Just 1 more trying to go sub 4

career_move

Beef wrote: »

Good start to the running week on Sunday up on the local race course.

Sunday - LSR w/ hills 11.2 @ 8:42 pace
8 1.4 mile laps at an average of 8:42 pace. The profile of the course makes for a great pattern, but there was nothing pretty about running up that bloody hill over and over again

Was that the hill after the winning post? Steep enough all right. Black belt refused to race up that hill Mind you the one at the other end would be longer and probably just as bad if you were going up it

ncmc

Beef wrote: »

Tuesday
Tempo-Tuesday - 8.64 miles w/ 7 @ 7:46

I decided to try and do 7 miles tonight at a slightly slower pace than last week but for a longer distance - so my target was to hold it around 7:50 pace and see how it goes. All went to plan, after a 1.5 mile warmup I did the splits below:
7:52,7:46,7:43,7:50,7:40,7:52,7:40 - Avg of 7:46 for the 7 miles.

I think you'd really be selling yourself short in Clonmel if you aimed for any time higher than 1:45, in fact, I'd even push that to 1:40 based on the above session. 7 miles as HMP is not an easy session and those are great splits.

Beef

career_move wrote: »

Was that the hill after the winning post? Steep enough all right. Black belt refused to race up that hill Mind you the one at the other end would be longer and probably just as bad if you were going up it

No it's the other one, I'd be running counter clockwise so it's a bit shorter but also steeper. It's a good workout though, for people or horses
Black belt has more sense than me!

ncmc wrote: »

I think you'd really be selling yourself short in Clonmel if you aimed for any time higher than 1:45, in fact, I'd even push that to 1:40 based on the above session. 7 miles as HMP is not an easy session and those are great splits.

I'm still apprehensive to be honest! I've blown up in any race I've really attacked before, so Clonmel will be the litmus test for Charleville. It's a tough first couple of miles in the Clonmel race so I will start conservatively and try and settle into the pace thereafter. There are opportunities to make up lost time on some of the downhills - and the finish is a belter after that horrible 11th mile.

In marathon news - I'm seriously thinking about heading to Seville in February. It looks like a great race and would get me in some sort of shape for the winter. That would then be far enough away to do some shorter stuff during the summer before having my first crack at Dublin. I'm defo not going back to Cork with its unpredictable weather!

ncmc

Beef wrote: »

I'm still apprehensive to be honest! I've blown up in any race I've really attacked before, so Clonmel will be the litmus test for Charleville. It's a tough first couple of miles in the Clonmel race so I will start conservatively and try and settle into the pace thereafter. There are opportunities to make up lost time on some of the downhills - and the finish is a belter after that horrible 11th mile.

In marathon news - I'm seriously thinking about heading to Seville in February. It looks like a great race and would get me in some sort of shape for the winter. That would then be far enough away to do some shorter stuff during the summer before having my first crack at Dublin. I'm defo not going back to Cork with its unpredictable weather!

I can totally see why you're apprehensive, especially as I know you weren't happy with how Cork went. But you seem to be in great shape at the moment and it would be nice to have a crack off Clonmel and take advantage of all that marathon training. You should start off with the 1:45 pacers anyway and see how you go from there, as you say, there are a few nice downhills in the second half. I don't remember the 11th mile, must have blocked it out :rolleyes:.

Seville looks like an excellent marathon, nice weather, warm without being hot, flat course, scenic and so cheap! Sure you'd nearly have your flight and entry for the price of Dublin entry!

dcorcaigh

Beef wrote: »

Good start to the running week on Sunday up on the local race course.

Sunday - LSR w/ hills 11.2 @ 8:42 pace
8 1.4 mile laps at an average of 8:42 pace. The profile of the course makes for a great pattern, but there was nothing pretty about running up that bloody hill over and over again


.

i know that hill all too well bloody killer on repeats!!

career_move

dcorcaigh wrote: »

i know that hill all too well bloody killer on repeats!!

Ya but isn't it sort of downhill then for the rest of the way around :P

Beef

career_move wrote: »

Ya but isn't it sort of downhill then for the rest of the way around :P

Quiet you! :P

ncmc

Best of luck tomorrow C, just go out and leave nothing out there! I think a sub 1:45 is really achievable for you. Most importantly, enjoy it!

Beef

Thanks N, it didn't go to plan but I tried and went for it as best I could on the day I think. Got a stitch after 7-8 miles so eased back and walked the water station at 9 to take a gel. Mile 11 was a bloody disaster up the hill and I even had to stop to catch my breath with a mile to go. My funny breathing caused the stitches today I think cos I'd never normally get them. Didn't feel right today but will make up for it in Charleville. Back training hard this week.

