26.2, Part two

tbukela

Hi all, this will be my first effort at regular logging of my training. I’ve gotten so much valuable information from reading logs and other posts on the A/R forum over the last year or so and would like to engage a bit more to see if it can spur me on a bit. I apologise in advance for the block of text to follow.

My background is relatively straightforward, I’m in my mid 30s and running since October 2016. I did a 10K and a Half marathon in my first few months and got hooked on it. I’ve been a member of a local club for 18 months now which I find a great motivator to get out. 2017 was all about building a base and enjoying my running and racing, lots of racing. I love races organised by local clubs and the sense of camarderie that goes with them. We're blessed to have a strong club scence in Cork. I think I did 37 races last year, probably too much as my improvement plateaued towards the end of the year. I did races at all distances from 5K to Half marathons. In hindsight, I was really racing to train but still managed to rack up 1,099 miles for the year. I made some improvements on my times, 10K went from 54 to 47 mins, and felt that I was ready to take it more seriously in 2018.

I decided that 2018 was going to be about doing my first marathon and so I signed up for Limerick in April. I followed a bit of a hodgepodge of a plan based on an Asics 4:00 hr plan and mileage from the P&D 55 plan. I was very happy with the way training went, 591 miles before the big day, and my tune up races went very well. I had started off the training with a target of sub 4, based mainly on a 1:48 in the Waterford Half Marathon. As training progressed I started to revise the target downwards based on a 75 min 10-mile result and a comfortable 2:08 in a 25K race.

The marathon itself turned out to be a bit of an eye opener. The May Bank Holiday Sunday was a scorcher in Limerick, temperatures were around 23 degrees. Uncertainty over my target time threw my pacing plan out the window and I effectively ran by feel. I did the first half in 1:54 and got as far as mile 17 before the wheels came off. Massive struggle mentally over the last 8 miles and came in just under 4:15. Surprisingly I wasn’t disappointed with the result, I was delighted to have finished the race, I even did a fist pump going over the line. I knew the heat was a big factor on the day and outside of my control. I did however feel that I got my pacing wrong and didn't give myself the chance to run my best race on the day. I still felt I could go faster and decided to sign up for Dublin (briefly contemplated doing Cork but luckily sanity prevailed).

My Dublin training has been a bit hit and miss to date, finding it harder to get out between the fine weather and other commitments. I am following the P&D 55-mile plan with some minor adjustments for holidays etc. I’m a bit concerned though that things might slip further so I’m hoping that this log, and any feedback given, will keep me accountable and motivated. I would love to think that I could do 3:45 on the 28th October and that is the target at the moment. I am fortunate to have a good group from the club all training for Dublin also with a wide range of targets from sub 3 to 4:30. Last week’s mileage was the most since the start of April with 45 miles in the bag including a 14 miler. I think I've just passed 970 miles for the year.

I’ve listed my PBs to give a bit of indication as to where I’m coming from, most of these have been set in the last couple of months (except 5 miles which is from last summer). I also would like to take a bit off most of these but I’m aware that I can’t have it all. I will try to mix in some speed sessions and will probably race regularly enough at the shorter distances over the remainder of the summer. I would love a sub 20 5K, sub 43 10K, sub 70 10 Mile and Sub 1:40 Half.

1 Mile: 06:01
5K: 20:32
4 Miles: 27:11
5 Mile: 37:45
10K: 44:48
10 Mile: 75:11
Half Marathon: 1:46:20
Marathon: 4:14

To anyone who made it to the end, thanks for reading. Any comments or feedback at any stage would be appreciated.

tbukela

Monday - 23rd July

7 miles - Hills Trail Run

Nice run on a local Coillte trail with the club. Started off with 4 half mile uphill intervals with recovery on the downhill, took it easy on three of them and pushed on the last. Finished off with a nice 3 mile run with good mix of up and down. In all 7 miles in 1:05, 9:18 avg (GAP 08:04) with just under 1,300 ft of elevation. Good session to get done and easier with company.

Wednesday - 26th July

4 Miles - Easy

Must be a curse of starting a log but my knee felt very sore after Mondays run. It's something I get from time to time when I up the miles too much. Decided to shelve the planned MLRs for Tuesday & Wednesday. I started to feel a bit better today so chanced 4 miles at an avg pace of 09:01. It was absolutely bucketing down outside, first time running in the rain in what seems like ages.
I'm away for the weekend so unlikely I'll get any long runs in. I'll bring my gear just in case but I suspect I'm being overly optimistic. I've had two dodgy weeks out of the last three and need to get the Dublin plan back on track.

tbukela

Saturday - 28th July

5 miles - worse for wear

Rather naviely decided to chance a run around Dingle after probably the most alcohol I'd drank in 9 month the previous night. Felt good for the first mile until I realised I was lost and ended up coming back the main road into the wind and dodging camper vans and buses. The scenery was lovely but couldn't appreciate it as the heavens opened and all I wanted was my bed. All in all 5 miles at a suprisingly sprightly 9:01 avg. Suffice to say I paid for my bravado later in the day.

All in all very disappointing week with only 16 miles as against the planned total of 45 with a 16 mile long one. Need to pull my socks up.

Monday - 30th July

7 miles - Hills Trail Run

Pretty much deja vu of the previous week except I pushed a bit more on the intervals. Really good session, 8:57 avg with 1,300 feet of elevation.

July gave me a total of 133 miles with a bad half marathon race, one good 5k race and another poor one. August is a big month so looking forward to ramping up the mileage and have one target 10k race.

Wednesday - 1st August

8 Miles - Tempo Run

This was supposed to be a general aerobic run but turned into a bit of a see could outlast the others with a few lads from the club. We started off with a nice handy 8:47 mile and gradually ramped it up to 7:45 pace on relatively hilly roads. Last two miles were 7:18 and 7:33 with an overall avg of 7:53. We were all fairly wrecked after it but pretty pleased. I was really glad to get a tough run in after a couple of inactive weeks, spent almost 60% of the run in my threshold HR zone. I noticed when I uploaded the run to strava afterwards that it brought me over the 1,000 miles for the year, 1,003 and counting now. Considering I did a grand total of 1,099 last year I should blow past that this month. Nice confidence boost and good start to the month.

tbukela

Thursday – 2nd August
3.25 miles – Easy w/strides

As my intention was to do a local 5K race the following evening the plan for this run for a few easy miles with a couple of accelerations to slightly faster than race pace. Started off handy with a progressive 8:25 and then knocked out a few 400m intervals at 06:10 pace, finished off with a leisurely jog back to the car. I was very happy with how this went, no drama and the legs felt good. I was really looking forward to the race the following day as this was one I did last year and wanted to use it as a benchmark as to the progression made. Also, as it was local we would have a decent club representation and there were bragging rights at stake!
Unfortunately, a bug which had swept through the house struck on Friday morning and that was the end of me for the next 48 hours. I was very disappointed to miss the race and drove myself crazy looking at the results afterwards trying to predict where I would have finished!

Sunday – 5th August
5 miles – steady w/ 1 mile quick

I’ll be honest and admit that the motivation wasn’t there to get out on Sunday. It was only the fact that the lads did a great early session Sunday morning and the fear of being left behind that dragged me off the couch. I didn’t have any plan in mind going out for this one which is always a danger. The first mile was a relatively tough 8:25 pace and for some reason as the watch beeped I decided to just give it a lash and go for a 1-mile PB (6:01). The effort levels felt high, but I was happy with the pace and decided to just see how it went and not check the watch too much. I sneaked a peak at the watch at where I thought I’d be in the home stretch and realised I’d only covered .65 of a mile, the pace was still good, but the effort was starting to kick in now. I also misjudged the route and had to do a sharp right turn with an uphill finish for the last 400m. I tried to hold on, but the legs just gave up and the watch beeped at 6:01.7, .4 of a second outside a PB and agonisingly outside the sub 6 min mile. I was wrecked after that, HR hit 177 (all time high is 179), and just jogged around for another 3 miles. The average for the 5 miles was still decent enough at 8:36 but I was bate after it.
I’m confident enough that a sub 6 min mile is there with a small bit of speed work, ended up doing a 1K PB of 3:36 so at least there was that. So ends another quiet week mileage wise with only 23 miles clocked up. I tend to follow a low mileage week with a big jump leading to injury, so this is something I need to manage carefully. The plan for the week is a local 4-mile race on Tuesday and then a 10K on Saturday. This 10k race would have been a specific goal race at the start of the summer but at this stage I will be lucky to break 46 mins which is a pity as it’s a relatively flat out and back course. The priority this week must be to get a decent run in at the weekend of around 12-13 miles. I’ve been following the DCM thread with great interest and it’s amazing to see the work that people are putting in so far with some serious dedication being shown. It’s great to have it as a benchmark to aim for.

skyblue46

Would you not join in on the DCM novices thread? There are a few there targetting a similar time as yourself.

tbukela

skyblue46 wrote: »

Would you not join in on the DCM novices thread? There are a few there targetting a similar time as yourself.

Yeah that's a good suggestion, thanks. As soon as I feel I've something decent mileage wise done, I'll jump in. Hopefully after this weekend.

skyblue46

tbukela wrote: »

Yeah that's a good suggestion, thanks. As soon as I feel I've something decent mileage wise done, I'll jump in. Hopefully after this weekend.

I would not be worried about that. You have a nice base there and would fit in well with where a lot of the group are at.

ReeReeG

Best of luck with the training! Your lead-up to Limerick was very similar to my own, but the wheels came off sooner for me on the day

tbukela

ReeReeG wrote: »

Best of luck with the training! Your lead-up to Limerick was very similar to my own, but the wheels came off sooner for me on the day

Same to you for DCM. I read your race report from Limerick again, remember reading it at the time and thought fair play for finishing it out so well. It's tough when the wheels come off so early. Leeson learned for Dublin, loads of time left to get the MP miles in and have a right rattle off it.

tbukela

Monday - 6th August
7.25 miles - steady/tempo

I was anxious to start the week off well so after a nice relaxing BH Monday with the family, I managed to convince one of the lads to head out for a run. It was the late evening before we got out but still humid enough. It turned out to be one of those runs that was deceptively quick. The plan was for a reasonable pace but nothing manic with the race on the following evening. As the miles passed the pace increased but the conversation was flowing so didn't really notice. Ended up with a reasonable 7:53 average but more importantly body and mind felt good.

Tuesday - 7th August
Carnival 4 Mile Race

This wasn't a race that I had targeted but it being about as local as it gets I wanted to support it. I got down nice and early and enjoyed the bit of banter with the large contingent from the club. I managed to get a small warm up done with a few drills and lined up behind the usual suspects who usually finish near me. I always find it a bit of lottery trying to judge where to start especially when there isn't a timing mat at the start, don't want to give away too much time or get stuck in traffic. Since I knew the course so well I knew I'd have to go out quick for the first 1.5 miles, hold on for a mile and then try and drive on. I had checked my 4 mile PB and realised it was 27:07 with a course PB of 27:24. I genuinely didn't think a sub 27 was in the legs but I was hoping for a sub 28 anyway. I had done 20:30 odd for a 5K a couple of weeks ago so it should have been achievable.
Rather bizarely I didn't hear the gun go off, just saw people running so followed them. I started off quickly enough and fell in just behind a group that on a normal day would be about 30-45 seconds ahead of me. I was comfortable with the pace and the first mile flew at 6:28. I knew the 2nd half of mile 2 was tough so I needed to dig in. This was made easier when a club mate passed me so I had a target and passed him again before the 2nd mile marker with a 6:46. This is where things started to hurt and a few doubts were bubbling to the surface. I had lost touch with the group and was running on my own with one runner about 10 metres ahead who I couldn't bridge to. Somewhat luckily I was passed by a guy who always passes me about halfway through the races and managed to stick with him for awhile before losing contact. I could hear the loudspeaker on the lead car and knew the leaders were approaching the finishing stretch. Not surprisingly mile three was a toughie in 6:52.
Last mile and I was suffering, rightly or wrongly I didn't check the watch and just tried to keep from chopping my stride too much. I didn't really have somone to target ahead of me so tried to flip it into not being passed. I knew I was about 4th from the club with about 3 of the lads, who would usually be ahead of me, probably close behind. The last 800m is quick enough so I started to increase the pace whilst trying to keep something in reserve. I could hear footsteps approaching behind me and someone drew level with about 500 m to go. I recognised her as someone who would usually be a bit ahead of me. To be fair as she passed me she gave great encouragment and I managed to put in the best sprint finish I'd done in ages, the support from the local crowd was great as well. Nothing beats hearing your name being shouted out as you try push for the finishing line. I was really suffering now but I could see the clock was showing 26 something so I gave it everything left in the tank and crossed in 26:54 (final mile 6:41).
All told I'm very happy with that, a 13 second PB, especially as it was unexpected. Did a small cool down with the lads and enjoyed a good spread and a chat afterwards. As Tuesday evenings go running wise that was one of the better ones. Hopefully that will set me up nicely for the 10K on Saturday.

tbukela

Wednesday - 8th August
5 miles - recovery

Nothing too fancy about this one, I just wanted to stretch the legs after the race the previous evening. The average pace was 8:41 with the HR firmly in Z2.

