The Comeback Trail

drquirky

Ok-

I figured I'd start doing one of these. Here is my background-

33/m

I was a University level runner in the USA in the late 90's but haven't run competitively since 1998. My PR's (from 13 yrs ago eek!) are 15:42 5k, 26:01 8k 32:50 10k. After college I took an extended vacation from anything resembling exercise. I've tried a few half hearted comebacks but they haven't resulted in me getting back into shape. That is until the past year. I've run 30 mpw consistently for the past 14 months and have just started doing proper speed workouts again. Over the last month and a half I've upped my milage to 50-60 pw as I am training for DCM.

Recent results with minimal speed work have been a 38:08 at the DLR 10k and a 18:06 5k in Celbridge last week. I'm hoping to run under 3 hrs at DCM and feel as though I'm improving with every workout. I'm starting to feel fairly quick and the runs are coming pretty easy.

I want to keep a log here for myself but would also welcome any comments as I'm not really following a particular plan, merely using some of the stuff I remember from my competitive days! So here goes!!!

drquirky

Ok so here is last week

Monday 11/8 15 miles 7:45 pace

Tuesday 6 miles easy

Weds Rest Day

Thursday Tempo Run 8 miles at 6:45 pace 2 miles easy

Friday 8 miles easy

Saturday 8 miles easy

Sunday Celbridge 5k 18:06 2 mile warm up 2 mile cool down
Total miles 53

drquirky

Ok so here is last week

Monday 11/8 15 miles 7:45 pace

Tuesday 6 miles easy

Weds Rest Day

Thursday Tempo Run 8 miles at 6:45 pace 2 miles easy

Friday 8 miles easy

Saturday 8 miles easy

Sunday Celbridge 5k 18:06 2 mile warm up 2 mile cool down
Total miles 53

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Ok-

I figured I'd start doing one of these. Here is my background-

33/m

I was a University level runner in the USA in the late 90's but haven't run competitively since 1998. My PR's (from 13 yrs ago eek!) are 15:42 5k, 26:01 8k 32:50 10k. After college I took an extended vacation from anything resembling exercise. I've tried a few half hearted comebacks but they haven't resulted in me getting back into shape. That is until the past year. I've run 30 mpw consistently for the past 14 months and have just started doing proper speed workouts again. Over the last month and a half I've upped my milage to 50-60 pw as I am training for DCM.

Recent results with minimal speed work have been a 38:08 at the DLR 10k and a 18:06 5k in Celbridge last week. I'm hoping to run under 3 hrs at DCM and feel as though I'm improving with every workout. I'm starting to feel fairly quick and the runs are coming pretty easy.

I want to keep a log here for myself but would also welcome any comments as I'm not really following a particular plan, merely using some of the stuff I remember from my competitive days! So here goes!!!

Best of luck on the come back. Are you being coached now or following a plan or self coaching? Looking at your times over the shorter results 3hrs is a very do able target for you.

May I ask what college you were in? Always great to get insights from athletes who chose the US option and the experiences they had with it

drquirky

...and this week so far

Monday 18 miles- started at 8 min pace down to 7:20 for miles 10-18

Tuesday Rest (biked 20 miles though)

Wednesday 10 miles but quarter mile repeats after a 2 mile warm up. 12 Quarters at 75-78 secs with 200 meter jog rest. 4 mile cool down

Thursday 8 miles easy ....

drquirky

ecoli wrote: »

Best of luck on the come back. Are you being coached now or following a plan or self coaching? Looking at your times over the shorter results 3hrs is a very do able target for you.

May I ask what college you were in? Always great to get insights from athletes who chose the US option and the experiences they had with it

Thanks ecoli! I am self coaching (we'll see how that goes lol) I ran at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. We were in D3 but qualified for the D3 X -Country Nationals a couple of times during my career. I am originally from the USA so not sure I'd be a great source of info from an Irish perspective but certainly enjoyed my time in College Athletics....

brownian

Welcome aboards

Sub-3 looks very feasible, given your speed over the shorter distance and your already plunging into the longer runs.

