Time.....is never time at all....v2

tomwaits48

hello friends,

It's time I started logging again. I previously had an account and log which I asked to be deleted a while back to preserve some privacy but happy to start up again....I won't say the old username but suffice to say you all use to slag my lovely hair and I'm still hooked up with a lot of you on strava.

This log will mainly stick to recording sessions and will focus less on trying to be entertaining, talking about life in general, or putting myself under undue pressure with lofty goals ;-)

I've been doing about 20-30 miles a week for the last year without racing but I've a window of opportunity to perhaps up my training now exams are finished so logging again will keep me honest.

The long term goal is a sub 3 marathon. I've seen a few of my peers on this forum achieve this over the past couple of years and I've been delighted to follow their progress.

Pbs are currently:

Marathon 3:17
Half 1.28
10k 39:4x
10 mile 66:XX
5k 19:17

I currently get to 1 speed session a week and do a long run at the weekends rotating between the Phoenix park or a mountain run around hellfire, Cruagh, the waterworks or tibradden.

Rest of my running is commuting in/out of work. It's probably not enough to go sub 3 but let's see how I get on. The main thing is to enjoy the running without pressure.

I'll strive for a weekly update from here on in.

tang1

Welcome back, best of luck with the new log.

Ososlo

Great to see you back! You need to update your Strava pb's btw!

Great username. Will be following your journey to your sub 3

wowzer

Good to see you back, bumping into me yesterday must have reignited something in you.

Regarding your goal, if I can do it then you defo can.

tomwaits48

a good week to kick things off -

Tuesday - 9 miles including 4 x (600,400s)

Wednesday - 3 miles runmute @ 8.23

Thursday - 10 x 400s - bumped into Wowzer on the way to this, was good to catch up

Friday - 3 miles am @ 8.03, 3 miles pm @ 8.40

Sunday - 16 miles long run @ 8.37

Today's long run was along the trails in the Phoenix Park, did it with the club which is something I rarely do and as a result I was brought along a new route for me of varying terrain. Really enjoyed it.

Need a race to gauge my fitness - haven't raced since the Frank Duffy last August. Will find something soon.

Back in Black

Welcome back. Love the username too

tomwaits48

April 4-10

Monday - 3 miles @ 8.15
Tuesday - 6 x 800s - 3.17,3.10, 3.06, 3.08, 3.01, 3.03
Thursday - 3 miles @ 8.13
Friday - 3 miles @ 7.49

15 miles in total. No weekend running due to unexpected trip away which meant I couldn't do the K Club 10k.


April 11-17

Monday - 3 miles @ 8.38
Tuesday - AM 3 miles @ 8.13 , PM 4.5 miles @ 8.15
Wednesday - 3 miles @ 7.57
Friday - AM 3 miles @ 8.36, PM 3 miles @ 8.19
Sunday - 18 miles long run @ 8.46

37 miles in total.

Delighted with this weeks long run, longest in over a year. So that's 3 x 16 and 1 x 18 mile long run in the past 5 weeks. Good going for me and sets me up well for the Achill Half Marathon in July.

Will probably have to do next week's long run on Sunday solo. Have a loose plan to head from Marley Park in the afternoon for a 16 mile run up the mountains around Kilmashogue and Ticknock. Anyone interested in tagging along drop me a message.

snailsong

Just spotted the new log, Tom. Good luck with it, I look forward to following your progress, similar goals to myself.

Also a big fan of the real Tom W. We should start a support group.:-)

tomwaits48

Monday - 3miles@8.18
Tuesday - am 3 miles @ 8.31, pm 8x400 in around 93 seconds each
Wednesday - 3 miles @ 8.30
Thursday - 3 miles @ 8.03 pm 6x400 in around 91 seconds each
Friday - 3 miles @ 8.37
Sunday - 16 miles @ 8.14

40 miles in total. Very happy with the weeks work, I am rocking the Sunday morning long run consistently. Clear progress over the past few weeks, best run of training for 18 months. The plan is to do the tallaght 5k next week. The tan is coming on well too with the sunshine this week. All good.

tomwaits48

Monday - 3 miles @ 7.41
Tuesday - 3 x (4 x 200)
Wednesday - 3 miles @ 8.21
Thursday - 4 miles @ 8.30
Friday - 3 miles @ 8.13
Sunday- 3.1 miles @ 6.23 (Tallaght AC 5k 19:52)

39 miles in total. Tallaght 5k today was a tale of two halves. I was pretty pumped up for my first run of the year and decided that I would try to tackle this course head on and go out fast and try and hold on. I'll let the splits tell the story from here;

Mile 1 - 5.47
Mile 2 - 6.19
Mile 3 - 6.59

Oh dear! I plainly started out at a pace that was unsustainable, letting the adrenaline take over and duly suffered. By Mile 3 I was in agony with a stitch, resulting in a laboured, painful finish.

