Run Fat Boy Run - The lazy mans guide to Ironman and Marathon training.

griffin100

Ok I’m back. Seeing that every man and his dog has a new log for 2012 I thought I’d start log no. 3. To recap Log No. 1 followed my 30 weeks training to IMUK 2010. I reread the entire log over the Christmas for the first time in about a year and had a good laugh about how naive I was. Log No. 2 was from last year and was supposed to follow my training for the World Long Distance Champs in Las Vegas but I didn’t get to Vegas in the end, chiefly due to the cost (this ended up being a blessing in disguise as the event ended up being a long distance duathlon as the wimpy yanks decided that the water was too cold for a swim). I have a nice green Ireland tri suit at home with my name on it that will probably never be used – but that’s what I like about tri, event a fat git like me can buy his way onto the ‘Irish team’. The highlight of 2011 was the Hardman IM distance race in Kerry and the Tri An Mhi HIM and the will she won’t she go into labour fun before and during the race (see my old log).

I’m fat (88-89kgs) and lazy (see above logs). I have a job that requires a long commute each way and have 4 kids from age 7 down to 7 months. I detest early morning sessions of any type and don’t like cycling in the cold, so it doesn’t help that I also hate the turbo....yep I’m lazy. My sole reason for starting tri in 2008 was to shift some weight (at the beginning I was 105kgs) and I continue to ‘exercise’ as my wife puts it so that I can eat and drink what I like without getting too fat......as I like to say I train to eat. On the plus side I didn’t put any weight on over Christmas despite eating my own body weight in trifle and quality street on a daily basis for about a week......but then again I didn’t lose any weight at a time when my running mileage was hitting 40 mpw (high for me).

So I come to 2012 as a multiple IM finisher (yes I’ve done 2 IM’s so that makes me more experienced if not more knowledgeable than most IM loggers here :pac:). I had kinda planned on backing off on tri this year and maybe doing some more running and even some mtb’ing, but as mtb’ers are an even bigger bunch of freaks than triathletes I’ve not followed up on this. In the end I’ve decided to break the year into two ‘half’s’. The first half of the year will be running based and the second half if all goes to plan will be IM based.

I’m planning on doing the Connemara Marathon. I’ve a place from last year I never used so this was a no brainer – although I’m dropping back from the Ultra to the standard distance. I’ve never trained properly for a marathon. I’ve done two IM marathons and 2 stand alone marathons off the back of IM training. I did the 2010 DCM in 3.52ish which is my PB. In 2011 I blew up after about 2 miles (yes 2 miles) and took 4.25 to finish. I had fallen down the stairs at home the day before so I’m blaming that for my slow time – I looked at my Garmin data for this race for the first time this week and I was hitting 180bpm at 10 min / mile pace so something wasn’t right with my body. So this time I am going to try and train properly for a marathon. I started the 18 week P&D 55mpw plan and surprisingly have stuck pretty much exactly to it for the first 6 weeks. Before the DCM I did a 5km TT in 21.31 and based on that McMillan says I should be able for a 3.30hrs marathon so that’s what I’ve been training for. All my pacing has been with this time in mind. As I train more my HR is starting to come down on the faster runs to match what P&D say it should be, but for the speed work and the marathon pace runs I’m still seeing a HR about 7-10bpm over what P&D say it should be – hopefully that will change as I put more miles in. Do I think a 3.30 is on the cards in Conn? No way with all those hills, but I’ll keep training for a 3.30 and see what happens closer to the day. The longest run to date on this program was 16 miles last weekend with 10 of these at marathon pace – 8min/mile. Did this without too much difficulty but this week have a bad chest cold so missing sessions for a few days – good thing it’s a recovery week. I’ll be using McMillans predicted time for 10km and HM to test myself before Conn. Based on a 3.30 marathon I should be hitting sub 45min 10km and sub 1.40hrs HM – the 10km target I think I have in me now, the HM one...hhhmm.....could be tough. After Conn I’ll see how I feel and I may do another marathon in early summer. So the running goals for 2012 are:
• Sub 45min 10km
• Sub 1.40hr half marathon
• New marathon PB (as close to 3.30hr as possible)

The second half of the year is back to IM – looks like I’ll do the Hardman Tri again. I’ll probably do the Tri and Mhi HIM and a couple of sprints also. I’ve some time targets in mind for the IM but I won’t divulge them just yet apart from one, which is to get close to a sub 4hr marathon off the bike (which would require me to be running a 3.30 stand alone marathon....see above). I’ll probably not get near a bike again until next Spring and as for my swimming....let’s just say you could count the number of swims I’ve had since last August on one hand. I need to try and get back into the habit of swimming at least twice a week. I could do early sessions with the Glenalbyn swimmers in the morning before work but that would mean getting up earlier.........The new 50m pool in UCD is due to be opened next spring so that might help with the swimming. I’ve signed up to the SBR 2012 challenge so maybe that’ll spur me on. Maybe I'll get myself a nemesis for the year to compete against......we'll see

Bambaata

Best of luck with it griffin100. Looking forward to more race reports like the last Hardman one.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Best of luck Grif i have one lad i am helping out at the moment who is doing Conn and targeting the same time. Best of luck with it, at this rate with all the new logs i am going to get feck all work done!!

Brick Session

Hope to see you on the start line in Killarney Griff, best of luck with your 2012.

