore compression socks for marathon as I read they can help onset of cramps. They didn't help - unlikely to wear in next marathon.

Q: If a boardsie was to have bought you a drink after the race, what should they have got you?
Excuseless did - I had a nice pint of Guiness

Q: What's your opinion of barefoot running?
Why? Runners are so light now I don't see the point of running barefoot. Whatever you're into I guess, but it you want to run fast I'd wear shoes always - even on a perfect cross country course - you can get spikes now for under 100g.

Q: Worst moment you've ever had in training/race?
Tough one.
Possibly when I started back training in 2010 with an extra 6kgs over normal weight, realising I had a lot of work to do.
Possibly in training 3 weeks before Dublin marathon durning a 3 x 2 miles marathon mission group session - legs were jelly & knew my marathon prep was in trouble. Thankfully one week of easy running solved the problem.
In a race it would be any one of my 4th place finished in national championships - in particular I was devastated after 2009 track 10k. I was in super shape (best to date) and made a mess of race tactics. Had to run the 5k the next day to get the rage out of my system

Q: Funniest moment?
There is nothing funny about athletics It is fun, but rarely funny. I remember being passed out by a guy wearing '50' on his back a few years back in the Gerry Farnan race - that was funny at the time

Q: I'm amazed at the amount of racing you do. For example you did 2 races a week in the 4 weeks after after your hamstring injury. Is there a reason for that or just because you enjoy it? How is your recovery and does it affect your training?
The fun part of athletics is racing. Athletics is my hobby, not my profession - if I'm not enjoying it then what's the point? I know racing all the time is not to be recommended for maximum performance, so will race less in 2011 to see if I can improve to next level.
My recovery is generally very good, which allows me to race often. I would categorise races - I would only taper for target races (ones highlighted in log). Otherwise races is just another component of training - required to get faster, but important not to overdo it (which I've done several times and never learn).

menoscemo

bazman wrote: »

What's PMP miles?

Planned Marathon Pace. i.e. 5.25/mile (or maybe you were planning faster?)

bazman

menoscemo wrote: »

Planned Marathon Pace. i.e. 5.25/mile (or maybe you were planning faster?)

Never did PMP as part of LSRs (go the TLAs). For long runs I'm always slower that PMP & for interval sessions always faster. Tempo runs are generally at PMP.

Gringo78

How fast (or slow) were you in 2005 starting out? (eg what would have been your 5k time in 2005?)

I believe everyone can improve for 10 years...do you believe your times will improve for next 5 years?

menoscemo

bazman wrote: »

Never did PMP as part of LSRs (go the TLAs). For long runs I'm always slower that PMP & for interval sessions always faster. Tempo runs are generally at PMP.

What would have been your longest Tempo session?

what's TLA's? :pac:

dna_leri

Thanks for being so open with your training logs and answering questions.

What are your targets for 2011 & 2012 ?

bazman

Q: How fast (or slow) were you in 2005 starting out? (eg what would have been your 5k time in 2005?)
Don't have records from 2005. Was only running IMRA races at the time at these are on www.imra.ie. Was running IMRA races since 2000, but only started training outside of races in 2005.
2006: Ran 80:20 for Amsterdam half marathon (first proper road race I remember)
2007: Ran 35:12 for 10k (Port Tunnel), 26:40 for 5 miles (Raheny), 72:29 for half (Connemara - first race I took seriously - it was the one that changed my perspective on running - focused on this race completely for about 4 months)

Q: I believe everyone can improve for 10 years...do you believe your times will improve for next 5 years?
Yes I believe in this & confident I will improve, particularly at distances over 10k.
I believe I've a sub-30 10k and sub-2:20 marathon in me and these will be primary targets for 2011.

Q: What would have been your longest Tempo session?
This year it was 12.5 miles in 70 minutes. Last year it was 10 miles @ 6:00 pace, followed by 10 miles @ 5:30 pace. Tempo runs are very important prep for the marathon, but I think interval training is more important. I'm moving towards running slow runs faster and less tempo runs.