On the plus side its the fastest 1 mile and 2 mile splits I have ever recorded, on the downside I was hoping to get much closer to the low 19s.

Still, it felt good to be back racing and with a smarter race strategy next time I'm sure I can chip away on that time. Looking at the Enfield 5k in a few weeks.

Very well organised race, I'll be back.

tomwaits48

Monday- 10 miles Medium long run @ 8.26
Tuesday - 3 x 1 miles 6.40,6.39,6.47
Wednesday - 3 miles easy @ 8.25
Thursday - 6 miles easy @ 8.46
Saturday - gym
Sunday - 16 mile long run @ 8.25

41 in total

Another solid week and good long run in the bank. Reading the sub 3 thread on the main forum has me daydreaming about progression. Have a few hairy weeks with work coming up so will be a challenge to get miles in but ill do my best.

Had a decent run Monday up to kilmashogue until a holy mother of a hail storm hit me, literally had to dive intonsome hedging to protect the face from rock size stones!

Tuesday, caught the lunch time session with the trinity racers. Was a little disheartened with the slow pace. Find these lunch sessions tough, its as if the morning office work has sapped my energy.

Sunday, usual highlight of the week, enjoyable run the the club. I've been running with a consistent cohort on these long runs which is great for dragging you along. The humidity made it a rather sticky affair in the phoenix park.

tomwaits48

Poor week. Something was not quite right with me, I had to suspend/abandon runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday as I just had no energy at all. Was a busy week in work so maybe that's what caused it. I cancelled all weekend running including Sunday's long run to freshen up.

Monday - AM 3 miles @ 8.19, PM 5.5 miles @ 8.17
Tuesday - AM 3 miles @ 8.30, PM 2 miles ABANDONED
Wednesday - 2 miles - ABANDONED
Friday - 8 miles at 8.34 but had to walk 2 miles halfway through.

18 miles in total

tomwaits48

Race Report – Bob Heffernan 5k – 19.25

Taking the weekend off was a good idea as I felt back to normal driving out to Enfield after work on Tuesday.

Parking and registration was seamless and I soon found myself catching up with loads of familiar faces both from boards and other clubs. Felt good to be back socialising on the race scene. Pre- race I felt I could maybe hold a pace of around 6.15-6.20 which would bring me in around 19.30 and I had resolved to start off much more sensibly after racing out of the blocks at the Tallaght 5k recently.

Start line was very amateur/farcical but I was pre warned about this and made sure I was close to the front row. Off we went, settlling nicely into a comfortable groove down the main road. Mile 1 was 6.10. We then turned onto a minor secondary road where I then began to feel the strain and the pack I was in began to spread out. Recognising that I would be ill advised to enter into the Red Zone this early I stepped off the gas slightly for a more sustainable pace. Mile 2 6.22

This proved a good decision as I got a second wind approaching the final section. I regained 5 or 6 places and noticeably picked up the pace however I may have surged too early as with about 600m to go I developed an awful side stitch. I trundled on losing any sort of composed form pressing my hand into the side of my stomach and taking deep breaths. Eventually I got to the finish line after some encouragement from other races and spectators who could see my obvious discomfort and was pretty happy to note I didn't bleed too much time, final mile 6.10, finish time 19.25.

On reflection I’m happy with my performance, gaining 20 seconds on my Tallaght time 2 weeks ago and close to a PB. Bodes well for the summer.

Nice spread and atmosphere afterwards making this a good proper old fashioned race. None of the needless bells and whistles and fitness instructor/dance warms ups you see at other races.

tang1

Well done, think I was in your company for few minutes Tuesday evening talking to overpronator and BackinBlack.

adrian522

Well done S, might see you down the club at some stage? Also the site will need a race report!

