Often becomes easy when the easy is often..

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121259136#Comment_121259136

Cheers D, thanks for the follow on Strava too. Always great to link up with more boardsies.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121251737#Comment_121251737

Cheers for this Alan.

The Glute injury in July may have played more of a role than you think, it does look like from 1st Aug onwards, you had really strong training block - but the 4 weeks from the Glute injury took mileage away (& sessions) - 10 weeks of solid training - you need everything to go your way.

Interesting. I did adjust the goal from 3:05 to 3:10 because of it, but I also worried at the time that I had missed too much. Maybe you're right and I did. The last three weeks weren't 100% either.

The cramp is interesting - I recall you got cramp in the 10k in Dunshaughlin - did that feel different or similar to what you had this time. Your cramp seems to be manageable in that you dont lock up - mine becomes an inability to run at times (apart from Rotterdam when I managed it (inc in S&C) and San Seb when I ran within myself. )

It was very similar to Dunshaughlin this time alright, right calf mostly, it letting me know as soon as I upped the effort. It's like it puts a ceiling on what you can do pace wise. Dunshaughlin was my first time experiencing it in anything shorter than a marathon. Was really surprised by it then tbh. I don't lock up if I dial back the pace. I've certainly locked up though before and it's absolutely awful.

I've cramped in all but 1 Marathon I've done - I used to be convinced it was electrolytes, but I've done so much research I'm convinced its down to 3 main things (with me);

(1) Specific Training - I'm convinced people who are prone to cramp have to train more specifically - not harder - just differently. (I've not found my sweet spot yet - but getting there)

Would love to hear more about this.

(2) Strength Training - Very specific S&C for runners - Hammys, glutes, calfs, core - everything - become a beast. (+ hills)

I think this could well be key. Did you say above that you didn't lock up in Rotterdam because of S&C? Was your S&C add on unique to that block, or was there more focus/routine to it?

(3) Proper Carb loading - starting 3 days before - for me - its to get 650g or Carbs each day - broken into 2-3 hour intervals.

Would never have put carb loading into the mix when mitigating cramp, v interesting.

From reading your log I also get a very strong passion for your goal that at times comes across as an obsession - I know we all obsess on Running (I'm probably 50% productive in work most days) - but does yours become a 'worry' or an 'anxiety' that takes energy away from you?? Just a question and maybe I'm reading it incorrectly.

I don't think so, as in, I'm definitely obsessed haha, but I honestly don't feel it negatively impacts me in any way, quite the opposite really. Bar race week/race day when I become irritable, but I think that's standard.

Be proud of yourself young man - its great that your disappointed - you say above thats its just a teeny timy bit - but I think we get that its more than that - as we've all been there!

Haha, I loved reading this bit. Bang to rights 😄. I couldn't figure out or understand why I wasn't delighted with it for a bit, but I think it's down to falling short of what I expected of myself. Even though I've exceeded what I previously was capable of, it still feels like falling short. I guess that's because I got such a high off the opposite happening at other races this year, Raheny, Bohermeen and Leixlip. Was chasing that feeling.

I'll simply have to work on that.

skyblue46

A few questions and observations...

What do you think your ceiling is in a marathon? I think that just as you are now less than enthused by beating your previous best you will see this year's benchmark in the same light next year.

Will Hanson be used again?

Race time predictors are a bit bonkers when it comes to marathon times. 3:05 was probably over ambitious, 3:10 needed a perfect block of training.

Were the Endorphins everything you hoped they would be?

How much did you spend on taxis over the weekend?

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121260835#Comment_121260835

Cheers Sean, great questions.

What do you think your ceiling is in a marathon?

I think I'm on a similar journey to @scotindublin . We have similar PBs at similar stages of our progressions. He has far from peaked I think, but I am a couple of years older. I've read that masters runners, or more precisely, masters runners who took running up late in life peak at between 7 and 12 years. I'm 7 years in now. I've improved a lot over the last 12 months and hope to continue that, I think I will. I don't see why I can't be aiming for low 2:50s in a couple of years time. Fingers crossed for it.

