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Making every mile count
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Saturday 9/8
AM
W/U
.41 Mile in 8.37p/m in 3:30
No strides. Nothing.
Parkrun 5km - St. Anne's
1st
17:21
After a long internal tactical discussion with myself, I settled on what appeared a very achievable target. After my quite frankly embarrassing attempt at a warm-up I felt quite good, despite the 60+ miles already in the legs for the week. Arriving at 9.22am wasn't in the plan. I might try a two mile run around 3 hours before the next race just to loosen out the legs before a light breakfast. Like all great pre-race tactical plans, it soon went out the window after the gun started the race. After 100m my initial target of 16:5x was forgotten. The race quickly developed into a two horse race, with a sizeable gap to 3rd place and the pack. Focus shifted to finishing 1st. The time really didn't matter. I knew after 200m that this race was mine to win and a nice bit of pressure was put on my shoulders.
I really enjoy the St. Anne's route. The two lapped course almost lends itself to a tactical race. Two things became very apparent after the first 1km. The wind was one and my footwear the other. As the wind was strong I allowed myself to tuck in behind the leader. This was not the day to be a hero and go on a solo effort. The only issue with drafting is that you are essentially allowing someone dictate the pace. It also became quickly apparent that my runners (Faas 300v3) were fit only for the bin. The right foot in particular proved troublesome. While my left foot lands neutrally, my right foot supinates quite badly at the moment.
As I mentioned previously, the race was essentially a two horse race. The first and second mile passed quickly in a somewhat pedestrian 5.46 and 5.45 a mile. I did my fair share on the work into the headwind but I did allow myself some respite when I felt it was beneficial. Passing the 4km mark it was all about when to make my surge for home. The straight to the finish is fast. I made my move with about 600m to go, finishing the last mile in 5.20 or thereabouts.
Happy to win but a part of me would prefer a faster time, even if giving up a few places. With virtually a non-existent warmup I only really beacame comfortable ten minutes into the race. No point training hard all week to make such a basic mistake.
A huge thank you to the organisers. A flawlessly organised race. Cannot wait to be back.
W/D
2 Miles @8.13p/m in 16:28
The battered runners left the legs quite sore. I will be sorry to see them go! Next stop? The bin.
PM
5 Miles Easy @7.19p/m in 36:35
Felt very fresh.
Sunday 10/8
Long Easy Run
-17 Miles @7.14p/m in 2.03:05
Mentally shattered after arriving in late from work the previous night. The legs and body pulled me easily through what could have easily been a disastrous run. My emergency 2 euro still unused! Boom
WEEK TOTAL: 85.64+ MILES
Step back week next week? Quite possibly.0 -
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Great stuff DR, good to see you back racing, and winning! Always nice to fit in a sneaky win in an 85 mile week
Cheers.
Nice to win but the time was average. Looking back on all my decent races they have all been done on the back of a decent warm up so I think that played it's part. Great to be back at it though. Race days are hard to beat!0 -
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Monday 11/8
10 Miles General Aerobic
-@6.49p/m in 1.08:09
It's usually a positive sign when your easy/general aerobic pace naturally comes down during the course of marathon training. It was nice to get a break from the traffic and noise of Dublin and hit the West. The roads of Sligo can be quite unforgiving. It's usually raining and it is certainly always windy. Quite happy to see the pace drop after the usual leg loosening first mile.
Tuesday 12/8
8 Miles Various
Club Track Session
Plan: 8x800 @5k effort (200m recovery)
Splits:
1. 2.36 (5.01p/m) This came up long at .52 of a mile, hence the quick pace
2. 2.39 (5.14p/m)
3. 2.39 (5.19p/m)
4. 2.41 (5.20p/m)
5. 2.41 (5.23p/m)
6. 2.42 (5.28p/m)
7. 2.41 (5.19p/m)
8. 2.37 (5.16p/m)
On reflection the splits for this session were slightly all over the shop. I simply concentrated on effort and didn't look at the watch once. The 5th and 6th rep were quite slow. I lost a bit of concentration, losing a few metres on the lads ahead. On the 7th and 8th rep I regained my composure and concentration to finish reasonably strong.
Another completed session. It felt reasonably tough but very manageable.