AuldManKing

you're going well, I'm keeping an eye on Strava - some good sessions & long runs in there.
Dunboyne on Tuesday 31st - you need a lift home?

tomwaits48

tang1 wrote: »

Well done, think I was in your company for few minutes Tuesday evening talking to overpronator and BackinBlack.

ah yes, I remember you, I must make sure to introduce myself properly the next time.

adrian522 wrote: »

Well done S, might see you down the club at some stage? Also the site will need a race report!

Hi Adrian, I've been making the weekly Sunday club runs but the mid week sessions are harder to get to with work etc. Should be down occasionally over the next while though, will have to make a call of weather to follow the clubs marathon plan or not. I was thinking of doing a race report but there was only 1 other club member present as far as I know so didn't think there would be much interest and I don't have any photo's.

AuldManKing wrote: »

you're going well, I'm keeping an eye on Strava - some good sessions & long runs in there.
Dunboyne on Tuesday 31st - you need a lift home?

Thanks. Gonna drive myself this year (thank god says you) so I'd be happy to return the favour and pick you up this year!

adrian522

tomwaits48 wrote: »

Hi Adrian, I've been making the weekly Sunday club runs but the mid week sessions are harder to get to with work etc. Should be down occasionally over the next while though, will have to make a call of weather to follow the clubs marathon plan or not. I was thinking of doing a race report but there was only 1 other club member present as far as I know so didn't think there would be much interest and I don't have any photo's.

Nice one, I'm pretty much the opposite showing up Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday (or 2 of those 3) but not making the weekend run.

I think I'm heading to Dunboyne too all going well.

adrian522

I notice there's a race report up there now in any case. You're off the hook!

tomwaits48

adrian522 wrote: »

I notice there's a race report up there now in any case. You're off the hook!

Pretty good report so it is too!

tomwaits48

May 16-22

• Monday - 3 miles easy @ 8.27
• Tuesday - Bob Heffernan 5k Race - 19.25
• Wednesday- 3 miles easy @ 8.31
• Thursday - Session with TT Racers - 10 x 400 Splits : 93,89,91,90,90,92,88,90,91,92
• Friday - 3 mies easy @ 8.25
• Sunday - 14 miles medium long run @ 8.45

34 miles in total.

Took Tuesday's positive momentum into a good hard session on Thursday. Was aiming for around 90 seconds on each 400 which I hit so happy days.

Sunday, I missed the club long run due to going out for a few beers Saturday night. I managed to get out in the evening and surprisingly got a 2 hour run in. I've certainly come on over the last 2 months. However, pace was slower than usual owing to the hangover/dehydration.

Note to self : cop on! No point killing yourself 6 days of the week only to mess up the most important run of the week!

Hoping to get 2 sharp sessions in this week ahead of the Dunboyne 5 mile next week.

tomwaits48

May 23-29

• Monday - 3 miles easy @ 8.30
• Tuesday - 3 x 2k : 6.45, 6.44, 6.39
• Wednesday - AM 3 miles easy@ 8.25, PM 3 miles easy @ 9.15
• Thursday - 6 miles easy inclusing 2 mile fartlek @ 7.25
• Friday - 5 miles easy @ 8.21
• Sunday - 10 miles easy @ 9.00

Tuesday was a big session for me, I was aiming to hit 6.20ish / 5k race pace and as you can see I fell short. It was still a good hard workout though. I'll still aim to target 6.20ish miles in Dunboyne this week to try and get under 32 minutes.

33 miles in total.

Starting to also think about marathon plans...will need to decide between the Sportsworld, Trinity Racers or P & D plan....or maybe a combination of all three?!

adrian522

What marathon are you targeting?

AuldManKing

tomwaits48 wrote: »

Starting to also think about marathon plans...will need to decide between the Sportsworld, Trinity Racers or P & D plan....or maybe a combination of all three?!

I'll see you in Dunboyne!

Be careful of combining the plans as each may have different aspects attached to it. You'll spend a lot of time wondering if 'that' session is better than 'this' session or why is that like that and not like this.

tomwaits48

adrian522 wrote: »

What marathon are you targeting?

