Just 1 more trying to go sub 4

Beef

Hi all,

Said I'd start a log to get some feedback on the training I'm doing for the Cork marathon in June and keep me motivated. I defo think I need it! Been running on and off for a few years so have done some half's / 10k's etc. - so I finally said I'd bite the bullet and sign up for a full.

Most recent race was Dungarvan 10 mile which I did in 1:20:18 going by my watch. Based on McMillan, sub4 should be an achievable time based on this?

I'm following Hal Higdon novice 2 plan - and I'm on week 5. I'm a bit ahead of myself in order to leave leeway for potential sickness or a missed long run between now and then. Hopefully this won't happen and I can just repeat a week.

One thing I'm worried about is my training pace. I think I'm doing things too quickly for the goal time. Long runs so far are at 08:40 ish pace and anything up to 6 miles is done between 07:35-08:00 mins per mile. Having read the start of last years DCM mentored novices - I'm doing things too quickly and will probably get injured?

Thanks!
Beef.

blockic

Good luck Beef.

Reading the Novice thread will be of great benefit.

Just to compare, I ran DCM in 3:29 in October. All my LSRs were between 9:00-9:20m/miles and my lesser mileage runs were between 8:20 and 9m/miles.

So it looks like you need to slow them up slightly alright. Is sub 4 a bit too soft? I would think 3:45 - 3:50 would be a realistic target?

How many HM have you done? and times?

Beef

Thanks blockic. I'm very nervous about aiming too quick for my first marathon...

I've done a couple of half's in 2012 - the others were a couple of years ago so probably not as relevent (previous pb was 1:56:XX).

Clonmel half
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/234193092 - 1:50:58

Charleville half
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/234192927 - 1:51:04

Worth noting I was very unhappy with Charleville, probably went out too fast and then blew up. I seem to run better when I start out slower and gradually pick it up. I did do some track work and quicker runs in Oct/Nov in preparation for the Waterford half, but then stupid work got in the way and I couldn't do the race.

After that I got married and have only been back running since the end of January (a few dreadmill sessions on honeymoon that don't count ).

RunningKing

Beef, listen to Blocky, he knows all about soft Marathon targets :-)

scriba

Hi Beef, best of luck with the log. I've very similar 10 mile/HM times to yourself, and I'm training for a 3:45 in Cork at the moment (though I'll take sub 4!)

blockic

Beef wrote: »

Thanks blockic. I'm very nervous about aiming too quick for my first marathon...

Beef, I of all people completely understand this! As you can see below:) I take the conservative approach to my marathons too and I completely agree that you should take the first marathon handy and just enjoy it!

The only reason I mentioned the 3:45 is that your times in races show that that is a time well achievable for you.....and I know by saying that I myself don't practice what I preach!:D

Anyway best of luck and enjoy your sub 4 as if training goes well I have no doubt you will be celebrating blitzing that time come June.

RunningKing wrote: »

Beef, listen to Blocky, he knows all about soft Marathon targets :-)

Haha, you were delighted with that one id say! I wish I had a middle finger emoticon right about now!:D

ncmc

Congrats on your marriage Beef! I'm planning to run Cork too, so maybe I'll see you there.

I ran DCM last year as my first marathon and like you was aiming for a sub 4 and was following the HH2 plan. I only did one 1/2 marathon - Clonmel - in 1:48 and ended up finishing DCM in 3:57.

Your long runs should be 30-60 seconds slower than your planned marathon pace, so you should be slowing those down to 9:30 or thereabouts. You should run a 20 mile lsr at the same pace as a 10 mile one, so slowing the pace now will benefit you as the training plan gets tougher. I know it's counter intuitive to run slower than your planned race pace, but it does teach the body to burn fat as well as glycogen.

As the plan progresses, you will be including some pmp runs, it's probably no harm to add in a few pmp miles into your lsr too.

Do you have any races planned between now and Cork? As Blockic said, 4 hours could be a soft target, but a 1/2 or 10 mile race will give you a more accurate idea.

I'd agree that it's better to err on the side if caution for your first marathon and really enjoy it than push too hard and maybe end up blowing out at mile 20. I probably could have pushed myself a bit harder, but I really enjoyed the whole experience and have no regrets on that score. There'll be plenty of subsequent marathons to blast your first time!

