PB or not PB...that is the question

Cartman78

Was managing my never ending injury reasonably ok I think – still mixing in the odd gentle run with cycling and other bits and bobs….hard to tell if it was getting better or not tbh but felt it wasn’t getting worse.

I had committed to the County 4 Mile Championships a few weeks ago – we had a bare minimum of 4 on the team so didn’t want to back out. Had expected a bit of pressure on the injury but unfortunately it has exploded in a spectacularly bad way since the end of the race. Hobbling around now – can’t put any weight at all on my left heel. I expect a long layoff on the horizon….will know more after physio on Wednesday afternoon I guess.

Anyway….will sign off with a race report :-)

LIMERICK COUNTY 4 MILE CHAMPIONSHIP

This race broke a few golden rules for me (the injury one being the obvious one) but also my general rule of thumb of not driving for a longer length of time than it takes to run the race :-)

The drive took the guts of an hour with Dromcollogher being the only town/village that I hadn’t run in before.

The weather was classic Irish summer weather – strong threat of rain/thunder, baking hot at times and lots of wasps.

Anyway, got there and parked up grand, got my number no bother and had a solid warm up. Chatted to a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while from other clubs – like the race I did in Dundrum last month, there was a strong sense of relief that we were all back out racing and a hope that this is the beginning of the end of lockdowns etc. And in defence of my decision to race injured – maybe this was spurring me on as well to be there. Would I have gone to this in a ‘normal’ year?? With DCM on the horizon – probably not.

The route was basically a triangle with long straight sections with no real hills and a couple of longish mild drags.

The field was around 70 runners – West Limerick and Limerick AC had pretty big numbers, with a smattering of smaller numbers from a handful of other clubs.

Hit out at what felt like a comfortable pace on a long straight section into the breeze. Through the first KM in 3:40.

Passed a few fellas out and was passed by a couple who probably positioned themselves too far back at the start. The next couple of KM flew by fairly uneventfully (3:44 and 3:49). I did have a missed step/stumble which jarred my ankle a bit and seemed to set off the pain.

From there on in it descended into a bit of a slog – the heat seemed to ramp up and the group of 6 I was trying to reel in seemed to be pulling away so I was pretty much on my own. Passed another 2 or 3 I think and just ground it out (4:04, 4:02 & 4:07).

Tried to dig out a sprint finish but the barrel was well and truly empty at that stage – crossed the line in a hot sweaty mess in 25:12.

Decent enough time considering I suppose and we did win a couple of bronze team medals.

Anyway – will be off my feet for a while; hopefully back stronger in the autumn

Cartman78

:-)

Cartman78

.-.

Cartman78

Week Beginning: 25/10/2021

Number of Runs: 3

Total Distance: 20.3 km

The first tentative outings following a few preliminary jog-walks in the previous week or two.

Not really looking at my watch at all in terms of pace but everything so far has been 5+ min per km. Feeling very comfortable at that pace but not going to push it until I'm convinced my Achilles can hack it.

Overall fitness isn't too bad....I guess the cycling has kept things ticking over.

Cartman78

Week Beginning: 01/11/2021

Number of Runs: 4

Total Distance: 36.5 km

Ended up doing an extra run due to my bike having a puncture....tried one spin on my missus's bike but the frame is way too small tbh.

Did a couple of easy paced 10K....the Achilles is holding up ok but finding my quads are feeling very heavy/tired so it might take a few more outings to build up stamina.

Only a few weeks to the Border Half...I had written it off pretty much but might use it as a long training run (with a bonus running top at the end 😂)

Cartman78

Week Beginning: 08/11/2021

Number of Runs: 3

Total Distance: 18.9 km

Hit another pothole on the road to recovery this week....the ankle/Achilles was groaning a bit more that I'd hoped/expected so I'll have to pump the brakes for a bit.

Frustrating for sure but maybe no harm as I was probably on the fringes of getting carried away with myself anyway....at least now I can focus on a proper return in the spring rather than a half arsed Christmas comeback.

So no Border Half for me in a few weeks...and no refund either which is mildly irritating.