Dublin - goal is to claim the 3.10 I should have done in 2014!

adrian522

I'd be interested to see what you decide with your plan. The BAA plan is one I've been looking at too if you want to add to the options you are considering:

http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/boston-marathon-training-plan/level-four.aspx

tomwaits48

Race Report - Dunboyne 5 mile - 32:32

Superbly organised race as always. The plan was to go out around 6.20 to get home under 32 minutes (PB on this course from 2014 is 31:45)

Splits:

1 6.21
2 6.24
3 6.32
4 6.43
5 6.30

A shade disheartening result on paper, but a good effort nonetheless. I felt I was running fine in the first 2 miles albeit I soon felt very thirsty...the heat obviously played a factor and from talking to people afterwards most people were a little slower than hoped. I didn't realise I had slowed in the fourth mile until the split flashed up...I was running in the same group so we must have collectively eased off.

A couple of takeaway points to note:

• The big difference between my training in 2016 v 2014 is no structured strength training. I definitely felt that helped me improve back in 2014 so maybe that has a part to play. The glute muscles aren't as strong now as they where then.
  
• Another point to note is that, after my recent 5k, it was mentioned to me that I might me loosing concentration mid race if I can finish the last mile faster than my average pace, as I did then and in last night's race. I might switch the watch to KM's next time to receive more regular feedback mid race.
  
• I developed a stitch again during the last mile....must research why that is happening in races.

Fair play to all involved in organising the event.

I wouldn't mind having a crack at the Irish Runner 5 mile in (hopefully) cooler conditions. I missed the sign up date so if anyone hear's of a spare number floating around drop me a PM please

AuldManKing

tomwaits48 wrote: »

I wouldn't mind having a crack at the Irish Runner 5 mile in (hopefully) cooler conditions. I missed the sign up date so if anyone hear's of a spare number floating around drop me a PM please

Check it out again - I think they extended the date to today (World Running Day - seen something on the Irish Runner FB page.
Nice racing last night - good to catch up.

tomwaits48

AuldManKing wrote: »

Check it out again - I think they extended the date to today (World Running Day - seen something on the Irish Runner FB page.
Nice racing last night - good to catch up.

good man, registered there.

tomwaits48

Race Report - Irish Runner 5 mile - 33:38

Very bad day at the office. In fairness I have been away abroad with work for a few nights so came into this a little tired and not having ran sharply since the Dunboyne race.

The aim was simple as always - 6.20 pace. Splits were

1. 6.08
2. 6.26
3. 6.36
4. 6.54
7. 7.10

A total collapse :-( I got a stitch again, this time in Mile 3, and I totally fell apart as a result. I reckon a poor diet, lack of hydration and unsustainable pace is probably the cause.....perhaps I need to stop striving for the times I use to achieve and focus on where am I currently.

Planning to do Dunshaughlin 10k on Saturday. I went sub 40 here for the first time last year. Doubt I'l get close to that on current form.

Going to "start" a Marathon plan the next week and forget about jumping between groups and sessions...The Jack Daniels 2Q plan is currently prominent in my thinking, with P & D second. Looking back over my logs my biggest gains came in April - August 2014 when I was doing the Jack Daniels 4week plan....the 2Q one is a variant of this.....either way I will train by HR mainly and let the pace be what it is.....

AuldManKing

tomwaits48 wrote: »

Race Report - Irish Runner 5 mile - 33:38

Very bad day at the office. In fairness I have been away abroad with work for a few nights so came into this a little tired and not having ran sharply since the Dunboyne race.

The aim was simple as always - 6.20 pace. Splits were

1. 6.08
2. 6.26
3. 6.36
4. 6.54
7. 7.10

A total collapse :-( I got a stitch again, this time in Mile 3, and I totally fell apart as a result. I reckon a poor diet, lack of hydration and unsustainable pace is probably the cause.....perhaps I need to stop striving for the times I use to achieve and focus on where am I currently.

Planning to do Dunshaughlin 10k on Saturday. I went sub 40 here for the first time last year. Doubt I'l get close to that on current form.

Going to "start" a Marathon plan the next week and forget about jumping between groups and sessions...The Jack Daniels 2Q plan is currently prominent in my thinking, with P & D second. Looking back over my logs my biggest gains came in April - August 2014 when I was doing the Jack Daniels 4week plan....the 2Q one is a variant of this.....either way I will train by HR mainly and let the pace be what it is.....