Beef

Thanks folks, great advice here already. To be honest I think I'm going to stick with a target of 3:55-4hrs for the moment. I'm hoping to enjoy this first marathon as much as I can and I think that if I do - it will spur me on to better (more painful ) things thereafter.

So tonight the plan said to do 6 miles and I did them at PMP. After work, I really didn't want to go out in that wind/rain but was glad I did when I settled down after it to watch the football.

6 miles in 53:54 (8:59/mile)

I know I'm getting waaaay ahead of myself here (I could be crying off after week 12 of this plan) but would Dublin be too soon after Cork for an inexperienced marathoner to try and do an improved marathon time?

RubyK

Best of luck with your training and goals. Def think you'll smash the 4hr mark, I'd say you'll go under 3.45, based on your training times. But, most importantly, do enjoy your 1st mara

Beef wrote: »

I know I'm getting waaaay ahead of myself here (I could be crying off after week 12 of this plan) but would Dublin be too soon after Cork for an inexperienced marathoner to try and do an improved marathon time?

Definitely not, you'll have plenty of time to recover after Cork, before Dublin training starts (4-6 weeks, depending on what plan you go for).

ncmc

I think you’d be ok to do Dublin after Cork. By my count it’s 21 weeks, so what I would do is take the week off after Cork, 3-4 weeks of a recovery plan, followed by a 15-16 week plan (you won’t need to do a full 18 week programme as you will be coming from a stronger base). However, I would say don’t underestimate how much the marathon takes out of you, run Cork, enjoy it and then see how you feel after that.

One more piece of advice that I wish I had taken last year – recovery runs are really, really important. A recovery run is a very slow, short run done the day after a difficult session (e.g. a PMP run or a LSR). It is more beneficial to your body than a rest day IMHO. It gets the blood going to your muscles, thus aiding recovery, but is done gently enough that it doesn’t damage your muscles when they are at their most vunerable. They have to be done sloooooooooooooow though! You should be doing them a couple of minutes slower than your PMP. Even the speedy feckers on here do their recovery runs slow! Also, it should be no more than 3-4 miles. The idea is to get the blood moving, not damage your muscles further.

So my two top pieces of advice to any ‘would be’ marathon runner would be, run your long runs slow and do a recovery run after a tough session.

Gavlor

RunningKing wrote: »

Beef, listen to Blocky, he knows all about soft Marathon targets :-)

Haha, love it!!

Ososlo

ncmc wrote: »

I think you’d be ok to do Dublin after Cork. By my count it’s 21 weeks, so what I would do is take the week off after Cork, 3-4 weeks of a recovery plan, followed by a 15-16 week plan (you won’t need to do a full 18 week programme as you will be coming from a stronger base). However, I would say don’t underestimate how much the marathon takes out of you, run Cork, enjoy it and then see how you feel after that.

One more piece of advice that I wish I had taken last year – recovery runs are really, really important. A recovery run is a very slow, short run done the day after a difficult session (e.g. a PMP run or a LSR). It is more beneficial to your body than a rest day IMHO. It gets the blood going to your muscles, thus aiding recovery, but is done gently enough that it doesn’t damage your muscles when they are at their most vunerable. They have to be done sloooooooooooooow though! You should be doing them a couple of minutes slower than your PMP. Even the speedy feckers on here do their recovery runs slow! Also, it should be no more than 3-4 miles. The idea is to get the blood moving, not damage your muscles further.

So my two top pieces of advice to any ‘would be’ marathon runner would be, run your long runs slow and do a recovery run after a tough session.

