From 20 a day to 3:30...

hot buttered scones · 17-08-2017 09:29PM

JohnDozer wrote: »

Good to hear the experience is similar. Reassuring! Although I do feel massive pressure NOT to hit a certain pace. These are more of a mental workout than any other run I find, really having to force myself to keep it controlled. I hope you're right, that I do embrace them a bit more the more I do of them.

The goal is to keep your HR below a certain level. If you manage to keep your HR below 76% of HR max that's a successful run, even if the pace is really, really slow. As your fitness improves you might find that pace getting a little faster. I have a screen set up on my watch which shows HR, time, cadence and distance which I use for recovery runs so I'm not focusing on pace.
The big test I suppose will be the LT workout tomorrow - will you be fresher for that than if you'd gone out and run 5 miles at 8:15 pace?
Some those recovery runs have strides at the end too, which mix things up a bit and make them a bit more interesting.
For myself I find that generally I'm tired from having run a hard run the day before and I feel refreshed afterwards and ready to do the next hard session.

Murph_D · 18-08-2017 01:26AM

Don't get caught up in Strava data like the fitness/fatigue numbers. Gimmicky, and (in my experience) baseless. Too much data. You are having doubts, but life is much simpler if you commit to the plan and just do it. Evaluation and second guessing should be left for after the goal race.

JohnDozer · 18-08-2017 12:56PM

Murph_D wrote: »

Don't get caught up in Strava data like the fitness/fatigue numbers. Gimmicky, and (in my experience) baseless. Too much data. You are having doubts, but life is much simpler if you commit to the plan and just do it. Evaluation and second guessing should be left for after the goal race.

I wouldn't place too much faith in them either. I find it more of interest to see if it corresponds to how I'm feeling. I wouldn't be dropping workouts or anything on the basis of those numbers anyway.

I know I probably come across as overthinking insignificant enough stuff. I suppose that comes from the relatively uncharted territory that I am now in of marathon training as I'm still very much a novice. That would be my nature as a person in general anyway. In saying that, I do think I have fully bought into the plan and the structure and will be following it as close to by the book as I can, unless injury takes me down in the meantime. I suppose most of the questions or observations I make comes from when I know or think I've made a mistake... and that happens frequently!!!

JohnDozer · 19-08-2017 04:07PM

Friday 18th August

Well that went better than expected. Alarm was set for quite early and as I had fallen asleep with rain belting off the windows I was fearing the worst weather wise. It was also the first fast run since the physio so was fairly apprehensive about what lay ahead. Decided on running on empty this morning, after some initial struggles to get suited and booted and then some further struggles to get myself out of the porch. I cannot recall the last time I ran in rain like this. I also had to go back inside for some Hi-Vis as it was still dusk-ish and I didn't really fancy a smack of a vehicle today. The joys of preferring to run on country roads. The plan in my head as I took off was 3 easy and then ease into the LT session with two 7:20's followed by two 7:15's and finish with two 7:08's.

Easy miles went fine although I could feel the nerves as I really really wanted this to go well. The last three of these workouts had had pauses in order to stretch out and give the injury a bit of relief. None were aborted entirely, just interrupted, and just left a sense of a workout not completed as it was supposed to be. I don't know if it was my mind or my body, but I could feel the rumblings of a complaint from the quad area., and that sense of foreboding about what was to happen. 3 miles went by way too quick and it was down to business. Kept it nice and controlled and was ok with the watching just moving slowly towards the right pace for the first mile. The average hit 7:20 just as I got to the end of the mile, and while I could feel some bit of discomfort, it was nowhere like previous runs at this pace. I was fearful that if I upped the pace that it would bring it on, so it was a very gradual 'test it a bit, push on a bit' for quite a while. Despite this carry-on, the average for the second mile was quicker than expected, and while starting to feel the effort, the effects were fine. Kept it nice and steady and another two miles went by before the effort really started to pinch. Apart from a few minutes at the end of mile 4/ start of mile 5 I never felt like I would have to take a time-out on this one, or felt the effort of it would cause me not to complete it. Was even able to push on the pace for the last two miles, although the very last one was net downhill, not by much though. This was as much of an adrenaline rush from finally doing an LT workout as it was supposed to be done I think. The beep went for the completion of the tempo section and it felt damn good knowing I had finally done one right. I won't get too excited as I do know the quad still gave me some issues, but nowhere near as severe as before, so if I continue with the physio the symptoms will hopefully abate to the point that I can get some good quality tempo/ speedwork done over a consistent period. Anyway, delighted with that, hopefully it's not just a short-term improvement. Splits for the LT section were 7:20, 7:06, 7:07, 7:00, 7:00, 7:01. If there is to be any negative today, the HR did go a little out of range for 5 minutes towards the end, but that's not major...

Saturday 19th August

Hadn't put too much thought into this beforehand. I did give a small bit of thought to just doing a flat out and back that would allow me keep the HR extra low. I also had an inkling of doing it without having breakfast. I woke up well before the alarm and was feeling hungry so those two ideas were knocked on the head fairly sharpish. Ambled out the door at 6am for a wander around town. Kept a nice low HR despite the gradient early on, although the pace was markedly slower than Thursdays. No ill effects from yesterday, although an odd feeling in the hamstring. Might be nothing, might be something. Hopefully just one of those bodily quirks that happen sometimes. Got it done, and off to do my parkrun volunteer duties after copious amounts of coffee. Edging very close to my 25 club tshirt. Get DCM done and get the 50 club done before year end. What will I do then!?!? 5.5 miles, 10:06 pace, 132 bpm

First 20 miler tomorrow. Target is get to 3 hours in the legs. Meeting up with a few other lads with a similar target. Going to try a few gels tomorrow and see how they go down. I'm 50:50 on whether I like the idea of gels or not, but better practise on the longer ones in case I do decide to go with them in any event. Might do some research/ reading later and do an about turn :-D

JohnDozer · 21-08-2017 09:04PM

Sunday 20th August

Another good run. I'll take it. There will be days when there are bad ones, so I'll enjoy these when they come along. Admittedly, it was 20 miles at a pace over a minute slower than MP but it was a 3 hour run. Over 30 minutes longer than anything I've done in a few years and I can't say any part of it felt overly challenging.

Had originally planned to travel on empty but figured that between the 40 minute drive and the run itself it might be too much of a push. Might try it for the next one when I'm closer to home.

Had organised to meet a few other lads who travel around a similar pace early enough in the morning. Had a few water drops organised so carrying stuff wouldn't be necessary. Was debating dropping a good few gels but on the drive decided to just drop one with my water drop at mile 15. Carried the rest of the pack of salty chews from last week in the shorts pocket. Off we headed shortly before 8am and the miles clicked by nice and effortlessly and no clock watching bar the occasional check to make sure all was ok in terms of keeping the pace handy. Small pause at the first water stop and took off again. Chatting away and time passing much quicker than those runs when flying solo. Managed to remember to take the rest of the chews over the miles between the water at miles 5 and 10. Bit of a tester around mile 10/11 but it was to be the only real hill of the day so put a bit of additional effort into it. As we descended the pace naturally quickened and one of the other lads headed home to do a slightly shorter run. Myself and another fella who I don't normally run with fell into stride together and the pace increased a bit towards the upper end of the range so went with it. Couldn't find the water at mile 15 but luckily I had taken my gel a little before this with my remaining water from the previous stop so it didn't cause too much drama. Didn't feel like I needed a gel but took it anyway. It was a double espresso coffee flavour job. Never taken that brand or type before and found the consistency a challenge initially but got there and got it down. The flavour was quite strong too. In hindsight, I could certainly feel the effects of the 100mg of caffeine so I think I know which gel I'll be taking with 10k to go! The last few miles were on very familiar road and the rain started to fall lightly as we neared the 20 mark. By the time we got there, it was starting to bucket so thankfully got in just before it. Bit of a stretch, some coffee and chocolate from the car boot, and some analysis with the lads which generally consisted off 'that didn't feel like a 20 miler' comments. All in good order so and hopefully no ill effects to follow. 20 miles on the nose, 9:02 pace, avg HR 147. Just 2 minutes over the 3 hours.

Monday 21st August

Rest. No great soreness other than what you would expect. I'll await tomorrow with bated breath!

JohnDozer · 23-08-2017 08:19PM

Tuesday 22nd August

A reasonably uneventful run. Had an hours window early in the day from work so headed out the flatter than flat route along the canal and on towards UL. Target was to keep the watch in the blue HR zone for the first 3 miles. I was managing this fine for the first two miles and then it started to drift and straddle the magic number of 132, switching from blue to green on occasion. I'm not even sure if what I'm doing is a good thing. I do feel very fresh in general and nowhere near as tired as I had been, but this could be due to a number of other factors too. Is there even such a thing as running recovery runs too slow!? I've read a few articles and some say yay, some say noo. So I dunno. All I know is, they're probably helping me for something further down the road, but I may be losing a bit of the benefit for the current marathon training by doing them that bit slower than intended. Anyway, managed to do the three miles pretty much in the blue and it was a struggle to keep from slipping into the green so I left it go for the second half of the run. I had spotted the 11 mile marker from last May's marathon on the edge of the path so decided to salvage that on the way back, clean it up and attach it to my office wall as a running related souvenir. It's irrelevant that I didn't do the full marathon in Limerick this year isn't it. I can always pretend its from 2015... Tipped on and felt like a bit of a dope running with a rather large piece of cardboard type stuff in my hand for the last mile and a half (lucky I had no strides today!). Probably not one of my brightest ideas but sure... Someone else would have taken it if I didn't!! :-D 6 miles, 10:00 pace, avg HR 133

Tomorrows plan - 14 mile MLR. Probably going to run early morning on the railway. Been reading a bit about 'running on empty' and whether it's a good thing or not. Jaysus this running crack is complicated.