Wednesday 13/8
Medium Long Easy Run
-14 Miles @7.09p/m in 1.40:07
Absolutely nothing to note! This run has increased nicely, building from 12 miles two weeks ago. I will continue to build, aiming to maintain a regular 16 mile midweek run.
With a wedding tomorrow and the strong possibility of a killer hangover on Friday (and possibly Saturday!), I will play this week by feel. I have decided to knock alcohol on the head from the 7th of September so a few beverages tomorrow will be most welcome I may race at the weekend to make up for my 'antics' :cool:
As a proud Northsider, the usual reason for our type get in the news/paper is usually for well, the 'wrong reasons'!! :pac: I got a nice surprise on Monday when traveling back up to Dublin.
Fit Magazine, The Irish Independent 11/8/140 -
Thursday 14/8
10 Miles @6.54p/m in 1.09:00
-inc. 3 Miles @Marathon Pace
Splits:
1. 6.00
2. 6.03
3. 6.02
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/564701723
After a 3 mile warm-up it was decision time. I tried everything possible not to run the marathon paced miles. This usually happens when my mind is preoccupied. I was very much looking forward to my friends wedding later that afternoon so my mind was elsewhere. Go hard or go home!
As ever, once you get into your planned marathon pace the miles fly by. It does take a while to dial into the pace but once you get into your stride the three miles flew by. The pace does still feel fast though. It may be just at my tipping point. Another small step made in the right direction but I am fully aware that a three mile marathon pace run is just that.
Friday 15/8
8+ Miles Easy
Hungover. The miles went by easily enough. The average paced dropped to 7.13p/m before I made a mess of it by not stopping the watch after meeting a friend cycling by the canal.
Saturday 16/8
1hr General Aerobic
-8.70 Miles @6.57p/m in 1.00:23
Oh Dublin.
The legs are getting tighter and tighter with every mile completed. With that in mind I stopped outside my flat and proceeded to well, 'stretch'. I am possibly the worst runner ever to stretch and feel like I don't have a clue what I am doing because well, I don't! I say this because a taxi driver pulled up and grabbed my attention. I was expecting him to ask for directions or possibly give out to me for running across the road or something but he stopped to give me advice. He told me he saw me run and chased me (:eek:) to have a chat. His advice was interesting. He was a 31min 10km guy back in his army days. He informed me my left knee ''flicks out'' and how it may cause me trouble in the future. He demonstrated some stretches to do while a line of traffic backed up behind him. Very interesting and very mad!
Sunday 17/8
Long Run
-20 Miles @7.06p/m in 2.22:12
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/566975286
Up bright and early to meet Dr.Q for what proved to be a really enjoyable run. It was such a great feeling to have wrapped up a twenty mile run by 10am. The plan was to run large chunks of the new marathon course.
THREE things to note:
1. The stretch up Chesterfield Avenue and towards Castleknock is a tough one, especially if the wind is in your face like today
2. The few miles after Casstleknock are fast ones
3. The Crumlin Road aint any easier!
The pace dropped naturally after the 15th mile or so. Happy to see the last few mile splits:
-15 7.05
-16 6.51
-17 6.28
-18 6.32
-19 6.22
-20 6.16
This was my longest run in quite a while (Rotterdam Marathon in April). I am in a good place endurance-wise. The issue is now to put some speed to it.
WEEK TOTAL: 78.7+ MILES
A small step back week this week. Decided against racing as there was no real compelling reason to race a 10km. I will bide my time!0 -
Nice looking week.
One question though, twodublin runner wrote: »Two things to note:
or three?dublin runner wrote: »1. The stretch up Chesterfield Avenue and towards Castleknock is a tough one, especially if the wind is in your face like today
2. The few miles after Casstleknock are fast ones
3. The Crumlin Road aint any easier!
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Monday 18/8
12 Miles
AM
6 Miles @7.23p/m in 44:20
Pre-breakfast.
PM
6 Miles @7.11p/m in 43.11
A pretty mundane day to balance out the 20 miler the previous morning.
Tuesday 19/8
12.1+ Miles
AM
4 Miles @7.35p/m in 30:20
A simple run to wake up the legs. Felt nicely loosened after but I found myself clock watching quite a bit. A possible nasty habit that I won't allow grow! Pre-breakfast.