RacoonQueen

If you can run 3:30 in Conn you'll be targeting a much faster half than that.

catweazle

Best of luck Griffin. You will enjoy Connemara - whip that Ireland Tri suit on for Tri Laois - the newbies will be in awe of you!

Git101

Best of luck. I look forward to meeting you on the back roads of Carlow/Wicklow.

Izoard

Good man - although the fact you are doing twice as much training for the Conn full than I'm doing for the Ultra, is a cause for concern....

griffin100

Best of luck Grif i have one lad i am helping out at the moment who is doing Conn and targeting the same time. Best of luck with it, at this rate with all the new logs i am going to get feck all work done!!

If you can run 3:30 in Conn you'll be targeting a much faster half than that.

I don't think I have a hope of doing 3.30 in Conn, but like I said I'll train with a 3.30 in mind and see how it goes. I'll make a decision on race pacing closer to the day.

Best of luck Griffin. You will enjoy Connemara - whip that Ireland Tri suit on for Tri Laois - the newbies will be in awe of you!

Ha, if I could get the yoke up past my knees then maybe

Best of luck. I look forward to meeting you on the back roads of Carlow/Wicklow.

Not at the minute you wont, fecking chesty cold. I'm coughing constantly and short of breath. This came on within a couple of hrs of finishing my last 16 mile LSR which had 10 miles pmp bit so I wounder is that related? Over training? Me? That'll be the day!!

Git101

griffin100 wrote: »

Not at the minute you wont, fecking chesty cold. I'm coughing constantly and short of breath. This came on within a couple of hrs of finishing my last 16 mile LSR which had 10 miles pmp bit so I wounder is that related? Over training? Me? That'll be the day!!

Have a read of this thread before you go back training.

I won't be out much myself for the next few week.
I'm doing the Art O Neill challenge next Friday so a handy week this week and a few weeks recovery afterwards.
Recovery = eating and drinking (even more)

griffin100

Have a read of this thread before you go back training.

Yeah I'd read that and it did stop me doing my usual routine of trying to train with a cough / cold.

Good luck with the Art O'Neill Challenge, its a toughie and one that I must do some day.

griffin100

After a full 5 days off training back with a short slow run yesterday. 6 miles at 9.30 pace with HR exactly where it should be so hopefully that's the end of the cold.

Last week was pretty much a write off with the chest cold but better to be safe than sorry. It was a recovery week so hopefully it wont have too big an impact long term. This week is a biggie for me, the P&D plan has it down as a 50 mile week which is by far the most I will have ever run in a week if I complete it. This is where it starts to get difficult though, finding the time to do 10 mile plus runs on a weekday. I'm looking forward to it in a perverse way. I also need to get back swimming again :rolleyes: Jaysus, maybe I am going to have to start doing early morning weekday sessions, which I haven't done since the initial enthusiasm of training for my first IM in 2010:)

griffin100

Started off my first ever 50 week mile attempt last night with a ten miler. The plan had this down as 5 miles at HM pace but I didn't think the lungs could cope with that just yet so settled on 10 miles at slighter faster than LSR pace - average pace 8.30-8.40 min / mile.

I did the run after work as I knew if I went home there would be a good chance I'd not get the full run in after getting the kids to bed. This was the first time in almost 4 years of running that I have done a training run in Dublin, all my other runs have been on the back roads of Carlow. I have to say its quite a different experience running around south Dublin. I did some of the trails in UCD, out onto some of the DCM route and finished off by heading down the N11 towards Stillorgan and back.

Some of the differences I noticed:

• The streets of South Dublin are paved with dog sh1t....feckin loads of it. Now when running at home a dog turd on the road is a thing of wounder. If I see one (which is very rarely) I stop and foensically examine it......how big is it (very important, as this dictates the size of the dog who made it); how long has it been there, can I hazard a guess at the dog concerned......this is all vital as I try to ascertain the likelihood that the turd was left by a dog unknown to me (and I know all the dogs good and bad on my run routes) and if I'm likely to have a new potentially rabid dog to fend off when I run. In Dublin the sh1t is just everywhere.
• When running on quiet country roads you can do what you want unseen, stop for a pee, readjust your tackle, spend a good five minutes routing around your arse to get your long lost underwear back out and so on. Its somewhat different running in a very busy area at rush hour. I only remembered this when I got some disgusted looks from the bus passengers who had a full frontal view of my very successful nostril clearing activity at a pedestrian crossing whilst waiting to cross...to say nothing of the lady standing beside me.
• The concrete footpaths are a lot harder on your knees than the nice soft tar at home.
• There are more potholes on Dublin footpaths than in Carlow.
• WTF is the story with footpaths that suddenly end in a cycle lane....can I kep running in these cycle lanes?
• Everyone is out to get you, especially cyclists and dog walkers with extendable leashes and will do their utmost to get you.
• At least the wildlife on a city run is better than that on a rural road at night;)

Izoard

griffin100 wrote: »

Started off my first ever 50 week mile attempt last night with a ten miler. The plan had this down as 5 miles at HM pace but I didn't think the lungs could cope with that just yet so settled on 10 miles at slighter faster than LSR pace - average pace 8.30-8.40 min / mile.

I did the run after work as I knew if I went home there would be a good chance I'd not get the full run in after getting the kids to bed. This was the first time in almost 4 years of running that I have done a training run in Dublin, all my other runs have been on the back roads of Carlow. I have to say its quite a different experience running around south Dublin. I did some of the trails in UCD, out onto some of the DCM route and finished off by heading down the N11 towards Stillorgan and back.