I think that just as you are now less than enthused by beating your previous best you will see this year's benchmark in the same light next year.

Cheers, I hope so too.

Will Hanson be used again?

Most definitely. I absolutely loved everything about it. Mostly though it's simplicity. It's hard to find anyone on the Hanson's thread who has fallen short. Once they've fully completed it obviously haha.

Race time predictors are a bit bonkers when it comes to marathon times. 3:05 was probably over ambitious, 3:10 needed a perfect block of training.

This is a really fair point. I guess the 3:05 confidence came from the sub 19 at Leixlip. I know you don't use 5ks as a predictor, in fact that predicted 3:00:x , but it made me think I was growing beyond what Bohermeen in March predicted. I do feel I've learnt so much from this block, that is up there.

Were the Endorphins everything you hoped they would be?

Yeah, they felt awesome. I'm not a shoe connoisseur like your good self, so I can't tell you more than they felt good. I think I mentioned previously that when testing them on a tempo I felt they encouraged landing more on the mid foot which seems a good design.

How much did you spend on taxis over the weekend?

Because I'm an impatient and disorganised lazy money burning bast$rd I spent a total sum of €148 on taxis.

Got home quicker than you tho

AuldManKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121264523#Comment_121264523

Love this....All of it !!

scotindublin

€148 on taxis.....Christ on a bike......you would have saved a fortune if you were 🤣🤣.

You know my thoughts so I don't need to go into the detail here.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121266343#Comment_121266343

I left the goal wide open for him with Got home quicker than you tho but he seems unusually restraint in not kicking it home 😂

skyblue46

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121266429#Comment_121266429

Restraint based on knowing the worm will some day turn 😉

Lazare

I stuck my Hanson review up in the Hanson thread...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318051/#Comment_121318051

Mr. Guappa

I've signed up for Amsterdam next year, thanks in part to the endorsements of yourself and everyone else that did it this year.

One thing I noticed when reading up on it - there are two starting areas, with 3/4 of the field starting in the stadium (Area A), but the other 1/4 starting starting nearby at Stadionweg (Area B). Both areas go off at the same time, and join together after 1km, I can't make out for definite from the info if there are pace groups in Area B too, but presumably there are, and maybe that's the group you encountered around 20k? Maybe Area B got away cleaner and quicker than Area A hence them being so far ahead.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121331944#Comment_121331944

That's gas A, I didn't realise that, I thought the later waves started outside the stadium.

That makes sense now. I guess there was 800 metres or so between the two groups and it took me 8 miles or so to close it.

Delighted you've signed up, you're going to love it.

Public transport is excellent, but if I was doing it again I'd look for a closer hotel. I was in Amstelveen and according to any taxi driver I spoke to it may aswel have been Germany.

skyblue46

I think the waves that started inside the stadium started before those who started outside. The 3:20hrs Pacers were in our wave which started at 09:03. Unfortunately our gun time was about 10 mins so running at 3:15 pace it would logically take quite a distance to catch them. In fact if they set off at 09.03 we wouldn't have caught them at all. The Pacers were probably were slightly behind the 09.03 start time too.

Bottom line is we were caught too far back because C and E needed a last minute pee and we initially struggled to find our wave start area 😂😂😂

As for a hotel, I couldn't find fault with Motel One on Europaboulevard. It was easily reached from the airport, convenient to Dam Square by metro and ,as I belatedly found out, has a cheapish Italian restaurant across the road which served nice large portions of pasta. 😁

Mr. Guappa

Cheers lads, appreciate those pointers

mister paul

Bottom line is we were caught too far back because C and E needed a last minute pee and we initially struggled to find our wave start area 😂😂😂

Could they not have held it in until afterwards? Lightweights.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121342201#Comment_121342201

Haha, I didn't even need to go, only went because that Sean fella did.

Laineyfrecks

Oh that's how it is, I'm getting hung out to dry here!!

Vacancy has just opened up for 2 new running friends to travel to marathons together. Being up for a bit of craic is essential. Backstabbers need not apply🙄

Lazare

🤣🤣

mister paul

Oh that's how it is, I'm getting hung out to dry here!!

