Keep on trucking. Keep on learning. From novice to... who knows

TheRef

Way back in 2008 when I was much much younger, I ran the DCM but 3 days later on a dark and cold evening and about 2km into a run I stopped and just like Forrest Gump said to myself - I’m going home. That was the end of my 12 month running career…. until 29th November 2021. At the time I was refereeing soccer and as games were being cancelled due to weather and Christmas break coming I thought I needed something to maintain fitness so hit the streets. About 6 weeks later, January of last year, I saw a post on boards about the DCM22 lottery and after managing to run a few 10ks, thought I’d stick my name in and see what happens. Got an entry to my surprise and concern.

For DCM22 I followed the absolutely brilliant boards novice plan and supported by a great bunch of mentors, it was a much more enjoyable experience than 2008. I was happy with my 4:11 in Dublin, even if it was outside my 4 hour goal, because I felt strong and enjoyed it all, at least up until the last 3 miles where a terrible stich and with every part of my body now wanting to quit, I somehow hobbled home. Loved it though.

So, here I am heading to DCM 23 at the age of 48 and enjoying my running more than ever. 

After reading P&D, Daniels and Hanson, and at the suggestion of others here, I decided to go for the Hanson Advanced Plan as laid out in the book, at least matching the mileage for any given week. I’m doing my best to not overshoot the paces which is always a challenge for me. Training for a 3:45 finish.

I had averaged just over 50k/week before going on holidays the first two weeks of July but managed to get 70km in while away so when I started back I jumped into Week 3 and planned to follow as listed for the remaining 15 weeks. I had miscalculated though as I should have started on week 4, so week 3 was done as a hybrid of week 4 and 5 before going into week 6. Yep, I know, lots of warning signs in the above - Advanced Plan on second marathon may be overreaching, let alone increasing the mileage and running too fast and kind of skipping weeks. So far, so good. Oh, and the day before jumping into week 3 I ran a strong Fingal 10k.

TheRef

Week 3 of Hanson Advanced 17th-23rd July 

Monday 10k easy @6min/km

I was feeling it from Sundays 10k but not too bad. Good to stretch it out.

Mondays have added bonus of new episode of Smartless released which I always look forward to listening to. Danny McBride this week. Very funny guy.

Tuesday 3.5km w/u - 8*600s@4:30min/km with 400 recovery - 3.5km c/d

First speed intervals in a long long time. Luckily a cool day and done intervals at Naas racecourse on the flatter sections mostly. Always find speed work very tough but got through. I was really feeling fatigued afterwards and I began to wonder if Hanson was too much for me considering I just started.

Wednesday Rest

Thank God as I was shattered. I just wanted to sleep and my shoulders and upper arms were sore. Obviously didn’t relax when doing the intervals yesterday. Note for next week.

Thursday 3.5k w/u - 10k tempo @5:20 - 3.5k c/d

Ok, this is really tough. Sunday and Tuesday is really catching up with me. Managed to get through but that was tough. I’m still so tired and wondering whats to come. Luckily some easy days coming up and a chance to recover. Although I am getting pretty fatigued, I don’t feel any real pain and putting it down to holidays and recent strenuous efforts. 

Friday 12k easy @6:08 

Felt good to move and stretch everything out. 

Saturday 13k easy @5:56 

Another more relaxing run and beginning to feel energy coming back. 

Sunday 17k Long run @5:41

Steady and uneventful but felt okay and a lot better than earlier in the week.

Total for week: 85km (highest weekly mileage ever)

TheRef

Week 4 ½ (5) of Hanson Advanced 24th-30th August

This was a bridge week to get from week 4 to week 6 to make up for earlier miscalculation of dates.

Monday 10k easy @6:10min/km

Another slow down day as now I know what's ahead of me tomorrow. Feeling back to normal.

Smartless episode Steve Soderbergh. Interesting if not great I thought.

Tuesday 3.5w/u - 5*950s @4:35 with 400 recovery - 3.5 c/d

So realising I needed to make up a week somewhere, I went for this week and kept the total speedwork about 4.8k which Hanson seems to have. It meant going from 600s last week to 950s this, but just the 5. It felt good and I felt strong but its still bloody hard. I think I need to get used to being tired until October 🙂

Wednesday Rest

Slight pain in my left thigh so massage gun and stretching. 