PM
8.1+ Miles
Club Track Session
Plan: 10x600m @3k effort (200m recovery)
Splits:
1 1:57
2 1:57
3 1:58
4 1:57
5 2:00 (stopped the watch quite late!)
6 1:57
7 1:56
8 1:57
9 1:56
10 1:54
Nothing earth shattering but delighted with this session. Always felt in complete control whilst doggedly sticking to my own pace, not relying on other people. I feel that the consistency I was looking for is finally coming.
Wednesday 20/8
Medium Long Run
-15 Miles @7.15p/m in 1.48:46
It has taken a while but this is the first of what I call a proper marathon training run!
Leaving the house I felt pretty fresh after a decent nights sleep but after a few miles that changed a bit. Although feeling strong I could feel the tiredness in the legs, especially on the hills. All in all a pleasant run up to and around Marlay Park. That hill on the Parkrun 5k was tough enough though, even at an easy pace! A sure sign of tiredness and the first proper marathon training run!
With a little under 10 weeks until marathon day, it funnily enough feels a long way away. I am confident training is heading in the right direction. What is of slight concern is the half marathon on the 13th of September. Now that feels very very close. It really is a target race so I will definitely incorporate some half marathon training in. Maybe something along the lines of 4x(2 miles@HMP), for example. I will also have to nail down a target for the race. Plenty to think about!
Now I am off to bite my tongue and suppress my inner keyboard warrior...........:eek:0 -
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Thursday 21/8
AM
5 Miles Very Easy @7.33p/m in 37:46
Just a nice leg shaker before breakfast.
PM
8 Miles (treadmill)
-inc. 4 Miles @MP
Usually the morning run loosens the legs but they still felt stiff and sore so a trip to the gym was called for. Jumping into the car the heavens opened so the decision was definitely the correct one. My planned marathon pace is c.6.06 per mile. After a few miles I jumped into the marathon pace effort. With a noticeable gradient, 5.56 per mile felt on the money effort-wise. The pace had me working but not too hard so I was happy enough to tick off 4 miles. The two mile warm down was perhaps the most bored I have ever been running. The 15 minutes almost killed me. Give me the roads any day.
Friday 22/8
8 Miles Easy @7.21p/m in 58:46
Saturday 23/8
AM
5 Miles Easy @7.00p/m in 35:02
~inc. 5 strides @5k effort
Nice to tick off this run before watching some of the Frank Duffy 10 Mile Race. I placed myself at the gates at Chapelizod, just before the real race and hills start. This perhaps wasn't the wisest place to stand as the runners quite obvious knew the challenge ahead so their efforts lay elsewhere (i.e not on me!) I won't name names (Jebuz and Dr.Q) but it was nice to be spectating for once.
PM
5 Miles Very Easy @7.25p/m 37:53
A very handy one before the early start the following day.
Sunday 24/8
19.50 Miles Various
-W/D 1.56 Miles @7.14p/m
Longford Half Marathon (1.30 Pacing @6.49)
For whatever reason I came in a minute under my target time. I really still cannot put my finger on why this happened. While a bit annoyed I don't think it affected anyone as there wasn't ever really a group around me. The Garmin might be at issue as the first mile just would not settle. Passing the 6 Mile marker the stopwatch and Garmin indcated all was on track. This continued until Mile 11. Here I was 40 seconds under the target time (predicted 1.29.20) so all good. My Garmin totaled 12.94 miles passing the finishing line. I probably relied a bit too much on the watch as I think it acted up.
Anyway, a really good race with some great performances.
-W/D 5 Miles @7.47p/m in 38:55
WEEK TOTAL: 89.6+ MILES
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Ah here! I was 80 seconds under. I'll send you the Garmin link! I am still wondering why. I don't want to speculate on the most likely reason.....:eek:
No worries DrQ. Only my fellow club mates responded! It was a stupid place to stand...well run by the way. Plenty more to come.
I'll see you Gavlor in the pub after. Hopefully at that stage i'll be on my fourth drink and talking sh!te! At least there you'll have safety in numbers in the 3.40 group. Mine was a solo mission 0 -
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I discussed this a week ago on TbL's log. Didn't want to open that can of worms again but it seems it's now open!! It seems that they changed the start point of the AIMs measured course 2 years ago which left the course short. I Ran the marathon 3 years ago and the start was in a completely different place. I too got 12.94 when i ran the half in 2012.