Will follow your log with interest!

drquirky

Ok- tried compression socks for the first time today- not sure what I think...
Most of my runs are in the Phoenix Park and today was no different.

Did 6 miles at easy tempo with an easy mile before and after

Splits went:
6:47
6:47
6:45 (first three miles are really hilly)
6:40
6:32
6:29

Felt pretty good and didn't kill me for effort- is this a decent enough tempo exercise for what I'm trying to do (sub 3hrs?)

Krusty_Clown

Hi drquirky, Well done in the DLR 10k. It was a tough course. A flatter 10k would probably yield a faster time, so you're looking good for your target.

McMillan suggests around 6:13-6:30 for a 2:59 marathon finish and I'd tend to agree. Your recent 10k pace was around 6:07/mile, so 6:13-6:30 would be somewhere between 10 mile pace and 1/2 marathon pace, which should be achievable (on flat even terrain). however, you may want to build up to that tempo pace, rather than try to hit 6 miles out of the blocks, e.g. week: 1 - 7 miles with 4 miles @tempo, week 2: 8 miles with 5 miles @tempo etc.. What do you think ecoli?

drquirky

Last 10 days has been kind of strange. I raced 10 days ago in Leitrim on an absolutely ridiculous 4 mile course full of crazy hills. Ran 23:52. I had to travel to Sweden and ended up picking up a cold. Last week I only ran 40 miles as a result. That being said went out for 18 two days ago and ran it at 7:30 pace. (2hrs 15) Felt really good so that perked me up!

On target for 60 miles again this week but looking for a suggestion for a speed workout tomorrow? I've been making a concerted effort to pick up the pace on my training runs so a good amount of my training runs are starting at 7:45- 7:30 pace and ending up in 6:30-6:45 pace I think this is probably a good thing?

Final question- with 10 weeks to go before Dublin how many more heavy weeks am I looking at? Also is 60 miles per week a good number or should I increase it? Thanks for the help all....

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

On target for 60 miles again this week but looking for a suggestion for a speed workout tomorrow? I've been making a concerted effort to pick up the pace on my training runs so a good amount of my training runs are starting at 7:45- 7:30 pace and ending up in 6:30-6:45 pace I think this is probably a good thing?

Final question- with 10 weeks to go before Dublin how many more heavy weeks am I looking at? Also is 60 miles per week a good number or should I increase it? Thanks for the help all....

Nothing wrong with progression runs many coaches advocate this. Main thing is that you are not doing this every day as you need to give your body time to recover and adapt from the hard efforts

The next 7-8 weeks should be used as specific race prep phase. Basically now you should be working on preparing the body to cope with the specific demands of the marathon.

Looking at your running background the speed is your strength and need to start working more towards your endurance. Having said that there should be odd session to keep the body in touch with speed but aim to keep this marathon specific.

Regarding mileage. There is no magic number for this. Different bodies are able to cope differently with varying amounts of mileage. Some people can handle 40-50 miles max before the body breaks down others can hit 100+ without much difficulty in terms of injuries. I would say if you can increase without compromising your training do so but build gradually (perhaps add a morning run once a week and go from there)

In terms of sessions as I mentioned earlier the aim should be specific. With my athletes I try to rotate the long run every other week to include MP miles so over a two week period I would have an athlete do the follow

Week 1 - 2 sessions, LSR and remainder easy running
Week 2 - 1 session, LSR + MP miles and the remainder easy running

This template allows athletes to get paced miles one week and time on there feet the following which allows their body to develop. Main thing when looking at sessions is to establish how it is going to fit into the overall plan. Each training session is just one piece of the puzzle

In terms of the other sessions during the specific phase for the marathon here are a few examples which can be used:

7-10 miles @ MP
5 miles tempo (HMP)
4x5k @ slightly slower than HMP with 3 min recoveries (can subsititute LSR if include 2-3 miles w/u and c/d)
6x 1 mile @ 10 mile pace - HMP

If you are looking to try more speed based work for a marathon runner my advice would be to keep the number of reps high with the recovery low

Few of my favourites include:

16x400 @ 10k pace off 30-45 secs
8x800 @ 10k pace off 90 sec
6x1000 @ 10k pace off 2 min

Again you can mix and match these as much as you want but main thing is keep the volume up and the recovery short in order to get proper benefits as a marathon runner.

