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Shoot for the moon, and land on the stars. Longford Marathon Sub 3 Training Log
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10-05-2017 12:08am#1Hi all,
Welcome to the wild emporium of a pedantic runner
This log has 2 purposes :
1.To get feedback on my training and opinions from the wealth of experienced runners on boards. This also will allow me to be more involved in the running community.
2.To log part of my journey in running. I want my efforts to inspire others and help encourage people to lace up and embrace this amazing sport.
A bit about me :
I have detailed a lot of my journey in running so far on my blog :
http://irishrunningjourney.blogspot.ie/
I'm a novice runner with less than a years experience under my belt. I have ran some charity 5ks and 1 full marathon in Clonakilty last December (3hours 26minutes).
I have one solid training cycle under my belt - for the Connemara Ultra in 2017. I was averaging 70 miles a week in the peak of the training.
I finished 3rd with a race time of 4 :37 : 24.
I ran the last 26.2 miles in 3:02:24. This would be my marathon pb.
My Goal / s
Main Goal : To run the Longford Marathon on August 27th in a time of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Sub Goal 1 : To achieve a time to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Sub Goal 2 : To run a sub 3 marathon.
How to achieve the goal / s - The specifics
To accomplish all goals I will need to :- Register for Longford - Done
- Book accomodation - Done
- Choose a training plan to follow with workouts focused around the goal minutes per mile time of 6:18 -
- Weeks 1-4 : recovery / base building
- Weeks 5-16 : Advanced Marathoning 70-85 miles per week 12 week schedule.
The key improvements I will be focusing on
These are based off what I learned in my last cycle -- Sleep
- Nutrition
- Speed
- Work
- Learning
- Community
I will be meeting with runners in Galway during my cycle . I will be volunteering at my local parkrun. I may even join my local running club....
The contents of this log
I will be posting each workout I complete for my training - including average hr percentage and pace per mile .
I will be adding a note for each session - I currently log a description of my runs on Strava after each workout so this will help give an impression for how im feeling on the day.
I will post once a week for the logs to make the log easier to read. All the weeks workouts will be posted at once.
I'll also respond to any questions and input in here at any point during the week.
Thanks in advance for taking the time to come in. Welcome to the house of fun
Tagged:20
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What a year!! Give us a bit of background. I'm assuming you didn't just hop off the couch one evening a year ago and went for a run after doing nothing for the previous ten years? :-)
Thanks John. It has been a fantastic start to my running journey I have to say. I'm just grateful I found the sport.
As far as my background - I maybe did some cross country a couple times as a young lad ( as in a 10 y.o!). I did not stick it out - it was very short lived. I never played for a club in other sports bar a half year at a soccer club. So I don't have a ton of background in sports.
I have always loved soccer and would say I've played 5 a side most weeks in the year prior to taking up running. Before then I would have kicked a ball about whenever i could in secondary school. No soccer really in the years between .
Honestly though that is really it - I've lived a pretty sedentary life
I took the time to try and pinpoint how I got into running and put it in a blog post - I will link you that as it may help answer some questions about me :
The first link is how I came to the decision to actually start doing some running (as a result of a registration for Tough Mudder) :
http://irishrunningjourney.blogspot.ie/2017/04/how-it-all-startedmy-introduction-to.html
The second link is the follow up to the above - why I started training somewhat consistently (when i truly started running - last year) .
http://irishrunningjourney.blogspot.ie/2017/04/introduction-to-training-learning-how.html
There's a few more articles following up on the above in my blog also.
Regards,
Padraig.0 -
Best of luck.
Novice runner with 1 year if running and already completed the Conn Ultra and a couple of sub 3:30 marathons. I'm running 1 year, I think it's time for me to pack it in!!
Hey Higgins.
I truly believe running is all relative. There's kids who have never ran before who can jump into my local parkrun and just blitz a 16 minute 5k! I do think i'm naturally well built for running (small and thin) .
That is not to say you can't surpass anything im doing. Why not?
Where is your running journey taking you? What races have you done? 1 year is a nice milestone in running. I'm very grateful to have found it. hope you are too 0 -
Hey Higgins.
I truly believe running is all relative. There's kids who have never ran before who can jump into my local parkrun and just blitz a 16 minute 5k! I do think i'm naturally well built for running (small and thin) .
That is not to say you can't surpass anything im doing. Why not?
Where is your running journey taking you? What races have you done? 1 year is a nice milestone in running. I'm very grateful to have found it. hope you are too
Absolutely love it, my 1st marathon didn't go well but I started C25K just over a year ago so have made great progress.
Looking to improve my times for ,5k, 10k & HM for the rest of this year and will think about another marathon next year.
