Are those my feet?

Comic Book Guy

Great report A! Well done on the PB, serious improvement in the space of 12 months. Well done on toughing it out late on, great example setting Mr Mentor!

Sorbet

Brilliant race report on a brilliant race - well done. To take 10 minutes off a PB is some achievement.

Mr. Guappa

Bluesquare wrote: »

Well done ! Great grit and Pb ! Loved the report - deffo made me think about strategy for half!

Thank you! It certainly doesn't feel like grit when you are experiencing the worst of it - more like abject failure as people stream past. The mental battle is often as hard as the physical one I find - convincing your mind that your body can drive on.

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Great report A! Well done on the PB, serious improvement in the space of 12 months. Well done on toughing it out late on, great example setting Mr Mentor!

Cheers J! If only you had a log in which to put your Longford report then we could all shower you with praise for that great performance :pac:

Sorbet wrote: »

Brilliant race report on a brilliant race - well done. To take 10 minutes off a PB is some achievement.

Cheers D - to be fair there is massive scope for improvement when you're new to running, but it definitely helps with the motivation when you can see results.

coogy

That was a really great read, and yes, you SHOULD give yourself a pat on the back.....you've bloody earned it, well done on a great race!


As for "why do we do this?".......to be honest, I'd rather not know the answer to that particular conundrum. :pac:

Mr. Guappa

26th August - 1st September DCM Training Week 6

Monday: 35 mins recovery (3.18 miles @ 11:10). Cadence 157
Heavy legs from the Half and this was very much a plod. Legs felt a bit better after the run.

Tuesday: 65 mins very easy (5.81 miles @ 11:17). Cadence 154
Another plod around a hilly local loop. Legs still heavy, cadence in my boots. Started a set of night shifts the previous evening, which probably contributed to the tiredness. Should be taking up the new role which I mentioned previously in the next few weeks.

Wednesday: 70 mins very easy (6.46 miles @ 10:59). Cadence 159
Now this was more like it. A late night run during lunch break on night shift. Legs felt back to normal.

Thursday: 3 x 10 min Threshold, 4 min recoveries. Cadence 167
Threshold range: 7:23-7:34
Distance|Paces|Cadence
1.30|7:43, 7:31|176
1.35|7:22, 7:35|175
1.31|7:39, 7:28|174

This was pretty hard work in places. First rep was all into the wind which made it doubly difficult and a real struggle to hit the paces, although effort felt appropriate, if not a touch excessive maybe. Mercifully I was shielded from the wind for the second rep and that felt much more manageable. Allowed my mind to wander a bit at the start of the third rep and pace drifted. Overall I was very happy with this one. 8.72 miles in total.

Friday: Rest
Travelling to Dublin. This was our previously cancelled trip to Dublin from a few weeks ago when the whole house got sick.

Saturday: 65 mins moderate(ish). Cadence 165
To say that I was looking forward to running in the Phoenix Park would be an understatement! I entered through the Chapelizod gate and headed up Military Road with an imaginary Wubble Wubble commentary guiding me along. Naturally enough I was barely a mile in when I bumped into a couple of boardsies - skyblue46 and Browneyes79! They were tipping around at 9 min/miles, so I switched things up and went along with them. This was really enjoyable - the miles flew by and the effort seemed much less running with such great company - a rare treat . Thanks again to S and C for asking me to join in! 9.6 miles for the morning, followed by a great afternoon in the zoo.


Sunday: 70 mins very easy (6.74 miles @ 10:25). Cadence 164
Back in the Phoenix Park for this one. So many runners about! I had intended on doing a bit of the DCHM route, but took a wrong turn over by the zoo so just made it up as I went along after that. Didn't bump into any boardsies this time - I see why so many of you love running around there - you are so lucky to have that treasure on your doorstep!

40.5 miles for the week, with the long run pushed out to Monday. It took a day or two but I feel nicely recovered from the Half now. August ends as my highest mileage month ever - 184 miles. I should tip over the 200 mile mark in September. I haven't rolled out the old mileage table in a while:
Month|2016|2017|2018|2019
January|21|5|51|131
February|19||51|119
March|27||62|112
April|3||55|142
May|1|18|74|120
June|2|38|96|135
July||33|129|175
August||49|137|184
September|1|25|179
October|4|42|131
November|6|40|34
December||51|84
Total (mi)|83|301|1083

Mr. Guappa

2nd September - 8th September

Monday: 3 hours easy (18 miles @ 10:03). Cadence 162
I had pushed this one out a day from the previous week, to accommodate the Dublin trip. Took a half day at work and headed out in what was pretty much ideal running conditions - gentle cooling breeze, not particularly warm or cold. No doubt aided by the conditions, my HR stayed nice and low for the first two hours, and picked up a bit on a climb at mile 13, and stayed slightly higher than before after that. The effort levels reflected what the HR data showed - felt fairly comfortable throughout. I was really pleased with how this went.

