Running to stay sane

ddel

Hi.

I've been a long time lurker and following some logs over the past year or so has motivated/helped me to get back on the running wagon. I'm at a point where I need to kick on after after staling for a few months, so I'm hoping my own log will help me chart and plot things and hopefully motivate me on the low days and possible get me some advice on the crazy ones.

Where I'm at and where I want to go!

Haven't raced since Paddys Day where I kicked out a 17.58 5k - which was a great race, I paced myself well and things fell into place. The last few months have been up and down. My fitness is still ok, my HR stats for my easy/steady runs are as solid as a few months ago but I'm not as sharp as sub 18 for 5k (no quality work). Big Garmin nut - love all the data!!

Just back to work after a few weeks off (where training and diet fell apart), so things are starting from now.
Want to get in some good training over the next few weeks, get food right and build to a 10k in August/Sept. I also want to race more - as in - hard races as part of training and not focusing on tapering for every race I do. I want to enjoy racing for the fun of it times/results not the only thing. Longer term I want to get my 5k under 17.30 and then attack sub 17.

Finally - 2 kids - one 7 months old (not fond of sleeping), the other 2.5 years, so life is hectic and hours are precious - hence the "running to stay sane" title!

Broke in easy today with just over 6k in 4.46k pace, Av HR of 138 (62% of max HR).

ddel

Really easy 8k today in about 5.26 k pace. Average HR of 125. Happy to go easy, planning to do a 4k race tomorrow evening, should be nice to see where I'm at - however harsh the reality:o.

ddel

Wed 6th - 4k race.
No point in me doing a race report, it would be the least factual one ever written! Arrived at registration to be greeted with the sign - "no watches race - predict your time in advance and see how close you get". Now - I'm a HR/garmin/stat lover. I felt like I was being stripped naked having to take off my 305 and HR strap. Very tough course. About 1.1/1.2k of very steep hill to start, downhill for about the same and then from 2.5k to pretty much the end it was a slow painful uphill drag. In advance I was gunning for 14. Without my garmin and the fact the course was a net uphill and very, very undulating I predicted 14.30 and finished with 14.12 for 10th. Very, very happy with that. About 2k w/u and 2k c/d for 8k ish for the day.

Thur 7th - 8k ish rec run
Very easy as the legs (bum especially) are a little sore. About 4.54 pace with an AHR of 134. Nice and easy no hassles. Wasn't that knackered after the race yesterday - think all the hills were a shock to my rear end! Other than that the body/energy levels aren't to bad.


Final Note on the race - would highly recommend this format. At first I was going to leave the watch on and just excuse myself from the fun competition side of things, but I'm glad I didn't. It was kinda liberating. I just enjoyed the race for the fun of competing/pushing myself and the time/pace/distance etc. will just look after itself.

Krusty_Clown

Garmins are great, but it's definitely quite liberating to switch them off for a change. The IMRA hill races are great for that, as the information provided is generally of little use. I do like to have the route recorded for posterity afterwards though!

What's the goal for the 10k? Sub 37 or better? Have you looked at the McMillan 10k sessions? Well done in the race btw. Not for off your recent 5k time, for what sounds like a very tough course.

ddel

As liberating as it was - I'm not giving up my gadgets that easily!!! The IMRA stuff never really floated my boat, but after the watch free race I'm getting the attraction. I could well see myself giving it a go in the future. Also, the tough IMRA stuff like that must be a great all-round strength developer for road/cross country running.

Have seen a good few logs with the McMillan 10k sessions. I'm very impressed. Looking forward to having myself beaten to a pulp by 6x1 miles in the next week or so. Not fully sure what way I'll react, but 6-8 weeks of those sessions should get me in good shape. My 10k best is 39.19. Pretty sure I can break 39, but 38 might be a tougher task. I'd love to run a sub 6 min mile pace 10k. So sub 37.30 would be a target, but I think that might be more medium term. I'm not a million miles away, but it's never easy.

ddel

Did an easy/steady 12.2k today at 4.36 pace with an AVHR of 147. Felt easy, legs still a little heavy from Wednesday race.

