mad about running

john mayo 10

Being meaning to set up one of these for a while now so here goes.
Started running last september and got hooked straight away.Did the C25k programme which got me up and going.Ran my first 5k in jan 13 and ran it in 26.50.Ive ran bout 8 10k since and my best is 50.11. My goal for this year was to run a sub 50min 10k so im nearly there.I try to get out and run 3 times a week but i have young kids and i started circuit training recently aswell so im struggling to get out as much.I aged 36. 5.9 in height and 178 pounds. Have circuit training this evening and hope to run 2morro aswell.Will report back asap.Im doing this blog so it will be a help people of similiar status as myself cos the help these blogs and forum have been to me has been unbelieveable

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

Being meaning to set up one of these for a while now so here goes.
Started running last september and got hooked straight away.Did the C25k programme which got me up and going.Ran my first 5k in jan 13 and ran it in 26.50.Ive ran bout 8 10k since and my best is 50.11. My goal for this year was to run a sub 50min 10k so im nearly there.I try to get out and run 3 times a week but i have young kids and i started circuit training recently aswell so im struggling to get out as much.I aged 36. 5.9 in height and 178 pounds. Have circuit training this evening and hope to run 2morro aswell.Will report back asap.Im doing this blog so it will be a help people of similiar status as myself cos the help these blogs and forum have been to me has been unbelieveable

Hi, will follow this with interest, not running long myself. 10km in Belmullet Oct 12th .

john mayo 10

Done a one hour circuit training session yesterday evening.Mainly core and upperbody work. Punchbag pressups plank etc. Started these sessions 4 weeks ago and have been going once a week but will try and go twice a week when possible. Have to get out 2morro for a run

john mayo 10

5k 29.50

Nearly didnt go running as i had bout 8 pints of guinness last nite but glad i did in the end.Found this tough and a real struggle at times.Done this session on a woodland trail with plenty of hills in it.Would usually run this a lot quicker so it must have been the booze last nite that slowed me up

john mayo 10

5k 26.50

Done this session straight after work. Decided to try something different with this session. Done the first 250ms at easy pace. next 250ms at fast pace and so on for 5k and really enjoyed it. Pace was from 4.30/km to 5.40/km. Average pace was 5.20 so happy enough with that after a 12 hour shift at work

john mayo 10

Fri 4th oct
one hour circuit training

Sun 6th oct
6k 32.00
Had intended to do 10k but my running partner this morning was feeling the pinch after a hard weeks training himself. Saying that though i really enjoyed this. With every K the pace was increasing starting from 5.48 in the first k to 5.00 in the last k. Felt strong through out and there was plenty left in the tank. Have a 4 mile race next weekend so am hoping to break 32 minutes but would settle for anything under 34 mins as my last race was a disaster where i struggled home in an 8k in 43 mins

john mayo 10

Wed 9th 2 miles.

Ran this with the intension of a tempo pace session. Ran the first mile in 8.50 and the last in 8.10.

fri 11th 4 miles.

Done a one mile warmup with pace approx 9.30/mile and a.one mile cooldown of the same pace. Done a 2mile tempo session where i tried to beat wednesdays time. First mile was in 8.25 and second in 8.02 giving me an average of 8.14/mile which i was happy with. I plan to increase the mileage of these sessions in the coming weeks. Had a 4mile race planned for sunday but wont make it so am planning a lsr for sunday morning.

john mayo 10

Fri oct 11th

1hour circuit training
Done a lot of leg work in this session so leg muscles have been in bits since.

Sun oct 15th

10k run 56.40
Had intended 6min/k for this but the pace increased as the ks went by.Done this with 2other lads .Enjoyed it but legs very sore.Average pace 5.40/k

john mayo 10

Fri 18th oct 6.5k.