In terms of surpassing you, a couple of relatively small things (my son & daughter) take up alot of time at present but happy with my running
Will be following your blog with interest, best of luck with sub 3, you look well on course.0 -
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Absolutely love it, my 1st marathon didn't go well but I started C25K just over a year ago so have made great progress.
Looking to improve my times for ,5k, 10k & HM for the rest of this year and will think about another marathon next year.
In terms of surpassing you, a couple of relatively small things (my son & daughter) take up alot of time at present but happy with my running
Will be following your blog with interest, best of luck with sub 3, you look well on course.
Ah well that's a couple of things which obviously will take priority for you. I am unencumbered shall we say at the moment so it's easier for me to put in the time.
I'd like to focus on those distances also. Might see you on a start line in the near future !
Thanks for the encouragement :-)0 -
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I was initially wondering why Longford and 2:45 as a qualification for Boston and I see that registration opens for the latter on the 11 Sept and to be accepted in first rolling admission is 20 min better than 3:05 or better. Your goal then is: 2:44:xx! Boston is a fantastic marathon, would love to go back one day.
Taking from Conn you are clearly a very strong runner so you speed and tempo runs are an important part of your preparation. What target races have you planned along the way? These will give you a good indicator for your target.
I’m hoping to use Longford as a long training run (2:59), a step to getting back to racing a marathon later in the year .
One final point is that it could be a lonely run for you so just keep that in mind.
Hi Abhainn,
You have seen right through my intentions! Actually I was not aware of the twenty minute first rolling admission parameters - I chose 2:45 as I thought it would be a real challenge based on my last training cycle.
I have planned no races for the training currently. I have the intention of booking in a half marathon in late July (achill on july 22nd looks ideal but not exactly flat like my goal race) and running a 5k early in the build up - that will be either my local parkrun or a more serious event. I want the 5k as i don't have a true measure of my pb in that distance - and the half will be to judge whether I am on track for Longford.
Any advice on the above would be appreciated. I would like to do a 10k also to get an accurate measure - but I would prefer to keep mini tapers to 2 .
If you're running Longford I'll make sure to say hello. You've been so helpful in my own training I'd love to chat.
I had not even considered it would be a lonely run! I train on my own so I will be well used to it - running my own race should not be an issue.
Thanks for the input bud Hope your training is going well. 0 -
Week 2 Base Building - 15 weeks until Race Day
Week beginning 15th May 2017
Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - Physio
As well as an assessment on my knee pain (see Wednesday run for more info) - my physio suggested starting to incorporate some running barefoot on grass and especially getting speed work done on grass if possible. Sound advice - I could do with some time off the pavement.
Wednesday - Physio Done - Time to Run
Easy 6 miles @ 139 hr avg, 7:46 per mile.
Paid a visit to my physio yesterday instead of going for 6.
He reckons my left knee pains are a result of a tight it band and that I can run just to take it light for a couple weeks.
I shall duly oblige - I felt the pain again tonight and today so my plan is to focus on some glute strengthening as well as recovery runs for now.
Felt great be out again
Thursday - Easy 9 (and a bit ...)
Easy 9.5 miles @ 138 hr avg, 7:48 per mile.
Can start to see my running economy returning - pacing is improving while heart rate is staying under 76% hr max.
Knee improved tonight - felt it initially and it got less and less noticeable.
Great weather to get out and lace up
Friday - A Cruise Ship!
Easy 10 miles @ 140 hr avg, 7:52 per mile.
Ran out to salthill this evening to try and see a cruise ship docked in Galway for the day. 800 extra people in the city for a day is a huge boost for the local economy.
The ship was anchored out in the bay as Galways docks can't actually fit a ship that size. Someday....
Saturday - The Magnificent Seven
Easy 7 miles @ 148 hr avg, 7:58 per mile.
Was out in renville volunteering for the parkrun this morning. Had a great time with everyone and it was a beautiful start to the day.
Got back into the flat and went out for a run immediately. My knee is still a constant thought but it's hard to ignore weather like this. The heat rose my heart rate beyond my recovery zone.
At this point I'm thinking speedwork is out of the question until my knee is perfect so if my Longford goal has to be re adjusted so be it.
Great start to the weekend
Sunday - Tough, got it done. Mental Game > ....
Medium / Long 12 Miles @ 151 hr avg, 7:49 per mile.
5th day in a row running today and I would say the first real mental test since I'm back.
Surprisingly humid out and the wind was extreme. 2/3rds of my run was into headwinds quite severe. I compare wind strength by how possible it is my peak cap could blow off and today it was a high likelihood!!
Combine the 2 above elements and I had to run at a high intensity at low running economy . I felt quite drained half way in. Like most of my long runs I like to go past my flat half way through to test myself. I always have the option to stop - today I pushed on and started to positively reinforce the thoughts in my mind.
