Sub4

Satanta

So I did DCM last year in 4:27:26 and hit my target by coming in under 4:30

The next goal is a sub 4, and I am targeting DCM again in 2013.

A bit of background....
I started running last year in February at the ripe old age of 36, after training in the weights room for about 15 years. I was 88 kg standing 170 cm which put me at about 29.9 on the BMI scale, but I had low bodyfat so I was in decent shape. However.... I couldnt run out of your way! My first run was 1.8 miles and I was destroyed after it.

Anyway... fast forward to DCM 2012 and I weighed in at 81kg and managed to enjoy the day and run the complete race and come in under my target time.

This year i have just been ticking over really. I did the Omagh half in March in 1:56, which would put me outside of the 4 hour target. I did a local 10k race later in May in 49:50 which still means I wouldn't be ready for a sub 4. However, this time last year I wasn't ready for a sub 4:30 either!

So I am going to follow the attached plan and see after either the Derry HM or Belfast HM if I am ready for the big one. I have taken the plan from a mixture of the Hal Higdon Intermediate 1, and tailored the long runs to suit the HM races I am planning on.

There are a few different run types in the plan, and I will be taking the effort levels in these from the P&D guidelines, and for me they work out like:

Easy run -> HR139 - HR157
Long run -> HR143 - HR161
Run -> HR145 - HR155
Pace: 5:35 per kilometer

This week I'll just be doing my usual easy running. I'll follow the DCM+Derry HM plan to start with and if I need to back off a bit I'll go to the DCM + Derry HM Easier plan (attached)

Satanta

This week so far...

Tuesday
Distance: 8.5km
Pace: 6.20 avg/km
HR: 149 avg


Wednesday
Distance: 8.5km
Pace 6.16 avg/km
HR 149 avg

Satanta

Thursday
Distance 8.1 km
Pace: 6:22 min/km
HR: 151 avg

Runchick

Hey Satanta best of luck with the training. We have very similar times, I did DCM in 4.27 last year too. I'm doing Belfast HM and hoping for sub4 in Dublin this year. I'll be following your training with interest!

Satanta

Ha... that's great. Hopefully we'll be both 3:57 this year then!!

Satanta

Saturday
Type: Pace
Distance: 5K
Pace: 5:35 min/km
HR: 168 avg

This run went pretty badly. I felt crap from the get go. I didnt have satellite lock at the start and found that when I had got it I had gone out too fast.


Sunday
Type: LSR
Distance: 16 km
Pace: 6:19 min/km
HR: 152 avg

Satanta

Tuesday
I did a 5k race tonight on the spur of the moment. I thought it would be good enough to get a benchmark on where I am at with a short one. this was the first 5k I have done so I didnt really know how to go at it. I was targeting 22:30, and left 16 seconds out on the road somewhere. My HR was high though so it shows I did push it. My HR is always a bit high at the start of a race anyway, possibly because of the excitement and adrenaline.

Type: Race
Distance: 5k
Pace: 4:33 min/km
HR: 188 avg. 196 max!
Time: 22:46

Runchick

Fantastic first 5k result Satanta! I've never raced that distance but would be delighted with anything close to that Out of interest how do you know your max HR?

Satanta

Runchick wrote: »

Fantastic first 5k result Satanta! I've never raced that distance but would be delighted with anything close to that Out of interest how do you know your max HR?

Thanks Runchick. My watch records my max and average HR. Plus distance, avg pace etc. Its the Timex Ironman Global Trainer. I got it cheap off ebay
There is a seller called geekdeal that does them at a good price.

Wednesday
Warm lunch time run! I weighed myself before and after and I was a kilo down. I didnt feel as if I sweated that much though. My intention was to go for an easy/recovery run.

Type: Easy/Recovery
Distance: 8.1 Km
Pace: 6:22 min/km
HR: 148 avg

Satanta

Thursday

Type: Run
Distance: 8.2 km
Pace: 5:57 min/km
HR: 158 avg (last 2 miles were 161 - 163)

Pegmatite

Satanta wrote: »

Thanks Runchick. My watch records my max and average HR. Plus distance, avg pace etc. Its the Timex Ironman Global Trainer. I got it cheap off ebay
There is a seller called geekdeal that does them at a good price.

Hey Satanta, how do reliable are you finding the HR moniter. I've used a Garmin and Polar in the past and havent found them to be great. Even when using conductive gel. Lots of spikes from static electricity. Or the strap dries up and no longer records the HR.