If you're getting hung out to dry after going for a pee, I'm not sure you're doing it right.

Lazare

Jeepers this is well overdue an update. Been meaning to for weeks, every time I go to post on it I feel I've too many things to update about so I put it off, which just adds more things to update about. So I guess I'll just give some cliff notes and clear the way to begin logging again.

Signed up in Oct for Milan marathon, my first ever Spring mara. April 7th. The sign up process was a bit eh Italian. Messy and confusing. There was a bit on the form that couldn't be completed, you were prompted to click 'Don't complete' (or something along those lines) with a message saying there would be an email in February with details. Ok, eh, grand so.

Did some googling then and discovered it was a bit of a sh1tshow. In order to compete at it (get a chip time) I was going to have to do a barrage of tests with the GP, ECG, Spirograph, urine tests, submit those results in Feb and wait to hear back. I read a review online from some guy who said the organisers didn't approve his entry until 4 days before the event! Imagine waiting until the ripe end of your taper madness to find out whether you were running the thing or not, with flights and everything booked. Fook that.

I could avoid the barrage of tests and opt for a simple 'shure he's grand' letter from the GP, but I wouldn't get a chip time. Gun time only. That's no use.

There was a big get out of jail card though available. You can avoid all of that crap if you're a member of your country's Athletics federation.

So that's what I did. I'd been giving it serious thought anyway, but now it seems I was given a kick up the hole to go do it. I joined Donore.

Joined up in mid December. Pretty soon after joining one of the coaches got in touch about getting involved with his training group, sessions Wed and Sat.

I joined the group and went along to a Wed session the week before Xmas. 6x a mile @10k on the track. Monster of a session, especially since I hadn't ran anything like it in two months. Loved it though, loved the group.

Decided though that I was going to train Hanson for Milan with a view to getting stuck into the group sessions after it. Idea being that I have great recent data to compare to, to give me a good zone in on a target.

Target was to cement a BQ. Amsterdam gave me a 4:13 buffer, but I don't think that's going to be enough. I feel <3:13 is needed.

I had decided to get stuck in and regimented with Hanson as soon as New Years hit, and take December easy, but consistent. I usually fall way off a cliff in December but I managed to keep consistency up somewhat, running a bigger December than ever before.

Three weeks in I ran the Hanson Tuesday ladder session on the Donore track. 400/800/1200/1600/1200/800/400. All at 10k pace bar the last rep, which I ran at about 3k pace. A little over 8m total on the track. That Thurs I ran a 7m tempo. On the cool down I felt a bit of pain outside the left knee, very uncomfortable running.

On and off pain with it for a week or so up until Raheny. Felt pretty sore on the warm up that day. I probably shouldn't have ran the race. But I did. I ran a pretty great race, 32:10 for a 44 second PB, with a really strong confidence boosting last couple of miles.

Haven't ran since though. Puke.

Physio determined I damaged the meniscus, that track session the culprit. I'm pretty green with track running. I should have alternated direction.

Have been doing rehab excersises and taking anti-inflamms. Tried a couple of miles last Mon but the pain came on after a km forcing stop/start/walk. Physio gave me a new plan of rehab then that I've been following this week.

Ran a mile on the treadmill yesterday and it was pretty good, issue relegated to a slight niggle so fingers crossed I'll be back at it very soon. I'm seeing him again tomorrow.

Bohermeen was also lined up, three weeks time. I'll think some more about what happens with that, and with Milan.

I'll be back at it soon though and will work towards snatching back that fitness.

Laineyfrecks

Hope to see you back at it very soon C 😊

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121787130#Comment_121787130

Thanks so much Lainey 😊

Murph_D

Sorry to hear this, interesting that the track session was blamed. I would have thought you'd have gotten away without altering direction but then I remembered the Donore track is 300m so, yeah, more laps and tighter bends too. Unlucky all the same. Hopefully some good news from the physio.

Tough break.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121797028#Comment_121797028

Cheers D, yeah, pretty frustrating.

Not much better this week but fingers crossed not too much longer.