I knew the second half was out towards the docks straight into the wind and talked myself into how beneficial this type of running is mentally and physically. Did the trick
Averaged around 80% hr max today but am proud to have this one in the books.
Total miles for the week : 45
*Some points of note- Sleep
Happy to say I made a large improvement in my sleeping patterns this week. Averaged 7 hours every night. I'll speak more on this should it prove sustainable on my blog.- Nutrition
As I am currently trying out a vegetarian diet I am finding my meal preparation is lagging a bit. I am quite slow preparing my stuff for a week as everything is rather new to me. I need to invest a day into working out a solid schedule and staple ingredient list.
Current favourite veggie meal - Green Lentil Dahl and brown rice with spinach- Knee Update and Potential Goal Adjustment
I got an opinion from a respected runner on Saturday who went through identical pain symptoms on their knee a few years ago . They said it took them 8 weeks to fully recover - and foam rolling / glute strengthening were key. They continued to run while recovering like I am currently doing.
I cannot do speed-work currently - so it may be that my Longford goalposts will change. I am totally fine with that if it should happen - for now I am sticking to the plan and taking care to incorporate specific rolling and strengthening exercises.
Hope everyone is having a great week 0 -
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El Caballo wrote: »Yes, I'm not a physio but I have experience dealing with the injury back in 2013, had issues for the bones of 6 months with it. The IT band is unstretchable which is widely accepted in the medical world and something that was also told to me by my physio at the time. It is famously known as one of the unstrechables, it is also not palpable as it is not muscalar tissue which is the point of foam rolling, to work out trigger points.
The Tfl is the muscle that inserts into the IT band and runs over the hip joint. If it's dysfunctional and tight, it pulls on the IT band which cannot stretch to accomadate the extra tension so it pulls on the knee thus causing pain there. The root cause lies up the kinetic chain in the glutes and hips, the pain is just referred to the knee. Foam rolling your tfl would be a good treatment but rolling the band itself is an exercise in futility and may actually cause more problems.
OK I had no idea that was the case! Thanks for the information . Must have been tough for you dealing with something like that for 6months....
I've made attempts to roll the TFL - thank you youtube for the step by step 0 -
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Week 3 Base Building - 14 weeks until race day
Week beginning 22nd May 2017
Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - Feeling fan-friggin-tastic
Easy 6 miles @ 143 hr avg, 7:31 per mile.
All day my legs felt good. I don't know what to say - but my body felt like it was loose and strong while moving.
Sure enough this run was amazing. I didn't have any knee pain and I had a lightness and freedom of movement that just felt so natural.
I am grateful to be able to enjoy feelings like this. Thank you running.
Wednesday - Salthill is full of life
Medium - Long 10.5 miles @ 151 hr avg, 7:30 per mile.
Put on my running shoes this evening and the sun came out. Felt like 20 - 25 degrees!
Tough running due to the heat but what a beautiful evening. There was a lot of people around the Claddagh due to a boat festival that's on and salthill is packed with everyone enjoying a gorgeous evening.
Leg still holding up after tagging on an extra mile and a bit today.
Thursday - Recovery Run my A$&!!
Tempo - 6 miles @ 156 hr avg, 7:17 per mile.
Got off work early today as I have a driving test in the morning and have a lesson on the other side of the city at 7.
Getting my run in comes first though 💪 this was the warmest day of the year and almost too hot for running. Got 6 miles in but they were in the mid 80s of max hr.
Couldn't get my hr down - but at the same time what a beautiful day. Glad I got to enjoy it this evening.
Now, time to go learn about this whole driving thing....
Friday - Wet and Wild w 8 x 100 strides
Medium - Long 10 miles @ 144 hr avg, 7:40 per mile.
Passed the driving test this morning 😁
Glad I got the test done before it started to rain. happy the temperature has cooled since yesterday. Got to do 10 in a nice drizzle.
Was able to do strides tonight for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. Feeling the speed starting to come back....
Guns and roses tomorrow. I'll be up for an easy 6 before the bus to Slane 💪
Saturday - "Refreshing"....now off to Slane.
Easy 6 miles @ 135 hr avg, 8:35 per mile.
Heavy rain this morning - felt really good.
My best workout so far in this base building phase - kept heart rate to 70% max hr and should be in good condition for tomorrow's long run.
Slane castle awaits...
Sunday - Starting to really feel it again
Medium - Long 13.1 miles @ 151 hr avg, 7:19 per mile.
Up late today as I got back to Galway from Slane at 4 this morning.
Got out and running at 7.45pm and the conditions were pretty perfect. Hr was a bit elevated due to the heat and likely the beer ! However I kept a solid progression intensity going - first 7 miles at 74-80% max and finished within 80-84%.