Some of the differences I noticed:

• The streets of South Dublin are paved with dog sh1t....feckin loads of it. Now when running at home a dog turd on the road is a thing of wounder. If I see one (which is very rarely) I stop and foensically examine it......how big is it (very important, as this dictates the size of the dog who made it); how long has it been there, can I hazard a guess at the dog concerned......this is all vital as I try to ascertain the likelihood that the turd was left by a dog unknown to me (and I know all the dogs good and bad on my run routes) and if I'm likely to have a new potentially rabid dog to fend off when I run. In Dublin the sh1t is just everywhere.
• When running on quiet country roads you can do what you want unseen, stop for a pee, readjust your tackle, spend a good five minutes routing around your arse to get your long lost underwear back out and so on. Its somewhat different running in a very busy area at rush hour. I only remembered this when I got some disgusted looks from the bus passengers who had a full frontal view of my very successful nostril clearing activity at a pedestrian crossing whilst waiting to cross...to say nothing of the lady standing beside me.
• The concrete footpaths are a lot harder on your knees than the nice soft tar at home.
• There are more potholes on Dublin footpaths than in Carlow.
• WTF is the story with footpaths that suddenly end in a cycle lane....can I kep running in these cycle lanes?
• Everyone is out to get you, especially cyclists and dog walkers with extendable leashes and will do their utmost to get you.
• At least the wildlife on a city run is better than that on a rural road at night;)

And us Southsiders have a reputation for being ladyboys?

HTFU:)

RacoonQueen

You ever tried cycling in Dublin. It's even worse, cycle lanes end abrupty and in some cases you are actually expected to dismount and walk along with your bike.

We were stopped for cycling on a road beside such a lane on a footpath, asked him if motorists were ever expected to get out of their cars and walk their car along the road. He was a cyclist himself so he just laughed at me. :pac:

Git101

griffin100 wrote: »

Started off my first ever 50 week mile attempt last night with a ten miler. The plan had this down as 5 miles at HM pace but I didn't think the lungs could cope with that just yet so settled on 10 miles at slighter faster than LSR pace - average pace 8.30-8.40 min / mile.

I did the run after work as I knew if I went home there would be a good chance I'd not get the full run in after getting the kids to bed. This was the first time in almost 4 years of running that I have done a training run in Dublin, all my other runs have been on the back roads of Carlow. I have to say its quite a different experience running around south Dublin. I did some of the trails in UCD, out onto some of the DCM route and finished off by heading down the N11 towards Stillorgan and back.

Some of the differences I noticed:

• The streets of South Dublin are paved with dog sh1t....feckin loads of it. Now when running at home a dog turd on the road is a thing of wounder. If I see one (which is very rarely) I stop and foensically examine it......how big is it (very important, as this dictates the size of the dog who made it); how long has it been there, can I hazard a guess at the dog concerned......this is all vital as I try to ascertain the likelihood that the turd was left by a dog unknown to me (and I know all the dogs good and bad on my run routes) and if I'm likely to have a new potentially rabid dog to fend off when I run. In Dublin the sh1t is just everywhere.
• When running on quiet country roads you can do what you want unseen, stop for a pee, readjust your tackle, spend a good five minutes routing around your arse to get your long lost underwear back out and so on. Its somewhat different running in a very busy area at rush hour. I only remembered this when I got some disgusted looks from the bus passengers who had a full frontal view of my very successful nostril clearing activity at a pedestrian crossing whilst waiting to cross...to say nothing of the lady standing beside me.
• The concrete footpaths are a lot harder on your knees than the nice soft tar at home.
• There are more potholes on Dublin footpaths than in Carlow.
• WTF is the story with footpaths that suddenly end in a cycle lane....can I kep running in these cycle lanes?
• Everyone is out to get you, especially cyclists and dog walkers with extendable leashes and will do their utmost to get you.
• At least the wildlife on a city run is better than that on a rural road at night;)

Great description griffin, nearly wet myself laughing.
I'm delighted to be away from Dublin and running on the sh1t free rural roads (cow & sheep sh1t doesn't count, right?)

There are no bad dogs in your area, even Doyles "devil dog" will run away from a loud roar. There have been rumors of a strange man in running gear poking dog turds while looking around in a searching manner and mumbling to himself

griffin100

There are no bad dogs in your area, even Doyles "devil dog" will run away from a loud roar.

Yeah he's not that bad, just big!

I'll face down most dogs in the daytime no bother (except for your neighbours Rottweiler). Its when you're running in the pitch black and you hear barking and the sound of running feet behind you that freaks me out. I end of running backwards whilst trying to gauge the size of the dog from the reflection of my headlight in its eyes.

griffin100

Tuesday: 4 mile recovery run at home.

Wednesday: Back on the mean streets of South Dublin for 11 miles. Felt very tired for the first 3-4 miles but perked up after that. Tried to cover as many hills as possible. Ran the Clonskeagh Road and the UCD flyover part of the DCM route which during the DCM feels like running up Mt Everest but in reality is little more than a slight bump in the road. Averaged 8.55 min / mile.