Tuesday:
Rest

Wednesday: 55 mins very easy (5.51 miles @ 10:30). Cadence 160
Running windows were pretty tight this week, so managed to squeeze this in while the 6 year old was at camogie training. A match, training and a blitz all in the one week - think I need to have a word with the coach about easy days and hard days :pac:. A good bit of the run was on grass, although it wasn't exactly Semple Stadium smooth :rolleyes:.

Thursday: 7 x 4 min CV, 3 min recoveries. Cadence 166
CV range: 7:13-7:04
Actual paces: 7:15, 08, 07, 08, 13, 16, 13
It was after a 12 hour shift when I got around to this, so the mind was pretty tired heading in. As per usual I took a rep to figure out the correct effort level and felt after the first rep that I'd struggle to complete all 7, but grew into the session and found things got "easier" as I went on. Pleased with this one in the end, although I was also glad to note that this was the last session on the plan that requires faster than threshold pace. 9.68 miles in total for the evening.

Friday:
Rest

Saturday: 75 mins very easy (7.05 miles @ 10:45). Cadence 162
A nice early morning trot featuring a small bit of a new route - a touch hilly at times but one I'll come back too.

Sunday: 90 mins progression (14.40 miles @ 9.13). Cadence 166
Pace|Range|Distance|Actual|Cadence
Warm-up|10:56-10:12|2.0|10:43, 10:13|162
Easy|10:09-9:48|3.0|10:05, 10:03, 9:54|164
Moderate|8:53-8:38|3.45|8:46, 8:38, 8:43, 8:39|168
Tempo|7:57-7:45|3.82|7:55, 7:55, 7:49, 7:45|172
Cool Down|10:56-10:12|2.14|9:51, 10:25, 10:40|160


I found this one pretty tough going. Added a couple of miles warm-up to pad the mileage, and got briefly chased by a couple of very angry little dogs who managed to scratch my ankle. The legs felt pretty heavy throughout the easy section, and I had already decided to cut back on the planned 4 cooldown miles. The moderate was tough to start, but felt a lot more manageable once I got off the twisty country roads and onto the straight main road. Mainly downhill for the moderate which helped too. In through town then for the tempo miles and the effort was well up there - terrain was mainly gentle uphill too. Hit the paces anyway, although I ducked off the planned route onto a downhill road for the last 0.2 miles :eek:. As mentioned I knocked a couple of miles off the planned cooldown, in part because I felt the legs had done enough for the week, and also to avoid having to pass the dogs from earlier!


54.6 miles for the week, which is my highest weekly total ever - although it is slightly misleading as it was book-ended by two long runs. I'm happy enough with how the plan is going at the moment - I've tried to build mileage steadily, but not excessively and feel that I've accomplished that pretty well. Definitely feeling a hint of fatigue in the legs at times now, but nothing too bad.

Mr. Guappa

9th September - 15th September

Monday: 30 mins recovery (2.8 miles @ 10:54). Cadence 167
I find these shorter recovery runs suit me much better than anything longer. Consciously tried to keep my cadence higher, and it did produce a better than usual result. I do think I might be too ploddy on the slower paced runs.

Tuesday: 70 mins very easy (6.75 miles @ 10:36). Cadence 163
Felt nice and fresh on this one. Kellygirls "bouncy" mantra from earlier this year pops into my head on the occasional run - this was one of those. Nice miles. I did mY workout DVD that evening - averaging every second week for that, but hopefully I'll make more regular as I do feel I benefit. Just finding the time is the tricky part!

Wednesday: 25 mins threshold. Cadence 167
Threshold range: 7:34-7:23
Actual paces (3.34 miles): 7:34, 23, 30, 26
25 minutes didn't seem too much on paper, but I was glad when this was over! I was cramming it into a tight window so under a bit of pressure from the off. I hit the paces alright but it was pretty hard work - having to stop three times in the second mile for traffic did not help! 2 miles each of warm-up and cool down meant 7.55 miles for the morning.

Thursday: 70 mins very easy (6.50 miles @ 10:54). Cadence 160
Back to one of my staple routes for this one. A pretty hilly route so just tried to keep the effort consistent.

Friday:
Rest

Saturday: 60 mins moderate. Cadence 164
Moderate range: 8:53-8:38
Actual paces (6.84 miles): 8:54, 52, 42, 47, 43, 42, 46
Headed out for this on Saturday afternoon on the back of three night shifts and poor enough sleep during that time. It was also very sunny and warm out - HR was already rising during the warm-up miles. The first 3 or so of the moderate miles were mainly uphill, and it levelled off after that. I felt in control throughout, certainly never under the pressure that the HR readings would suggest. I felt this was a very solid run, although I did worry about the 18 miler to follow! 11.42 miles for the session.