Wednesday - 10th August
4.5 miles - easy

With the 10K the following day I didn't do anything too hectic. Nice easy warm up, a couple of 400m progressions to race pace and a jog back to the car. The average was 8:10, skewed by the few quick bits.

Saturday - 11th August
East Cork 10K

I did this 10K last year and it was one of the first races where I felt an improvement in my running. I had targeted it from a long way back as a race I wanted to have a decent crack at. Unfortunately training in the lead up hadn't been great but I was still confident of coming close to or breaking my PB of 44:49. I woke up early to the sound of rain outside and got myself ready to be down there in good time for the 10am start. I had guilted the famliy into coming with me so we had a full car travelling down.

Unfortunately as we came closer to Race HQ the weather really got bad, nasty heavy rain. I was getting dirty looks from the kids as I had promised a family fun day etc. Ah well! The event itself has a full marathon, a half and the 10K so there were about 1000+ competitors in the vicinity. It's a great fundraiser for local charities and has a really good atmosphere. Both the half and the 10K were supposed to start at 10am but I could tell by the fact that people were still coming in at nearly 10 that it was going to be delayed. So yeah a 10 minute delay, unfortunate that it was so wet, people were either sheltering for cover or trying to keep warm. I did a nice relaxed warm up mile and moved my way close enough to the front. There wasn't a massive amount of club singlets so I parked myself in behind a few lads I knew.

The course itself is an out and back, fairly flat but it can be a bit exposed as you are right on the water. The weather at the start was miserable but it was just a case of deal with it like everyone else. I had done 47:2x in 2017 so I was hoping to take a decent chunk out of it. I didn't have a specific pacing plan and was just going to see how it went and try and hold on.

To be honest the race itself was a bit of a non event, I tried to stay with a group as I seem to spend a lot of races running on my own. I stuck with a group for about 2.5 miles and felt ok for about 2.25 miles of that until I didn't, which when it come was sudden and sharp. The first 3 miles were 6:48, 6:57 & 7:07. At this stage we had turned the corner and were heading back against the main crowd to the finish line. I think I was passed by about 10 people in the 2nd half of the race and didn't come close to passing anyone. The last 3 miles were 7:37, 7:31 & 7:41 with 6:53 pace for the finish. In the end I finished in 45:24, good bit outside a PB but on a positive note two minutes quicker then last year.

I was suprised that I wasn't more disappointed afterwards. The lads in the group that I started with all run sub 43:45 and while they are usually a bit quicker then me, I should have been able to hold the pace for longer. I know I should have had a plan for the race, I should have targeted getting a incremental PB rather than expecting to run a sub 43:30 which I admit was in the back of my mind. My 5K and 4 mile times suggest I am more than capable of running quicker but I just haven't put the work in over the last few weeks. Despite all this it was a great event for worthy causes and hopefully I'll be back next year to take another two minutes off my time.

Sunday - 12th August
13.5 miles - LSR

The main priority for this run was to get easy miles in the legs. A good crew of us set out early in the morning in perfect conditions. The first couple of miles were good craic with a nice bit of banter over race results in the previous week. After about 4 miles the various pace groups had sorted themselves out and I slotted in with a group aiming for 9 min miles. Even though I was tired after the previous days race, the pace felt comfortable and I had to remind myself to pull it back a few times. There was one nice little climb for 200 ft elevation gain in less than a mile which split the group again but everyone was happy enough to run away at their own pace. About 10 miles in I started to get a niggle in my knee, I was conscious that I didn't want to aggravate anything and bailed out from the run to do 13.5 miles while the lads continued to do 16.

I was happy with the run and the pace felt easy enough, 8:57 average with a HR average of 143.The mile splits ranged from 9:21 to 8:32. The last five miles were in my PMP range so I was happy to get them in without pushing myself too much. Although I'm behind on my DCM plan I didn't want to go mad this week and get injured. As it was, the ramp up in mileage was severe enough, 43 for the week up from 23 the previous week. The last time I did that I had severe knee pain for a few days so I need to be careful. This week is a busy one with work and family activities so I'm hoping to get one midweek 10 mile run, one shorter tempo run and a LSR of 16 - 18 at the weekend. Less then 11 weeks to go so all about getting the miles in now.

skyblue46

What plan are you following? The training paces seem a bit on the fast side...

tbukela

skyblue46 wrote: »

What plan are you following? The training paces seem a bit on the fast side...

I started off on the P&D up to 55 mile plan but I've missed a considerable amount of it thus far. I'm trying to decide whether to stick or twist on it this week.
Do you think all the paces in general are too quick or specifically the longer one? PMP is about 8:47.

skyblue46

tbukela wrote: »

I started off on the P&D up to 55 mile plan but I've missed a considerable amount of it thus far. I'm trying to decide whether to stick or twist on it this week.
Do you think all the paces in general are too quick or specifically the longer one? PMP is about 8:47.

All! I mean your recovery pace is faster than PMP! All runs are faster than PMP so you are not training your body to run at that pace or to make the physiological adaptations for running 26.2. Pop over to the novices thread. There is a link to a training paces calculator on the first page. Train to your most recent race time not to some notional target for the marathon itself.

tbukela

skyblue46 wrote: »

All! I mean your recovery pace is faster than PMP! All runs are faster than PMP so you are not training your body to run at that pace or to make the physiological adaptations for running 26.2. Pop over to the novices thread. There is a link to a training paces calculator on the first page. Train to your most recent race time not to some notional target for the marathon itself.

I've seen some of your posts in other threads about training paces and the need to slow down and I have read the articles. So I do appreciate the science and value of it. I do agree that the recovery runs should be slower. My problem is I don't do a lot of pure recovery runs, I'd usually throw in a few strides or a bit of speedwork purely out of boredom. I think that this is something that I need to be more conscious of as the mileage increases and the niggles mount.

Before I started the plan I popped my most recent race times into the McMillan calculator and that would have given me an idea for the target paces for the LSR. I did that again this morning, ranging in distance from 5K (20:32) to half (1:46:08) and the time ranges I'm getting are quite wide. The quicker end is going from 07:45 - 08:33 with the slower end being 09:01 to 09:51. I put my 5K time into the Hanson race equivalency calculator and it gave me my actual PBs for the 1 mile and 4 Mile with a long run training pace of between 08:01 - 09:01. I tihnk you could drive yourself mad with all these calculators! Based on all of the above and how I've been feeling I am comfortable with a long run pace of between 8:30 ish to 9:30, I expect that as the mileage increases the pace will slow accordingly.

In relation to the marathon itself I feel that you need a target and that it should be a genuine target. One of lessons I learnt from Limerick was that the lack of a clear target caused doubts to creep in on the day and when things got tough I cracked. I firmly believe that 3:50 is achievable, based on a quantifiable combination of recent races and training. I am also hopeful that the lessons learned from Limerick will make me stronger mentally. If it transpires that it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world and there is always another race, another day. I appreciate the feedback and its given me something to think about.

tbukela

Tuesday - 14th August
8 miles - Progression Run

Due to kids training and matches I needed to get a bit creative with my timing for runs this week. As I didn't think I'd get the opportunity to do a proper speed session I thought I'd try a progression run to move through the gears a bit. I felt a bit creaky for the first couple of miles, like I needed a drop of WD40 or something. However as the pace started to increase I could feel my legs start to loosen out. The aim was to try and keep the increases in pace fairly consistent and get used to maintaining it at different effort levels. In that regard I was very pleased as I found the increases reasonably easy except for the last one. The miles were 9:05, 8:46, 8:25, 8:05, 7:50, 7:33, 7:26 and 9:48 for the cool down. As I completed my cool down It was noticeable that the evenings are really starting to close in a bit, mad to think that the summer evening runs are coming to an end. I did a bit of an NCT on my shoes, currently rotating two pairs of Nike Zoom Elites and a pair of Brooks Ghost 10s. One of the Nikes, my Limerick Marathon pair, have done 568 miles and the Ghosts have 640 miles. Both are looking and feeling a bit rough now, to be fair they don't owe me anything. Probably time to go shopping sooner rather than later.

tbukela

Wednesday -15th August
5 Miles - Recovery

So based on some sound advice I decided to try and treat this run as a pure recovery run. To be honest it was hard to keep the pace down at the start, it felt a bit artificial if that makes sense. However after a couple of miles I was able to stop looking at the watch and just keep the rhytmn going. The mile splits were 10:00, 9:51, 9:24, 9:23 & 9:53 for a 9:42 avg. I wore my Brooks Ghosts and they felt like cement blocks compared to the Nikes. Its amazing what difference a couple of ounces makes. They are unbelievably comfortable though.I must admit I was happy with the run and something to include going forward.

Thursday - 16th August
9 miles - w/4.5 Miles Tempo

After spending the day on a family outing, probably the last before back to school, I was feeling a bit lazy before heading out for this run. I thought I might be on my own but it turned out that there were six of us going out. The consensus was a few steady miles to start and then increase the pace for 4 miles (c 7:30 pace). The first few miles were nice and relaxed, lots of chatting, until we hit the main road and the pace increased. The group splintered slightly but everyone was relatively comfortable with the pace. The miles flew by and it turned out to be a really enjoyable run. There were two quicker miles when the lads pushed on but I was happy to go with it and it felt very manageable. The mile splits were 8:36, 8:35, 8:22, 7:33, 7:32, 7:14, 7:04 & 3:51 for the .5 mile. I finished with a nice easy cool down mile which brought the total for the day to 9 miles. I was delighted with this session, so far this week is tipping along nicely.

tbukela

Friday - 17th August
5 Miles - Recovery

After putting in a good effort on Thursday I headed out with a couple of the lads for an easy run. This 5 mile loop is one of my favourites route in the winter as it is in town and all lit up. The run itself was nice and relaxed, 9:26 average, miles in the bank.

Sunday - 18th August
17 Miles - Long Run

I had hoped to get out on Saturday for a mini speed session but a never ending blitz put an end to that so I felt nice and fresh for this one. The plan was 9 minute miles and not get sucked into running with a quicker group. A nice group of 10 hit the road at 7am in almost perfect running conditions. As usual we all ran the first mile together and then started to split up. The miles flew by and the run itself was pretty uneventful. I was happy that I was able to knock out 8:55 miles without constantly having to check the watch. The fella I was running with was feeling good at the 13 mile mark so we said we'd quicken up a bit of the last couple of miles and finished with a 8:35, 8:25 & 8:12. The average for the 17 miles was 9:01 with elevation of about 690 feet.

I am delighted with this run and week in general. The pace felt very comfortable and I reckon I could have done another couple of easy miles if I needed to. I remember the first 17 miler I did as part of the Limerick plan and it was torturous. The pace was slightly faster but so was my HR, considerably so. This morning I felt that I was running within myself. This has been a good week training wise, couple of quicker runs and a decent long run, while also minding myself a wee bit. A total of 44 miles for the week is less than the training plan but I didn't want to overextend myself this week. I also need to sit down and figure out how I'm going to work around a few races coming up in the next month. There is the Dingle Half, John Buckley 10 Mile, Charleville Half and Cork to Cobh 15 miler. I'm not sure I will be able, or even if it would be wise, to do all of them.

tbukela

Monday - 20th August
8.25 miles - Steady Run

This turned out to be another enjoyable club run, five of us headed out at a nice leisurely pace with plenty of chat. We got through the 10K mark in around 57 mins and finished strong for an average of 8:46. I was happy the way the body was feeling after the long run the previous day.

