I thought it was a half they had in Connemara?

brownian

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

So, you want advice on a four week program that will take you from one marathon pb, recovery, speed-work, taper, then another marathon pb? There be dragons!

Yes, and you're the primary source...get with the advice, KC!:)

Seriously, I won't go hard in Kildare unless I feel up to it. But I'd like to be as well prepared as possible, and as my last post makes clear, I've no real idea how to go about it.

How's your injury shaping up - hope it's improving!

liamo123

Brownian here's my 10cents... Judging by ur time in Conn ur in great shape.. Just keep doing what uve done in the recent past.. 4 weeks in plenty of time to prepare for Kildare... I did it last year ; Sept Berlin 3.04.06 / Oct Dublin 2.59.02 and trust me if I can it will b not problem for u.. Best of luck..

Concerned2

Great race report & fantastic time Browian. You even made it sound easy :eek:

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

Yes, and you're the primary source...get with the advice, KC!:)

I don't think there's any kind of advice for trying to achieve that kind of goal. As Liamo123 put it, your best bet is to keep going as you have done, and keep fingers and toes crossed. Bear in mind there is no better time to pick up an injury as the weeks immediately after you have secured a PB (usually a marathon) and don't give yourself time to recover, so make sure you back off as soon as the niggles start. The experience and flatter course should benefit you to the tune of a few minutes, so just run faster and you'll have it sussed!

brownian

Thanks a lot, KC. I've been taking it v.easy this week (in blinkin meetings all the time) and am overseas this weekend to Tuesday, so only short runs at best. I'll try to build up some head of steam starting Weds next week.

If I just don't have the time and amn't prepared, I'll just jog around.:rolleyes:

Otherwise, in the immortal words..."just run faster":)

claralara

brownian wrote: »

just run faster":)

You make it sound so easy… I must give it a shot!

brownian

claralara wrote: »

You make it sound so easy… I must give it a shot!

That was Krusty's suggestion two posts up

Oisin11178

I've had some success with quick back to back pbs but I've had some spectacular blow ups to. Play it by ear. And if you feel good go for it.

brownian

Thanks for the input folks.

I've decided to risk taking a few days off from running, and to focus on biking and swimming to loosen out the legs. Then I'm working in Italy for a few days, with limited exercise options, which I sell to myself as good recovery opportunities:rolleyes:. All going well, I'll get back on the grass middle next week.

It's a bit of a gamble, as it reduces prepare+taper to about three weeks. I'm hoping to crank up the preparation to a 20-miler after about ten days, then to taper (15 miles, 12 miles, marathon) like the last time, but over ten days.

If I feel bad on the day, I'll drop Kildare - I've already achieved what I was hoping for. There are other marathons.

brownian

Jesus, the gym is boring. Hot, loud, smelly, full of muscled people that look stronger than I. Lots of black plastic, metal and mirrors, like a sort of low-budget Iain M Banks adaptation.

Wore my behind out sitting on a bike that went no place for half an hour, turning the pedals and hoping that my legs would feel ready to run soon. Plenty of stretches, then a few core exercises and more bike. Couldn't take it any more, went home.

Legs a little tender after an occasionally agonizing massage in town today - same left calf niggle that I had the day before the Conn run is making its presence felt.

Four days, one short easy run - starting to twitch seriously twitching.:(

Off to Italy tomorrow for a rosemantic weekend queuing for galleries and eating ice cream, followed by two days of research project meetings; I don't know anything much about life sciences research, but I do enjoy picking up bits and pieces from the real experts.

brownian

Some training log - doing SFA today and not exactly "da de dah de dah, he's lovin it" country. With apologies to the SuperSize corporation.

Teeny bit tender today, but TBH this "recovery" feels like "taper" - a sense of restless energy. Gotta be good for me:)

brownian

Right. That's it. No more mister nice guy. The gloves are off.

