Sub-60 Ballycotton 10; Sub-3 Rotterdam

kaymin

Time to address some unfinished business….

After a failed attempt at breaking 60 minutes in Ballycotton 10 in March 2012 as chronicled here;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056447618

and at breaking 3 hours in Dublin marathon in 2010;

I’ve renewed my targets….
Sub-60 in Ballycotton 10 on the 3rd March 2013
Sub-3 hours in the Rotterdam marathon on the 14th April 2013

I plan on approaching my training in line with Hadd’s approach:
http://www.angio.net/personal/run/hadd.pdf
(thanks to Eldiva for the link)

My interpretation of this approach is that, to perform to your optimal you need to improve your aerobic fitness at all effort levels and, in doing so, your lactate threshold will improve and your overall aerobic fitness will improve significantly.

Following Hadd’s approach is effectively a u-turn on all of the approaches I’ve adopted upto now. I’ll be doing much more easy miles (with target HR’s) and longer runs with maybe only two 10 mile runs at steady pace per week. Only when I can complete these 10 mile runs at a stable pace and a stable HR throughout will I move the effort level up a notch (5bpm each time). There’ll be no training above lactate threshold.

Previously I regularly trained above lactate threshold and my easy runs were run at close to 7 minute pace – I built up no fitness at the lower effort levels thereby limiting my overall aerobic fitness.

Training for this cycle kicked off at the start of November with 20 -25 miles per week average. I’ve worked upto 50 miles this week. Adoption of Hadd’s approach started yesterday!

Friday, 14 December - 10 miles at 145 – 150bpm:
10.3 miles in 90 minutes – averaged 8:56 mins/mile with an average HR of 150. It took me a few miles for my heart rate to settle. I don’t think I’ve ever run so slow.

To monitor progress I’ll be giving myself a test every 4 – 5 weeks, being:
Run 2400m at a steady 140 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)
Run 2400m at a steady 150 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)
Run 2400m at a steady 160 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)
Run 2400m at a steady 170 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)
Run 2400m at a steady 180 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

In theory I should improve my pace at each heart rate level as I work my way through the training programme and push up my lactate threshold level.

Saturday, 15 December – First test:
Target Avg HR Actual Avg HR Time Distance (miles) Avg Pace
140 142 13:42.6 1.49 09:12
150 151 11:59.7 1.49 08:03
160 162 10:18.6 1.49 06:55
170 171 09:18.3 1.49 06:14
180 177 08:24.3 1.49 05:38

140, 150 and 160 efforts were easy. 170 effort was okay – I could have kept it up for another while. 180 effort was a killer – I wanted to give up - I was surprised that I couldn’t hit my target heart rate given how hard it felt. Possibly I was a little tired at the outset.

My maximum heart rate is around 190 though this is something I have to test – assuming this is correct, based on Hadd’s guidance, I should aim to run the marathon with an average HR of 170, 6:14 pace. I’ll settle for 6:51

jfh

Looks very interesting kaymin, i'll be following with interest, best of luck

beeduybe

Best of luck with the training. Been recently reading about Hadd's approach to distance training so this log is well timed as I can now use you as a guinea pig to see if you can get all of your toothpaste out of the tube

Larry Brent

Best of luck with this kaymin, a good move, it will work well for you. The fact you can run 5:38 for 180 shows the talent/speed is there, you just need to train more slow twitch muscle fibres now to have the aerobic platform to use this speed. The fact that there is such a difference between your 140 and 180 paces shows that your legs are crying out for more mitochondria. You'll be surprised how quickly and by how much those test figures will improve. But at the same time this training is a long term thing. You might find Ballycotton comes along a bit soon but just knuckle down with the training and it'll be well worth it.

Is the 145-150 your easy hr? Once you start the 2 runs a week at 155 or 160 it will be very enjoyable training. Don't worry how slow the easy runs are, the faster runs will get faster every week. And keep the miles up. You'll have so much more trained muscle mass after this, running will be a lot easier.

Ceepo

Best of Luck with this bud, Nice targets

Will be following with interest

kaymin

Larry Brent wrote: »

Best of luck with this kaymin, a good move, it will work well for you. The fact you can run 5:38 for 180 shows the talent/speed is there, you just need to train more slow twitch muscle fibres now to have the aerobic platform to use this speed. The fact that there is such a difference between your 140 and 180 paces shows that your legs are crying out for more mitochondria. You'll be surprised how quickly and by how much those test figures will improve. But at the same time this training is a long term thing. You might find Ballycotton comes along a bit soon but just knuckle down with the training and it'll be well worth it.