Tuesday - 21st August
6 miles - Intervals

Due to a manic day in work I didn't get out for this one till well after 8, the evenings are really starting to pull in. The plan was 2 miles warm up, 1600m @ 6:50, 1:30 recovery, two sets of 800m @ 6:40 with 2:00 recovery and 1600m @ 06:50 with a cool down. As it was getting dark I decided to reduce the warm up to one mile. I was doing this session with a buddy who hadn't done intervals in a while so was hoping to hit his own paces. I made a bit of a mess up of inputting the session in the watch, put in .5 km rather then .5 mile, which really confused me in the middle of the session.
Overall I was happy enough with the splits considering my mistake, 9:08, 06:50, 06:52(500m), 06:36(500m), 6:54 with two miles cool down at the end. The effort felt manageable and I would hope that this would be my range for 4 Miles to 10K at the moment. I'll find out soon enough as there is another local 4 mile race Thursday evening where fingers crossed I can come close to another sub 27.

tbukela

Thursday - 23rd August
4 mile race
Another local 4 mile race on a course that I train on very regularly. I was eager to see if the increase in miles over the last couple of weeks would be a good thing or not for the shorter races. The target was to repeat my sub 27 of a couple of weeks ago.
As it was so local we had a big turn out from the club, so big that even though I was an hour early I spent so much time chatting I only got in a half mile warm up before the start. There was a big turnout, over 300, with the start on a narrow road. I managed to get up to where I thought was a reasonable spot about 4 rows back from the front but a big group come from the opposite direction and I found myself pushed back a good bit just prior to the gun going off. The first half mile was very messy, the road was very narrow with a bad surface by the ditch. Due to the usual confusion as to where people should line up there was a lot of lateral movement to get around people and a lot of energy expended to extricate myself to some space. At this stage I fell in with two guys that I usually target and decided to stay with them for as long as possible. The first mile was done in 6:26 which I was surprised with but not overly concerned with. I spent most of the second mile really focusing on staying in step with the guys and using course knowledge to push on where I could. Mile 2 flashed up as 6:32 on the watch and I can really feel the effort now. I was between the two guys now and I could see that we were gaining on a big group ahead of us, the low 26:xx group. I really started to feel the pressure and I could sense the pace dropping as the 3rd mile was completed in 6:47. I was trying to calculate what I needed to do for the last mile to get a PB and I figured anything under 7 mins would do. I could feel the focus begin to slip and I was passed twice in the space of about 20 seconds, first time I'd been passed since half a mile into the race. I tried to go with them but the legs had nothing. The last 500m had a good crowd of supporters and I tried to summon something up. Just then I was passed again and thought enough is enough. I put on a bit of a sprint to try and pass her but to be fair she responded in kind and just got in ahead of me. I stopped the watch in 26:57 with a last mile of 7:10. I gratefully took a bottle of water and a very decent goodie bag and slumped to the ground. Initially I was very disappointed with how I finished the race and that I didn't PB. I shouted on the rest of the club mates and enjoyed a great spread back in the community hall.
When I thought a bit more on the race afterwards I realised that it was a good run and showed improvement. I did my 2nd fastest ever 5k during the race and know that I can take a chunk off the time.

Friday - 24th August
8 miles -tempo/threshold
This run as it turned was completely unintentional and unnecessary. I was out all day Friday and thought that I would miss training. However I managed to finish earlier than expected and thought I'd head down and try and catch up with the lads who were supposed to be doing an easy run. To shorten the story I didn't catch them and did 7.25 miles at a decent clip. The splits were 7:37, 7:15, 7:22, 7:03, 7:08, 7:11, 6:58 & 7:21 for the bit at the end. I didn't check my watch during the run and tried to keep the pace honest but not red line it. The avg HR afterwards was 150 which is right in the middle of Z3. I did a very easy .75 mile to bring it up to the 8 miles then. When I got home I realised that I had done a 10K PB in the middle of the run which was a surprise, it goes to show how poorly I judged the recent 10K I suppose. Hopefully it is the sign of a potential 10 mile PB in a couple of weeks time.

Sunday - 26th August
17 miles - LSR
Like a lot of runners around the country I woke up early Sunday morning to the sound of rain beating down outside. My first reaction was leave it off but I suppose the fact that we had a group run organised and that I really want to do a good marathon got me out of bed. The five of us set off at 7am and it was truly miserable. The first 7 miles were a complete dose, shoes and socks were drenched. It was the first morning where it was noticeable that it was still a bit dark. Hopefully we'll be able to get another couple of weeks out of the early starts for the long runs. The run itself was a bit of a slog, the pace should have been very easy, 9:28 avg in the end, but felt laboured. This was a direct contrast to the 17 mile run the previous week in a 9:01 avg where I felt I could have ran for another 3/4 miles. Without making excuses I think the efforts of Thursday & Friday were still in the legs. I was glad to get it done and threw in a few laps of the pitch at the end to bring it up to 18 miles for the morning. I picked up a blister on my big toe, first one for nearly two years and the seam went on my Brooks, which to be fair owed me nothing after 680ish miles. Other than that I seem to be unscathed from the run. I have no doubt that without the fact that I was in a training group I would not have gone out in the morning. This brought me up to 45 miles for the week and 149 miles for the month.

skyblue46

tbukela wrote: »

Thursday - 23rd August
4 mile race
Another local 4 mile race on a course that I train on very regularly. I was eager to see if the increase in miles over the last couple of weeks would be a good thing or not for the shorter races. The target was to repeat my sub 27 of a couple of weeks ago.
As it was so local we had a big turn out from the club, so big that even though I was an hour early I spent so much time chatting I only got in a half mile warm up before the start. There was a big turnout, over 300, with the start on a narrow road. I managed to get up to where I thought was a reasonable spot about 4 rows back from the front but a big group come from the opposite direction and I found myself pushed back a good bit just prior to the gun going off. The first half mile was very messy, the road was very narrow with a bad surface by the ditch. Due to the usual confusion as to where people should line up there was a lot of lateral movement to get around people and a lot of energy expended to extricate myself to some space. At this stage I fell in with two guys that I usually target and decided to stay with them for as long as possible. The first mile was done in 6:26 which I was surprised with but not overly concerned with. I spent most of the second mile really focusing on staying in step with the guys and using course knowledge to push on where I could. Mile 2 flashed up as 6:32 on the watch and I can really feel the effort now. I was between the two guys now and I could see that we were gaining on a big group ahead of us, the low 26:xx group. I really started to feel the pressure and I could sense the pace dropping as the 3rd mile was completed in 6:47. I was trying to calculate what I needed to do for the last mile to get a PB and I figured anything under 7 mins would do. I could feel the focus begin to slip and I was passed twice in the space of about 20 seconds, first time I'd been passed since half a mile into the race. I tried to go with them but the legs had nothing. The last 500m had a good crowd of supporters and I tried to summon something up. Just then I was passed again and thought enough is enough. I put on a bit of a sprint to try and pass her but to be fair she responded in kind and just got in ahead of me. I stopped the watch in 26:57 with a last mile of 7:10. I gratefully took a bottle of water and a very decent goodie bag and slumped to the ground. Initially I was very disappointed with how I finished the race and that I didn't PB. I shouted on the rest of the club mates and enjoyed a great spread back in the community hall.
When I thought a bit more on the race afterwards I realised that it was a good run and showed improvement. I did my 2nd fastest ever 5k during the race and know that I can take a chunk off the time.

Friday - 24th August
8 miles -tempo/threshold
This run as it turned was completely unintentional and unnecessary. I was out all day Friday and thought that I would miss training. However I managed to finish earlier than expected and thought I'd head down and try and catch up with the lads who were supposed to be doing an easy run. To shorten the story I didn't catch them and did 7.25 miles at a decent clip. The splits were 7:37, 7:15, 7:22, 7:03, 7:08, 7:11, 6:58 & 7:21 for the bit at the end. I didn't check my watch during the run and tried to keep the pace honest but not red line it. The avg HR afterwards was 150 which is right in the middle of Z3. I did a very easy .75 mile to bring it up to the 8 miles then. When I got home I realised that I had done a 10K PB in the middle of the run which was a surprise, it goes to show how poorly I judged the recent 10K I suppose. Hopefully it is the sign of a potential 10 mile PB in a couple of weeks time.

Sunday - 26th August
17 miles - LSR
Like a lot of runners around the country I woke up early Sunday morning to the sound of rain beating down outside. My first reaction was leave it off but I suppose the fact that we had a group run organised and that I really want to do a good marathon got me out of bed. The five of us set off at 7am and it was truly miserable. The first 7 miles were a complete dose, shoes and socks were drenched. It was the first morning where it was noticeable that it was still a bit dark. Hopefully we'll be able to get another couple of weeks out of the early starts for the long runs. The run itself was a bit of a slog, the pace should have been very easy, 9:28 avg in the end, but felt laboured. This was a direct contrast to the 17 mile run the previous week in a 9:01 avg where I felt I could have ran for another 3/4 miles. Without making excuses I think the efforts of Thursday & Friday were still in the legs. I was glad to get it done and threw in a few laps of the pitch at the end to bring it up to 18 miles for the morning. I picked up a blister on my big toe, first one for nearly two years and the seam went on my Brooks, which to be fair owed me nothing after 680ish miles. Other than that I seem to be unscathed from the run. I have no doubt that without the fact that I was in a training group I would not have gone out in the morning. This brought me up to 45 miles for the week and 149 miles for the month.

A race followed by a tempo? All you need is some proper structure to your training and you will be amazed with the improvement. You have to let the body recover. Great to see you loving it so much.

tbukela

skyblue46 wrote: »

A race followed by a tempo? All you need is some proper structure to your training and you will be amazed with the improvement. You have to let the body recover. Great to see you loving it so much.

Yeah to be honest I feel a bit clueless as well as plan less at the moment. When I was training for Limerick I followed the plan to the letter. This marathon cycle I'm a bit all over the place. I think deep down I'd have preferred to have spent the summer getting faster but FOMO for Dublin meant I jumped into another marathon cycle straight away. I need to decide on a plan and stick with it.

ReeReeG

tbukela wrote: »

Yeah to be honest I feel a bit clueless as well as plan less at the moment. When I was training for Limerick I followed the plan to the letter. This marathon cycle I'm a bit all over the place. I think deep down I'd have preferred to have spent the summer getting faster but FOMO for Dublin meant I jumped into another marathon cycle straight away. I need to decide on a plan and stick with it.

I hear ya on this. I do have a plan for Dublin, but I keep messing it around a bit which probably isn't sensible. Feel like I was way more focused for Limerick.

tbukela

Monday - 27th August
5.25 Miles - Steady Run
Managed to get out for the Monday club run despite a day of travelling. Due to time constraints I could only do some of the run with the group. I tried to get a few laps in on the pitch to take it easy on the knees. I felt ok after the long run the previous day, avg 8:40.