I've had nearly ten days of strategic rest (aka meetings and other sh**). I've had savage massage from two masters in pain. I've got it up to here with chilling.

This evening, come the cool of the day (well, five o'clock), I'm hitting the road again, for five handy miles (target time 40 mins). 10K on Friday. 10 miles on Sunday. 10 miles Tuesday and Thursday. 15 miles Saturday. You get the picture.

Kildare 26.2 is 26.2 days away (very nearly). Time to ramp up and get off the pot.

Apologies to those of weak constitution or low tolerance for self-motivational claptrap, who've gotten this far. The next post will be more relevant, hopefully more interesting, and imbued with a bit less impatience.

brownian

Really enjoyed getting back running. Really difficult to run the 5:00 pace that I planned, and found myself running sub-4 the odd time. Which is great, as it means the legs are enthusiastic, rather than wooden.

Today's beating, sorry, massage left the legs feeling pretty sprightly. Sun was out, sky was blue, press freedom was all about radio stations in Thailand, all was well with the world.

Excellent. Will try to get out for a few miles on the bike tomorrow to cross-train and unlock muscles, then run again Friday.

brownian

There's no doubt I spend more time than I should checking out the logs (and the main forum) on Boards. But it has a surprisingly (to me, anyhow) strong motivational effect, so that this year I've had less trouble dragging my sorry ass off the seat and into a pair of shorts to get the miles in. That's paid dividends in fitness and run times. So, it costs the business some of my valuable time, but it pays back in personal satisfaction. If you'd tried to convince me of this a couple of years ago, I'd have wondered how can a group of people that (by and large) I've never met have any impact on my running. But there it is, and I don't think I'm alone in it.

That's probably a spurious attempt to justify goofing off, but it is a rest day today, after all. Gotta rewind the clockwork mouse in each calf.

Surprisingly stiff today - maybe it's the five not-so-easy miles after ten days of idleness. Will try to get out on the bike for a short spin later - God but the weather is fantastic!

Last random thought for the morning - with the Connemara run finished, I am quite missing the sense of mission and focus that I felt in during March and early this month. Coming up to a race, there's that background voice in the head, a sort of underlying anticipation and excitement, that feeds on the long training runs and the pacing strategies, the thinking of food and drink, the weather and the wind worries... Hopefully when I'm back to 30+ mile weeks in a short while, I'll get that buzz all the way to Kildare.

One more thought - see that TFBubendorfer achieved his sub-3 goals (and wrote one of the best race reports ever on his blog). I'm really pleased for him - he really puts his enthusiasm, and his pain, into words, so that (although, again, I've never had the pleasure of meeting him), you can't help rooting for him, and sharing his pleasure at finally cracking three hours. Makes me feel like a fraud, cos I put in nothing like that level of dedication. Nice going, TFB!

shotgunmcos

I hear ya brownian. Nothing like a meaty goal to keep you on your toes and derive a giddy bug from the virtual positive spirit of this forum. I remember reading your log pre Conn and it read of a man on a mission. Indeed when I met you briefly in the early stages of that morning your eyes spoke of a man on just that mission.

Its interesting how true that virtual positive spirit follows through in the real world. From the few regular boards stalwarts I've met over the last 2 years that steely determiniation exists in their eyes too. However its accompanied by that spirirt that makes this place a necessary stop on the journey your runing shoes are taking you on...

With those Stalwarts in mind I must go and read about TFB's long sought after milestone...

brownian

Had a bit of a left calf niggle over the last few days, though it got through a massage ok and wasn't anything serious. Had a handy 1hr cycle last night to keep things mobile without running, which was quite pleasant, but really I wanted to be running. Gave the left calf a bit of a rollover with a rolling pin this morning, before heading out for a handy 10k.

2km in, the OTHER calf tightened suddenly and unpleasantly. Further jogging didn't improve matters, so I walked home. Half way home, the discomfort eased (so as to be nearly imperceptible), and I tried a little more jog - not happy, not happy at all there, Bob.