Q: What are your targets for 2011 & 2012 ?
One year at a time. For 2011 primary targets are sub-30 for 10k, sub-50 for 10 miles, sub-2:20 for marathon. Secondary targets are sub-67 half & individual national senior medal.

ecoli

What kind of strength and conditioning work do you do?

During injuries which do you feel are the most beneficial ways to keep up fitness (i.e what kinda cross training would you recommend)?

bazman

Q: What kind of strength and conditioning work do you do?
Very little. I've good core strength from my GAA date and good leg strength from hill running. I would occasionally do circuit training, but not enough. Will try to improve on this in 2011.

Q: During injuries which do you feel are the most beneficial ways to keep up fitness (i.e what kinda cross training would you recommend)?
I do a little on the bike, although a lot less that I used to - it's definitely good for endurance and allows you to train more without damaging the legs. Primarily I bike for enjoyment - a chat with the lads over the hills. It's just like going for a pint, only healthier
If you want to get faster there is no substitute for running. In general pro cyclists don't run and pro runners don't cycle.

Thankfully I don't get many injuries. When I do I generally just rest up. If I really wanted to keep in shape I'd cycle & swim, but thankfully I haven't needed to resort to this to date.

Off to my leaba now - may be a few days before i get to review this thread again ...

TheRoadRunner

How do you develop your training plans? Do you devise them yourself or do you have a coach? When doing your tough sessions do you generally do them alone or with a group. Thanks

heffsarmy

Its great to see how you have progressed through the years, by the way congrats on your marathon, great result. I see your average mileage for this years marathon prepartion is less than 2009, also you ran alot less longer runs, was that the plan or it just panned out that way. Would you change your plan for the marathon next year in London? I see your part off the 2012 marathon mission, whats that about? Good luck with your goals.

Cindyss

Congrats on a great result Bazman.

What is the single most important training component needed to get faster times in a marathon.
Thanks, Gary

bazman

Thanks for all the questions so far - hope my logs/answers are of some interest. I just want to clarify a few things before continuing:
- I ain't doing this to boost the ego or because I see myself as an expert. I know my place as a decent club runner who is quite a long way off international standard. I was asked to do a Q&A and agreed because I'm a fan of knowledge sharing. There are hundreds in Ireland who could reach an elite level and anything that helps athletes reach their potential is worthwhile.
- I am relatively well read on athletics, but I remain inexperienced. I have made a lot of mistakes. Take my logs & answers with a very large pinch of salt - I've still a lot to learn. In terms of marathon preparation I would recommend 'Advanced Marathoning' by Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas - these guys really are experts.
- Everyone is different and there are many ways to skin a cat. Generic training plans and experience of others are all fantastic for guideance, but I believe everyone should tailor plans to suits their personal needs and surroundings (e.g. club training sessions). Is it important to have an awareness of your own strengths & weaknesses in order to tailor a programme to maximise your own potential.

Right, back to Q&A:

Q: How do you develop your training plans? Do you devise them yourself or do you have a coach?
To date I have largely been self-coached. I would certainly seek advice from club coaches and peers in devising training plans, but I like being relatively independent. I would train with others as much as possible, particularly for sessions and long runs.
In terms of planning, I generally start by setting primary targets and high level training objectives (e.g. endurance training until end December). I rarely do a detailed long-term plan, preferring to plan on a weekly basis taking into account personal & work commitments and also group training sessions. For the key races (e.g. marathon, national 10k) I would do an outline plan of key sessions from about 8-10 weeks out, but I wouldn't religiously stick to these plans.

Q: When doing your tough sessions do you generally do them alone or with a group?
With others when possible. Sessions are generally of a much higher quality when running with others. This is not always possible for me as I'm often working odd hours, but given a choice I would always run in a group. Most important thing about group session is to still run within your capabilities - no point in leaving your best runs on the training track.
Running occasionally on your own is good for the mind, particularly as you can often end up raing on your own.