Tough run in the 5 miler - but you finished it, so a good tempo session ahead of Dunshaughlin.
I made a huge mental jump by stopping being worried about where I was and concentrate on where I am right now.
For the 10k this week, pick a time like sub 42 (or 41:30) and try to do it with a negative split.
Maybe start out the 1st mile slower than planned ave pace - I done that in Dunboyne and felt great all the way through. When I look at my best races in the past, the 1st mile is always the slowest.

If you have it in the tank in the last 2 miles you'll gain the time back rather than fading like you did in the 5 miler.

For the marathon plan - what were you doing before you done the JD 4 week plan that made that effective. Is endurance a bigger issue for you this year that may imply P&D being a consideration??

feel free to ignore this as well

tomwaits48

Race Report - Dunshaughlin 10k - 41.52

A full two minutes slower than last year, which is hard to take really but it is what is is.

Had a good chat with AulmanKing pre race about his advice posted during the week, but to my own fault, I failed to heed his advice. Adrenaline got the better of me at the start line and once again I tried to maintain a 6.20 pace.....here's the splits

6.23
6.35
6.42
6.39
7.03
6.48

A sad sorry affair, with a familiar fade and stitch to boot.

Back to the drawing board for me.....don't think I have the confidence to follow the Jack Daniels plan now so I may enter the warm familiar embrace of P & D 55/18 and go right back to basics. Recent races have at least given me good tempo workouts in preparation for those LT sessions.

tomwaits48

Decision made : P & D 18/55 it is. There are too many variables involved with trying to fit a plan around the 2 groups I train with so I’m going to go back to the plan that has given me my current marathon PB of 3.17.

I will need to make a couple of tweaks to it fit around my schedule -

• Some General Aerobic runs may need to be split in two - AM and a PM. Reading the book I think this is ok as these runs are mainly to build overall volume.
• The LT sessions may have to be at lunch which means only getting the actual tempo miles - I’ll need to fill in the other miles at other times in the week, probably on the commute.
• I will incorporate some additional MP sections in the longer MLRs towards the end of the plan

To keep it simple and to focus the mind on the key sessions I’ve put together a condensed version of the schedule.

Week Long Run Q1 Q2 Total
20th June 17 12 9 4 LT 33
27th June 16 13 w 8 @ MP 10 36
4th July 15 14 10 4 LT 40
11th July 14 15 10 42
18th July 13 16 w 10 @ MP 10 5 LT 45
25th July 12 12 8 37
1st Aug 11 18 11 5 LT 50
8th Aug 10 20 12 6 LT 54
15th Aug 9 16 w 12 @ MP 14 48
22nd Aug 8 14 8 5 x 800 43
29th Aug 7 20 12 7 LT 55
5th Sept 6 17 12 5 x 600 55
12th Sept 5 18 w 14 @ MP 12 5 x 1000 52
19th Sept 4 17 11 5 x 600 53
26th Sept 3 20 11 4 x 1200 52
3rd Octt 2 16 6 5 x 600 45
10th oct 1 12 5 3 x 1600 32
17th Oct 0 7 with 2 @ MP 22
24th Oct


I’ve started this week to give me a 1 week buffer. Will probably need this as I have work travel in September.

Let's see how I get on - If I can get 90% of the sessions in the table done I'll be happy.

tomwaits48

Monday - Recovery - 4.5 miles @ 8.55

A gentle start to the plan which was needed as legs were quite stiff. When I got home I did a flexiblity DVD I had been ignoring for months. I was amazed at how restricted my flexibility was in certain areas, which leads me to believe my stride has no doubt suffered in recent races owing to poor form. I’m also nearly half a stone heavier than last summer which came as an awful shock!! Bit of a wake up call, I’ll be scheduling flexibility and stretching sessions as often as possible on recovery days

Tuesday - General Aerobic 3+6 miles = 9 @8.40

These are the bread and butter miles in the P&D plan. I will need to split these runs up at times, like today. I did three on the way to work in the morning and the 6 in the evening. Felt grand throughout.

Thursday - Lactate Threshold - 6.5 miles @ 7.38

I headed out Thursday evening with a sense of foreboding as I was poorly hydrated and very tired owing to a late night watching the Ireland match on Wednesday. Having said that, once I got stuck into the session I was fine.