Havent been able to get out all week for a run between kids\work so was delighted to get this session in.Planned a 6min\k pace as an easy session and ran it in 39mins. Legs felt good.Have circuit training this evening and i plan to run twice more over weekend. Planning on running a 10k race in early december and plan is to break 50mins. I know this may seem nothing to some people but to me it will be a milestone if i achieve it. Next years plan is a half marathon in may so if any has any training plans for a half marathon that has you running 3times a week i would be grateful

Cleanman

Well done on your progress so far. If you've been reading up on other logs, you'll know the generic advice will be to get out as often as you can, keep the pace slow and increase the length of your long runs. Doing that alone will make a huge difference. Best of luck with it. Any other races coming up?

john mayo 10

Cleanman wrote: »

Well done on your progress so far. If you've been reading up on other logs, you'll know the generic advice will be to get out as often as you can, keep the pace slow and increase the length of your long runs. Doing that alone will make a huge difference. Best of luck with it. Any other races coming up?

just have that one 10k before xmas then theres plenty of 10ks early in the new year with that half aswell.About four of us are planning to do thr half so at least we can do the long runs together

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

just have that one 10k before xmas then theres plenty of 10ks early in the new year with that half aswell.About four of us are planning to do thr half so at least we can do the long runs together

Where is that 10km? looking for one myself before x mas in the west!

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

Where is that 10km? looking for one myself before x mas in the west!

Beleek woods 10k on the 8th of december in ballina. lovely course which has about 7k on roads and 3k through the woods .they have a facebook page and they are linked to ballina fitforlife

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

Beleek woods 10k on the 8th of december in ballina. lovely course which has about 7k on roads and 3k through the woods .they have a facebook page and they are linked to ballina fitforlife

Thanks for that, sounds perfect.

snailsong

SamforMayo wrote: »

Thanks for that, sounds perfect.

I might try that, hadn't heard about it. I've done the River Moy half a few times which is partly in Beleek woods. It's a nice place to run.

If either of ye are looking for a warm up there's a 5k park run in Westport every Saturday at 9:30. It's free. parkrun.ie/westport for details.

SamforMayo

snailsong wrote: »

I might try that, hadn't heard about it. I've done the River Moy half a few times which is partly in Beleek woods. It's a nice place to run.

If either of ye are looking for a warm up there's a 5k park run in Westport every Saturday at 9:30. It's free. parkrun.ie/westport for details.

Cheers, its always good to have an excuse to visit westport:D

john mayo 10

Cheers will make a trip back some saturday

john mayo 10

snailsong wrote: »

I might try that, hadn't heard about it. I've done the River Moy half a few times which is partly in Beleek woods. It's a nice place to run.

If either of ye are looking for a warm up there's a 5k park run in Westport every Saturday at 9:30. It's free. parkrun.ie/westport for details.

about 7k of the beleek 10k is on the moy half marathon
route

john mayo 10

fri 18th oct
one hour circuit training
Really struggled with this.I think my friday morning runs will have to be moved to another day as they are leaving me very jaded on friday evenings during circuit training

Sun 20th oct
4mile run.
Done this with 2 others and really enjoyed it. Increased the pace as we went along and really pushed the pace over the last half mile
35mins in total

john mayo 10

Mon 21th oct
3 miles

Steady pace throughout finishing in a time of 27.20

Thurs 24th oct
4miles

Half mile warm up and half mile cool down. Done a 3mile tempo run where i was aimimg to run it in under 25 mins. Ran it in 24.10 which gave me an average pace of 8.02/mile or 5.00/k. Delighted with this as the last session of this i did 2weeks ago over 2miles i had an average pace of 8.14/mile or 5.10/k so pace is improving all the time. I plan on doing another one of these sessions in 2weeks time over 4miles to see how am i progressing.Have circuit training tomorrow evening and have a 10k lsr planned for sunday morning with the lads

john mayo 10

Picked up a pair of asics gt2000 today in elverys. Asics just brought out the gt2000 v2 recently so the ones i bought were brought out in jan 2013.Got them for €65 reduced from €130.Sure i couldnt leave them there at that price Any one have a pair of these and what u think?

john mayo 10

Fri 25th oct

1 hr circuit training

Sun 27th oct

8.5 k time 47.50
average pace 5.39/k
Enjoyed this run we kept a very steady pace throughout and i felt strong throughout

john mayo 10

tues 29th oct
4miles
3 mile tempo 24.27

Half mile warm up followed by a 3mile tempo run and concluded with a half mile cool down. I done this over same c/d as last thursdays session but could not match that time of 24.10. Disappointing but sure there is always next time

Wed 30th oct
10k 58 mins average pace 5.49/k.