Great advice! Ever thought of yourself as a possible mentor for us Novices for DCM this year? Sounds like you're exactly what we might need;)
Good luck OP with your endeavour for the marathon. Same as mine but you're a bit ahead of me with your times for your sub 4 goal. No bother to you I'd imagine but I suppose nobody can really tell what it's going to be like until you've done one:)

ncmc

Ososlo wrote: »

Great advice! Ever thought of yourself as a possible mentor for us Novices for DCM this year? Sounds like you're exactly what we might need;)
Good luck OP with your endeavour for the marathon. Same as mine but you're a bit ahead of me with your times for your sub 4 goal. No bother to you I'd imagine but I suppose nobody can really tell what it's going to be like until you've done one:)

That position has been filled I believe, but don't worry, I'll be popping in to offer my sage advice.... for a reasonable fee of course

Gavlor

2 pages in and nobody has mentioned a foam roller, shame on you ncmc

To avoid niggly injuries, anybody that's considering running a marathon should invest in a foam roller. You'll pick one up for €30-35.... Well worth it for the sadomasochism benefits if nothing else

ncmc

Gavlor wrote: »

2 pages in and nobody has mentioned a foam roller, shame on you ncmc

To avoid niggly injuries, anybody that's considering running a marathon should invest in a foam roller. You'll pick one up for €30-35.... Well worth it for the sadomasochism benefits if nothing else

I refer you to my own log where I admit my shameful lack of rolling and stretching... hence why I am spending Valentines evening undergoing the torture that is a deep tissue massage

Gavlor

ncmc wrote: »

I refer you to my own log where I admit my shameful lack of rolling and stretching... hence why I am spending Valentines evening undergoing the torture that is a deep tissue massage

Sounds better than a meal and flowers if I'm being honest

Anyway, I'm referring to the op and his request for tips, help and info

Beef

Thanks again for all the advice everyone. I actually already have a foam roller and used it on Tuesday evening. I'd rather not talk about it...
Also a good tip my physio gave me was to buy paper cups and fill/freeze them. you can then tear of the paper and get a really good icing/massage session into the smaller areas that the foam roller can't really get in to. I'm going to do this on my ITB's to numb them before I go at them again on the roller. It's so bloody sore!

Edit - Also there's a 10K race close by in Dungarvan on the 24th of this month. It coincides with a step back week to 9 miles in the plan. Should I race this or keep doing my LSR as the plan states???

ncmc

Gavlor wrote: »

Sounds better than a meal and flowers if I'm being honest

Anyway, I'm referring to the op and his request for tips, help and info

Haha, looks like Mrs Gavlor is in for a romantic valentines so :pac::D:pac:

The sad thing is, I do have a foam roller, I just never use the bloody thing

Beef wrote: »

Thanks again for all the advice everyone. I actually already have a foam roller and used it on Tuesday evening. I'd rather not talk about it...
Also a good tip my physio gave me was to buy paper cups and fill/freeze them. you can then tear of the paper and get a really good icing/massage session into the smaller areas that the foam roller can't really get in to. I'm going to do this on my ITB's to numb them before I go at them again on the roller. It's so bloody sore!

Edit - Also there's a 10K race close by in Dungarvan on the 24th of this month. It coincides with a step back week to 9 miles in the plan. Should I race this or keep doing my LSR as the plan states???

Sounds like your flying Beef! That's a good tip about the paper cups with ice.

I'd be inclined to do the race, you could do your 9 mile LSR earlier in the week and replace your PMP session with the race. Or you could forget the LSR and do the race instead. I think a race would benefit you more than the LSR would.

Beef

ncmc wrote: »

I'd be inclined to do the race, you could do your 9 mile LSR earlier in the week and replace your PMP session with the race. Or you could forget the LSR and do the race instead. I think a race would benefit you more than the LSR would.

I was hoping someone would say that!
To be honest I was so impressed by the 10miler in Dungarvan I'd love to go back down and support them for this one. €8 too!

@Gavlor - I'd be inclined to agree with you, if I had my way I'd be out running again tonight. But she puts up with me gone to work all day in Cork and only being home in the evenings after the drive home so I'll give it a miss for tonight.
She surely won't notice me gone at 05:30 in the morning though

ncmc

Beef wrote: »

I was hoping someone would say that!
To be honest I was so impressed by the 10miler in Dungarvan I'd love to go back down and support them for this one. €8 too!

@Gavlor - I'd be inclined to agree with you, if I had my way I'd be out running again tonight. But she puts up with me gone to work all day in Cork and only being home in the evenings after the drive home so I'll give it a miss for tonight.
She surely won't notice me gone at 05:30 in the morning though

Oh no! Not another early morning runner :eek: Myself and Gavlor are firmly in the 'you must be feckin crazy heading out at 5am' camp

statss

Good luck with the log. Similar times to myself and I'm loosely following HH Novice 2 for Connemara in 7 weeks. I would certainly slow down a bit. I've picked up an injury in Jan doing speedwork as I've been struggling to shake it off since.

