Berlin Q or Bust: Road to sub 2:45

healy1835

Thanks gents. Reading back over that update, it seems a bit downhearted! I was just being matter of fact about the Tue and Thu feeling hard this week, wasn't too put out by them :) I definitely feel like the fitness is moving along nicely. I'm quite relaxed about my training right now and just happy to tick off the weeks and land down in Limerick in May ready to run whatever is in the legs on the day.

squinn2912

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121788213#Comment_121788213

Your outlook is very refreshing. You seem very chilled about your running and happy to be doing it rather than putting pressure on everything. I think that is a very healthy approach to take and not straightforward to get into that mindframe! A very decent week’s work. I’m keeping an eye on strava and enjoying seeing your work. Finally back doing a bit of decent running myself and this is all very motivating so thanks for sharing.

healy1835

Limerick Marathon Week 7

Life is busy right now, things fraying at the edges a little but we're keeping the show on the road.

Monday 19th February: 10k Easy: 53:06@5:18/km

Tuesday 20th February: Session: 3x1600: 13k: 59:04@4:31/km

Really tight for time and headspace for this one. I think if I go again with Hansons next time out I might have to look at the SOS sessions being on Fri & Sun with the long run on a Wednesday. Might take a bit of juggling on a Wedesday, but is probably more workable. Certainly during term time anyway.

I didn't have too much opportunity to think about this session. 3 by a mile on paper doesn't look like a lot and the 600m seem generous in comparison to some sessions I've done in the past, but once again, I'm happy that they are just another part of the overall plan.

I made a hames of setting up the (fairly straightforward) interval settings on my watch so had to set up a new activity after the first rep (5:45). The second rep was where things really started to get going. I managed to get taken out by a lovely old lady's dog lead which resulted in me crashing rather ungainly to the ground. I went down shoulder first and miraculously, apart from a ripped t shirt, I escaped in realtive rude health. Dusted myself off and continued with the rep! (5:44). Started to feel the couple of bumps during the last rep (5:50), but finished out the session. Felt okay overall. Again, I'm just hitting the arbitrary paces for these ones and not really over analysing how much harder, or easier, I could be running these reps

Wednesday 21st February: 4 Miles Easy: 35:13@5:28/km

At a work thing in Portlaoise, so took in some of the towns outer ring roads and industrial estates while I was there.

Thursday 22nd February: 8.5k Easy: 41:50@4:57/km

Window for MP tempo crashed closed. Decided to get in some easy miles and then get a few more in that evening. Debuted a pair of new Vomero 17's for one of these and they felt pretty nice.

8k Easy: 42:34@5:19/km

Friday 23rd February: Now that we were off script anyway, I decided to push the MP tempo to the Saturday as part of a longer run as Friday afternoon wasn't a runner and whilst I'm getting my mojo back for early morning runs, I'm not ready to do a session at 5:45am! I got out for

12.2k Easy: 1:04:56@5:19/km

Saturday 24th February: Session: 7 Miles Marathon Tempo (45:35): 14 Miles: 1:39:16@4:24/km

Out early for this one as had a busy weekend ahead. Locked into the pace pretty well and, like a couple of these runs, felt intermittently good at stages throughout the run. What I did like was that after the Tempo was complete, the final 5 miles at around 4:40/km pace felt very very easy and the legs felt very strong.

Sunday 25th February: 7 Miles Easy: 56:56@5:03/km

Easy one with my mate who did Seville last Sunday. He was on course for sub 3 until 35km when the wheels came off, so there was a lot of soul searching going on. Between the chats on this run and then looking at the tough conditions in Osaka that the Inside Running lads had to run in, it was just another reminder that all you can do is get to the start line of a marathon as prepared as you can, and then hope the other variables fall in your favour.

92k for the week.

I'm under pressure this week a little so I'm will have to tweak things a bit. I haven't missed a SOS session yet, so I think I'm going fairly well. Anyway, I'm bumping the week's speed session, and just focusing on getting the MP Tempo and LR in. One point of note at the moment is that I'm starting to feel really good on the easy runs, which can only be a good thing.

Duanington

Getting it done when life is a bit mental is a sure sign of motivation\discipline, great to see it.

I've watched\studied the Hanson stuff from afar a lot over the years and always wondered why people go messing around with the plans .....in your case, its by necessity as opposed to not trusting it

healy1835

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121820202#Comment_121820202

Ah yeah DD, I've tried not to change things too much. As you said it's out of necessity for this week. I've also decided not to do any warm up races which would mean sacrificing a couple of sessions and a LR. The book does allow for races and gives suggestions on how to adjust the plan, but if I'm to sit down after Limerick and judge the plan, I want to have covered as much of it as I can.

And yes, back in that place where runs are just happening automatically without any internal discourse as to whether or not I want to actually do said run :)