Thursday 3.5k w/u - 10k tempo@5:15 - 3.5k c/d

Pain in my knee on the warmup. Decided to keep going to see if it would loosen up once I got into a better rhythm. Luckily it did. 

Yeah, its getting tough again. These Tuesday-Thursday sessions really take it out of you. I ran a little quicker than my PMP and was glad to see the end. 

Friday 12.5K easy @6:08min/km

Easy run to stretch the legs. 

Saturday 14.4k @5:53

Slouched on the couch for a bit in the morning before heading out. Really should have gone a bit slower as have a long run tomorrow. Still, feeling better than I did this time last week.

Sunday 20.5k long run @5.37

Wow, heading out feeling really fatigued. Plenty of energy in the body, just heavy and hard to get going a little. After a couple of k, hit stride and get into a good rhythm. Again though, about 8 secs/km faster than the plan states. Plan has 20k for the day and towards the end was debating whether to do a half just because its nice and round but decide against it as body might thank me for it next week. Also, got caught in a big shower for the last 15 mins and got soaked. Wore the hydration vest for first time in a while with a singlet an bad friction burns under the arms. Will need to tape them next time. Took a gel about 14k more just because its a couple of months probably since I took one running and need to get used to them again. Sipped on water throughout even though didn’t need it, hopefully that’ll help with the recovery. 

Total for the week: 88.7km, 8h 33min (highest weekly mileage ever)

After spending most the past year running ~50k/week, its strange but fantastic to get into what I'd call very serious mileage. Just hope the body keeps up.

TheRef

Week 6 of Hanson Advanced 31st July - 6th August 

Monday 10.5k easy @6:08min/km

Nice slow easy run but got caught in a terrible shower for the last 15 minutes. Soaked but at least it wasn’t cold. 

I’m not sure what to make of this plan and whether how I feel is typical. After Tuesday’s speed session I thought I had the worst of the week out of the way, but the way these runs go, every session presents its own challenges and takes time to fully recover. It always seems like I am running unrecovered. I’m hitting all paces handy enough which I guess is the main thing, so happy enough.

Tuesday 3.5w/u - 4*1200s @4:30min/km with 400 recovery - 3.5 c/d

I always go into the speed intervals with some apprehension as I’ve never been good at running fast. Today went okay actually. Knowing there were only four intervals helped me remain on pace but the last 300m of the fourth rep was very tough. 

Wednesday Rest

Thursday 3.5k w/u - 11k tempo@5:15 - 3.5k c/d

Feeling stronger going into today than I have done over the last couple of weeks. 

I am training for a 3:45 marathon, so tempo pace should be 5:20, but I feel good and am happy to keep going. Towards the end though, I’m feeling a little pain on the inside of my right calf. It’s a problem I had in the past a couple of times (both calfs) so plenty of stretching and hydration for the rest of the day.

Friday 14k easy @6:06min/km

Took the first few k easy to see if the pain in my calf would return. Luckily, it didn’t so increased the pace ever so slightly. Took it very much as a recovery run with avg HR of 139. 

Hanson Advanced has 10k for today, but allows additional mileage on easy runs. As I’m feeling good, I do a few extra k.

Saturday 17k easy @6:09min/km

Okay, so plan for today is 16k easy and for tomorrow it has an easy run, but Hanson allows for a LR every week, so I plan on doing this as long as I am feeling good and it fits my schedule. So, today I take the easy run slower than I normally would. Also want to avoid stressing the calf too much.

It all goes very well and I add on an extra k just to get home. Again, no water or other fuel today (I did have breakfast though).

Sunday 21.5k LR @5:40min/km

Birthday today and had a full day of activities planned, so on the road before 8am on a Sunday. Everywhere is deserted which is lovely and peaceful.

Plan had an easy 13k, but I decided to do a LR as allowed and as next weekend I will be doing the Bray 10k trail run (taking it easy), I stretched the LR today to 21.5k. I brought the hydration vest and 1 gel. Sipped constantly to keep hydrated and took the gel at about the 10k mark. Love running Sundays. I felt great throughout and had plenty left in the tank at the end. 