Tuesday - 28th August
4.5 Miles - 4*800m
Didn't get out till late for this one so I was limited as to where I could run. I was going to do a couple of easy miles but I found the thought of 16 plus slow laps a bit boring. I decided to do a mile warm up, then 800m without a target and then use that as the benchmark for the other reps with a 60 second recovery. I was surprised when the 800m passed in 6:40 pace, I had expected it to be low 6:xx with the effort. Probably not a bad thing as I managed to hit the pace easily enough for the next 3 reps. I did a very easy cool down and got the 4.5 miles in. Looking back on the splits I was happy enough, 3:22, 3:21,3:23 & 3:24

Thursday - 30th August
12 Miles - Steady
After a busy couple of days getting the kids settled into school, I was looking forward to getting out for a decent run. I haven't been able to get too many of these medium midweek runs in lately so I went down early and got a mile warm up before we started. The run itself was a nice pace with a lot of chat about how fellas were finding the training. There are 5 marathon first timers training for Dublin with a couple of guys going for marathon number 5 or 6, so a nice mix. The run itself was relatively uneventful except for my blister popping and being chased by a couple of dogs. It was my longest run to date in the Brooks Ghost 11 and they are every bit as comfortable as the previous iterations I've worn. I hope to use them for a lot of the training runs and then wear the lighter Nikes for the marathon. All in it was 12 miles at an average of 8:30. I decided not to do the Dingle half at the weekend, just as well as there is a juvenile GAA blitz, and focus on getting 20 miles done Sunday morning. After that I'll do a mini taper and try and have a rattle off the JB 10 Miler next weekend.

ariana`

tbukela wrote: »

Yeah to be honest I feel a bit clueless as well as plan less at the moment. When I was training for Limerick I followed the plan to the letter. This marathon cycle I'm a bit all over the place. I think deep down I'd have preferred to have spent the summer getting faster but FOMO for Dublin meant I jumped into another marathon cycle straight away. I need to decide on a plan and stick with it.

ReeReeG wrote: »

I hear ya on this. I do have a plan for Dublin, but I keep messing it around a bit which probably isn't sensible. Feel like I was way more focused for Limerick.

I can totally identify with this. I think for me for my 1st marathon i was so petrified that if i didn't follow the plan to the letter i would spontaneously combust or something :pac: but this time i am more relaxed and my attitude to the plan is the same... I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing as long as you're still applying a bit of common sense especially around recovery after big runs/races.

tbukela

ariana` wrote: »

I think for me for my 1st marathon i was so petrified that if i didn't follow the plan to the letter i would spontaneously combust or something :pac: but this time i am more relaxed and my attitude to the plan is the same...

Couldn't agree more, the first one is so scary that you just have to trust in a plan or process. I just want to get this one done and try and enjoy it. I can feel a bit of pressure to go sub 4:00, mainly self imposed to be fair.

tbukela

Friday - 31st August
5.25 miles - hills
I hadn't done any specific hill work in a couple of weeks so was looking forward to heading out for a few miles with the group. I had decided in advance that I wouldn't do the normal 7 mile run and just do five repeats. The effort was honest without pushing it too much. The intervals ranges for the uphill were about a minute slower then normal, I did try one quicker one at the end and I was happy with that. It was an enjoyable run in the pelting rain with over 1,000 ft of elevation. This run brought me up to 176 miles for August which is the most I've ever done in a month.

Saturday - 1st September
5.25 miles - easy
I missed my morning window to get this done and after a couple of hours at a GAA blitz I threw on the runners and decided to start the month off with a few miles. I was actually a bit apprehensive about the planned 20 mile run the following day so just wanted to stretch the legs. It was a grand easy 5.25 miles in a 9:14 avg.

Sunday - 2nd September
20 Miles - Long Run
This was the big one! I didn't enjoy either of the 20 milers I did for Limerick and if anything they dented the confidence a small bit. The plan for this was to get the miles in at a comfortable pace. We set off nice and early on a lovely morning for running. The group split into the normal pace groups and there were three of us who ran the full distance step for step. We passed 10K in 58 min (9:26 avg), 10 Miles in 1:33 (9:18 avg), 13.1 miles in 2:01 (9:13 avg) and finished the 20 miles in 3:03 (9:09 avg). The last two miles were done in 08:47 & 08:37. I could definitely feel the increase in effort for those two miles but other then that the body felt good. I took 3 gels, one with caffeine which was the first time, and was happy with the refueling strategy. Did a small cool down at the end which brought me up to 53 miles for the week.
Next week is a bit of a step back week with the John Buckley 10 Mile race on Saturday evening. This was one of my favorite races last year and I'd love to put in a good effort next weekend. I think sub 75 is achievable and I'll try and have a rattle off it. I checked my calendar and this will be race 24 so far this year. I was a bit surprised at the number. There is a lot of local club 5K and 4 Mile races which is one of the benefits of having so many strong clubs locally. The loss of the Ballycotton Summer Series was obviously impossible to replace but it did open up a few dates for new races which is a good thing also.

tbukela

Monday - 3rd September
6 miles - easy
I badly needed this run, the body felt very creaky after the 20 miler the previous day. The first mile felt tough but everything loosened out after 15 minutes or so. I made a conscious effort to keep the pace firmly around the 9 minute mark and by the end felt good. All in 6 miles at 8:59 avg

Tuesday - 4th September
6 miles - alternating
The plan for this was alternating 08:40/07:40 miles. I was badly caught for time so had to forgo the warm up and get straight to it. For some reason I felt full of running for this one. I misjudged my pace for the first mile and when I checked my watch I was at 08:05 after half a mile. I hit the brakes and passed the first mile in 08:23. I decided that this would be the benchmark for the easy laps. The splits in the end were 8:23, 7:40, 8:25, 07:41, 08:24 & 07:24. Nice session and I felt good afterwards.

Wednesday - 5th September
8 miles - easy
I hit town for this one as the evenings are really closing in. Nothing overly interesting about this run, I tried to keep the effort easy and had a good chat with the lads. 8 miles in 08:50 avg. The plan is for a mini tempo run tomorrow evening, rest Friday and then have a cut off the 10 miler on Saturday. I have a habit of not racing the 10 miles plus races, just treat them as a time trial and hope not to implode. I think I'll change tack with this one and go out at a reasonable pace for the first 4 miles and then push on. I did this in just over 80 minutes last year so I should better that but I would really love to go sub 75 mins for the first time.

tbukela

Thursday - 6th September
10 miles - too fast

I learned a bit of a lesson with this one. The plan was for a moderate tempo session in advance of the race at the weekend. I wanted to up the miles slightly so decided to go down early and do some laps of the field beforehand. Grand job, 3 miles around 8:30 pace, comfortable. I then met the lads and started into the run, I was wearing a long sleeve top and didn't pay attention to the pace. I was chatting away, thought it was about 7:50 ish but nothing mad. I was a bit surprised then when some of the lads started to drop back. I checked the watch and saw average pace was just under 8 so kept going. The lad I was with doesn't run with a watch (proper old school) so we kept going. I hadn't realised that the slower warm up miles were obviously skewing the pace. The end of the story is a 10 mile run in 1:18, about 3 mins outside my PB. The rest of the lads were fairly wrecked at the end with the pace also. It seemed that noone wanted to be the one to say slow down. I'm going to have to be more aware of the pace and be a bit more selfish with my pacing. Despite all that it was a good run.

Saturday - 8th September
John Buckley 10 Mile Race

Full disclosure, I really wanted to go sub 75 for this. My PB was 75:10 ish from Mallow earlier this year and I felt that with the training and mileage I'd done since I should be faster. Despite really wanting to do well I was trying to make excuses in the lead up - went too quick Thursday, late night Friday, too busy with family stuff during the day. The weather also was being used as an excuse. I was in serious danger of just dialing this one in and doing a 77/78 min race and being disgusted with myself with ages. I was really fortunate that there was a big group from the club doing this with many of my regular DCM training partners also lining up and targeting PBs. I got a bit of a pep talk from one of the lads, mainly along the lines of cop yourself on, and started to get in the zone. I did a decent warm up and accepted that the weather was going to be crap but that it would be the same for everyone. I got another boost when just before the start a good friend of mine,with a sub 67 min 10 mile PB, said he'd run with me.

Miles 1-4
The start was fairly congested but at least this year there was a timing mat at the start which seemed to help with the positioning of people. We tucked in between the 70 & 80 pacers with a few club mates saying that they would keep me in sight and then try chase me down in the second half, sound lads. Whistle went bang on 6pm and off we went. The crowd wasn't too bad and with minimal side stepping and weaving we found ourselves in some space to run. The pace was brisk but felt manageable. To start the race there is two laps of the marina which while flat has a dodgy enough surface in patches which wasn't helped with surface water and wet leaves. There was great support along the route, especially considering the weather, with loads of club mates out in force. I was beginning to feel the pace coming up to the water stop at four miles and got a flash back of the previous years race when I started to wilt at this point. This gave me a bit of a spurt and managed to plough on. Splits of 7:13, 7:11, 7:17 & 7:20
Miles 5-8
At this point the course heads out towards Blackrock where this is the only real hilly part of the course. I had been checking the mile splits and knew that some time was being banked and I wanted to try maintain this for as long as possible. I was also paying attention now to who was running around us with a small group forming which was helpful. So into Blackrock, with great support, and up the hill. I decided to attack this as much as I could and ease back on the downhill which seemed to work. Enjoyed the downhill past the castle and onto the walkway. Anyone local or who has done the marathon or half will be familiar with this part of the course. It's nice and flat but as you are right by the water completely exposed in parts to the wind. I was starting to struggle here and really had to dig in. There was one or two right turns directly into the wind which were tough but to be fair the mini group took turns pulling from the front. The final bit of mile 8 has a ramp to bring you off the walkway heading across the motorway which a dose, felt it in the legs. Splits were 7:20, 7:19, 7:32 & 7:36
Miles 9-10
I was in trouble at this stage, the ramp over the motorway had taken a lot out of me. I could feel the pace dropping and checked the watch to see 7:55 avg for the mile. I was also starting to be passed by a few people. My running partner really helped here and got me to dig in. The plan was to get to the mile marker and then assess how the body was. Mile 9 is a bit of a drag, very slight ordinarily but I was feeling it and starting to waver. I was delighted to hear the shouts of one mile to go from a few people. The finish line had changed from last year but I wasn't sure where to. We took a sharp enough left turn down towards the Atlantic pond and I knew I had to be close to the line. Great shouts of encouragement from club mates but I also knew the lads were closing on me. This gave me a bit of a jolt and determined not to be passed, I emptied the tank in the last 600m. I could see the clock ticking towards 74 and just kept running through the finish and stopped the watch. Straightaway I thought I was going to be sick but thankfully it passed quickly and I checked the watch to see 1:13:51. I think I was too tired for it to register immediately and wobbled over to the first couple of club mates who had finished. The rest of the lads followed in quickly and it turned out to be almost PBs all around. Splits for the last two miles were 7:38 & 7:18.

So after that lengthy ramble it turned out to be a great evening. It really is a quality race, well organised by people who know what makes a good race, with a serious field and a great spread afterwards. Due to the PBs and great runs had by all this will be a real confidence boost as we head towards the final weeks of DCM training. Personally I'm very happy with the time, almost 6:30 mins quicker then last years races and 100 places of an improvement. I am confident that there is more scope for improvement at this distance and I'd be hoping to target some of the 10 mile races next spring. I am probably most pleased that, with the help of my pacer and the fear of being passed, I stuck with it and didn't give in when it got tough. Job done, now back to the marathon training with Charleville half being the next target race.

Kellygirl

Well done in the John Buckley. Great time. It was a brilliant race.

tbukela

Kellygirl wrote: »

Well done in the John Buckley. Great time. It was a brilliant race.

Thanks I was fairly happy with it, it felt like an honest effort. Well done to you on your race in the middle of a long run, very impressive. Your training is going really well.

Kellygirl

Thanks. Have to try to race it properly next year and get a proper pb!

tbukela

Monday -10th September
8 miles - steady
I didn't manage to get out on the Sunday so I was feeling very creaky at the start of this run. I ran it by effort rather than looking at the watch and went out a bit quick for the first 4/5 miles before a bit of fatigue kicked in. The avg for the run was 8:47 which was a little bit quicker than planned for. I sampled the delicious taste of chocolate milk for the first time after the run. The hype is deserved.

Tuesday - 11th September
6 miles - easy
The plan was for 8 miles but I was caught for time with juvenile training in the evening. The run was nice and handy, legs felt good and I had to really focus on slowing things done. 9:01 avg with a lower than usual HR avg of 129.