Another few sessions I have found useful over the last few years with training people are these:

5 miles easy, 12x800m (Alternate between 6.47 and 6.57 pace all continuous running)

Instead of LSR
1 mile easy, 1 MP, 2 easy, 2 MP, 3 easy, 3 MP, 2 easy, 2 MP, 1 easy 1 MP (18 total)
15 miles MP (usually last long run before taper)


Hope this helps

drquirky

Thanks Ecoli!
That is really excellent advice and I really appreciate the workouts you listed for me. To that end- I did the 6 x 1mile yesterday- I put a quarter mile jog as a rest in between repeats. My splits were 6:14, 6:14, 6:10, 5:59, 5:59, 6:10. TBH I was pretty happy and felt that this was a good workout!

I've been reading a bit on the importance of marathon specific training and it makes sense...

drquirky

Finished up last week with 8 miles easy, rest day and 8 miles easy- giving me a total of 55 miles for the week. Good session today- long run w/ 1 mile at marathon pace/ 1 mile at 7:30 pace.... Kept my splits around 6:45-6:55 on the miles at PMP went 20 miles doing this so did 10 miles at PMP felt strong and finished the run in 2:26 for 20 miles...

My knee seems to be acting up a bit with some soreness/ tightness on the inside of the knee that goes away after a couple of miles but then comes back the next morning- think I'll go get a massage....

drquirky

Tuesday- Did a 6 mile recovery run which was needed and felt good. My rule for recovery runs is I don't wear my Garmin- this is so I'm not tempted to up pace or hammer.

Wednesday- got a massage - felt really good after. This was my first one and I think its a good call to get a few of these leading up to DCM. A couple of hours after the massage I headed out to Phoenix Park for a tempo run... 2 miles warm up 10k at tempo and 2 miles cool down. Ended up running the 10k in 38:32 which I was delighted with. felt great and this was a good confidence builder as I ran the first 10k of the National Lottery Half Marathon on the 17th...Not sure what kind time I can run as I've never raced a half...Hoping for 1:22 or thereabouts...

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Tuesday- Did a 6 mile recovery run which was needed and felt good. My rule for recovery runs is I don't wear my Garmin- this is so I'm not tempted to up pace or hammer.

Wednesday- got a massage - felt really good after. This was my first one and I think its a good call to get a few of these leading up to DCM. A couple of hours after the massage I headed out to Phoenix Park for a tempo run... 2 miles warm up 10k at tempo and 2 miles cool down. Ended up running the 10k in 38:32 which I was delighted with. felt great and this was a good confidence builder as I ran the first 10k of the National Lottery Half Marathon on the 17th...Not sure what kind time I can run as I've never raced a half...Hoping for 1:22 or thereabouts...

Solid run given you had a massage this morning i reckon your legs have alot more in them. Normally after a massage I am always told I will feel my best a day or 2 later so fact you hit the 38.30 for a tempo is very encouraging. How did the knee hold up?

drquirky

Yeah the knee held up fine think it was just a tweak. FTR got the massage off a rec you made in one of the threads thanks for that Ecoli!

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Yeah the knee held up fine think it was just a tweak. FTR got the massage off a rec you made in one of the threads thanks for that Ecoli!

You mean Vinny? Have yet to find anyone in Dublin to beat him. He is who i get my massages off regularly (which reminds me need to book in next week:D). I think it also helps that he is a very experienced runner himself who has been through fair amount of injuries so he can empathize.