Q: I see your average mileage for this years marathon prepartion is less than 2009, also you ran alot less longer runs, was that the plan or it just panned out that way. Would you change your plan for the marathon next year in London?
I had an easy work life last year which allowed me to run high mileage. This year I was particularly busy in work and also didn't have the base mileage work done during the winter, so I went with a lower mileage approach. Advantage of running lower mileage is generally sessions are higher quality. This year I benefited from more tough sessions with quality athletes (as part of marathon mission). As I said earlier there are many ways to skin a cat - I've tried 2 ways with broadly the same results. Haven't decided on how I will approach next marathon - I'm likely to increase mileage back to 2009 levels of approx 100mpw if my body can cope.

Q: I see your part off the 2012 marathon mission, whats that about?
http://dublinmarathon.ie/news.php?article=282

Q: What is the single most important training component needed to get faster times in a marathon.
Consistency. Year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day. I think I've really benefited from 3-4 years of consitent training and racing. I took a big break last winter - looking back this was a mistake as it took a long time to get back.

ecoli

bazman wrote: »

Consistency. Year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day. I think I've really benefited from 3-4 years of consitent training and racing. I took a big break last winter - looking back this was a mistake as it took a long time to get back.

With your break do you take a complete break from all sports or would you advise maintaining some easy mileage or cross training?

Again thanks for your time it is great to get insight into different peoples approaches. While books are good they dont give athlete feedback on training but rather just expert advice and i think you need both. Never hurts to get as much information from as many sources as possible

misty floyd

This is great stuff bazman.

bazman

Q: With your break do you take a complete break from all sports or would you advise maintaining some easy mileage or cross training?

Mentally I need to take a complete break at least once a year, even if only for 2 weeks. Generally this is over the Christmas period or after a big race like the marathon. I would recommend biking during any break and maintaining some easy mileage. This is my plan for November, but so far I've only been on my bike once and put the runners on a few times - I blame the weather

BeepBeep67

Marathon Talk steal - kind of!
Given the right resources and support or the opportunity to train like a professional for 1 year, which distance would pick and what time do you think you could run?

metamorphosis

Realy enjoyed this so far Bazman - thanks for sharing.

Slogger Jogger

Great reading Baz. Thanks.

When you're marathon bug has been addressed it will be great to see you back on the hills, and the Irish Champs etc as you mention earlier, even if it does mess up the rest of our %s

Any particular stand out memories from your IMRA races? Favorite race / best race?

Krusty_Clown

Thanks for the great info Bazman. It's great to be able to pick your brain, and we know you're only responding because you've been mercilessly pestered!

Marathon mission - Seems like a great initiative, and it's great to see these kind of programs being put together to bring back the edge in long distance running. Is there a competitive streak between the various mission guys and gals or is it a case of everyone working together for a common goal?

Do you ever do any heart-rate based training?

Recovery - Ice baths - a waste of time or do they work for you?
A few pints of a weekend, or a no-tipple policy?

Sorry if any of these questions are answered in your logs - I only have OpenOffice on my home laptop.

Burgman

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Sorry if any of these questions are answered in your logs - I only have OpenOffice on my home laptop.

FYI - OpenOffice version 3 opens the xlsx files that are on page 1 of this thread. You may need to upgrade. Current version is 3.2.1.

bazman

Q: Given the right resources and support or the opportunity to train like a professional for 1 year, which distance would pick and what time do you think you could run?
I don't think my goals or training volume would change drastically. I would still be targeting distances 10k to marathon. I certainly would have more time for the finer details like stretching, massage, core, strength, and sleeping. I am planning some time off over the next few months, so hopefully it will help. Several amateurs have and are achieving fantastic times and it good to have distractions.