Wednesday - 12th September
10 miles - 4* 2 miles
I had been looking forward to this one for awhile as I hadn't done a proper structured session in ages. The plan was for 4 sets of 2 miles at 7:40 with 400m recovery at an easy, easy pace. After the PB in the 10 mile race I've been thinking about Charleville and what I should be aiming for. The consensus from reading some of the other threads is that you should have a rattle off your half prep race before the marathon. With that in mind I'm thinking of going out at 7:25 pace for the half. Considering that my current Half PB is 1:46, this would be quite the jump but I think that the work has been put in over the past couple of months and now it's time to test it.
With that in mind I said i'd run the first mile without looking at the watch and take it from there. As it turned out I cheated a wee bit and saw that I was going way too fast and slowed it down to do the first mile in 7:30 so that was now the bar. The session went very well, I struggled a small bit to get into a rhythm after the recoveries but the second mile of each set was easier. I had to put on a bit of a burst in the last 400m of the last mile to hit the target but the effort didn't feel lung busting. I was very happy with the way it went and it has been a nice confidence booster. The splits were 07:30, 7:24, 7:29, 7:26, 7:30, 7:28, 7:29 & 7:27. The recovery segments were 2:21, 2:21 & 2:33.
The plan for the long run on Sunday is 17-18 miles with an increase in pace over the previous few weeks. I'm thinking first 14 miles @8:55 and then finish in 8:45.

tbukela

Friday -14th September
9 miles - incl 4 mile race

Bit of a strange day, the plan was for a 7 mile tempo run but I had forgotten that our next door neighbours were having their annual 4 mile run. It's important to support the local clubs so I decided to do a bit of a split session. I got a nice 5k run in before school collection in about 26 mins and then headed off to the race in the evening.

The race itself was starting at 7pm, good turnout from our club and managed an easy .5 mile warm up. Unusually for these races the start line was really wide so I found myself in row 3 right up the front with the quick boys! I hadn't really decided on a plan so when the whistle went I just took off. An Irish international who does speed sessions with the host club was in attendance and took off at an incredible pace, hard to believe it really. I was tipping away nicely, saw that I was around the usual suspects and the first mile went in 6:28. The course was fairly undulating with some nice pulls but then a bit of relief on the downhills. I wasn't really pushing myself too much but still fancied a sub 27 in the back of my mind. I was passed by a clubmate at about 1.5 miles and the aim was to hold 2nd place in the internal club pecking order. The second mile went in 6:45 but felt comfortable.

The 3rd mile was a different story. I was starting to come up with excuses not to push on and I really had to focus on the watch to keep the pace honest. There hadn't been much movement around me for awhile, I wasn't gaining but noone had passed me. I could sense a group forming behind me and thought I'd better make them work if they wanted to pass me so picked up the pace slightly but still only squeaked in sub 7 with a 6:53. I knew that the last mile had a decent climb but I completely underestimated the length of it. A good half mile with a constant 3-4% gradient with a tight turn just before the top. I was passed here by about 4 people and tried to slot in behind them. I knew that from the crest of the hill to the finish was about .3 mile and all downhill so I let it all go on this bit. It was probably the best sprint I'd put in for a race in ages, hit 5:40 pace for it. Finish time was 27:14 which ordinarily I would be a bit disappointed with but I think I'd rate my effort at maybe 7.5 or 8/10 so I was happy with the run. It was a decent blow out and as usual with the club races there was a great spread afterwards. I did a decent cool down with the lads so just over 9 miles for the day.

Sunday - 16th September
18.5 miles - Long run

I was kinda looking forward/dreading this one. I think since the hurt of Limerick (mental rather than physical) I've been minding myself on the longer runs due to a lack of confidence. I've been happy with the way training has been going and the 10 mile result last weekend was a bit of a confidence boost. We had a decent turnout, in the almost dark, at 7am, thankfully the wind and rain from last night had abated. The provisional plan was for 8:45/50s and then try push on for the last 4 miles. I was barely 500m out the gate when I realised I'd forgotten my water belt with my gels etc. Cue a sprint back to the car, try find the key and out the gate again. I decided to pace myself sensibly back to the group but it was still almost 2 miles before I got them and a quicker than wanted pace. The group was beginning to split and I said to my usual running buddies would we aim for 8:30 s for as long as we could. They were happy enough and that was the target. We passed the 10 mile mark in 1:25 and everyone was feeling happy, chatting away. The pace was starting to get a bit too sharp for some and the group was reduced to two of us. We kept working away nicely, loads of people out doing long runs for DCM from different local clubs. We passed the Half Marathon point in 1:51 and things were still feeling good. The pace of the miles was gradually starting to build, it wasn't a conscious decision but I think we were both happy to push ourselves a bit. The last four miles were 8:07, 8:13, 8:09, 8:14 and 8:18 for the .5 mile. We finished the 18.5 miles in 2:35 with a 8:24 average.

I was wrecked at the end but not a I can't move wrecked, more like a I gave it a good rattle tiredness. This was probably the best long run that I can recall. According to Strava I did my 3rd fastest half marathon somewhere during it and if I had done another .16 of a mile to get to 30K I would have taken 9 minutes off my previous 30K PB. I'm not going to lose the run of myself and start targeting a mad time for Dublin on the back of this but I don't see why I shouldn't be aiming for 3:45 ish now. I did 52 miles for the week which including 2 rest days is pretty decent. Next week is a mini taper for Charleville but still aiming for 48 miles. The plan remains the same to try and go all out for Charleville next Sunday, aim for sub 1:40.

tbukela

Monday - 17th September
6 miles - recovery incl hills
I wasn't really in the form for this one as the weather was pretty bad. I decided fairly late in the evening that I'd better get the run in so headed off into the wind & rain. The plan was for 7 miles with 15 short hill sprints. I couldn't face that many so decided to do 8 on an incline which makes up my normal town loop. I would do the first one and then use that as the benchmark. It turned out to be 160m in 41s. I jogged back down and repeated another 7 times. Splits turned out to 41s, 36s, 36s, 37s, 38s, 39s, 38s, 36s which was between 5:45 & 6:18 pace. The incline was between 3% -7%. I did a few recovery miles after to clock up 6 miles @9:35 avg.

Tuesday - 18th September
5.5 miles - easy progression run
I enjoyed this run, started with the club run and finished on my own as I was caught for time. It was a nice fairly relaxed increase in pace. 8:41, 8:24, 8:02, 7:59, 7:53 & 4:29. 5.5 miles in 8:14 avg

Wednesday - 19th September
8 miles - Club steady run

I was supposed to do a tempo session but had a bit of company for the run so just enjoyed the chats. We pushed it on the hills but the rest of the run was at an enjoyable pace. In total 8 miles @ 8:35 avg

Friday - 21st September
8 miles - tempo w/intervals

This was an abbreviated version of the session I was supposed to do on Wednesday. I decided it would be better to shorten it with Charleville approaching. Quick warm up then 3 miles at HMP, recovery and then 6 * 800m at 10k pace was the new plan. I did this on the local walking track which was nice and quiet in the middle of the day. The initial tempo miles felt very comfortable and I really had to hold back at the end. They were done in 7:37, 7:33 & 7:26. The recovery was only meant to be 1:45 but I was distracted and it ended up being 2:15. I found the 800m intervals tough enough, I haven't been doing much sub 7 min stuff except for the shorter races and I really had to work hard for these ones. In the end I managed to keep them close enough but it was a really honest effort. The splits were 3:33, 3:28, 3:28, 3:27, 3:31 & 3:28 with 60s recovery. A bit of a cool down which brought the session to 8 miles @ 7:38 avg. I was happy enough with the this, I'm getting a bit more consistent with my paces. I enjoyed doing a bit of quicker work yet the body still felt fresh enough after it.

Saturday - 22nd September
4.25 miles - alternating

Today was supposed to be a rest day but I like getting a few miles in the legs the day before a race. I was up early and actually had to wait for it to brighten up a bit before heading out. The weather was horrible, fingers crossed it won't be like this for Charleville tomorrow. The plan was for a bit of alternating pace change miles. I ran this by feel as it was so wet I just wanted it done. I was also trying out a new pair of runners, Brooks Launch 5, which might end up being the marathon day runners. I've had 3 pairs of Brooks Ghosts which I loved. Currently have the Ghost 11s which are really comfortable, I would like something a wee bit lighter for DCM. The splits for the run were 8:39, 7:48, 8:23 & 7:46. The shoes felt comfortable, I'll try them in a 8-10 mile run during the week and see them what they are like.

I'm happy with the week so far, about 31 miles, with the half marathon being the main target tomorrow. I will try and go out at between 7:25 -7:30 pace and see how long I can hold it. I hope the weather won't be too bad but regardless of the way the race goes tomorrow I'm very happy with this training block and feel that things are very positive for Dublin. Best of luck for all doing the half marathons this weekend.

tbukela

Sunday - 23rd September
Charleville Half Marathon

Apologies to anyone reading but this could be a long one. I've had a hate/hate relationship with Half Marathons since I did my first one in Clonakilty in December 2016. It took me 3 attempts to break 2 hours and my PB as of Cork this June was 1:46:31. Training for DCM has been going well over the last couple of months and recent PBs for 10K & 10M were real confidence boosters. A 73 min 10 mile result a couple of weeks ago forced me to consider what I should be targeting in Charleville as an achievable rather than aspirational target. All the calculators etc were in the realms of 1:38 so I was happy to target a sub 1:40. I had never done Charleville before but everyone had said that it was a fairly fast course so I was happy to have a rattle off it. I headed down to Charleville with a club-mate nice and early. No hassle getting the t shirt and did a bit of a warm up. The place was very busy, seemed to be runners everywhere. I thought the start might be a bit congested so wriggled my way in early, bit late starting and off we went.

Miles 1-4
I had positioned myself in front of the 1:40 with the 1:35 pacers in sight. The start was nuts, like a cavalry charge. I was afraid to even check my watch and just went with the surge of people. Eventually I checked the watch by the factory and saw that it was 6:40 pace :eek: I knew that this was madness but the crowd was still sorting itself out so was happy enough to tag along. Mile 1 was 6:56 which was obviously unsustainable but felt ok. During mile 2 the various groups still hadn't formed so there was a lot of yo yo ing going on. I find this very off putting, the constant surging and slowing down, so I tried to avoid those groups/runners. The second mile was another fast one in 7:04. I had a bit of a chat with myself at this stage and decided that although I was feeling good, this pace was just too sharp. Whether it was consciously or not my pace fell back a small bit and mile 3 was a more manageable 7:14. At this stage the field was pretty much strung out with various groups working together. I had fallen in with another two lads who were going to be my companions for the next 8 miles. The fourth mile was 7:18 and I knew that I was in a race. Splits (6:56, 7:04, 7:14, 7:18)

Miles 5-10
I was trying to tune out slightly and just focus on my form and let the miles slip by. This was proving to be difficult as every few minutes I wondered if I was going to blow up! I kept saying to myself that I can do this for 10 miles so lets get that far and then worry about the finish. I had settled into a nice rhythm now and had clung onto a group of sub 1:35 runners who pulled me along for awhile. Mile 5 & 6 were 7:13 & 7:23. Mile 6 was a toughie as the road turned into the wind for a bit which was strong enough. There was good support as we ran through Killmallock which was a good boost. I checked the watch as we passed the 10k mark and I realised that it was 44:44 ish, my 2nd fastest 10K time. Cue another bit of panic but I manged to put that to one side as the halfway mark came up. I saw that they were trying out live tracking so I said I'd better put a burst on for the masses following me live :rolleyes: We were now running on the country roads and the surface wasn't great. I was passed by a few here but also was passing people as well. I passed a guy who would usually be miles ahead of me so cue some more momentary panic. Miles 7 & 8 were 7:16 & 7:11. I was starting to believe now that I was on for a good time if I could just maintain focus. Mile 9 was a bit of a slog, a ridiculously straight road where a bit of self pity was starting to creep in. I checked the watch and saw that the pace was dropping so put on a bit of a burst in pass the mile marker in 7:27. I was at distraction tactics now and I was trying to calculate what I would pass the 10 mile marker in. I knew I had a chance at a PB so I tried to focus on that and was momentarily delighted to pass the marker on a 7:22 mile and 1:12:35 ish. Splits were 7:13, 7:23, 7:16, 7:11, 7:27, 7:22.