Satanta

I find it great. Previously I used a Polar, but changed to get the GPS features. I ran with both on just to see if there was a difference as I heard Polar was very good and wanted to check the quality of the timex and found them to be the same. Maybe a beat out but mostly in sync and for my level of running they are accurate enough.

I dont get spikes at all, but then again I didnt get any with the polar either. And the timex strap doesnt require as much moisture as the Polar. It's a 2.4 Ghz transmitter though so it doesnt get picked up by treadmills and exercise bikes like they normally do. However I have found the range much better.

Satanta

Well... the weekend was a ruin for training. I had a wedding on Saturday, and then on Sunday I had to do all the stuff I should have done on Saturday and went back to the wedding day 2 event as there was a kids day etc. All very enjoyable but it meant I didnt get my long run done until yesterday.

My Pace run on Sat was terrible as well. I managed the average, but went out too fast and came back too slow. Anyway... one thing I have learned is that the pace runs are going to be important to teach me how to run at 5:35/km pace.

Saturday
Type: Pace
Distance: 8.1 km
Pace: 5:35 min/km
HR: 170 avg


Monday
Type: long run
Distance: 18 km
Pace: 6:11 min/km
HR: 150 avg

Satanta

Wednesday
Type: Pride!
Distance 8.1 km
Pace: 5:29/km
HR: 171 avg

I 'ran' into a couple of lads from work out on their run and fell in with them. The pace was hotter than I had planned and we went a hilly route but it was enjoyable all the same. I'll take it as my pace run for the week

Thursday
Type: Easy/Recovery
Distance: 5 km approx
Pace: Unknown. GPS didnt link up in time
HR: 148 Avg

Friday
Type: Easy run with hills
Distance: 6.2 km
Pace: 6:30/km
HR 155 avg

I'm going to do my long run tomorrow. I intend resetting everything back a day so pace run on Fridays with Long run on Saturdays and Sunday off. By request from the misses! It means I'll get to do most of the runs on my time rather than family time as such. 19k tomorrow might be tough though. No rest day since Tuesday.

Satanta

Saturday
Type: Long Run
Distance: 19.3 km
Pace: 6:15 min/km
HR: 154

I got my hydration all wrong today. I definitely didnt pre hydrate enough and felt it after 16km. I also had a water belt ready to go and thought sure I'll be grand. And I was about 500 metres from the house and thought I should have put sun cream on and thought sure I'll be grand.

Result: Dehrydrated. Sunburnt. Feeling the poor mee's. However, I took a look at training peaks to where I was this time last year and today's run blew anything I was doing back then out of the water.

Looking forward to next week!!

Satanta

wow the heat!!!

Monday
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.19 km
Pace: 6:22 min/km
HR: 153 avg


Tuesday
Type: General Aerobic Run
Distance: 8.19 km
Pace: 5:43 min/km
HR: 162 avg

On the Tuesday run I just ran to HR trying to keep it below 165. the splits show a drop off in pace for the last 2 km. It was so hot though that I was 1.2 kg down after the run. That's 1.2 litres in 46 mins.

Satanta

Wednesday
Type: Easy/Recovery
Distance: 8.3 km
Pace: 6:13 min/km
HR: 146 avg

This run felt allot easier pace wise than it turned out in the end. I normally don't look at pace while on the run and only monitor HR, and made sure to keep my HR in the low to mid 140's for this run, creeping up at the end due to dehydration. It was very warm again. Looking forward to the rest day on Thursday. It is needed as I am not sleeping very well in the heat. Accuweather is predicting an afternoon shower on Friday. I hope it comes when I am doing my pace run!

Satanta

Friday
Type: Pace
Distance: 6.3 km
Pace: 5:40 min/km
HR: 168 avg

This run was pretty awfully. I went out way to fast again, and suffered terribly in the heat. I had actually planned 8km and cut it short.

Saturday
Type: Long run
Distance: 21 km
Pace: 6:21 min/km
HR: Unknown. Battery in the strap went mid way through the run.

I am happy enough with my long runs. They seem to be within the right pace and effort zone. However I am a little concerned that my pace runs feel so difficult. I think thought that I am going out too fast in them and for the first few k I am running approx 5:10min/km, and when I slow down I have already spent too much energy. I think on the next one I'll go out at my usual slow pace, and try to gradually build up to the correct pace.