Is the 145-150 your easy hr? Once you start the 2 runs a week at 155 or 160 it will be very enjoyable training. Don't worry how slow the easy runs are, the faster runs will get faster every week. And keep the miles up. You'll have so much more trained muscle mass after this, running will be a lot easier.

Cheers - I've a good feeling about this approach. 145 - 150 is my easy heart rate. I'll target 150 initially until I get fitter at that effort level and then bring my easy run HR down to 145. Easy runs will be easier to get right now that I have a target.

seanynova

Best of luck kaymin, nice targets that are within your reach, I'll follow with interest!

kaymin

Sunday, 16 December - rest

Monday - 12.43 miles in 148 avg HR; Avg 8:32 mins/mile

Tuesday - 8 miles in 150 avg HR; Avg 8:28 mins/mile

Wednesday - 10.6 miles with 60 minutes at avg 160 HR; Pace for 160 HR miles was 6:56 mins/ mile. This run felt a little hard despite a relatively slow pace - the contrast with the recent slow runs exaggerates the feeling.

Thursday - rest

Friday - 7.4 miles in avg 151 HR; Avg 7:59 mins/ mile

Saturday - 15.2 miles in avg 151 HR; Avg 8:47 mins/ mile - run was done on the muddy trails in Phoenix Park which resulted in a particularly slow pace.

Sunday 23 December - 10 miles in avg 141 HR; Avg 8:20 mins / mile - I'd intended doing 60 minutes at 160 HR but the body was tired and so I opted for another easy run.

64 mostly easy miles for the week in an average of 8:15 per mile. Only one run was at 160 HR, the rest targetted an avg HR of 150. I need to get 2 or 3 runs per week at 160 HR effort level in future. Hopefully my fitness at the lower effort levels develops quickly as it's taking me ages to cover the miles.

I'm debating how long to work on Phase I (building up base fitness) and what Phase II (specific training) will comprise of. Only 10 weeks to Ballycotton so there's not much time to play for.

kaymin

Monday, 24th December - 10 miles at sub LT - original target was to run at 160 HR but I just decided to just run at a comfortable pace without concerning myself with the HR. Avg HR 167; Avg pace: 6:45 per mile.

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday - annual canoe club running race. Conditions were tough - wet / muddy fields. It was a hard job getting any grip in my asics. Was lying only 11th or 12th after a few hundred metres. Managed to get some grip and as I slowly settled into the race I passed some of my clubmates. 3 lads had broken away and were about 40 metres in front. One of the 3 fell off the pace and I managed to pass him with 700m to go. I closed the gap to other two to within 6 metres but their pace increased as we got to within 400m of the finish. I could manange only to keep the gap consistent to finish 3rd. 1.6 miles in an average pace 5:49. Happy enough with how it went considering how far back I was midway and the fact I've done no speed work.

Thursday - 12 miles with 10 miles at 160 HR in an average of 7:56 min / miles. Did this on the muddy trails in the Phoenix Park hence the slow pace.

Friday - 10.7 miles at 151 HR in an average of 8:04 min / miles - did this on a good running surface along the Grand canal.

Saturday - 16.44 miles at 146 HR in an average of 8:34 min / miles - Phoenix Park muddy trails again

Sunday - 10 miles at 165 HR in an average 7:12 min / miles - felt a bit tired for this. Slow pace for the HR level. I think the mileage is catching up on me.

63 miles for week with 3 runs at 160+ HR. I covered a good range of the HR effort levels this week so I should see some improvement in pace next week.

Monday - 31 December - 13 miles at 144 HR in an average 8:49 min / miles - lost track of how many miles I'd done. Very slow due to running on muddy trails and a deliberate effort to keep the HR below 145.

kaymin

Tuesday, 1 January 2013 - rest

Wednesday - 16 miles including two laps to see how consistent my pace / HR over the course of two 4.79 mile laps were:

Split |Distance |Avg Pace |Avg HR | |Split |Distance |Avg Pace |Avg HR
4 |1 |06:54| 166| |9| 1| 07:22| 169
5 |1 |06:55| 169| |10| 1| 07:10| 168
6 |1 |06:56| 168| |11| 1| 07:02| 169
7 |1 |07:13| 170| |12| 1| 07:16| 171
8 |0.79 |07:33| 170| | 13| 0.79| 07:25| 171

|4.79 |07:05.6| 168.6|| | 4.79| 07:14.8| 169.6

So Hadd's theory is that I shouldn't up my effort on the 'work' days until I've maximised my development at the existing target effort level. This is achieved if my HR and pace are stable for an hour or so run at the target effort level. My target for today was a little loose which is not exactly going by the rules - I just ran at a pace that I was comfortable at, whatever that was and see whether I could keep the pace / HR consistent throughout.