Beef

statss wrote: »

Good luck with the log. Similar times to myself and I'm loosely following HH Novice 2 for Connemara in 7 weeks. I would certainly slow down a bit. I've picked up an injury in Jan doing speedwork as I've been struggling to shake it off since.

You've prompted another question from me statss! If I'm following HH novice 2, is there any scope for sneaky miles if I feel up to it? I'm defo going to slow down as everyone has suggested that - but just say I feel good on a monday, or it's the monday of a step back week - could I add another run in, or do one a bit quicker? This may not at all come to pass as I will probably be wrecked when the bigger mileage starts up, I'm just curious. Is speedwork how you got injured, as it's not on the plan do you think?

Steroo

Best of luck beef. Great advice from all angles there. See you in cork for that sub 4!

statss

Beef wrote: »

You've prompted another question from me statss! If I'm following HH novice 2, is there any scope for sneaky miles if I feel up to it? I'm defo going to slow down as everyone has suggested that - but just say I feel good on a monday, or it's the monday of a step back week - could I add another run in, or do one a bit quicker? This may not at all come to pass as I will probably be wrecked when the bigger mileage starts up, I'm just curious. Is speedwork how you got injured, as it's not on the plan do you think?

I'm the worst person to ask to be honest as I have been dipping in and out of the HH plan as it suits me! This is what lead to my injury.

Basically, I was originally training for a half, using HH half marathon intermediate plan, however I also joined a club last November and started doing their sessions, where at least one a week of them would be speedwork. I figured these would only improve my running so mixed them in with the HH plan. The injury occured during one of these sessions in January.

I've since decided to switch to the full 3 weeks ago and jump in into week 10 of the full Novice 2 plan, managing the injury on a day to day basis.

For you I would say that the simplest and easiest thing to do is to stick exactly to the plan.

I'm sure Blockic will agree :pac:

I've been guilty of over enthusiasm and it's cost me a few training sessions. Had I planned for this marathon properly I would pick 1 plan and follow it to the letter right from the start. This is what I intend to do for DCM.

ncmc

Beef wrote: »

You've prompted another question from me statss! If I'm following HH novice 2, is there any scope for sneaky miles if I feel up to it? I'm defo going to slow down as everyone has suggested that - but just say I feel good on a monday, or it's the monday of a step back week - could I add another run in, or do one a bit quicker? This may not at all come to pass as I will probably be wrecked when the bigger mileage starts up, I'm just curious. Is speedwork how you got injured, as it's not on the plan do you think?

I would be slow to fit in extra miles Beef (except maybe an extra recovery run the day after the LSR) The stepback weeks are there for a reason, they are to allow the body to rest and regenerate. The training plan does get tough, so I would advice you enjoy the rest days and stepback weeks while you can! Although I don't think there would be any harm in doing one of the midweek runs at PMP, I used to do my Wednesday run at PMP, even if it wasn't specified in the plan.

Gavlor

ncmc wrote: »

Oh no! Not another early morning runner :eek: Myself and Gavlor are firmly in the 'you must be feckin crazy heading out at 5am' camp

'thread unfollowed'

I cant take another early morning runner looking down their nose at me!! They are the running equivalent of BMW drivers

Beef

I'm certainly not an early morning runner generally! But I won't be running tonight and I want to get a run in before Saturdays LSR. It also means I'll be knackered tomorrow night and won't get tempted to go to the pub.

Also, I drive a ford. :P

career_move

Beef wrote: »

You've prompted another question from me statss! If I'm following HH novice 2, is there any scope for sneaky miles if I feel up to it? I'm defo going to slow down as everyone has suggested that - but just say I feel good on a monday, or it's the monday of a step back week - could I add another run in, or do one a bit quicker? This may not at all come to pass as I will probably be wrecked when the bigger mileage starts up, I'm just curious. Is speedwork how you got injured, as it's not on the plan do you think?