So, home, bit of ice, couple of neurofen to keep inflammation down, few gentle stretches. Both calves now sore and unhappy, as is their owner. Limping on both sides

Given that I've done zero effort today, I'll see how I feel tomorrow or Sunday.

Not a happy Easter bunny.

brownian

Working on seeing if I can rehabilitate the calves after last week's problems. Went hill-walking for three hours on Sat morning, and then hit Clara vale (no relation of our own Claralara:)) for ten easy kms on the forest trails. As usual, a lovely environment, especially this time of year with the bluebells peeping up, the flush of fresh green on the trees and the lovely weather. Better still, the legs held up pretty well. Forgot the garmin, but the first couple of ks were slow, and then I reckon there was a bit of 4:30 running, mixed with more slow stuff. Apart from the calves, which gave off "don't be hasty" signals, the legs felt great.

Really, I was just so pleased to be moving at all, that pace wasn't the issue.

Sunday did a similar run, joining up with the brother for an easy-paced ten (6 minute kms) on the same undulating course. There was close to zero discomfort at this level of pace.

So that's all good, certainly compared to Friday's problems. Will rest today, and then try to get in some higher-quality kms tomorrow. Have to go to Glasgow for a two-day meeting Weds and Thurs, so it's a disruptive kind of week...but Kildare is looming and my training is all over the shop.

Thought about Eddie (SarsfieldRock) over the weekend - seems so unreal that anyone who has the overflowing life force to run as much and as happily as he seems to have done can be snuffed out. I didn't really feel that going to the funeral would be appropriate - I've never met Eddie and wouldn't want to intrude. There's nothing I can do or say that's going to make his family and friends less shocked and grieving than they are - I can only hope that they get some small comfort from the the good wishes,then the condolences, from the online community. Thank you to anyone who did represent us in person.

brownian

Given that I'm meant to be recovering from injury, and had run 20k in the last two days, a rest day was in order. I've been in front of this idiot box for more or less the whole day; taking a day off wasn't high on the priority list, I'd rather take a day I really want (like, say, the Monday after Conn, which I enjoyed a lot). So, I'm pretty well rested, I think.

Tomorrow, it's back to 10km; if I'm feeling great after 5 I might continue on and do the 10 miles instead. The big issue will be pace - I'm gagging to get back to sub-4 kms rather than these rehab miles I've been doing since Conn. And with less than three weeks to do, I do feel a need to stretch it out. It's getting dark now, but I'd still head out now if I thought it was sensible.

I haven't a lot interesting to say today:rolleyes:; just one of those days.

brownian

Back in the saddle. Aim was to get a 10k run in, at about the usual training pace (42 to 45 mins). Turned out that I found a nice rhythm once I got going, and it was a little faster.


Delighted that the legs held out for the first "proper pace" run since Conn. First km was gentle enough, next five were hard (3:40 or so pace, which is gratifyingly faster than expected, I was thinking maybe 3:55 for the tempo section), then things slackened a little as the legs lost their freshness. Was a bit hot - wore a t-shirt instead of a singlet, and had a cup of tea instead of half litre of torq. Can't wait to push the distance a bit - I'm in Glasgow on Thursday, just need to find someplace to get ten miles in, if I can.

Am unreasonably pleased to find both calves working properly with no pain. No doubt will have some stiffness later, as did push the pace a bit (that's pretty close to my PB over the 10km distance, and the first five in 17:40 is the fastest I've done for the time - Garmin measured only, of course).

Under 3 weeks to the Kildare marathon - going to be a shorter taper this time, I fear!

Evening time update - more than usually stiff, especially in the upper leg/inside of hip region. Walking rather uncomfortable. Must have been working a bit harder than I thought at the time. Well, a day off tomorrow while I jet off to sunny Glasgee.

brownian

In sunny Glasgow at a meeting all day. Actually a really nice town (at least the West End) - nice houses, parks, gardens and all the rest. Ranelagh-style, but a bit bigger and grander.

