Starting at the Very Start

Firedance

FIFA2004 wrote: »

Thanks! Yup, malahide! Ah those hills are a killer, glad to see its not just me that thinks so! Especially the last one when ur so so close to the end and it come out of nowhere!

Fifa if you can venture a bit further both Fr. Collins & Poppintree are pancake flat

FIFA2004

Firedance wrote: »

Fifa if you can venture a bit further both Fr. Collins & Poppintree are pancake flat

I like the sound of that! Road trip

FIFA2004

Monday 26th October
5km
41.38mins
8.19min/km

Everyday should be a bank holiday! Not a nice morning for a run, but quite enjoyable anyway. Hope the weather isn't as bad in town for the marathon! Nothing much to say about this one, nice and easy. Realised that malahide castle is only 1,4km run from my door, so a world of new routes opened up to me.
Finished at the door to Starbucks... Would have be rude not to go in. Now for the walk home

FIFA2004

Tuesday 27th October
5km (3km fartlek)
40.27mins
8.05min/km

Decided to go out again tonight, need to get myself used to running in the dark after work! Nothing exciting to say really, faster than last week so hopefully that means there was more faster parts!

Was wondering how people would suggest putting together a more structured speed session? I've seen other people's sessions on here, but no idea how to do that for me with my (lack of) speed! When a session says 5 x 200 for example what does that actually mean?
Considering moving to a more structured speed session because I've a tendency to daydream and then realise I haven't ran fast in a while

mel.b

Fifa, this is what Myles Splitz suggested for me and i'd say it would be grand for you to:



10*1 minute @ 5k pace, 90 sec easy jog
6*2 min @ 10k pace, 90 sec jog
8*75 sec @ 5k pace, 90 sec easy jog
5*3 min @ 10k pace, 2 min jog
12*1 min @ 5k pace, 75 sec jog
4*4 min @ 10k pace, 2.30 jog
8*1 min hills hard, 2-3 min jog
3*5 min @ 10k pace, 3 min jog

So basically, week 1 is 10 reps of 1 min at your 5k pace with 90 sec jog between.

I'm still learning my paces so basically i just try and run the interval as fast as i think i can maintain it for the distance. Don't know if that is right though!

FIFA2004

Thanks for that mel.b, exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! Looks tough but I'll try the first one next week and see how I get on.
Yeah not sure on pace either, my 5k time isn't a whole lot quicker than my normal everyday kinda pace! So not sure I'd get much out of doing sessions based on that. I'd say I'll be sticking to what feels tough but manageable!

mel.b

That was exactly me, my 5k was the fastest i'd ever run, but because you are doing such short intervals you should be able to go faster.

The Muppet

FIFA2004 wrote: »

Thanks for that mel.b, exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! Looks tough but I'll try the first one next week and see how I get on.
Yeah not sure on pace either, my 5k time isn't a whole lot quicker than my normal everyday kinda pace! So not sure I'd get much out of doing sessions based on that. I'd say I'll be sticking to what feels tough but manageable!

Hi Fifa

You can get your training paces by inputting you times 5k time here and clicking calculate.

https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/

when people say 5 x 200 with 2 mins recovery for example it means they are running 200 meters 5 times with 2 minutes easy running to recover between the them

10*1 minute @ 5k pace, 90 sec easy jog as in step 1 in mel bs plan
would be a 1 minute runs at 5k pace from calculator with 90 seconds easy running to recover repeated 10 times.

I hope that's what you were asking and that helps



Your going well , I,m no expert but i think consistency is all important and you have that.

FIFA2004

The Muppet wrote: »

Hi Fifa

You can get your training paces by inputting you times 5k time here and clicking calculate.

https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/

when people say 5 x 200 with 2 mins recovery for example it means they are running 200 meters 5 times with 2 minutes easy running to recover between the them

10*1 minute @ 5k pace, 90 sec easy jog as in step 1 in mel bs plan
would be a 1 minute runs at 5k pace from calculator with 90 seconds easy running to recover repeated 10 times.

I hope that's what you were asking and that helps



Your going well , I,m no expert but i think consistency is all important and you have that.

Thanks for that, appreciate it that was my question exactly! Seems so obvious now!
The calculator is great, just to be absolutely certain, Id use the race section of what it gives out for 5k (so 7.44 when I put in a 5k time of 38.48) rather than the training part of the calculators repetitions section (7.04 with 38.48). Sorry for the stupid questions!
Really it probably doesn't make any amount of difference when ur running short distances at my speeds! Like you said it's all really just about keeping at it and trying to get out consistently

The Muppet

You put your Race distance and time in the top click calculate and then you get the paces you should be training at under the training tab. If you look at the equivelant tab it will estimate your pace for different distance given your 5 k time, I'm not sure how accurate that is though..