Sunday: 3 hours easy (18.13 miles @ 10:57). Cadence 163
I was very apprehensive heading out for this, following my fourth night shift (one more set of those before I move to 9-5 Mon-Fri). Felt tired, legs heavy and felt sorry for myself. Had a couple of bananas once I woke up and headed off. This was another lumpy enough route and I was convinced for the first hour that this would be a bad run. Felt really hungry after an hour, so took a Maurten gel - felt better literally immediately, so the placebo effect worked anyway! I kept waiting for the pace to fall away but I seemed to be getting stronger. Felt hungry again around the 2 hour mark so took a caffeine gel this time (I wanted to try a Maurten and Hi-5 on the same run), and also stopped quickly at the shop for more water. I felt stronger again during the final hour and the final uphill miles didn't bother me. I was delighted with this in the end - these long run Sundays following a tough Saturday are real confidence builders!

53.1 miles for the week. So, onto the DC HM now this weekend. I wouldn't mind some advice on how to structure my week. The plan has a 50 min tempo on Wednesday. I figure I could:
- swap the tempo for very easy miles?
- move the tempo to Tuesday?
- something like 4 x 10 @ tempo instead on Tues?
Any advice appreciated (my tempo pace is roughly my HM pace FWIW).

OOnegative

Swap the Tempo for easy miles if you are racing the Half.

Mr. Guappa

OOnegative wrote: »

Swap the Tempo for easy miles if you are racing the Half.

Cheers! Makes perfect sense when it's spelled out for you, and is exactly the advice I would give someone else. I just spend endless hours over-thinking it when it's my own plan!

ReeReeG

That's some weekend of running you did. Great stuff!

Bluesquare

Some nice running there ! Last week I just did easy miles before the half , 9 miles Tuesday , 4 Wednesday and 4 Thursday- and then did a 6 mile recovery on Sunday . Miles did drop but the half takes more out of you then 20 miles!

Mr. Guappa

ReeReeG wrote: »

That's some weekend of running you did. Great stuff!

Thanks V. I was buzzing after yesterday's run I must say.

Bluesquare wrote: »

Some nice running there ! Last week I just did easy miles before the half , 9 miles Tuesday , 4 Wednesday and 4 Thursday- and then did a 6 mile recovery on Sunday . Miles did drop but the half takes more out of you then 20 miles!

Thanks! Yeah I'll do something similar so. Well done in Ratoath btw - a great performance! I might try and go for more less of a drifting strategy though :pac:

yido1882

Great mileage A, well done. What's the plan for the DC Half? Are you PB hunting?!

Huzzah!

That back-to-back of the Saturday and Sunday looks so tough. I can see why it's confidence boosting once it's done. Great to hear you were feeling stronger as the run progressed on Sunday, too.

Mr. Guappa

yido1882 wrote: »

Great mileage A, well done. What's the plan for the DC Half? Are you PB hunting?!

Cheers A! I'd like a PB, sure, but I won't be gutted if it doesn't happen. I'm more interested in trying to run a controlled race - plan is to stay around 8-8:10 pace for the first 8 miles then pick it up after that if the legs allow. PB is only 3.5 weeks old from Clonmel (1:43:37) and that's a slightly easier course. Weather also looks like being a factor from what I gather, and in Clonmel I ran 13.1 exactly - this time it's probably going to be closer to 13.2 given the crowds. Getting my excuses in early :pac:

Huzzah! wrote: »

That back-to-back of the Saturday and Sunday looks so tough. I can see why it's confidence boosting once it's done. Great to hear you were feeling stronger as the run progressed on Sunday, too.

I was in a really negative frame of mind heading out Sunday but it was very therapeutic in the end. Kept waiting for the tank to empty - was about 2 hours in before I allowed myself realise it was going pretty well. I do love the grads plans.

ariana`

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Cheers A! I'd like a PB, sure, but I won't be gutted if it doesn't happen. I'm more interested in trying to run a controlled race - plan is to stay around 8-8:10 pace for the first 8 miles then pick it up after that if the legs allow. PB is only 3.5 weeks old from Clonmel (1:43:37) and that's a slightly easier course. Weather also looks like being a factor from what I gather, and in Clonmel I ran 13.1 exactly - this time it's probably going to be closer to 13.2 given the crowds. Getting my excuses in early :pac:

Good luck on Saturday. I think you have the right attitude to this one, it's not the main thing after all

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

I was in a really negative frame of mind heading out Sunday but it was very therapeutic in the end. Kept waiting for the tank to empty - was about 2 hours in before I allowed myself realise it was going pretty well. I do love the grads plans.