I purposely picked a very familiar and flat route to do this, to build confidence. My HR monitor wasn’t working so I ran by feel....”comfortably hard” the book says...Splits are below

6.51
6.50
6.58
6.45

Some of these miles are faster than what I managed in recent 5mile / 10k races so I am happy with the effort. In fact, I found the session perversely enjoyable and took a great deal of satisfaction from finishing it at a consistent pace. I was wilting certainly during the 3rd mile to be fair but I hung on in to finish strong. Actually looking forward to the next LT session.

Friday - Recovery 3 miles @ 8.40

Standard commute to make up the easy miles.

Sunday - Medium Long Run - 12 miles @ 8.55

After a day’s rest and six 16miles+ long runs in the bank already I was expecting the first long run of the plan to be easy. How wrong I was! For whatever reason the legs just weren’t in the mood for this so I had to grind these miles out. Glad to get it done in the end, I will need to nudge the pace up next time.

tomwaits48

question...

I'm in Achill next weekend and was planning to do the Half Marathon as my Long Run which is conveniently enough 13 miles with 8 @ MP. Kind of tempted to race it all out instead now.....

Which is the better training stimulus?? Race or just do the prescribed MP session?

belcarra

The Achill HM is very hilly so if you are going to race it you will be working at an even more intense level than for a flattish HM.
I would leave the decision down to how tired you feel, as if you race it you could well be wiped for the following few days and that will eat into your subsequent training. Plus, you are unlikely to PB on that course.
If you stick to plan you should have no such issues.

However, then again, sometimes it's just fun to race and you are at the very beginning of the plan so the schedule should still be quite manageable for you.

I signed up for DCM last week so will be interested to follow your progress. I'm currently about 14lbs heavier than where I wanna be so hopefully I manage to shift a couple of pounds a week over the next couple of months! PBs have not been on the horizon for the past 18 months so time to focus at last!

tomwaits48

Week 2

• Monday - Recovery - 4 miles @ 9.00 + Flexibility DVD
• Tuesday - General Aerobic - 10 miles @ 8.32
• Wednesday - Recovery - 3 miles @ 8.58
• Thursday - 3 miles easy with 10 x 100 strides @ 9.00
• Saturday - Marathon Pace - 13.1 miles @ 7.17 at the Achill Half Marathon (35th place)

A solid week which ended with the Achill Half Marathon. I was caught between two stools in so far as I wanted to race it and felt I could get more bang for my buck in a race environment than the scheduled session of 13 with 8@MP. In the end I settled on not racing it, do the first 8 miles at MP and if feeling ok continue on at MP. That’s how it worked out. I am aiming for a marathon pace of around 7.10-7.15 all going well so that's what I targeted.

I’d rank this course alongside the Connemarathon in terms of difficulty, but also, sheer beauty. The race begins from a small coastal village and by miles 2 and 3 you are running into a significant climb. The weather was quite muggy and windy and I was soon feeling rather hot, thirsty and uncomfortable. Miles 1-3 : 7.09 , 7.24 , 7.41.

Thankfully there was ample water tables which enable me to cool down and re-hydrate. Around mile 4 the route goes downhill and in the process we were greeted with spectacular views of the surround sea, mountains and island. I kept the effort levels consistent and the pace began to naturally increase on the declines - Miles 4-6 : 6.48, 6.42, 7.01

Around the half-way point and after a change in direction things became trickier as rolling hills emerged alongside a nasty headwind. The heat in the air had disappeared and now I was suddenly very cold. Miles 6-9: 7.25, 7.38, 7.33, 8.00

Although tired I was feeling in the zone so I opted to continue at existing effort and close out the MP session. Around Mile 10 the 10k participants rejoined the route which I found helpful as I had been running solo for the entire race. Zipping by the back end of the 10k field helped put a spring in my step and I ended up finishing the race strongly, which maded for a nice change!
Miles 10-13 6.59, 7.34, 6.57. Finish time of 1.35.30

An excellent race, one which I would highly recommend. I noted afterwards that my half PB would have earned me a Top 10 finish so perhaps I’ll return next year to race it flat out, only 9 people got under 1:30 which shows how challenging the course is.

tomwaits48

Week 3:

• Tuesday - 4 miles recovery @ 9.00
• Wednesday - 6.5 miles w/ 4 Lactate Threshold - 6.43, 6.47, 7.05, 6.46
• Thursday - 10 miles general aerobic @ 8.59
• Friday - 3 miles recovery AM, 3 miles recovery PM @ 8.42
• Saturday - 14 miles long run at 8.52

I had to dig deep to complete this week's schedule, cramming it all into 5 days owing to real life commitments.