Getting stronger on the bike as well...really wish the new bike was available a bit sooner but the hybrid is serving me well atm

Cartman78

Week Beginning: 15/11/2021

Number of Runs: 3

Total Distance: 25.6 km

Another riveting week of high intensity, focused and action packed training.... not 😂😂😂

Not a bad few days I guess...got a couple of cycles and a couple of fast walks in as well.

Went for a 12K slow run around UL on Saturday....it's so flat around there that it nearly feels like cheating. No major after effects....the injury is still lingering a tiny bit but gradually improving. Sitting around waiting for it to get better isn't going to work so hopefully the gradual increase of load (by running and heel drops) does the trick.

Cartman78

And it's Groundhog Day yet again for me.....comeback # 938 will be starting soon :-(

Got Covid a couple of weeks ago and still pretty much floored by it tbh....building a base for the Dungarvan 10 is going to be a challenge now 😂😂😂

ariana`

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118282323#Comment_118282323

OMG I bet you will be glad to see the back of 2021 😂 Mind yourself anyhow, it's not really the time for heroics, health first and the rest will follow.

ReeReeG

Yeah you've really had a bad run of it this year! Get well soon

Cartman78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118283006#Comment_118283006

My run of random bad health has been my longest run this year 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Cartman78

My shiny new Garmin 245 arrived yesterday....

My heavy investment in shoes, tech and gear means I'll have to go back running whether I want to or not 😂

ariana`

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118283060#Comment_118283060

At least you still have a sense of humour 😂

Enjoy the new tech, I have the 245 for about 18 months now and it's a fine watch. Great to have something to motivate you anyhow 😊

Cartman78

And yet another comeback 🙃🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂

My Covid journey went on longer than expected.....was getting back to normal and then started getting breathless again in the middle of January...seemingly a bacterial infection in my right lung so more heavy meds and mooching about for a couple of weeks.

Anyway have been back on the road the last couple of weeks...taking it fairly easy but going ok so far.

Have no idea what's a realistic medium term target at this stage (?)....maybe the Limerick Half Marathon in May but who knows. Still have my DCM place as well.

I'll be more than happy to just get a few solid uninterrupted weeks of training in and see what happens.

Cartman78

Still plodding along...nothing worth logging here yet though I think 😂

My long run is creeping towards 10K now so things looking at last hopefully.

Main recent highlight was getting into a quasi 3K race with a lady pushing a pram a couple of days ago...I'd seen her a good bit ahead of me on the footpath and went past her when she was adjusting something on the pram...then got a bit of a shock when I heard the pram wheels right behind me about 500m later.

Tldr....ended up running at ~4:15 pace for 3K due to a ludicrous surge of runner's pride.

Unlikely to be running much for the rest of the week...the weather being the main reason and finally got my booster jab yesterday

Cartman78

Still struggling for various reasons to get a consistent run of running.

I'm hoping that once the weather settles and there's a stretch in the evenings I'll be able to get more regular miles in.

Running 10K fairly comfortably lately so that's a start I guess ....still waiting on my bike to arrive

Cartman78

BUMP

So haven't been logging anything in a while - it's says it all I've been posting more regularly in the "Running After Covid" thread than here 🤡

Training has been a bit more consistent but also a bit meh - tried a couple of faster runs and speed sessions but found them a bit of a struggle really. I was never wheezy/breathless while running but definitely felt restricted and just not 100% when I went looking for the extra gears.

Anyway, got a free entry to the Great Limerick Run and almost reluctantly signed up for the 6 Mile event. Only for it was free and on my doorstep I wouldn't have bothered.

So with low expectations I headed off - took a last minute decision to throw on the Zoom Flys rather than my trusty Pegasus.....the last time I wore them in a race I was hobbling around for a week afterwards.

The congestion at the start was pretty bad as usual which suited me for once as I was wary of going out too fast - did a bit of zig-zagging and then found open space eventually on Henry St......and then off I went 😁

KM Splits:

1) 4.07

2) 3.54

3) 3:58

4) 3:54

5) 4:04

6) 4:03

7) 4:00

8) 4:15

9) 4:05

10) 3:06 (~800m)

Didn't feel under pressure at any stage really - slowed down a bit alright near the Gaelic Grounds loop but rallied ok after that.