You're nailing it! It's very impressive how you control the pace on the very easy days. You're a great example to your novices. Are you finding much fatigue?

Mr. Guappa

ariana` wrote: »

Good luck on Saturday. I think you have the right attitude to this one, it's not the main thing after all



You're nailing it! It's very impressive how you control the pace on the very easy days. You're a great example to your novices. Are you finding much fatigue?

Thanks E! Around the middle of last week I really felt the fatigue in the legs, but then yesterday they felt really fresh and loose. Back to being heavy again for today's miles, although that could be down to lack of stretching/foam rolling last night too.

I enjoy the very easy running I must say, maybe that's why it seems so disciplined? Just gentle miles, trotting about, happy days! I know some people feel like it's not enjoyable, or that they are depriving themselves, or that it's hard work "holding back" but I never really felt any of that, for whatever reason.

Dealerz2.0

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Thanks E! Around the middle of last week I really felt the fatigue in the legs, but then yesterday they felt really fresh and loose. Back to being heavy again for today's miles, although that could be down to lack of stretching/foam rolling last night too.

I enjoy the very easy running I must say, maybe that's why it seems so disciplined? Just gentle miles, trotting about, happy days! I know some people feel like it's not enjoyable, or that they are depriving themselves, or that it's hard work "holding back" but I never really felt any of that, for whatever reason.

I used to “resent” (probably too strong a word) the easy paced miles, but definitely over the last 2 months I both appreciate, enjoy and I feel I am certainly reaping the benefits of running 90+ seconds slower than a planned MP. Benefits in that regard I mean I feel am more ready when the fast pace is called upon and I can handle loading up the mileage. Good luck on Saturday A!

ariana`

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Thanks E! Around the middle of last week I really felt the fatigue in the legs, but then yesterday they felt really fresh and loose. Back to being heavy again for today's miles, although that could be down to lack of stretching/foam rolling last night too.

I enjoy the very easy running I must say, maybe that's why it seems so disciplined? Just gentle miles, trotting about, happy days! I know some people feel like it's not enjoyable, or that they are depriving themselves, or that it's hard work "holding back" but I never really felt any of that, for whatever reason.

I enjoy the easy miles too on the days that i let it happen naturally, some days that's 10 min/m, other days it's 10:30 min/m and occasionally it's 11 min/m but on the days where 10 min/m is the natural pace and i try to force it to closer to 11 min/m then I enjoy it a lot less! So i suppose i could say I struggle to stick what the pace calculators give me, rather i tend to go with whatever feels easy on a given day and that can quite often be a bit quicker than the RunFastCoach calculator which is quite conservative on easy pace when compared to other calculators. Your easy runs seem more disciplined and by the book which i admire and in fairness it is paying off for you which is great to see, you're a great role model :P

coogy

OOnegative wrote: »

Swap the Tempo for easy miles if you are racing the Half.

Haha, this is what I should have done last week......:rolleyes:

Kellygirl

Best of luck tomorrow A.

OOnegative

All the best tomorrow, run well!!

Dealerz2.0

Run well buddy- hopefully see you there

Comic Book Guy

Have a good one tomorrow A!

Mr. Guappa

Thanks for all the pre-race encouragement guys - always appreciated!

16th September - 22nd September

Monday: 35 mins recovery (3.24 miles @ 10:55). Cadence 168
A few recovery miles following a heavy weekend. Tried to focus on keeping the cadence high, and it worked. Wore my compression socks which I like to do on these short recovery runs.

Tuesday: 85 mins very easy (8.12 miles @ 10:35). Cadence 160
Bit of a mini-taper this week, and swapped out the tempo session for an easier day as advised by OO. I wanted to cross the 40 mile barrier for the week, so kept the mileage at a decent level. I did my workout DVD later that evening.

Wednesday: 75 mins very easy (7.21 miles @ 10:32). Cadence 162
Don't remember anything particular remarkable about either of these midweek runs tbh. Was pretty warm for both alright.

Thursday:
Rest

Friday: 35 mins very easy (3.34 miles @ 10:46). Cadence 160
A little loosener ahead of the Half the following day. Warm again, and I didn't share the enthusiasm of the other parent's at the school gate for "this lovely spell of weather we are having" - outlook all week had been pretty warm for Saturday. Travelled to Dublin on Friday night.