Judging by these numbers I seem close to ready to move up the effort level - maybe in 10 days or so as I was fairly tired after this run as it was.

Thursday - 10.3 miles easy, 8:18 min / mile at 146 avg HR

Friday - 9 miles steady, 7:08 min /mile at 167 avg HR

Saturday - 18.1 miles LSR on muddy trails, 8:23 min / mile at 153 avg HR - picked up the pace for 5 miles towards the end to about 7:30 min / mile pace

Sunday, 6 January - 10 miles easy, 8:48 min / mile at 139 avg HR.

76.5 miles for the week - furthest I've ever ran. I can't really see a significant improvement in my pace at the lower effort levels so far and 7 minute mile pace seems so much harder than it used to be. Just need to be patient!

kaymin

Tuesday, 8 January - 12 miles easy, 7:31 min/mile; 156 avg/hr Felt really comfortable for this run except for a twinge in my quad.

Wednesday - paddle on kayak machine for an hour. Days rest to give my quad a chance to recover.

Thursday - 8.2 miles easy; 8:20 min/mile; 146 avg/hr

Friday - 11 miles easy; 8:33 min/mile; 162 avg/hr HR was sky high for this - not sure what was wrong with my body.

Saturday - 20 miles; 7.26 min/mile; 167 avg/hr Did this as a progression run on mucky trails - started at 8:40 and speeded upto 6:40ish by the end.

51 miles for the week + a niggling quad strain. Not such a good week.

Monday 14 January - 12 miles including 6 miles at sub-LT; 7:07 min/mile; 170 avg/hr. 6 miles at sub-LT averaged 6:32 min/mile at an average HR of 174. Pretty dismal - hopefully this reflects a lack of running at pace over the last few months. 6 weeks left to get in shape for breaking 60 minutes in Ballycotton :rolleyes:

kaymin

Monday 14 January - 12 miles at 7:07 min/mile pace; did 6 miles at 6:30 pace to see how it felt.

Tuesday - 10 miles steady - 6:54 min / mile pace

Wednesday - 8 miles easy; 8:07 min / mile pace

Thursday - 11.5 miles with 6 x 1 mile efforts at RP with 2 mins rest

Split Avg Pace Avg HR
1 06:14 171
2 06:04 170
3 06:00 174
4 05:52 176
5 05:58 177
6 06:07 176

Fastest paced running for about a year - happy with how it went - was bit concerned I wouldn't get close to 6 min mile pace.

Friday - 10 miles easy; 8:02 min / mile pace

Saturday - rest

Sunday - 12 miles with 4 x 1.5 mile efforts at RP with 2 mins rest

Split Time Distance Avg Pace Avg HR
2 09:12.9 1.5 06:09 174
4 09:06.4 1.5 06:04 175
6 08:59.0 1.5 05:59 174
8 09:06.3 1.5 06:04 172

Tough session - first 2 were against a light wind; 3rd and 4th efforts were with the same wind. Felt like calling it a day after the third as I was fairly wasted but promised myself to just run the last a bit easier as motivation to get it done.

Kinda given up following Hadd's programme - the 6:30 paced miles on Monday and 7 min miles on Tuesday felt alot harder than they should - five weeks of applying Hadd's approach may not be enough time to really know for sure but it doesn't seem to be having the desired effect on me.

I'll be sure to continue to run my easy runs easy but I need to challenge my body more on the 'work' days than Hadd's HR approach was doing.

rom

If your trying to lay down the slow twitch fibers with Hadd you probably need 6-8 weeks before you start to see the changes. Thats what I found last year anyways.

ecoli

I think you are right on the money regarding Hadd. Its a very tough approach to follow properly simply because it requires you to commit to it full and truthfully you would be looking about a year or two down the road to reap the full benefits.

The training doesn't always look as flash as busting out killer sessions or races in the short term however the article which people refer to is only half the story when you go into the "speed work" aspect after building the aerobic monster you understand why so long is spent building.

Simply put his "speedwork" is just as important its just most dont mention this because he attempted to restrict info on this to prevent people skimping on the 1st phase and getting every last aerobic drop out befor starting the speedwork so they were able to handle the intense workload in the later stages of his training;

Here is a loose example of some of the sessions he has listed himself;

6 x 800m at 104% of 5k pace with everything from equal time recovery (down to) 1:15-1:30 recovery.
5-6 x 1k at 5k pace with 200m jog recovery in 90 secs
3 x 3k at 95-96% of 5k pace with 800m jog recovery
2 x 5k at 93-94% of 5k pace with 800m jog recovery
8k at 92% of 5k pace
16-20k at 88-90% of 5k pace

Back to your training solid week man and great 1.5 mile session given similar splits with similar recovery to the 1 mile session

tisnotover

very impressive training last week, especially the mile repeats and 1.5mile sessions.