Here's what you get under your training times for your 38:44 5k race

Type|Pace/Mile|Pace/Km|400 Meters|200Meters
Easy|15:11 - 15:56|09:26 - 09:54| --| --
Marathon|13:43|08:31| --|--
Threshold|12:46|07:56|03:10|01:35
Interval|11:50|07:21|02:56|01:28
Repetition|11:26|07:06|02:50|01:25


Hope that helps.

I used to run nearly every run at the same pace up to a few two months ago but since I started running different runs at the different paces I can see and feel the improvement.

Again I'm no expert but I would imagine it would make a difference at all distances and speeds perhaps someone with a little more knowledge on the subject might answer that for you.

FIFA2004

The Muppet wrote: »

You put your Race distance and time in the top click calculate and then you get the paces you should be training at under the training tab. If you look at the equivelant tab it will estimate your pace for different distance given your 5 k time, I'm not sure how accurate that is though..

Here's what you get under your training times for your 38:44 5k race

Type|Pace/Mile|Pace/Km|400 Meters|200Meters
Easy|15:11 - 15:56|09:26 - 09:54| --| --
Marathon|13:43|08:31| --|--
Threshold|12:46|07:56|03:10|01:35
Interval|11:50|07:21|02:56|01:28
Repetition|11:26|07:06|02:50|01:25


Hope that helps.

I used to run nearly every run at the same pace up to a few two months ago but since I started running different runs at the different paces I can see and feel the improvement.

Again I'm no expert but I would imagine it would make a difference at all distances and speeds perhaps someone with a little more knowledge on the subject might answer that for you.

That's brilliant! Thanks for your help! now to go and do the running!

FIFA2004

Thursday 29th October
7.5km
66.36mins
8.53mins/km
8.18, 8.49, 8.52, 9.13, 9.02, 8.56, 8.58, 9.00

Day 2 of not letting the dark and cold stop me running! After last weeks long run went so well decided to try a tiny bit further this week. So slow I was almost going backwards but got there in the end! The middle was a drag, found it tough because I had so much left compared to usual. Apart from the mental aspect everything else went perfect, didn't struggle til the last 200m when I ended up running up a hill... Was grateful for the end then!

Realised there how positive these posts sound are a function of how long after the run I write them! Half way through I would have been saying how much I hate running now I'm thinking how great it is!

FIFA2004

Monday 2nd November
Interval session (1min 5k Pace, 90 seconds recovery)
4.24km
Interval splits: 6.24, 6.37, 6.37, 6.20, 6.22, 6.54, 6.13, 6.34, 6.48, 6.53

Got a few hrs sleep in work last night and after a few hours on the couch decided to give the first interval session a go, robbed from Mel.b's plan!
10 x 1min at 5k pace, which for me should be 7.44. Started with a five minute warm up. In hindsight should have done a longer warmup before starting. The fast sections were way too fast! Was kinda relieved when I saw that the splits were too fast cuz I found the session very tough... Next time will have to have the phone out to keep things a bit more even!

Plan is to try get a long run and a normal 5km in before heading on holidays on Saturday morning. Will bring my gear and see how I feel about getting a run in, if I do great. When I get back in gonna try to continue upping the long distances and keep going with the interval sessions

mel.b

Well done on the interval session and glad to see I'm not the only one who ran them way too fast!

FIFA2004

mel.b wrote: »

Well done on the interval session and glad to see I'm not the only one who ran them way too fast!

Thanks! Haha when I started this I never thought my problem would be going too fast!

Maximus Alexander

FIFA2004 wrote: »

Plan is to try get a long run and a normal 5km in before heading on holidays on Saturday morning. Will bring my gear and see how I feel about getting a run in, if I do great. When I get back in gonna try to continue upping the long distances and keep going with the interval sessions

If you are going somewhere warm be sure to run in the mornings or evenings. I made the mistake of running at midday in Lanzarote last year and the less said about it the better.

FIFA2004

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

If you are going somewhere warm be sure to run in the mornings or evenings. I made the mistake of running at midday in Lanzarote last year and the less said about it the better.

I'll keep that in mind thanks! In the US so not sure what the weather will be like, better than here I hope!

FIFA2004

Tuesday 3rd November
5km
37.16mins
7.27mins/km
7.55,7.24, 7.25, 7.04, 7.03

I have absolutely no idea how that happened!!!!! None at all! My fastest ever 5km, including the parkruns, by 1.30mins
I genuinely went out and didn't try to be fast, just ran at a speed that felt good... Well until the last km. I realised I was on for a good time, so between that and wanting to get away from a few dodgy looking characters by the lake the speed picked up.
Why it was so fast? Well I felt good the whole time which doesn't usually happen. It was a perfectly still night, no breeze at all. By accident more than design I ended up avoiding most of the hills and slopes and had a few down hills I wouldn't usually go down
Not gonna lie, really really really happy with that! Now to repeat it at a parkrun or jingle bells! And a swift return to running my training runs slowly... I promise!

