Staying Motivated With Slow Progress & Injury Worries

Ososlo

Laois_Man wrote: »

Saint Laurence O'Toole Fit4Life 10K

49:40 - New PB

Delighted

Thought I was gonna just miss out on the sub 50 goal but when I saw the time passing the 8K marker (39:53) I knew I'd make it if I pushed hard.

First mile was a bit too fast for me at 6:52 pace and I was really suffering for a while after 2K. Reached half way in 24:18. But delighted with the overall time and I know there's more in me.

And I feel no pain

Great race Laois_Man! Delighted for you! Knew it'd be no bother to ya;)

Laois_Man

I'm very happy with running a sub-50 minute 10K at the weekend and what's making me even happier is that I did that at a time when I really don't feel I was race fit - I had a period of 8 to 10 weeks from early December where training was going pretty terribly and I only managed to get in ONE and only ONE speed session in all of the last 3+ months of training :eek:. I've been wondering a lot about what I might be capable of if I get a really good build-up to a race - and dare I say it, actually a few months of injury free, quality training under my belt.

Although I felt no hip pain on Saturday after the race, I did feel a little bit on Sunday morning. I've been doing the AIS/AIF routine that Ososlo posted about and I think that's really helping me a lot (thanks Ososlo!!!). That's making me less nervous about doing speed sessions. At the start of the year I had planned on hitting the Wexford HM at the end of April, but there's no way I'm gonna risk that at the moment with the way things have gone.

But since my race on Saturday, I've been considering ways to improve. So I think I am gonna focus on the 10K distance for the next 3 months or so and then, depending on how things are going, consider a Summer HM or at least the Frank Duffy 10 Mile in August hopefully. But that's jumping ahead.

For the immediate focus and improving my 10K, the one thing that's stuck in my head most about the race on Saturday is the fact that of all the people running near me, none of them were breathing as hard as me. Some of them were even able to have a bit of banter with spectators - something I wasn't able to muster whatsoever. It sounds like an obvious thing to say, but I have to target this area and expand my lung capacity. It's an obvious aim - but there's not really such an obvious way to do it in the sense that, I want to follow an well structured 10K training plan, but finding one that suits me is really hard - I don't wanna drop my weekly mileage down. At the moment, it's 25-30 miles per week. I don't like Hal Higdon because even his "Advanced" 8 week plan isn't much more mileage than this at it's peak in week 7. I just want to add good variety to my training, but without losing much overall mileage right from the start. I need to mix up everything within each week, running routes, duration and intensity. (It wouldn't hurt either to knock a few more pounds off but that's a separate thing).

At the moment, my next race target might be the 10K race in Kilkenny on May Bank-Holiday Monday, which is 7 weeks...so I'm looking for an 8 week training plan and I'd be OK with jumping straight into week 2 on it.

So, shot in the dark....can anyone recommend something? If it's for a May 5th 10K, I need to start it right now.

Ososlo

Well done again with the race but as you say, there's a huge amount of potential to tap into there with a good prolonged period of injury free training.
Delighted the AIS is working for you! It's a little piece of magic;)
I think that's a great idea to focus on the 10k distance, I'm doing similar with 5ks just to concentrate on speed for the moment.
I think lots more really slow running to pad out your running week is the way to go to work on the general aerobic fitness and the breathing. Lots of really easy miles, as slow as you want to go, not focusing on the pace at all, just working the mileage gradually up. Just my 2cents, others might have better advice for you about that.
But it kind of annoys me in 5 & 10k races when people are able to saunter along and chat away. FFS, you shouldn't be able to chat like that during a race of that length! Focus your energy on running faster, not chatting! You can chat anytime!!!!!!!!!
As to a plan, I wouldn't be able to help you out there but there's a thread on the main forum about 10k training which you should have a look at. It should be on the first page, it usually is.

Laois_Man

Ososlo wrote: »

But it kind of annoys me in 5 & 10k races when people are able to saunter along and chat away. FFS, you shouldn't be able to chat like that during a race of that length! Focus your energy on running faster, not chatting! You can chat anytime!!!!!!!!!

