3:30 or bust!

irfrm

Hi belcarra

Just taken a look at your training plan, thats some mileage, waiting
on p&f book to understand some terms.
Best of luck with goals for 2012, will keep track on your progess
as my goals are close to you.

slowsteady

belcarra wrote: »

Legs are still pretty leaden which I am attributing to too much too soon on my return.

You have put in a fair bit of mileage in the past week and it could be a shock to the system. Maybe a rest day would not go astray to allow the legs repair themselves. I cut back to a hill session myself tonight for much the same reason.

Our targets for 2012 are almost identical, again, though I am aiming to be slightly more ambitious by a minute or two at 10 miles and the half - getting there will be the issue:D

Woddle

I'd agree with the above, no reason you won't be able to go sub 70 for 10 miles this year.

belcarra

Woddle wrote: »

I'd agree with the above, no reason you won't be able to go sub 70 for 10 miles this year.

:eek:
To be honest 10 mile distance is probably one of the lower priorities for me this year so I think I will be a good distance off 70 mins.
However, if there was a suitable 10 miler around August time then I could look to give that a crack. Don't think I will do the Race Series this year as I have enough t-shirts at this stage and the routes are never the easiest (Not too bad last year but there are definitely easier courses).

You've given me something to think about...4:20min/km for 16.3ish kms. If I managed to do that this year i'd be well happy with my progress and Sub 3:30 marathon should then be very achievable!

belcarra

irfrm wrote: »

Hi belcarra

Just taken a look at your training plan, thats some mileage, waiting
on p&f book to understand some terms.
Best of luck with goals for 2012, will keep track on your progess
as my goals are close to you.

Ya, some mileage alright. My general aim is to get really strong endurance-wise by the time of Connemara and then work a bit more on speed between that and probably Cork Marathon.

We are starting off quite similar levels and aims so it will be interesting to track our progress off different schedules!

belcarra

slowsteady wrote: »

You have put in a fair bit of mileage in the past week and it could be a shock to the system. Maybe a rest day would not go astray to allow the legs repair themselves. I cut back to a hill session myself tonight for much the same reason.

Our targets for 2012 are almost identical, again, though I am aiming to be slightly more ambitious by a minute or two at 10 miles and the half - getting there will be the issue:D

My head totally agrees with you but yet i'm unlikely to have a rest day til next week to be honest. I've been throwing in lots of recovery miles and the remaining mileage has been pretty relaxed also, apart from an LT session on Day 2.

What is your 10 mile target...anything as wild as Woddle's recommendation of 70 mins??

Best of luck with the training anyways over the next few months!

irfrm

belcarra wrote: »

We are starting off quite similar levels and aims so it will be interesting to track our progress off different schedules!

Not too sure we starting off similar levels with mileage like that:) but I try
to keep up:D

belcarra

Tuesday - Raheny Winter League 3 Mile Race
Managed to get a lap of the course in for a 2km warm-up before the race began. I picked a nominal target of 21 mins for the race which allowed me a convenient 7min mile pace. I eased off a little in the second lap to allow a strong finish which kinda happened!

Another good race by Raheny and I was involved in an enjoyable bit of racing for the second half of the race which was nice.

Splits were:
Mile 1: 6:56
Mile 2: 7:20
Mile 3: 6:53

Kmtd: 103.1
Runs: 9/11

belcarra

irfrm wrote: »

Not too sure we starting off similar levels with mileage like that:) but I try
to keep up:D

What I mean is that we have similar pbs but I will probably end up doing more miles than you but it'll be interesting to see if it actually pays off!!:)

slowsteady

belcarra wrote: »

What is your 10 mile target...anything as wild as Woddle's recommendation of 70 mins??

My current PB is 75:00 and have pencilled in sub-72 as a target, which I feel is plenty tough. I need an injury-free run into the summer to get near it though;).

belcarra

Now that I think about it there aren't many races at 10 mile distance. The Frank Duffy 10 in the park I have done many times but none apart from this. I know some of the Boards crew did Mallow last year but any suitably fast races elsewhere??

belcarra

Thursday - 8km Recovery Run.
Nice easy run this evening with an average HR of 131bpm. I took this especially handy as I have 15 miler tomorrow and 12 miler Saturday morning. I think the cold/cough is just about left the system now so hopefully onwards and upwards!