I think if you take anything from hadd its to keep those easy runs or recovery runs at the heart-rate guidelines he recommends. if you can do this and get the quality sessions that you are doing in, then your on the money.

Larry Brent

I think if you stuck with Hadd, you'd run a good April marathon based on the
phase 1 training alone and the time frame you gave yourself, but the 10m time would suffer. What you'll find with the Phase 1 training is that you might go a very very long time at 6:20 pace (perfect for marathon), but wouldn't last more than a few miles at 6:10 pace. But after Phase 1 training, if you then did Phase 2a training as ecoli outlined above, you'd smash a 10m, or anything from 5k to half marathon. Then go back to Phase 2b (marathon specific) to really knock one out of the park in a marathon. Depending on your starting level of aerobic fitness, the whole thing could take anything from 6 months to 2 years.

When following Phase 1 last year I ran a 3min HM PB, yet I was a minute off my 5k PB. The HM was a stroll for 7-8m, then had to work a bit, but much easier work / less pain than any PB at that distance than previously. Yet in a 5k or 10k race, running closer to VO2max than LT for the 1st mile considering the distance and I was out the back door, suffering worse than ever in races and slowing drastically - the body was just not used to dealing with lactate. Hence the Phase 2a which targets this, is necessary to race well at shorter distances.

In case you overlooked it, to keep in touch with fast twitch fibres, Hadd advocated 10x100m fast strides after the warm up and prior to the 10m at LT every time.

Best of luck in the upcoming races. Don't worry if you feel strong but just not fast, that will come with the few race specific sessions your'e now doing.

Larry Brent

Some great info on Phase 2a here

http://can.milesplit.com/discussion/topics/90162/1

kaymin

Thanks for all the feedback. I'd have liked to follow through with the Hadd approach but reckon I'd have bombed in Ballycotton (I may bomb yet!). Time is not on my side to work my way slowly upto the higher HR effort levels.

I'll try keep up the low HR paced runs on my easy days as Tisnotover suggests though I appreciate Hadd was adamant runners don't move up before mastering the lower HR effort levels.

Larry Brent wrote: »

What you'll find with the Phase 1 training is that you might go a very very long time at 6:20 pace (perfect for marathon), but wouldn't last more than a few miles at 6:10 pace.

Funny you say that - for the last 1.5 mile effort yesterday I couldn't get over how 'easy' 6:10 pace was compared to how difficult 6 / 6:05 pace felt. I presume I should run my intervals at 6:10 pace or should I push against my anaerobic threshold by running at 6 min pace?

Larry Brent

Depends what you are trying to achieve. If you have abandoned Hadd and are working towards improving 10m pace, then work at 10m effort which will be around the anaerobic threshold. If you want to improve VO2 max, work around that intensity i.e.3k-5k pace. Critical Velocity works a bit of both - 5k pace + 10s per mile. A variety of paces is good in training. A generic programme of 1 CV session, 1 10m pace session and 1 marathon pace session (as part of your long run) a week will get a good level of fitness for a variety of distances. If you are targeting shorter than 10k, replace the CV session with a race pace session at that race distance one week and do this faster session instead of the the 10m session the following week. Depends what you're working towards though and your strengths and weaknesses etc.

For what it's worth, I think the Hadd session would be great for you, but only if you have the patience for it. i.e. don't worry about the 10m time, knowing the marathon will go well. Then work 5k-10k over summer, then the next marathon will go very well. But you need the patience.

Larry Brent

kaymin wrote: »

Funny you say that - for the last 1.5 mile effort yesterday I couldn't get over how 'easy' 6:10 pace was compared to how difficult 6 / 6:05 pace felt.

That's the essence of Phase 1. You are working lactate threshold / aerobic threshold (MP). Not lactate turnpoint / anaerobic threshold (10m pace). So if 6:10 was easy you are probably running it very aerobically which is a great sign for a marathon. But anything faster and you'll struggle a bit as you won't be able to deal with the build up of lactate. So the Hadd approach improves MP in Phase 1, then 5k-HMP in phase 2a, then improves MP more again in Phase 2b.

kaymin

Larry Brent wrote: »

Depends what you are trying to achieve. If you have abandoned Hadd and are working towards improving 10m pace, then work at 10m effort which will be around the anaerobic threshold. If you want to improve VO2 max, work around that intensity i.e.3k-5k pace. Critical Velocity works a bit of both - 5k pace + 10s per mile. A variety of paces is good in training. A generic programme of 1 CV session, 1 10m pace session and 1 marathon pace session (as part of your long run) a week will get a good level of fitness for a variety of distances. If you are targeting shorter than 10k, replace the CV session with a race pace session at that race distance one week and do this faster session instead of the the 10m session the following week. Depends what you're working towards though and your strengths and weaknesses etc.