Planned to do this in around 5.50 to 6.00/k and kept a steady pace throughout

p
Planned an lsr and enjoyed this

john mayo 10

Fri 1st nov
1hour circuit training.mostly core work.

Sun 3rd nov
8.5k 45.20 average pace 5.22/k
Enjoyable run where wr increased the pace as we went along.First k in 5.48 and last k in 5.09.Ran the last 500m in 2.08 so it was nice to finish it out fast

Mon 5th nov

8.5k 47.00 average pace 5.34/k
same loop as y/day but took it a bit easier

john mayo 10

Thurs 7th nov
3miles

Half mile warm up.2 mile fast pace.half mile cool down
ran the 2 miles in 15.40.
splits mile 1-7.48 mile 2-7.50
average pace 7.49
happy with this as my pace is getter better and speed increasing.i think it a combination of a more structured training plan.more tempo runs and strength/circuit training

john mayo 10

Fri 8th nov
one hour circuit training

Sun 10th nov
10k 57mins average pace 5.43/k

Nice easy paced session.enjoyable. i enjoy running on cold mornings zo much easier than hot summer days to run in

beertons

Great stuff John, keep up the good work.

john mayo 10

Sun 17th nov
7k 39.20 average pace 5.37/k

Havent ran or done any type of exercise all week. Reason being is that my right hamstring was very sore earlier in the week. So much so that i was walking with a limp. Best thing for it was rest evrn though it drove me mad. Glad i rested it though and it feels a lot better. Enjoyable run as i went out first light and ran a new loop nearby to my house.Have a 10k this day 3weeks so its all systems go

john mayo 10

Tues 19th nov
11k lsr
1hr 5 mins average pace 5.55/k

Fri 22th nov
1hr circuit training

john mayo 10

Sun 24th nov
5k hill run
no time on this

Tues 26th nov
4k run
Hadnt much time this evening so done a k warm up and k cool down. Ran the 2k in 9.54 with first k in 5.22 and second k in 4.32 with overall time of 9.54 average pace 4.58/k.

john mayo 10

wed 27th nov
1hr circuit training

fri 29th nov
1hr circuit training

sat 30 nov
6k tempo run
32.00 min average pace 5.20/k

john mayo 10

mon 2nd dec
6k hill run
done this on a very hilly woodtrail nearby
very tough but enjoyable

john mayo 10

sun 8th dec
Belleek woods 10k
49.20
Broke the sub 50 mark which was my goal for 2013.
A nice but demanding 10k and very well organised.
Happy days

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

sun 8th dec
Belleek woods 10k
49.20
Broke the sub 50 mark which was my goal for 2013.
A nice but demanding 10k and very well organised.
Happy days

Well done John, I did it in 50.11, disappointed as I got under 50 min in Belmullet and I felt I ran better on Sunday and am familiar with Beleek. Nice run though and soup after was the ticket!

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

Well done John, I did it in 50.11, disappointed as I got under 50 min in Belmullet and I felt I ran better on Sunday and am familiar with Beleek. Nice run though and soup after was the ticket!

In fairness it was a tough enough course. I found the last 3k through the woods very tough.

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

In fairness it was a tough enough course. I found the last 3k through the woods very tough.

I loved the bit through the woods but I would do a lot of my long runs there, for some strange reason I thought the finish line was back up at the club so should have ran harder earlier!

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

I loved the bit through the woods but I would do a lot of my long runs there, for some strange reason I thought the finish line was back up at the club so should have ran harder earlier!

A few people got caught out by that alrite. Very well organised though plenty of marshals and tea and soap afterwards was very welcome. Any races planned for new year?

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

A few people got caught out by that alrite. Very well organised though plenty of marshals and tea and soap afterwards was very welcome. Any races planned for new year?