Q: Any particular stand out memories from your IMRA races? Favorite race / best race?
My favourite race is probably the Wicklow Way Trail and it's also one of my stand-out memories as it was my first proper victory & a year later it proved to me I could be fast as I set a time comparable to the great Gerry Healy. A week after I ran ticknock which is also a standout memory as my first LL victory - a John Shields photo captured my happiness perfectly. Later the same year the world trophy trial at Trooperstown was very important to me as (a) first time qualifying for international team, (b) was only about 6 weeks after a bad ankle injury, & (c) secured the leinster championship.
In general I'm a fan of the Leinster League as for me the races have the right balance. The Irish Champs have some epic routes, but the reality is they're long & very technical, meaning long recovery and high risk (i.e. don't fit with running fast on the flat).

Q: Do you ever do any heart-rate based training?
I tried it for a few weeks, but found that I always could predict my heart rate without looking at a watch. I prefer to run by feel than be dictated by a watch. I generally only analyse times after a session.

Q: Recovery - Ice baths - a waste of time or do they work for you?
Again, I've tried this pre-race & post-race. Have found no real differences in my performances or recovery rates, so I don't bother anymore. I sometimes wear compression clothing for recovery, which I think helps.

Q: A few pints of a weekend, or a no-tipple policy?
I don't drink much, so it's a non-issue. I rarely go on a bender. I don't think a few pints do any harm to training. All in moderation. On average I'm probably only drinking 2 pints & 2 glasses of wine per week - small change.

Enduro

Are you ever going to return to the wonderful world of adventure racing?

myflipflops

bazman wrote: »

Q: Do you ever do any heart-rate based training?
I tried it for a few weeks, but found that I always could predict my heart rate without looking at a watch. I prefer to run by feel than be dictated by a watch. I generally only analyse times after a session.
.[/B]

This is interesting. The Training Log section is very heavy on people runnin gwith Garmins and measuring heart rates, times and exact distances. There are very few examples of those running on feel. I feel it is a major mistake as people get caught up on statistics and end up with poorer training. It;s interesting that as probably the best athlete amongst current, regular posters (open to correction on this), you are a run by feel type.

How set in stone are your sessions? Will you 'go with the flow' for want of a better phrase on a day you feel good rather than ease back to hit specific targets? I read a lot about people feeling good but then easing back as they are going quicker than specified targets.

Do you have a coach?


Good read by the way and well done in Dublin.

Magnet

Thanks Bazman - This thread and your answers are fantastic, I`m no where near as fast but to read about your approach is a great opportunity to improve my own training, You`re just tellin it like it is - Brilliant :pac:
Sub 2:30 here we come

nosnagaoithe

Bazman - where do you stand on the milage debate i.e. is there a break off point for non-elites in terms of weekly milage for marathon prep. Some folks on here before have suggested up to 70 miles p.w., and after that little improvement is observed just by adding miles. Thoughts on this? Thanks and well done.

--amadeus--

myflipflops wrote: »

This is interesting. The Training Log section is very heavy on people runnin gwith Garmins and measuring heart rates, times and exact distances. There are very few examples of those running on feel. I feel it is a major mistake as people get caught up on statistics and end up with poorer training. It;s interesting that as probably the best athlete amongst current, regular posters (open to correction on this), you are a run by feel type.

Not wanting to go OT but I would guess that a lot of them would be people without the talent or experience that allows them to judge for themselves (yet). Garmins, HRMs and the like can help develop that "feel", IMO.

Bazman, very interesting reading, huge thanks again

TheRoadRunner

--amadeus-- wrote: »

Not wanting to go OT but I would guess that a lot of them would be people without the talent or experience that allows them to judge for themselves (yet). Garmins, HRMs and the like can help develop that "feel", IMO.

Bazman, very interesting reading, huge thanks again

Remaining OT I would have to disagree. I have started turning the gps on my watch off as it resulted in a form of laziness where I lost "the feel" I would have been very good at judging pace previosly.

Back OT. Thanks for the input, honest and modesty bazman.