Was flicking through stuff on the phone yesterday and I came across an old note I had written which had my mileage from the last 4 years. On two of those years I ran 1552 and 1590, which are my highest ever. So if I manage to survive the next 3 weeks without being hobbled, I should record a new highest annual mileage. Tempting fate by writing it down maybe!! All going well I'll clear the 2k mark before the year end. Many miles of tarmac (and a little grass) to be successfully negotiated before that happens though.

Wednesday 23rd August 2017

Hadn't the best of nights sleep. Herself was working very late and I woke when she got home and never really fell back asleep. Tossed and turned for most of the night and was only starting to feel like sleeping when the alarm was due. Reset the alarm for later in the morning and got an hours decent kip before work. Woke up in very bad form over having missed the run and was fairly irritable all morning after that. Had a look at the plan and decided that bumping the 14 miler to tomorrow and avoiding tonight's club run was probably the wise thing to do, given the tiredness and the form I was in. Pulled Thursdays run forward to today and that was supposed to be 6 mile recovery run. I had done a recovery run yesterday and I think I just wasn't too bothered about trying to concentrate on locking in to a pace or an effort so I gave up after mile 1, and just made sure to keep the effort in the easy HR range even if I couldn't keep to the recommended recovery. The form improved as the run progressed and finished up in good spirits and with a plan formulated for tomorrow. Take the day off work, drop the car to the garage, drop out an oul 14 mile MLR and hit the pool and sauna for a while in the afternoon. Hang on, wasn't that today's plan...
6 miles, 8:38 pace, avg HR 147

JohnDozer · 25-08-2017 09:26PM

Thursday 24th August 2017

Not the best execution of a run in the world. Nothing felt right today. Had decided to take advantage of herself having the NCT today wth the test centre located around the distance of my scheduled run from the house, along the old railway trail. Misunderstood where the test centre was from her directions so there was extra distance on the run from the off. I also hadn't nailed down a pace plan for the run as I knew it was one of those first half climbing gradually, second half falling efforts that I always find skews my ability to keep the pace right. So I had planned to keep the effort steady for the full run.

Pretty early on I noticed the temperatures were high enough and knew straight away I was in for a tough one. The first 2/3 miles were a bit quick as well pace wise. I did make conscious efforts to try and address but I rarely manage to do this successfully. Today was another day where despite trying to dial it back gradually, all I managed to do was keep the pace pretty much as it was. Was enjoying the run even if was finding it a bit of a headmelt trying to get the numbers right. I was also feeling the effort was a bit more than it should have been, but manageable. I did recall at some point that this was only my second time ever running this particular stretch of the trail. The last time was when I was training for DCM14 and I could even recall what kind of run I was doing that day. It was something like a 10 mile run with 2 X 20 min MP sections with about 3 or 5 minutes recovery. Mad the way a route brings back such specific memories of a previous run. As I gradually climbed, I could feel my hamstring just gnaw a little bit, pretty much the same way it had the other day. I did pause for a minute just to give it a little bit of a stretch out. That's the last thing I need now...

Carried on up the gentle climb and shortly after it felt good to start to fall towards home. It's only a gentle fall but it feels good nonetheless to know it's gonna take a little less effort to get you to your front door. In order to compensate for less effort, the pace did rise! I hadn't carried any water and was starting to regret that decision as the thirst started to make itself known. I was starting to feel a little tired too with about 3/4 miles to go. Tipped along at the same pace with a view to getting home sooner. Started to get annoyed with how the run had gone as I was hoping to do the long run on Saturday morning this week in order to make space for copious amounts of beer on Sunday night and that putting too much effort into this 48 hours in advance of a long MP run wasn't the best discipline on my part. I don't know, maybe I'm overdoing it on the criticism. The run felt tough, the pace was a little quick and the HR average was a little high, but none of them were massively away from where it should be. It could just be that it was warm and I didn't like it and everything else suffered as a result. Maybe... 15.2 miles, 8:16 pace, avg HR 156

Tomorrow brings 5 recovery miles. I'll call it in the morning. I've had to ice the hamstring this evening. It doesn't feel very bad, just feels odd and the ice is precautionary.

Friday 25th August

I had to be in Limerick very early to pick up an item the other half lost and someone else handed in to the Garda Station. For some reason the Garda was quite stern about when it needed to be picked so I ended up with a little over an hour to kill. So I ran. The hamstring hadn't felt great on the drive or even on the walk to and from the car but as is my nature I decided to see how I got on. Started out very slowly and ever so gradually the sensation eased, to the point where it wasn't noticeable at all. At the time of writing it appears that the run was the best thing I could have done in terms of loosening it out. I hadn't committed to keeping the recovery very slow before I took off so I just went with what felt right and stayed within the P&D HR range. Job done. Back to work for a quick shower and on duty with a fine mug of black coffee with 15 minutes to spare. 5.3 miles, 9.15 pace, avg HR 140

Despite the much improved hamstring, I'm still a little apprehensive about it. I have beers planned for tomorrow night so I really wanted to pull the long run (16 with 12 @ MP) forward to tomorrow. I also wanted to do this because I have swapped around the LT session from Tuesday week and the session that was on this coming Tuesday as I've gone for a 10 mile race on the same week that the LT session is currently down for. So doing the MP session tomorrow would give an extra days recovery before the 7 miles at LT (still have to decide if 40 mins is sufficient). I think what I'll have to do is start the run as the long run, suss it out for the first few miles, start the MP if everything seems alright or be willing to pull the plug if it doesn't. We will see tomorrow. Also have the option of pulling next weeks LR (14m) forward a week and bumping tomorrow's onward. Jaysus....

JohnDozer · 29-08-2017 06:38PM

Saturday 26th August

I had changed my mind before I fell asleep last night and had decided to stick to the plan for today's run. I just felt that the extra days rest for the body should take priority over beers and Conor McGregor. Awake early as usual (can't actually remember the last time I slept after 7am!) and out the door after a light breakfast. Headed for the local park and the grass loop. A few nice and easy laps passed by with the park to myself and headed back to the main road for the strides. No complaints from any part of the body. 6.1 miles, 9:40 pace, 142 HR

Back at the house and was just enjoying my second cup of post run coffee when the youngest member of the house appeared (the other parkrunner) and proceeded to remind me I had promised him a few weeks ago that I would help him beat his time today. I began the logical course of conversation, explaining that I had already ran and shouldn't be running again, but soon realised this was to be a futile exercise due to the escalating tantrum. Eventually had to give in and off we headed to parkrun. Decided en route it might be a useful opportunity to practise a few MP miles before tomorrow's long run, as this would also be on pace for a PB for today's running buddy. The first mile went fine, a little behind schedule even, and then I was promptly told to carry on and that my services were no longer required. Was feeling fine and just motored along at a nice clip. 5k, 24:00, 162 HR. I felt right good after this run, and while I knew it wasn't really the wisest thing to do, it was a very enjoyable run. Is this what my life has become, that illicit park runs are the highlight of my weekend???

Sunday 27th August

Damn you McGregor. Regrettably, I got a bit carried away with the rare occasion of having an old college buddy over and between sleep deprivation and various toxins in my body was in no condition for a 16 miler with 12 @ MP. Spent the day feeling guilty and figuring out how to get back on schedule as soon as possible. Given recent niggles, came to the conclusion that a few days rest might do me good, and to push the MP run all the way to the following Sunday. Felt a bit better later in the day when I realised I wasn't the only one to have come down with this very mysterious affliction.

Monday 28th August

Rest. Complete and utter. 2 day hangover.

Tuesday 29th August

Had adjusted the plan yesterday and pulled it a day forward for the early part of this week, with a view to slotting the long run on Saturday and pulling next weeks LT session forward a day so give an extra days recovery after that for racing the weekend. Set up the watch for the session (5 X 800m @ 5k pace off 2 min recovery) and headed out early from work on a flat city route. The three warmup miles went without incident and I set myself up for the first interval. Found out straightaway that I had set up the watch arseways but just hit the lap button and carried on. It quickly became apparent that the hamstring was not having any of the faster stuff today and I called a halt after a minute or so. Pulled over for a bit of a stretch but I knew from the feel of it that the intervals weren't happening today. Got back on the road, and easy pace felt fine so just motored away, clocking 8 miles along the river and canal, contemplating the repercussions of this issue. 8.3 miles, 8:32 pace, 148 HR

When I got back to work, went for a look at the workout on Garmin. I had set up the watch for 5 X 5 meter intervals instead of 5 X 0.5 miles. Looks like I knew in advance the body wouldn't be able for it!!

