Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Taming the marathon beast...
Options
Comments
-
Sun 23 Jun - recovery
4.5m @ 10.37 AV HR 134
Nice wee morning jog with the dog to round off the week with 34ish miles.
Mon 24 Jun - short intervals
4.48m @ 8.51 Av HR 155
Had a 40 minute window this evening for a run so grabbed the chance for a short session. Few miles warm up then 8 x 30sec fast/ 1min slow reps. My head has been wrecked recently with being unwell, low bloods, poor race performance, blah blah blah...the thought that I'm overtraining is at the back of my head and I went into this run feeling almost guilty for doing it and during the first mile actually decided that I should rest up for the rest of the week and reassess then :rolleyes:.
However, after a few miles I started into the reps feeling in good form. As the reps went on I felt better and better and got such a buzz from speeding things up. Splits for the fast bits were: 6.55, 7.16, 6.42, 6.52, 6.50, 6.07 :eek:, 6.29, 6.17. The last one was uphill and I gave it everything I had. How the hell do you fast feckers keep that pace for a whole race? :eek:
Anyway this was the best run I've had for ages and as long as the mojo is strong I'll keep plugging away. But I'll keep an eye on things and try not to overdo it. I've already reluctantly reduced days running from 6 to 5. Further blood test results later this week...fingers crossed for good news
0 -
Sun 23 Jun - recovery
4.5m @ 10.37 AV HR 134
Nice wee morning jog with the dog to round off the week with 34ish miles.
Mon 24 Jun - short intervals
4.48m @ 8.51 Av HR 155
Had a 40 minute window this evening for a run so grabbed the chance for a short session. Few miles warm up then 8 x 30sec fast/ 1min slow reps. My head has been wrecked recently with being unwell, low bloods, poor race performance, blah blah blah...the thought that I'm overtraining is at the back of my head and I went into this run feeling almost guilty for doing it and during the first mile actually decided that I should rest up for the rest of the week and reassess then :rolleyes:.
However, after a few miles I started into the reps feeling in good form. As the reps went on I felt better and better and got such a buzz from speeding things up. Splits for the fast bits were: 6.55, 7.16, 6.42, 6.52, 6.50, 6.07 :eek:, 6.29, 6.17. The last one was uphill and I gave it everything I had. How the hell do you fast feckers keep that pace for a whole race? :eek:
Anyway this was the best run I've had for ages and as long as the mojo is strong I'll keep plugging away. But I'll keep an eye on things and try not to overdo it. I've already reluctantly reduced days running from 6 to 5. Further blood test results later this week...fingers crossed for good news
5 days running is plenty
Best of luck with the blood test0 -
Tues 25 Jun - easy
4.53m @ 9.43 Av HR 144
Lovely evening jaunt, loving summer running in shorts and vest.
Wed - rest day
Thur 27 Jun - progression run
6.84m @ 8.57 Av HR 154
The idea was to go out easy, increase the pace by around 30sec/m for 6 miles then 1m c/d. Splits 9.53, 9.28, 9.01, 8.25, 8.06, 7.54, 10.01 c/d.
This was a very difficult session. I stopped at the end of mile 4 and twice during mile 6
. I just found it really hard to sustain and mile 6 was really tough. Having said that I have learned a few things:
- running a session on empty at 6am never works for me, have tried it a few times and the result is always a disaster
- I need to learn how to do these runs. I start a new mile and panic until the pace quickly gets up to where I want it. Surely the way to do this is to let the pace progress gradually over the course of the mile
- the last time I did a progression run was before getting sick and it was a total of 6m. I made today's longer but should have gone back to where I was rather than jumping on ahead before I'm ready.