One other question from me. Reading your previous posts, replies and log it is obvious you set your sights on individual championships medals. In the morning what would you take first, to be national marathon champ or a pb of 2.18

marchino

ran against you in croghan 10k back in may, was 4th but well well behind you! 3minutes!! you seemed like a decent bloke.

im only running a couple of years but iv managed a 33.44 10k in august!
hoping now to go sub 16 for 5k, which im not too far off, have you any words of wisdom to help me achieve this and indeed push on and run a bit quicker..??

in order to improve is it all really a matter of time and being patient with your body and mind!?
like you im a dedicated trainer but iv never done track session or antin like that and like you also, i dont get to obsessed with diets and the like! should i??

Thanks in advance, a lot of q's.., keep pushing for the sub the 2.20, perhaps berlin after london, i hear its nice and flat!

seanynova

Congratulations on your running to date and in particular your recent marathon! Well done, and I hope it continues!
Thanks also for the input here, very much appreciated.

So, when more or less starting out in 2005, I presume this was when you finished the GAA career and had a very good fitness base from that training…but a fitness base that’s different to running long distances!
From then, in 2006 you ran 80:20mins in Amsterdam half marathon, a very impressive proper road race debut time!
I guess what I’m getting at, even though you had a good fitness base, I think a lot of people here would have preferred to read that you ran a first race of 85-95mins half marathon, a very respectable time too…..in your case its seams that you are just naturally gifted when it comes to running. But maybe, like a lot of other athletes on boards who made huge gains in the marathon in particular, maybe debuting around sub3:30, then sub3:00, sub2:50….sub2:40…and lower again…..all athletes can make sufficient gains.

How much in your opinion, is the ability to run fast (2:30 marathon for example) is down to natural ability?


Also, there is an interesting topic on the forum also regarding cadence, foot striking etc. 90 strides per minute seems to be the recommended rate for slow and fast running, fore foot striking seams to be the preferred style with elites……

What is your opinion on, cadence rate, foot strike, running form etc? Is it something everyone can look at to help improve, and how?

Thanks again for the help.
Sean

bazman

Q: Are you ever going to return to the wonderful world of adventure racing?
Hey Enduro. Primal Quest was a fantastic experience & one I'll want to repeat. I've that savage 10 day race to thank for losing quite a bit of weight & for giving me mental toughness. I certainly came back stronger (after recovery of course). Everything is a piece of pi$$ by comparison. When is the question ... I'll consider a big adventure race or ironman around 2014 if I'm still healthy (fingers crossed). Will get back to some 1 day racing before then I reckon. Marathon next April is all I've planned for now ...

Q: How set in stone are your sessions? Will you 'go with the flow' for want of a better phrase on a day you feel good rather than ease back to hit specific targets? I read a lot about people feeling good but then easing back as they are going quicker than specified targets.
I know the type of sessions I want to do. Lactate threshold, tempo or speed - after that I'll go with the flow. Will change planned session to fit in with a group. In terms of pace in a session I will always know what times I want to achieve. I don't look at watch during rep, but I will check it after each rep to see if I'm on target. I wouldn't be the type to ease back if I'm feeling good, but at the same time I try not to leave a good race on the training ground.

Q: Do you have a coach?
As I've said earlier I'm largely self-coached. I would seek training and racing advice from Rathfarnham coach Adam Jones & Marathon Mission coach Dick Hooper, but in general I draft my own training plans. I will fit it with Rathfarnham training sessions where possible.