That annoys me too...as do other things. Like the people who insist on doing their warm downs by running back the course. I'm like yeah, I already know some of you are over 10 minutes faster than me over 10K....you don't have to rub my nose in it completely by running back for a warm down and meeting me a mile from the finish line, pretending not to be all cocky!!

Or the walkers. In the closing straight where the 10K route joins up with the 5K route and the 5K walkers are 5 or 6 abreast across the track and you have to run around them.....no consideration!!!

Or the race which had water stations in previous years, decided to have no water station this year, on a hot day like Saturday was, and doesn't tell anyone (after me leaving a lovely cold bottle of water at the start line). I was gasping!!!


I hardly ever look at the main site. I assume the thread you're talking about is "The Best 10k workouts - by Greg Mcmillan". I've just read the first post of that and it looks dead good. I'll have a good read of the rest of that thread tonight. Thanks

P.S. Have you looked up Phil Wharton - the instructor on those AIS videos. There's a few videos out there where he gives more detailed information on the workout - like this one. And others. I've been at it for a couple of weeks now and the moves that work/stretch the glutes or piriformis seems to be really helping me the most.

Ososlo

Laois_Man wrote: »

I hardly ever look at the main site. I assume the thread you're talking about is "The Best 10k workouts - by Greg Mcmillan". I've just read the first post of that and it looks dead good. I'll have a good read of the rest of that thread tonight. Thanks

P.S. Have you looked up Phil Wharton - the instructor on those AIS videos. There's a few videos out there where he gives more detailed information on the workout - like this one. And others. I've been at it for a couple of weeks now and the moves that work/stretch the glutes or piriformis seems to be really helping me the most.

Yes it's the Mcmillan workouts I was talking about and that's the thread.
Thanks for the Wharton link. Will check out properly later. I find the same stretches really work for me too and often just perform those particular ones if I don't have time for the full routine. You can really feel them working immediately on the tightness etc.

beertons

Well done, great time man.

Laois_Man

Looking forward to tonight. My first Greg McMillan 10K "Build-up workout" from the 8 week programme described in this thread.

After my 10K on Paddy's weekend, I had set a goal for the 10K on May Bank Holiday weekend in Kilkenny. But I've had a rethink on that coz firstly, there was only 7 weeks between the two races and I want to complete the programme fully and properly. Secondly, I've had a bad creek in my neck which has made running difficult even though I've kept it up, I didn't want to start something like this 'til I was right - I do still have a bit of a sore neck but it's OK enough now to start this I think.

Finding a 10K race to run 8 weeks from now is the problem now. June Bank holiday weekend would have been perfect but that darn Flora Women’s mini-marathon obviously discourages anyone else from arranging any other 10K around that time (sexist bitches)...so there's nothing much stirring for us forsaken men! :mad:

So the goal race now has to be another Kilkenny 10K (well, Wexford really) - Pink Rock 10K on June 22nd....which is 11 and a half weeks away. So I'm thinking I'll start the McMillan plan tonight anyway and just do the fist and second build-up workouts twice - so easing into it should stand to me.

After running the last 10K in 49:40 which is 7:59 pace, I think aiming for a 47:59 which would be 7:43 pace in the next one is a very reasonable target. And in the actual race itself, I want to execute a proper race strategy for once too.

Fingers crossed the injuries stay away and allow me to run fast throughout this programme and that AIS continues to work it's "little piece of magic"

Laois_Man

Following the advise in the thread I mentioned above, rather than repeat week 1 and week 2 of the plan, it seemed better to do a slower introduction to these sessions by doing 6x1K or 4x1mile rather than 6x1mile

So I did the 6x1K session last night - and got soaked - but really enjoyed it.

I found the first couple of reps most difficult. Is that unusual? Dunno. I suspect I'll say different when I do the same session in 2 weeks time, but in miles rather than kilometers.