Excuses over, time for breakfast
0 -
Fri 28 Jun - recovery
3.08m @ 10.52
Slow plod with the dog, wasn't gonna run but she needed a walk and I just can't walk when running is an option
Sat 29 Jun - LSR
16.08m @ 9.59 Av HR 144
Didn't know if I'd even get a run this weekend as OH is away doing a marathon of his own - bike ride from Belfast to Dublin today and back tomorrow. But my lovely folks agreed to have the kids so I could get out on the road. Took a new route out and back from their place to a village 7 miles away and back via a few laps of the local park. It was great to run a new route but my achilles is niggling a bit now. Not sure if its the uneven surface for a few miles or the fact that my current shoes have over 700 miles in them :eek: Time to go shoe shopping
What a difference a week makes. 14 miles last week felt like a long way, today I could easily have knocked out a 20 miler Felt great throughout and had plenty left in the tank at the end.
Blood test results this week were much improved
On the low end of normal but normal all the same, so I'm delighted with this. A month of eating healthy and taking supplements has made a difference and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting back to my old self 0 -
Fri 28 Jun - recovery
3.08m @ 10.52
Slow plod with the dog, wasn't gonna run but she needed a walk and I just can't walk when running is an option
Sat 29 Jun - LSR
16.08m @ 9.59 Av HR 144
Didn't know if I'd even get a run this weekend as OH is away doing a marathon of his own - bike ride from Belfast to Dublin today and back tomorrow. But my lovely folks agreed to have the kids so I could get out on the road. Took a new route out and back from their place to a village 7 miles away and back via a few laps of the local park. It was great to run a new route but my achilles is niggling a bit now. Not sure if its the uneven surface for a few miles or the fact that my current shoes have over 700 miles in them :eek: Time to go shoe shopping
What a difference a week makes. 14 miles last week felt like a long way, today I could easily have knocked out a 20 miler Felt great throughout and had plenty left in the tank at the end.
Blood test results this week were much improved On the low end of normal but normal all the same, so I'm delighted with this. A month of eating healthy and taking supplements has made a difference and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting back to my old self
what supplements are you on Runchick?
I'm on a multi vitamin but its the Probiotic ones so they're just cheap aul things.0 -
Advertisement
-
Big Logger wrote: »what supplements are you on Runchick?
I'm on a multi vitamin but its the Probiotic ones so they're just cheap aul things.
Hey BL I'm just taking a regular multivitamin too, nothing fancy. To be honest I'm not convinced of their benefits if you are eating well but can't discount my own improvements recently. In terms of diet I've made a really conscious effort to make every meal as nutrient-rich as possible, so things like adding nuts/seeds/blueberries to breakfast, replacing potato with sweet potato, using avocado instead of butter, those kind of things. I eat loads more beans and pulses, beetroot, wholegrains than I did before. So I think the diet changes have probably had as much impact as the supplement but something's working so I'm happy enough 0 -
Hey BL I'm just taking a regular multivitamin too, nothing fancy. To be honest I'm not convinced of their benefits if you are eating well but can't discount my own improvements recently. In terms of diet I've made a really conscious effort to make every meal as nutrient-rich as possible, so things like adding nuts/seeds/blueberries to breakfast, replacing potato with sweet potato, using avocado instead of butter, those kind of things. I eat loads more beans and pulses, beetroot, wholegrains than I did before. So I think the diet changes have probably had as much impact as the supplement but something's working so I'm happy enough
When I fell while out training two years ago i done the same thing, changed the diet and looking after myself better. It made a big difference.
I still take this multi vitamin but like you i'm not convinced since its not a proven science.
My sisters take the female vitamin from the real health food store (not Holland & Barrett) but its too big for me to swallow it and its expensive as well. I'd rather try and get it from my diet.0 -
Just when I thought I was getting back to full health I've gone and picked up a bit of an injury:( My achilles and lower calf have been worrying me since the weekend's LSR. I did a few slow miles on Sunday as it felt ok but could feel it after. Its the same issues I had training for DCM last year and I'm annoyed with myself as I've felt tightness in my calf for a few weeks but haven't given stretching any extra attention, doh :mad:
Anyway I'm not taking any chances. I missed many weeks of DCM training last year through injury and I'm bloody well not gonna let that happen again. I've booked in to physio this evening. Its not actually painful to touch or anything, just when I stretch the area so hopefully its not too bad yet. I've been doing RICE too and ordered new shoes as my current pair are knackered and a probable culprit.