Saturday: Dublin City Half Marathon - 1:44:09
I woke nice and early, had my overnight oats and a banana and walked from Chapelizod to the start area. I met up with ReeReeG and Huzzah! who were on supporting duties for the novices. Following a short warm up of a mile and a chat with skyblue46 I made my way to the start area. The position of the pacers contradicted the signage and the announcer, so I just positioned myself between the 1:40 and 1:50 balloons as planned. A few minutes later and we were off.

Miles 1-3: 8:02, 7:54, 8:02
As I mentioned last week, the plan was to keep things controlled in the early miles and around the 8:00-8:10 mark. Nice and steady through the first mile and I tried to concentrate on keeping the racing line as best I could, and also avoid wasting energy navigating around people. Slighly faster second mile on the downhill toward the Chapelizod gate, but kept the handbrake very much on. Let the pace drift back and just kept it handy as we headed up the hill away from the Chapelizod gate.

Miles 4-6: 8:12, 8:05, 8:02
Very happy with how these miles went. Kept things nice and disciplined, felt strong and in control. All going according to plan, although the dead heat was definitely felt heading up along North Road. Spotted skyblue46 along here somewhere.

Miles 7-9: 7:59, 8:16, 7:30
I really liked the stretch on the path up Chesterfield - a nice break in the shade. Baked on the far side coming back down though. Shoutout from skyblue46 as we turned off Chesterfield. Felt really strong still. A tough mile 8 took us out of the park and up a shaded lane, before finally there was some respite from the climbing as we turned left. Let the pace pick up naturally rather than forcing it too much. Ran stride for stride with a guy for a bit here which was frustrating as he stuck to the middle of the road and I was on the outside and couldn't force myself toward the racing line. Didn't want to check my stride either. Still motoring nicely.

Miles 10-11: 7:47, 7:45
Found these miles pretty tricky. I pushed on as best I could but in the back of my mind I knew to save something for the last mile as well. It was very warm as we turned back onto Chesterfield. Saw ReeReeG and Huzzah! here. I was still going very nicely and felt strong as I passed by lots of people, although the legs were beginning to feel the hurt.

Miles 12-13.17: 7:28, 7:56, 7:03
Kept things pushed on as I headed down Acres road before digging in big time as we headed up that last mile. This was really tough as I chastised myself for any previous thoughts of loving this distance. Saw skyblue46 again along here, although I couldn't muster a shout this time. Lots of people walking along here and I seriously considered joining them, but just persevered and put one foot in front of the other. Dug in as best I could and managed to muster something of a sprint finish as things leveled out and the finish line came into view.

I was delighted with this. 30 seconds outside my Clonmel time, although average pace (7:55) was the exact same (I ran further here). This was a much tougher race too I felt so I was really happy that I stuck to the plan, stayed strong throughout and was able to up the pace towards the end. It makes a huge difference running in a race with such huge numbers, you are constantly surrounded by someone which I find helps. It was great to meet so many of the novices afterwards. Really glad I made the trip for this one - it's a great race. Next stop DCM.


Sunday: 35 mins recovery (3.36 miles @ 10:57). Cadence 160
I wanted to take advantage of another chance to run in the Phoenix Park, so got this in before we hit the road. Legs felt a little heavy and sore, but nothing unexpected.

40.6 miles for the week.

skyblue46

I feel like the Ghost of the Phoenix Park!

ReeReeG

Conveniently left out your elbowing incident
Well done again!

Singer

Well run! Was that 7:15 at mile 7 a typo or did you really, really like the the stretch on the path up Chesterfield?

Mr. Guappa

skyblue46 wrote: »

I feel like the Ghost of the Phoenix Park!

Haha... it certainly felt like you were an omnipresence yesterday. :pac:

ReeReeG wrote: »

Conveniently left out your elbowing incident
Well done again!

I was short for time so had to skimp on some details :pac:
To clarify for everyone else - as I waved at my fellow mentors I was moving through a gap between two runners. The gap shrank as I made my move and I ended up barging through in the end, much to the annoyance of a Bros Pearse girl. More of an unfortunate racing circumstance than anything, and not my normal style. Thanks for reminding me though V :pac:

Singer wrote: »

Well run! Was that 7:15 at mile 7 a typo or did you really, really like the the stretch on the path up Chesterfield?

typo - nicely spotted, it was a 7:59 in reality. Fixed now - thanks! Happy with how it went alright.

Kellygirl

Really well done A. Great racing.

skyblue46 wrote: »

I feel like the Ghost of the Phoenix Park!

I’m wondering have you clones? It’s amusing how many people are mentioning you as part of their race. You seemed to be everywhere

The Black Oil

Kellygirl wrote: »

I’m wondering have you clones? It’s amusing how many people are mentioning you as part of their race. You seemed to be everywhere

Think I saw him 3 times during the FD10 (OK, technically, before, during and after). He must be breaking the laws of physics, though. :pac:

coogy

Super effort A, congrats on a fine performance and very well managed race!