For what it's worth, I think the Hadd session would be great for you, but only if you have the patience for it. i.e. don't worry about the 10m time, knowing the marathon will go well. Then work 5k-10k over summer, then the next marathon will go very well. But you need the patience.

Thanks - Ballycotton 10 is actually my primary goal and Rotterdam was an afterthought. I'd like to focus on Ballycotton but keep up the long runs so I'll still be in good shape for the marathon 6 weeks later. I've jumped into the 10 mile racing plan that you set last year but will probably increase the mileage with some very easy miles on the recovery days.

kaymin

Monday 21 January - 8 easy miles; 7:32 min / mile; 159 avg HR

Tuesday - 16 miles easy; 8:37 min / mile; 151 avg HR

Wednesday - 8 miles easy; 7:19 min / mile; 163 avg HR. Was thinking of doing a session but was quite tired from Tuesday's run despite it being a crawl - opted for an easy run instead.

Thursday - 14.5 miles including 4 x 2miles @RP with 2 mins rest:

Time| Moving Time| Distance(miles)| Avg Pace| Avg HR
12:11.7| 12:09| 2| 06:06| 174
11:57.7| 11:57| 2| 05:59| 176
12:04.8| 12:03| 2| 06:02| 177
12:12.6| 12:12| 2| 06:06| 176

Felt good for this session - wasn't keeled over at the end of the efforts like I usually am. I think alot of my injuries in the past have been down to pushing myself too hard. Now I aim to keep something in reserve. Focusing on keeping cadence high when I'm upping the pace rather than extending my reach seems to be helping also.

Friday - 8 miles easy; 8:02 min / mile; 139 avg HR. Was drenched for this - happy when it finished.

Saturday - 20 miles including 10 miles @ marathon RP. Overall 7:29 min / miles; 163 avg HR; Miles 9 - 18 averaged 6:39 min / mile. Was tired before starting this run and that didn't change. Not sure what marathon pace is yet but I aimed for approx 6:45 min / miles

Good weeks training - 75 miles for the week. Badly needed rest day today.

tisnotover

very good training this week, well done!

kaymin

Monday 3rd February - 10 miles easy; avg 7:53 min/mile; 149 avg HR

Tuesday - 11 miles including 6 miles at RP+20secs - was supposed to do 7 at RP +20s but the wind finally got the better of me. 6:14 min / mile average for the 6 miles.

Wednesday - 8 miles easy - avg 7:49 min / mille; 159 avg HR

Thursday - 7.5 miles easy - avg 7:33 min / mile

Friday - rest. Slight cold / run down today

Saturday - 16 miles at 7 min / mile pace; included 4 x 2 miles at RP with 2 min rests:

Time| Distance| Avg Pace| Avg HR
12:03.2| 2| 06:02| 173
11:57.4| 2| 05:59| 177
12:04.4| 2| 06:02| 176
11:47.1| 2| 05:54| 175

Bit of a struggle for this- left arm was going completely dead - hard to concentrate on running the intervals when carrying your arm like it's broken.

Sunday - 8.7 miles easy; avg 8:20 min / mile; 147 avg HR. Tired for this.

61 miles for the week. Sessions felt tough - hope 6 min mile pace will get easier soon

kaymin

Monday, 4 February - 11.5 miles including 7 miles @ RP + 20 secs - Managed 6:22 m/mile for the 7 miles. Seems I was asleep for the first mile or two....
Split| Time |Avg Pace |Avg HR
1| 06:55.2| 06:55| 164
2| 06:39.4| 06:39| 170
3| 06:21.2| 06:21| 172
4| 06:11.4| 06:11| 175
5| 06:15.9| 06:16| 172
6| 06:14.6| 06:15| 174
7| 05:55.8| 05:56| 176
Tue - rest
Wed - 11 miles easy; 7:43 m/mile; 145 avg HR
Thurs - rest - had a touch of a cold.
Fri - 10 miles easy; 7:15 m/mil; 161 avg HR
Sat - 12 miles including 4 x 2 miles with 2 mins jog inbetween. Suffered on this and only managed 3 efforts. Slight cold still it seems.
Time| Distance| Avg Pace| Avg HR
11:55.4| 2| 05:58| 175
11:55.5| 2| 05:58| 177
11:52.7| 2| 05:56| 177
Sun - rest

45 miles for the week.