Satanta

Monday
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.1 km
Pace: 6:06 min.km
HR: Unknown. Need to get that battery changed

Felt good today. Maybe it was because I couldnt see my HR going up so I didnt have to worry about it lol

Satanta

Tuesday
Type: Run
Distance: 9.66 km
Pace: 5:27 min/km
HR: Unknown

This was a good run. I pushed hard enough and certainly felt it by the end. I wouldnt have ran much farther at this pace today

Satanta

Wendesday
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.03km
Pace: 6:18min/km
HR: 147 avg

Pleasant enough run. Legs were tired from yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised with the pace at the end because it felt allot slower.

Satanta

Friday 19th July
Type: Run
Distance: 7.35km
Pace: 6:13 min/km
HR: 153 avg

Starting to feel a bit off today. Maybe a cold coming on!

Saturday 20th July
Type: Slow Run
Distance: 12.65km
Pace: 6:42 min/km
HR: 155 avg

Definitely coming down with a dose. I'm gonna take a break. My pace is way sown and HR too high, and the run today felt too tough

Monday 29th
Type: Trying to get back running run
Distance: 5.02km
Pace: 6:22 min/km
HR: 167 avg

I felt good enough to run today, but when I headed out it didnt go well. I'm definitely not recovered.

Wednesday 31st
Type: Run
Distance: 9.41km
Pace: 6:22 min/km
HR: 161 avg

Getting better but not there yet.

Friday 2nd
Type: Pace
Distance: 7.30km
Pace: 5:30 min/km
HR: 175 avg

I'm going tpo try a long run this weekend, but maybe not the 25k that is on my plan. Let's see how it goes. I was really feeling tired all week and more or less had to force my runs. Not getting a good feeling about the 4hr goal at this point

Runchick

Chin up Satanta, there's loads of time left to get back on track, if you're still not feeling well probably best to take it easy until you're feeling good -that's what I'm currently telling myself anyway :rolleyes:

Satanta

Sunday 4th August
Type: LSR
Distance: 26.02km
Pace: 6:17 km/min avg
HR: 158 avg

Notes: Feeling fine but my HR is still high. The run itself was fine until about 20k and then I just really wanted to stop for almost every step after that. My target was 26km and once the watch told me 26 that was it. Game over. Walked about a kilometer to the house then.

Tuesday 6th August
Type: Run
Distance: 10.83km
Pace: 5:57 min/km
HR: 155 avg

Starting to definitely feel better now. This run was comfortable and relaxed.

Wednesday
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.05 km
Pace: 6:17 min/km
HR: 150 avg

Satanta

Dear lord why did I start a log! I am useless at updating it! Terribly busy at work and I dont get any online time

Anyway... I will try to bring this up to date. Apologies anyone that had a passing interest in this thread

Friday 09 Aug
Type: Pace
Distance: 9.04 km
Pace: 5:40 min/km
HR: 168 Avg

Sunday 11 Aug
Type: LSR
Distance: 19.3 Km
Pace: 6:19 min/km
HR: 152 avg


Tuesday 13th Aug
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.02 km
Pace: 6:15 km/min avg
HR: 151 avg

Wednesday 14th Aug
Type: Run
Distance: 9.73 km
Pace: 6:12 min/km
HR: 153 avg


Sunday 18 Aug
Type: LSR
Distance: 20.02km
Pace: 6:20 km/min avg
HR: 152 avg

I might add at this point I had decided not to run the Dublin Marathon. I was going to continue doing these short LSR's as I really didnt want to start doing 15 mile plus. A few weeks later my brother in law guilt-ed me into doing the marathon again

Tuesday 20 Aug
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.18km
Pace: 6:08 km/min
HR: 151 avg


Wednesday 21 Aug
Type: Pace/LT
Distance: 8.04km
Pace: 5:29 km/min avg
HR: 166 avg

Friday 23 Aug
Type: Run
Distance: 5.03km
Pace: 6:00 km/min avg
HR: 157 avg

Saturday 24 Aug
Type: LSR
Distance: 19.06 km
Pace: 5:57 km/min avg
HR: 160 avg

This is the run I went on with the brother in law that turned me back on the marathon trail.