Having had the day to ponder, the form is not good, and while the best advice might be complete rest I just don't think I can go there right now. I'm going to try a week of all easy pace running and see where that takes me. If I need complete rest after that, so be it. I have physio this Thursday anyway so will have some professional direction at that point. The quad injury I can manage, but now I've picked up a couple of what appear to be over-use niggles that are among the harder to clear. The right achilles is gently making its presence known, nothing major, but needs to be acknowledged at the same time. This hamstring needs to be looked after too. Feeling like a bit of a hypochondriac... even though the niggles are real.... time for the ice pack...

JohnDozer · 31-08-2017 07:07PM

Wednesday 30th August

Met up with another lad who is crocked at the moment for a few laps on grass. No great bother from the hamstring apart from one moment when my foot slipped on a soft underfoot section. It's presenting as just a dull ache so I'm hoping a little active recovery will do the trick. One mile laps were the order of the day and the chats were good so my hatred for laps wasn't as pronounced as it usually would be. Somehow the talk turned to post DCM plans and a few ultra races were mentioned. Somehow the thought of lots of long easy miles appealed to me (I have since found out that that's not necessarily the best way to train for an ultra!). Anyway, Donadea and Connemara were mentioned so we will give the conversation a couple of days to cool off. If it's still appealing by Monday it may well be that the idea has stuck and it's on! 9 miles, 8:50 average, 150 HR.

Thursday 31st August

Up early and cycled to the park for some pre work laps. Was pretty dark as I started but it wasn't long getting bright. I timed it well. The hamstring was the same as yesterday, just a dull ache, so I was able to tip along. Tried to run without checking the watch, changed the screen to actual time and just left it there, only changing it once as I forgot what lap I was on. I do find the running on grass requires a bit more effort, with the HR showing higher than it would for similar paces on more solid surfaces. Had the music with me this morning to help the laps pass. I'd imagine these laps on grass will take a bit of getting used to. The initial target will be to run about 50% of the weekly mileage on grass for the next month and see how we get on. 8 miles, avg pace 8:51 and HR of 151.

Physio in the afternoon too. The main work was a bit of dry needling on the ongoing VMO saga. I've only had this done a few times over the years so the sensation is still a very weird one. He did a bit of manual work on the hamstring then and freed it up a good bit. We also had a good look at the mechanics side of things and he is still convinced that my shoes are all wrong. He is a fan of orthotics in general so needless to say there was a little bit of selling the benefits. Lots of running related chat while all this was happening. An hour and a half for €40. Can't fault that!

Not too sure what the next few days hold. All easy and we'll take it day by day for now. Hopefully I will be back on plan by next Tuesday...

JohnDozer · 03-09-2017 04:43PM

Friday 1st September

Had arranged an early 10k but had pre-empted a bit by texting the night before to say I might be cancelling due to post physio pain. Thankfully, on waking Friday morning, apart from a tiny bit of bruising at the site of the needle entry, no major soreness. Ran the canal and riverbank out towards UL at a grand easy pace and HR. Don't remember too much other than it being the first foggy morning in quite some time. It was also the first morning where there was a little bit of a chill for the first 5 minutes. Now that I think about it, we spent a good deal of time chatting about the physio and his insistence that I need to change my footwear, including how to avoid detection by the other half of the household budgeting team. 6.3 miles, 9:00 palace, 138 HR

All the talk about footwear on the run, along with texting another lad who attends the same physio and has been given similar advice, led to me absconding from work in the early afternoon and heading for a sport shop in town whose advice person comes well recommended. Spent a good hour in there trying on various shoes (although the selection was either new balance or asics). No harm there I guess although the heart wanted me to find a Saucony shoe that works as I've had a good relationship with them over the years. I ended up going back to the first shoe I tried on as that was the one recommended as well, and it was the one with the nicest fit and feel. Shelled out €120 for a pair of shoes (New Balance 880v7). That hurt... as I normally try and pick up shoes for €60-€70 bracket when they are a season or two old. But if the physio is right, then that's part of the reason that I am where I am. I think part of the issue appears to be that by paying too much attention to what's going on with my right foot. I appear to have forgotten that I do have another foot which needs to operate correctly when running as well....

Saturday 2nd September

Busy day ahead so up and at them early. Headed for the trail with a plan to do 10 miles easy. First spin in the new shoes so was paying quite a bit of attention. Initially I thought I had gotten the sizing wrong. I had a very thin pair of socks on when I tried them on and the running socks were a little thicker so it did seem that they were more snug around the toe box than they had been yesterday. It loosened out after a few miles so should be fine, although it will be interesting on long runs if my feet do swell, although that hasn't been a major issue before. The sole is firmer than I'm used of as well so might take a little bit of getting used to. Anyway, the running... all parts of the legs seemed to be operating well and were allowing me to travel without discomfort, combined with spending the week easy running meant I wasn't too inclined to back off the pace when I noticed it was quicker than planned. Obviously not very quick, as I'm not entirely stupid (only a little bit!), but still very much at the upper end of easy and veering towards marathon pace for 5 of the 10 miles. A very enjoyable run I must say... 10.1 miles, 8:16 pace, 153 HR.

Topped off the morning by doing my duties at parkrun. Tailwalker today with junior parkrunner doing his bit as well by accompanying me.

Sunday 2nd September

Hadn't really anything concrete planned for today other than running longer than 14 miles at handy pace. Had briefly flirted with dropping back in the missed 18 miler with 14 MP but thankfully sense prevailed. The plan formulated late in the evening when a flurry of texts meant I'd be meeting a few lads halfway for 14 miles. Decided to arrive early and do 3 extra for a 17 miler. Dropped a few water bottles at the 6/12 mile mark and caught the surprising weather forecast, suggesting temperatures of 18-20 degrees. Considering the rain was hopping off the windscreen at the time didn't pay too much heed. Got a text to say one of the lads was out and run was upped to 16 miles. Decided on 2 extras and timed it pretty well as the lads had just arrived when I got back so without delay we were off. Today was a slog. No doubt about it. Some factors were the heat, the 10 mile yesterday (but that's probably a good indicator of what it's going to feel like next week after a 10 mile race) and just the lack of quality work in general lately due to the various niggles. Still, having company makes the slogging that bit easier and everyone did their bit to keep the spirits in reasonable shape and the miles clicking off slowly but surely. Was very glad to turn for home and slogged away. Got a gel in at the water stop at mile 12. Tired a Kinetica Cola flavour today, hard to open, easy to get down. Not sure what benefit if any I got, but at least I know it's ingestible without issues, once I get it open that is. Was even happier to finish as a few of us put in a spurt to get it done a little quicker. A quick towel dry and some coffee and chocolate picnic before heading home. 18.1 miles, 9:09 pace, 151 HR. 60 miles for the week, one abandoned session, one physio visit, one new pair of shoes, one steady run followed by a tough long run and exceeded my target of 50% off road running (by a long way actually!)

Although the long run was a slog, the body is reporting well and responding well to some tougher work over the weekend. It might be time to jump back on the plan after a rest day tomorrow. My first task is to figure out the week ahead. I have pulled forward the race week on the plan, as I had decided not to race Charleville due to the upper limit of 15km on races imposed by Messrs P&D. The 10 miler in Cork was much more appealing but required a little bit of juggling. I had originally pulled the LT session from the week ahead to last week in order to not have the session and the race on the same week. Given that I then missed the VO2 max workout last week that I swapped it with, I have to decide which session to do this week - VO2 max or LT session. The VO2 will be harder on the hamstring I feel, but will take less out of me than the LT session. I feel the LT work is of more benefit in the big picture, but will surely have an impact on the 10 mile race, which isn't the priority. It's also the case that the 10 mile race is effectively a 10 mile LT session so maybe that and the VO2 max workout is the best thing. At the moment the mind is fixed on the LT session on Tuesday, race Saturday and 17 miler Sunday. All niggle permitting of course. Any thoughts or advice on what to do are most welcome!!

Kennyg71 · 03-09-2017 06:01PM

I think VO2, race, 17 miles is what book prescribes, so probably best to stick with schudle. Another solid week done despite niggles, your going well.

JohnDozer · 04-09-2017 10:41AM

Kennyg71 wrote: »

I think VO2, race, 17 miles is what book prescribes, so probably best to stick with schudle. Another solid week done despite niggles, your going well.

You're probably right. I can try for the VO2 on Tuesday, hope everything holds up and away we go. Going well enough, but I do feel like it's a bit of a balancing act with the niggles and the plan at present! Par for the course with the 26.2 I guess... I think I felt better when I was doing too much, maybe that's why I feel this way now!!

Kennyg71 · 04-09-2017 12:57PM

JohnDozer wrote: »

You're probably right. I can try for the VO2 on Tuesday, hope everything holds up and away we go. Going well enough, but I do feel like it's a bit of a balancing act with the niggles and the plan at present! Par for the course with the 26.2 I guess... I think I felt better when I was doing too much, maybe that's why I feel this way now!!

It's definitely a mind game, if you go into session with intention of taking maximum recoveries between efforts, may go a little smoother. Up to 55 plan more than enough for this years target IMO,and will probably get you there in better knick.