Kmtd: 111.1:D
Runs: 10/12

belcarra

Just updating the table to reflect a new distance of 3 miles:Distance:|Pre-2011 PB:|End-2011 PB:|2011 Improvement:|End 2012 target:
2m|N/A|13:23|N/A|12:50
3m|N/A|21:09|N/A|20:30
5km|24:19|20:58|3:21|19:59
8km|38:17|36:06|2:11|34:49
5 Mile|38:19|36:40|1:39|34:59
10km|47:55|44:25|3:30|42:59
10 Mile|01:22:16|01:17:17|4:59|01:14:59
½ Marathon|01:44:31|01:40:20|4:11|01:37:29
15 Mile|02:25:35|02:25:35|0:00|01:59:59
¾ Marathon|N/A|02:39:45|N/A|02:34:59
Marathon| 04:21:40|03:51:30|30:10|03:29:59
50km|N/A| N/A|N/A|04:44:59
39.3 Mile|N/A|N/A|N/A|06:20:00


NB:I have a quicker target time for 5km (3.1 mile) than 3 miles as 5km target race will be Rathfarnham which is a net downhill and very favourable course!

belcarra

Friday - 25.6km LSR
LSR was done in two parts today.

For Part 1 of my LSR I met up with an old school friend in the Park. John is intending to run the DCM so I said to join me for some runs in a bid to work up his fitness. Took it very handy as he was dealing with the remnants of sinus issues so a leisurely 9.3km loop back to the cars before John headed home.

I then continued on for Part 2 of my LSR at a quicker pace but still very easy on the HR. Part 2 alone was 16.3km in just over 91mins. This was a pace of 5:38/km which I was happy with for a LSR but my av HR was only 129bpm when I would have expected it to be closer to 140bpm. I'm guessing the crisp cold conditions played their part in keeping the HR down but I'm still surprised. I guess it appears a good stat but it's probably some kind of anomaly due to the fact the HR had averaged only 112bpm for the first 9.3km of the day.

So, the first of my back-to-back LSRs completed, tomorrow heralds a 12 miler in the park with the boards crew at 9am. If I feel good I may push this to 14 miles but I also need to keep one eye on the Tuam 8km race I'm doing on Sunday. Still though, LSRs are the priority for the foreseeable future!!

Kmtd: 136.7
Runs: 11/13

belcarra

Saturday, 14th Jan - 20.6km LSR
After waking much earlier than required and then again when the alarm rang at 8am, I only managed to fully wake at 8:40 when I got a phone call! I jumped out of the bed and barely made it in for the start of the run at 9am!

There was a good boards group this morning for what was only my second group run. We started off with a crisp ground frost still very much present, especially down on the lower parts of our run in the War Memorial gardens. An hours loop and we were back at the car park after about 6 .5 miles. We picked up Vagga on the exit of the car park and continued around to include a lap of Farmleigh - somewhere I had not been before but a very nice 1.5 mile distraction towards the end of my run.

All told it was just under half marathon distance which I was happy with as I was still feeling pretty fresh at the end - At least as good as I could have wished for before my back 2 back runs yesterday. So I ended up doing 15.9/12.8 rather than the planned 15/11 and I still feel pretty good. All-in-all I'm quite happy with where I am at the moment. I just need to build on that over the next few weeks now.

Kmtd: 157.3
Runs: 12/14

belcarra

Sunday, 15th Jan - Tuam 8km Race
I had booked this before xmas so being that I am in the middle of endurance training I didn't have the luxury of focusing on this race for a good time. So, on the back of my first b2b LSRs I toed the line on a very nice Winters day - Crisply cool and bright with not a sign of rain. There was a bit of a breeze blowing though so that was something that would need thinking about when out on the course.