So not sure where this "performance" came out of tbh.....don't want to read too much into it one way or the other but maybe I'm in better shape than I thought.

My bike finally arrived a few weeks ago so have been doing a bit more cycling recently - maybe that's helped with cardio while giving my legs a break (?)

Don't know when my next race will be - will be something short I'd say....still not confident about being able to put a marathon training block together but who knows

Cartman78

Probably time to restart this (again!)

After months of pontificating, procrastinating, humming, hawing and generally waiting to see if I could breathe properly I'm now committed to the DCM in October (ie. I've booked a hotel).

Since the last update I've been slowly building up mileage and have started to get a bit more focused in the last few weeks - as mentioned over in the Marathon Improvers thread I'll be aiming for a lowish mileage approach with one or two bike rides thrown in to keep cardio up and give body a rest from the impact.

Current targets for DCM will be:

a) PB (<3:24)

b) Sub 3:20

c) Sub 3:15

I think 3:15 is in scope if I can avoid any more random illnesses.

The rough plan will be:

1 x LSR (@5:20+ pace, longest recent run is 22.5K)

1 x Intervals (400m, 800m @5km pace)

1 x Tempo (currently 10K @4:15 km pace, will increase incrementally)

1 x Easy Run (@5:00 km pace)

I was asked in the Improvers thread for a recent race time and kinda dodged answering it - tbh the 3:24 DCM from 2019 is probably the most relevant answer....I've raced a couple of time since then (2 x <40 10K) but they were so sporadic and random I'd be wary of reading anything into them.

Did 8 x 800's on Tuesday as follows - 3:12, 2:59, 3:05, 3:11, 3:08, 3:08, 3:13, 3:15. Not quite as consistent as I'd like - it was an out and back effort so various combinations of hills and wind contributed to the outliers. The effort felt balanced for all of them though.

I've signed up for a 10 mile race in Galbally on Sunday - will be treating it as a longer tempo run and finally getting to test drive the Vaporflys I bought sometime last year.

Also invested in a pair of Nike Tempo Next% last week so will be introducing them to the rota in the not too distant future.

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 04/07/2022

A productive week by any measure - no niggles and my non-plan lowish mileage plan is taking shape quite nicely.

Started off the week with a lunchtime cycle - will be keeping the rides short and snappy (<20K) with the emphasis on a decent cardio workout without the impact on the legs.

Followed that up on Tuesday with my first set of 8 x 800m intervals in a very long time - took a minute between them which is a bit on the low side but I was slightly pressed for time so had to make do - felt fairly comfortable throughout...the time spread was 3:05 to 3:12.

Wednesday was a 'slow' 12.50K @ 5:09km pace, it went fine....could possibly have done another few k at that space but once again time was my enemy.

Went out in the heat of Thursday afternoon to test drive a pair of Vaporfly's ahead of the race on Sunday - the combination of suncream and possibly being distracted by the new shoes resulted in me dropping my phone and making total shyte of the screen 🤬...an expensive trip to the Vodafone shop ensued that evening. Anyway did 6K at varying different speeds with no issues.

Friday was another pleasant blitz on the bike - have noticed my times improving a bit lately as well....whether that's a sign I'm getting fitter or just getting my head around the new gears I'm not sure 😂

Took a rest on Saturday in preparation for.....

MOOREABBEY 10 MILE

Have done a couple of races around Mooreabbey/Galbally over the years so for once, I didn't have to go through the faffing about trying to find parking race, race HQ etc.

Got there in plenty of time, collected number and snazzy hi-viz and proceeded to start doing a very gentle warm up......the sun was starting to break through and it was obviously going to be scorchio pretty quickly.

The race itself was pretty non-eventful to be honest - I had no firm goals really in place....I guess a the rough target was somewhere between 68 mins (4:15 pace) 72 mins (4:30 pace). I hadn't factored in the heat though!