I felt really strong today. Could have kept going and found that surprising due to Slane.
My knee pains are now very minor. Did not feel it throughout today - and very grateful for pain free running.
Total miles for the week : 52.5
*Some points of note- Sleep : Not as good this week. Averaged 6 - 6.5 hours a night. Still a big improvement - but 8 is the goal. Work to be done.
- Knee Update : Felt the pain in my left knee very infrequently this week. Genuinely felt really strong in my left leg throughout 95% of my running. Really happy with this and if it continues we will be kicking off the training plan in style in a week
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Week 4 Base Building - 13 weeks until race day
Week Beginning 29th May 2017
Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - Some Barefoot Running on the Grass
Recovery 10.5 miles @ 144 hr avg, 7:37 per mile
Sun was blazing again this evening. Decided to switch it up and throw in a recovery 10 miler instead of 6.
Spend the last 2 miles on a pitch in renmore barefoot doing a few laps. Have never done it before and I loved it! Pretty cool feeling but you feel very sluggish after when you put your shoes back on 😭
Kept in around 76% max hr. Think I'm getting used to the warmer weather.
Wednesday - 90 Minutes
Medium / Long 12 miles @ 142 hr avg, 7:44 per mile.
Decided tonight to add another few miles in (scheduled for 9) and shoot for 90 minutes.
Went to renville and back with no issues. Legs were sluggish after a pretty moderate effort yday.
Going to take things slow tomorrow.
Thursday - Shaking out after a longgggg day
Easy 6 miles @ 141 hr avg, 7:52 per mile.
Was up at 4 this morning to get to Dublin for a training day with 1 of our clients.
4 hours in a car and 7 hours sitting and training meant 6 miles was very much needed today!
Feel great - strong wind tonight but nice and dry here in Galway (which I can confirm is not the case in Dublin or anywhere else 😂)
Friday - 10 with 8 x 100 strides
General Aerobic 10 miles @ 144 hr avg, 7:26 per mile.
Had to choose between going to pick up my new bike or go for 10 after work today...
Only 1 choice really 😉😂 solid workout and another beautiful evening. Did my strides a bit harder tonight focusing on keeping my shoulders relaxed .
Looking forward to volunteering tomorrow for parkrun and picking up my new wheels 😁
Saturday - Parkrun -> Home 🏃
Easy 6 miles @ 134 hr avg, 8:06 per mile.
Walked out to rinville park this morning for parkrun and brought my inov 8 race vest with me.
Had a great time volunteering and did my scheduled 6 recovery back home.
Legs felt good - pacing was ok this morning. Still could do with slowing down more on these days, in particular during the next 12 weeks. Happy bank holiday all 👍
Sunday - Tough Conditions -> Strong Finish
Medium - Long 15 miles @ 147 hr avg, 7:17 per mile.
Had another late start - went into the city for the champions league final and some drinks with friends last night.
Pretty strong wind today and rain got heavier as the run went on. Goal was to stay within 10 and 20% slower of Longford goal pace.
Accomplished for most of run today. Strong running throughout and hr was solid (between 72 and 83% hr max) as will be the standard for my training.
Finished with a flurry (6:30 mile) and felt good. My proper training starts tomorrow 😁
Total miles for the week : 61
*Some points of note :- Sleep : Big improvement this week. 8 hours sleep on 3 nights - starting to see the benefit in making adjustments to get to bed at a reasonable time.
- Upcoming Stag : I have my best friends stag next weekend. It's the first week of my planned 12 week training block so I have to figure out how to get my runs in. Won't be easy as we are in Limerick and I have a 17 miles with 8 at goal pace scheduled....not to mention the vast quantities of beer which will be consumed!
- Overall feeling after base building : I'm feeling pretty good right now. Aerobic base seems to be around where it was in the lead up to my last race. I'm in a good position going into my 12 week plan. Let's get it
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12 Week Training Plan for Longford - Structure
So it's come to the hard work now. Base building is done and I'm jumping into the AM 12 week 70 to 85 miles training plan.
It will consist of :- Recovery Runs
- General Aerobic
- Medium - Long Runs
- Long Runs
- MP miles
- Lactate Threshold Runs
- vo2 Max workouts
- Tune up races
I've planned out my expected pacing and heart rates as a guideline to start :
Recovery -> Under 75% max hr. Ideally around 70% (roughly 8- 8.30 per mile)
General Aerobic -> 70 -> 81% max hr - target pacing of 7:51 -> 7:14 per mile.
Medium Long Runs / Long Runs -> 74 -> 84% max hr - target pacing of 7:32 -> 6.55 per mile.