JohnDozer · 05-09-2017 09:01PM

Monday 4th September

Rest. No physical ill effects from yesterday. Little bit of stiffness in the right Achilles but that's about it. Was starting work late so had a very enjoyable lie in. A very rare treat! All my free mornings tend to get used up running, so it's nice when one coincides with an actual rest day from running as well. Might try and set these up a bit more often if I can.

Tuesday 5th September

I had received differing views on what workout was most appropriate, given the circumstances. Both the LT session and the VO2 max session presented a risk of aggravating niggles, but I went with KennyG's view and just switched the entire week of the race instead of just the few days around the race. That meant the session was now 5 X 600m @ 5k pace. I went for a 2:00 minute recovery which was pretty much the maximum allowed. Headed off for an early lunch from work on the nice flat riverbank path. Took the three warmup miles nice and easy, stopping after 20 minutes just to do some dynamic stretching targeting the hamstrings. Felt good and no negative feedback from anywhere. The first interval arrived and initially the pace was showing way too quick so had to back off. Target pace was around 6:35-6:40. Had a little momentum killer on the second interval of a little narrow bridge with sharp turns at entry and exit but apart from that no problem. Was starting to feel comfortable in the session and lo and behold on the second half of the third interval started to feel a gnawing sensation on the hamstring. Got to the end of number 3 and paused to do some stretching. Took the recovery then and decided to reduce the pace slightly, shorten the stride and see how that went. Could very much feel the hamstring but it wasn't worsening so just focussed on a quick turnover and made sure not to be pulling too much on each stride. The last two intervals came in a little slower, and the 5 intervals as a collective were erratic. So on a positive, I got some speedwork done for the first time in a while (2 months plus). On a negative, I've aggravated the hamstring again. Currently icing it and have been doing at regular intervals all evening so might limit any damage done. Won't know where things are at till the morning. Feeling like it might be time to think about Plan B though. The wear and tear is ongoing and I don't feel like I have time on my side to take a complete break for a week or two, which is probably what is needed. 8.2 miles, splits for 600m by avg pace were 6:18, 6:37, 6:05, 6:53, 6:47. So I certainly overcooked #1 and #3. In my defence, haven't tried to tune in to that pace or anywhere close since the last week of June.

Supposed to be a 12 mile MLR tomorrow...

JohnDozer · 08-09-2017 07:55PM

Wednesday 6th September

Bit of discomfort in the hamstring today. Nothing major.. but enough to know there is some damage done. Couldn't face not running, but knew the 12 mile run was out, so took off on a recovery run from work. Managed to do more than half on trail and grass to minimise the impact a bit. Explored a new bit of trail as well which is always fun, even if it's only an ickle one. By the end of the run both body and mind were feeling better. 5.2 miles, 9:38 pace, 138 bpm

I won't be racing in Cork as planned at the weekend. I might travel down and just run it whatever way the body permits on the day. I've also spent some time drafting a new short term plan which will hopefully give the body a chance to heal the few niggles and catch up. I've basically kept the mileage from P&D but dropped any VO2 max and tempo work between here and the 10k race on September 30th. I'll build in some workouts with MP miles in place of them, but it will effectively mean I'll miss 1 VO2 max session, 1 LT session and 1 race from the plan for the next 4 weeks. For me, this is preferable to taking a week off which is the other option. I'll obviously have to revise the time goal a bit but we can see about that closer the time. So it's pretty much all easy running with some additional MP miles for the next 4 weeks. I'll keep the volume where it is but drop the intensity a bit.

Thursday 7th September

Feeling better today and have come to peace with how the next month looks, so was geared up for the 12 miles. Was joining a fella for an hour of grass trail so settled on grass laps of UL for 45 minutes to bring up the total. A dirty evening, with soft underfoot conditions so had to be careful. I have a serious respect for cross country lads and lassies since I started this running on grass lark. The effort levels are so much different, but the lack of damage to the legs makes it all worthwhile. I always hated laps, but the more I do I may actually get used of them! TIpped away at 5.5 miles worth of loops and the lads arrived. Took off along the trail. We had known there was 'a few nettles' so had long socks on. That was the extent of the protective gear so it wasn't long before plenty of f@&s were audible from everyone as the 'few' was obviously an understatement. The amount of them was so bad that we decided to return by road to avoid further pain! Found another bit of trail by accident so there was some good to come out of it. Tacked on a couple more grass laps at the end to bring up the distance. One of the most enjoyable runs I have had in a while. 12.5 miles, 8:39 pace, 156 bpm

Friday 8th September

Heavy legs this morning. Meeting a friend for a pre work run. Found it difficult to swing the legs out from under the duvet today but just about managed it and had the gear on and out the door in darkness. Nearly time for the headlamp soon :-( nice handy loop around town. Nearly came a cropper on a kerb but just about managed to remain upright and a avoid a faceful of tarmac. 5 miles clicked by easily enough with the roads all to ourselves. Got rewarded with a bright pink LIDL tshirt for my troubles. Had been promised it by my buddy with a while and promptly forgot about it. Evidently, he didn't. I didn't realise it was as pink as it was!! 5 miles, 9:52 pace, 141 bpm

Got a text early enough after that run to see would I be interested in an afternoon trot. At the time of the text I felt grand and the suggested distance wasn't excessive so responded in the affirmative. Two hours later I was filled full of regret. I didn't want to bail so left things stand. The legs were heavy and the effort was higher than it should be for the pace. Managed a 6 mile out and back along the Shannon. 6 miles, 8:34 pace, 147 bpm.

No damage done at the time of writing other than tiredness so it mightn't have been the worst idea. Treated myself to the first Friday fish'n'chip in quite some time. I definitely won't be racing the Cork 10 tomorrow. Best case scenario is I'll run it at MP or steady pace. I'll see tomorrow... one day at a time.

On a positive, in about 60 more miles I'll hit my highest ever mileage in a calendar year.

Kennyg71 · 09-09-2017 08:07AM

Sorry to hear that, but think you are wise to knock a few sessions on the head, you'll be surprised how easy and steady running keep your fitness up, hope hammy settles soon, remember to keep really well hydrated as it has big effect on recovery.

JohnDozer · 10-09-2017 06:07PM

Saturday 9th September

Headed off down to Cork in good time, picked up the number and the tshirt at leisure and parked up about a mile and a half from the start/ finish. Chilled out in the car for a while and timed it to do a slow warmup and have minimal enough waiting at the start. Mission accomplished! No familiar faces around so I lined up a little bit behind the 80 minute pacers. The initial plan was ease into the first mile, gently catch up with the pacers and then if everything seemed ok to push on. We started bang on time and it was pretty obvious from the off how windy and warm it was. We did two laps around a 1.5 mile loop. The pacers had gone off much quicker than their expected 8:00 pace, despite it being pancake flat. Caught up with them and a group of about 15 around the second mile marker and settled in. Had a good private laugh at the guy who was so close to the pacers that the two balloons kept slapping him in the face. No matter how much the balloons hit him, he was not budging from his position exactly 80 centimetres behind the pacers. The pace started to settle around this point after the pacers look to have clocked the first two miles in about 7:30 pace. I had planned to try and keep the pace around 7:50-7:55 so this was a little quick, and this was a theme that continued to the 9 mile marker. Kept it consistent enough despite being around 10-15 seconds ahead of target on most miles. The effort felt fine but could certainly feel the heat and the HR was a little high on the couple of occasions I checked. Crossed over the pedestrian bridge over the road with about a mile and a half to go, and the momentum downslope created a pace increase, and I made the split second decision to push it on a bit to the end and see how the body reacted. No harm done I guess seeing as there was no adverse reaction from either hamstring or quad. Crossed the line around 77 minutes. Didn't delay too long as I was under orders to be home as early as I could, plus I wanted food and some beer!! Splits for the 10 miles were 7:46, 7:42, 7:50, 7:54, 7:42, 7:40, 7:42, 7:54, 7:36, 6:47. finish time 76:31 (Garmin - haven't checked official yet)

I think I would have struggled if that was a race tonight. I don't function well when it's warm and that was definitely out of my comfort zone for race pace tonight. All in all, I'm well happy with that. A little bit slower would have been good. The final mile blowout was nice, but maybe an unnecessary risk. If I can repeat the dose at Charleville next week after a longer warmup, I'll be in a good place in my head despite recent difficulties. Looking forward to my long run tomorrow now!! *sarcasm*

Sunday 10th September

So just over 12 hours after the MP run in Cork, I was ready for the off on a long run in Limerick with my usual plus one. We had a nice route mapped out and water dropped, although one drop ended up in the wrong place. Was raining heavy enough when we took off. The legs and the engine felt as good as they could have been, given the high enough mileage over the preceding 48 hours. We did notice on the first few miles that the pace was faster than it should have been, not by much but enough to make a note of it and make the necessary adjustments. We had included about 4 miles of trail in our route and we stopped briefly a mile into this section for a potty break and to take in some water and a gel. It was shortly after this that the whole complexion of the run started to change. The tummy started to rumble and it was immediately clear that it didn't take kindly to the Kinetica Fruit Punch fuel gel. I had also had more coffee than I would normally have had before a run this morning so the combination of the two hadn't a great effect. I stubbornly tried to battle on for some reason but all it served to do was occupy my mind too much. Coupled with this, the fatigue from the last few days was starting to kick in with a vengeance, to such an extent I requested a short walk break of 20 seconds half way up the biggest climb of the day, which was not big by any standards. I just started to feel wrecked and the spirits were not good. My buddy was doing his best but the digestive issues were still an issue. I thought it had passed a couple of times but I eventually had to admit defeat around the 14 mile mark and hopped a barbed wire encrusted gate to do the necessary. Was back on the road quickly enough and was initially feeling much better, but shortly after I just really felt wrecked again. Was only about a mile and a half from the magic 17 mile beep when I requested another 20 second walk break which was granted. Managed to get from here to the finish in better spirits thanks to the downhill and the psychology skills of my plus one.