Back to your training and looking at it there is no reason why you shouldnt hit the 1.22 target you are aiming for. Alot of your running seems to be well geared towards a good half effort.

drquirky

ecoli wrote: »

You mean Vinny? Have yet to find anyone in Dublin to beat him. He is who i get my massages off regularly (which reminds me need to book in next week:D). I think it also helps that he is a very experienced runner himself who has been through fair amount of injuries so he can empathize.

Back to your training and looking at it there is no reason why you shouldnt hit the 1.22 target you are aiming for. Alot of your running seems to be well geared towards a good half effort.

Yup- Vinny is the guy. Seemed great and I've booked with him for next week as well. You mentioned my training looks good for a half effort but do you think its going ok for a full marathon as well?

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Yup- Vinny is the guy. Seemed great and I've booked with him for next week as well. You mentioned my training looks good for a half effort but do you think its going ok for a full marathon as well?

Looking at your training It does seem like its going pretty well in terms of marathon also. I think you are definitely on course for breaking the 3 hour mark looking at your training but to be honest I think you are kinda selling yourself short. As your training progresses I would introduce more sustained PMP efforts than mile on mile off Perhaps 5 on/5off or even half and half. I definitely think you have it in you to tackle mid to low 2.50s.
You have had a patient build up and your shorter sessions are going great and as you come closer to the Full I think introducing more race specific stuff you will see huge improvement. I do like the variety in your training however and i think this will yield major benefits

drquirky

Finished off last week with a couple of 9 mile runs on Friday and Sunday the second of the two being at PMP (6:45). I'm a little worried I may have messed up a bit as I did my 20 mile LSR on last Monday and I didn't do one over the weekend. I'm racing the half on Saturday so I'm gonna put in an 18 or 19 mile day then- I ran 11 yesterday but I'm hoping the 12 day gap in between long runs won't be a problem!

Miles last week= 61 happy enough with my milage feeling good...

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Finished off last week with a couple of 9 mile runs on Friday and Sunday the second of the two being at PMP (6:45). I'm a little worried I may have messed up a bit as I did my 20 mile LSR on last Monday and I didn't do one over the weekend. I'm racing the half on Saturday so I'm gonna put in an 18 or 19 mile day then- I ran 11 yesterday but I'm hoping the 12 day gap in between long runs won't be a problem!

Miles last week= 61 happy enough with my milage feeling good...

While the long runs are an important part of training you need to factor in the weekly mileage as a whole also so I wouldnt worry about missing the odd LSR (especially if you put in a 9 PMP mile run) Consistency is the key and this is something you seem to have in abundance.

drquirky

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ecoli!

I know The Roadrunner suggested a fartlek on Weds in another thread but I decided to do 3 quick mile repeats off of 90 sec jog rest as it is easy and quick.
2 mile warm up then splits were 6:07, 5:58, 5:48. These were mostly into the wind and on the HM course. Good stuff I like this kind of workout a few days before a race- short but well faster than HM pace should hopefully make 6:17/6:16 seem easy!

drquirky

Weds: Started the day with a massage- great stuff as the legs are pretty tired at this point- felt fresh after it. Went out for a very easy 6 mile spin around 8 minute pace. Felt fine

Thurs: Easy 5.5 mile run at 7:45 pace- hope I am all set for the HM on Saturday- still not feeling totally perky but I suppose this is to be expected as I've put in some decent training recently. Think I'll head out tomorrow for something very short and easy w/ strides- maybe 4 miles max...Feels strange to be going on these short runs after weeks of never really doing anything shorter than 7 or 8!

Looking to go 1:22 or thereabouts on Saturday good luck to everyone else running!

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Looking to go 1:22 or thereabouts on Saturday good luck to everyone else running!

Best of luck at the weekend

drquirky

Good day all around- Started a bit far back in the first wave and spent the first mile batting slower runners out of the way which is very frustrating. As a result came through in 6:25 but wasn't the worse thing in the world. Ran the first 5 in 31:20 and came through 10 in 62:40 so very even pacing which I am really happy about. Felt very strong the whole way and definitely felt like I had more in me so that is a good sign for DCM.