Lactate threshold -> 82 -> 91% max hr - target pacing of 5.58 per mile (got this as a guideline from Jack Daniels vdot target. I will refine this as I run the workouts)
Vo2 max -> 93 0 95% max hr - target pacing of ? ? vdot has 5.30 based on goal marathon time. Again this will be discovered of i go.
Tune Up Races - Week 8 and week 10- Week 8 - Blayney Rockets 10 mile road race - I will make the trek to Monaghan for this on July 29th. The course is pretty flat and I think it will be fun to do a 10 miler.
- Week 10 - East Cork 10k on August 12th - Another relatively flat course and a chance to actually run an official 10k
Getting excited now as the hard work starts. This 17 mile long run with 8 @ MP on Sunday at the tail end of a stag should be interesting :rolleyes:0 -
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Excited for you, plan looks great. Could you do the long run before the stag?
Also, why not give a parkrun a decent go before you're down in the marathon mines? It'd be fun to see what you could do over a shorter distance
Morning Singer
I could do the run before the stag (Thursday evening would be the time) now that I think of it... it would replace a lactate threshold run which I could throw in on Sunday instead. Cheers for the idea! I'll have a think on it but it seems a good solution.
I have been hankering to run the rinville parkrun I volunteer in on Saturdays - but I have had to take it slow in base building due to what appears to be my TFL causing some discomfort in my left knee.
That's not to say I won't get it done next week !0 -
Week 1 of 12 week training plan - 12 weeks until race day
Week beginning 5th June 2017
Monday - 6 miles on the bike, 6 miles on the road
Recovery 6 miles @ 132 hr avg, 8.24 per mile.
Got to properly try out my new bike today with a cycle out to oranmore to the running store .
Bought a replacement pair of vazee prisms and ordered the kinvarra 8's.
Went for the first scheduled run in my training cycle - 6 recovery. Average 69% max hr. Very happy with the effort level.
Tuesday - 8 with some barefoot, and 10 x 100 strides.
General Aerobic 8 miles @ 141 hr avg, 7:36 per mile.
Got off the bike and went for 8 miles general aerobic this evening. Killer wind in the air and not being used to cycling meant a very sloppy and sluggish start to the run.
Felt better as it went on and finished with a few barefoot laps in a pitch followed by a hard stride session.
Overall felt a bit limited tonight. I'm sure as I get used to the bike the runs will become easier.
Wednesday - Unintentional Duathlon Training?
Medium - Long 12 miles @ 146 hr avg, 7:16 per mile.
Straight off the bike and out for 12 miles tonight. Legs a bit stiff to start but I felt good overall.
Sticking to the am plan of 74 - 84 % max hr on these medium to medium long runs. It's a big step up - I was maxing around 80 % hr for connemara and I can really feel the difference. All part of the fun though !
Met another runner / cyclist near rinville and we had a great chat for 3 miles. Just running with someone else actually helped me raise my pace which I realise is tougher to lift on my own.
Finished ok - wind was tough in parts and I didn't have a strong drive in my legs to finish.
Recovery tomorrow ����
Thursday - Solid Recovery
Recovery 6 miles @ 130 hr avg, 8:41 per mile.
Put the driving license to use today with a drive from work in my van.
Celebrated with a nice easy 6 miles with the sun out. Felt great throughout - solid hr at 66% of max. Need to keep it easy on these days - the hard workouts are coming ��
Friday - Missing Splits / Learning lessons w/ 8 @ MP
Long 17 miles with 8 @ Marathon Pace : @ 153 hr avg, 7:00 per mile.
Made the decision to do my Sunday workout tonight . Off to a stag now so the decision had to be made.
I was dreading this specific run for the last 2 weeks and I wish I hadn't. I realise now I love the hard runs - you learn so much and it really woke me up as to what sort of effort is required to achieve peak performance.
I had sluggish splits up until mile 8 when my plan was to take a gel and some water I laid out beforehand before kicking into the 8 prescribed miles at 6:18.
I miscalculated where I placed my water and it was half way through the first mp mile instead of before it - so I skipped it / the gel and drove on..
Splits for the 8 prescribed @ MP (6:18):
Mile 10 : 6:22
Mile 11 : 6:12
Mile 12 : 6:21
Mile 13 : 6:24
Mile 14 : 6:28
Mile 15 : 6:11
Mile 16 : 6:29
Mile 17 : 6:18
Hr max of around 90% through the 8 miles. Going really hard on the last 1 and I was shocked to see I only managed a 6:18 on my polar splits on the last mile to finish. I believe I needed nutrition to finish strong and I will learn from it.
Overall - I felt no excessive lactate build up at that hr (hitting 95% at one point on mile 16 where climbs are worst) throughout so 90% is something I can work with it appears. I will spend part of next week querying this as it's very possible that is overextending.