I did 5 runs most weeks. Just added on a 4 mile recovery run after the lsr on sat.

Gavlor wrote: »

'thread unfollowed'

I cant take another early morning runner looking down their nose at me!! They are the running equivalent of BMW drivers

Gavlor

Beef wrote: »

You've prompted another question from me statss! If I'm following HH novice 2, is there any scope for sneaky miles if I feel up to it? I'm defo going to slow down as everyone has suggested that - but just say I feel good on a monday, or it's the monday of a step back week - could I add another run in, or do one a bit quicker? This may not at all come to pass as I will probably be wrecked when the bigger mileage starts up, I'm just curious. Is speedwork how you got injured, as it's not on the plan do you think?

Rest days are better for you than extra miles...all the cool people take 2 or 3 a week :cool:

On a serious note, considering its your first marathon, rest/recovery days will be just as important as mileage. it will also help you get the most out of your lsr's

Beef

Up at 5:40 and on the road just before 6. I had to step into wet runners though - I had underestimated how much of a soaking I got on Wednesday night. :rolleyes:
I've stashed them under a radiator at home so herself will probably be wondering where the funny smell is coming from when she gets up.
I'm going to buy another pair tomorrow and break them in this week, they might even get their debut race in Dungarvan next week.

Anyway it was a nice cool morning and I did 3 miles in 26:50. Based on the advice given to me here, I think I'll slow tomo's LSR (12 miles) down to about 9:30 pace.

Beef

Went for the LSR on Saturday morning and ended up doing 13 miles altogether. I need to check the Garmin but I think the first mile was about 9ish and then I slowed down to about 9:30mpm for the next 9/10 miles. My last 2 miles were done at 08:40 and 8ish (I think). Is that very bold?

Beef

No update in a week, but I have been running!

Smashing weather for running 9 miles yesterday (step-back) so I did these at about 8:50 pace and felt quite good. Few pints afterwards too, which felt even better... Increase in mileage this week so I might be getting up early again in order to facilitate watching football in the evenings

I'm reckoning I'd burn more fat than glycogen running on empty in the mornings too?

Oooh - another thing, I had some back pain last week (2.5 hours commuting weekdays + all day at desk = weak core).
What exercises do people here do for core strength?

ncmc

How’s the training going now Beef? Did you get over your back pain?

I’m not much use when it comes to recommending core exercises as I’m not a great one for core strength, stretching, foam rolling or basically anything that is good for me! I’m more one for doing nothing for months, going to the phsyio and complaining how painful it it! However, I know Career Move and Blockic are fans of pilates for core strength, so maybe one of them can advise you.

Have you a ten mile or half marathon planned before the marathon? They are a great confidence boost if you get a good time and they are the best indicator of what kind of time you can aim for on the big day. The Great Island 10 is on in Cobh on April 21st and the Wexford HM is the same day. Maybe one of those would be an option for you?

Beef

Hi ncmc,

I'm useless at keeping this updated. I must add a table and stick in my weekly milage.

Training is going well enough I think. I sorted out my back (in the short term at least) by adjusting the seat in work and also in the car. I'm like a meerkat sitting up now but the pain is gone. I really need to get a race in, I couldn't get in to Ballycotton... Going by the plan, I'm supposed to do a half marathon race next weekend. I think I'm just gonna go and run to beat my last half marathon time (i.e. race myself). Not ideal but it will be at a quicker pace at least. The Wexford one looks interesting though - cos I have a couple of spare weeks in the plan...

Beef

Hal Higdon Novice II
Week 8

Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:10|felt horrible - 4hrs sleep
Weds|7miles|8:08|felt much better - nice new route!
Thurs|4miles||
Sat|15miles||

ncmc

Glad the back is semi sorted, hopefully it's nothing serious.

There is a table on this thread for a few of us that are doing Cork

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056883025

The more the merrier if you want to join!

Mallow 10 is on next weekend if that would suit you? Think it is filling up fast though. While not a half, it's not that far off and would give you a good indication of where you're at.

I would really recommend you try and get a race in before the marathon, you will be so much faster in a race situation than just running yourself. Plus, it gives you a chance to have a 'dry run' for the main event, things like what clothes you are going to wear, what you are going to carry and how, taking gels etc. It's a good idea to try all this stuff out in a race.