Gonna try and swim tonight, should be interesteing as I haven't swam in weeks

griffin100

Friday
For the first time in weeks got a swim in on Friday night. Pool was mobbed with the New Year resolution crowd but not too bad. Did a mix of 1,000m and swam like an arthritic pensioner. It's depressing how quickly you loose swim fitness. Coming in on around 2.05-2.10 for 100m repeats off 2.45ish so a ways to go to get back to 100m repeats off 2.00m. At least it gets me off the swim start line for the SBR challenge. Triceps were sore on Saturday morning :rolleyes:

Saturday
7 mile run with some strides. Nice and slow averaging 8.45 pace.

Sunday
The first proper long run of the plan - 18 miles. This would bring me to my first ever 50 mile week. Concentrated on keeping the HR exactly at the upper end of where it should be for these runs according to P&D and did a very very comfortable 18 miles averaging 8.52 min / mile with average HR 156. That's pretty much bang on what the P&D plan says I should be for my LSR's when the predicted MP is 8 min/mile. Felt very comfortable the whole time and only started to get tired with a mile or so to go when the HR raised slightly.

Its interesting to compare that with MCOS's weekend post about his long run - similar distances, almost exactly same average HR, similar route profile........but he was averaging 1 minute per km faster than me. That's the difference between a 3hr marathon runner and someone whose hoping to get close to 3.30hrs (one day).

So my first 50 mile week ever done, this week is a 50+ mile one. Looking forward to it:)

Lex Luther

well done Griffin , an injury free 50 mile week is no small thing ...! Onwards and up-wards..

( edited for THATS not how you spell "Griffen")

shotgunmcos

Where does HR 156 sit for you? I was working a bit harder than 'easy' to be fair. I generally cap 'easy' at 155. And you ran 5k longer

Hey I get the same feeling when I look at Abhainn's runs. only he does proper hills.

griffin100

I work off a max HR of 187 bpm and an LT of 168 bpm. These figures are based on lab tests done a good while ago but I don't think they've changed too much.

Based on the P&D guidance high 140's-156 bpm is my range for LSR's with a pace of between 8.48 and 9.36 min / mile. From a perceived effort point of view anything less than 155 bpm for me feels easy with 150 bpm or less feeling very easy. Yesterdays 18 miles felt easy until the last mile or two when I hit the last hill and the HR rate started to rise and wouldn't come back down again (last two mile averages where 160+).

P&D says my max. HR for MP runs should be around 165, but my last MP run had 10 miles at MP and I was averaging low 170's bpm for 7.50 min / mile pace. This is where I need to get better, my MP runs need to be getting down closer to 165 otherwise I'll blow up long before the finish especially with all those hills in Conn. The plan is to keep an eye on this and after my last LSR with 16 miles at MP make a decision on what pace to run Conn in in order to try and keep the HR at a sustainable level.

griffin100

Monday
Rest day, didn't event try and get a swim in. Legs needed a break.

Tuesday
7 mile recovery run with 6 x 100m strides - my first work lunchtime run. Legs heavy but ok. HR slightly elevated, probably due to fatigue from weekend. Avg. 9 min/mile.

Wednesday
12 mile run. Chose a hilly route and took it easy, Avg. 9.07 min/mile and 161bpm. Couldn't keep the HR down too low once I hit the steep hills. However was very very comfortable and legs felt good. Reckoned I had a bit more on the hills if needed. Covered approx. 1/3rd of the climbing that I need to do in Conn including one big hill of a similar profile (but slightly less steep) to the one near the end of Conn.

Really don't think i can hold 8 min/mile pace over those hills but we'll keep plugging away and see how the training goes. Had some pain in the right hip after this run which I know from experience means that I need new runners. Was planning a swim tonight but home life means wont happen.

Appetite is starting to approach IM training levels. Haven't lost any weight since the trainng began but my belt has reverted from its winter setting (one notch from tighest fiting) to its summer IM training setting (tighest notch), so something is happeneing.

Due to do a 10 mile tomorrow with 6 miles at HM pace (7.30 min/mile). A bit nervous about this given the high mileage for the last few days. Will be interesting to see how it goes. This run will definitely be done on flat terrain.

griffin100

Today P&D asked for a 10 mile run with 6 miles @ HM pace which for me is between 7.25 - 7.35. The legs felt really really tired today despite a rest day yesterday. The mood wasn't helped by a mad busy morning in work which meant that I didn't get to eat breakfast or lunch before the run - a coffee and a bar of chocolate was the sum total of today's pre run calorie intake. I contemplated putting of the run till tonight but i knew that if I put it off till later I'd never get it done so I HTFU and headed out.

Plan was 3-4 miles easy and then 6 miles hard. First mile legs were heavy and I was tired. Into second mile and I got a hunger knock- cold sweats, dizziness, stopping to chew the bark off the trees.......decided I'd never get the full 10 miles done never mind the 6 hard miles so was contemplating binning the session. Mile 3 was ok so when I hit mile 4 I decided to try and do at least some of the fast miles. It was tough and I felt like sh1t but I kept going, thinking about the last bill hill towards the end of Conn helps concentrate the mind. I managed three 'fast miles' - 7.27 / 7.41 / 7.50 - the third mile was a bit slower as I had to stop to puke towards the end when I got a serious hunger knock. At that stage I decided that discretion was the better part of HTFU and slowed back down again and did another three miles with the last one as 10 x 100m strides / 40-50m recovery.

Did 9 miles overall, one less than called for but I'm happy I managed to keep going and at least get 3 hard miles and a set of strides out of the called for hard 6 miles so not a complete loss. I'm pretty wiped out as I type this so doesn't look like I'll get a swim in this evening.