There is a 5 km in Cloghans in January so I might give that a go, will do the Enniscrone 10 km in March, the foxford 10 km in April and the River Moy half in May! I didn't do many races last year. What about yourself?

irish_bhoy82

Congrats on the sub 50 min time. I'm an on off runner myself done a handful of events early last year but got the bug back again and been training the past 6 weeks for Tuam 8km on the 19th of January.
I done 2 10kms last year one 53.10 mins and the other 52.50 sec. I done an adventure duathlon then and then I just stopped in mid April. I hope this time to keep it up. Your blog has been very helpful as my target would be to break the 50 min mark as well this year. Ive done 2 half marathons in the past(my best time being 2hrs and 5 seconds) but I find them very time consuming training wise and cant see myself doing another one. Focusing this year on 5km, 8km and 10kms. and some duathlons. Best of Luck with your Goals folks.

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

There is a 5 km in Cloghans in January so I might give that a go, will do the Enniscrone 10 km in March, the foxford 10 km in April and the River Moy half in May! I didn't do many races last year. What about yourself?

Cant do cloghans next year as i have a wedding on that day i plan to do.enniscrone.kilmovee foxford easkey 10ks and then the moy half. probably start training for the half n feburary

john mayo 10

irish_bhoy82 wrote: »

Congrats on the sub 50 min time. I'm an on off runner myself done a handful of events early last year but got the bug back again and been training the past 6 weeks for Tuam 8km on the 19th of January.
I done 2 10kms last year one 53.10 mins and the other 52.50 sec. I done an adventure duathlon then and then I just stopped in mid April. I hope this time to keep it up. Your blog has been very helpful as my target would be to break the 50 min mark as well this year. Ive done 2 half marathons in the past(my best time being 2hrs and 5 seconds) but I find them very time consuming training wise and cant see myself doing another one. Focusing this year on 5km, 8km and 10kms. and some duathlons. Best of Luck with your Goals folks.

thanx for the reply. Best of luck with your own goals.You should set up a training log on here. I found i really focused my training since i started one

john mayo 10

mon 16th dec
3miles
no time on this just got out and ran.havent done a thing since belleek 10k so it was nice to get out

john mayo 10

i have being laid low all week with a chest infection so hoping to get out 2morro for a run.weather has been **** though so dont feel too bad for not running as i probably would have struggled to get out anyway

john mayo 10

sat 28th dec
3 miles 28.11
great to get out again.enjoyed this and just intend to get some millage on the clock before i start a training plan for a half marathon next year.the race i plan to do is in may so will start a plan in feb

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

sat 28th dec
3 miles 28.11
great to get out again.enjoyed this and just intend to get some millage on the clock before i start a training plan for a half marathon next year.the race i plan to do is in may so will start a plan in feb

Good that your recovered. When is your next 10km? I did the 5 km in Ardagh with the kids, lovely route, well organised, great reception in hall afterwards, one for your diary next year.

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

Good that your recovered. When is your next 10km? I did the 5 km in Ardagh with the kids, lovely route, well organised, great reception in hall afterwards, one for your diary next year.

had planned to do ardagh on st stephens
day but wasnt up to it. The mattie carden 10k in enniscrone will probably be the first i will aim for.what bout urself

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

had planned to do ardagh on st stephens
day but wasnt up to it. The mattie carden 10k in enniscrone will probably be the first i will aim for.what bout urself

Will try the Cloghans 5 km, next 10km is the same as yourself but I wouldn't mind doing one in February if there was 1 near home but have nt spotted anything. I see Castlebar is starting up park runs on a Saturday would like to try that out too, wish they would start it in Ballina though. Half considering joining the Athletics club but would struggle to make it a lot of the time.

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

Will try the Cloghans 5 km, next 10km is the same as yourself but I wouldn't mind doing one in February if there was 1 near home but have nt spotted anything. I see Castlebar is starting up park runs on a Saturday would like to try that out too, wish they would start it in Ballina though. Half considering joining the Athletics club but would struggle to make it a lot of the time.

delighted that c/bar are starting the park runs.will do a few of them for sure

SamforMayo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

delighted that c/bar are starting the park runs.will do a few of them for sure

Have a look at the runmayorun website, its on there.

john mayo 10

SamforMayo wrote: »

Have a look at the runmayorun website, its on there.

cheers.thanks for that

john mayo 10

Mon 30th dec
4miles 36.40 9.10/m

Goals for 2014.