The course itself was grand - a couple of longish drags/downhills with a couple of sharper hills thrown in randomly.

Fell into a steady conversational pace with a couple of other fellas and got through 5K in 21:39.

Some more hills and increasing heat in the next 5K and a slight drop off through 10K in 43:08.

It turned into a bit of death march after that tbh - the heat was quite intense now so after banging out a couple of 4:20s, and then turning out on to a very very long straight stretch I weighed my situation up and decided to take a walking break. Got going ok again up a punishing hill and then took another break at 15K.

I think I could probably have ploughed on but it didn't seem worth it on the day being that I wasn't chasing a PB or an age category.

Anyway, crossed the line in a fairly sweaty mess in a not too shabby 71:03.....the ice-packs at the finish line were most welcome.

Spent the rest of the day like a hippo in the paddling pool at home.

Feel totally a-ok today so any fears I had about the Vaporflys wrecking my calves have been eased.

Onwards and upwards :-)

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 11/07/2022

A bit of a dip last week - still going ok but no proper long run again unfortunately......I'm not avoiding it but finding it very hard to fit in atm with everything else going on.

Followed up the 10 Mile race with a gentle recovery run on Monday and spin on the bike on Tuesday afternoon.

Then felt like I hit a bit of a wall tbh - got very tired and generally felt a bit meh for a day or so.....not sure if it was hayfever, heat or what but didn't feel hectic so took some time out for a day or so.

Did a steady 10 miles easy on Thursday a-ok and then broke out my shiny new Nike Tempos for some 8 * 800m on Friday evening.

The Tempos felt very fast I have to say - did 5 of the 8 intervals under 3 mins which was a big jump generally on previous similar efforts. And like the Vaporflys the previous weekend there was absolutely zero pain or fatigue in my calves/Achilles afterwards.

Got tied up a bit over the weekend with family stuff so no window for a slow run - did plenty of body boarding and sun-bathing though if that counts for anything :-)

This week could be a bit messy as well with the weather I think - I have the gear in the car today but not sure if I want to run in 28 degrees.....I've run in much hotter temps before but it's so heavy/stifling atm I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

Have an LSR pencilled in for tomorrow evening so will see how that pans out.

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 18/07/2022

Another solid, decent week I think - broke through the 'magical' 60K barrier at last 🙄

Started the week off with a short easy lunchtime run - the extreme heat didn't put me off too much but I deffo wasn't up for doing a hard speed session.

Did something approaching a long slow run on Tuesday evening - 18.6K at ~5:20 pace.

Wednesday was a refreshing spin on the bike followed by a tough but enjoyable 3 x 2 Mile session on Thursday (@4 min pace)

Ordinarily those few days of training would have me in bits and generally hobbling around the place moaning but no issues on that scale at all (fingers crossed)

So on Friday evening - I headed out for a 10 Miler with the plan being 10K @ 5min pace followed by 6K @ 4:30 pace (this is a rough PMP). I wasn't confident really heading out of being able to hold the 4:30 pace for 6K but lo and behold I totally nailed it 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

Took Saturday off for some much needed R&R at a spa hotel in Cork - relaxing in an outdoor hot tub with a glass of prosecco in the rain was very enjoyable I have to say.

Got back late yesterday evening and managed to pop out for a very comfortable mid-paced 10K.

So a good week and one that I wouldn't have been able to complete previously it has to be said.

I think at this stage I can confidently say that my borderline chronic injury/inflammation issues are behind me (or certainly very much under control) - in the past, the more I ran I knew it meant the closer I got to being injured and missing large chunks of training. Now I'm feeling stronger with every run - it's a very weird experience!!

A lot of it is down to training smarter, running slower and maybe even down to the Nike supershoes a bit but the bit game changer is surely the diet change.

Anyway, I won't be getting carried away just yet until I've done a few more longer runs. That could be a challenge again this week tbh with the way things are panning out so will wait and see what happens

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 25/07/2022

Hmmm...not good...a weekly total of 33K (!)