It's been a while since I've felt that bad mentally during a run. I guess that's why the plan is set up that way, to recreate those final few miles. I really don't know how I would have managed if I had flat out raced yesterday evening. I guess I probably would have given more recovery time to the body. An evening long run was probably more advisable in this scenario. I'm glad I experimented with the gel and it's now eliminated from the list of possible fuel sources on the day. Despite the bad run, well bad second half of the run, I'm in a good place with the week as a whole. 17.1 miles, 8:48 pace, 150 bpm

67 miles for the week, a decent MP test in a race scenario, 30 odd% on softer surfaces and got a long run done in testing circumstances. Ya, I'll take it.

hot buttered scones · 10-09-2017 06:16PM

That was a good effort in Cork (in my usual stomping ground). As for the long run - it was always going to be tough one after the session, but gastro issues will ruin any run make things seem a whole lot tougher. But you got over it and got the miles in, so a good couple of days there I think that will stand to you come the end of October.

JohnDozer · 14-09-2017 09:25PM

Monday 11th September

Rest

Had also booked in for a 'nice' sports massage pre work so was able to doss around the house drinking coffee for the morning which was nice, considering what came after. Got roughed around a bit, and given out to about the condition of my calves in particular and legs in general. Felt like a bit of a wuss as I was whimpering on the table when she found all the good spots. Chatted away between the surges of pain, mostly about her husband and his approach to running as he is a sub 2:50 man now training for a 2:45. Some good information was harvested. The hour eventually elapsed and I got clothed and unfolded myself into an upright position, wondering how in hell the last 60 minutes would turn into something good in the future.

Tuesday 12th September

Legs quite sore in a few strange spots, adductors, hamstrings, calves and Achilleseseses.

Met another lad for laps and laps and laps of some soccer pitches. Dunno how many but most likely somewhere between 10-12. The hunt continues for ideal spots for grass running. Time passes quickly when the chats are good. Looking more and more like next year will be spend building a big base and doing a few shorter ultras. Still unsure whether this is a good thing for long term development but I'm trusting that it can't be a bad thing. 7 miles, 9:13 pace, 151 HR

Wednesday 13th September

Had a long work day in Dublin so had to get on the road early and hit the grassy plains of the Curragh for a few miles to get the run in. First morning for the long sleeves this year as the chill could be felt. Took a much bigger lap than I ever have before and explored a few new corners. Reckon I could squeeze a 7 mile loop out if I was brave enough. Still sore in places and quite a bit of bruising... Enjoyable run! 6 miles, 9:27 pace, 144 HR

Thursday 14th September

Very nearly the run that wasn't. Wasn't much feeling the love today. Basically just tired after a long day yesterday. Managed to get myself out the door eventually after getting my new shoes on my feet (Saucony Breakthru 3). The evening was warm so the effort was a little higher than it should have been throughout the run. Had plotted out a route that had some new road on it, and promptly took a wrong turn a few miles in. First 10k was a gentle climb, so it was good to be feeling a decent effort in the lungs. The legs still hadn't fully recovered from Mondays battering but were inclined to try and move a bit faster than they were supposed to. Came to the highest point of the run about 8.5 miles in and it was really just a case of fall away home at a natural pace. Unfortunately, it was really noticeable how short the evenings are getting. The remaining MLR's may have to be done on lengthy lunch breaks from work. It also occurred to me on this evenings run that it's really only 3 good weeks of training left and 3 weeks of taper. Closing in rapidly so it is. Anyway, the run felt good. Pace a little hot but I can get away with these now that the effort levels have been pared back a bit. Thumbs up on the new shoes, first impressions are really good, only possible negative is they are really soft and roomy around the toebox, but no apparent issues after today's spin. 13 miles, 8:12 pace, 156 bpm. Only 9 miles left until I hit my highest annual total ever....

JohnDozer · 18-09-2017 09:15AM

Friday 15th September

Post work grass laps was the order of the day. Real muck fest. You know you're getting used of running in muck when you charge through the middle of the puddles instead of trying to find the best route to tiptoe through. Usual issue with the grass, pace was right but the HR was up. I suppose it is one of the issues of running in company, it's really helpful in many ways in terms of bouncing ideas off lads, but you do lose a little control of the pace and effort. There is no way I'd be doing as much running on softer surfaces without the others so it's a small price to pay. Did something I'd been meaning to do with a while too, wore my current watch (Forerunner 225) and my old one (Forerunner 305) with a chest strap to see if I could identify any major difference. Short answer is no, not enough to change to the strap anyway. 7 miles, 9:07 pace, 147 HR avg

Saturday 16th September

My own parkrun had planned a visit to Tralee with quite some time. Since I was one of the main voices pushing it I felt I had to make an appearance. Plans were a little bit up in the air in terms of who was travelling with me from home so couldn't really plan my own run properly. I had wanted to do a 10 mile steady run including the parkrun, but the plans of others were interfering! Why don't they understand :-D Ended up just doing the parkrun with no warmup or cooldown, with some idea of fixing it later in the day. Tralee's numbers have doubled in size since I used to visit, and I'm not sure if it's lost a little something because of that. It seems a little overcrowded now, especially the start and the first lap. A great atmosphere before and after though, which is as much part of the experience as the run itself I suppose. They really do what they do very well. 9:39, 8:12, 8:16. Time was 26:24, 154 HR avg.

Managed to get out later in the day for another few miles, with the overall plan being getting a bit of fatigue into the legs before tomorrow's workout. I figured a recovery run with strides might be the best way of doing this without killing it altogether. Headed off on my 10k loop and kept the effort nice and easy. Consumed with thoughts about tomorrow and how it was going to go, and what that would mean for DCM. I've kinda figured that with the drop in intensity and the failing body that aiming for anything other that a sub 3:30 is overshooting it somewhat and too high risk. Got to 4 miles and launched into the strides. Got 10 done and felt good and strong throughout. The form feels a lot better on these since I started taking a minute between each stride, rather than the previous 30 seconds. 6.2 miles, 9:11 pace, 146 HR

Sunday 17th September

Plan called for 18 miles with 14 @ MP. Well, it did after a little bit of race related juggling around of weeks on the plan. I had originally entered Charleville from a long way off, before deciding I wouldn't race it after reading P&D. Figured another race based MP session would bag me a tshirt and some good experience. So a 5 mile warmup and the race itself at about 7:55 pace. Got to Charleville waaaay too early, picked up the race number and got back to where I parked in the middle of town. Got myself all set up, and laid out stuff for a quick pick up when I passed the car again on the way to the start line. I failed to check the elevation profile of my hastily planned out and back route and managed to find the only road in Charleville with a hill on the it, although in retrospect 'Broghill' should have thrown up a red flag. No harm. Another bit of fatigue!! The legs felt ok actually, suitably tired but able for the job ahead. 5 miles done, bladder emptied a few times, sweat built up (despite the considerable drop in temperatures)

Met a few faces and had quick chats and lined up just behind the 1:45 pacers. Gun went off without delay and away we went. Nice downhill start and eased past the pacers about a mile in. The 1:50 pacer panicked a little with the slow start and nearly joined the 1:45 pace group for a while. Was tipping away by myself and the miles clicking off in the pace range. After about 4/5 miles pulled alongside a fella who runs with us the odd time and so after a few gentle enquiries about plans we stayed together as the target was the same. Didn't really notice the long straight stretches as we were talking away about anything and everything and the miles were being ticked off at a very consistent pace. Took a gel around the 10k mark. Managed to get it down despite the stickiness (Mocha flavoured Clif gel with 50mg caffeine). No adverse effects, but no noticeable positive effects either. A lady runner had a bit of banter with us about here about the amount of chatting that was going on! I guess it can be off putting for people. All good natured fun anyway!

After the last water stop, about 5k to go I think, a little gap grew between myself and my running buddy. Tried to ease off to allow him catch up, but the pace was drifting more and I didn't want to go off pace if possible. Gave it another minute or two, but we agreed to go our separate ways until the end. Picked up the pace a bit and it quickly became apparent I shouldn't have, should have just maintained the planned pace. I started to feel really under pressure and with a mile to go was really having to work to stay moving. That last mile is challenging enough, despite the overall flatness, and the tiring muscles were screaming as the line approached. I hadn't expected to feel like this at the end of the MP workout, but I guess that was the whole idea of getting the extra fatigue into the legs yesterday. Crossed the line in about 1:43:30 but the chip time should be a good bit better, not that it matters. Sat for a minute before wandering around finding out how others got one. A few excellent performances in our own club, and solid performances all round.