Overall a fun day but I had to split fast as I had the league championship softball (silly American Sport) game to play. My team ended up winning which was a great cap to the day. Happy enough with the race but I really think the waves need to be better policed... This was my first HM race so obviously a PB which is always nice!!!

ecoli

drquirky wrote: »

Good day all around- Started a bit far back in the first wave and spent the first mile batting slower runners out of the way which is very frustrating. As a result came through in 6:25 but wasn't the worse thing in the world. Ran the first 5 in 31:20 and came through 10 in 62:40 so very even pacing which I am really happy about. Felt very strong the whole way and definitely felt like I had more in me so that is a good sign for DCM.

Overall a fun day but I had to split fast as I had the league championship softball (silly American Sport) game to play. My team ended up winning which was a great cap to the day. Happy enough with the race but I really think the waves need to be better policed... This was my first HM race so obviously a PB which is always nice!!!

Well done on the race I know you were looking for in around that time and the manner you did it in with such even splitting suggests there is more to come certainly bodes well for the marathon and then to go and play softball without seizing up fair play

drquirky

Happy days. Recovered from the HM with a 6 mile recovery run on Sunday. That had me finishing the week at 61 miles and thats even with a mini taper for the HM.

Monday was 9 miles at 7:10 pace

Tuesday off- hadn't taken a day off running in 10 days so figured I deserved it!!

Wednesday 2 1.5 mile warm up 1 mile @6:30 pace 90 sec rest 2 miles @6:30 pace 90 secs rest 3 miles @ 6:35 pace 90 secs rest 2 miles @ 6:38 pace 90 secs rest 1 mile @ 6:20 pace 1.5 mile cool down. Think this was a pretty quality wokout- didn't feel amazing tbh but worked hard and got through it. Gonna take it pretty easy now until the fast LSR I'm planning for Saturday...

Krusty_Clown

Well done on the half marathon. Very solid time. If you get your long run strategy right, you should be looking at a very good time in DCM. Have you re-assessed your target, or are you sticking with sub-3?

drquirky

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Well done on the half marathon. Very solid time. If you get your long run strategy right, you should be looking at a very good time in DCM. Have you re-assessed your target, or are you sticking with sub-3?

Hey Krusty... I was thinking maybe 2:56- reckon I could hold 6:43's pretty comfortably. Do you think that seems doable? Last thing I want is to blow up !

Krusty_Clown

drquirky wrote: »

Hey Krusty... I was thinking maybe 2:56- reckon I could hold 6:43's pretty comfortably. Do you think that seems doable? Last thing I want is to blow up !

As long as you are getting the long runs done and the pmp miles in at that pace, it looks very doable. Seems like a good target, and you may even be in a position to pick up the pace after 20-22 miles on the big day.

drquirky

Thursday- 6 miles recovery run- nothing remarkable

Friday 6 miles @ 7:15 pace- easy enough saw the lovely Kathryn Thomas on my run in the War Memorial Gardens- didn't really look in sub-3 shape to me!

Saturday 20 miles w/ Brownian. We set off at just under 7 minute pace- stopped for water at 9, I stopped my watch during the water break. Started it back up and we hit 68 minutes for 10 miles. Actual running time was bang on 1:30 for the half so we were moving at a good clip. Day was pretty hot and I ended up pretty dehydrated at 15- Brownian thankfully was ok that we stopped and got a couple of drinks- life saver. Ended up banging out the last few k at a bit below 6:45 pace, compensating slightly for the dehydrated slog through miles 15-17. Finished in 2:25 if we counted the breaks but actual running time was 2:19 and change....think this was a helpful run to me as I had to dig a bit deep when I was feeling crap. Brownian btw is look seriously fit as he blew me away on Chesterfield at the end. I was running 6:45's at this point so he must have been down at 6:30 or less pace. Impressive stuff...

brownian

Thanks andy. Fit? Have you see the roadrunner and krusty and what they got up to this weekend. That's fit.