This weekend sees a recovery run tomorrow and a 20 miler on Sunday, my first of three in this plan. Hopefully I'll feel a bit better heading into that.

Izoard

Jesus...I'm getting depressed everytime I read your log with the amount of running you are doing for Conn.

Nice one....

griffin100

Izoard wrote: »

Jesus...I'm getting depressed everytime I read your log with the amount of running you are doing for Conn.

Nice one....

On the other hand I bet your not going to need stabilisers and water wings to get through your next triathlon.

griffin100

Saturday was due to be a short (5 mile) recovery run but an early start for kiddies violin and swim lessons, a visit to grandparents in Dublin and a couple of hours of communion dress shopping :rolleyes: meant that it was late when I got home on Saturday evening so I didn't bother.

Sunday was the first of the three 20 mile runs called for in the P&D plan. Plan was the same as last week, run off the higher end of expected HR and see what pace that gave. Straight away HR was slightly elevated due to running into very strong wind. Very comfortable for the first 16 miles even though I was getting in as many hills as possible. At 16 miles I decided to throw in a few MP miles and see if I could do the last 4 miles at close to 8.00 min pace. Did 2 miles at 7.50 pace and then had to drop back down to LSR pace for the last two miles as HR was through the roof. Happy enough with 20 miles at average 8.46 pace, avg HR 160 (a wee bit high but not excessive considering the hilly run, the strong wind and the two miles at MP pace when my HR was mental).

Overall 48 miles for the week, less than the 54 called for in the plan but I'll take that. This week is 3 x 6 miles; 1 x 14 miles; and 1 x 16 mile with 12 miles at MP.

Looking at the plan I'm not yet halfway through yet so hopefully a bit more run fitness to come. It certainly feels like my running fitness is getting better. Some key sessions left in the next 10 weeks or so include 2 more 20 mile runs and a 16 mile run at MP. I'll probably also do a 10km and a HM at some stage to assess fitness.

griffin100

Monday was a rest day and Tuesday I did a 5 mile recovery run at lunch time in work - it should have been a 6 mile one but I was pushed for time.

Wednesday called for a 14 mile run, which for me is a very long mid week run especially after a day in work. Managed to finish in the office at 4.30 and was walking out the door when a colleague nabbed me for 20 minutes - now when I was heading out I was in shorts, by the time I finished with him and went to head it out it had started to drizzle and it looked ominous. I debated putting on long trousers and after a minute or two decided to - boy was I lucky. What followed was 14 miles of running in a torrential downpour with very strong winds - not a night for shorts. I got so cold towards the end that my fingers had trouble pressing the buttons on my Garmin. For the first few miles I didn't think I'd finish, I was cold, wet and my legs ached still from the 20 miles on Sunday. After 3-4 miles they loosened out and I HTFU and stuck with it. I tried to get in as many hills as possible so for those of you that know Dublin I went from UCD down Bird Avenue, towards the Dundrum Luas Bridge, up past Mount Anville and the Goat to the top of Fosters Avenue, up Roebuck Road and back up Clonskeagh to the start of Bird Avewnue I did this lap 3 times. The hardest part was running past all the takeaways on that route and smelling the food:) I kept a very slow controlled pace and tried to keep the HR as low as possible on the hills. I averaged 9.22 mile with 151bpm. Was delighted to finish one of the toughest runs I've done in a long time.

Garmin showed a decent amount of hills with some good climbs.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/144558779

Thursday was another 6 mile recovery run, again I only got 5 done due to time pressures.

This weekends LSR is 16 miles with 12 at MP - I may go for 13.1 miles at MP to try and get a 1.45hr HM time and new PB.

griffin100

Friday was a rest day so did absolutely nothing.

Saturday was supposed to be a 6 mile recovery run with some strides but it was a lovely day, I felt good and the forecast for Sunday was crap......so I decided to do my LSR instead.

P&D were looking for 16 miles with 12 at MP. Did a 1.5 mile warm up, I felt good, so decided to go for it and try and cover 13.1 miles at MP which at 8 min / mile pace would give me a 1.45hrs HM which would be a PB by miles (I know its not an official PB but ye all now what I mean;)).

I cheated a bit by sticking to a fairly flat course, just a few drags and two short steep hills. Felt very comfortable from the outset and the miles were ticking by comfortably. I was holding sub 8 min / mile pace very easy with no problems. According to my numbers my HR should average no more than 165bpm @ MP. Held this ok for the first 3-4 miles but it then started to rise. I still felt comfortable so wasn't too bothered. Was consistently holding pace at sub 8 min/mile. At about 11.5 miles decided to push on a bit and do the last mile and a bit at close to flat out - last half mile was tough! According to the Garmin 13.1 miles was hit at 1hr42mins04secs:D Delighted with that. Splits were:
7.46
7.52
7.54
7.51
7.50
7.52
7.53
7.51
7.51
7.49
7.48
7.46
7.17
Avg Pace 7.47

Did 1.5 mile cool down.

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd comfortably run 13 sub 8 minute miles. My average HR was 170bpm. According to my numbers that puts this at closer to HM race effort than MP but it didn't feel like race pace. McMillan says that for a 3.30 marathon I should be running a sub 1.40 HM (avg. 7.36 min/mile). That's 10 secs a mile faster, which I reckon I;d have a good shot of doing. Either way a 1.42 HM gives me according to McMillan a 3.35 marathon - I'll take that at this stage of training. I also have a bit to play with given that for a 3.30 marathon I need to average 8.01 pace and on Sunday I averaged 7.47 pace.