As I expected/feared, family and work commitments are putting a squeeze on my time....not a whole lot I can do about it right now tbh but things should settle down a bit in the next few weeks hopefully.

This week comprised of the following - 15 * 400m intervals, 22K cycle, 16K Easy (with 2K @ PMP) and due to time pressure on Friday, an ill-fated attempt at a 10K TT - ran a not too shabby 41:14 on my local hilly route but a major asterisk on that is the ~2 mins break I had to take after 5K :-(

Ideally that TT would have been a LSR of 25K but couldn't squeeze it in.

Overall, things not going too badly - have a couple of minor niggles but nothing approaching an injury thankfully. But the lack of long runs starting to become an issue now in terms of the marathon.

Also felt super tired in the middle of last week - I suspect my thyroid may be acting up/down a bit....had blood tests on Friday so will wait and see if a tweak is needed on my meds.

This week is probably going to mirror last week I think - did 10K last night in heavy rain and clammy heat after a 2 hour drive so not the ideal start but better than nothing I guess. Tied up with family stuff again this weekend but might be able to get in something approaching 20K on Sunday possibly.

Was eyeing up a 10K next week where I ran a PB a few years ago but they've inexplicably changed it to 7 miles (?!?!) - bizarre decision imho and a major turn off for me.

Clonmel Half sold out so that decision is made for me now....will be signing up for Charleville now

Murph_D

We’ll give you the 41:14 as long as it included the 2 min break. 😉

Not sure if the logic of substituting 10k TT for 25k LR though - completely different sessions.

Why?

Cartman78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421872#Comment_119421872

Haha... unfortunately the watch was stopped for the 2 mins. It's not far off a PB for that route.... haven't checked the archives but fairly sure I've never gone under 41 mins.

It wasn't a straight substitution of sessions...was tight for time on Friday (basically just had my lunch hour) and still had an outside chance of a long run over the weekend so said I'd have a crack at the TT. Alas, was tied up with various other bits and bobs after that so no chance for an LSR.....the kids being off has really thrown the routine out of whack 😂

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 01/08/2022

A slightly less chaotic week and a quasi acceptable 60K......and still injury free!

7K @ 4:30 pace

8 x 1K Intervals

22K Bike Ride

18K @ 5:00 pace

12K @ 4:25 pace

10K Easy

Still a glaring need for a longer run obviously - again unlikely this week tbh but I should be able to get a few longer efforts in over the next few weeks if everything goes to plan.

FWIW these are my current predicted times on the Garmin - I know these are pseudo-faff at best but interesting data points all the same:

5K - 18:43

10K - 39:47

Half Marathon - 1:30

Marathon - 3:27

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 08/08/2022

Still ploughing on fairly ok - overall mileage still a bit low maybe (~60K) but I'd rather be running at this level consistently rather that pushing towards injury by over-doing it.

8K Easy

22K Bike Ride

26K LSR (5:15 pace)

7K Easy

22K Bike Ride

16K (8K @ 4:45, 8K @ 4:15)

The second bike ride should probably have been a run really but it was too hot on Friday afternoon for running for me. Also did a bunch of body-boarding on Saturday but not sure if that counts as cross-training 😅

The 16K tempo run was quite satisfying I have to say - did the first 8K at easyish pace and happy to report that the 8K home felt comfortable as well.

This week is going to be a mess I think - was knackered yesterday after no proper sleep for a few nights so did nothing exercise wise.

Taking some annual leave as well with the kids this week so routine will be all over the shop possibly

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:38

10K - 39:27

Half Marathon - 1:29

Marathon - 3:23

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 15/08/2022

Somehow managed 66K despite things being predictably a bit messy.

Happy with the LSR - didn't feel too much under pressure at any stage tbh...was actually aiming for 30K but the lure of 20 miles proved too hard to ignore as I was still feeling fresh.

The 10K mid paced run was probably my highlight - felt really comfortable.....always a nice feeling to notice your fitness like that imho.

Also haven't done Hill Repeats in a long time (are they still a thing in marathon training?) - the young fella is back at soccer training and there's a perfect hill right beside the pitch so it seems like good use of an hour either way.