Beef

Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:10|felt horrible - 4hrs sleep
Weds|7miles|8:08|felt much better - nice new route!
Thurs|4.25miles|8:24|Rain rain go away - miserable morning for running
Sat|15miles||


I've been running in the mornings mainly for the last couple of weeks. It's tough but its getting a bit easier. 2 months ago running in the morning killed me. Supposedly burning more fat this way but the real reason is that when I get home in the evenings I can properly relax. Work is very tough at the moment so I drive to Cork, run and then go in with a clear head. If only I wasn't so hungry after 2 miles...

Beef

Beef wrote: »

Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:10|felt horrible - 4hrs sleep
Weds|7miles|8:08|felt much better - nice new route!
Thurs|4.25miles|8:24|Rain rain go away - miserable morning for running
Sat|15miles|9:22|Felt not so good doing this run|


After 2 miles I knew this was going to be tough. My breathing was off and I couldn't settle into a comfortable pace. I went to a table quiz thursday night and had a few pints - I think these defo caught up with me after a long week. First 6 miles ranged between steadyish pulls to sharp climbs and I felt every step. I met my sister at 6.5 mile stage. She had some water and a gel for me and we did the last 8.5 together which made things easier as we chatted away the miles. Last mile was probably around 8:30 I think, but I need to check the watch. Lesson learned: no more pints the Thursday before a long run. Even now - I feel a lot more tired than I did after 14.3 last week. :rolleyes: But hey - who said marathon training would be easy all the time... I need to get to bed earlier during the week and probably eat a bit better. Onwards and upwards.

scriba

Nice work Beef, they can't all be smooth perfect runs.

RunningKing

Good running Beef. Need to plan your drinking sessions!

Good distance today, well done.

Beef

I've been neglecting the log again - but have been running.
Week 9
Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|5miles|8:24|Slowed this down a bit
Weds|7miles|8:13|Early morning in Cork
Thurs|4miles|8:41|Running with my sister for company
Sun|4 mile race|7:17|Felt grand - didn't kill myself


Last week was a step back week and instead of doing 12 miles on Sunday I did a 4 mile race which my sister roped me into. For this week, it will be 4/8/4 midweek and then a 17 mile LSR on Saturday. I will not be going to any table quizzes on Thursday night.

Week 10
Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:34|New runners - I'm not convinced
Weds|8miles||
Thurs|4miles||
Sat|17 LSR||


More about the new runners. I ordered them online and they arrived yesterday. I'm normally an asics man and decided I'd give in to the gadgety hype and buy the new adidas boost ones. I'm not at all convinced. I will try them again this evening for an 8 miler but last nights 4 miles did not feel too good. Very tight around the toes and not as much support as I would be used to. I may be back buying asics sooner than I thought. €130... :mad:

Beef

Week 10
Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:34|New runners - I'm not convinced
Weds|8miles|8:24|Old runners - much happier
Thurs|4miles||
Sat|17 LSR||


I'm going to go in to lifestyle and get a different pair of runners this evening before my 4 miler (maybe 5). The adidas ones are just too tight.

ncmc

I’ve been wondering about the new Addidas trainers, they advertising bumpf makes them sound like the be all and end all. But I am trying to train myself to need less cushioning in a trainer, so avoided the temptation. Maybe don’t give up on them totally though, they might just need a bit of breaking in. You could always keep them as a second pair and alternate.

Beef

Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:34|New runners - I'm not convinced
Weds|8miles|8:24|Old runners - much happier
Thurs|4miles2.5miles|8:47|Never felt wind & rain like it
Sat|17 LSR||


I had to cut last nights run short - the wind was so strong and cold that I got a pain in my face during the first mile.
I'm claiming that in my defence I did try and do the 4 miles but it was horrible and I couldn't enjoy it. People were looking out of their cars like I had escaped from someplace.

Ncmc - I bit the bullet and got another pair of asics (cumulus), and even in the short space of time I wore them last night, I felt far more comfortable in them. I have a heel spur on my right foot because I used to wear my football boots very tight when I was younger and this causes me horrible pain when I wear shoes too tight now. I reckon if I wore the adidas runners for anything substantial I would end up losing 2 weeks training through injury.

