Are those my feet?

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.

Mr. Guappa

14th October - 20th October

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins very easy (3.85 miles @ 10:36). Cadence 161
Lunch time run. No drama, which is what's needed at this stage.

Wednesday: 4 x 10 mins tempo, 4 mins jog
Tempo range: 7:45-7:57
Distance|Paces|Cadence
1.29|7:46, 47|172
1.29|7:42, 50|173
1.28|7:49, 42|172
1.28|7:49, 54|171

Similar to last week, the legs felt well able for the paces - possibly as much due to the flatter than usual route as much as anything. The 4 minute recoveries were on the generous side. Took an extra long lunch and stayed back in the evening - will be ideal if I can pull that trick on a regular basis after DCM. 8.6 miles for the session.

Thursday: 40 mins very easy (3.9 miles @ 10:28). Cadence 160
Standard fare - legs felt ok.

Friday: Rest
No running but I did sign up for the Adare 10k in February. It wasn't even on my radar until a guy in the local shop mentioned that it was nearly sold out. So, of course that planted the seed and a short while later I was signed up. It did sell out later that night alright. It's a race I would have liked to run this year, but I'd completely forgotten about it when planning out my 2020. That's the first domino into place anyway for next year - don't think it will be a target race, but I'll see how it fits as I flesh out the rest of the year.

Saturday: 40 mins very easy (3.8 miles @ 10:58). Cadence 161
It is nice been able to fit these short taper runs into small windows. Did this one while the kids were at gymnastics. Felt bouncy. Big uphill to finish, so just took it super handy.

Sunday: 75 mins easy (7.5 miles @ 10:05). Cadence 159
A bit more heavy-legged for this one, but grand. Tried to visualize pushing through the pain barrier next week, but my mind just kept veering towards visions of me being super strong 20 miles in. Delusion? Time will tell! 27.6 miles for the week.

And here we are - one week to go! In some ways next week feels like culmination of 18 months of work. The target time I've in mind at the moment is sub 3:50. Rough plan based on a 3:48 (8:42/mile) is:
Miles 1-7: 8:55/mile
Miles 8-10: 8:30/mile
Miles 11-15: 8:45/mile
Miles 16-22: 8:35/mile
Miles 23-16: 8:30/mile :pac:

This would equate to:
10k - 55:20
Half - 1:55:20
30k - 2:42:50

Those paces are just rough guidelines, with the main principal being to take it handy until the Walkinstown roundabout, and assess after that. I'm in wave 2 and the plan is to set out at the very back and run my own race, but I'll think about that a bit more this week. Opinions welcome as always!

Dealerz2.0

Fantastic A- go get it buddy

Kellygirl

Oh I forgot I entered Adare the other day too, hopefully I can do it.

Best of luck next week. Looking forward to meeting you in McGrattans.

tbukela

Best of luck on Sunday A, I hope you get the race your training deserves. Those paces look like a good guide but you know yourself listen to the body. I've no doubt that you'll finish strong.

skyblue46

Have a great day on Sunday A. You've done a fantastic job in both your training and mentoring role which is no mean achievement. I hope the day brings everything you hope for. See you for the after party. :pac:

Hedgehoggy

Great plan A. No doubt that you'll have a great race!

ariana`

Skyblue said it perfectly. Hope you have a great race on Sunday, best of luck!

Mr. Guappa

21st October - 24th October

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 30 mins very easy (2.90 miles @ 10:31). Cadence 160
Another one ticked off. On Sunday I had whacked my shin off the car hitch, and a nice bruise developed. Could feel it on this run so something to worry about for the week!

Wednesday: 15 mins tempo - Tempo range: 7:45-7:57
Actual paces were 7:45, 7:44 for the 1.94 miles at tempo. Felt strange being done after the one rep. HR was a bit elevated for the w/u and c/d, which I put down to the watch finding the wet weather disagreeable. I found the wet made for a nice change - it's been a while since I've ran in proper rain. Could do without it Sunday all the same. 15 minutes each of warm-up and cool-down meant 4.82 miles for the session.