10k. I would love to run a sub 45 10k before the end of 2014 but would seetle for a sub 47. I dont think i have the pace for a sub 45 but if i can structure a training plan then you never know.

Half Marathon.

The goal here to complete a half marathon in under 2 hrs. If i ran a sub 1.50 i would be delighted.

Full Marathon.

Would love to do Dublin this year. A sub 4 hr would be brilliant but to just complete it would be enough on my first attempt.

Below is half marathon training plan that i am considering doing.

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FIRST Half Marathon Training Plan

If you're looking to run a half-marathon this year, we have the perfect training program for you. The best part? You only have to run three days a week.

By Dave Kuehls


Published February 7, 2006



Last August we published a three-day-a-week marathon-training program developed by researchers Bill Pierce and Scott Murr called the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training program, or FIRST plan. After 16 weeks on this no-frills program, 13 veteran marathoners improved on their most recent times by an average of almost 20 minutes at the December 2004 Kiawah Island Marathon in South Carolina.

Three months ago, at the 2005 edition of Kiawah,17 more FIRST graduates--veteran marathoners all--took on the 26.2 miles once again, and 14 of them ran PRs.

Frankly, that's all the proof we needed that this program works. And not just for the marathon. With Pierce's help, we came up with a three-day-a-week half-marathon program that's just as good as the original--maybe even better.


As with the original marathon plan, this program includes eight essential principles. They are:

One. You can follow it without a lot of hassle. Thanks to the relatively low mileage the plan requires, your risk of overtraining and burnout is lower. It's also a program that will teach you a solid, positive, life-long approach to running.

Two. You run just three days a week. And each run--speed, tempo, long--has a specific purpose. The speedwork makes you faster; the tempo run raises your lactate threshold, enabling you to hold a faster pace during the half; and the long run increases your endurance.

Three. You run a variety of speedwork: 400s, 800s, and 1600-meter repeats. And make no mistake about it: There is real speed in these speed sessions, so run them with a fast friend.

Four. You do your tempo run--from two miles to eight miles--at faster than normal training pace, or 15 seconds faster than your targeted half-marathon pace.

Five. You gradually build up your long run to 12 miles, not the 20 needed for the marathon. And you do those long runs at a slightly faster pace than you would do on a normal long run.

Six. You cross-train twice a week. Easily at first, but as you get more fit, you raise the intensity, which will make you fitter.

Seven. You're asked not to train or race through pain or a slew of missed workouts due to sickness or busy times at work. Pierce believes if outside forces keep you from training consistently, you should reschedule your race when you have time to train.

Eight. You taper for two weeks (not the three needed for the marathon). This will ensure that you step up to the starting line rested, injury-free, and ready to reach your goal time.

But does all this translate to the half-marathon? "Definitely," says Pierce. In fact, he says, this program is a great fit for the half-marathon, because you don't need as much endurance to run a half.

Finally, we're going to tailor this program specifically to your goal finish time. That way, all you have to do is run three days a week at the exact paces prescribed.

To get started, use the formula below to determine your half-marathon goal time. Then plug in the paces for the three workouts each week.




Picking Your Goal Time




Use your current race results to determine your half-marathon race pace, then check out the chart below to find your corresponding goal time.




To find your half-marathon mile pace (HMP) and goal time, take either your…




1) Current 5-K mile pace and add 35 seconds per mile for your HMP and goal time (see chart below).


2) Current 10-K mile pace and add 20 seconds per mile for your HMP.


3) Current marathon mile pace and subtract 20 seconds per mile for your HMP.


Note: If you don't have a current PR for any of the above, simply go to the track or a well-marked flat trail or road and run three miles as fast as you can. Then use the corresponding formula from number 1 above to find your half-marathon per mile pace and goal time.