ddel

Did a tempo session in a forest today. Route was around a 4k (3.95k to be exact) lap, did 2 of them with no recovery between laps. Very undulating route in the depths of a stunning wood - which is really testing but it makes the session fly by. Was aiming to break 35 mins and hopefully get close to the low 34's.
Total time - 35.08 with an AVHR of 166, the max was 178.
1st lap - 17.25 (on target) avhr of 161
2nd lap - 17.42 avhr of 171 and kinda pushed it more than I should have to try and get under 35.
By the 5th/6th k I got into it, but prior to that it was a slog. The HR was that little bit higher than I would have liked and the time was slower than I'd have hoped. Just a matter of plugging away and hopefully it'll get quicker. Once I start getting the times down on this it'll progress to 2.5 laps (about 10.1k) and then get to 3 laps (just under 12k). I'd want to be under 34mins before I progress the distance.
12.3k in all with w/u and c/d.

ddel

Sun 10th - rec run, 10.3k at 4.55 pace, avhr of 130.

Mon 11th - my first crack at the McMillan 10k workout. 6 x 1mile with 3 min rec.
AVHR
1. 6.01 (kinda uphill) - 160
2. 5.50 (downhill) - 168
3. 5.50 (even) - 171
4. 5.50 (downhill) - 172
5. 5.57 (uphill) - 174
6. 5.58 (uphill) - 177

Very, very tough session. The heavy humidity and 20 degree temp didn't make it any easier. No way I could maintain that for a 10k race. I wouldn't be positive I could hold this for the 2 mile progression either. Great session though.

ddel

Tue 12th, very easy rec run today. 8.45k at 5.05 pace, avhr of 128.

Found this very hard. Legs were a little sore and very sluggish after yesterday. Body just feeling it!

The McMillan session really took it out of me. Forgot to post yesterday I lost 4.5lbs from the McMillan session. After a nerdy google it transpires that equates to just over 2 litres! Jaysus, that's rough on the system!

ddel

Wed 13th - easy aerobic run today. 14.4k in 4.33 pace, avhr of 147. About 21/22 degrees out. I know I sound like a begrudging Irishman, but that's just to warm for my liking! I need a nice 8 or 9 degrees, throw in a little bit of drizzle - perfect!

ddel

Tough one today. Did a 5 x 1 mile tempo, 60 secs rec. Paced it badly and wheels came off on the last mile.
6.12
6.11
6.13
6.16
6.28
22/23 degrees again today, not as sunny as yesterday but more humid.

Legs were heavy and very tired for the warm up. Felt like a slog all the way. Tougher than I would have liked. I'm feeling 11 days on the trot, with a race and 3 good sessions. I'll do a slow recovery tomorrow and then take a necessary 3 days to rest the legs - kinda. Heading to London on Saturday to go to the British Open on Sunday. Doubt I'll lace up the runners until next Tuesday!

ddel

Long catch up post coming!!!

Wow - let that slip for 2 months! I feel like I've done nothing for the past 8/9 weeks. After my last post I didn't run for a week, travel and booze at the British Open had me in bits.

Was finding it hard to get motivated so just after the August bank holiday I decided to wake myself up and sign up for DCM 2011.... It's been very stop-start since then. Between unexpected life stress and poor sleeping baby (not an excuse ecoli - I know) I feel like I haven't got going.

Here's a summary of the past few months - just the key sessions and days missed, the rest of the time was 8k to 13k easy/rec runs
Date Distance Av Pace Av HR
7th Aug - 17.3k 4.38 145 - felt nice and easy
9th Aug - 12k 4.13 first attempt at MP, not easy but doable
11th Aug - 4x2k 3.53 2k's with 90 sec rec, felt good but tough
14th Aug - 24.25k 4.58 137- very easy, low HR, legs stiff for days!
16th Aug - 15k 4.12 163 - hot day, big confidence boost for MP
18th Aug - 4x2k + 1k 3.51 and 3.33 for last 1k - 90 sec rec - tough sess

BOLD boy - 4 days off on family trip to London. Failed tempo when I came back on the Thursday. By the following Sunday (28th) I had a few jogs under the belt

28th Aug - killed myself - was still tired, but felt behind on my training after a few missed days. Did 28k, but the session was 1m easy, 1MP, 2e, 2mp, 3e, 3mp, 2e, 2mp, 1e, 1mp. Basically managed to keep the MPs at 4.12/4.13 and easy at 4.53 area as far as the 16m mark and the wheels totally fell of. HR was to high at 180's coming to the end of the 2m MP (uphill) and my right knee just clicked into pain. The distance and intensity was too much. Didn't do the last 1e, 1mp just hobbled home. Tried to run the next day and knee was in agony. Rested Tue, Wed and Thu and luckily an easy 8k on the Friday had no pain. Knocked my confidence back big time. Mentally I was full of doubt and physically I got a kick in the guts.