Miles 11-13.1
We were back on the main road now and heading for the finish. The road seemed so straight and felt like it went on forever. I was really pushing myself now and I used the 10 mile PB as a mental crutch. I could feel the HR increasing and I was glad to get over the railway bridge bump and finish the mile in 7:25. This was a real slog now and there were equal amounts of people struggling and others flying by. I knew my pace was dropping but I was picking individuals ahead of me as targets. This kinda of worked as although it was a slower mile, 7:33, I was still moving. The last mile was tough, both physically and mentally. I knew I had a decent PB in the bag and had to stop myself from just jogging in. I was being overtaken by a few at this stage. I was delighted when I saw the Kerry plant and just kept thinking about the finish. The pace dropped dramatically going around the last corner but I could see the runners ahead of me turning into the complex so I just tried to keep going. I got to the final stretch and as soon as I saw the clock at 1:35 odd I just let it all go to the finishing line. I gratefully took a bottle of water and had to sit down as I realised I'd done 1:35:47.

Whatever else I've done running wise so far, I think this is the race that I'm most happy with. It is without question the first time I've really pushed myself in a half. While I'm obviously delighted with the time and a 10 minute PB, I think I'm more happy that I kept on going and trusted that I had the training done to achieve a good time. The results of the DCM training and in particular the group runs is evident from this result. I'm not going to make any knee jerk decision on targets for Dublin after this. I think I'll just enjoy it for today. Two more hard weeks of training left and then taper time.

Kellygirl

Congrats. That’s a brilliant race and pb. You are well set for DCM now.

Wubble Wubble

tbukela wrote: »

Sunday - 23rd September
Charleville Half Marathon
.
Miles 5-10
I was trying to tune out slightly and just focus on my form and let the miles slip by. This was proving to be difficult as every few minutes I wondered if I was going to blow up! I kept saying to myself that I can do this for 10 miles so lets get that far and then worry about the finish. I
although it was a slower mile, 7:33, I was still moving. The last mile was tough, both physically and mentally. I knew I had a decent PB in the bag and had to stop myself from just jogging in. I was being overtaken by a few at this stage. I was delighted when I saw the Kerry plant and just kept thinking about the finish. The pace dropped dramatically going around the last corner but I could see the runners ahead of me turning into the complex so I just tried to keep going. I got to the final stretch and as soon as I saw the clock at 1:35 odd I just let it all go to the finishing line. I gratefully took a bottle of water and had to sit down as I realised I'd done 1:35:47.

Whatever else I've done running wise so far, I think this is the race that I'm most happy with. It is without question the first time I've really pushed myself in a half. While I'm obviously delighted with the time and a 10 minute PB, I think I'm more happy that I kept on going and trusted that I had the training done to achieve a good time. The results of the DCM training and in particular the group runs is evident from this result. I'm not going to make any knee jerk decision on targets for Dublin after this. I think I'll just enjoy it for today. Two more hard weeks of training left and then taper time.

HMs are very hard to judge. Certainly I'm always worrying of I've gone too fast in the early miles, even if it *seems* to be ridiculously easy.

Very disciplined performance from you, with great results.

tbukela

Thanks folks for the comments, I was really happy the way it went.

Monday - 24th September
10 miles - easy
I was still buzzing from the race when I started this run. I went out at lunchtime and it was a lovely day for a run. The original plan was for 6 miles but I was suprised how good I was feeling so I kept going. I was very mindful of the pace and tried to keep it comfortable except for the last mile when I realised I was cutting school collection pretty tight. Very enjoyable run, 10 miles in 9:08 avg

Tuesday - 25th September
6.5 miles - easy
I was in Dublin with work for a couple of days and staying out in Drumcondra. I had spent a few years living here back in the mid 2000s so it was funny to see how it had changed in some ways yet remained the same in others! I did a bit of a slightly messy loop up the Drumcondra road,along Griffith avenue and back around Richmond road. I found the constant dodge the pedestrian/cyclist and traffic lights a bit disconcerting. Slight difference from the country roads at home. I was feeling tired during this one and the pace was almost enforced on me, I don't think I could have pushed it any bit. 6.5 miles in 9:14 avg

Thursday - 27th September
7.5 miles - mini progression
I was supposed to do a tempo session but I was feeling fairly lethargic. I decided to fall in with a club run and see how it went. After two easy warm up miles it turned into a bit of a progression run with a tempo few miles. I found I was working hard to maintain a pace which I had knocked out for 13 miles only a few days previous. I finished it off with a nice handy recovery mile at the end. It was an enjoyable run but tough, mentally and physically. The splits for the pace bits were 8:06, 7:43, 7:31, 7:42.

Friday - 28th September
10 miles - Tempo intervals
In order to stop the pity party that was developing over the week I decided I needed to do a bit of a session so finished work early and headed off to the local park for some tempo intervals. The plan was 4*2 Miles at 7:50 however I thought I could quicken that slightly. It was a glorious afternoon for running and I got straight into my stride. I really enjoyed this session even though it got tough towards the end. I did a bit of a cop out and only did 2*2 miles and 1*3 miles. i thought I'd be able to do 4 miles for the last set but I was working hard and didn't want to push it too much. The splits were (7:45, 7:39, 4:24 (800m rec)), (7:42, 7:37, 4:21(rec)) & (7:43, 7:44, 7:48). Even though the pace is probably at the slower end of my tempo pace currently, it felt like a proper session and a nice change from the easy/steady runs. I did a very relaxed cool down of 2 miles at 10 min pace then to give me the 10 miles. I must admit that mentally I felt a lot better after this run.

So that run has brought me to over 200 miles for the month, already 24 miles more than August which was 41 more than July. I never thought that I'd be able to run that volume of miles. The plan is for a couple of easy miles today then a monster camogie blitz. Tomorrow is Cork to Cobh 15 mile race, after thinking about it a lot I think I will treat it as a progression run and break it into 5 mile blocks. Start off slightly slower than MP, then MP and if possible slightly above MP. I think subject to change :rolleyes:

tbukela

Saturday - 29th September
6 miles - Steady
I had 50 odd mins to get a run in while the girls were in gymnastics so I did a nice two lap loop with a few hills thrown in. This was the first properly cold morning, frost on the car and everything. Beautiful morning for a run and it put me in good form for the day. 6 miles at avg of 8:30. We had our end of season camogie blitz in the afternoon which was a great success. That frees up another evening for a run!

Sunday - 30th September
Cork to Cobh 15 Mile BHAA Race

I had never done this one before but it is a bit of an institution in Cork as a pre DCM warm up. I only signed up on the Monday as I was contemplating doing a 20 miler instead but the thoughts of doing it on my own put paid to that. This is a bit of a logistical challenge as, per the name, is a point to point course. The brain trust managed to come up with a solution and off we headed bright and early. There was some initial talk about doing a few miles warm up but a general lack of enthusiasm put paid to this. I'm not going to labour the point but the start was a bit of a mess with runners everywhere and the race started 10 mins late I think. The plan for this was a 3 block progression run building on the Charleville Result but not pushed myself too much into the red. That plan was not adhered to.

Start
The start was fairly frenetic, we had acquired a good spot reasonably close and got caught up in the cavalry charge. Similar to Charleville i just went with it and two of us decided to stick together. I was a bit surprised with the first mile at just over 8 but it felt comfortable so we went with it. The next couple of miles as we ran out of the city over Dunkettle and towards Glounthane were all 7:50 odd. I hadn't brought any water with me and I'd forgotten that the water was going to be in cups. It turned out that they were polystyrene rather than plastic so when I tried to pinch it to drink, it just cracked. I decided it was easier to walk and take a few sips. We went through the 5 mile mark in 39:47 (8:02, 7:57, 7:52, 7:51, 7:53). The pace felt comfortable and we were starting to pick off groups as we went along.

Middle
The support along the next few miles was great, it never ceases to amaze me when people come out with boxes of jellies and bottles of water to offer to complete strangers. The roads were open so it was mainly single file and running in the sometimes non existent hard shoulder. It was a bit different from running on the closed or quiet roads that I'd usually race on. The route so far had been fairly flat and this section was the same except for a few ramps to cross roads etc. We passed a crowd of supporters from the club which was a nice boost. This was probably the worst stretch for cars passing as the road was busy with no hard shoulder. Luckily common sense seemed to prevail. The pace at this stage was increasing slightly, nothing dramatic, but still I was starting to feel that it was turning into more of a race than originally planned. I was pleasantly surprised when we passed the 10 mile mark just before Fota Wildlife park in 1:18. The splits were 7:50, 7:51, 7:48, 7:42, 7:47.

Finish
I had been told that the last five miles were the hardest and so it proved. We had gathered a nice group of maybe 15 following us, quite happy to let us lead the way. I was glad when someone offered to take the lead as we headed towards Cobh as we were running into a slight headwind. I lost a bit of focus around this part as I was trying to figure out what I wanted from the race. Was sub 2 hours enough or too much? I snapped out of it and just thought run it honest and see what happens. The next couple of miles were a bit undulating and there was a bit of movement between people finishing strong and those who were suffering. My friend was almost at the max at this stage and we said we'd get to mile 13 and then I'd see if I could push on a bit. We went through the half marathon mark in 1:42 (2nd Fastest half for me) and I said I'd try and boot on. This booting was dramatically stopped by another incline and I could feel my stride shortening. I was passed by two local lads at this stage and I tried to keep them within striking distance for the final push. Mile 14 was tough and there was a nasty sharp ramp at about 14.5. However the finish was a steep descent and the support was great. I let fly with what I had left, passed one of the lads and finished in 1:57:07. The final splits were 7:49, 7:47, 7:41, 7:47 & 7:23. The final avg pace was 7:49

I must admit that I am happy with this. I pushed myself, it was a race after all, but I didn't go into the red like I did in Charleville. I feel that I could have maintained the 7:50 ish pace for another block of miles. By no means is this now my race pace but it is another confidence boost. All in all this was an enjoyable race with great volunteers. The worst thing is the walk up a ridiculous hill to get to the community centre for the spread afterwards, it is cruel punishment. I'm happy with 55 miles for the week and 221 miles for the month. I have really enjoyed this training block even thought the mileage and the pace have been challenging. One more hard week.

skyblue46

Great report and really consistent running. Well done.

tbukela

After not updating for awhile I really should have more to include but unfortunately due to a combination of things last week was a quiet one.

Monday - 1st October
7 miles - recovery
After the 15 mile race the body was feeling fairly ropey so this was a nice handy recovery run with the lads. Nothing hectic avg pace was 9:31

Thursday - 4th October
8.5 miles - Steady session
After two days dealing with a bit of a manflu and a couple of genuinely sick kids I forced myself to do a bit of a mini session. I did 4 miles at around 8:45 pace of which the first 3 felt harder then they should have. I took a 60 second recovery and set off on 4 miles aiming for 7:45. The pace initially felt a bit sharp but I got into it as the miles went by. I was happy enough with splits of 7:46, 7:47, 7:45 & 7:48. A small cool down brought the total miles to 8.5. Overall I was glad to get back out logging the miles.

Friday - 5th October
5 miles - easy
Nothing unusual about this one I wanted to get some miles in the legs before the LSR. 5 miles at avg pace of 9:01.

Saturday - 6th
21 miles - Long Run
After two weekends of racing Charleville and the 15 miler at a pace quicker than MP I wasn't overly concerned about the pace for this run, more so getting a good long run in the bag. I had only done one 20 miler a few weeks ago so I decided beforehand I wanted to do 21 miles for the mental lift. Big turnout from the DCM training crew, felt a bit weird going out on a Saturday morning. The roads were a lot busier then a Sunday obviously and there were loads of tractors on the road so it was a bit sketchy in parts.
The run itself turned out to be a bit of a progression one. The first five miles were done in almost exactly 45 mins, 10 mile in 1:29, 15 miles in 2:23. Five of the last six miles were sub 8:30 with two 8:00s. To be honest I felt very happy with this run, I felt that I was running well within myself. I did make a bit of a mess of the refueling, only taking one gel which is silly. I'll need to get this right on the big day. All in 21 miles in 3:02 at an avg pace of 8:41.

I didn't get out on the Sunday from pure laziness, I think this is the only time that this has happened in this training cycle. I was really annoyed with myself that evening. It was supposed to be a 5 mile recovery run which is crucial after a long run. The mileage for the week was a pretty low 41 miles, lowest since July.