Q: Where do you stand on the milage debate i.e. is there a break off point for non-elites in terms of weekly milage for marathon prep. Some folks on here before have suggested up to 70 miles p.w., and after that little improvement is observed just by adding miles. Thoughts on this?
If you want to get the most out of your potential I think you're looking at a minimum of 70 mpw. After that the rule of diminishing returns kicks in, but there are still returns nonetheless. I generally work in KMs & try to hit at least 100k per week & up to 160k for serious endurance training. The reality is you have to fit it in with your life and ability to recover. There is no point running 100 miles per week if you're not recovering from the mileage.
The key recovery factor for me is sleep - I need to be getting at least 8 hours in if running 100mpw - if this isn't possible I'll ease back on mileage. If working long hours I often take days off - I won't force myself out for a run if I'm wrecked as I feel it would be counter-productive. However, if running lower mileage I'll focus on getting key sessions right.
I would be a believer in doing an endurance period of 5+ weeks of high mileage with only one interval session per week and then moving to lower mileage with more quality about 8 weeks out from a key race (e.g. . Lydiard type training). I don't always act on this belief as I often get distracted by races, but I'm this winter I'm going to focus on high mileage and see if it helps next year. It certainly did in 2009.
Up until 2010, I certainly found the more miles I ran the faster I got, but in 2010 I've managed to run just as fast (& sometimes faster) off less mileage - I suspect this is because I had the high mileage year behind me. High mileage is required to succeed at distances of 10k & over - there is little doubt about that. On average elite marathoners run about 120mpw during endurance building training phase. I don't think there are short-cuts ... Only thing to be aware of is that there is the term 'junk' miles, which is when miles run serve no training purpose - I'm guilty of running 'junk' miles, particularly if running to/from work, but from now on I'm going to try to have a purpose to every run - recovery, endurance, lactate threshold, VO2 max, economy, speed etc etc.


Q: Reading your previous posts, replies and log it is obvious you set your sights on individual championships medals. In the morning what would you take first, to be national marathon champ or a pb of 2.18
Great question & very difficult for me to answer. The reality is times are more respected than medals as medal can be won when the competition is weak. Earlier in my running career I certainly would have preferred the medal, but I'm moving towards being time focused. Still, given that choice I would take the national title - only execption I'll make would be if the time meant qualifying for a major championship which is the ultimate goal.

Q: In order to improve is it all really a matter of time and being patient with your body and mind!?
Difficult question to answer - I think this is different for everyone. For me I just focus on continuous improvement - I'm generally always happy with a PB - that means moving forward. I'm impatient with goals, but try to set realistic ones. Once a goal is achieved, I just set a new one

Q: Like you im a dedicated trainer but iv never done track session or antin like that and like you also, i dont get to obsessed with diets and the like! should i??
Croghan was a tough 10k! Hope to make it back this year - very enjoyable race. Don't get obsessed with diet if you're still improving - if you've stopped improving and haven't reached your goals, then it's time to focus on the finer details like diet. I'm a very bad person to talk to in relation to diet - generally all over the place, but I'm hoping to get this right in 2011. Get on the track with club sessions if you want to improve your speed!

Q: How much in your opinion, is the ability to run fast (2:30 marathon for example) is down to natural ability?
I always had speed - fast on the playground, in school, on the GAA pitch & I always enjoyed running & cycling. I just never focused on it until I gave up the GAA. On the flip side, all you've to do is look at my IMRA beginnings to see I started out at a relatively low level - certainly back then a sub 2:30 marathon seemed an unrealistic dream. It wasn't a target in fairness - back then I was more focused on going to the pub.
I think you need natural ability to go under 2:30 in the marathon. On the flip side it can take years to understand natural ability. In 2008 very few would have expected I would run under 2:30. There was that program on Channel 4 about the guy who went from being overweight to targeting qualification to a major championship - think he did about 2:40, which I reckon is a achieveable for 95% of young males out there (might take years of dedication). Once you've done that you'll know what's left in the tank. I think too many people are running marathons to run faster marathons, which is a mistake. If you really want to run fast marathons, I believe if first focusing on your speed & get your 5k & 10k times down to a level that match your target marathon - adding the endurance is the easy bit - it just means extra work.

Q: What is your opinion on, cadence rate, foot strike, running form etc? Is it something everyone can look at to help improve, and how?
I'm not the type to do drills, but I think they could help for those starting out. Running economy is important - to achieve this I would just take up track training & racing and not focus too much on analysing form. 100m strides also help ...

mrak

Been off the boards and running to be honest for the past six months so just stumbled on this. Reading a thread like this is enough to rekindle the interest in any jaded head so I'm going to have another lash at this running lark - superb stuff Bazman.