Date Distance Av Pace Av HR
6th Sept - 16.4k 4.42 felt easy and steady
8th Sept - 5x2k 3.54 159 with 90 secs rec. This was easier and slower than previous tempo sessions. It felt good to be comfortable under 4 min ks and the HR was okay - avhr for each rep was 154, 159, 163, 165, 169. My LT would be in the 169-171 region, so feel like I didn't "cheat" in the session. That's the one thing about tempo sessions without the HRM you can drift into 10k pace and not feel it.

A few nights on the trot (over a week) of only 3/4 hours sleep resulted in no running on Sat 10th and Sun 11th and only did an easy 10k on teadmill on Mon 12th. Getting conservative now after breaking myself up on the 28k because I did that run drained from lack of sleep and feel that's why I got injured. Confidence starting to slip back again with 2 days missed and over 2 weeks since my first proper Long Run.

Tue 13th Sept - nice steady/easy 14.5k in 4.30 pace. Felt easier as the run progressed and got faster.

Wed 14th Sept 8.4k in 4.34 pace - easy and steady. Lovely run.

There's where I'm at. After the MP runs on August 9th and 16th I thought I might just have a crack at sub 3 but my confidence has taken a serious hit since then and am now wondering if I could sustain sub 3.10/15 pace for 26+ miles. I need at least 3 long runs in the next 4 weekends and the odd MP paced 7-12 miler midweek to get the body and mind back into a good place.

Saying all that - can't wait for DCM, it really is great to have a goal!

ddel

Thursday Sept 15th -
Tough tempo session today - 5x2k with 90 sec rec and a 1k at the end. No heart rate today so I'd have to be truthful and say that even though things felt controlled the effort was a level harder than true tempo and a level easier than 10k pace (I hope). I was lucky today I had two guys helping. One was doing the final 1.5k of each 2k and a final 600m of the 1k and another was jumping in and out doing 300's and a few 400's to finish. It was great to have company and help.
Anyway - the truth in the numbers!
1.7.39
2.7.44
3.7.44
4.7.42
5.7.40
Average of 7.42, just over 3.51 pace.
and 1k in 3.32 (net downhill and net downwind)

Overall tough session but not flat out. Even the fact I could kick out a quick 1k at the end shows the tank wasn't empty after the 5x2k's. Could I maintain that pace for 10k? - I think so and a bit more, could I do it for 21.1k - not a hope in hell. Where between those two distances lies the truth, I couldn't guess.

ddel

Just an easy 10+k in about 5.10/5.15 pace. Legs a little tight after yesterdays session. Loosened out nicely a few k into the run, but the legs felt tired all the way! I hope the legs feel better tomorrow, planning to do a proper LSR tomorrow - 28-30k bracket .

ddel

Saturday 17th Sept. 28k LSR in about 4.54 pace. Nice and easy, but legs still stiff towards the end. Tried some gels - went down well.

Sunday 18th - rest day. Legs stiff from tough week and LSR. Not as stiff as previous days after an LSR - thankfully.

Monday 19th - 18.1k at MP effort. I say effort because I promised myself to NOT get hung up on pace on the garmin and just start out steady and try to cruise without pushing hard. Av pace of 4.15, Av HR of 158. Felt good. K's 13 to 17 was a 5k stretch with a 50m ascent which was tough going. Managed to keep that under 4.18 pace and my HR was still low (below or on 170 Av for each k) and even though it wasn't easy I wasn't pushing hard. Legs a little stiff still from the LSR.