Monday, 11 February - 8 miles easy; 7:48 m/miles; 143 avg HR
Tue - 12 miles with 6 x 1 mile @ RP - 10 secs:
Time| Distance| Avg Pace| Avg HR
05:52.2| 1| 05:52| 175
05:55.4| 1| 05:55| 177
05:54.4| 1| 05:54| 176
05:48.6| 1| 05:49| 179
05:49.3| 1| 05:49| 176
05:57.7| 1| 05:58| 177
Wed - 11 miles easyish; 6:55 m/mile; 160 avg HR
Thurs - rest
Fri - 15.5 miles including 3 x 3 miles @ RP with 3 mins jog between efforts:
Time| Distance| Avg Pace| Avg HR
18:27.8| 3| 06:09| 176
18:09.5| 3| 06:03| 178
18:36.1| 3| 06:12| 175
Sat - 8 miles easy; 8:04 m/mile; 159 avg HR
Sun - 12 miles easy; 7:41 m/mile; 161 avg HR

67 miles for the week. Tough weeks training. Interval efforts are off target but past experience of picking up injuries has taught me not to push training to the limit.

tisnotover

solid week training, me likes the 3x2mile session, looking in good shape!

kaymin

tisnotover wrote: »

solid week training, me likes the 3x2mile session, looking in good shape!

Thanks - there was supposed to be a 4th effort! Good to see you'll be on the start line in Ballycotton.

kaymin

Monday 18 February - enforced rest - blister on my foot!
Tue - 8 miles easy; 7:23 min/mile avg; 156 avg HR
Wed - rest - blister worse again - found some Compeed though
Thurs - 12 miles including 8 miles at RP + 20 secs
Split| Time| Distance| Avg HR
1| 06:12.0| 1| 174
2| 06:16.8| 1| 176
3| 06:03.5| 1| 177
4| 05:56.7| 1| 180
5| 06:13.0| 1| 180
6| 06:23.5| 1| 180
7| 06:10.5| 1| 179
8| 05:59.1| 1| 180
Avg| 06:09.4|
Happy with how this went - felt fresh as to be expected with two rest days already this week.
Fri - 8 miles easy; 7:32 min/mile avg; 145 avg HR
Sat - 16 miles easy; 7:52 min/mile avg; 158 avg HR. It's been a while since I've done a LSR
Sun - rest

44 miles for the week. Light enough week but no harm with only a week to go

Monday, 25 February - 6 miles easy; 7:48 min/mile avg; 144 avg HR
Tue - rest
Wed - 6 miles including 3 x 1km @ RP - 20 secs with 2 mins rest inbetween
Time| Distance| Avg Pace| Avg HR| Max HR
03:31.5| 0.62| 05:40| 177| 181
03:27.6| 0.62| 05:34| 172| 184
03:24.4| 0.62| 05:29| 176| 183

Just an easy run or two left before Sunday. I think it's going to be close. Last Thursday's 8 mile tempo gives me a little bit of confidence that 60 minutes is doable...

kaymin

Been a bit slack on the updating….

Monday, 25th February – 6 miles easy
Tue – 6 miles including 3 x 1km at RP – 20 secs
Split Time| Avg Pace| Avg HR
1| 03:31.5| 05:40| 177
2| 03:27.6| 05:34| 172
3| 03:24.4| 05:29| 176
Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat – not feeling great so took a rest.
Sunday - Ballycotton 10

So, today was the first of two target races of this training cycle....

Plan was to run the first few miles at around 6min pace but the wind direction required a change of strategy. First half would be with the wind and downhill, and the second half the opposite so I aimed to get a cushion by halfway.

First few miles passed by comfortably enough at sub-6 pace, breathing was easy, was holding myself back while sitting in with a group - things were looking good. Only concern was a slight build-up of lactic - despite not pushing the pace or breathing hard, lactic was building noticeably. Rather than work to keep with the group I was with I decided to just run at a comfortable pace in the hope that the lactic would clear.

I went through 5 miles at 29:40 – about what I wanted given the tougher second half in store. With a few seconds in the bank I thought I still had a chance of sub-60 provided I could run the lactic out of my system. The wind began to hit on mile 6 and I had to dig in to keep with the other runners around me – I knew if I got isolated here then my goal time was gone. I struggled on and reached 7 miles in about 42:10 but lactic situation was now fairly drastic – my legs felt like lead and breathing was very laboured.