17 miles tomorrow - I hope it goes better than my last LSR.

Beef

I just signed up for the wexford half. I needed something sooner than Cork to keep me focused I felt. Hopefully I can beat that bloody 1:50 this time. It was over HM distance back in September that I last spectacularly blew up after 10 miles.

ncmc

Beef wrote: »

I had to cut last nights run short - the wind was so strong and cold that I got a pain in my face during the first mile.
I'm claiming that in my defence I did try and do the 4 miles but it was horrible and I couldn't enjoy it. People were looking out of their cars like I had escaped from someplace.

Fair play to you for even attempting to go out in that weather, that is serious HTFU right there! I absolutely refused to step outside the door, even the dog wouldn’t go out for a pee!

Beef wrote: »

I just signed up for the wexford half. I needed something sooner than Cork to keep me focused I felt. Hopefully I can beat that bloody 1:50 this time. It was over HM distance back in September that I last spectacularly blew up after 10 miles.

Good call on doing the Wexford Half, it’s perfect timing for Cork, it will give you a much better idea of what time you should be aiming for than LSR’s would and it’s nice to have something to break up the monotony of training. There are a few of us planning to run it, hopefully I’ll get to put a few more faces to Boardsie names!

Beef

Day|Distance|Pace|Comments
Tues|4miles|8:34|New runners - I'm not convinced
Weds|8miles|8:24|Old runners - much happier
Thurs|4miles2.5miles|8:47|Never felt wind & rain like it
Sat|17 LSR|9:17|Felt much better today!


I'm sore after the LSR but not too bad. Today's run was much more comfortable than the last LSR... I even broke conventional wisdom and wore the new runners with only a few miles in them before today. They were spot on and I'm much happier in them. I do have very tight hamstrings though - so back for a rub down during the week is in order.

Good call on doing the Wexford Half, it’s perfect timing for Cork, it will give you a much better idea of what time you should be aiming for than LSR’s would and it’s nice to have something to break up the monotony of training. There are a few of us planning to run it, hopefully I’ll get to put a few more faces to Boardsie names!

Defo! I'm really hoping with the extra training I've been doing (albeit slower) that I can beat my PB of 1:50:XX. It's driving me nuts at this stage.

Beef

For some reason today I feel like going to the track. Maybe it's the monotony of running at similar paces for the last 2 months with little variation, or maybe it's guilt from drinking over the weekend after my LSR :rolleyes:
Would it be suicide to do a track session this week with an 18 mile LSR next Saturday? I was thinking of 2 sets of 5X400m.
Just for a change...

ncmc

Beef wrote: »

For some reason today I feel like going to the track. Maybe it's the monotony of running at similar paces for the last 2 months with little variation, or maybe it's guilt from drinking over the weekend after my LSR :rolleyes:
Would it be suicide to do a track session this week with an 18 mile LSR next Saturday? I was thinking of 2 sets of 5X400m.
Just for a change...

I can't see any harm in that Beef, it's nice to mix things up a bit. Just don't increase your mileage too much this week and maybe do a recovery run at a really slow pace tomorrow. But your legs should be well recovered by the weekends LSR.

Fair play to you, it's a cold, windy one to be hitting the track!

Beef

Oh it's cold out there alright! Working from my parents house today and it's around the corner from the club so I dagged down to do my run at lunch time.
2 sets of 5X400m with 100m recovery between each 400m lap. Found it tough enough but really enjoyable. I would have stayed to do another set but by the time you'd get home and have a shower it's your lunch break nearly gone.
Lap times were:

1:28|1:33|1:31|1:29|1:31
1:40|1:35|1:33|1:34|1:36

Not exactly Michael Johnson out there - and there was a proper runner on the track too but I didn't care, I loved it.
It's a long time since I did anything down on the track so it was great to do something different!

Beef

Ok - the training is going okay (drove to Cork early and did 4 miles) but my diet was chronic and it sort of hit me like a bullet yesterday. I had dropped a few pounds when I started training for the marathon initially, but I think I somehow managed to convince myself that I could eat what I liked because I was training more. So from yesterday I'm no longer eating 'whatever I like'...

Stupid porridge is stupid.