So training wise where does this leave me? For a start Clontarf half is out :mad: I'm raging about this as I was really looking forward to it. We'll still be in Dublin so might pop along if I can convince the family to go...although the pressure will probably be on to spend the time traipsing around Dublin Zoo or such like instead:rolleyes:
I'm really hoping physio allows easy running and if so I'll treat this week as a step-back week with no sessions. All being well I will jump in to Meno's plan over the next week or two.
I've a good base built up again since Limerick with the LSR comfortably up to 16 miles so I'm not panicking about missed training at this stage. I have a 10k in 4 weeks and Belfast half in Sept so they are now the build up to DCM which is of course the main event. As frustrating as it is I have to remember "The main thing is the main thing is the main thing" (sorry RK but that is a keeper) 0 -
-
Thanks ncmc yeah I've been massaging the calf area but to be honest it just doesn't feel right iykwim so I really don't want to take any risks. The physio now can't see me until tomorrow, and I have to work tomorrow evening, which means no running until at least Thursday - if he even allows it - grrrr...breath deeply But you're right, a bit of missed training now won't make any difference, I'm more annoyed about missing Clontarf but ain't gonna risk being out for weeks on end from racing while injured. 0
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
Back from physio, good news is achilles is ok, calf muscles absolutely riddled with knots though. He worked on them for ages but needs further work next week. When I asked him if I could race a half next week he said only if I'm not bothered about continuing marathon training for a long time after
Strongly advised against it, reckoning legs will be race ready in about 3 weeks but injury risk before then is high. Even typing this I'm half tempted to ignore his advice and run Clontarf anyway but the thought of putting myself out of DCM makes me shudder.
Lesson learnt: get a regular massage, change shoes more often and do more stretching.
All common sense stuff and should be second nature at this stage but as usual I'm learning as I go. Just glad it's nothing too serious and I can get back to easy running later this week.
Step back week it is, I suppose the break will do me good and I can get stuck in to Meno's plan next week.0 -
-
Thanks ncmc hadn't thought of deferring, I'll give that a go. I have absolutely no excuses not to get a physio/massage more often as I can claim it back through health insurance :rolleyes:. Its so bloody painful though...he was gonna do some dry needling but I point blank refused as the calf was very tender already. But the massage may have been even worse What on earth do we put ourselves through all this for 0
-
Update time...I'm in no-man's-land with running these days. No race to prep for due to an injury which isn't really an injury, not following a DCM plan just yet as I've taken this week as a step-back week. Would really liked to have done Meno's session this week just to see where I'm at - mind you I have a feeling I would be disappointed with the result so prob better off not knowing
Anyway a few runs this week:
Thur - 5.07m @ 9.33 Av HR 146 - did this mornng after physio as it was the only time to get a run in before the weekend. Calf was a bit tender after but nothing too bad.
Thursday night was spent celebrating our wedding anniversary - resulting in champagne, wine, cocktails - the works - so Friday was a horrible experience spent wanting to die - my inability to torrelate booze gets worse the more running I do - no more of that carry on until after DCM :rolleyes:
Sat - 12.03m @ 9.44 Av HR 153
HR seems high but Garmin was spiking for the first few miles so its definitely skewed on the high side and it was bloody hot out there so the heat alone probably made it higher. I decided after 10 miles to throw in a steady-paced mile before the final c/d mile. It was run at 8.48 pace and it felt good to speed up a bit. I'm wondering is this a good idea in long runs now and again to run a steady mile towards the end of the run? Probably a lot easier now than in a 20 miler mind you.
