2013; Eat my dust Meno!

claralara

A title to motivate the stubbornness within – I do not want to fail on this.

Connemarathon – 14 weeks. It’ll be my first time running in Connemara. It’ll be my first marathon. Will it be the biggest mistake I’ve ever made? Hopefully not. I’ve decided to buck up and commit 100% as I will have only myself to blame if it all goes to pot. So from now on I will train hard, I will eat better, I will drink less alcohol and more water and I will complete Connemara with a desire to run again and not the wish to hang up my runners.

I hope that this time 14 weeks, the discipline will have paid off and the regrets will be nil!

runrabbit

Best of luck missus, will be following this with interest!

maria74

14 weeks...aghhhhhh!! I think I am having a panic attack (if that's possible while you lie on a couch in front of the TV!):p

There seems to be a few of us aiming towards Connemara (although I am only doing half). My wish is to have no regrets also! Are you following a plan?

Best of luck with training

BrokenMan

Good luck claralara. See you on the start line in Conn.

littlebug

You're doing the full?! :eek: Good luck Claralara... I hope you have some good training hills lined up!

jcsmum

So a new log eh? Best of luck with the training for Conn. You'll do great!

shels4ever

claralara wrote: »

A title to motivate the stubbornness within – I do not want to fail on this.

Connemarathon – 14 weeks. It’ll be my first time running in Connemara. It’ll be my first marathon. Will it be the biggest mistake I’ve ever made? Hopefully not. I’ve decided to buck up and commit 100% as I will have only myself to blame if it all goes to pot. So from now on I will train hard, I will eat better, I will drink less alcohol and more water and I will complete Connemara with a desire to run again and not the wish to hang up my runners.

I hope that this time 14 weeks, the discipline will have paid off and the regrets will be nil!

Enjoy the training you will be fine, put in the hard work . just make sure you enjoy the training and for your first marathon enjoy dont stress too much about times ect

claralara

So...not a good start. A veritable disaster in fact!

Stomach and chest were feeling a bit dodge the last few days and clever clogs thought ignorance and a run would sort it all out. Turned out to be an awful idea. Went out for the group run with the intention of 10 miles. Bailed out after 3.5 close to throwing up... not the best first impression I've ever made! I have some serious reputation salvaging to do.

I was pretty peeved and decided there and then that Connemara was off the cards. However while I was walking back to the car I gave myself a good talking to - s**t happens, I'll get over it. I'm going to stick with it and train for the full. I may have to reassess before the race but for the next 3 months I will be training for a marathon.

Great to meet a few faces even if it was only a brief encounter. I'm still alive anyway just in case anyone is worried...:o

claralara

The one good thing that came out of today was that the niggles in the feet weren't niggling so hopefully that will remain to be the case.

I'm going to follow a mixture of HH Novice II and Run Republic (Sub 4.30) plans - tweaked a little to suit life, work, current fitness level (:mad:) for a few weeks. Hopefully I'll be back on track in the not too distant future!

Plan: Week 1/14

Monday 3 miles
Tuesday 5 miles slow
Wednesday 3/4 miles fast
Thursday Rest
Friday 40mins Cross
Saturday LSR 10 miles
Sunday Rest


Monday 3rd
3.5 miles - no idea of time

menoscemo

claralara wrote: »

Great to meet a few faces even if it was only a brief encounter. I'm still alive anyway just in case anyone is worried...:o

Sorry you were feeling bad. Don't worry about impressions, I didn't even notice you were gone until a while after . Sickness will come and go but your fitness won't go as quick so don't worry about it. The good news is that the foot felt better, but I would go to a physio anyway just for peace of mind. Good to see you have picked up a plan, best of luck. Myself and RK agreed to do about 16-18 next sunday at 1pm if you're interested (the group will be going for their usual 10). We are also doing some speed stuff on wednesday but I wouldn't do that unless the chest clears up quickly...

digger2d2

We all have bad days.....I remember shortly before Marathon taper last year jcsmum had a really tough lsr out of the blue and yet she came out and ran a great DCM...Head down, keep notching the miles, the confidence will flow and you'll be amazed how soon you'll be grinning from ear to ear after completing your first 20 mile lsr....Make sure you come out again with us

shazkea

New log girl so don't let one crappy run ruin your motivation - you'll crack Conn no bother to you.