Pain in inner leg vanished overnight, am pleased to say.

brownian

A slightly slower run than I might have hoped, but leaving a meeting, changing in a hotel toilet and hitting a new (very up and down) route along the River Kelvin in Glasgow city centre wasn't a recipe for success. Not to mention a lack of any sort of hyrdation, low blood sugars and a pretty warm day. Overall, probably as good a session as the more usual fully-hydrated and well-prepared 1:06 around Killiney.

Felt dried out and a bit tired on the second half of this run - really missing the hydration.

Anyway, really nice place to run in Glasgow is the Kelvin Walkway/Cycleway, that lasts a good five miles along the river. A lot of small sharp hills, but also a fair amount of nice gentle angles, with good views of the river, plenty of ducks and not much in the way of broken bottles or social problems. Definitely a recommendation if you're in Glasgow and want a run.

Back into the hotel toilet, back into meeting clothes and off to the Aer Arann flying shopping trolley back to Dublin. Good to be home.

brownian

That's my contribution to the royal nuptials complete anyway.

Nothing on today, except for lots and lots of work, neglected while I swanned around Glasgow. Calves a little stiff - stretching and recovery not enhanced by the fly/sleep model adopted last night. Slept very poorly, but seem to be functioning today, at least as a work drone.

Was hoping to hit 20 miles this coming weekend, but suspect that my less-than-perfect training over the last few weeks suggests that maybe 13.1 or 15 might be more sensible, leaving the following weekend the last chance for a 20-miler before the Kildare marathon the following (15th May) weekend.

Gonna be stuck in Brussels on 9,10 and 11 April, so that's some enforced taper time...urgh.

liamo123

brownian wrote: »

That's my contribution to the royal nuptials complete anyway.

Nothing on today, except for lots and lots of work, neglected while I swanned around Glasgow. Calves a little stiff - stretching and recovery not enhanced by the fly/sleep model adopted last night. Slept very poorly, but seem to be functioning today, at least as a work drone.

Was hoping to hit 20 miles this coming weekend, but suspect that my less-than-perfect training over the last few weeks suggests that maybe 13.1 or 15 might be more sensible, leaving the following weekend the last chance for a 20-miler before the Kildare marathon the following (15th May) weekend.

Gonna be stuck in Brussels on 9,10 and 11 April, so that's some enforced taper time...urgh.

Brownian Im defo no expert but I would'nt even contemplate a 20 miler at this stage.. Miles are in the legs with ur training pre Conn and the 26.2 u did in Conn so keep it short and snappy and ul b fine...


BTW I hope that meeting in Brussels wasnt important as u missed the poxy thing :pac:...

brownian

Might be right...might aim for 15 and work on the pace a bit. I feel the call of Roundwood, with its 10km lakeside flat loop.

Time to get off this idiot box.

Happy weekend all:)

brownian

Did three laps of the lake in Roundwood.

Was considering going for a fourth lap, but in fact was working hard all the time and happy to stop after three. Am a little disappointed at the performance, as I worked pretty hard, and no way could have done 26.2 at that pace...which is an issue if I'm aiming for 2:55 on the 15th of May.

The upside - 21k in 90 minutes is a pretty solid training session, and I didn't feel any great discomfort (except slightly rasping lungs) yesterday. Both calves seem to have settled down, mercifully.

The downside - that was my most ambitious "long" run between the two marathons, which is NOT how I envisaged the training panning out. And, to be honest, I'd have hoped for a time of about 1:25 for the 21km.

The analysis: the run started much later than planned - about 6pm instead of about 14.00. That meant it was cooler (yay), but that I hadn't a decent blood sugar base (lunch was scrappy). I did get 2 litres of Torq into me before/during the run, though, so was pretty well hydrated. The previous run, in Glasgow, was also a bit below target pace (but very warm and not at all hyrdrated).