Overall total for the week was 40 miles (8 miles less that P&D wanted but I'm still happy with a week with two tough medium length runs (14 and 16 miles)).

On the negative side I'm concerned about my total lack of swimming so I've changed the run schedule slightly this week to try and make getting to swimming easier. I took yesterday as a rest day and will run today so that I can get to the pool twice this week (I can only swim on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays).

Lex Luther

Great run , well done on your new PB....

shotgunmcos

Excellent stuff Griffin100 and that sure does sound like sub 3:30 shape to me

griffin100

Ha I was feeling good about my new HM PB until I looked at Bambata's log - 1.29 HM with a few minutes walking :eek: .... different class.

8 Nice hilly miles this evening in the cold and wet but was enjoyable. Was pushing the pace a bit on the hills as I need to start getting a feel for holding close to MP when running upwards. Avg. pace 8.35 / HR 166.

griffin100

Tuesday
Finally back into the pool for my second swim of the year. Spent most of the first few hundred meters swallowing water :rolleyes: When you're a mediocre swimmer like me it doesn't take long for swim technique to be lost. 1,500 session:
200 x 5 off 5 mins (coming in on 4.15-25)
100 x 5 off 2.30 (coming in on 2.10ish)
Total pants of course but it's a start. It's not too dissimilar to where I was this time last year and I was happy with where i got to last Summer so I'll keep plugging away.

Wednesday
8 mile run at lunchtime today (or 13kms for you youngsters)
5 km @5 min / km pace
5 x 800m @ 5km race pace (4.00-4.10 min / km pace) followed by 2 min jog
2km cool down @5.30 min/km pace

Enjoyed that session, it was the first of the 5km pace sessions in the plan.

Had a weight in this morning as it was the first of the month - down by almost 2kgs in the last month so good news. Now hitting 87kgs which was my IM race weight last summer, would be nice to get down close to 81kgs, which for me would be like reliving my 20's again:D

Six nations rugby this weekend to be watched........you know you've got issues when the thoughts of the six nations automatically reminds you of the turbo trainer......its where I've watched the last 3 years matches :pac:

griffin100

Thursday
5 mile recovery run. Got in a few hills and ran faster than I probably should have. Avg pace 8.23 min / mile.

Friday
Back into the pool for my second swim of the week:D
Did 1,000m straight in 23 minutes dead......absolute sh1te. Finished off with 500m mixed drills and 100m repeats. Really poor. I've identified a couple (only a couple?) of flaws in my stroke I'll work on next time......

Saturday
6 miles easy run. Was supposed to be 8 miles but my legs felt crap and my HR was all over the place. Did not feel great so knocked it on the head early.

Sunday
Nothing......missed my LSR. Family stuff came first and tbh I still felt crap so I didn't bother trying to squeeze it in after family stuff. The only good thing was that it was a recovery week so it was a medium LSR - 14 miles - so missing it is not going to be a big issue me thinks. That's the second LSR I've missed in the programme but both were recovery week LSR's so not tooo bad.

Monday
This is the biggest week in the P&D programme - 55 miles - going to be an interesting week.

No rest day needed due to the missed LSR so 7 hilly miles. Concentrated on trying to keep as close to PMP as possible on the hilly bits as this could be an issue on the hillier parts of Conn. Held a nice pace over the middle hilly 5 miles. Overall averaged 8.14 min/mile pace (PMP is 8 min/mile).

Tuesday
Back into the pool last night and concentrating on the flaws that I think are in my stroke, namely:

1. Despite getting better at this I still have a tendancy to cross in front so concentrated on keeping the arms wider than usual
2. For some unknown reason I pause at the start of my left arm recovery for no reason......dont do it with my right hand (could be that I'm not a balanced swimmer due to my tendanct to always breath to the right)
3. During the pull phase I tend to turn my hand inwards slightly so that I'm not catching as much water as I should.

With this in mind did:
400m fc wu
200m mixed drills - one arm and fist drills
100m x 4 off 2.15 coming in on 1.55 - a big improvement on a few days ago so very happy
200m mixed drills
1,000m straight in on 21 minutes with a very low perceived effort - 2 minutes quicker than last week and getting towards my target 1,000m time in the pool which is as close to 20 mins as possible
40m cd
2,040m overall

Really really happy with that session. Getting back to my mediocre self

Wednesday
Plan called for 11 miles with 7miles @ HM pace. Nervous about this one as on my last HM pace run I almost died......2 miles wu / 7 miles @ HM pace / 2 miles cd. My HM race pace is according to McMillan 7.36......miles clocked were
7.39 / AHR 162
7.36 / AHR 168
7.29 / AHR 172
7.23 / AHR 165
7.28 / AHR 168
7.33 / AHR 169
7.26 / AHR 168
Avg Pace 7.31
AHR 167

I cheated a bit and took a flat route but I'm very happy with that, especially the AHR which is well down on my previous HM pace runs, it's actually closer to my target MP HR so I think the fitness is improving. I plan on racing a HM closer to Conn and will be aiming to break 1.40.