Might see you in the Phoenix Park next week for the long run...and I won't have to worry about making a good first impression ...sorry couldn't resist!!

jcsmum

Don't worry, we all have bad days and as digger pointed out, I had a rotten LSR before DCM. It does shake your confidence (and sanity) a little bit, but you have put a lot of good runs in and they all count too. Focus on the positive.

Cabaal

Don't worry you won't regret anything just stick to your plan best you can and you'll be just fine, We all have good and bad days.

claralara

Cheers for the posts above lads – great encouragement and support to a doubting Thomas.

So... for anyone who’s waiting with baited breath (:rolleyes:)... I did make it out for a nice easy run this evening. Only got out after 9 because I was working late i.e. I had a perfect excuse to bail! Dare I say that yesterday may have been a blessing in disguise? It made me refocus, make a plan and realise that I really want to this!

Tuesday 4th January
5.08 miles – 9.25 Pace

I survived. And enjoyed it! Chest still not 100% but a good bit better. No nausea and no niggly feet. I have everything crossed that there’ll be no aches or pains in the morning but if there’s any sort of pinch at all I’ll definitely sort out a bit of physio. Anyway I felt like going on for a little bit longer but the new improved clever clogs said no - the plan is there for a reason!!

Still a fair bit of work to get the fitness levels back and I could definitely feel the turkey and Cadbury roses pounds bouncing along with me but with a bit of luck it’ll all sort itself out soon enough.

menoscemo wrote: »

Myself and RK agreed to do about 16-18 next sunday at 1pm if you're interested (the group will be going for their usual 10). We are also doing some speed stuff on wednesday but I wouldn't do that unless the chest clears up quickly...

Cool, Sunday sounds good - I'll aim to join yee for a few anyway. I won't lose the run of myself just yet. And I'll bring my gear into work tomorrow and see how the chest is. If it's alright and I get out on time I'll head up to yee (maybe just for some 400's though...).

digger2d2 wrote: »

We all have bad days.....I remember shortly before Marathon taper last year jcsmum had a really tough lsr out of the blue and yet she came out and ran a great DCM...Head down, keep notching the miles, the confidence will flow and you'll be amazed how soon you'll be grinning from ear to ear after completing your first 20 mile lsr....Make sure you come out again with us

Thanks for that Digger. It definitely egged me on to get out again today! And i'll certainly be joining yee again - as I said, there's some reputation salvaging to be done! :cool:

maria74

claralara wrote: »

Still a fair bit of work to get the fitness levels back and I could definitely feel the turkey and Cadbury roses pounds bouncing along with me but with a bit of luck it’ll all sort itself out soon enough.

I know that feeling!!

You are so right do one bad day does not mean an end to all the hard work you put in before (maybe thats the main/only (delete as appropriate) thing I have learned in past year of running!)

Well done on getting back out there...and even more so for posting all about it.

christeb

Nice log title

Mr Slow

A little bit of advice from one who knows very little.

1. See a good physio even for a check up
2. Run 2/3 x 20 milers in training (optional but advisable)
3. Experience your first marathon - don't race against the clock.

Enjoy the whole experience!

digger2d2

mrslow wrote: »

A little bit of advice from one who knows very little.

1. See a good physio even for a check up
2. Run 2/3 x 20 milers in training (optional but advisable)
3. Experience your first marathon - don't race against the clock.

Enjoy the whole experience!

Jeez...Give the man a book on running and look what happens;)...From personal experience I agree with point 3. 100%

claralara

christeb wrote: »

Nice log title

Cheers! It's completely plagiarised as my poetic capabilities don't stretch much further 'my new log' but I thought it hit the spot!

mrslow wrote: »

A little bit of advice from one who knows very little.

1. See a good physio even for a check up
2. Run 2/3 x 20 milers in training (optional but advisable)
3. Experience your first marathon - don't race against the clock.

Enjoy the whole experience!

Good advice - keep feeding me titbits like that and I won't have to read my own books like the nerd I've been accused of becoming! I think this one will be a just-cross-the-finish-line job so I definitely want to enjoy it.

Another late night in work this evening. Why is it that this time last year when I was a lazy sod, work and life accomodated hours and hours on the couch, but now that I've hauled ass I don't seem to have minute free?!
Only a short one tonight though so it wasn't too bad.

Wednesday 5th January
3.83 miles - 8.56 av pace
Not 'fast' as such but a little speedier than yesterday. I was pretty pooped which isn't ideal but it's good to see a teeny improvement in the fitness.