FIFA2004

Wednesday 4th November
5km
43.45mins
8.45mins/km

So today was meant to be longer run day. Was short on time so decided on another 5. I knew realistically I'm not strong or fit enough for 3 days in a row but it's the only other day this week I can so figured I'd give it a go. Started out a bit fast, realised it wasn't gonna last so slowed down as much as I could, almost uncomfortably slow and just finished out the distance.

Work tomorrow, back to Dublin on Friday and Washington on Saturday for a long overdue holiday! Probably won't get out for a run while I'm away, it's only a week so hopefully I won't come back too much worse off than I am now!

Firedance

A week wont have any impact, enjoy the holiday!! Sounds fab

The Muppet

Look on your break as a stepback week ' they can be beneficial too. Enjoy your holiday Fifa.

FIFA2004

Thanks guys! I'll enjoy it all the better now

FIFA2004

Monday 16th November
5km
42.40mins
8.31 min/km
7.45, 9.08, 9.00, 8.25, 8.19

Came home yesterday morning, had vague thoughts of a short run yesterday, promptly fell asleep so that went out the window!
Went out this evening, Spotify wouldn't work and it started raining before I got to the top of the road so not the best start!
Nothing too exciting, started off too fast, took a while to settle in but by half way had found a decent pace for me.

Signed up for jingle bells the night before I left so that I'd have no excuse not to get straight back out. So that's the current aim, would love to get under 35 but that's probably way too optimistic! But gonna start back on Mel.bs interval sessions tomorrow to work towards getting faster. Along with doing a 8/9/hopefully some day 10km run a week too.
Looking at a race for around Christmas/early January to aim towards if anyone had any ideas on good ones?

Today was day 1 of my diet too. Decided at the start of couch to 5km that I wouldn't start on the diet side of losing weight until running had become a habit, in the pay I've dived into these things head first and then it falls apart just as fast because it's unsustainable. Not doing anything to drastic at the minute, cutting the crap out and trying to make better choices along with cutting portion sizes mainly. Writing things here has a way of making me do things so hopefully I can stick to it. Less to carry would make this running lark easier!

Sorry for the essay!

The Muppet

Welcome home fifa i hope you had a nice holiday. Good luck with the plan.


I was looking for a race over the Xmas holidays and came across this . It might interest you

http://clonliffeharriersac.com/xmas-cracker-5k/

FIFA2004

The Muppet wrote: »

Welcome home fifa i hope you had a nice holiday. Good luck with the plan.


I was looking for a race over the Xmas holidays and came across this . It might interest you

http://clonliffeharriersac.com/xmas-cracker-5k/

Hey! Thanks for that, looks perfect. Only down the road and might stop some of the indulgence at Xmas! Haven't ran in santry since getting made do an athletics competition when I was 10... Hopefully this won't be as much of a failure!
Only issue id have is the slowest time listed for last year was 35 mins, if there's a chance of me getting close to that I'll be there... But not sure coming last by a distance would do much for the confidence!

Maximus Alexander

Have a bit of faith in yourself You've a good few weeks to train for it yet and you'll run faster in a race like that anyway. Also, you mentioned changing your diet to drop a few pounds, well every pound you drop will make you a bit faster. Make it a target and it will drive you on, you might surprise yourself.

FIFA2004

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Have a bit of faith in yourself You've a good few weeks to train for it yet and you'll run faster in a race like that anyway. Also, you mentioned changing your diet to drop a few pounds, well every pound you drop will make you a bit faster. Make it a target and it will drive you on, you might surprise yourself.

It may be the post-qualifying-for-the-euros euphoria but starting to think you're exactly right!
So aim 1 jingle bells, aim 2 santry.... One of them has to be sub 35!

The Muppet

Go for it . as maximus says you will run faster in a race .

I don't post much about my own weight loss journey as its quite a personal subject but I used the myfitnespal app to help me in that regard and found it exteamly useful.

FIFA2004

The Muppet wrote: »

Go for it . as maximus says you will run faster in a race .

I don't post much about my own weight loss journey as its quite a personal subject but I used the myfitnespal app to help me in that regard and found it exteamly useful.

Thanks! Downloaded it there so will start tracking tomorrow!

FIFA2004

Tuesday 17th November
Interval 2: 6x2min 10k pace
Splits: 6.49, 7.02, 7.15, 7.17, 7.13, 7.24

So woke up today feeling properly sick, coughing and temps and stuff. And the weather was horrendous, really strong wind and rain.
But the new found determination to get under 35min (and an equally strong ability to procrastinate from studying!) meant I went out anyway. In hindsight probably a poor call.

Felt really tough the whole way, was fully expecting the numbers when I got home to be in the 8.30/9 range and to be able to explain that even thou the times was bad the effort was equal enough.
The splits turned out to be ok... I think the pace I should aim for is 7.05 (at least that's the interval time on the calculator, the 10km number is slower!) so wasn't a million miles away. Didn't expect them to be getting slower as I felt better at the end though. Did 1km warm up and cool down too. A warm shower has never felt so good!