I'm not sure what to make of the splits overall. Does it mean I should adjust my goals ? I was pushing and only just keeping around my goal pace. I will seek advise on this through the week.
For now - time to shower and have some beers ��
Saturday - Stag - Skipped scheduled 6 recovery miles
Sunday - Post - Stag Striding
Long 16 Miles @ 148 hr avg, 7:23 per mile.
I got about 6 hours sleep in the last 2 nights with my best friends stag on. I skipped yesterday's 6 recovery as I was not in a position to get the miles in shall we say ��
After getting back this evening from the stag I drove back to Galway and a storm was brewing on the way up.
I manned up, got out the door and faced some very strong wind tonight. Hail showers also.
My plan was to do Fridays prescribed run - 11 miles medium long. I then changed the plan and wanted to tack on more to make up for missing miles yesterday and ended up doing 16 with a steady progression to the finish at 77% hr max av for the session.
2 hours of running - not bad after that manic weekend. Back to reality now ��
Total miles for the week : 66
*Some points of note- Sleep : Big improvement this week until the stag - 7.5 hours average through until Friday. I can finally start to see myself adopting the right mindset and prioritising sleep as a crucial means for recovery. Also - being able to get up earlier and into work early is a big bonus.
- The stag and its impact on my training : Look, life happens. Balance is important. I accepted it and essentially did what I could to allow myself to be present for my best mate and enjoy the few days of fun. It's over and I'm still focused on the next steps towards Longford. I felt good yesterday after coming back and don't think it will have any impact as I got my key workouts in and finished with the same prescribed milage as is in the plan I'm following.
- I did spend half of Saturday squatting for paintball - that's gotta count as a recovery cross training workout right? ?
- Overall feeling after 1st week of specific training : I'm not tired after the week. Connemara has allowed me to adapt to this kind of mileage and I think my current nutrition is allowing for quick recovery.
I do feel like the intensity of the long runs is a tough adaptation from my own limited experience. I've gone from 75% max hr avg long runs for 4 months to 77 - 80% max hr avg.
I have a lot of questions I need to try and answer as I journey through training now - so seeking guidance is important. I value the opinions of all members here so any feedback on this post is highly appreciated.
I am trying to book a session with a well revered ex-coach in the next week to discuss training specifics and having a week of training with a key workout to reference will be highly valuable.
- Week off work - I have a week off now and I took it to spend the time doing some research on recovery and looking for some trails. Might be trekking to Wicklow in a few days
Hope everyone has had a good week and is enjoying their running 0 -
Week 2 of 12 Week Training Plan - 11 weeks until race day
Week beginning 12th June 2017
Monday AM - Recovery / breaking in new runners
Recovery 6 miles @ 132 hr avg, 8:49 per mile.
Today has a double on the cards - 1st 6 miles recovery done. Kept it at or under 70% hr max while trying out a pair of Adidas supernova glide 8's I got a few months back.
They felt really good throughout and while they are a bit flashy the boost material allows for a nice spring when you want it . Likely candidate for recovery / medium long runs perhaps.
Monday PM - Recovery
Recovery 4 miles @ 127 hr avg, 8:35 per mile.
Tagged on another 4 recovery as per the plan I'm following. Felt good - kept it slow
Tuesday - 10 with 4 @ Lactate threshold? More like 10k pace....
Lactate Threshold 10 Miles @ 158 hr avg, 7:14 per mile. 3 WU, 4 @ LT, 3 CD
I felt recovered from the sessions last week going out tonight. 3 miles warm up and then 4 in and around 6 minute miles, 3 miles cool down was the plan...
Sun was blazing which meant my hr went through the roof. I did the 4 miles from 90 - 97% max hr. Based on my research that is not lactate threshold and in fact is a vo2 max workout. If I had to guess I would say that is my 10k pace and the hr spike had a lot to do with heat.
Looks like 2 45 could be a touch out of my range right now based on the above.... That's fine. It's not whats important. As long as I am defining my current capacity I'm happy.
What a beautiful evening for a run
Wednesday - Love runs like this. Wet and wild
General Aerobic 10 miles @ 143 hr avg, 7:18 per mile.
Walked out the door today and the heavens opened. It was like clockwork - I started to enjoy the run more as the rain got heavier. my legs were a bit fatigued from the hard miles yday but my heart rate was at a steady 75% through this run.
I felt very efficient - the new runners are encouraging me to strike a bit more forward and my cadence was actually up tonight when normally at this type of intensity it may drop.
Here's to more runs like this. In the zone, and present
Thursday - Sharpening the knives for the weekend workouts
Recovery 6 miles @ 134 hr avg, 8:12 per mile.