Sunday 25 Aug
Type: Easy
Distance: 12.02km
Pace: 5:58 km/min avg
HR: 146 avg

Monday 26 Aug
Type: Pace
Distance: 8.03km
Pace: 5:35 km/min avg
HR: 157 avg


Tuesday 29 Aug
Type: easy
Distance: 8.08 km
Pace: 6:05 km/min avg
HR: 149 avg


Thurdsay 18
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.08km
Pace: 6:07 km/min avg
HR: 149 avg

Sunday 01 Sep
Type: LSR
Distance: 26.02km
Pace: 6:3 km/min avg
HR: 158 avg

Satanta

Tuesday 3 Sep
Type: Run
Distance: 8.04 km
Pace: 5:53 min/km
HR: 149 Avg

Wednesday 4 Sep
Type: Run
Distance: 11.83 km
Pace: 5:57 min/km
HR: 151 Avg

Friday 6 Sep
Type: Run
Distance: 5.02 km
Pace: 5:29 min/km
HR: 157 Avg

A decent weeks training and semi taper for the Derry Half Marathon on Sunday. I am undecided as yet on what to aim for. I did Omagh in March in 1:56:26. I would dearly like to go for 1:50 but I think a more realistic target is 1:54 or slightly below. I'll make a call on Sunday :-)

Murph_D

Hey there Satanta,
Glad to see you are back. What had you thinking about calling off DCM? You look like you can get close to the sub4 - your lsr pace look very much like mine last year and although I missed the target by a couple of mins I think you'll have a chance if you go with the pacers. Best of luck and good for you for putting the show back on the road!

Satanta

Cheers Murph

I was getting it tight for time to be honest. Work had started to encroach into me-time and I have two small kids that keep my wife demented too, so she was asking for a bit of help. I decided to drop one run per week and try to make sure I get all my weekday runs in at lunchtime. This also means cutting a couple of miles off the midweek run. I can take a flexible lunch once a week and I'll be able to squeeze in a max run of about 8 miles.

Anyway.... I'll take it as it comes now and if I get sub 4 then happy days. I think my brother in law is going to go out at 4 hour pace. I'll do the same and we'll see if we can hang in there. If I dont get it this year then there is a Derry marathon in June next year that I can always try for. Funny thing is that I was going to cut out the long distance after last years DCM!!

Satanta

Race Report - Derry Half Marathon
Sunday 8th
Time: 1:55:15
Avg HR: 180
Max HR: 191

To make a long story short on this, I went out too fast. I went out at something like 1:47 pace and found it difficult to rein myself in. My first 5k was done in 25:20. I maintained this pace until 10k where I was at 51 mins pretty much even. At this point I knew I wasnt going to last the rest of the way and so I walked through the 10k water stop. I Hit the half way point at 55:50 I think which was going to leave me outside of my secret target of 1:50. I hit 10 miles at 1:26 and this is where the wheels really came off. I was taking walk breaks now in between the water stations as well.

Mentally I was buggered. There was a long drag up a dual carriageway that took us almost to the 11 mile mark. I could see a roundabout at the top of the hill and thought at least there is a downhill when I get the to roundabout. When I got there we had to go in around a bit of an industrial estate. That was soul destroying.

I tried slowing down to almost a crawl but that felt as bad as running faster. there were people huffing past me now. I wasnt out of breath at all, just had ineffective legs.

Lesson learned I think. If I had targeted 1:53 or below I could have done that easy enough. going out at the pace I did is a lesson sorely learned.

Tuesday 10th Sep
Type: Easy
Distance: 8km
Pace: 5:56 min/km
Hr: 149 avg

Wedensday 11th Sep
Type: Run
distance: 10k
Pace: 5:29 min/km
HR: 160 Avg

Thursday 12 Sep
Type: Easy
Distance: 8km
Pace: 6:07 min/km
HR: 149 avg

Todays run felt horrible. My legs are sore and I dont have much energy. Rest day tomorrow thankfully!

Satanta

Sat 14th Sep
Type: LSR
Distance: 27km
Pace: 6:01 min/km
Hr: 156 avg

There is a group of 3 to 5 of us that head out now on LSR's. This really helps. I felt a bit crappy heading out on this run but was strong enough at the end. It helped that my two buddies were feeling the pain allot more than me. That makes me a bad person no doubt. they would slaughter me in a race of anything up to a half marathon though so I dont feel to bad about feeling good

Mon 16th Sep
Type: Easy
Distance: 8.02km
Pace: 5:51 min/km
Hr: 152 avg

Tuesday 17th Sep
Type: LT
Distance: 11.65km
Pace: 5:14 min/km
Hr: 163 avg

You ever just have a run that goes well? I went out on this one easy-ish thinking I would just go for a pace run if I could. I kept the HR within easy running params for the first several K and was feeling good. On the way back in I realised I was in line for a good run so pushed on.

Thurs 19 Sep
Type: Easy
Distance: 9.6km
Pace: 5:51 min/km
Hr: 151 avg