Murph_D

coogy wrote: »

Super effort A, congrats on a fine performance and very well managed race!

Nice run. Well done!

Comic Book Guy

Great performance A, so well controlled. Great report as usual, I didn't have you down as the cynical type though Mr Elbows!!

Bluesquare

Great Performance- strong and controlled . Well done !

ariana`

Super performance A. You controlled those early miles so well and had the gear changes then for later. I was thinking of that strategy earlier in the week but was too afraid (and lacking race experience) to trust that i'd be able to make the gear changes when needed but it was definitely a good way to go for that course and worked for you, really well done.

yido1882

Well done, great report and race so soon after your last half.

Cheers for sharing your tactics here too, your tactics became my tactics for the race!

Good luck for the run in for DCM, you're in great shape to achieve your target.

Rossi7

Great stuff A

Mr. Guappa

Kellygirl wrote: »

Really well done A. Great racing.

Cheers K - It's really whetted the appetite now for the marathon

coogy wrote: »

Super effort A, congrats on a fine performance and very well managed race!

Thanks! Racing each different distance takes practice I find, which is one of the things that makes the marathon so difficult - it's not physically possible to race them too often. I think I learned a lot from the previous HM which helped me here.

Murph_D wrote: »

Nice run. Well done!

Thanks very much. By no means an easy course but an event I really enjoyed.

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Great performance A, so well controlled. Great report as usual, I didn't have you down as the cynical type though Mr Elbows!!

Cheers J

Bluesquare wrote: »

Great Performance- strong and controlled . Well done !

Thanks - it didn't feel strong and controlled "running" up that last mile. Funny how I always seem to quickly forget the suffering bits and remember the positives more readily.

ariana` wrote: »

Super performance A. You controlled those early miles so well and had the gear changes then for later. I was thinking of that strategy earlier in the week but was too afraid (and lacking race experience) to trust that i'd be able to make the gear changes when needed but it was definitely a good way to go for that course and worked for you, really well done.

Thanks E! I did what I set out to achieve, which was very pleasing. I guess with my strategy there is always the question did I leave a bit of time out there. It certainly didn't feel like that at the finish, and more importantly the same strategy should serve me well in the marathon. Well done again on your own race - super stuff!

yido1882 wrote: »

Well done, great report and race so soon after your last half.

Cheers for sharing your tactics here too, your tactics became my tactics for the race!

Good luck for the run in for DCM, you're in great shape to achieve your target.

Haha, thanks! Well you executed those tactics very nicely - congrats on the PB!

Rossi7 wrote: »

Great stuff A

Cheers man - cracking run yourslef. You look well set for the big one.

Mr. Guappa

23rd September - 29th September

Monday:
Rest

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.45 miles @ 11:08). Cadence 158
It was late Tuesday evening when I got out for this following a 12 hour shift. Very much a ploddy trudge for the most part. Legs and mind felt tired. Got it done though.

Wednesday: 3 x 12 mins threshold, 4 mins recoveries.
Threshold range: 7:23-7:34
Distance|Paces|Cadence
1.58|7:37, 7:33|173
1.59|7:36, 7:26|175
1.59|7:34, 7:31|174

Bit of a struggle to hit the paces at times on this one. First rep was into a nice gale, so effort was about right anyway. Lost concentration for a while on the second rep and the pace drifted off - I have a habit of doing this in sessions for some reason! Third rep was alright. The previous weekend's race was still in the legs too no doubt, and this was a Wednesday morning session following Tuesday night run. Pleased to tick this one off. 2 or so miles each of warm-up and cool down meant 10.2 miles for the morning.

Thursday: 70 mins very easy (6.61 miles @ 10:39). Cadence 161
Felt as though a bit of freshness had returned to the legs following the Half the previous weekend. I did a few drills beforehand - I try and do a little something once or twice a week at least. Cariocas are my favourite - feel great when they go smoothly, although there is always the fear of tripping over myself.

Friday:
Rest

Saturday: 60 mins moderate.
Moderate range: 8:53-8:38
Actual paces (6.79 miles): 8:46, 49, 56, 50, 43, 56, 49
This was a bit of a lazy run. My mind kept drifting off at times during the moderate miles and I'd let the pace creep up, so I missed the paces on a couple of the miles. A decent run all the same - I never really felt under any pressure. It was ideal running conditions to be fair, although the threat of rain meant that I donned the jacket. It wasn't needed and just proved to be a nuisance in the end. With warm-up and cool-down I covered 11.74 miles for the session.