What now? Two things - one, not to panic too much about the scrappiness of the training, and two, head out for a nice ten miles this early afternoon. A 1:05 would do a lot for the confidence, but the lungs still feel a bit raspy, so I'll take it easy for the first mile or so, and see how it goes.

brownian

Not quite the 1:05 I was aspiring too, but not too shabby, so am happy enough.

The usual Deansgrange - Ballybrack - Killiney - Dalkey - Monkstown - Deansgrange loop, complete with the sharp climb up Vico Road and the long downhill to Sorrento Point. Sea absolutely manic after the last couple of days of easterly breezes - chop city. Still a stiff headwind along a fair bit of the run along the coast. Forty foot unswimmable - just a cauldron. But plenty of people in Sandycove and the surrounding roads were chockablock with bank holiday traffic.

Felt stiff and tired starting out, but after a km or so things sorted themselves out, with the exception of a tight left calf. The calf persisted throughout the run but got no worse, and on post-run stretching doesn't seem damaged. No doubt will be stiff and sore later. As a result, took it fairly handy, trying to keep the effort levels below Saturday's, and with some notion of sustainability. Religiously avoided checking time or pace, running just in response to legs and lungs.

Feel like it's a bit of a come-back, a bit more like the pre-Conn training. Sadly, it's taper time now, so will probably run

Thursday 7.5 miles
Saturday/Sunday 10 miles (will be tricky, as am on a sea kayaking weekend)
Monday/Tuesday 5 miles (will be tricky, as will be in Brussels...which has great running, but only on the edge of town in the Foret de Soignes)
Weds/Thurs 5 miles (or maybe just 4)
Sat 1-2 miles easy
Sunday race.

I feel pretty unprepared, and far from confident that I'll improve on the Conn course, despite the fact that it's a lot easier in terms of hills. Still, give it a last and see how it goes

brownian

Bit of Achilles pain after yesterday, in the same left side. Expect it'll pass, but it's bothering me a bit today, as I limp about.

Apart from that, it's a rest day, so a walk down the pier might be about it.

brownian

Achilles showing signs of settling down, so am being careful and not running on it.

Shame, as tomorrow is set to be a pretty ugly day, weather-wise.

Keep on chugging:cool:

brownian

Went out to do a handy 10km in the rain. Suffering from knee twinges, aching Achilles, dodgy calf, the whole kit of taper niggles. Was feeling a bit dispirited - a lot of silly injury worries, poor training, mental sponginess.

Kayaking last night - sore shoulder today. Got a long weekend in the boat planned from Saturday, so hope it sorts itself out.

Anyway...ran easy the whole time, ignoring pace and watch. Delighted to find average pace of about 4:15 at the end. Wore my Boards AC top for the first time - good fit, but today was a bit too warm for it. Looks the biz, though.

Certainly feeling a bit chirpier now, even if stretching and foam rolling rather painful.

brownian

...the noise of crash and burn.

Should be running in Kildare on Sunday, but looking rather unlikely

- have injured right shoulder and side of neck, so that sitting and sleeping hurt. Been to physio, have exercises, miracle cures not to be anticipated
- ran 10km in Brussels on Wednesday. Admittedly it was after a hellish two days of meetings, it was baking and sticky and I was unhydrated and low blood sugar. But it was a disaster in terms of pace and form. As bad as I've felt running in many months.
- Achilles still troubling me a bit. Might warm up and be runnable-through, might just blow up. If there was nothing else wrong with me, I might risk it...
- work (and particularly those three days in sunny Brussels) has been manic, and I'm mentally pretty shattered. Looking back on Conn, I felt calm, cool and focused. None of that now.

So...I might just let Kildare slip by, and think about a post-holidays marathon, when I've got my head together. Right now, I'm burning the candle at several ends, and painfully sore from the neck/shoulder all the time too. Some down-time, without the mental and physical load of the marathon, is in order.

Ironic date