BrokenMan

Just a small little piece of advice. I am not sure if you are doing it at present but for Conn in particular it will be important to get in some of your runs over hills. I dont necessarily mean hill repeats that you se on some of the more advanced programmes but more just to get used to running up and down hills. Ideally if you can fit some in around the end of your LSR's that would be ideal as it would simulate the tiredness you will feel when you tackle the big hills in the second half. Remember as well to try and get in some practice on downhills, its very often overlooked. You stress your legs very differently running downhill than on the flat or uphill.

claralara

BrokenMan wrote: »

Just a small little piece of advice. I am not sure if you are doing it at present but for Conn in particular it will be important to get in some of your runs over hills. I dont necessarily mean hill repeats that you se on some of the more advanced programmes but more just to get used to running up and down hills. Ideally if you can fit some in around the end of your LSR's that would be ideal as it would simulate the tiredness you will feel when you tackle the big hills in the second half. Remember as well to try and get in some practice on downhills, its very often overlooked. You stress your legs very differently running downhill than on the flat or uphill.

Cool thanks. I actually wanted to find out what the ascent was on this dreaded hill to see if I could find something similar to train on. There are plenty of hills around me at home so I've no excuse not to be hill-fit for Conn. Would it be ok to aim to start hitting them say at the end of January? I need to build the basic fitness back up first.

Mr Slow

digger2d2 wrote: »

Jeez...Give the man a book on running and look what happens;)...From personal experience I agree with point 3. 100%

Just to clarify - that advice comes from experience

If I was quoting my book we'd be discussing Lactate threshold, VO2 max, max heart rate, strides, form, Aerobic conditioning, Biomechanics etc etc

DigiJem

Just noticed your new log, good luck with it and the Conn training. See you on the start line

BrokenMan

claralara wrote: »

Cool thanks. I actually wanted to find out what the ascent was on this dreaded hill to see if I could find something similar to train on. There are plenty of hills around me at home so I've no excuse not to be hill-fit for Conn. Would it be ok to aim to start hitting them say at the end of January? I need to build the basic fitness back up first.

That would be grand, you dont need to do all your runs on hills just a few to get the body used to it.

Mr Slow

To quote Chinguetti,'hills are your friend', 'pain is your friend', pretty much anything unpleasant that doesn't stop you running is.....your friend

claralara

mrslow wrote: »

To quote Chinguetti,'hills are your friend', 'pain is your friend', pretty much anything unpleasant that doesn't stop you running is.....your friend

Sadists!! I shudder to think with what other unpleasant things that don't stop you running you've encountered.

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

Sadists!! I shudder to think with what other unpleasant things that don't stop you running you've encountered.

I was quoting Chinguetti, he's into some mad stuff alright!:D

claralara

mrslow wrote: »

I was quoting Chinguetti, he's into some mad stuff alright!:D

"I have this friend...." :rolleyes:

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

"I have this friend...." :rolleyes:

Really? and what are they into?:D

RubyK

claralara wrote: »

Sadists!! I shudder to think with what other unpleasant things that don't stop you running you've encountered.

You'll find your own inner sadistic streak soon enough clara :pac: It's all part and parcel of marathon training

claralara

mrslow wrote: »

Really? and what are they into?:D

Oh you know, the usual - sprinting up hills, hard interval sessions, foam rolling... I wouldn't get into the gory detail!

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

Oh you know, the usual - sprinting up hills, hard interval sessions, foam rolling... I wouldn't get into the gory detail!

IT Band stripping mmmmmm:rolleyes: or sports massage when you haven't stretched in a month - the temperatures rising here:D

claralara

Thursday 6th January
Rest - I both needed and wanted this...I haven't found my inner sadist yet. I look forward to meeting him / her / it!

Friday 7th January
45 min spinning this morning - had to go early because work is sucking the hours from my days like no man's business! Though it kind of means I get 2 days rest before the LSR on Sunday now. Which I now definitely need after that class.

claralara

mrslow wrote: »

or sports massage when you haven't stretched in a month

Filthy. Get out of here and go have a long hard think about what you've said!! :eek:

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

Filthy. Get out of here and go have a long hard think about what you've said!! :eek:

rainbow kirby

claralara wrote: »

Filthy. Get out of here and go have a long hard think about what you've said!! :eek:

digger2d2

claralara wrote: »

Filthy. Get out of here and go have a long hard think about what you've said!! :eek:

claralara

digger2d2 wrote: »

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Out out out the lot of you! If there was as much running going on in here as there is messing, I'd be fit to run Conn tomorrow with my eyes closed!