Once I drifted off the shoulder of my cover I started going backwards – a couple of runners passed but I had to let them go in an attempt to recover a little. I didn’t. Legs just got heavier and heavier and breathing got more and more laboured. The corner that marks the return journey home seemed to take forever to arrive. I was in dire straights now – every step was difficult. Finally I hit the hills which marked the last straight home – glad to see them because I knew now I had only 10 minutes of running left – probably the toughest few minutes of running I’ve ever had though – every step was a struggle.

Finished in 61:38 for 122nd place. Disappointing to be so off target. I didn’t have any more on the day and can only point to a lack of lactic training for a disappointing performance. PB for Ballycotton but not my best 10 miler.

Split| Time
1| 05:46.1
2| 05:53.0
3| 05:55.6
4| 06:04.8
5| 05:57.1
6| 06:10.9
7| 06:14.1
8| 06:22.2
9| 06:31.5
10| 06:31.1
|00:12.0
Total| 01:01:38

Not such a great week - only 22 miles

Monday, 4 March – rest
Tue – 8 miles easy
Wed, Thurs – rest / lacking motivation
Fri – 11 miles steady; 6:50 m/mile
Sat – 20.5 miles on road; 6:48 m/mile; First long run in 5 or 6 weeks so I decided to push it and see how long I lasted. Faded badly from mile 18 – I wouldn’t have been able to keep it up for another mile beyond 20. Hopefully that’s because of no drink / gel…
Sun – 5 miles easy

45 miles for the week – need to get my act together or Rotterdam will be another fail

Monday, 11 March – 8 miles easy
Tue / Wed – nothing due to a combination of work and motivation (lack of)
Thurs – 14 miles steady; 6:58 m/mile - bit tired for this
Fri – nothing
Sat – 22 miles on grass; 7:17 m/mile average. Just ran at a comfortable pace and didn’t concern myself with pace. Took some water and a gel en route which made a big difference – could have kept up the pace for another few miles which is a relief after how I felt after last week’s 20 miler
Sun – 8 miles easy. Picked up a slight hamstring strain – couple of days rest might be needed.

52 miles for the week – only 4 days running though. I’d like to get a tough week in but hamstring might hold me back

kaymin

Monday, 18 March rest
Tue - rest
Wed - 13 miles in avg 7:04 per mile
Thurs - 8 miles easy 7:13 per mile. Some of the worst weather i've ever run in.
Fri - rest
Sat - 5 miles recovery at 8 min / mile pace
Sun - 20 miles in 6:57 average. Had planned to do (1 mile easy, 4 miles at 6:30 pace) x4 to break it up but between the wind and tiredness I hit lactic on the first effort and decided to just run steady rather than risk stopping early. Fairly wrecked by the end after using up so much energy in the first five miles.

46 miles for the week. Getting lazier as the weeks go on.

Monday, 25 March - 6 mile easy at 7:33 pace
Tue - rest
Wed - 10 miles including 27 x roughly 30 sec hill repeats - I thought the hill would be a bit longer - 2 minute hill repeats was what I was looking to do and alot fewer efforts.
Thurs - rest
Fri - rest
Sat - 16 miles progression run in 7:01 average. Did the last 6 miles in 6:37 average.
Sun - 6 miles in average 7 min / mile

38 miles for the week. Ran myself into the ground with the hill repeat session. Finding motivation hard to come by - still, keeping up the longrun should stand to me. Time to look at an established training plan for the lead into Rotterdam rather than continue to make it up as I go along.

BeepBeep67

Have a good one Sunday - sticking around for a beer?

kaymin

Time to bring this log to a close. The couple of weeks leading up to Rotterdam were probably the busiest and most stressful I've had from a work perspective. When I did head out for a run I had no energy and not a lot of motivation.

Monday, 1 April – rest
Tue – 9 miles including 5 x 2 min hills – very tough
Wed – rest
Thurs – 7 miles at 7:24 min pace
Fri – rest
Sat – 6 miles at 7 min/ mile pace
Sun – 8 miles at 6:30 pace
Monday, 8 April –rest
Tue – 4 miles at 7:10 pace
Wed – 5.5 miles at 8 min pace
Thurs, Fri, Sat - rest

Flew into Amsterdam after a night of very little sleep. After a series of work related phone calls it was the afternoon before I left the airport. With blood still boiling I knew I had to calm myself down or I'd botch the marathon, be a miserable companion and make myself feel even worse. Not to mention sending 6 months of training down the tube.

I switched off work email and left the airport as a tourist meanwhile apologising to the missus for spoiling her holiday.