So Clontarf HM was supposed to be my short-term goal before DCM kicks in. Training suffered due to health problems and the threat of injury knocked it on the head for good last week. But I'm still gonna run it - not race it. I will be doing a LSR of that sort of distance next week anyway, we'll be in Dublin anyway and I've paid for the blooming thing so it makes sense. If I run it at MP it would be a steady effort but shouldn't aggravate the calf. I'm not worried about being tempted to race it when I get there as I haven't put in the training I wanted to do for it so know I wouldn't do as well as I had hoped and there's no way I'm risking injury but I'll go for the craic. Maybe catch up with a few boardsies down there 0 -
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
Mon 8 Jul - easy
5.1m @ 9.53 Av HR 144
Tues 9 Jul - progression run
6m @ 9.00 AV HR 153
Headed out early for an easy run but decided to do Meno's progression session. Only had an hour so just 1m w/u and 1m c/d. Plan was 8min @ 9.15, 8.55, 8.10, 7.45
Actual was 8min @ 9.10, 8.45, 8.14, 7.36.
Looks grand written down but the heat was an absolute killer and I got the last one wrong. I started it running to feel but looking at the watch a minute in and the pace was 6.35 :eek: way, way too fast and not sustainable for me resulting in a few stops thinking I was going to be sick I was absolutely spent by the end and had to stop completely to catch my breath. Good session though, might tack on a few recovery miles with the dog this evening and take a rest day tomorrow. No issues from the calf so hopefully it stays that way :rolleyes: 0 -
-
Achilles/ lower calf is niggling at me :mad: Have been icing, rolling and stretching so hopefully I can get through Clontarf on Saturday without it getting any worse. Couldn't get back to physio this week so have to wait until next week, fingers crossed it behaves until then :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
Hope the icing, rolling and stretching behave for ya Runchick. Best of luck with Sat 0 -
Achilles/ lower calf is niggling at me :mad: Have been icing, rolling and stretching so hopefully I can get through Clontarf on Saturday without it getting any worse. Couldn't get back to physio this week so have to wait until next week, fingers crossed it behaves until then :rolleyes:
Hope the icing, rolling and stretching behave for ya Runchick. Best of luck with Sat[/quote]
Thanks DOCO12, on my way to Dublin now. So excited about Clontarf, even if it's just a training run 0 -
-
Enjoy the race - I regularly run most of this route as it's my preferred training location. Take advantage of the grass. I know you're not trying to win it but best of luck anyway and stay injury free!
Cheers murph it'll be a bit more leisurely than our wee jaunt around Omagh so I'll be enjoying the scenery, drove down that way today - you are very lucky to be able to run there 0 -
-
Advertisement
-
Sat 13 Jul - HM
13.15m @ 8.56 Av HR 165
Had an absolute ball in Clontarf today! Its well documented here that I'm well below my best these days and with physio warning me about racing a half with a dodgy calf I settled on running it at MP. Just to make sure I would do just that I didn't do anything I would normally do to prepare. No taper, and a pint of Galway Hooker with dinner the night before (best beer ever btw).
Planned to run around 9min miles and intended to hang around the very glamorous 2 hr pacers (ahem..) but started out a bit ahead and kind of stayed there. I flirted with the idea of running a 1.55 and was on target for that but coming back on to the sand on the way back didn't agree with the calf too well (reminding me why I wasn't pushing on) so I cruised home in 1:57:42 taking a few walk breaks on the home straight when the calf really started to tighten up.
Effort wise the heat made it uncomfortable enough but I never felt like I was really suffering. HR is definitely a fair bit higher than I would expect it to be for that pace (the last HM I raced HR averaged 170) so the heat definitely makes running tough. Fair play to all those racing today and well done to Gavlor and RunningKing for super performances in tough conditions.
Was great to catch up with Mr & Mrs Dilbert, Belcarra and RunningKing after and to see Murphd77 out cheering on the runners. Lazed around with the family for a while enjoying the atmosphere and the sunshine. Was reduced to limping for a while - very tender achilles - but seems much better now so I'm hoping I haven't pushed it too far. Back to physio on Wednesday so won't attempt any sessions until after that.
Overall a great event, really well organised and a fab route - beach running rocks 0
Advertisement