Headed off to Glasnevin Cemetery for a tour and an Escape Room later in the day, but I was shattered by the end. I think the biggest issue was that I wore socks and runners instead of the comfortable crocs so my poor feet were feeling it that night. Slept very well!.

Total for the week: 94.9km, 9h 12min (highest weekly mileage ever)

Murph_D

Hanson is certainly tougher than it looks on paper, and the tiredness is normal.

I'd watch those MP runs. Important to stick to goal pace. Also, not sure about that 'allowed' run at LR pace - every second Sunday run on Hanson is 'easy' for a good reason. The steadier LR pace gets tougher to hit as the distance increases, and don't forget your mileage is significantly higher than you're used to. (I assume you have the base that Hanson recommends for this version of the plan).

You've learned a lot in a year, take it handy and be careful not to bite off too much.

Best of luck with the rest of the plan. Lots of Hanson discussion on Improver's thread and various logs, I can certainly vouch for the approach.

TheRef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120964739#Comment_120964739

Yeah, I keep trying to dial back in the paces by a few secs but my brain is telling me I feel fine and to keep on going.

The idea about LRs most weekends is inline with what is mentioned in Chapter 5 - Schedule Modifications, and additional mileage. I felt I have a strong base coming in with a half done in training most weekends in the few months prior and always felt good after. Although, I was only doing ~65k/week and for the last 4 on this plan have been 85k-90k+ which is slightly more than the plan expects. I see this evening out though as I reduce the additional mileage, particularly as it closes in about 100k/week. You had great words of wisdom for me last year in the novices group, so really respect your insight.

TheRef

Week 7 of Hanson Advanced 31st July - 6th August 

Monday 15k easy @6:34

Went running with my wife who just picked up running this year but doesn’t particularly enjoy it. Ran 11k with her @6:45 pace which was really easy and great recovery. Decided to extend and do a 4k loop additional @ about 6:00 just to stretch things. 

Tuesday 3.5w/u - 400,800,1200,1600,1200,800,400 @4:35min/km with 400 recovery - 3.5 c/d

Some DOMS from the last few days of effort but feeling okay. Very warm out today.

1200 and 1600 were difficult in last segments, and particularly the 1600. Real heavy breathing and calfs were a little hot. Managed to get through it though and do the recovery runs between intervals within pace. One of the hardest sessions this year.

Received delivery of new Ghost 15s. There’s plenty still in my existing pair, but plan to break new ones in very slowly over the next couple of months and use for Dublin. 

Wednesday Well deserved rest day.

Thursday 3.5k w/u - 11k tempo@5:20 - 3.5k c/d

Again, feeling good going into the session and really like the tempo runs. Feels like I am getting a good workout. The idea of Crumlin/Clonskeagh/Roebuck got into my head so decided I’d do part of the tempo on a local longish drag that ended in a short but very steep incline. Felt good getting around but got me wondering overall how I’ll be able to sustain this pace for a duration of a marathon. After some reading, that question is normal on the Hanson plan but people are assuring that on rested legs, it will be very different. 

Friday 14k easy 6:04@min/km

Uneventful, easy paced run over lunchtime to stretch out things. Also taking it easy for tomorrow.

Saturday 6.5k @6:51min/km

MrsRef wanted to go for a run and prefers to go out with someone to help push her on so I went out for an early and very easy 7km just to loosen things up.

10k Gaelforce Bray Run

I signed up for this as part of the Gaelforce Trilogy series before I had a training plan in mind for the marathon. It’s not ideal for integrating into any plan but it's something different and I was looking forward to it in the end. Plan was to run it steady to not over do it. Much easier said than done in mountrain trails. The course this year is in Belmont Demesne and Killruddery Estate, around Little Sugar Loaf. We were advised the day before to wear long socks due to the bushes so I wore calf compression socks with usual Hoka Speedgoats which are only ever pulled out for these trail runs.