I got 13.04 on Sunday. I don't think it was short. I think the turnaround caused the Garmins to be off as my watch was beeping around 50 yards short of the mile markers before that point. Anyway, I don't care either as I still would have Pb'd and gone sub 1:21
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dublin runner wrote: »I don't want to speculate on the most likely reason.....:eek:
You had a super hot chick you were tailing on 1:28 pace? 0 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »e.g. how they measure around those roundabouts, the measured route through that last stretch back into town (where I took a pretty aggressive racing line through the middle of the road) etc. Are we taking short-cuts that the race measurer didn't take? Anyway, there's not much point in delving too deeply, unless you want to go back with a measuring wheel, we'll never get any closer to the reality on these things.
I do remember being ushered to run on the grass on one of the roundabouts at the end. You are right. There's no point and nothing to be gained. Whether the course was long, short or actually bang on doesn't take away from your podium finish! Everyone runs the same course. Simples 0 -
Haha. I hadn't thought of that. I'd love to delight in my podium finish, however, I took a quick look at where I would have finished last year, given my time this year. The answer? 5th. Who would I have displaced? Me.dublin runner wrote: »I do remember being ushered to run on the grass on one of the roundabouts at the end. You are right. There's no point and nothing to be gained. Whether the course was long, short or actually bang on doesn't take away from your podium finish! Everyone runs the same course. Simples So it was just a bad turn-out this year, in terms of the sub 80 minute runners. 0 -
I got 13.04 on Sunday. I don't think it was short. I think the turnaround caused the Garmins to be off as my watch was beeping around 50 yards short of the mile markers before that point. Anyway, I don't care either as I still would have Pb'd and gone sub 1:21
If the turnaround caused the garmin to be short then the mile containing the turnaround by logic would have been very slow (because you would have run 1.1 mile or whatever when the garmin thought you only ran 1 mile). Was that the case?0 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Haha. I hadn't thought of that. I'd love to delight in my podium finish, however, I took a quick look at where I would have finished last year, given my time this year. The answer? 5th. Who would I have displaced? Me. So it was just a bad turn-out this year, in terms of the sub 80 minute runners.
You are never happy, are you?! I like it! It means you never get complacent. You can only beat whats put in front of you. Look at it this way. If you had someone really aggressively pushing you for second place I have no doubt you would have gone even faster (and beaten that person). 0 -
Monday 25/8
10 Miles Easy @6.58p/m in 1.09:35
Tuesday 26/8
13.55+ Miles Various
AM
4.1 Miles Easy @7.26p/m in 30:29
On empty. Getting used to it now!
PM
Club Track Session
9.45 Miles
Plan: 5x2k @10k race effort (3min recovery)
-1.25+ Miles W/U (inc. strides)
2k Splits:
1. 6.48 (5.28p/m)
2. 6.51 (5.30p/m)
3. 6.52 (5.31p/m)
4. 6.54 (5.33p/m)
5. 6.48 (5.28p/m)
Average: 6.51 (5.30p/m)
-2 Miles W/D
With an important 10k race coming up next week, the timing of this session could not have been better. The original plan of running 6.56 reps went out the window as the other three lads aimed a bit higher. Not one to turn down a challenge I latched onto the back of the group. The effort was high but the pace maintainable. My stomach was seriously acting up so I decided against the slow lap recovery in favour of a gentle walk/jog. The 4th rep was possibly the hardest as the mental challenge of running around a track played tricks with the tired state. I briefly though about stopping after the 4th rep but my battling self wouldn't allow it. By this stage it was all about keeping it together and seeing out the session. On finishing I was very happy. If pushed I think I could have gone one more rep.
In total the 10k was finished in 34:15, or thereabouts. Even with the recovery between reps it bodes pretty well for next week.
To put it in perspective, I had a quick look on the last time I did a very similiar session (30/12/2013). The splits (4): 7.12, 7.13, 7.15, 7.15. A noticeable improvement even if I do say so myself! The benefits of hard training and joining a club evident.
Wednesday 27/8
Medium Long Run
-15 Miles @7.04p/m in 1.46:02
Fairly surprisingly I felt very fresh for this. I think that faster track work actually re-engergises the body and legs. Now that I have said that I know I will be in agony tomorrow! (Stay quiet DR, stay quiet) 0 -
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