I'm a little bit mixed on how it went I guess. I would have preferred not to find the closing miles so tough. I guess I'm in that headspace in the analysis, where I'm unsure if a fatigued 18 miler with 13 at marathon pace at the end of a 60 mile week, is an indicator of my goal time being achievable. I'm happy with the pacing, very much so:- splits were 8:02, 7:50, 7:49, 7:51, 7:59, 7:58, 7:51, 7:49, 7:58, 7:54, 7:57, 7:41, 7:44 and 7:19 pace for the bit. (1:42:59 chip time).

Kennyg71 · 18-09-2017 11:26AM

That's a tough session, I wouldn't be at all worried, it shouldn't feel easy and there where a few sneaky drags at the end. You where running well below planned MP on tired legs and upped effort up hill for last mile, and it felt hard as it should, l'd say your bang on target.

JohnDozer · 20-09-2017 06:32PM

Monday 18th September

Rest. Late start at work today so got reacquainted with the kettlebells and did a bit of strength work in the morning. Mainly focussed on legs and core.

Tuesday 19th September

Sneaked out on an early lunch from work along the river for a 7 mile recovery run. HR was a bit higher than it should have been for the pace. Was feeling a bit heavy legged as well, with a good bit of tightness in the glutes. I knew there was strides prescribed for today but forgot to check how many before I headed out. Decided to split the difference between 6 and 10 and did 8. Nice run. Wouldn't be overly happy with the effort level to pace but hopefully it won't be an ongoing thing. 7.4 miles, 9:14 pace, 145 HR

Wednesday 20th September

Due to the way I had juggled things around recently in order to accommodate races, along with decisions made around workouts due to niggles, I reassessed where things were at on Monday. If I put back in the entire week that ended with the second 20 miler from a few weeks back, it would mean the 7 mile LT run was back on the agenda. I did feel it was worth trying to get back on the plan if possible, but wasn't sure if jumping straight back in on a tester like this was the best idea. Other wiser heads agreed.

So.... set myself up for a pre-work run in Limerick. The plan was a 3 mile warm-up and ease into the tempo miles at the lower end of the LT pace (7:20-7:25). If I was feeling good after 3 miles, I would push on and go for the 7 miles straight without recovery. Plan B was to take a 5 minute recovery and do another 3 miles afterward. This would give me about 45 minutes tempo work, but do some damage limitation on the fatigue and injury reoccurrence front. I was feeling pretty good and in control for the first couple of miles, and then the old quad issue started to announce itself, so I decided on the recovery. Got going again after and was able to up the pace a little bit while keeping that annoying muscular pain at a manageable level. I knew the effort was high and I was finding it tough, even with the 5 minutes break, but looking back on the HR at the end showed a much higher effort there than it should have been. I guess the reduced intensity of late has had an impact on my endurance at tempo pace. Was glad to get to the end of the second tempo session, walked for a minute, and then tipped on at recovery pace with a few laps of a park near work to make up the distance. Time to call the physio again. I guess I'm glad there was no hamstring issues, but disappointed no progress on the original niggle. I can't see myself being able to do a 10k race on Saturday week so might have to get creative with the plan again. I'll chance the VO2 max workout next Tuesday and see how everything reacts. 20 miles on Sunday to do first!! 11 miles, tempo splits 1 were 7:23, 7:22, 7:20, tempo splits 2 were 7:04, 7:18, 7:08 and avg HR of 161

JohnDozer · 29-09-2017 03:12PM

I've been avoiding this...

Thursday 21st September

Met another couple of lads for an MLR on a new route. Met up out of the city a bit and headed off along the grassy banks of the tailrace from the power station in Ardnacrusha. Apart from the significant volumes of sheep**** we encountered 'twas very enjoyable running. Got to the turnaround point overthebridge in the village of O'Briensbridge and decided to divert slightly along a bit of trail that I used to run on before. Its a very nice piece of trail, but is just that little bit too short to get full enjoyment out of it. Rejoined the tailrace and faced into the evening sun and the strengthening breeze. Yesterdays tempo effort was starting to tell and the effort levels started to rise. Was glad to return to the starting point after what seemed like an eternity of a last couple of miles and hit the button on the Garmin. 12.2 miles, 8:56 pace, 154 avg HR

Friday 22nd September

I've a standing arrangement with a buddy of mine to run 8k with him once a week but he normally doesn't avail of it. I would have preferred to bump this run to later in the day on the back of two tough days but didn't want to let him down, as he doesn't show the motivation to run very often. Headed off through the UL campus at 6am and along the banks of the Shannon, where surprisingly all the lighting on the paths were off. Made for a more interesting run in the darkness and a few people looked even dodgier at that hour of the morning in poor light. One guy in particular didn't look like he travelled around in daylight much at all. The pace quickened slightly here.... 5.2m, 10:09 pace, 138 avg HR

Saturday 23rd September

Was supposed to try and get out of the bed early and get this done before parkrun duties. Marshalling this morning! Getting closer to the purple 25 tshirt... By year end I hope to have a purple and a red one! Owing to a bit of an excess of beer last night wasn't feeling the most sprightly this morning so left the run off until later. I had noticed a bit of tightness in the lower calf and a bit of tenderness in both Achilles since the run on Thursday but thought there wasn't too much in it. Headed off around 5pm, having agreed plans with my old college buddy (also the poorly motivated running guy!) that he would call over a few beers and some reminiscing later that evening. We also had some half baked plan that we would both hop out of bed at 8am on Sunday morning for a run. We would run laps of the 10k route around my house, him doing two laps and me doing three and a bit. Anyway, back to the present moment, I did know on the run that the right Achilles in particular was not feeling right at all at all. I can't say it was painful, but a slight bit of discomfort and the brain receiving signals that you're doing more damage. Tipped along at very easy pace but I think I knew heart of hearts that there would be no 20 miler in the morning. 5 miles, 9:25 pace, 141 avg HR

Sunday 24th September

So... 8am Sunday.... Surprise surprise, despite a temporary return to a college way of life we both managed to get our asses up at the agreed time. However, it didn't take long for me to know the game was up and pulled the plug on the run, without too much upset or disagreement from my partner in crime. The right Achilles felt very stiff and quite tender to the touch. No running today. I may have had more beer...

Monday 25th September

Wasn't in the best frame of mind on waking so decided to not go to work today and replace gainful employment with a long run. The Achilles certainly felt better than the previous day so I put it down to a temporary glitch. Herself headed off to work and the rest of the house went to school so I got myself suited up and hit the trail, hoping upon hope that we (me and my body) would knock out a 20 miler today. It was clear after 3/4 miles that all was not well, again there was no major pain but the brain signals were being received loud and clear. Spent a considerable amount of time and brain power sizing up all the available options. One of these was even making it back to the car and just doing over and back loops for as long as I possibly could, knowing I would be near the car if I failed. Even in my deluded state I figured if I got 20 done and had to take 2 weeks off I would still have the 20 miler done. Fortunately, sane brain took over, and the new plan was an 11 mile MLR from later in the week with a view to creating space for a midweek long run if the body righted itself. Even though the plan was agreeable, there was still a bit of anger and aggression in the running, and the return leg is slightly downhill so I was tipping along a bit quicker than I should have been. Got home and started on the icing immediately, hoping to limit whatever damage had been done. 11 miles, 8:29 pace, avg HR 150.

Tuesday 26th September

Rest. Hoping for the best. Achilles is sore and tender. It feels bad. Dr. Google makes me feel worse.

Wednesday 27th September

Rest. No improvement. Still hitting the ice and doing the heel/ calf raises on the steps at home and at work.

Thursday 28th September

Rest. Got the bike ready this evening, but its unclear if thats a safe thing to do with an Achilles injury so I'm hesitant. Physio booked up so can't see him till Saturday. The form is brutal. I'm catastrophising, if that is a real word.

Friday 29th September

Rest. There will be no running in the second half of the day either. Even though it is tempting to run 3 or 4 miles. Insane brain is telling me that I'll then be going to the physio with a fresh inflammation so that will help with the diagnosis. This is the kind of sh!t that my brain does be throwing at me to decipher. Lucky sane brain is tuned in most of the time and can weed out the silly stuff.

I'm hoping for the best and fearing the worst. Looking forward to getting back on the road soon. Its only 4 weeks from this Sunday so there isn't much wiggle room left.

diego_b · 29-09-2017 03:46PM

JohnDozer wrote: »

Insane brain is telling me that I'll then be going to the physio with a fresh inflammation so that will help with the diagnosis. This is the kind of sh!t that my brain does be throwing at me to decipher. Lucky sane brain is tuned in most of the time and can weed out the silly stuff.

I've done this, should I go out and hobble myself so I can show the physio what is going wrong for me!? Stupid brain.

Fingers crossed on the Achilles, hope you've a good physio and you get sorted asap. I had some similar issues after the Charleville hm and missed 3-4 days but was able to get back into it fine enough if a bit gingerly since after doing some previously prescribed calf raises (you know the sort of stuff that you do to sort a problem and then leave behind after a few months). I think I may have got away with it...

hot buttered scones · 29-09-2017 04:48PM

Take it handy now - and best of luck tomorrow with the physiological. I hope it isn't too serious.