After a warm up, I got to the line for the pre-run briefing. Plenty of warnings about these events being different and the need to be incredible careful due to loose rocks, narrow paths through heather, steep downhills and all the usual. My plan was to power walk up the steep inclines and run the rest in the hope it wouldn’t take too much out of me. After a bit of hanging around at the start, we got going with nothing more than a "go".

About 200 meters after the start, there was a long very steep uphill - 180m over 2km with most of that in the first k. After an initial slow jog up the first part, people start walking and I joined them. Head down, power up. It was pretty tough and after a while my calfs were burning. There was a welcome opportunity between climbs to run a flat to stretch the legs out. 

After another climb and getting to the top we headed through a very narrow path in the heathers. There were no opportunities to overtake but again, I used this as a sign to take things easy with a little traffic ahead. I noticed my thigh was cover in scratches and a good bit of blood from the thorns but nothing bad. From the top, there were plenty of downhills and flats through the rest of the course with the occasional pulls. As warned, there were also plenty of large loose rocks so needed to be really careful with footing. I wondered if running today was such a good idea as it would be very easy to pick up a serious injury, but ploughed on. The downhills were steep and on loose dirt/gravel paths so focus was to keep control and not go too fast. 

The last section through forest was interesting as I noticed I was alone with no other competitors in eye or earshot. I knew I was going the right way, but it was strange to be in a race with no one around. After the forest cleared, and through a few more open spaces, the signs pointed forward through a field beside the car park, but bizarrely, people had parked on the route completely blocking it. I had to run through part of the car park, and between closely parked cars to get back on track. Then, to get into the finish area, we had to get through a narrow gap (one person wide) in a wall which again was odd. 

I finished just under 63 mins which was much faster than I was expecting but I felt okay. 

Wooden medal, luminous yellow long sleeved top (great for winter) and plenty of fruit and flapjacks at the end with tea/coffee. 

Total climbing: 357m.

Checked the results the next day to see I placed 121 out of 580, so considering I didn’t push it, it was a great confidence boost. Just need to recover before Tuesdays speedwork session.

Sunday

13k LR 6:10@min/km

Feeling it from yesterday, but good to get out. I probably should not have gone as far as 13, but I wanted to reach the 90k weekly mark for consecutive weeks so went a bit more than I should. At least tomorrow is another easy day, so will take that one especially easy again.

Total for the week: 91.2km, 9h 10min Climb: 782m 

Total for year: 1898 km

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120977183#Comment_120977183

I'm tempted to say nothing but there are a few things jumping out here.

1. We all run a bit faster or slower than recommended from time to time, but be careful about what your brain is telling you - many people are already conditioned to feel 'fine' when running too fast to get the adaptations the run is supposed to deliver. You need these adaptations as a relative beginner at the marathon distance.
2. You're correct that adding long runs is consistent with Hanson's ideas for adding mileage, but the bigger question is, why are you adding mileage in the first place? The Advanced plan is already a step up for you in mileage terms, so you don't need to add miles, and in fact you are vastly increasing the risk of injury. Trying to hit arbitrary targets like training half marathon distance runs, or round weekly numbers like 90k, can be asking for trouble.
3. And the trail race - it looks like it was fun but from what you describe certainly no easy run. To have followed that with a longer than necessary Sunday run was certainly not advisable at this point of your training plan or your overall marathon journey. I would consider skipping the Tuesday speed session to get some extra recovery at this stage.

(I speak from experience, by the way, having endured a sustained period of injury at a very similar stage of my marathon running. It came from nowhere. No warning. You have lots of additional conditioning from your refereeing work but I still think you're pushing it more than you need to. The potential reward is not worth the additional risk.)

Anyway good luck. But careful now...

skyblue46

Seeing as Murph broke the ice I'll jump in as well. I have read your recent updates and have been aghast at the approach being taken. Reading words like 'more' and 'faster' in the same update that mentions tiredness and fatigue is worrying. I should have said something but bailed for some reason.

I have experience of this having taken up running at 50, run DCM in '17 and '18. Since then I have consistently broken down from too much, too fast training.

I can't add much to what Murph said on the specific points he mentions. They echo my thoughts perfectly

TheRef

Points absolutely taken, and of course appreciated. After all, that's why I started this log - to help keep me on track and honest.