Feeling the run today. Locked my keys in the car after the run yesterday. Mrs b had to come rescue me, then wanted a stroll on the park. Could barely move:). Made it as far as the coffee shop.

Hope you paid that nice lady in farmleigh?

drquirky

brownian wrote: »

Feeling the run today. Locked my keys in the car after the run yesterday. Mrs b had to come rescue me, then wanted a stroll on the park. Could barely move:). Made it as far as the coffee shop.

Hope you paid that nice lady in farmleigh?

Oh man- sorry I took off so fast but I did go an pay for those drinks!

drquirky

Well that sucked-

Went out for a "9 mile tempo run" today was running great @ 32 mins for 5 miles and then suddenly the wheels came off completely- felt like I was gonna puke head starting throbbing and started getting chills. I'm pretty sure this was once again pure and simple dehydration as it was pretty warm at noon today when I went out.

At any rate the run ended up as a 39 mins for 6 miles - not great was looking for a way better session warmed up 2 and cooled down 2 so 10 for the day...

I need to get my hydration strategy sorted- this is not fun running out of gas on runs...think I just need to drink a sports drink before a session cause I'm pretty sure its an electrolyte thing as I tend to drink a good amount of water....

this week so far: 6 on Monday , 10 on Tuesday, Day off Weds 10 today...

brownian

Jeepers, boss...that sucks.

Clearly you're hitting the dehyration wall pretty hard. Here's what I do...

700 mls sugar+electrolyte drink immediatlely before running
Lots of liquids all day. Tea and coffee mainly. Peeing v.pale equals ok in my book.
Wear a singlet - I certainly sweat a lot less than I do in a t-shirt (and you've seen how much I perspire in a singlet!)

If you're being v.careful, plan your run to hit the car every 10k, for a good big drink (half a litre) of the electrolyte thing.

Today was HOT and sweaty, so you likely wouldn't get as tough a run other times. But you're too fit to be hitting those walls, dude. Get with the liquids:)

drquirky

Fri- 9 miles in the park...calf sore but no dehydration

Saturday- Paced run w/ PMP miles 1/1 2/2 3/3 2/2 1/1....thanks lads was good and I felt very strong with the exception of my calf/ shin. It is now sore all of the time and given my history of a couple of stress fractures- I'm extremely worried. Can hardly even think about this as I feel as though I've worked really hard and should be able to run my goal in DCM provided I can get to the starting line....

brownian

Stretch it, ice it, neurofen it...and ask a pro,I guess!

I feel your pain:)

drquirky

Well- good news. DCM still on. Got the leg looked at and it isn't a stress fracture! It might be a small muscle tear or something else but it looks as though it should be a go for DCM. I've taken 3 days in a row off this week and am absolutely chomping at the bit to run so I'm gonna head out in a bit and bang out some decent miles....wish me luck!

drquirky

Back on the horse...

8 miles in 53:11 (6:39 pace) Started out at 7 min pace but ran the last 5k in 19:30 cause I felt good. Leg still hurts but I'm happy its just pain and I can run through that...

drquirky

Friday: 6 miles easy

Saturday: 9 miles easy

Sunday - 18 miles with 10 (6-16) @ PMP Think this was a good workout- the leg still feels like crap but think I'm just gonna have to deal with that. Went out at 7:30 pace for the first 6 then went 6-16 @ 6:50 or so. Went through 16 miles in 1:54 onle 5 mins off 3 hr pace anyway so was running ok. 18 in 2:08

Total for the week= 42 less than I would like but w/ 3 days off due to my leg I'll take it!

drquirky

Much better!

Monday- rest

Tuesday 6 miles easy

Wednesday 5 x1 mile repeats- really felt like I needed to do something fairly quick as I was losing confidence w/ the sore leg etc... decided on a mile repeat workout off a 90 sec rest. The splits were 5:51, 5:41, 5:47, 5:48, 5:41. Good stuff- these felt comfortable and I'm pretty sure had the desired effect for me which is to up my confidence- these repeats are a full minute below planned marathon pace- if I I can just keep that in my head it should help me on the day...