6 miles tonight running with Mark who I met at the Rinville parkrun. Nice pace - kept things around 8 minute miles.
Friday - Progression : 74% -> 84%
Medium / Long 12 miles @ 149 hr avg, 7:13 per mile.
Another run in the new glide 8s. I seem to end up on my forefoot a lot and i can definitely feel it in my calves. At the same time i notice the stride rate improvement so it's making me want to use them more and more.
Went for a standard AM medium long run between 20% - 10% slower than MP. These things are quite tough. Managing the progression alone is hard but I relish a challenge :cool:
Might need to re consider my routes for these as it's tough to stick to the hr guidelines when there are hills among the final sections.
Saturday - Post - Parkrun Puffing , with 10 x 100 strides
Recovery 6 miles @ 134 hr avg, 7:58 per mile.
6 miles with Mark after park run. Quite hot - wind dropped and it was very humid. A lot of stopping and starting throughout.
Fun run chatting away. Galways busy...
10 x 100 strides to finish
Sunday - First Run with the Harriers - Progression w 2 x 2mile LT - 1k rest between
Long Run 18 miles @ 156 hr avg, 7:06 per mile. Progression 74 - 84% with 2 x 2 miles @ LT with 1k CD in between.
Decided yesterday I was going to make the effort this morning and get into the Cathedral for a long run with the Harriers at 9am.
Got up at half 5 to get some oats in well ahead.
I was in town for 8.45. Saw a few runners gathering and said hi. The group went when the cathedral bell rang at 9.
Jerome (one of the coaches and second in the Connemara Ultra) met up with us just up the road. The run consists of a 11 mile loop of the city and there is a speed play during. Today it was 2 x 2 miles at LT with 1 k steady between
The route is pretty tough going through some country roads in rahoon with large hills.
I kept the LT parts similar in pacing to during the week - 89 to 93 % hr max this time. It was cooler this morning it must be said.
After the 11 miles I kept running back to my flat and then turned back to finish at the cathedral. I kept a progression for the last 4 miles at 10% less than MP.
Absolutely wrecked, but it was fantastic to get a run in with the group. I spent a good chunk of it speaking with Jerome and another runner on current training and what's working for them. Hopefully the first of many with the GCH
Total Miles for the week : 73
Some points of note :- Sleep - Getting there ! This week average sleep was 7.5 hours!!! A massive improvement but I notice i'm feeling quite groggy when i wake. Will need to look into how to remedy that .
- Overall feeling after week 2 of training : Feeling good after another few solid workouts. Getting to meet some of the harrier club members was a big deal for me and I hope it will provide a good boost to both mine and their training alike. Having a van now opens a lot of doors to new running routes when I have time on the weekends and that is really a great thing.
I feel i am starting to refine my current speed endurance levels and after another week I may alter my Longford stretch goal.
Moving to 7 days of running has resulted in me abandoning foam rolling and instead I have adopted a more comprehensive stretching routine after all runs. I'm feeling good with it so far . I am content to increase my time on feet running while neglecting some supplemental work. I've seen it written a hundred times that the additional stuff should always complement and not be in place of your running.
Cracking weather out there all. Go enjoy it 0 -
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Week 3 of 12 Week Training Plan - 10 weeks until race day
Week Beginning 19th June 2017
Monday AM - Sun - kissed morning bliss
Recovery 6 miles @ 128 hr avg, 8:35 per mile.
Up early this morning for an AM 6 miles recovery. Sun came out as I ran - quite possibly the nicest morning I've ever witnessed in Galway.
Legs were very heavy / fatigued. Will be doing a few more miles later and shall see how they feel then.
Monday PM - So I've gotten a coach for Longford!
Tempo 8.5 miles @154 hr avg, 7:10 per mile - 2 @ Tempo , 0.5 CD , 2 @ Tempo
So I got in touch with a well respected coach at the weekend and we spoke today. Agreed to go with a plan of his for Longford.
First thing he asks 'have you ran yet today' was supposed to do 2 x 2 miles @ 6:30 with 4 minute half mile cool-down in the middle. Splits were closer to 6:15 as I couldn't figure out the interval settings on my watch.
Why coaching ?To quote Scott jurek - Sometimes you just do things!
Tuesday - Sunshine and lollipops , w/8*100 strides
Easy 8 miles @ 150 hr avg, 7:25 per mile. 8 x 100 strides after.
Out for 8 tonight which was prescribed as 'easy' around 7:20 - 7:30 pace. Not quite so easy tonight with the humidity and the sun.
Clocking around 79% hr max throughout with 8*100 metre strides to finish. Strides are great. I'm definitely seeing improvements in my form as a result.
Wednesday - Smooth as Silk
Easy 12 miles @ 144 hr avg, 7:21 per mile.