Sunday: 3 hours easy (18.20 miles @ 10:02). Cadence 161
I chose a pretty hilly route for this, with some of the early miles being roads I had not previously run on. I was a touch apprehensive heading out as I wondered whether I'd made a mistake with the route - but off I went. It turned out to be a great run - maybe the route and distance caused me to be more focused than the day before. The first 12 miles went swimmingly, despite a few decent climbs. I was very pleased with myself as I churned out the 10min/miles and told myself I'd make a great 4:40 pacer. Bit of a wobble then around the 14 mile mark as the effort increased a touch, and maranoia kicked in - "What if I have a disaster next month? Maybe the marathon is not for me?" I soon got over that and the effort evened out again. Dug deep for the final two uphill miles, and that was that. I was very satisfied with how this went - it just seemed like a routine run, as if I'm knocking out 18 milers every week. Bar the brief wobble, I felt strong throughout - it all felt very....... easy! I should note hat conditions were again ideal. 20 miler next week - maybe that will change my tune :pac:

52.2 miles for the week. I've also passed my 200 mile target for September, with a few recovery miles tomorrow yet to go. I've been avoiding the sub 4 thread so as not to get bogged down in DCM goals just yet. To distract myself I've been thinking about what's next - I'm currently thinking I'll focus on a Half next year (maybe Charleville) and return to the marathon in Manchester (or London :pac:) 2021! We'll see - I do love training for DCM "alongside" so many others here - it's pretty cool seeing lots of others train towards the same goal as yourself.

Bluesquare

Nice week !

coogy

Really nice week A!

Just curious, did you do the 75 min tempo run earlier on in the plan?

Mr. Guappa

coogy wrote: »

Really nice week A!

Just curious, did you do the 75 min tempo run earlier on in the plan?

Cheers K!

I had to move around the long runs on the plan to fit in two races. This meant bumping the early short progression run off the plan, and the 75 min tempo this week too. My reasoning was that a HM last week was a more than reasonable replacement for the 75 min tempo.

coogy

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Cheers K!

My reasoning was that a HM last week was a more than reasonable replacement for the 75 min tempo.

Yes, good thinking! Not sure I'd have been as wise!!

Mr. Guappa

30th September - 6th October

Monday: 35 mins recovery (3.2 miles @ 11:06). Cadence 159
Short out-and-back route which would have been one of my staples last year. Legs ok, but pretty tired overall as I was on my final set of night shifts this week.

Tuesday: Rest
Had planned a very easy hour but slept through the day and didn't have a chance to get out at work. Happy enough with the additional rest tbh, but it would mean the rest of the week would be pretty stacked.

Wednesday: 2 x 30 mins tempo, 5 mins jog
Tempo range: 7:45-7:57
Distance|Paces|Cadence
3.83|7:56, 49, 52, 42|173
3.81|7:51, 51, 55, 52|171

Very happy with this one. The first 30 minute tempo was tougher, maybe because the first two miles of it were uphill. Lumpy enough route overall, but effort and pace were certainly more even during the second 30 minute rep. Including warm-up and cool down it was a meaty 12.25 miles for the session.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.1 miles @ 11:52). Cadence 158
With Storm Lorenzo in mind I dusted off the treadmill for this one. It was pretty blustery out when I started but it eased off as time passed - could easily have done this outside. It was such a grind - watch said ~10:30/mile and the effort certainly felt more like that type of pace.

Friday: 75 mins very easy (7.20 miles @ 10:31). Cadence 162
Had a physio booked for 11, so squeezed this in beforehand. Took in the tough mile 11 of the Clonmel Half route - it's a tough mile even on fresh legs! Into the wind and uphill for the early miles, then onto the bypass and had wind and elevation in my favour. The legs were pretty dead, which I'm blaming on the treadmill the day before. Happily the physio gave a glowing report - no concerns, you wouldn't know I was training for a marathon she said. Happy with that!

Saturday: 60 mins moderate.
Moderate range: 8:38-8:53
Actual paces (6.90 miles): 8:40, 50, 41, 36, 46, 37, 43
A full Saturday schedule meant an early start for this one. I'd planned a route starting at the house, but had forgot that it would be pitch black at that early hour. Drove into town instead and made up the route as I went. Not sure if it was the early hour or the physio but the effort felt massive for the warm-up miles and I worried about what lay ahead. Thankfully once I hit the moderate miles everything was fine. Effort settled down and legs felt super. I cruised along at the faster end of the range, whereas normally I'm very much toward the slower side. 12.11 miles for the session.

Sunday: 20 miler (20.25 miles @ 9:48). Cadence 162
I was looking forward to this one. Planned a challenging route with a big climb at mile 9, and miles 16-18 being at moderate pace. Everything went swimmingly. Apart from the diversion to the local hotel 5 miles in to use the facilities! The climb at mile 9 went fine, and I recovered quickly to resume the ~10min/mile pace. The moderate miles were fun - I enjoyed the pick up in pace, and the legs were well able. Really happy with this one.