Wednesday's LT session was tough - some of Achill's efforts were still in the legs so the pace on this session was a shade slower than Week 1's session.

Thursday's general aerobic effort was a slow slog. I had to do this directly after a very busy day at work and I was shattered as I set out to the Poolbeg Lighthouse from the city centre. I collapsed onto the couch when I got home and watched the football in a almost comatosed state.

Friday required doubles if I was to make the weeks mileage target. 3 in to work, 3 out of work, job done.

Yesterday's long run was tough. I headed to the Phoenix Park in the afternoon and I knew within 5 minutes I was in for a rough ride. Sore shins, residual tiredness, heat, humidity and wind made for a hard run. I resorted to listening to music and promising myself 2 drink stoppages to get through the session. Got there eventually.

40 miles done, all sessions complete....just about!!

adrian522

Should your recovery pace be slower or should your GA pace be quicker?

tomwaits48

adrian522 wrote: »

Should your recovery pace be slower or should your GA pace be quicker?

ga pace would ideally be quicker really

adrian522

Was thinking that, I would have thought the recovery the day after the session would work better with the GA on the Friday.

tomwaits48

DCM 2016 Week 4

• Monday - Recovery 5.5 miles @ 8.45
• Tuesday - Recovery 5 miles @ 8.46
• Thursday - General Aerobic 10 miles @ 8.51
• Friday - Recovery 2 miles @ 9.10
• Saturday - 3 miles including 10 x 100 strides.
• Sunday - Medium Long 15 Miles @ 8.10

A good week, I managed to get all my miles in despite an overnight in Brussels for work. I made a conscious decision to increase the effort level on this week's long run which is reflected in +30 seconds in pace, which is satisfying. I am starting to notice the benefit of those mid week General Aerobic 10 milers, they are tough if already tired, but not too tough that you can't complete them.

If anyone has a spare number for the Fingal 10k drop me a line. I can offer a lift in return.

AuldManKing

Your going well there, Mr D.

tomwaits48

AuldManKing wrote: »

Your going well there, Mr D.

cheers pal, I have you to thank for putting me on the straight and narrow after our chat in Dunshaughlin.

tomwaits48

Week 5 :

I’m in a good space at the moment, the momentum that arises from the progressive element of the plan is driving me forward, stretching me each week in a good way. I avoided the temptation to do the Fingal 10k to remain faithful to the plan which worked out well in the end.

• Monday - 3 miles recovery @ 9.15
• Tuesday - 10 miles general aerobic @ 8.53
• Wednesday - 3 miles easy @ 8.31
• Thursday - Lactate Threshold 9 with 5 @ 6.55
• Friday - 3 miles recovery @ 9.00
• Sunday - Marathon Paced Run 16 with 10 MP @ 7.24

The MP run was a highlight. I did these miles over the last 10m miles of the DCM course which is the ideal way to train with race specificity in mind. I had to dig deep in the usual sections we are all familiar with...coming up through Clonskeagh....Roebuck hill and for me, the stretch on Merrion Road always feels like it takes forever...I had a pace range of 7.10-7.25 in mind and happy to come in on average at 7.24, which is almost identical to the pace I achieved on my marathon PB, so I am in good shape for this stage of the plan. I collected 5/6 strava PB’s on this run which is always pleasing considering I’ve ran this route many times in the past 3/4 years.