Still have a 12 mile and a 20 mile run to do this week.........:eek:

Lex Luther

Great run on Wednesday - a real confidence booster I'm sure ...all looking good so far.
My money is on you getting an "official " PB between now and Conn if you do race a half.
Good luck with rest of week.
LL

griffin100

Great run on Wednesday - a real confidence booster I'm sure ...all looking good so far.
My money is on you getting an "official " PB between now and Conn if you do race a half.
Good luck with rest of week.
LL

I've entered this - http://www.bohermeenathleticclub.com/Half.html

4 weeks out from Conn so I should be in peak condition........sub 1.40 in mind (i.e. 1.39.99).

Git101

griffin100 wrote: »

I've entered this - http://www.bohermeenathleticclub.com/Half.html

4 weeks out from Conn so I should be in peak condition........sub 1.40 in mind (i.e. 1.39.99).

With the training times you've been running recently 1.40 is too soft a target.
At the very least you should be hitting sub 1.35 or even closer to 1.30.
Don't sell yourself short.

griffin100

Git101 wrote: »

With the training times you've been running recently 1.40 is too soft a target.
At the very least you should be hitting sub 1.35 or even closer to 1.30.
Don't sell yourself short.

Jaysus Chris, 1.35 might be doable on a good day running downhill with the wind behind me but there's no way a 1.30 is on the cards yet.

Thursday
Swim: 100 x 10 off 2.15 in on 2-2.03 / 200 mixed drills / 200 x 3 off 4.30 in on 4.10-15 / 200 mixed drills / 200 cd
Technique was a bit all over the place tonight.

griffin100

Friday
12 mile run at lunch time today........if you call taking such a long break 'lunch'. Decided I was going to do as many hills as possible as is my usual with these weekday steady paced runs. Straight away HR was all over the place and I couldn't keep it down. Decided to ignore the HR and concentrate on taking it easy on the flats and downhills and pushing hard on the hills.

12 miles done at avg, pace of 8.24 min / mile - AHR 166 / 708ft of climbing.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/148478267

Happy with that amount of climbing. To put that in perspective as far as I can make out the first half of Conn has 400ft of climbing and the second half around 700ft. I did almost all of my climbing today over the first 9 miles so that's the equivalent of the all the climbing over the second half of Conn in a 9 mile stretch. Still scared witless by the thoughts of the second half of Conn though

catweazle

You wont even notice the hills in the first half, there is only one I can remember of note and as I was fresh it was no problem. The scenery in my opinion is much nicer the first half so its all good. Theres a lovely downhill into Leenane as well so be careful on that one I pushed too hard there trying to gain time and got caught on the 1st nasty hill coming out of Leenane.

Rolling for the next few miles and then the one that did the real damage to me was the one at around the 18 mile mark which isn't even that big. I got down on myself at that stage and mentally its tough as you can see the big one coming up in the distance and you are just thinking how am I going to get up that one.

You are in great shape though, I will be interested in seeing what you do in Bohermeen, sub 1.40 will be no problem

griffin100

catweazle wrote: »

You wont even notice the hills in the first half, there is only one I can remember of note and as I was fresh it was no problem. The scenery in my opinion is much nicer the first half so its all good. Theres a lovely downhill into Leenane as well so be careful on that one I pushed too hard there trying to gain time and got caught on the 1st nasty hill coming out of Leenane.

Rolling for the next few miles and then the one that did the real damage to me was the one at around the 18 mile mark which isn't even that big. I got down on myself at that stage and mentally its tough as you can see the big one coming up in the distance and you are just thinking how am I going to get up that one.

You are in great shape though, I will be interested in seeing what you do in Bohermeen, sub 1.40 will be no problem

I did the Conn half a couple of years ago in 1.59.xx but I was about 1.5 stone heavier then and had never run more than 10 miles before. If I can the halfway in 1.43-44ish and then repeat my 2hr half from a few years ago I'd be well happy with that

griffin100

Saturday
A nice slow 5 mile recovery shuffle. 9.30 min/mile pace at a AHR in the low 140's.

Sunday
20 mile run to give me a 55 mile week, the peak mileage in this P&D plan and my biggest run week ever. Decided to break the run into 3 parts, a steady 13 miles at around 8.40 min/mile pace; 6 miles at PMP; 1 mile cool down.

13 miles in 1.52hr / avg pace 8.37 / AHR 154
6 miles in 47.28 / avg pace 7.54 / AHR 179
1 mile cool down in 8.43

The first 13 miles were very easy and I held the pace with a reasonable HR easily. Into the next 6 miles at PMP and again I found them very comfortable despite the very elevated HR. Did the final mile as a cool down to complete the 20 miles.

20 miles in 2.48.14 / avg pace 8.24.

Very quick recovery and no sign of the little niggles that have been annoying me this week.....except for the occasional numbness in my left leg which causes my leg to buckle, don't know what the cause is but it's manageable.

That's the end of this phase of the training. The plan has 4 weeks of 'race prep' followed by a 3 week taper left, with one 20 mile run and a long run with 14 miles at PMP left. I think I'll probably modify this somewhat and try and get a 4th 20 mile in with 16-17 miles at PMP.

Lex Luther

another very strong run, right to plan - well done Griff.
LL

griffin100

Yesterday was a rest day and have to say I was surprised at how good the legs felt. Normally the day after a 20 miler I'm broke.

Back to kms for today's run, I have to say I agree with Jim Royle on the whole kms thing, bloody europeans pissing about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tlEjyDbP1M

Today: 13kms - 8kms at 5 min km pace / 600m x 5 with 400m recovery @ 5km pace.