I don't like this route as it's a net downhill for the first half which is nice, but the uphill on the way home when tiredness has set in is a heart breaker. I much prefer runs/races with a good portion of uphill at the start. I'm fresh to attack the hill then and get the treat of a downhill after it!

ddel

Tuesday 20th Sept
Easy 11.6k in about 4.55 pace. This was easy, but the legs were heavy and sluggish. Combination of tough run yesterday and baby determined to start the day at 4 this morning and finish the day at 6.30 this morning! I was sitting on the couch as she slumped into a deep sleep in my arms thinking you're gonna make a great teenager! At least I was in early for work.

ddel

Wed 21st Sept
After a recovery run yesterday and planned tempo session tomorrow I wanted something easy, but not recovery easy, so decided to do a nice steady/easy aerobic run.
8.46k Av pace of 4.22, avhr of 145:eek:.
Shocked with this. HR was as low as it should be - to be honest 147 to 149 is an acceptable average for this type of run (for me anyway). I felt relaxed and breathing easy all the way - as usual. It was very windy all the way with torrential rain for the first few k.

ddel

Thu 22nd Sept
Tempo session again today - 5x2k with 90 sec rec and 1.5k at the end (with a 3.20 rec before the 1.5k).

Had the HRM today but didn't use it, went with the same effort as last week but did a 1.5k at the end with one of the lads instead of a fast 1k.

1. 7.39 (156)
2. 7.37 (167)
3. 7.35 (169)
4. 7.33 (172)
5. 7.29 (175)
1.5k 5.44 (169)

When I checked the HR after the session it was higher than I would have liked with an average of 163 and max of 184. Really the max shouldn't be getting beyond the mid to high 170's and only at the end of the last few Reps. Even the averages of the Reps were a little high. 156 and even 167 for the first two was okay, but 170+ average is too high. From now on I'll ease off on the pace and try to have more control on the HR and keep the average for all under 170. saying that - happy with the times and the session felt in control.

ddel

Have to do a small catch up today.

Friday 23rd Sept
Easy 7.91k in 5.18 pace. Simple recovery run

Saturday 24th Sept
30.28k LSR in 4.50 pace, AVHR of 143.
Did this 70 mins after getting out of bed. Felt dehydtared at the start, but had 1.5L of water on me (new belt) and had 750ml drank in the first 10k. HR was higher than I would have liked, but it stayed steady enough. Legs started to feel it on the hilly few k on the way home. First run over 30k.

Monday 26th Sept
After a day off on Sunday I felt kinda rested so went with a steady aerobic run instead of recovery pace
10.39k in 4.24 AVHR of 148. This felt good, legs still a little tired from LSR on Saturday

Tuesday 27th Sept
This was a big session - half marathon training run at MP effort. Was pushed for time so did no warm up and only 1 mile cool down.
21.1k in 1.29.06 (4.13 pace) AVHR of 161

From 1.2k to 2.7k there's a rise of neary 42m. I knew I should have gone steady and hit 4.25/30's and ease into the run, but I wanted to see how the body would react to marathon pace up that tough 3k at the start and see would my HR recover. It did recover in a sense but the body always felt like it couldn't fully get right from the tough hills and pace at the start (I averaged 4.15 pace for those hills). My target AVHR for the session was 163, so 161 was a positive sign. My breathing and energy levels were ok at the end of the run, but the legs were feeling it - getting tired and slightly sore. While I was happy with the 21.1 I know the legs didn't have another half in reserve. Temp was a little higher than my comfort zone - 18/19 degrees, I was drenched in sweat, but took on 700mls during the session.

Where I'm at? 4.13 pace didn't seem quick at any point during the run. If I'd turned km's 2,3 and 4 into 4.27's instead of 4.15's I would have done a 1.29.42 half and I know it would have felt way easier. I wanted to stay below 170 for the whole run, which I did except for one uphill stretch at 19k (which had an average of 167), once I saw 170 I eased off immediatley. I don't want to see 170's until after 15/16 miles of a marathon. This is based on a lactate threshold of 169-171 from a fitness test (backed up by a race HR max of 192). I don't know how much of the LSR on the Saturday was still in the legs, to account for the legs getting so tired, also I did about 96k last week and 87k the week before. To put in context, my weekly average for the year is about 47k.

ddel

Wed 28th Sept
8.7k in about 5.20 pace. Very, very easy recovery run. Very sluggish after session yesterday, just glad to get out and get the blood flowing.

ddel

Thur 29th Sept
Supposed to be an easy 16/17k today that started slow at 5min k's and slowly wound up to sub 4.50's then sub 4.40's a few sub 4.30's and finally I did a downhill sub 4 and my running buddy handed me my ass with a sub 3.40. At least he looked kinda wrecked when I trotted in 14/15 seconds after him! This was all easy pace but it felt tough for a total of about 17k. Could talk and breath easy, but the legs were tired. I'd say the MP run on Tuesday is still in the legs.