Have to say getting really nervy about this race now- struggling to supress the feeling that I haven't done enough and worried about the last 6 miles. Guess this is all pretty normal!

brownian

don't worry...this is the onset of the well known taper madness. Between now and the end of the month you will self diagnose
- colds
- flus
- mumps
- leprosy
- sprains
- stress fractures
- growing pains
- pregnancy
- syphilis
...and still run just fine on the day.

Listen to the body, get the distances down but keep the intensity up - and at least one of us will go sub-3.

drquirky

Hahaha Brownian-

Already have had a couple of things on the list- I'll let you guess which ones!

The madness has set in- caught my second cold in 2 months- cost me a day here and a day there but have tried to be fairly consistent. Off Friday, ran 8 miles on at 7:15 pace on Saturday.

Sunday- Needed a confidence builder as I know its getting close to DCM but so ran 13.1 @PMP- did the HM in 127:29 felt very good. 1 and a half mile warmup and the same cool down. After that run the taper has officially started! I've done good work, I just hope it pays off on the day!

brownian

You're going well - I don't see why you shouldn't get your goal on the day! Fair play to you. How'd you feel after 13.1 - a bit left in the legs?

Keep up the good work; whether I'm running or not I'll be rooting for you.

[updated - i've decided to leave Dublin for another year, and give myself an extra month of recovery/training before having a go in Florence instead]

drquirky

Last few days have taken it fairly handy....

Wednesday, day off

Thursday, 6 miles easy

Friday (today) Ripped a work out off from Krusty as I read it in his log and he ran it about 10 days before his recent marathon... 3 mile repeats at 5k pace w/ 4 min rest in between. Think the first two were a little quicker than 5k pace @ 5:26 and then a wayyyy too quick 5:17. Pulled it back (aka couldn't run any quicker after the first two) to 5:32 for the third. All part of the sharpening process. Things feel ok- well the leg feels like crap but there is plenty of time to rest after DCM!

Hope everyone else is enjoying the last days before the race!

Krusty_Clown

drquirky wrote: »

Last few days have taken it fairly handy....
Friday (today) Ripped a work out off from Krusty as I read it in his log and he ran it about 10 days before his recent marathon... 3 mile repeats at 5k pace w/ 4 min rest in between. Think the first two were a little quicker than 5k pace @ 5:26 and then a wayyyy too quick 5:17. Pulled it back (aka couldn't run any quicker after the first two) to 5:32 for the third. All part of the sharpening process. Things feel ok- well the leg feels like crap but there is plenty of time to rest after DCM!

Wow. You have some leg speed. I've done those intervals a lot slower that you did on Friday, and ran a very comfortable 2:55 marathon the following week. You're in great shape.

ecoli

Very Solid session

Agree with KC you have the leg speed to do serious damage in a marathon and you longer sessions have gone pretty well so there is decent endurance there I think you should go well under your target

drquirky

Thanks for the votes of confidence lads! I feel pretty good and know leg speed has started to come around for me but am a bit worried about the last 6 miles of DCM. The leg injury has hurt me on the endurance side more than anything else. Still I think I have a lot of good training under my belt. Can't wait.

earlyevening

Plus you beat me in the half by 30 secs at least! I reckon you've a very strong chance of sub 3.

drquirky

Right-

Last longish distance run before the race. 12 miles w/ 4.5 @PMP 1:27... My body seems to feel best at PMP so I think thats a good thing- finding the 7:30's kinda hard and a bit of a slog!

drquirky

Tuesday- off

Wednesday 2 mile warm up- 2 miles at 6:20 pace (12:40 total) 1 mile cool down

Thursday off

Friday 4 miles very easy... almost there- getting really nervous but very excited hoping I've done enough for the 2:56 or so...