I'm an injury magnet so would be in a coffin after a month if I tried to shoot for your program, however I do plan to steal your excel template and start logging what I'm actually doing - something I've started umpteen times but never stuck with.. I like the simple format of yours and the accompanying graph.

Q. I notice that you simplified things in 2010 to just enter the summary info and not the detailed level info. Do you think this works better or will you change anything for 2011..? and can you explain your code? I get the:
# Race (R) # Interval (I) # Tempo (T) # Hill (H) # Easy (E) # Long (E>20) # Bike (B) # Core (C)

bit but you have things like H27 - does this mean 27 kilometers of hill as in an easy run on a hilly route?

just a comment on your long tempo run:

10 miles at 6:00pace + 10 at 5:30 pace

wtf that's just sick - kudos.

bazman

Q: Can you explain your code? Bit but you have things like H27 - does this mean 27 kilometers of hill as in an easy run on a hilly route?
Sometimes I make it up as I go along with the template. It makes sense to me, but I didn't design it to be read by others On the programme tab I have things like E8+E8+S6. That generally means I've done 8km in the morning & 14km in the evening, with 6km fast (interval or tempo) - sometimes I have a comment detailing session, sometimes not. In relation to H27, this would mean a hilly run 27km long. Thinking of changing the codes for 2011 to be more descriptive & include all elements - recovery, easy jogs, steady runs, pace/tempo runs, LT intervals, speed intervals etc
I would highly recommend http://www.runningahead.com/ as an online training log, although it's a little more time consuming.
BTW: Only did that 'sick' session once, in the company of Brian MacMahon. Only possible for me with company ...

Q: When you do your LSR in prep for a marathon – do you do them at race pace or at a percentage of your for the day?
Was asked this question on e-mail recently. There is very good advice the book I mentioned earlier (Advanced Marathoning). Forget exactly what it said, but it was something like:
- allow up to 5 miles to get to 80% of marathon pace
- do last 50% of run at 90% of marathon pace
For me on a typical 2 hour run this works out at:
- marathon pace = 5:25
- first 2 miles I'll run at 7:30-8:00 pace
- will move to 7:00 pace over miles 3 & 4
- by mile 5 I'll be running 6:40 pace (about 80%)
- for last hour I'll run 6:00 pace (about 90%)
Difficult to do this every week. Would only do this for a maximum of 2 out of every 3 LSRs. The third one would be longer in time, but at easier pace (e.g. all 7:00 for me). It's also recommended to fit in tempo sessions at marathon pace - this could also be integrated into LSRs, but I tend to keep separate.

mrak

bazman wrote: »

Sometimes I make it up as I go along with the template. It makes sense to me, but I didn't design it to be read by others On the programme tab I have things like E8+E8+S6. That generally means I've done 8km in the morning & 14km in the evening, with 6km fast (interval or tempo) - sometimes I have a comment detailing session, sometimes not. In relation to H27, this would mean a hilly run 27km long. Thinking of changing the codes for 2011 to be more descriptive & include all elements - recovery, easy jogs, steady runs, pace/tempo runs, LT intervals, speed intervals etc
I would highly recommend http://www.runningahead.com/ as an online training log, although it's a little more time consuming.[/B]

Thanks for that - I've tried the online logs before and they worked for a while but were awkward to backfill if I missed a few days. I like the succinct codified way you are doing it, worth a shot anyhow.

ocnoc

Any interest in going for the European/World Trophy in the hills next year?

bazman

Q: Any interest in going for the European/World Trophy in the hills next year?
Yes, always interested. Really enjoyed the worlds this year. The worlds now has championship status (no longer called world trophy) which means increased competition. The timing of the worlds in good if fitting in a track season. It's also up-down in 2011 which will suit me, so likely to trial for the worlds. I'm not sure about the europeans - will have to look into course & timings, but it's unlikely as I'll probably focus on track during the late summer months.