There was a couple of problems. It was a fairly late session. I ran about 1.5 miles to the GAA club as my warm-up. By the time I got there it was 9:20pm and the GAA players were winding down their training. I managed to get 3x1K done before they turned the floodlights off on me. Feckers :mad:. So I had to do the second half of the session on the road.

The other problem is I am absolutely brutal at judging my pace. The intention was to do each Kilometer in 4:48....which happened to be exactly the average pace overall. But the splits show that individually, I was all over the place - going 23 seconds too slow one minutes and 24 seconds too fast on the very next repeat.

I also did 3 minute recovery between each repeat which I think was over generous. I stuck to that anyway, even though I think I'd have managed 2 minutes just the same....after the first couple at least

Splits: 4:34, 4:41, 5:11, 4:24, 4:48, 5:09. (was just getting the hang of the pace when having to run through a couple of busy junctions in the last Kilometer threw me off my rhythm) :rolleyes:

Will have to get there earlier in 2 weeks or find somewhere better to do this. I think I could aim for faster....but I'll keep it at this level for now.

Felt a bit of pain in the left hip afterwards so I did AIS straight after the session. That made a difference but I was a bit sore again this morning which knocks the confidence a bit. Will do more AIS later followed by a recovery run of 4 miles or so and then more AIS straight after. Fingers crossed it'll be grand.

Laois_Man

Last midweek session before I start this 8 week program next week.

Practicing the 'in-between week'.
10x340m @ 6:58 per mile with 170m jogging recovery between reps.
Done this on a 170m long synthetic athletics track so I had to stop and turn quickly after 170m for each 340m rep.

Fun!

Laois_Man

My brand new sparkling Garmin 220 arrived yesterday. I was like a child on Christmas morning with it.....couldn't wait to get out running with it . But, the run didn't go to plan .....

Last year, I must have spent a small fortune on runners. I found it hard to get a pair that I was happy with. Until one day, several months ago, I finally hit on a pair that I was happy with. Fast forward to now where said runners are more than overdue a funeral. They started to hurt my feet in the last few runs and it has all come to a pinnacle now coz my 6x1 mile session has been ruined because of them - the sole of my right foot has a huge blister - all because I have been delaying the inevitable goodbyes to my runners for fear that I'll struggle with new one's again. But alas, it is time to say goodbye and I will wave sorrowfully at the bin collection lorry tomorrow.

As for that ruined session. The plan as I said was the 6x1 mile at 10K pace (7:43). I only ended up completing 4x1 miles with very slow recovery jogs lasting just under 3:45 at around 12:45 pace in between.

I knew early on trouble might be brewing and it gradually got worse - to the point where I had to give up after the 4th rep and even jogging home very slowly (1 mile at 14:20 pace) was quite painful.

Splits: 7:55, 7:45, 7:55, 8:17
- So I never even hit the 7:43 target and with that last rep and the pain I was in, I had to call it a day. But jeez, all 4 of those miles felt very long

Totaled 7 miles overall.

Still, it's an 8 week plan and the target 10K is still 9.5 weeks away so it'll be grand. And it's only a blister - even though it's a bad one, I should be OK to run again by Friday. In the meantime, the wife bought a new exercise bike last weekend and I think I'll have a good go on that tonight (the bike that is, not the wife )

So I'll try to find a new pair of the same runners and hope they do the job and try this session again in the middle of next week. At the end of the program, dare I dream of taking the "Slow progress" part out of the title of this thread :eek:

I also got a heart screening done last Friday - a proper one with a 12 lead electrocardiogram - Something I think we all should do once a year. Fit as a fiddle I am - and a resting hear rate of 42 BPM.

Ososlo

Laois_Man wrote: »

So I'll try to find a new pair of the same runners and hope they do the job and try this session again in the middle of next week. At the end of the program, dare I dream of taking the "Slow progress" part out of the title of this thread :eek:

and you'll have to get rid of the 'Injury Worries' bit too:D You'll need a new log title! Going great there Laois-Man.

drquirky

Laois_Man wrote: »

My brand new sparkling Garmin 220 arrived yesterday. I was like a child on Christmas morning with it.....couldn't wait to get out running with it . But, the run didn't go to plan .....