60.1 miles for the week - my highest ever weekly mileage. I'll spare you all the rambling synopsis this week. Simply put - I feel so ready to #RunThisTown!

Dealerz2.0

60 miles is a savage week A well done. And great to hear the positivity- super!

Kellygirl

Brilliant mileage. Very well done. Loving the positivity too.

BrownEyes79

Wow great mileage A and 12miles the day before your 20miler, that is a huge confidence booster, well done

Mr. Guappa

Dealerz2.0 wrote: »

60 miles is a savage week A well done. And great to hear the positivity- super!

Kellygirl wrote: »

Brilliant mileage. Very well done. Loving the positivity too.

BrownEyes79 wrote: »

Wow great mileage A and 12miles the day before your 20miler, that is a huge confidence booster, well done

Thanks guys . I've really enjoyed this whole training block. I remember joining strava last year and being truly amazed at the mileage the mentors and some of the novices were pumping out. And a mere 15 months later here I am with a 60 mile week! Hopefully it doesn't all go to pot in 3 weeks time :eek:

Mr. Guappa

7th October - 13th October

Monday: Rest
Finally started the Mon-Fri role so didn't bother adding a run into the mix on my first day. As I mentioned before, how this will impact my running was of more concern to me than the job itself :eek:

Tuesday: 50 mins very easy (4.82 miles @ 10:33). Cadence 162
Got in early and did this before work. Probably not ideal hopping out of the car after an hour commute and straight into a run. Had intended on an hour, but cut short so I could be in on time. On the plus side, the early start meant I missed the worst of the traffic.

Wednesday: 3 x 15 mins tempo, 5 mins jog
Tempo range: 7:45-7:57
Distance|Paces|Cadence
1.92|7:50, 46|169
1.92|7:52, 47|169
1.91|7:50, 52|171

Did this one after work. Had a big lunch so I'd be fully fueled for it. Went pretty well I think. Paces spot on and effort felt even throughout each rep - the terrain was flatter than my usual routes around home, which may have contributed to the more evn pacing. For any rugby fans, Marcus Horan was out doing laps too, in the opposite direction to me. He doesn't show up on my flybys! 11 miles for the session.

Thursday: 25 mins recovery (2.47 miles @ 10:27). Cadence 161
Didn't fancy doing too much after Wednesday's session, so decided this was a good chance to trial a lunch time run. Worked pretty well, and I reckon I'll be able to squeeze in 45-50 mins on lunch runs in future. If I can do that 2-3 times a week it'll make a huge difference.

Friday: 45 mins very easy (4.31 miles @ 10:27). Cadence 164
Friday is a slightly later start so suits as an option for early morning runs. This was slightly shorter than planned, again due to time constraints. HR was higher than it normally would be for this type of run. I put that down to the conditions - it was cold! Didn't really enjoy this one, due to the cold.

Saturday: 60 mins very easy (5.8 miles @ 10:45). Cadence 161
Another early start due to a busy day family-wise. Put on the base layer for the first time this year, but I should have added the hat and gloves too. I was soooo cold. HR was also up a bit, which again I put down to the cold. This run was not enjoyable at all. Later, I hit an absolute wall around lunch time. It was like I'd been out for 20 miles, I was just so wrecked - maybe that's what the elevated HR in the past few days had been hinting at? Luckily I watched Georgia v Ireland which was the most boring thing I've seen in a while, so that was a great rest. Had to do a local 5k walk in the evening, and after that went to bed at 8pm! Slept for over 10 hours.

Sunday: 2 hours easy (12.14 miles @ 9:55). Cadence 162
Debated all day about whether or not to shelve this. Felt fine so decided I'd chance it. I picked a two-lap route, so that I could call it quits after 6 miles if I wasn't feeling it. Typically, it lashed rain as soon as I started, and the first 3-4 miles were horrible. I didn't feel great either, but as soon as the rain stopped my condition seemed to improve too. Miles 5-6 were grand so I decided to plough on. The next 4 or so miles were fine, I felt much stronger than on the first lap. More rain for the closing miles, but I didn't mind it at all this time round. Took 4 gels during this, just to practice the quantities. No complaints. Felt strong at the end of this and glad I went out in the end.

40.5 miles for the week. Rest day tomorrow and I'll hopefully shake of any remnants of a dose that are lingering. Seems to be doing the rounds if strava is anything to go by. Other than that, happy enough with the week. As stated, I was worried about how the work schedule would affect my running, but it should be manageable enough for the next while anyway.