That brings an end to cycle 1, I’m due a recovery week this week. However, as I am away next week I am going to swap the weeks around and get stuck into week 1 of cycle 2 this week and take the recovery next week, which is more natural break for me. Cycle 2 looks a little daunting in terms of getting all the workouts/sessions done (particularly the mid week ones) but I’ve managed a 100% success rate so far so long may it continue

tomwaits48

Week 6 :

Outside my usual weekly update, I want to update seperatly on my 2 sessions so far this week:

On Tuesday I ran 11 miles medium long run @ 7.47. This is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. Firstly I am usually quite tired heading into the mid week longer runs, my legs usually feel heavy, and the run is a bit of slog with the average pace in this training cycle being arounxd 8.30-9.00. This Tuesday was completly different, I went out with the same effort levels in mind but I felt really light on my feet, the run itself felt effortless, form was good, and i generally had a rather fantastic run. Great. Spilts below:

1. 7.47
2. 7.32
3. 7.52
4. 7.55
5. 8.19
6. 7.33
7. 7.13
8. 7.35
9. 7.37
10. 8.05
11. 8.11

Last night I did 10 miles with 5 miles Lactate Threshold @ 6.33. I've been enjoying these LT runs with my pace in the 4 LT sessions so far hovering around 6.50-6.55. Last night's pace was 6.33 - 5 miles in 32:54. To put that into context that's a faster time than my Irish runner 5 mile race a few weeks back where I ran full tilt. Just like Tuesday, my legs felt great, really light in my feet, form was good and I actually felt like I was running really fast but at similar effort levels as before. Splits

1. 6.31
2. 6.36
3. 6.24
4. 6.48
5. 6.25


I could just be having a one off good week but the signs bode well. The Frank Duffy 10 mile in a couple of weeks will be a good barometer of where I truely am fitness wise but it feels like I am getting back to my peak of summer 2014. Who knew sticking to an actual plan would work?

AuldManKing

Delighted to see the progress.

My coach always tells us (and I dont listen) that the time to look after yourself with S&C stuff and massage is when things are going very well. We always do it when things are going bad (injury) but rarely when its going well.

they are super splits for the 2 runs last week - great effort on the tempo.

As I'm currently in between recovery from injury and starting a plan - reading your log makes me want to do P&D!

tomwaits48

AuldManKing wrote: »

Delighted to see the progress.

My coach always tells us (and I dont listen) that the time to look after yourself with S&C stuff and massage is when things are going very well. We always do it when things are going bad (injury) but rarely when its going well.

they are super splits for the 2 runs last week - great effort on the tempo.

As I'm currently in between recovery from injury and starting a plan - reading your log makes me want to do P&D!

cheers pal, if you want to hook up for a long run in the PP some Sunday morning give me a shout.

tomwaits48

Finished off week 6 with 18 miles long run @ 8.18. I ran 10 miles of this with the club at a decent clip of 8.06 which again is about 30 seconds per mile faster than normal. One thing to note though is that I've had sore shins and pretty bad doms for 3-4 days since. Thankfully I am into the recovery week this week.

Only found out afterwards that my comedy hero bill burr was also in the park Sunday morning before his gig that night, would have loved to have stopped for a chat. The gig was unreal.

AuldManKing

I've noticed my glutes recently playing up. Guess we need to do more S&C work as the miles increase (......that's not Scotch & Coke btw)

tomwaits48

Week 7 was my first recovery week and it was certainly needed.

• Tuesday - 4 miles recovery @ 8.49
• Thursday - 5 miles recovery @ 8.41
• Friday - 8.5 miles general aerobic @ 7.36 :eek:
• Saturday - 4 miles recovery with 10 x 100 strides
• Sunday - 14 miles medium long run @ 8.17

So looking at the pace on Friday and Sunday it appears my recent improvement was not a fluke. I won't get too carried away yet until I see how I get on in the Frank Duffy Saturday week. As my HR monitor is not working I've been running the sessions mostly on effort gauge and the pace is hitting the right spots. Let's see. My legs are very sore and tight at the moment so I spent a good hour on Sunday in my local gym sitting in the sauna, jacuzzi and steam room.

This week I am into a heavy week including a 12 mile MLR, 6 mile LT and 20 mile long run. I am a little apprehensive about the long run as I haven't hit 20 miles in one run since 2014. I will take it slow and handy.

By the way, on Sunday as I headed to the park for my long run, I couldn't get by the Rock n Roll race traffic in Kilmainham so I just joined in with the race and ran the course from miles 5 to 11 milking the unwarranted kudos and water stations, hehehe....there was some carnage at the back end of the field where I was....cues for portaloos! people texting! people taking pictures! and some really awful, awful rock bands for 9am of a Sunday morning. Was very windy out there which must have made it very difficult for those racing