Last year, I must have spent a small fortune on runners. I found it hard to get a pair that I was happy with. Until one day, several months ago, I finally hit on a pair that I was happy with. Fast forward to now where said runners are more than overdue a funeral. They started to hurt my feet in the last few runs and it has all come to a pinnacle now coz my 6x1 mile session has been ruined because of them - the sole of my right foot has a huge blister - all because I have been delaying the inevitable goodbyes to my runners for fear that I'll struggle with new one's again. But alas, it is time to say goodbye and I will wave sorrowfully at the bin collection lorry tomorrow.

As for that ruined session. The plan as I said was the 6x1 mile at 10K pace (7:43). I only ended up completing 4x1 miles with very slow recovery jogs lasting just under 3:45 at around 12:45 pace in between.

I knew early on trouble might be brewing and it gradually got worse - to the point where I had to give up after the 4th rep and even jogging home very slowly (1 mile at 14:20 pace) was quite painful.

Splits: 7:55, 7:45, 7:55, 8:17
- So I never even hit the 7:43 target and with that last rep and the pain I was in, I had to call it a day. But jeez, all 4 of those miles felt very long

Totaled 7 miles overall.

Still, it's an 8 week plan and the target 10K is still 9.5 weeks away so it'll be grand. And it's only a blister - even though it's a bad one, I should be OK to run again by Friday. In the meantime, the wife bought a new exercise bike last weekend and I think I'll have a good go on that tonight (the bike that is, not the wife )

So I'll try to find a new pair of the same runners and hope they do the job and try this session again in the middle of next week. At the end of the program, dare I dream of taking the "Slow progress" part out of the title of this thread :eek:

I also got a heart screening done last Friday - a proper one with a 12 lead electrocardiogram - Something I think we all should do once a year. Fit as a fiddle I am - and a resting hear rate of 42 BPM.

Laoisman- If you are targeting 7:43 don't run your reps there….run your reps at your current 10k pace- not surprised you'd blow up in that session as you're running right at a target time. If you run within yourself and hit the reps at current 10k pace you'll see the fitness really improve!

6x1mile at 7:59 would have been a really good session for ya I reckon but you might have blown yourself up w/ that 7:45 on the second rep.

Laois_Man

drquirky wrote: »

Laoisman- If you are targeting 7:43 don't run your reps there….run your reps at your current 10k pace- not surprised you'd blow up in that session as you're running right at a target time. If you run within yourself and hit the reps at current 10k pace you'll see the fitness really improve!

6x1mile at 7:59 would have been a really good session for ya I reckon but you might have blown yourself up w/ that 7:45 on the second rep.

I don't think it's fair to say I blew up when the issue was a foot blister which began to be a problem even in the warm up. I think without it, I'd have managed the target OK.

Also the particular McMillan plan I am intending to do, specifically instructs you to run the reps at goal 10K pace. I don't think coming down to 47:59 from 49:40 is too outlandish as a target. Not backing out now. Not until I get a fair chance to do the first session on it at least.

adrian522

Good work on the 10K workouts. I was thinking about doing the same plan prior to starting a marathon plan. They look tough but the trick may be to set an achievable target pace.

Maybe step back the target time to 7:50 m/m if the 7:43 is causing too much difficulty?

Laois_Man

adrian522 wrote: »

Good work on the 10K workouts. I was thinking about doing the same plan prior to starting a marathon plan. They look tough but the trick may be to set an achievable target pace.

Maybe step back the target time to 7:50 m/m if the 7:43 is causing too much difficulty?

Yeah once I try the first session next week, I'll deffo consider stepping back the target if 7:43 is proving to be too big a step. That pace certainly wasn't too much in 6x1K reps I did a week or two ago. It'll be interesting to see how I manage it as a 6x1 mile session in comparison....without a painful blister.

It doesn't help that athletics facilities around my way are absolute crap. I'm like a little knacker goin around trying out different places looking for a running home I like to do these reps