JohnDozer · 05-10-2017 03:21PM

Saturday 30th September

So no Croppy Boy 10k in Waterford as a tune up race... I did have a visit to the physio as an alternative though. A rather enjoyable! hour was spent with needles being stuck in my calves and one directly in my tendon. I find the physio good, but he is a tricky man to get definites from in respect of timelines or what to do next. He seems to leave things very much in your own hands. He's good at alleviating the symptoms, but seems slow to give direction on returning to action. It could be that he trusts in the persons own ability to judge it, and if they mess it up, they'll be back. He didn't write off the chances of DCM happening, but didn't give a great amount of confidence either. Basically, the treatment plan is stretch the calves as much as I possibly can and ease into running from the middle of the week on. Ice the affected area a few times a day and take it from there. Return to him if necessary. Permission was given to mix in a bit of cycling, but not to put any great pressure on the pedals.

Sunday 1st October

Zilch. Fairly sore where the needling occurred. I couldn't have done anything even if I felt like it. Herself is away too so had total TV ownership for the day. Wall to wall sport, supplemented with wall to wall sport on the iPad. The single life is enjoyable on occasion!

I did do some research on circuit training/ strength and conditioning classes for post DCM. I'm thinking I'd probably commit and attend classes, but if left to my own devices I'll only do about half the work at an optimistic estimate.

Monday 2nd October

Had been accummulating the cycling gear and preparing the bike somewhat unwillingly for the last few days. Got home from work early enough and belted off. Did a solid hour. No negative feedback from calves or Achilles. Quite the opposite actually. Iced it anyway when I got home just in case. I've been stretching as much as I can so its all helping. I did get a reminder though that the quad that gives me a good bit of difficulty really doesn't like cycling either. Quite sore from about 10 minutes in until it warmed up after 40 minutes or so. I'd forgotten that the pedalling action really aggravated it.

I do realise the time goal is probably slipping away now. I'm slowly coming to terms with having to make peace with that fact. There is still a good bit of time to go, but I really don't want to go down the route of eating into taper time, even if the training volume has been low the last while. Its probably the worst two weeks of training to miss, immediately before taper is due to start. Anyway...

Tuesday 3rd October

Had an offer of a nice handy paced evening 5 miler. Everything felt fine to give it a go, but couldn't help feeling a little nervous. It's a fine art trying to get back on the road in time to salvage some training, but doing so too early could bring on worse issues... I debated pulling the plug a couple of times, but eventually decided it was 'sh!t or get off the pot' time. Selected a nice out and back route but miscalculated when sunset was so had to double back and do a small loop under street lights. The evenings are closing in. Can only mean the Autumn Marathon season is in full swing. No major issues. A bit of a tingling sensation in the Achilles throughout, particularly where the needle had been inserted, but no pain. I did expect there to be stiffness and pain tomorrow morning though, so iced it immediately on arrival home. 5 miles, 10:09 pace, 139 avg HR

Wednesday 4th October

Yay! Woke up and ... no pain or stiffness. I practically bounded down the stairs in happiness. The show might be back on the road. I don't want to jinx that though so I'm going to alternate days between the bike and the running for the next week at least. I'll just have to build it back up slowly and see where I'm at. One day at a time as they might say in other circles...

I had brought the bike and the gear to work in the car today. A cycle home from work is 26-30 miles in a westerly direction. I did notice on a few occasions that the breeze from that direction was stiffening over the course of the day, so had to do a bit of positive self talk to get on the road. For some reason I had chosen the quieter roads which meant a slightly longer route. I also didn't have the healthiest of lunches but I justified it as it was carb rich and pure fat fuel. I was due a treat food-wise anyway as I was very well behaved in the kitchen while the head chef was away. The cycle was torture. Its no fun cycling into a lively headwind alone with no-one to take a turn at sheltering you. The brain did spend some time trying to figure out ways that it could avoid cycling all the way home but failed, thankfully. It was a nice cycle in terms of having rural roads all to myself, but a real test of my will and patience with the wind. 30 odd miles in about 2 and a quarter hours.

Thursday 5th October

I had a couple of options open to me today, one of which was cycling to work. My arse and my quads were still feeling yesterdays efforts on the saddle so I went with a pre-work run. Woke before the alarm, Weetabix, coffee, stretch, and gone out the door by 6.30am. Pace was easy but the effort on the HR was higher. I presume the late dinner and the longer cycle had an impact. Tipped along anyway. Similar sensation to Tuesday evening, tingling at the site of the needle entry, but nothing to suggest running every second day for a while isn't doable. Ice pack on immediately on return home. I'm still getting 4/5 good stretches in per day, at sporadic enough intervals but it seems to be helping. I might be able to salvage something decent from this mess after all if I play it safe. I don't know exactly how much of an impact a 5 week taper is going to have, but we shall see. I'm hopeful of hitting double digits Saturday morning. Cycling to work tomorrow, where I'll hopefully have the wind at my back all the way in to make up for yesterday. 6.8 miles, 9:39 pace, avg HR 147

JohnDozer · 15-10-2017 09:11AM

Friday 6th October

Got home early enough today and headed off on the bike, aiming to do an hour easy. I don't recall too much about it other than managing to scale back the effort a bit and enjoying it a bit more, and then giving it a bit of welly on the downhill finish. I even made it into the top 10 on a local segment! That doesn't happening in running :-) 1hr 8 minutes, 17.4 miles

Saturday 7th October

The planned club run today was a 20 miler. It happened arising from a conversation about some of the older lads in the club, some of whom have significant marathon experience. Legend would have it that some of their training consisted of 4 loops of our own hilly club loop, giving 20 miles in total on a tough course. The sentiment was that it would be a good training effort, plus it would be a nice nod to those in the club whose training efforts don't exist on Strava, only in legend :-)

It started with a chat, one of the lads sent out the texts, plenty others jumped on boards, cakes were organised, and the end result was a crowd of about 40 gathering at the club for a promised tough run. It was nice to see as the club can often be broken up into different parts, and some from other clubs use the club as a meeting point for their own runs, so it was good to see it all pull together at the same time for once.

Anyway, with the way things have gone recently, along with the structure of the run being in loops, I figured I could give it a go and see how I got on. I hoped to get through 10 and on to the third lap if feeling good. And of course, an outside chance of making lap number 4.

Off we took anyway and I fell in straight away with a couple of the lads I run regularly with and the miles started falling away quite nicely. The pace eased up on the hill and crept up again on the downhill and so it went. The Achilles and calves were feeling a little tender but like previous times, possible to run on. At the end of the second lap, all was ok so we took on some water and continued on. The crack was good, the talk was dirty, and all the groups had gotten spread out so there was some traffic to help with the distraction. All through the run I had been dealing with sneaky thoughts wanting me to get to 20 miles if it was possible, so decision time was now creeping up as the end of the third lap neared. While I felt no better or worse than when I started, I could still feel the sting. Despite that, insane brain was back and was trying to convince me that if I did the 20 miler and got hurt, I'd still be in a better place than doing 15 miles and preserving myself slightly for next weeks training. Thankfully, I was running with a few sensible heads who advised me just to leave it at the 3 laps. I took a little convincing but I know it was the right thing to.

Changed off at the car boot and stretched out. Waited for the first of the ones that did 4 loops to arrive. Some people stayed for the food and some had to head off, but a decent crowd gathered for a chat. Stuck around for a little while but headed away back to West Clare shortly after for a celebration of the oul fella's 65th birthday.

15 miles, 8:46 pace, 153 avg HR

Sunday 8th October

Rest. Was fairly sick after last nights excess of food, stout and whiskey so hightailed it to the safety of home early in the morning and pretty much vegetated and overdosed on sugar for the day. Not good.

On a positive note, no particularly adverse reaction to yesterday. A little stiffness and tender to the touch, but I should be able to continue running every second day for now.

Monday 9th October

The body felt reasonably ok, but I think the brain decided it needed a bit of a flush out after Saturday night. I hadn't really a run plan as such, so that turned into a fart leak effort. A few surges in the first couple of miles, followed by 5 minutes or so at HMP, then a few 1 minute by 5k efforts and finished with a flourish with what was supposed to be a marathon pace mile but ended up a good bit faster. An entirely enjoyable workout and good to get a little bit of turnover back in the legs. 7.3m, 8:16 pace, 155 avg HR

Tuesday 10th October

I wasn't sure how much time I had for this, so I decided to go around the 10k loop near the house a few times. The first two miles were into a stiff breeze and then four miles with it either as a cross breeze or behind me. The plan was to take it nhave CEO and easy but I just couldn't prevent the intensity rising as each loop passed. I was conscious of noting the time the previous loop took, and trying to match or better it next time round. I must admit, I did enjoy it, apart from the quads taking a bit of a battering again despite the route being as flat as it could be. I really must get the bike setup done as I'd imagine this is contributing. 18ish miles, 1hr 8 minutes

Wednesday 11th October

Felt reasonably good this morning and had a few options open to me with running buddies, but I missed one possibility in the morning. I then debated meeting another one of the lads who wanted to run 16k in advance of his half marathon in Amsterdam at the weekend, but he wasn't running till 7pm which would mean knocking around work for an extra couple of hours. So I went home! Well, nearly home. I stopped off at the trail and headed off for a few miles. I initially had a plan of running at a very low HR but it quickly became apparent that would not be possible unless walking was involved so I adjusted things to try and just keep it at a moderate effort. The first half was climbing along the trail so the effort was being felt, but it was manageable. The lower calves were stinging a bit more than they had been recently. I put some of this down to the bit of climbing, which would put added pressure on the Achilles and calves. Was glad to turn and take the pressure off, and it certainly waded as soon as the gradient changed. Much like other runs recently, the HR data is reflective that the fitness levels are dropping. 10 miles, 8:37 pace, 150 avg HR

Thursday 12th October

Rest. Had thought about a cycle later in the day, but a restless night and a tough day at the office put paid to any notions of that. Plus, my quads are still sore after Tuesdays escapades. I did go to the sport shop to have a look at turbo trainers in order to continue with the bit of cycling over the winter months. The price!!!! Did a good session of foam rolling later in the evenings no, along with a few bouts of stretching.