There was no mat for a start time so everybody was going by the gun. Nevertheless I started my watch where I believed the front of the crowd began and we were away. I ran the first stretch alongside my brother. This was a reasonably easy pace for me but I decided against pushing it due to the mileage of the previous two days. However, by 2.5km the pace was settling back into the 4:4x so I decided to stretch out the legs a little.

At this stage we were going headlong into the breeze so I gently pushed on and decided to myself I'd use the remainder of the race as a 5km effort! I was passing loads of people now that I had stepped up the effort. Eventually we turned the corner for the direction of Tuam town and were left with 3km to the finish. At this stage there was one guy whom I passed who sat on my shoulder for the past 1500m. This continued until we were about 1km from the finish when he pushed on past. Most of the onlookers seemed to recognise this guy dressed in a Tri Lakes Tri kit so I think he was saving himself until that stage so he could impress the loyal fanbase!! I kept it going trying to keep him a steady distance in front and by the time I finished he was about 8 or 9 secs ahead.

After I completed my post race routine of battling to not vomit:eek:
I looked to the watch which read 35:53...so for a race where I was just meant to be out to enjoy a 8km course I ended up beating the 36min marker! Very pleased with this result!

My splits show a nice progression throughout the race with me finishing quite strongly:
4:30, 4:45, 4:42, 4:31, 4:26, 4:21, 4:18, 4:15

My brother finished just over two mins later for an impressive time given the little amount of training he has been limited to recently. My LSR running mate Phil also ran the race and finished in a very impressive time of 33:07 or so.
Things are falling into place nicely:)

Kmtd: 166.3
Runs: 13/15

Monday, 16th Jan - 8.0km Recovery Run
Easy 8km recovery run. Nothing much to report apart from Av HR = 129bpm - Pretty low given a reasonable recovery pace. Seems like good news to me!!

Kmtd: 174.3
Runs: 14/16

DukeOfDromada

Sounds like a good race especially after your b2b LSRs. Any thoughts on re-evaluating your 2012 target PB of 34:49?;) Looks like you can easily beat it.

belcarra

I'll be happy enough if I hit my target given I'll be doing no focused training over most of the distances for most of the year! I have the best part of a minute to take off my new PB yet will probably only have one more stab at it (Streets of Galway) this year so, no, I'm not really prepared or stupid enough to drop the target any lower!!

...But it would be nice for it to happen regardless!!:D

belcarra

Tuesday, 17th Jan - 18.8km Medium Slow Run
Nothing much to report. Nice night out. Felt a couple of slight niggles for only seconds at a time but feeling good overall if a little tired from Sunday still.
Kmtd: 193.1
Runs: 15/17

belcarra

Wednesday, 18th Jan - 8km Recovery Run
Easy run to settle the legs after last nights MSR.
Kmtd: 201.1
Runs: 16/18

belcarra

Thursday, 19th Jan - 8km Recovery Run
Threw in another Recovery Run to keep the streak going and also to take it easy with the b2b LSRs coming tomorrow and Saturday.

Colder out there tonight than the past week but still not too bad considering the time of year!

Kmtd: 209.1
Runs: 17/19

belcarra

Friday - 23.0km LSR
LSR was done in two parts again today.

Part 1 was done with Philip and John at a very easy pace of approx just under 7mins/km. Things were nice and easy and we had a good old chat along the way. John finished up when we returned to the car park after 9km.

Myself and Phil kicked on a bit afterwards for Part 2 and did the remaining 14km at 5:42min/km. There was a savage wind out there for much of the run today which made things tough in places, but overall feeling good.

2nd LSR tomorrow in Donadea Park where we will probably do 25km or so.

Kmtd: 232.1
Runs: 18/20

belcarra

Saturday - 32.2km LSR
Second LSR today so I went to Donadea Park with Philip to get in a trial run. After a few different routes we think we eventually worked out whiich is the correct race route!

The first half is definitely slower than the second half although I think that may have been extra true today with the wind making a small part of the course (by the lake) extra tricky.