The 600m repeats hurt. I was aiming to hold 4.15ish km / min pace. I did the first two up a steep hill to see what is felt like and I thought my lungs would burst; these were a bit slow at 4.20-25. Back on the flat I held 4.10ish pace for the last 3 reps. I must do a 5km race soon and see if I can better my current unofficial pb of 21.31.

griffin100

Been a few days........

I was due to do 12 miles on Wednesday but had a sore throat. Decided not to risk it just in case it got worse. Thursday I felt better but didn't get a chance to get out during the day and Thursday evening was a dinner thing with one of my bigger work contractors. Now I had a dilemma, did I cancel the dinner so I could run or did I go and take advantage of an all expenses paid night out in a two star michellin restaurant. Needless to say Friday was a write off with a severe hangover

Saturday was down in the P&D plan as a race of up to 15kms so i decided to substitute this with a 10km TT to see if I could get close to the 44.45 ish that McMillan says I should be capable of if I'm in 3.30 marathon shape. I wasn't in the mood when the time came to head out. It was cold, wet and bloody windy. However I had a new inspiration to get me to HTFU.......my 6 year old son.......let me explain.

Saturday morning was swimming lessons for the two older kids but as the older one was at a birthday party the little chap had the teacher to himself. At the start of the lesson she says to him 'let's see how far you can swim today?' and off he set to do a length. The most I've ever seen him swim in one go is two lengths........today a determined 6 year old swam 10 lengths of a 25m pool without any break and had to be stopped from trying to more. 250m in just under 10 minutes. I was gobsmacked as was his teacher. I asked him afterwards about it and he told me 'I was tired after two lengths Dad, but I wanted to keep going.' How could I not get off my lardy ass for a 10km run after that?

Did a 3 warm up and then started my 10km. I had in my mind to target as close to 44 mins as possible. Probably started off a bit fast but first 3km's felt ok but then the next km was into a strong wind and I suffered. Kms no. 7 and 10 were also into the strong wind. I tried to sprint the last km but the wind held me back. When the Garmin beeped for 10km I hit stop and had a look.....43.10..... a new unofficial PB by over 90 secs..... was absolutely delighted. Km splits were 4.09 / 4.15 / 4.16 / 4.25 / 4.18 / 4.21 / 4.23 / 4.21 / 4.20 / 4.17. Avg HR 181. Did 3km to cool down.

Sunday came back to earth with a bang when due to family stuff I missed my LSR. I got 10 of the 17 miles required done. A bad week overall distance wise but the 10km PB was a high point. No swimming either.

Today managed to get a 12 mile run in. Didn't take a rest day as my LSR yesterday was short but I still found it very difficult. I have sore muscles in places that aren't usually sore after a run, a holdover from Saturdays run I think. Managed to hold 8.25 pace for the 12 miles.

An important week this week, want to try and get at least a 16 mile PMP run in.

Dory Dory

The story about your son has put a smile on my face and will definitely help to inspire me in times when I'm feeling a bit like I'd rather be lazing about. And I'm impressed at your "in your face" attitude about hills. They'll be no worry for you. In fact, let them be your friend.

catweazle

Good running you might be in 41 minute shape under race conditions. Fair play I could never muster the determination to do that in a training session

griffin100

Dory Dory wrote: »

The story about your son has put a smile on my face and will definitely help to inspire me in times when I'm feeling a bit like I'd rather be lazing about.

He's a funny little chap alright, not overly competitive but sports mad and pretty determined. He's actually a good little runner as well, last year he was crowned the fastest 5 year old over 60 meters in the county I worry about him sometimes especially when he pushes himself hard like on Saturday as he had a heart condition as a baby (we almost lost him at 9-10 weeks old). In fact he still has the condition but is currently symptomless but he will probably need some invasive treatment in a couple of years. His cardiologist says there's no issue with him being so active but it's hard not to worry.

Good running you might be in 41 minute shape under race conditions. Fair play I could never muster the determination to do that in a training session

Maybe close to 42.30 on a good day I think. There's a flat 10km close to home in a couple of weeks I might have a go at. I actually never thought I'd go under 45 minutes ever. I wounder if I spent a season concentrating on the 5 and 10km distances could I get close to 40-41 minutes? Probably not

Izoard

You really seem to be flying at the moment...well set up for a good day out in Conn.

Dory Dory

griffin100 wrote: »

He's a funny little chap alright, not overly competitive but sports mad and pretty determined. He's actually a good little runner as well, last year he was crowned the fastest 5 year old over 60 meters in the county I worry about him sometimes especially when he pushes himself hard like on Saturday as he had a heart condition as a baby (we almost lost him at 9-10 weeks old). In fact he still has the condition but is currently symptomless but he will probably need some invasive treatment in a couple of years. His cardiologist says there's no issue with him being so active but it's hard not to worry.

Definitely hard not to worry, but perhaps the exercise is making the heart stronger. Awww....crowned the fastest 5 year old over 60 meters in the country....yet another griffin100 story that's put a smile on my face. Thanks.

And I agree with Izoard...you are flying.

griffin100

Dory Dory wrote: »

Definitely hard not to worry, but perhaps the exercise is making the heart stronger. Awww....crowned the fastest 5 year old over 60 meters in the country....yet another griffin100 story that's put a smile on my face. Thanks.

And I agree with Izoard...you are flying.

Fastest 5 year old in the county, not country.......and it's a small county at that

Feeling good at the minute so hopefully I can keep it up and stay injury free.