HMP
HM Goal Time
6:52
1:30
7:02
1:32:08
7:12
1:34:19
7:22
1:36:30
7:32
1:38:41
7:42
1:40:52
7:52
1:43:03
8:02
1:45:14
8:12
1:47:25
8:22
1:49:36
8:32
1:51:47
8:42
1:53:38
8:52
1:56:09
9:02
1:58:20
9:12
2:00:31
9:22
2:02:42
9:32
2:04:53
9:42
2:07:04
9:52
2:09:15
10:02
2:11:26
10:12
2:13:37
10:22
2:15:48
10:32
2:17:59
10:42
2:20:10
10:52
2:22:21
11:02
2:24:32

The Training Runs

This half-marathon program includes three time-targeted runs each week. On Tuesday, speedwork. On Thursday, a tempo run. On Saturday or Sunday, the long run. (More on what to do the rest of the week later.)

Since you'll be running only three days a week, these runs might be faster than you're used to, maybe a lot faster. But don't fret. This is because each run serves a purpose--mainly, to make you fitter and faster for your race. "I have trained a lot of runners using these formulas and they have been able to meet the training standards just fine," says Pierce. "The emphasis on intensity for these three sessions provides the runner with stimulation, both physiological and psychological, associated with hard efforts."

Speedwork:
The plan uses three distances--400, 800, and 1600--which should be done on a track or well-measured flat trail. Warm up with a 20-minute jog and cool down after your session with a 10-minute jog. This helps prevent muscle strains, and will keep your legs fresh for the next session.

Sample Speedwork:
20-minute jog. 8 x 400 (at pace specified) with a two-minute recovery jog in between each. Cool down with a 10-minute jog.

Speedwork Times:
400s--HMP, minus 75 seconds, divided by 4
800s--HMP, minus 65 seconds, divided by 2
1600s--HMP, minus 45 seconds
For example, a runner who is targeting a 1:30 half-marathon would be running at a 6:52-per-mile pace. Their 400s would be run at 6:52 minus 75 seconds (5:37), and divided by 4, or 84 seconds.

Tempo Runs:
The tempo run does two key things for you: "It enables the runner to keep running at a faster pace," says Pierce. "And it also trains the runner to keep running beyond his or her comfort zone, which is what a runner must do in a race." The key here is a good relaxed warmup jog, then a gradual shift into your tempo pace, followed by a relaxed cooldown jog. Do tempo runs on a well-marked trail or stretch of road to avoid the monotony of the track.

Sample Tempo Run: Jog 10 minutes. Four mile tempo. Jog 10 minutes.

Tempo Pace: HMP minus 15 seconds.
For example, our 1:30 half-marathoner would perform his tempo run in 6:37.

Long Runs:
Without the strong, steady, endurance-boosting long run, speed workouts and tempo runs would gradually wear you down. Start at seven miles and work up to 12, which is short enough not to warrant extended recovery, but long enough to give you that all-important "mileage confidence" for race day.

Sample Long Run: 10 miles

Long Run Pace: HMP + 30 seconds per mile
For example, our 1:30 half-marathoner would run his long run at 7:22 per mile.

Other Days: Take one day a week off. "Two or three days a week, cross-train for 30 to 40 minutes, gradually upping the intensity of that swim or bike as you get fitter and your ability to recover from the runs improves," says Pierce.

The Plan




WeekTuesdayWednesdaySat/Sun WEEK 1. 4x400 3-mile tempo 6-mile long run. WEEK 2. 4x800 4-mile tempo 8-mile long run. WEEK3. 3x1600 5-mile tempo 10-mile long run. WEEK 4. 6x400 6-mile tempo 6-mile long run. WEEK 5. 3x1600 4-mile tempo 10-mile long run. WEEK6. 4x800 8-mile tempo 8-mile long run. WEEK7. 6x400 6-mile tempo 10-mile long run. WEEK 8. 4x1600 8-mile tempo 12-mile long run. WEEK 9. 3x800 3-mile tempo 6-mile long run. WEEK 10.4x400 2-mile tempo Half Marathon.