Taming the marathon beast...

Aimman

Well done and glad you enjoyed the day.

Murph_D

Good running runchick - that heat must have been a killer (just back from a 22k LSR myself and I was suffering, and yesterday was hotter!). Good pacing too - you seemed to be right on schedule.

Runchick

Sun 14 Jul - recovery

4.53m @ 10.57 Av HR 134

Recovery run in 3pm sun (hot) to finish off a good week with 37 miles.

Mon 15 Jul - easy

6.05 @ 9.34 Av HR 142

Early morning running again, bliss :P

Then

3.2m @ 10.04 Av HR 135

Didn't plan to do a double (even after all the talk on the graduate thread) but the arrival of new runners made it impossible to resist Well they actually arrived last week but I reluctantly sent them back for a bigger size on advice from physio - anyway new saucony triumph 9's - totally different shape to my old saucony's - lower heel and much lighter...they feel amazing so I might just invest in a second pair and rotate them

I definitely feel a spring in my step again (not because of the shoes!) and have heaps of energy. In hindsight I was fairly low on energy for a long time after Limerick...things are looking up

Runchick

Tues 16 Jul - easy

8.09m @ 9.35 Av HR 147 (HR prob a bit lower than this as Garmin was doing it's spikey thing for a mile or 2)

Probably would only have done 5 or 6 miles but doing 8 means I've done
1000 miles this year - yay :D:D

(now all I have to do is put this to use and actually finish the next 26.2 :eek:)

RedRunner

Hey Runchick.Just found your log and had a good read. Well done on a disciplined run in Clontarf and congrats on hitting the 1000mile mark. No doubt you'll put those Limerick demons to rest in October.

Runchick

Wed 17 Jul - physio/ rest

Physio not as bad as I thought. Calf is extremely tight and causing the sharp pain in the achilles but should be ok if I manage it properly from here on. Its absolutely in bits today, covered in bruises and very tender. Getting very friendly with the foam roller and a tennis ball :eek: and doing stretches and strengthening work every day should keep it under control. I'm taking this as my warning shot - it'll be my own fault if it gets worse.

Thur 18 Jul - session

11.11m @ 9.08 Av HR 154

2m @ HMP with 0.5m recoveries X 3

Planned HMP 8.15 - wasn't sure about this but last training cycle I trained at HMP of 8.30 and went on to race a half at 8.11 so thought 8.15 was about right.

Rep 1: 8.04 (165), 8.07 (167) - demons at me from the start "just take a break", "stop", "why the feck are you doing this anyway?"

Rep 2: 8.09 (166), 8.04 (168) - demons getting worse - "your calf is sore - just stop after this one", "cut the session early - sure you had physio yesterday, probably shouldn't be doing this"

Rep 3: 8.27 (165), 8.14 (168) - gave in a bit and took 2 walk breaks, to be honest that was all I needed to finish the session.

Only meant to do 10 miles but misjudged the course and finished the reps with 2.5 miles to home, 11.11m in total.

Good day's work and home for breakfast by 8am

dazza21ie

... demons at me from the start "just take a break", "stop", "why the feck are you doing this anyway?"

Gotta love the little voices in the head, they sound very familiar!

....Good day's work and home for breakfast by 8am

Nice to have lie in before a session isn't it Good session by the way.

Runchick

Fri 19 Jul - recovery

3.08 @ 10.40 Av HR 127

Sat 20 Jul - rest (wanted to run but stuck to the plan)

Sun 21 Jul - LSR

16.45m @ 10.04 Av HR 143

Made a conscious effort to start really slow and build to finish faster. This is not what I typically do in training or races so am really trying to change my approach. Worked really well - first 5 miles were 10.30ish, last 3 or 4 were 9.30ish. Very enjoyable run but achilles fairly aggrevated again :mad:

48 miles for the week, running mojo is high

Runchick

Mon 22 Jul - recovery

3.56m @ 10.54 Av HR 128

Tues 23 Jul - easy

5.11m @ 9.35 AV HR 140

Legs felt extremely heavy for this one and I couldn't figure out why, until I remembered the evening before - an hour out on the trampoline with my 7 yr old daughter teaching me how to do somersaults :eek:, oh yes, that'll do it (she says I have lots of practice to do :rolleyes:)

Wed 24 Jul - LSR with strides

10.46m @ 9.42 Av HR 143

Gotta love stepback week, midweek long run done and dusted before breakfast My main focus on these easy and long runs is keeping HR low. Low 140's max, allowing it to drift to mid 140's on inclines and hills. Was kinda glad to throw in a set of pyramid strides towards the end to mix things up. 20(7.05),40(6.54),60(7.32) uphill,40(7.07),20(7.38) seconds(pace), getting HR max up to 166.