1:48:13 by my watch, 13 second pb (until the official results go up at least )

ncmc

Sorry to hear that you had such a tough race. A stitch can be totally debilitating, so I would think that would have had quite an adverse effect on you. I think your training was strong, it sounds like you just had an off day. I'm sure you'll rectify that in charleville, easier course and cooler weather so I'm sure you'll knock a few minutes off today's time.

Beef

Blowing the cobwebs off the log again!

Decent weeks training by my standards:

Saturday - 7th September
Kilkenny cat run - 13.25 miles @ 8:26
I used this as a training run and it worked out well. Felt comfortable going around and ran the last 2 miles at HMP or under.

Monday - 9th September
Easy Run - 2.5 miles @ 8:53
An easy run before work on Monday morning to ease out the legs. Felt good and no ill-affects from the Half.

Tuesday - 10th September
LT/Tempo Run in Cork - .7 warm-up | 6 miles @ 7:25 | .25 walking cool-down
Enjoyed this, jogged for about a half mile down to the marina and did the Harty's quay loop back up the railway line.

Wednesday - 11th September
Easy run - 5 miles @ 9:05
This was horrible and I felt like a boiled ****e. Did and out and back and thought I'd never get home. Probably not enough water in me.

Thursday - 12th September
HM Pace - 8 miles @ 7:56
I wasn't so sure this was going to go well but I felt fairly strong during this. Miles 5-6 were testing, up a slight incline into a headwind so I was happy to maintain pace.

The plan for tomorrow is 8-10 easy miles and then next week will be a bit of a mini-taper for Charleville. After Charlevill I really don't know what I'm gonna do. Need to sign up for something!

Beef

So Charleville didn't go quite to plan, and I ended up with a piddly 2 second PB and again no-where near my target time. Finished in ~1:48 as opposed to 1:45. I can blame the heat all I want, but I wasn't strong enough.

The plan for the winter now is to start running a proper LSR each week, a track session, a tempo run and everything else easy. Hoping to maintain around 35/40 miles a week if I can manage it time-wise, but I'm going to switch to running based on time - rather than running miles. I'm not improving as I'd like so I'm going to change things slightly.

In other running related news - I went to my 2nd club session (even though I'm a member for months) last night. I plonked myself in with the 'middle of the road' group and we did 8X800's with 200m walking recovery. 3:30 was the pace and they were all under that time - the last couple being the fastest. For anyone thinking of joining a club, I can't recommend it enough. As someone who has been running alone for the last few years - the boost you get from people running around you is great. Defo going to keep it up now.

Beef

This week:
Monday
warm up
Session: 8 X 800 (3:30 pace for 800m)
some core work that still hurts.

Tuesday
45 mins easy (4.75 miles @ 9:18 ish)

Wednesday
Tempo run - 40 mins

Thursday
Easy run - 60 mins

Sunday
Easy run - 90 mins

docjewel

Are you still plaaning an early Spring Marathon?

Beef

Hoping for Manchester in April rather than early spring... I see you're still knocking out a lot of miles in training. Target for Dublin?

Beef

Beef wrote: »

Wednesday
Tempo run - 40 mins

Wednesday actual
13mins/1.45miles easy
25 strong (3.35 miles @ 7.25 pace)
15 mins cool down (1.75 @ 9 pace)

Summary: 53 mins in total

Going to move today's run to tomorrow I think, I was stuck in traffic for an hour so will be late home after work. A spell of wet weather and the whole of Cork grinds to a halt. :mad:

docjewel

Beef wrote: »

Hoping for Manchester in April rather than early spring... I see you're still knocking out a lot of miles in training. Target for Dublin?

Manchester sounds good, was talking to someone who ran it last year & he sold it very well.

Target for Dublin, 3:40ish, but really just want to enjoy it and soak up the atmosphere, it really was electric last year :-)

Beef

I've been reading the 2012 graduates thread and I'm really envious of ye all now. I really wish I was doing Dublin now, but I'll put the head down for the winter and keep training away. The P&D book landed yesterday from Amazon too. :eek:

3:40 will be no bother to you with the year you've had - have you done your last long run or is it tomorrow?

docjewel

Last lsr tomorrow:D.

While P&D on paper may look tough,it's not too bad if you can comfortably run 30miles a week.
It might be well worth your while noting Meno's plan & keeping it in mind,the mileage is along the lines of P&D but a lot more easier runs once you do the lsr & midweek sessions prescribed followed by important recovery run the day after,you have the other 4 days of the week to fit in the required mileage

Gavlor

docjewel wrote: »

While P&D on paper may look tough,it's not too bad

Liar

docjewel

Gavlor wrote: »

Liar

Your right, it's damn easy:D:D

Even Gavlor is running 70 mile weeks now:P:P

Beef

Happy enough with how I finished out the week, and having bought the P&D book I picked up a bottom of the pile HR monitor in tesco on Sunday morning. It's the most basic polar watch but I only want it to read my heart rate and give me an average value at the end of my run.