Got physio Thursday evening and she said the VLM muscle on the right thigh is as tight as a taught rope, she was very surprised i wasn't injured. Seemingly my vastus medialis muscle (slightly above the knee on the inner side) is very developed and strong and seems to be keeping the knee cap in place and saving me from pain. After all that nice information she proceeded to punch the life out of my thighs, calves and hamstrings. I felt a little light headed on the drive home. I thought the body needed that and boy was I right. If I can just keep the miles and intensity up for 2.5 more weeks and possible fit in another torture (physio session) in the middle of it I'll survive until the taper. Hopefully the 2 week taper and a rub or two during the taper will have the legs race fit for Dublin:o.

ddel

Rested on Friday after the physio. Badly needed.

Saturday Oct 1st
8k tempo in forest (2 x 4k laps - non stop). Did this around July 9th so a direct comparison was going to be on the table, whether I liked the numbers or not.

Data from Sat 1st Data from July 9th
33.36 - avhr of 162 35.08 - avhr of 166
lap 1 - 16.54 - hr - 157 17.25 - hr - 161
lap 2 - 16.44 - hr - 168 17.42 - hr - 171

Session felt steady and wasn't in bits at the end. Can't compare with road times as it's so hilly. As a comparison it's nice to see progress. Times are faster and HRs are lower.

Enforced rest on Sunday - family time.

Monday Oct 3rd
13.3k in 4.22 pace avhr of 148. Nice steady run. Warmer day than I would have expected 19/20 degrees

ddel

Tuesday Oct 4th
16k easy in about 4.50 pace. Sluggish to begin, but felt good at the end. Had really bad synus (sp?) today. Felt terrible. End of the run - with the head/nose cleared out was the only relief!

ddel

Wed Oct 5th
5x2k with 90 sec rec. Disappointed I pushed to hard on this session last time. Determined to keep it controlled this time.
Time HR
7.45 154
7.44 161
7.40 163
7.36 167
7.34 170
Average a shade under 7.40 per 2k.
Felt in control and HR was good and solid. Weather was awful. Gale force wind and driving rain. Considering the conditions I was very happy with the pace and effort.

ddel

Quick catch up.

Thursday Oct 6th
8.44k rec in 4.55
Nice and easy, legs a little sluggish after session yest

Friday Oct 7th
Rest - intended doing an easy 8k to10k but the body was shattered, long night with kids and head cold. Just hadn't the energy.

Saturday Oct 8th
Big session
15m run at marathon effort.
3.6k warm up and 3.84k cool down
24.18k at 4.12 pace with an average HR of 160 and a max of 175. The only reason I went to a 175 max was because the final 2.5k of the session had a 20m rise and I pushed the pace to 4.10. In normal circumstances I would have let the hills win and dropped to 4.18/4.20 pace and kept the HR in the mid to high 160's. All in all happy with this. Weather was warm enough 17/18 degrees and it was fairly windy, which made some patches tough going. My target avhr was 163.8, so the 160 was positive, however, my legs got a small bit "tingly" coming to the end and a little tight/sore. Saying that the warm down to finish up was as painful as the marathon effort on the legs, so easing up gave no comfort. I hit 21.1k in 1.28.41. Took on about 600ml of water during the 15m and just under 2 gels - which went down fine.

In simple terms, I'm happy with my aerobic fitness and heart rate targets BUT - and it's a massive BUT - I don't know how the legs will hold up to the 26.2 miles. Still don't know what sort of time to target. As this is my first race beyond 10k I'm really outside my comfort zone and don't know what to do!

Monday Oct 10th
11k in the forest in about 59 mins - slow and hilly/mucky, but really enjoyable.

ddel

TuesdayOct 12th
Easy 12k in about 4.53
First real sign of the taper. This run would be longer and often a bit faster in the past. No point in pushing to much now!

ddel

Quick catch up

Wed Oct 12th
8.4k @ 4.22 pace avhr of 149. Went a little quick at the start. 4.12 k for 3rd k.... Silly boy.

Thu Oct 13th
4x2k tempo with 90 secs rec
1. 7.39 (157)
2. 7.35 (165)
3. 7.34 (170)
4. 7.32 (172)

Happy with this, about the same times and HR's as a session 2+ weeks ago. left it at 4 - want to ease into taper, felt like I had a nice bit in the tank

Fri Oct 14th
9.98k @ 5.06 per k. Legs felt grand after tempo yesterday. Amazing how cutting it short makes the recovery so much quicker

Sat & Sun - To many nights being woken by kids - just shattered. Annoyed with myself, but common sense has to prevail. Want to arrive at the marathon start line hungry!