Monday - 8th October
9 miles - Steady AM 30 mins Recovery PM
I was heading away with work that lunchtime so I got a nice steady run in that morning. The first 7 miles were between 9:02 & 8:26 and I felt fairly stiff at the start. As seems to be the pattern with these runs I felt more comfortable as I went and did the last 2 miles in 7:53 & 7:54. Nice crisp morning in get a run in and to be honest I felt great after it.
Unusually for me I did a 2nd run that day. As I was bored in the hotel I went down to the gym and did 30 mins on the treadmill. It was a bit of a bake as the machines were in KMs and I nearly gave myself a migraine trying to do the conversion. The indoor running setting on the Garmin was surprisingly close to the treadmill. I think it would take me awhile to get used to treadmills again. All just over 12 miles for the day.

Tuesday - 9th October
7 miles - Tempo Intervals
With an eye on the weather forecast for later in the week, I moved this session up a couple of days. The plan was for six 1 mile intervals at 7:25 with a 60 second jog recovery. This went to plan with the splits of 7:22, 7:25, 7:22, 7:25, 7:23 & 7:22. The last two intervals were tougher as the the wind became a factor. 7 miles at 7:46 avg.

tbukela

Wednesday - 10th October
8 miles - easy
I got out late in the evening for this one and the wind was starting to pick up nicely. Nothing too hectic, got through the miles nice enough with one quick mile thrown in the middle at 7:31. Legs were feeling a bit tired. 8 @ 9:06

Friday - 12th October
6 miles - easy
This was a nice relaxed run with one of the lads, pace was relaxed, few climbs thrown in and lots of chat. 6 @ 9:08

Saturday - 13th October
11 miles - Steady
I was unable to go out on the club Sunday run so the plan was to get out early and get it done myself. The rain put paid to that plan and I spent the whole day making excuses not to go out. Eventually I realised that I was out of time and had to bite the bullet. I started at 6pm in the rain and almost dark. The plan for the long run was 16 miles at a decent pace. I had decided to drop that and do 10 miles at just quicker than MP. About 5 miles in I changed my mind and realised that I should stick to the plan. I slowed down a wee bit but was feeling a bit sluggish. I was drenched through and it was almost pitch black in the park where I was doing laps. I got through 8.5 miles in around 8:20 avg and thought I would tag on some slower miles to get to around 15. I stopped at the car for a drink and a gel and took off again. I don't know if it was the pit stop or what but I just didn't feel comfortable. I got a slight pain in my groin and eventually decided to pack it in around the 10.5 mile mark. Being a bit OCD I decided to do a very slow jog to bring it to 11 miles even. I was feeling a bit deflated when I got home. I did a good bit of stretching afterwards and am putting the discomfort down to a lack of stretching prior to starting the run. I would have liked to have gotten a longer run in but the hard work is done. Caution is the watchword for the next two weeks. 11 @ 8:30

Sunday - 14th October
8 miles - easy/MP
After the previous days run I was anxious to get out and see was there anything serious going on. I started off very easy and whatever mild discomfort disappeared after a short while. I did a lot of stretching prior to starting. It was a lovely Autumn afternoon and I didn't notice the miles going. After 4 miles I decided that I would try some MP miles at the end and if there was any discomfort I'd pull back. Glad to say that I was able to knock out 8:25, 8:09 & 8:19 with no issues. Bit of a confidence boost after the aborted long run. 8 @ 8:47.

So another week over and another week closer. Hard to believe that the race is so close now. I'm trying not to think about it too much but it is getting harder. I'm happy with my gear for the day, still not nailed on with the fueling and happy with the plan for the race pace. I hope that I've learnt from Limerick and that my plan will be adjustable depending on the day itself. 52.5 miles for the week, next week is a drop in intensity and miles with one MP session. Almost there now.

tbukela

Monday - 15th October
7 miles - easy
I headed out with one of the lads for a nice easy recovery run. We were finalising pacing plans for DCM, decided to run together for as long as possible. I'd be a wee bit faster but he has greater marathon experience so we think we can help push each other along. 7 miles @ 9:20 avg

Wednesday - 17th October
10.5 miles - Steady run
This was my last heavy session. I did a half mile warm up and then proceeded to switch off and try knock out 10 miles at 7:55 pace. I did the first 6 miles on the track which was fine. I had to hit the streets for the balance as it was getting dark, there were some patches where I had to push a bit going uphill but over all it felt comfortable. I was happy with the heart rate and there weren't any worrying niggles. Nice confidence boost. 10.5 miles @ 7:59 avg.

Thursday - 18th October
6 miles - easy
Headed out with two of the lads for a very enjoyable easy run. Loads of banter about Dublin and the miles flew by. All about maintaining. 6 miles @ 8:48

Saturday - 20th October
13 miles - Club Long Run
This was going to be the last longish run before Dublin. The plan was for nothing hectic, bit of a chat more than anything. The first few miles flew by with some great slagging re secret training and soft targets. One of the lads got a pain in his foot and eased the pace so I hung back with him and then pushed on for the last few miles when he took a shorter route. I was very happy with this run, the effort felt just about right and the legs felt really good when I upped the pace slightly. The group heading off for a cup of coffee and breakfast afterwards which took longer than the run. Really nice morning and a lovely way to sign off on the training block. 12.5 miles @ 8:30 with .5mile c/d

Sunday - 21st October
4.25 miles - Steady
The plan was actually for a slightly longer tempo run but I just didn't feel like it. I did a handy mile to warm up and three miles at MP range (8:03 - 8:16). Everything felt good, I did a lot of stretching after this run. 4.25 miles @ 8:26

I was very happy with the way that this week went, the mileage was perhaps a bit high but the majority of the miles were easy. One of the things I learned from Limerick was that I eased off too much and was under-cooked on race day. This week is all about keeping things tipping over, I think I have maybe 5 miles at race pace over 3 days. Its hard to believe that we're almost here. It's mad that so much training and effort goes into one race. It's not like a 5K or even a half marathon where if you have a bad day you can always have another rattle off one the following week or fortnight. I feel as fit and prepared as I have ever been for a race and hope it make it count next Sunday.

This has been a great training block for me, I've PB'd at every distance and regardless of what happens next week, it has set me up perfectly for next year. I'm going to consider some fairly aggressive goals for next year but that is another days job. 40 miles for the week.

skyblue46

Great training block. I think your target is very conservative based on training and races. I'll not be surprised to see you come in well under 3:30. Best of luck and enjoy the day.

ReeReeG

You've been flying it! I think you're going to knock a massive amount of time off your Limerick time anyway, that's for sure! Best of luck

tbukela

Sunday - 28th October
Dublin Marathon 2018

Without going into any great detail the lead up to the marathon was fairly good, couple of easy runs. Headed up to Dublin on the Saturday with my wife, leaving the three smallies at home. Hit the expo, grabbed the number, had a quick chat and got out of there. After checking into the hotel we strolled over to the start and finish lines, got caught in a shower of hailstones. I was feeling a load of nervous energy so I headed for an easy run to loosen the legs. To be honest the day before went as good as it could, I had all my gear sorted and got a decent nights sleep.

Race Day

Preamble
I got up in loads of time, no dramas due to the changing of the clocks, and was ready to leave in hotel around 7:45. I met a few club mates in the foyer and we exchanged best wishes before I headed over to the bag drop. For some reason we had to do a massive loop around to the bag drop before I parted company with my OH and went through security. I kept bumping into people I knew as I went along and the atmosphere was buzzing. Bag drop was seamless and I was glad I had a hoodie as I found it pretty cold. I headed off with the throngs for the wave entries and decided that I would go to the first toilets that I found. I ended up queuing for nearly 20 mins, which flew by as there were some right characters around. I was very lucky to literally bump into my club mate that I was going to run with and at 9:15, off we went.

Start - mile 1- 13.1
I knew it was going to be congested but I didn't expect it to be that busy. It was a bit mental, people flying around the place into gaps etc. There was a great buzz though, there was a wave of optimism from everyone. I don't remember much about the first bit except the crowds coming up to Christchurch which would be the first of many great cheering sections. We had gone out before the 3:40 balloon but somehow found ourselves behind it after a mile. It was fairly packed and we were looking for somewhere to extricate ourselves. I passed my wife and a few friends on Ushers Quay and crossed the Liffey for the first of several times. The first water stop was a bit messy, it was like noone was expecting it. The swing into the park was handy enough and we made a burst past the pacers just before Gardai HQ. Even though it was a nice enough acceleration the difference in the crowd was worth it. The run up Chesterfield was actually quite nice, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Out through the gate and heading towards Castleknock. I could hear the band playing "Shut up and Dance" as we passed which is one of my kids favorite songs so that was nice. The support of the crowd here was spine tingling, it was truly amazing. I knew that this was supposed to be the highest point on the course so I was glad of the downhill and then back into the park. I hadn't been paying too much mind to the watch until this stage but I had a look at mile 9. I wasn't surprised at the pace but more so that I didn't feel overly comfortable. My buddy on the other hand was looking great, I could sense that we would be parting ways at some stage in the next few miles. Great support going through Chapelizod (where does the name come from?). There was a bit of a pull on mile 11 but nothing too hectic. I let my friend go somewhere around Con Colbert House, I just didn't feel comfortable. The gap was only about 100 metres, and it would be like that for a few miles but the tether was broken. I was expecting to see my wife around Webb Motors before Dolphins Barn. I was delighted to see her, I threw her my gel belt and gloves, I said I was ok but I think she knew that the writing was on the wall. Great support in Dolphins Barn and up through to the halfway mark. I passed a few club supporters here and once again I could see that they were a bit concerned, great cheers though. So status check at the halfway, passed 10K in 51:53 and halfway in 1:47:12, about 8:10 average. I had no major aches in my legs and the heart rate was ok. However I had a really sharp pain in my left shoulder which was starting to annoy me. I should have been happy as this was pretty much what I had intended to do. I just wasn't feeling comfortable though.

The Middle - mile 13.1 - 22
I found miles 13 - 18 to be a chore. There was still support but not in the same concentration. People were starting to suffer and people were starting to pass me in numbers. I knew my pace was dropping but I was still clocking around the 8:30s so I wasn't overly concerned. My shoulder was really sore now and I was doing as much as I could to loosen it out and not be as tense. I'll be honest and admit that I don't recall much of these miles. Even when driving home afterwards and we went along some of the route it I couldn't place it. I had it on the back of my head that if I could get past mile 18 (where I fell apart in Limerick) I'd be ok. I kinda clung to the that as I plodded along. My watch was showing that I was a quarter of a mile off the mile markers and mentally I felt that every mile was now 1.25 long. I could feel myself starting to think up excuses. I stopped at the water station on Orwell Road to drink some lucozade and take on some water and walked for about a minute. I felt refreshed though and started running again. I found Milltown Road and the next mile ok and I was able to pick up the pace again, there was great support somewhere along here, I just can't remember where. Mile 22 was a disaster, I stopped 3 times along this mile and clocked an 11:06 for it. I didn't have any major pains so I'm guessing it was just mental. I'm not sure what part was heartbreak hill, I remember one part around here where it was like the Tour de France, with the crowd on top of you, urging you on. I managed to relatively fly up this bit as it was just incredible.

The End
It's funny before the race I had Mile 23 picked out as one to really go after. There is a nice fall in the road and some great support. Needless to say this didn't happen and I had my longest walk of the day just before the turn onto the Stillorgan Road. This was the low point of the race for me, I felt completely frustrated and thought I'd actually cry. One of my club mates passed me here and even though he was in difficulty himself he gave me a pep talk and I managed to get going again. As bad as it was it was still a 9:58 mile so I should have tried to take the positives from it. Miles 24 & 25 were a slog, hovering around the 10 min mile mark with people streaming by. The support from other runners, stewards and the crowds really was great. Such a credit to everyone. I'm familiar with the area around here so I was trying to give myself a pep talk, I was checking the watch now and had switched from lap to total time and trying to calculate if I could get in under 3:50. To my shame and the only time where I walked that I am genuinely disappointed in myself, I stopped just after the 25 mile mark. I was furious with myself, asking myself is the reason why I came to Dublin, is this why I missed breakfast with the family every weekend for the last four months. Just as I was about to start, a runner in his mid 50s, passed me turned around and said " Come on boy, cop yourself on, we're all hurting". He was so serious I had a bit of a laugh, clapped him on the shoulder and shuffled along. I must comment on the support from the Asics people along here, they were excellent with those of us who were struggling. I could see the buildings on Mount street ahead and started to pick up the pace, I was scanning the crowd for my wife and hoping to see her. I spotted her just before the 26 mile mark and she gave a massive shout. The crowds were immense. I managed a decent enough sprint for the finish, about the only bit of pre race visualization that actually happened, and crossed the line in 3:49:53 (chip time).