Friday 13th October

Work took me in the direction of Waterford city today so planned a detour via the Waterford Greenway for a run, as I had been hearing some very good things about it. Earlier in the week I might have imagined knocking out a long-ish run but I settled on something around an hour. My brief enough research had shown a possible route that would take me over two viaducts and through a tunnel, no further research needed. Got the GPS for the car park and I was good to go. Pulled in on schedule (or so I thought!), braced myself for the rain and took off. Came upon the tunnel pretty much straight away, and it was just as impressive as they made it sound. The viaduct followed shortly after, although it is less impressive running on top. The photos from ground level are quite impressive. Got to the coast and it had been a while since the nostrils were assaulted with the smell of the ocean, so took that in a few lungfuls. Was sorry to turn at the two mile mark, but I wanted to see the other viaduct which was a mile from the start point. Again, less impressive from the top, but if more time allowed would certainly be worth a stopover. The second trip through the tunnel was no less enjoyable that the first time. I think I was very lucky, in that I seem to have maximised the scenery on the run for such a short run. Thumbs up to the Greenway, will definitely be back, I can see what all the fuss is about. On a less positive note, my HR relative to pace is still way higher than it would have been only a short month ago. 6 miles, 8:48 pace, 153 avg HR

Saturday 14 October

Travel, so no run. Will be hitting the Amsterdam marathon expo for a while and debating whether to have a go at the full here next year, as I know the drill by now, having done the half and the 8k race in other years. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm toying with the idea of running the half as a bandit. I've entered the 8k, but that was supposed to be a tune-up race. I'm in no condition to run 8k flat out, nor have I the motivation at present. I would sooner run the half and hope to get some fitness boost from a medium long run. I've no idea what pace I might even try and do.

JohnDozer · 19-10-2017 02:46PM

Sunday 15th October

Amsterdam Half

Sitting in a houseboat the day after the race, drinking beer, watching the world go by at 10am, writing a report.... I think I might come back for the full next year alright....

I did put a lot of thought into what to do here in advance. Well, by that I mean I spent a lot of time thinking but not a lot of time doing proper research and asking peoples opinions. As said, I entered the 8k in order to do as prescribed on the P&D55 plan, followed by a long run the day after. That was off the cards with a while so I did feel that running the half at something like a scaled back MP (realistically now I'm thinking having a go at something in the region of 3:40 might be doable on a good day, so scaled back in terms of the original pace that I was training for). I did try and change from the 8k to the half at the change distance desk at the expo, but it was only possible to change downwards, not the other way around, presumably due to the cash discrepancy of it. No issue with that I guess, I had a Plan A.

Fortunately, I ran both the 8k and the half here before, and had retained my numbers, and had brought them with me on this trip... Just in case, you know!? My buddy was also running the half (legally!) so I would be able to get a good luck at the number once he picked his up. Once I got to compare them, I knew straight away I had a number sorted for the race I now wanted to do. I think I would have been fairly paranoid if I had a bib that was very different from everyone else's.

I did read about race banditting before making my decision. Both from a moral point of view and also for good information about how to do it properly. I didn't feel too bad because I had entered one of the other races, I have supported the race itself twice in the past and probably will again in future. I damaged the timing chip so it wouldn't interfere with anyone who had a corresponding bib number this year. The only negative I can see is the corresponding entrant this year will have lots of pictures of me in them when finsherpix or marathonfoto or whoever it is emails them with their pics. I filled out the medical info so if anything did happen, no drama caused by mis-identification. In saying all that, I do know banditting in general is causing problems, and therefore I am contributing to the wider issue by participating. I probably shouldn't mention it on social media though!!

Anyway, decision having being made myself and my buddy got suited and booted and hit the metro around 12 noon for the 1.20pm start. I can't say we were feeling the most sprightly as the night before preparation was less than excellent! Well, sure with the run starting that late we had a bit of wiggle room with recovery time. Fairly familiar with where everything is so got there in good time. Hung around for a bit out on the road just sitting there enjoying the atmosphere. Left it last minute to go back in the starting pen. That was one downside to the bib. I had planned on a sub 1:40 time the last time I entered so that put me in wave 1. I didn't really want to run 1:40 today, but figured if I went at the back of the wave I wouldn't interfere with anyone. I shouldn't have worried, the Dutch are obviously as big a disaster as any other nationalities when it comes to honesty about expected finish time when looking to get in Wave One for races. Sub 1:50 with no further inflammation of anything would do me just fine.

Gun went bang on time. It took 3 minutes or so to cross the start line and the crowd spread out and narrowed in an ebb and flow as we moved from narrow street to wide road and back again. It was very noticeable by two miles in how warm it was. There had even been text communication from the organisers in relation to the expected 20 degree temperatures and the importance of pacing well and hydrating well, so you know you're in for a hot one when that happens. Especially when you're from Ireland and haven't ran in 20 degree heat since mid August sometime!

I was finding it very difficult to not get carried along by the crowd. This planned 8:22 pace was not going well. I was clicking off miles around the 8:00 minute mark. I was talking to myself about slowing down, that there was too much effort being put in two weeks out from DCM due to the heat and the high HR. I'd manage it for a minute or two and then find myself hovering around the 8:00 pace again. This basically went on for the first 5k, then the first 10k, the first 10 miles. I think by then I was fairly wrecked and I wasn't even able to make running related decisions anymore so I just tried to get home in one piece and get it over with. As an overall race experience I enjoyed it very much (in retrospect) but the actual race itself in terms of where I was mentally was quite annoying. In the aftermath, I think I'm now in a good place with what I'll get out of it, but those negative voices in your head while running can be really really challenging feckers sometimes....

The last 5k ended up being reasonably quick despite how tired I was. The combination of the excellently noisy crowds and my desire to just get the run done contributed to the faster finish. Crossed the line just under 1:44 with an average pace of 7:52. We will mention the heartrate some other time. Chilled out for a while around the start area awaiting an update from my buddy. Managed to meet up despite the crowds milling around. Had a short sit down and review, took off strolling then and there was some large crowds at the metro station so we just walked on the next metro, where we figured we would catch one coming from a different direction which would be less full with people coming from the race. It only partially worked, we still ended up on the same metro, just we were on first!

Got home, showered and out for a few well deserved beers and a stop off at one of Amsterdams finer establishments and leave the further analysis for some other time.

Monday 16th October

Rest. I think....

Tuesday 17th October.

Ditto. Oh no, wait, Travelled home :-(

Wednesday 18th October

I was anxious to start detoxing the system and resume some sense of normality so headed out mid morning for a very very easy out and back 4 miler. Noticed a bit of a temperature drop today, to the point where I returned indoors for a warmer garment before departing! Very easy pace and legs appear in as good a condition as they have been for quite some time. Now I just have to not do anything silly.... 4.1 miles, 9:37 pace, 137 HR

Thursday 19th October

I'd like to get 4 runs in this week, and I didn't run Monday or Tuesday (unconfirmed as yet, but I do suspect!) so this would require running two days in a row, which was a breach of my self imposed recovery protocol of every second day. For the first couple of hundred meters, it felt like it wouldn't be a good idea but things loosened out pretty quickly and all was good. I hadn't really finalised a distance, it was more a case of an outer lap of the town which could be shortened or extended depending on the mood or the inclination. Had a rough idea of a HR range I wanted to keep to. I was able to keep it first half of the run but it started to lift then with the addition of a few smaller inclines and then just an inability to slow the pace down to regulate the HR. I'd like to have a couple of extra gears alright.... I was enjoying the run but was also conscious of two consecutive days running which was mostly on hard concrete so didn't want to push the distance. Clocked in 6 more miles, 8:46 pace, 151 HR

I've 3:40 in the head now. To be honest, I'm not even sure what exactly I'm basing it on. I was training away for a 3:30 target, and secretly was thinking that if the rest of the training went well could be pushing on well under that. So I then had a disastrous last month or so, although getting back on track somewhat over the last week. So I don't know. I reckon I lost about 15 minutes worth of fitness, but I also reckon last weekend and the coming week will repair my fitness a little bit and strengthen me so I'm hoping 3:40ish is doable. As I said that's where the head is now.... 9 days to go!

hot buttered scones · 27-10-2017 04:05PM

Best of luck on Sunday - I hope it all goes well for you.

diego_b · 27-10-2017 10:11PM

Hope you have recovered well and best of luck with DCM.

From 20 a day to 3:30...

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