After a boat trip on the canals of Amsterdam and abandoning our walk through the rain pelted streets, we got the train to Rotterdam. Our hotel was literally 50 metres from the starting line – deliberately chosen in case I had a repeat experience of Dublin marathon in 2011 when I could barely walk after finishing.

Slept really well Friday night and suddenly things looked a lot brighter. Sleeping well the penultimate night before a race is key – that’s what I told myself anway.

Fast forward to Sunday morning and I feel more energised than I’ve done in weeks. I head down to pen C and bump into a few lads I know. Temperatures are forecast to reach 18 or so degrees. After training at 5 degrees or less for most of the winter I was concerned with how my body would react.

I start off with the 4 Irish lads who are running as a group and were planning to head out at 6:50 pace. As they’re faster than me I avoid pushing the pace to keep with them. I fall off their pace almost immediately but they don’t seem to drift too far ahead which gives me some confidence. 6:53 first mile which is fine - it’s slightly uphill (that’s as big a hill I encounter) and against the wind. Happy to see 6:28 show up for the second mile given how comfortable it seems.

5k – 20:54

Water stations are every 5k so I am sure to grab a couple of cups given the heat – stomach feels a little nauseous after drinking water which breaks my rhythm but I soon get back into my stride. I focus on keeping a high cadence but short stride to minimise the strain on my muscles – seems to work well as I string a few 6:3x miles together without feeling the effort.

5k - 10k – 20:35

I start to get a little more confident and look for the Irish lads in the distance as it would be nice to run with some familiar faces. I slowly claw my way back so that by mile 8 I’m by their side. We’re constantly passing other runners which is a nice feeling – I usually go out too fast and end up being passed. I even begin to think running a marathon is easier than the shorter distances as it’s not such a lung buster….

10k – 15k – 20:31

As we run through miles 10 and 11 the crowds seem huge and have erupted in response to a guy behind me doing a Mo Farrah – great booster even if the cheers aren’t for me! The sponge / cup combination available from the water stations are great and I take full advantage. I take my first gel.

15k – 20k – 20:42

We reach half way in 1:27:16 – happy to have this sub-3 cushion as I felt I was sure to slow. By this stage, 2 of the Irish lads had dropped off and the other two started to increase their pace. I decide to let them go rather than take unnecessary risks. In training, the 13 mile point is usually where I start to wilt and pace deteriorates – I manage to string another few 6:3x miles though.

20k – 25k – 20:39

I start playing mind games – if I can get to 20 miles without slowing up then sub-3 I feel is a real possibility.

25k – 30k – 20:46

I approach the city centre again, having done the south loop, now the shorter north city loop is to be completed. With 12k to go the race leader emerges on the other side of the road – he has only 3k to go. So that’s what a 2:05 marathoner looks like up close – I give him a clap! Wind is with me and the slope seems downhill – its slightly concerning as the opposite will be case on the return journey. But I make hay while the sun shines with another couple of 6:3x miles. I take a second and final gel from a refreshment station.

30k – 35k – 20:57

Mile 21 and the first dip in pace emerges – 6:44 followed by 6:45 for mile 22. Now it starts to hurt. I start counting the kms down - 7km to go – 4 minutes each at least – doing the maths in my head over and over. I’m still passing other runners but it’s not so easy – I latch onto the heels of a passing runner to keep me focused – I could easily slow to a crawl if I don’t concentrate.

35k – 40k – 21:38

2km to go – I’m still on the other guys heels but the body and legs are screaming out to stop – the only thing that keeps me going is the wish never to have to do another marathon - as long as I can get sub-3 this time though! I turn a corner and there, almost unexpectedly, is the ‘500m to go’ sign. Bliss! Head down. One foot in front of the other. 350m. 250m. 20 secs left maybe? Still doing the maths. But the clock gives me the answer - 2:56:23!

I rest my head and arms on a barrier utterly shattered for what must have been 10 minutes. Finally catch my breath and walk unsteadily onwards to the two Irish lads that ran a stormer. Absolutely delighted to have broken 3 hours with a few minutes to spare. No better way to banish work woes.

I have no more marathon ambitions but sub-60 at Ballycotton 10 + t-shirt remains elusive - I’ll be back next year more determined than ever!

Larry Brent

Well done man, you had a stormer, good to see your work pay off. Best of luck with the sub 60.

Kurt Godel

Well done on the sub 3 kaymin! I met you for a couple of training runs a few years back when some of us were gunning for under 3- delighted for you that you finally got it:)

blockic

Great race kaymin and a super time. Well done.

RunningKing

Exceptional, great to read that. Very well done.

Gavlor

Great report, well done on the sub 3!