Mon Oct 17th
10.45k in forest, lovely run avhr 139/140 area. pace doesn't matter

Tue Oct 18th
12.12k @ 4.57 pace avhr of 139
Surprised with HR, any time during the run I checked the watch the HR was in mid to low 130's. The only time I saw 140's was up the hill. I'm guessing when I upload the data there'll be an odd spike somehwere messing up the average.

All in all feeling sluggish. Very tired from life rather than running. Have a very dull weekend planned and looking forward to some rest. If my 11 month old could jus sleep for 8+ hours for a few nights I'd be able to get the head above water. Excuse for a bad DCM now out there:D.

Now to decide on a time to aim for. Was hoping for sub 3, but just don't know especially the way I'm feeling at the moment! Advice welcome!

Just had a quick look at the HR data from a 24k long run I did in mid August. AVHR was 137 on the 24k and pace was similar to the 12k onTuesday Oct 18th, which had an average of 139. Must admit, the data has me a little concerned.

ddel

Wed Oct 19th
Really p*ssed off now.
Did a 10k MP run. It felt easy enough but the HR drifted that 4/5 beats higher than has been the case for my last few MP session. The HR data is pretty much the same as 10k into a 15k MP run I did 2 months ago. The runs I've done the last few days have literally pointed to me loosing about 2 months of fitness in 2 days. The run felt as easy as I would have liked today, but the heart rate data tells a totally different story. My resting heart rate before the run was 44/45 bpm which is the norm - so no apparent sign of illness even though I'm a bit sniffly and coughy today.

Feel like kicking the sh!t out of something right now - this is wrecking my head!

ddel

Rested Thursday

Fri Oct 21st
Early and easy 9.3k at about 9 min miling. This was just a get it done run and keep the body ticking over. Last day at work, so lunch out today - no mid-day run! No heart rate today - said I wouldn't torment myself....

Body has been all over the place the last few days, stomach very strange. Constant full feeling and weird bowel movements. 11 month old had a dose of something last week - not the runs, but not normal (5 to 8 nappies an hour type of thing at one point). Think I might have a touch of that. Hopefully the body will rectify itself in the next few days.

Brianderunner

I wouldnt let the heart rate stats be the sole decider on your DCM goal. It's easy to get hung up on it, i was the same a few months ago. Battery died and i didnt replace it and i dont miss is at all tbh. Remember the recent colder weather could have an affect on the HR, the important question is how did the recent MP runs feel in comparison to the ones during the summer. You're good enough to go for sub 3, dont let one or 2 bad runs put you off, we all have them, trust me i know!!

ddel

Brianderunner wrote: »

I wouldnt let the heart rate stats be the sole decider on your DCM goal. It's easy to get hung up on it, i was the same a few months ago. Battery died and i didnt replace it and i dont miss is at all tbh. Remember the recent colder weather could have an affect on the HR, the important question is how did the recent MP runs feel in comparison to the ones during the summer. You're good enough to go for sub 3, dont let one or 2 bad runs put you off, we all have them, trust me i know!!

Thanks, appreciate that. Hard to tell the wood from the trees sometimes. Congrats on the brilliant 10 miler - fully deserved.

ddel

13.3k at MP effort today.

Was very nervous about this due to the poor runs this week and the windy wet weather wasn't going to make things any easier (quicker).
Anyway - av pace of 4.09 and avhr of 157. Very surprised with this. HR is a slight bit lower than expected and the pace is a good 4/5 secs quicker than I would have predicted - especially considering the gale force winds. The run was easy all the way. Final miles were uphill and into the wind and I still kept the pace at 4.13/4.16 area without it feeling hard.

ddel

11.2k easy. Av pace 4.48, avhr 138. Awful weather, gale force winds, stinging rain and a belly full of spuds, pork, pepper cream sauce, ice cream and coffee. Glad it's done.

ddel

Going to skip the week or so of taper and go straight to my race report.

Without giving away the ending it's taken me the guts of a week to look at the garmin stats which says a lot!