Runchick

Thur 25 Jul - recovery

3.52m @ 10.40 Av HR 128

Followed by physio - calf got another battering - still can't foam roll the bit worked on last week :eek: Brutal but necessary - tightness more or less gone so just up to me to keep it that way.

Fri - rest - calf so bruised and sore I don't think I could run on it anyway

Sat 27 Jul - recovery (yawn)

4.06m @ 10.37 Av HR 132

More slow easy running ahead of 10k tomorrow. Not sure whether I will PB but if its not a sub 50 I think I'll give up and take up knitting :rolleyes: Looking forward to a good ol' race though

Gavlor

Best of luck tomorrow!

ncmc

Best of luck tomorrow! Hopefully it will be a bit cooler for you, racing in this heat is a killer.

RedRunner

Good luck in the race tomorrow. Hope it goes really well for you.

blockic

Good luck runchick!!

DOCO12

Best of luck Runchick !

Murph_D

Yep. Tear it up!

Runchick

Sun 28 Jul - 10km race

Newry and Mourne Women's Mini Marathon

Target time: sub 50
Actual time: 51.17 :rolleyes: Av HR 167

Honestly felt the sub 50 was a cert. Woke up with sore ears, throat and feeling icky (have felt this for a few days now but this morning was worst, typical :mad:) - not a great start but did my best to ignore it, downed a honey mix for the throat and a few paracetamol.

Was a point-to-point run so a bus took us to the start. Got off the bus, 250+ women on a narrow country road, jogged down a lane to pee :eek:, jogged back and was horrified to find the race about to start and I was stuck at the back, sh!t. Race started and I was well penned in...don't panic I thought, no warm up anyway so take first mile easy...but I panicked when I saw the pace reading 10min/m and started weaving through the crowds as best as I could. Planned pace was 8min/m for the first 2, then sub 8's the rest so I had a bit of work to do. Finally got through the crowds and first mile clocked 8.29 but it was uphill and I was breathing heavy already. Second mile - more climbing, into a headwind and in full sun - not fun - 9.06 - oh cr@p I thought, not exactly going to plan.

Mile 3, 4 and 5 weren't too bad, I found a girl to pace off and stuck with her but did stop to walk at least once - my upper body, especially my arms were absolutely aching to the point I couldn't keep going - wtf :rolleyes: Splits 7.38, 8.10, 7.47. Turned a corner to find the hill from hell - steep enough to make me gasp and enough to kill my race - I gave in and walked up it cursing myself - mile 6 8.48. Nice downhill finish and sprinted this - this was the first time I actually felt strong the whole race - 0.25m @ 5.52 :eek: and beat the girl I'd been pacing on the sprint.

Finished 21 out of 250ish women so far from last at least

Few observations:
- I hate hills, I hate running in warm weather
- I give in too easily - the first 2 miles didn't go to plan and I gave up - I know this as HR didn't get anywhere near 10k effort until the very end :rolleyes:
- I'm not progressing as well as I'd like and am a bit annoyed but really love the buzz of these events and it hasn't put me off.

Anyway I'm not gonna give up just yet. I'll keep plugging away - all my PBs this year were set in cold conditions so maybe the weather is a bigger factor than I realise. Also I don't feel great now - sore head, ears, etc. so something's working on me - could this be why my upper body was aching while running? Maybe rest is required. One of these days I'll run a good race :rolleyes:

ncmc

Sorry to hear race didn't go to plan Runchick, although it definitely sounds like you are coming down with something. Personally, I wouldn't have even lined up if I felt like that, so you showed great htfu to even get to the start line. You sound so like me, string of bad races, giving up too easy... That's just me in a nutshell. Try not to let it get to you, racing in this warm humid weather is a nightmare even in full health. Take an easy week and dare I suggest, a few days off and make sure you look after your health! You will be PB central when the weather cools down!