Have a couple of aches but nothing I'd class as a niggle at the minute which is very unusual for me....this is deffo the deepest I've got into a marathon training block without multiple trips to the physio.

18K Easy

22K Bike Ride

Hill Repeats (15 * 200m)

10K @ 4:30

32K LSR (2hrs 50 mins)

Another slightly higgeldy-piggeldy week ahead I'd say - seems like every evening is choc-a-bloc with kids training/matches so I'll have to get creative with my time and planning.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:38

10K - 39:16

Half Marathon - 1:28

Marathon - 3:14

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 22/08/2022

A low frequency week but I'm actually relatively content with it all things considered.

Felt pretty tired after the LSR on Sunday so took Monday as a rest day.

Tuesday was a very sedate 6.5K lunchtime effort in dead heat.

So was feeling pretty energised by the time Wednesday rolled around - did a very satisfactory 18K split tempo....did 9K to start at ~5 min pace and followed up with 9K at ~4:15 pace. It felt easy tbh....I don't think I've been in a position before where a session like that would be a) possible or b) feel easy.

Was on Annual Leave Thursday & Friday tooling about with the kids - did 400m in the pool on Thursday and 27K on the bike Friday.

Dragged myself out for a LSR on Saturday evening - was going to run it locally but the flat plains of UL/Castletroy proved too tempting yet again.

Struggled a bit for the first 10 miles or so (Achilles/Calf starting to groan worryingly) - had a gel then and got a bounce off it so wondering if I was slightly under-fuelled. Settled into a nice rhythm after that and kept it going up to 26.25K (2:16).....was half thinking of doing a few laps of the pitches to bump up the mileage but it was getting dark and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

Yesterday was another non-running day - I did get to spend some time in the sea at Spanish Point so I guess that counts as recovery right? ;-)

6.5K Easy

18K Split Tempo (9K Easy, 9K Hard(ish))

Bike Ride 27K

26K LSR (2hrs 16 mins)

Not sure how this week is shaping up yet tbh....left Achilles/Calf is still grumbling a bit so might focus on taking care of that rather than ploughing on with upping intensity and mileage.

We're heading back into THE ROUTINE (kids back at school, swimming lessons etc) this week as well so running bandwidth during the week likely to be under severe pressure.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:35 (1 second outside PB)

10K - 39:10 (10 seconds outside PB)

Half Marathon - 1:27 (2 mins inside PB)

Marathon - 3:12 (12 mins inside PB)

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING - 29/08/2022

Not a great week at all at all :-(

Started off the week feeling a bit leggy and tired so had planned a lighter week anyway. Was wfh with the kids earlier in the week which complicated things a bit as well.

Started off with a slowish 10K, rest on Tuesday and another slow short run on Wednesday.

Was all togged out and ready for a session (8 x 800m) on Thursday and got stung by a wasp during my warmup. Tried stupidly to carry on (I initially thought it might have been just a regular insect bite) but had to give in after about 200m and hobble back to the office. It actually got quite sore after that so spent the rest of the day sitting uncomfortably at my desk.

Bit of a shambles all round really - did another 10K on Friday, then felt totally wiped out on Saturday for some reason (upset stomach etc) so did nothing really exercise wise.

Felt ok yesterday again so did 20K which was neither long enough or slow enough to be an LSR or fast enough to be a session. Still better than nothing I guess all things considered.

So no cycle last week either - did a small bit of core stuff a couple of days, some heel drops, and a few hundred metres in the pool yesterday as well with the kids.

10.15K @ 4:50

9K @ 4:50

10K @ 4:30

20K @ 4:55

This week should be better hopefully, although I'll be keeping a very close eye on my Achilles which feels like it's on the verge of a flare up

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:33 (1 second inside PB)

10K - 39:06 (6 seconds outside PB)

Half Marathon - 1:27 (2 mins inside PB)

Marathon - 3:11 (12 mins inside PB)

Murph_D

Some good stuff going on here. But what would you say those Garmin predictions are telling you?

What marathon method/plan are you following?