So I took all of your advice and went to the physio for an MOT this morning. I saw a girl I've never been to before and she was really good (IMO!). She's a a runner herself with a couple of marathons under her belt so she knew what she was talking about and understood where I was coming from etc.

She gave me a good check all over. My left side is weaker than my right. My flexibility is good but I need to work on strength. She gave me stretching and strength exercises that I have to do at least 5 times a week. I'll have to put this into my weekly plan or i'll forget / make excuses..

She also put a lift under the insole of my left foot which is the one that's been giving me hassle to take some pressure off my arches. There's nothing serious wrong with it thank god. The problem is that my calves are too tight. That's a huge relief. I'm glad I got it checked out because I was starting to convince myself it'd be something serious.

And the runners I'm wearing are perfect for me. Yaay!

So happy days, I'm all good to go!! LSR tomorrow

Mr Slow

You were lookin great today (in a fitness/wellness kinda way:)). How many miles did you end up with all told?
How did the gel go down? (No Innuendo please Digger)

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

The problem is that my calves are too tight. That's a huge relief. I'm glad I got it checked out because I was starting to convince myself it'd be something serious.

Get yourself some Tiger Balm from the Chemist and work it into your calves till they hurt, then do a little bit more. It does the trick for me everytime!

claralara

Redemption!! claralara: 1 - rest of the world: nil
Sunday 9th January
12.41 miles - average pace 9.32
Out for the group run, lovely day for it. I wore one layer too many though..was melting after 10 miles!

mrslow wrote: »

You were lookin great today (in a fitness/wellness kinda way:)). How many miles did you end up with all told?
How did the gel go down? (No Innuendo please Digger)

'One mile cool down' actually means 2.4 miles at LSR pace :rolleyes: I swear - look it up! The gel went down well - it would have been rude not to give it a few miles to test it out... No pukey thank god I feel hardcore now - I take gels..yeeaah! You'll have to let me know what exactly I took (providing it was all legal and above board!). I'll get you back.

mrslow wrote: »

Get yourself some Tiger Balm from the Chemist and work it into your calves till they hurt, then do a little bit more. It does the trick for me everytime!

And again with the sadism...I actually have a stash of Tiger Balm that I smuggled home from Thailand so I'll root that out now ta!

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

You'll have to let me know what exactly I took (providing it was all legal and above board!).

It was made from the testicular sweat of a mongoose - also comes in orange flavour:D

High 5 - Isogel (without caffeine)

maria74

Wel done Clara. Was dieing to know how you got on ...reputation back on track!!:)

claralara

mrslow wrote: »

It was made from the testicular sweat of a mongoose - also comes in orange flavour:D

Must have been an organic mongoose, testicular sweat has never tasted so good!

claralara

Plan - Week 2/14


Monday Rest
Tuesday 6miles
Wednesday 4miles
Thursday 4miles easy
Friday Rest
Saturday Waterford Half Marathon 13.1miles
Sunday 40 mins X[/B]


I'm just going to run Waterford as an LSR - it'd be great to beat my time from September of 1.58.49 but I promise not to cry like a girl if that doesn't happen!

I also have to have to make a point of doing my homework from physio so I'll do the stretch & strength exercises in front of the TV every night.

shazkea

Great running yesterday missus - you were flying

Mr Slow

claralara wrote: »

Must have been an organic mongoose, testicular sweat has never tasted so good!

Is that the voice of experience?:P

yungwan

Just caught up on your new log now, and wow, I am impressed Claralara!
You are miles ahead of me now (pun intended!) but I have no one to blame only myself!

Best of luck with your marathon training, and the Waterford Half. Needless to say I wont be fit for this now, and I am really struggling to get my gra and motivation back for the ould running, but hopefully Ill get back into it this week.

Ill be following this with interest and will be looking for tips in time!

All the best!

jcsmum

well done you, great running! I'm sorry I missed it. Had to trot around on my own.

Mr Slow

jcsmum wrote: »

well done you, great running! I'm sorry I missed it. Had to trot around on my own.

Would you have given your right hand to be there?:D