We managed 6 laps of varying lengths which left us with a 32km (20 miles on the nose!) total. Felt pretty decent at the end with an Av pace of 5:44 and av HR of 133bpm.

We decided during the run that we will stick with the 5hr pacer (Frank??) for the race, so that easier pace should be manageable for 8 or 9 laps anyways!! Hopefully we will manage all ten though!

Kmtd: 264.3
Runs: 19/21

menoscemo

belcarra wrote: »

Saturday - 32.2km LSR
Second LSR today so I went to Donadea Park with Philip to get in a trial run. After a few different routes we think we eventually worked out whiich is the correct race route!

The first half is definitely slower than the second half although I think that may have been extra true today with the wind making a small part of the course (by the lake) extra tricky.

We managed 6 laps of varying lengths which left us with a 32km (20 miles on the nose!) total. Felt pretty decent at the end with an Av pace of 5:44 and av HR of 133bpm.

We decided during the run that we will stick with the 5hr pacer (Frank??) for the race, so that easier pace should be manageable for 8 or 9 laps anyways!! Hopefully we will manage all ten though!

Kmtd: 264.3
Runs: 19/21

5 hr pace is way too soft for you. Don't sell yourself short!!

slowsteady

You are knocking out savage mileage at the moment. Puts my efforts to shame given that we are both aiming for the same sub-3:30. My excuse is that I am targeting Dublin again so have more time but it is hard not to feel guilty when I see your record, 19 from 21. Keep this up and it will be a breeze:).

belcarra

menoscemo wrote: »

5 hr pace is way too soft for you. Don't sell yourself short!!

Tbh I'm using donadea as a training stepping stone to Connemara and so will not be tapering at all. Therefore, I just want to get around and will be happy enough if I finish still feeling anyways fresh!
If it was a priority race then I'd probably target a faster time alright.

belcarra

slowsteady wrote: »

You are knocking out savage mileage at the moment. Puts my efforts to shame given that we are both aiming for the same sub-3:30. My excuse is that I am targeting Dublin again so have more time but it is hard not to feel guilty when I see your record, 19 from 21. Keep this up and it will be a breeze:).

Even though we have same target time we have different timescales. I'm using the first 3 months to build up endurance and then do some speedwork after Connemara in time for Cork.
You have a much longer lead-in to Dublin so you're ticking over nicely.
Definitely a record streak for me with 20 successive days running but am still feeling good so don't wanna rest yet!!

menoscemo

belcarra wrote: »

Tbh I'm using donadea as a training stepping stone to Connemara and so will not be tapering at all. Therefore, I just want to get around and will be happy enough if I finish still feeling anyways fresh!
If it was a priority race then I'd probably target a faster time alright.

Same as me last year (and this). I went out for a 4:30ish finish and did 4:21. You're easily in the same shape I was this time last year so you should easily be able for 4:30 at least (8:40/mile pace?). It shouldn't take much out of you either.

belcarra

menoscemo wrote: »

Same as me last year (and this). I went out for a 4:30ish finish and did 4:21. You're easily in the same shape I was this time last year so you should easily be able for 4:30 at least (8:40/mile pace?). It shouldn't take much out of you either.

8:40/mile = 5:23/km which is a bit fast for me for a debut 50km race!
Plan is if I'm in reasonable shape with 2 laps to go to maybe kick-on a little bit. I figure it'll be long enough that it's better to have a bit of chat and banter with the 5hr group in order to ward off the boredom, rather than get isolated in between groups.

belcarra

Sunday, 22nd Jan - 8km Recovery Run
I was a bit tired in the morning so decided to leave today's run until evening time instead. Took it really handy and glanced at the HR a couple of times when it was showing early 120's. Unfotunately something weird seemed to happen to the garmin because when i hit the button to stop it at the end of the run it had nothing saved when I went to view it :rolleyes:!
Therefore no link to the run today which is a pity because i wanted to see how the avHR worked out, but I'm pretty sure I took it easy enough to average no higher than 130bpm for the entire run.
Kmtd: 272.3
Runs: 20/22