The Aftermath
My immediate feeling after crossing the finish line was pain, my legs were ruined. I barely got through the medal and goodie bag collection. I took a few swigs of the lucozade which was a big mistake. Three of my club mates were waiting for me and after a quick round of hugs, I had an out of body experience and just walked away and collected my bag. I then proceeded to get sick a few times and just generally felt like crap. I felt like I was drunk, I barely got my tracksuit pants on. I checked my phone and there was a message from my wife as to where she was waiting. I went out through the exit into the throng of people and felt really ill. I hobbled to a portaloo and got sick again. Luckily I found herself after awhile and it was a bit emotional. She asked if I wanted to meet the lads in the pub and I said I just wanted to go home. To be honest I was feeling fine after the walk back to the car, I felt bad about not meeting the lads but decided that I just wanted to go home and see my children. The drive home was fine and there was lots of messages in our whatsapp group. It was great to track the last few club members finish safely. We were fortunate that all of our 15 runners made the finish line safely.

I had a great chat about the experience on the way home in the car and it was a fairly honest appraisal of what happened. It was almost therapeutic to talk about it and not let any negative feelings take over. I'm going to do a detailed positives and learning points list from this at a later stage but my immediate reactions are as follows. Marathons are hard, really hard. Mentally I have a bit to do to trust myself that I can follow through on my potential in the races. I never settled into the race and felt really tense throughout. Big city marathons are the best, the support is such a bonus. I need to have A, B & C goals to focus on during a race to keep the interest there. I got a 25 minute PB in my second marathon, five months after my first and this has been a good year of running thus far.

skyblue46

That's a great and honest report. I'm looking forward to the full appraisal!

Chapelizod, like lots of places in Ireland, got it's name from the English not being able to pronounce place names or prepared to use the Gaelic language. Seipeal Iosoid ( sorry I can't do fadas on the phone) means Iseult's Chapel.

Kellygirl

Well done. I can relate to a lot of what you were feeling. I couldn’t decide it was my head playing games or if I genuinely was struggling at times. Shame you found parts so tough but you did great.

tbukela

What a difference a week makes.

I spent a lot of time last week reading the race reports from various people across the forum which were brilliant. There were some truly epic reports and some really emotive ones. Thank you to everyone for sharing.

Monday - 29th October
1.5 miles - Shuffle
The day after the race and I just wanted to stretch my legs. My shoulder was very sore and severly limited my running action. i think I must have hurt it taking off my top just before the start of the race. I had planned on doing 2 miles but it started to rain so I called it quits early. My legs felt good enough.

Thursday - 1st November
6.2 Miles - Tempo Intervals
I fully realise that this was a stupid session to run. It wasn't my intention when I went out but I think it was in the back of my mind. After a few days of festering over the marathon and two days not running, I had a lot of pent up frustration and I think this session was the release. Ended up doing a mile quick warm up and then 2 miles at 7:15 with 2 min recovery and 2 miles at 7:00 with mile cool down. Luckily I seem to have gotten through it without any aggravations and it drew a line under my disappointment.

Saturday - 3rd November
5.5 Miles - Steady
Our club 10K race is on next weekend so a few of us said that we'd try and run the route and get a few more post DCM miles in the legs. The weather was terrible, I went down early and actually drove the course to see if it was waterlogged. There was one bad spot so we had to alter the route accordingly. Four of us braved the weather and it turned out to be a really enjoyable run, chatting about Dublin and plans for next year. The pace felt manageable and afterwards the legs felt good. 5.5 miles @8:40.

Sunday - 4th November
3.25 Miles - Handy
I wasn't going to run but I was feeling fairly pumped up after watching the NY Marathon so said I'd head out for 30 mins easy running. I didn't realise until I was going out the door that it was torrential outside. I ended up going faster than I would have liked but strangely enough I enjoyed the run. It was 14 laps of a poorly lit track in the rain and very enjoyable. I think I'm just glad to be getting out again. 3.25 miles @ 7:53
16.5 miles for the week which I think is reasonable enough with 3 rest days.

Post DCM thoughts
I spent a lot of time thinking about the marathon during the week, to be honest far too much. I find running is the perfect counter balance to the stresses of work, life etc. I think however in the lead up to Dublin I let the build up and the expectations (self imposed) weigh me down and running became a negative thing. I know I'm never going to win races etc but I would like to operate to the best of my abilities if I am taking it seriously. I just need to balance that correctly so that I don't lose sight of why I'm putting the time into running in the first place.

Anyway Dublin, I'm happy but not happy with the way it went. It's not so much the time but the effort. I realise that dependent on different circumstances any race can have wildly varying results and that some days a 22 min 5k is as good as a 20 min one. I don't feel that I gave an honest effort during Dublin and that is the most disappointing aspect for me. I have no excuses, I did the training, I wasn't injured and nothing dramatic happened. I think I just fell short on the mental aspect of it. This is something I need to address across all my distances, I'm not sure how but I will.

The main positive that I'm taking out of it all is that I know I can do this. I do think that I have another chunk of improvement left in me for the next time. I think that it might take a couple of attempts for me to nail the marathon distance but I'm not afraid of it. I need to trust myself a bit more and just let go, don't worry about the watch and just run.

I hope to finish off the year strongly. It's unfortunate that the club 10K is on so soon after Dublin and whilst I'd hope for a PB I'm not going to push it unduly. The Waterford half on the start of December is a race I really enjoyed last year and I'd be looking to come close to my Charleville time. I'll then start into specific training for the Dungarvan 10 mile where I'll have a rattle off a sub 70. I've entered the lottery for Berlin and have Dublin booked for next year. I would like to do 2 marathons again next year maybe incorporating them into one training cycle but I won't do a spring one. I need a rest after back to back training cycles. The main thing is to try and continue to enjoy my running.

tbukela

Monday - 5th November
5 miles - easy
I headed out with one of the DCM lads for this run, it was his first since the marathon so we took it handy. Really enjoyable run around town. 5 miles @ 9:15

Wednesday - 7th November
6 miles - alternating paces
With the wet weather and kids activities I was working with a narrow window to get a run in. I didn't have a plan for this but wanted to throw in a little bit of quicker stuff with the 10K race coming up. I managed one mile at 6:05 and 1 at 7:13 and 1.5 miles @ 7:50 with easy jogging recoveries in between. I felt good after it but the lack of pace was an eye opener. 6 miles @ 8:09

Thursday - 8th November
3.49 Miles - Handy
I hadn't planned on going for a run but after a really trying day in work I thought it would do me good. Headed down to the local field to do some laps while the juveniles were doing their cross country training. Great to see a big crowd out on a damp, dark evening. I did a few laps with some of the club lads and conversation naturally strayed to plans for 2019. Nice, stress busting run. 3.49 miles @ 8:33

Friday - 9th November
6.14 miles - steady
This was a similar run to Wednesday except a bit slower. I tried a mix of paces to get the legs ready for Sunday. I had company for this run so another nice one. 6.14 miles @8:26. Two days in a row where my OCD habit of always ending on round numbers didn't happen.

Sunday - 11th November
Thomas Kent 10K Race

This was the 3rd running of the clubs main race. The club has been pretty busy this year hosting the Cork & Munster road champs along with a summer 4 mile and a couple of cross country races including the recent county champs. It is a bit of an eye opener to see the amount of organisation which goes into hosting a race especially one with 600 entries. It really is a credit to all the clubs who host races every weekend and are the mainstay of the athletics scence.

This was my first race three years ago so I use it as a bit of a benchmark to my level of progression. I did it in 54:57 in 2016 and 46:18 last year. Even with the marathon in my legs still I was hopeful of beating that and coming close to my 10k PB which I did in the first 10k of Charleville of 44:24. I got down early, gave a bit of a help out and got in a decent warm up. The heavens opened just before the start which unfortunately was to set the scene weather wise for the day. The race attracts a nice mix of club and non club affiliated runners and there was some nice depth at the sharp end this year so expectations were high that a course record would be set. As it happens this was the case with the winner coming home in a great time of 33:4x and I think 20 runners under the 40 mins mark.

Miles 1-2
I lined up about where I normally would, trying to stay out of trouble, and off we went. My plan was to start hard enough and try and bank some time in the first 2 miles which were relatively flat and hope to hang on a bit towards the end. I always know I've gone out too fast when I can hear the race commentary from the lead car. It was probably the nervous excitement of a home race but I flew off. I realised I was only looking for trouble when I saw 6:30 on the watch after half a mile. I eased off slightly and passed the first mile in 6:40. The field had settled down nicely and I was just tucked in behind a good group. I was gradually finding the pace a bit too hot and I wasn't surprised when mile 2 flashed by in 6:58.
Miles 3-4
We were now approaching the hardest part of the course and the only really pull. I found myself caught in no mans land and was starting to struggle a bit now, the pace was dropping towards the high 7s. Two of the lads from the club caught me and tried to get me to work with them but I didn't want to blow up so they moved away very comfortably. I got a bit of a second wind for the rest of mile 3 and managed to claw back some time but it was disappointing to see a 7:35 mile on the watch.
The highest point of the course is at 3.3 miles and I was fairly laboured getting over it. There was an immediate descent then into a nice straight flat bit where I should have been able to make up some time. I could feel my form suffering and really had to work at getting the leg speed going again. I was gradually starting to make some progress on a group ahead. I was suprised to see that it was a 7:28 mile considering it was a net downhill mile.
Miles 5-6.2
I realised now that I needed to dig deep and try and finish it strong.I think I got a bit of a kick up the behind when there was a shower of hailstones. I thought I don't want to be out here any longer than necessary. I picked out two lads ahead of me and started to reel them in. Once I caught up with them I went to move straight past them. One of them was a friend of mine who is just coming back from injury and is usually a sub 38 min guy. He moved up alongside me and said he'd come in with me. I told him the target was 44:24 so we started to push on and mile 5 was a 7:10.
There was a nice downhill section before the final drag. I was working hard now to try keep up with the buddy and could see the field strung out ahead of me. I could hear people approaching behind me and I was really working hard now. As we came into the village there was great support, I really wanted to finish strong. I didn't even notice the mile 6 marker as the buddy said to me 1:24 to break it. I tried to pin back the ears and gave it all that I had. There was great encouragement coming towards the line and I gave it everything. I stopped the watch and thanked my friend for his help in getting me back. I checked the watch and saw 44:23 with Garmin telling me it was a new 10K PB. It transpires that my official time was 44:24 but I'll claim it as a 10K race PB regardless. I checked afterwards and saw that mile 6 was a 6:54.

I didn't get a chance to reflect on the race until that evening as the immediate post race was spent eating cakes and then cleaning up. After the negative publicity following some events earlier in the year we wanted to make sure that the local community didn't have to deal with any litter etc so a big effort was made in that regard. I'm fairly happy with my run as I had to work hard for it. I was a bit surprised at how much effort I had to put in to keep the pace around the 7 minute mark. I'm hoping that it was a direct consequence of the marathon training and that as the weeks go on and I start some speedwork it will get easier. I think that with specific 10K training I can take another chunk off that time. I think that it has shown me where I am right now pace wise and that any expectations for the next couple of months might need to be tempered somewhat. The Waterford Half target has been revised now to a sub 1:40 which I would be very happy with. I'm looking forward to doing the shorter races again. A grand total of 28.3 miles for the week, I'm still on course to run 1,750 miles this year but it will be tight, currently at 1622.