Thursday: 30 mins very easy (2.84 miles @ 10:44). Cadence 162
HR a good bit higher again on this one. I feel fine, so hopefully it's just the watch acting up, but the rest of the house was hit with a bug earlier in the week. I managed to escape but keep waiting to be the next victim. The shin bruise is a good deal better, but still hanging around just a little.

I think that's training done for me. The plan has 15 mins recovery tomorrow, and I was going to do it today, but I think I'll just rest up instead and stay out of the rain. Regardless of what happens on Sunday I have absolutely loved the training. I covered 580 miles over the 14 weeks, including a 60 mile week, four further 50+ mile weeks, and two sub 1:45 Half Marathons. As mentioned before I really enjoyed the weekends that featured a tough 60 min moderate run on the Saturday, with a 18-20 miler the following day - I felt super strong after those. I will add that I felt more ready for the marathon three weeks ago after the 20 miler than I have since - I really didn't like the taper!

Thanks very much for all the kind words this week, and indeed all the advice and support over the training block, and since last year's DCM really. I probably need to get my head in the game a little bit now. I spent all last night looking at plans for next year - should probably concentrate on the race in front of me first! Travelling to Dublin tomorrow and should land at the Expo around 2 I'd say. As trialled during the Dublin Half, I'll bring my own pillow with me to assist with a decent night's sleep Saturday night. Looking forward to meeting everyone in McGrattans afterwards

coogy

A, you've had a brilliant year of running so far and have excelled as Mentor, well played sir!!!


Best of luck for Sunday, not that you'll need any luck! Go get 'em!!! :cool:

ReeReeG

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

I think that's training done for me. The plan has 15 mins recovery tomorrow, and I was going to do it today, but I think I'll just rest up instead and stay out of the rain. Regardless of what happens on Sunday I have absolutely loved the training. I covered 580 miles over the 14 weeks, including a 60 mile week, four further 50+ mile weeks, and two sub 1:45 Half Marathons. As mentioned before I really enjoyed the weekends that featured a tough 60 min moderate run on the Saturday, with a 18-20 miler the following day - I felt super strong after those. I will add that I felt more ready for the marathon three weeks ago after the 20 miler than I have since - I really didn't like the taper!

Well when you see it laid out like that... you are definitely in a good position to crush last year's time. I really, really hope it all goes to plan for you and that I'll be buying you a PB pint on Sunday afternoon! You've been such a good mentor to the novices and I can tell you genuinely care about them and their training, not to mention practicing what you preach with your own training

I think those are normal taper thoughts btw, too much time to think about how you're not running as much!

Comic Book Guy

All the very best on Sunday A! You have a brilliant block of training done and are perfectly set for the big one.

Also congrats on your job as mentor. I can't imagine its an easy role but you guided each and every one of the novices brilliantly and are rightly held in high esteem by them. They are heading to the start line as the best prepared group of first timers so you should feel very proud and I'm sure their list of race reports will bare this out even more next week.

PS. Thanks for the pillow idea!

passinginterest

You've done the work, a great block of training. Great advice to the novices along the way too. Thanks for the guidance, go out and believe in yourself and trust the training and you'll smash it.

Kellygirl

Yep, I’m adding to it. You’ve been a fantastic mentor. I hope you have a brilliant day yourself and enjoy all the celebrations after.

OOnegative

Best of luck Sunday A, fantastic job done on the Novices to, you should be super proud of yourself. Forget them for the few hours Sunday & run your own race. Run well!!

Bluesquare

Best of Luck on Sunday - you will Smash it. Haven’t posted on the Novice board but been following the advice along the way so thanks for that !!

Laineyfrecks

Very best of luck on Sunday! You have taken the time to mentor us novices whilst training for your own marathon which i really appreciate, by no means an easy task!
I hope you have the day you deserve & have dreamed of on Sunday!

See ye in McGrattons

Dealerz2.0

The very best of luck on Sunday A

mister paul

Best of luck tomorrow A. You've put in a great block of training in between your role as mentor, which has been much appreciated.

Treviso

Best of luck tomorrow A, hope you achieve your goal time.
Thanks for all the help with the Novices thread this year. You'll need to go back to McGrattans afterwards to avail of all the free drink going your way!

Singer

Well done on the novice’s thread and the training. This time tomorrow you should have an awful lot more time back on your hands!