Pre-race all went well. Restful weekend, body felt good. No niggles, no sniffles. Arrived up on time - toilet break before hand was perfect - all good.

This was very much a case of two separate race stories that converged at about 30k to become a single last chapter!

The first k was a little messy and slow, did a 4.30 and was happy with the ease in and felt good. The next few k were between 4.10 and 4.18 and looking at the stats now it was pretty even as the 18's were uphills and the 10's downhills - all good. Was holding back and felt good most of the way to half. Steep hill at 15k ish came in at 4.23, which was fine. Got to half way in about 1.30.45. Off pace but thought I should have something in the bank - even though it didn't feel great. Up to 30k I drifted out to 4.18/19's and based on the fact there were a few downhills in this phase I was a little worried. Then at 30k the legs lost all power and the wheels came off. Slow painful march with a few 5 min+ k's along the way.

At about 37/38k it was looking like I was over 3.10 and was getting worried the 3.15 pacers might be hot on my heels. Around 40k or so it looked like I could scrape under 3.10 if I could get a few sub 4.40 ks'. I kicked out a 4.41 and knew I'd need to dig deep and dragged out a 4.27 to get myself a 3.09.45. That final k killed me though as my left calf cramped up in the last few hundred, but I could push on, then as I passed the line both hamstrings went into massive spasm. I writhed in pain for mins as the paramedics tried to settle me. My family kindly showed me the clip (sky plus'd) on RTE with Kiernan and Sonia talking away with roars from me in the background. Then a trolly arrives as I hobble away being held up by a paramedic. I don't know how my pride would have taken being trollied away on live tv! Very sobering sight to see yourself on tv so visible unwell.

Overall for a sub 3 attempt this was a massive blow up, but I loved it. The build up, the race, the crowds, the atmosphere, the day itself, the double brandy afterwards, the fun with friends.... A few hours later I was full sure I'd be back to set things straight....

Now, for the facts! The second story mirroring the one above. During my MP runs in training - these were my stats
15m - 4.12 pace - avhr 160
13.1m - 4.13 - avhr161
11m - 4.15 pace - avhr 158

Consistent enough and based on these numbers and feel during the runs I had not wanted to see 170 bpm until half way and my averages during the race should mirror the above.

In reality during the race my avhr to 8k was 160 - way, way to early for such a high figure. By half way my avhr to that point was 166, not the 160/161 I had seen in training. My aim of not seeing 170 until 21/22k did not pan out at all, in reality the garmin shows I hit 171 at 7k! Add in fact my average pace to these points was slower than sub 3, not faster!!! Whereas my training runs were faster than sub 3!

While I saw the HR data (without the average figures) during the race, I put it down to adrenaline and pushed on with a pace close to sub 3 - but not to fast either (or so I thought)!

I decided to try and ignore HR during the race and this was to my detriment. I don't know what happened - nerves, shock of the vastness of the start/day - I haven't a clue. If I had ran by HR only I think the race would have felt way nicer and sub 3.10 would have been easy and I might have slipped under 3.05 - and feeling strong.

Bottom line there wasn't a sub 3 in me on the day.

As with any defeat in sport, it forces you to ask questions you might ignore in a victory!
> My weight is 12 stone 5 - to heavy. I'm eating to much cr*p and I need to be well under 12 (close to 11.5) for my next 26.2. I got cocky listening to people saying I'd lost weight blah, blah, blah, which I have in the last year, but the last 3/6 months I haven't even with bigish miles. Need to be honest. I need better fuel for my body and need to be lighter!

> I do not race! This was my 3rd race in years and I need to get more races in to get used to pre-race nerves and how to build up to a race.

> I need more miles. The long runs were always tough for me and I need focus on longish runs even in my non marathon phase. I want to be starting at 25/28k for my long runs at the start of marathon training, not 18k.

Funnily enough I wasn't sure what I'd do after the marathon - would I have a focus???

Now, after a kick in the guts I know what I need to do.
Shorter races - to get used to races and get speed in the legs and enjoy running.
Build up the miles and keep longish runs every 2 weeks or so.
Get my food right. Less trash, more variety and basically THINK more about what I eat and when I eat.

The plan seems to be - do a few 10k's, 5k's, 10 milers in the next few months, while maintaining/building miles. Around end Jan/early Feb target a marathon - could well be Kildare and get in way more miles than I did for Dublin.....

Of course - none of this will happen until I can run properly again...