Murph_D

Sorry you're disappointed, Runchick. I agree completely with ncmc. Doesn't sound like you are in full health so don't let this result get you down. You did well under the circumstances and well done on the top 25 finish

Runchick

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I really need to sort out my mental attitude, Lesson from today - positive mental attitude makes a race, I would argue that it's even more important than the training! Since my spectacular DNF I haven't had confidence, giving up comes too easy:(

Big Logger

Runchick wrote: »

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I really need to sort out my mental attitude, Lesson from today - positive mental attitude makes a race, I would argue that it's even more important than the training! Since my spectacular DNF I haven't had confidence, giving up comes too easy:(

You havn't given up at all, sure you got straight back on the horse.

I think your race just wasn't executed well, you have the speed with the 7 min miles at the end of the race. You just need to prep better next time and get the warm up in and early to the race. Study the course.
Look at the type of runner you are, if you need more time for hills then don't plan 8 min miles all round, give yourself the extra 20 secs or so on the hard bits so you don't lose heart if your time slows down.
I don't think you let the cold get to you during the race really.

ncmc

If you learn the secret of PMA, please pass it on to me! I am the EXACT same, all it takes is a couple of bad races and all of a sudden the demons become very persuasive and it's all too easy to slow down or stop. I agree, I think getting the mental attitude right is totally as important as training... Just harder to get right

RedRunner

Well done today. Wouldnt go into too much analysis on this one. Nobody can be expected to perform at their best if feeling unwell. I don't think you gave up at all. You started and finished the race even though not in the best of health. That shows you have mental strength in my books.
Looks like we will both be having easier weeks this week than originally planned!
Recover well.

DOCO12

Sorry to hear you didn't hit your goal pace today but seriously when your coming down with something you can't expect to perform as well as hoped. You should def give yourself a few days rest , it will do you the world of good. And you will have no prob smashing that time when your back to full health and the weather has cooled down

New runner

Aw Runchick sorry to hear you disappointed in your race today, it's amazing how even 1 run can knock your confidence but on a positive note it only takes 1 good 1 to get it back also. As others have already said def sounds like u coming down with something n considering that, no warm up, heat etc u did really well. Try put it behind you n move on, to finish in top 25 was really good esp in circumstances so well done!

Runchick

Gotta love Boards for support, thanks guys Yeah this week will be slow and easy, starting with complete rest tomorrow - I must be feeling cr@p as planning a rest day doesn't bother me

The PMA thing will take practice, that's where the midweek sessions will come in handy...not giving in to the demons here will hopefully translate to mental strength in a race...

New runner

Btw Runchick I've just found your thread which is why I haven't commented before n hey reading back past 2 weeks I'm amazed u did so well today! U have sore calf n were battered n bruised 2 days ago from serious physio day before!!! Hi cut yourself some slack. Maybe no sessions or speedwork until that calf mends. ( says myself who's running with hip bursitis ( rolls eyes) lol! )

Runchick

Not much to report - respiratory infection, antibiotics, feeling pants, no running this week

This log is turning in to the 'what not to do when marathon training guide'... don't drink water during a marathon, race when not well, jaysus if she'd brains she'd be dangerous :rolleyes:

ncmc

Runchick wrote: »

Not much to report - respiratory infection, antibiotics, feeling pants, no running this week

This log is turning in to the 'what not to do when marathon training guide'... don't drink water during a marathon, race when not well, jaysus if she'd brains she'd be dangerous :rolleyes:

It's so easy to give advice, not so easy to follow it though! I think we have all made silly mistakes in our enthusiasm, I think the best thing you can do now is take it easy, make sure you are 100% better before you hit the road again, it sounds like you could be suffering from a bit of overtraining. You have loads of time left til Dublin, and it's not like you're coming from zero like you were last year. Just look after yourself, I know you're keen to right the Limerick wrong, but it's not worth making yourself ill or overtraining yourself into the ground. Trust me, I'm an expert at giving advice (taking it however....:rolleyes::o:pac:)

Runchick

Thanks ncmc I've been suspecting overtraining - well the only symptoms being proneness to illness and poor race performance. RHR is lower this week than it has been for a long time though

That coupled with a house full of little people who just love to catch bugs and share them - I suppose the training is lowering my immunity and eventually it all catches up :rolleyes: Ah well a week of sleeping when I'm usually running is kind of nice...another strangely satisfying effect is having all my running gear washed and ready to go - when I get back out there I can coordinate properly and not just grab the first thing that's clean :eek: (ok that's probably a random girl thing but I get more of a kick out of it than I should admit to :eek::p)