Beautiful evening, and very happy with the run tonight. Planned to do 11 easy and they did feel as such. This despite the heat and trying to maintain around 7:25 per mile.
Big difference between today and yesterday. Grateful for days like this ;clocked around 76% hr max avg.
Thursday - Keeping things ticking over
Recovery 6 miles @ 134 hr avg, 7:48 per mile.
Recovery 6 with Mark. A bit too fast on the way out as I was late to meet him!
Plan called for a rest day but I do think I'm starting to feel the benefits of recovery runs on 'off days' so I ok'd it with the coach to run these if feeling good.
Friday - Tempo Fridays are back! - 7 miles @ Tempo with 2 WU, 2 CD
Tempo Run - 11 miles @ 160 hr avg, 6:40 per mile.
The old Connemara - tested new balance vazee prisms hit the 500 mile mark tonight in a really smooth tempo run.
Judged the route well to keep it relatively flat . Made a point to try and hit target intensity bang on the 2 mile marker and keep it steady for 7 miles. Did just that (if a little quicker than intended) and it felt great. These were my bread and butter runs for connemara and I had missed them.
HR Max avg roughly 89% through the 7 miles which felt about right.
It felt like a pacing I could hold for a half marathon ( 6:10 per mile) .
Saturday - Easy - ish
Easy 9 miles @ 145 hr avg, 7:11 per mile.
Straight out for 9 'easy' after parkrun.
Felt really good - shocked by first mile pace (6:54 mile). I seem to always do a slow mile to start any run but today was different. Kept the intensity around 75% and still clocking 7 minute miles.
Slowed towards the end . Thinking I went too fast considering tomorrow's workout but that run felt really good and relaxed .
Sunday - Retiring my Connemara trainers with a bang. Last 4 @ MP
Long Run - 19 miles
Target : 20/30 seconds slower than goal pace, finish with 4 @ 6:25 per mile.
Actual : 19 miles 159 hr avg, 6:34 per mile. Roughly 6:40 per mile average for first 15 miles and last 4 splits below -
6:12
6:12
6:13
5:55
Gary gave me a 19 miler @ 6:55 per mile with the last 4 @ 6:25 as my first Sunday session. I was in a good frame of mind for this this morning - up early - breakfast 3 hours before , water 2 hours, banana 1 hour. I treated it like a race.
Hit pacing straight away and put water out in my usual spot . Brought 1 gel i took at mile 10.
Overall I would say I did everything too fast. Av hr of 82 - 85% through the first 15 miles so I think the intensity was about right but I was not gauging my pacing right. Focus was on high intensity and fast and light strides. Especially on the hillier miles - trying to keep it consistent. As such - I kept the pacing to allow for a consistent and flowing run if that makes any sense.
Through mile 10 I was very conscious of said pacing but at the same time I felt ok. I wanted to now gradually ease towards 6:55 before mile 15 and then empty the tank for 4 miles.
I did just that and those 4 miles were hard. I wanted to stop - I wanted to pause my watch and take a breather. I didn't - and I am very happy to have finished strong.
Feel great after that workout - possibly my toughest training run ever - and I feel I paced it pretty well (even though the splits were faster than intended)
Have a good Sunday all
Total Miles for the week : 79.5
Some points of note :- Sleep - 7 hours minimum every night this week. I'm not quite there but I think it's impacting recovery in a positive manner outside of running (i.e I had no fatigue cycling to work, walking around etc).
Most importantly I have a routine now and am going to bed at a consistent time.
- Switching from AM plan to coaching with Gary O Hanlon - I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to do the 19 miles with 10 @ GMP today (would have been the AM plan workout) to get a true feel for my target and how hard it will be to attain.
There are far too many plus points to speaking to an accomplished marathon runner for the training cycle though. It just felt like the right choice and I can pick up the plan again down the road. I did read the book (among others) and got tons of valuable information regarding why we do particular workouts.
I'm looking forward to the sessions Gary is prescribing and was relishing the long run today which is a tough session no doubt. Definitely a real confidence booster .
- Overall feeling after week 3 of the training cycle - I'm feeling really good right now. I have tempo runs back in my workout cycle (my absolute favourite workout ) and the body feels good. It's early days but I can see how things are coming together in a positive way. The target is not out of reach
- Cycling : Don't know if I mentioned it before - I'm now cycling to and from work (3 mile distance so 6 total per day) when it's not raining. This is not impacting my training but I would not cycle before a hard quality session right now. Too green
Hope everyone's running is going well.0 - Sleep - 7 hours minimum every night this week. I'm not quite there but I think it's impacting recovery in a positive manner outside of running (i.e I had no fatigue cycling to work, walking around etc).
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