Friday:
1 hr (58:33 @ 08:35) 6.82 miles
This was a lovely run - enjoyed it from start to finish during lunchtime.

Sunday:
2hr (1:56 @ 9:04) 12.83 miles - HR 145

Week total: 35.51 miles


Monday:
40 mins (36:53 @ 10:04) 3.66 miles - HR 134

I didn't feel great tonight - so I skipped the hill session with the club and opted for a recovery run instead. Will maybe do a session at the track tomorrow night and see how that goes.

Beef

Tuesday
Session:
.75 mile warm up to the track @ 9:15
6 X 800m (avg pace of these were 6:24 mpm)
2 mile cool down 'the long way home'

This felt really good and I was happy - especially with how I felt Monday evening. These recovery runs might just work.

Wednesday
4.7 miles @ 7:50 pace avg.

I did this faster than I should have but I felt good so just maintained the pace I was running at.

Thursday
Tonight I'm going to run for an hour and see what happens. It might turn into a tempo run if I feel good. I'm going to the physio tomorrow for a rub down so will take tomorrow and Saturday off and do a 2hr slow run on Sunday to see out the week.

Beef

Thursday
Thursday ended up with 1hr and it felt very comfortable. Legs felt good an I was half annoyed that I had booked a rub down for Friday morning, seemed like a waste of money.
7.17 miles @ 8:22 pace

Sunday
Sundays run was another matter. I ended up on the beer Friday and Saturday night, so by the time I got up on Sunday I was in no shape to be running for 2hrs. I managed to sneak out without waking herself and ended up running into a mountain. Literally. I don't know what got into my head but I was probably a third of the way up and walking before I got some sense and turned back. On reflection there may have been some Stook related paranoia going on - but I could have picked a better time to do it.
In summary - it knocked the crap out of me and I was back home after 1hr 45 mins shattered. Need to lay off the beer next week until a decent long run is done.

11.2 miles in 1:45 (9:15 mpm)

Beef

Monday

5 miles pic n mix. I suppose you'd call this fartlek, I was easy running, at LT pace, doing strides (in no particular order) and finished up easy. It was enjoyable and unpredictable running. No plan - just mixed it up.

Tuesday
8 X 800m session tonight. Can't wait.

Beef

Tuesday
The session last week went okay - but I have to say I was wrecked after it. Didn't help that I was late getting to the track and trying to rush my way around before it closed. Got 7.5 (One 800m interval turned into 1200m somehow ) of the 8 done and was glad of that.
3:17,3:12,3:20,5:00 ,3:20,3:20,3:28

The target pace was 3:30 for each 800m.

Wednesday
Nothing. Left for work at 6:45 and got home at 20:00. Running was the last thing on my mind although it probably would have done me some good. Work really can get on top of you sometimes. Shouldn't let it.

Thursday
1 hr at 8:29 pace.
Nice and comfortable - really enjoyed this having not going on Wednesday.

Sunday
Long Slow Run 2hrs
Clonmel Carers 10K

I was planning to do the 10K - then I decided not to and went out on Friday night for a few pints. On Saturday night however, a buddy of mine text me asking me to run it with him because his soccer match had been called off. I agreed and scrapped the long run in favour of the race. I'm glad I did as I was happy with the run and feel that I ran within myself over the first few miles, meaning there should be plenty of improvement there for the next one. At the 4 mile mark I left my friend as he was starting to tie up a bit and really enjoyed the last couple of miles. An undulating course enough but fair overall...
7:23,7:32,7:29,7:48,7:04,7:04 last bit @ 6:42.

I did a 1.25 mile warmup before and 2 miles cool down after so 9.5 miles for the day.

Beef

Horrible run tonight - felt awful. A planned 75min run turned into a 35 minute 4 mile run, run because I felt weak and shaky. I didn't get much sleep last night and was up early this morning so maybe that's the cause.
All I can do is try again tomorrow night I suppose!

docjewel

You can't beat a good night's sleep & sometimes you just have to listen to your body, hopefully you'll hammer that session tonight.

Beef

docjewel wrote: »

You can't beat a good night's sleep

Posted at 04:17

I know that feeling!

Beef

With doc's words of encouragement ringing in my ears, I tried that long tempo run again but managed to actually do it last night. I felt much better, so a good nights sleep and plenty of water seemed to have done the trick.
8:46,8:19,7:37,7:36,7:44??,7:30,7:56,8:43 and 8:41 for the last bit.

Bit upset at that 7:44 mile in the middle - I thought I was running quicker. Compared to the previous nights work though, a much better effort.
Wednesday 23/10/2013
77 mins 45 secs.
8.41 miles @ 08:03 avg pace.