I should have made it clearer though that before starting Hanson, I ran 10k all out at 47:39 which would equate to 3:39 marathon and a half at 1:49 (3:47 equiv) but that one was in very tough conditions. So, I went into this block with a target of 3:45 and that's what my paces are set to. However, in the back of my mind, I was thinking that going a few extra seconds quicker still keeps me in the training range of 3:39, so no harm done. I get that the increase in volume though, even if almost all on the easy running days, is increasing the risk.

I'll dial back in to the 3:45 paces going forward and stick more closely to the mileage listed in the plan.

Murph_D

My advice there would be stick to 3:45 for now and adjust later. There’s not a lot to suggest 3:39 is realistic. If you’re a 3:45 runner and train for 3:39 you will likely have a torrid time.

Sandwell

Good advice from here from @Murph_D and @skyblue46. I'm currently doing Hanson Advanced for the second time and I really appreciate the 'easy' weekend every fortnight. It means you get four days of back to back easy runs which allows for a good bit of recovery ahead of ten days during which you'll do five tough sessions. It's worth thinking about the plan in terms of 14 day cycles for that reason I think.

DeepBlue

It's probably worth bearing in mind also that Hanson's doesn't really have much of a taper in comparison with other plans. So if extra kms bring on extra fatigue there isn't as much scope to recover prior to race day.

TheRef

Week 8 of Hanson Advanced: 14th August - 20th August

Monday 10k easy @6:06

Learned a valuable lesson today: don’t eat spicy noodles within 2 hours of going running. I felt pretty bad and wasn’t sure I could get through the run, but after 4km, it all settled down. God knows what would have happened if it didn't.

The bottom of my calfs were a little tender from last weekend, but the main issue was some discomfort in the upper right quad that I believe was caused by some lunchtime (over) stretching. I think the easy run helped but will keep an eye on it. 

Tuesday 6.5k easy @5:55min/km

Taking on board D’s comments, I decided to skip the intervals today and just do a short easy run instead. I do find it hard doing anything less than 10k. Discomfort in quad was just about gone and didn’t really feel it.

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday 3.5k w/u - 11k tempo@5:20 - 3.5k c/d

Yesterday I was feeling really eager to get back out but today not as much. Muscles felt a little heavy, like I had taken a week off.

It was very warm today and even more so in the glare of the sun. I’m still struggling to get into a rhythm at 5:20 as I find myself going a little faster into 5:12-5:15 pace. No idea why but always have to consciously pull back a little. 

This is supposed to be the pace I will run the marathon at and I’m still wondering how I could keep that pace for 42km as when I got to the end of the tempo, I could have done a couple more km probably, but that’s probably it. I know this is part of Hanson and that I’ve done tough halfs at 5:09 pace this year, but still having some doubts. 

Friday 10km easy 6:01@min/km

Easy run to finish the work week off. 

Saturday - Frank Duffy 10 mile

Hanson has today down as easy run day so was not sure what pace to run today. Decided in the end to go with the 90 min pacers, led by a baloonless D_Murph :-) 

The target pace was between my LR and tempo and I felt quite strong throughout. After some challenging recent tempo runs, today felt very straightforward which was great for the confidence. At no time did I feel like I was working particularly hard, so it was a great day.

A few hours later though, I start feeling ill and over the course of the evening got worse so spent Sunday and Monday in bed completely laid up. Tuesday was not much better with a very sore throat, but plan is to go out tomorrow (Wednesday)for an easy run and see how I feel.

Total for the week: 61.9km, 5h 57min

Hanson Advanced week 8 complete. 

Murph_D

I’d get a test - could well be covid, lots of it about. Maybe it isn’t, but if it is it will (or should) have a strong bearing on your running over the next 4 weeks.

TheRef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121019286#Comment_121019286

That was my immediate thought, but took a test and was negative thankfully.

TheRef

Well, I was wrong. Had COVID. First time as well.

Controversial update incoming.

TheRef

Week 8 of Hanson Advanced: 21st August - 27th August

Big news from this week is I tested positive for COVID. Symptoms started about 4pm Saturday (19th) and on Sunday (20th) I felt terrible. Took a test Sunday morning but it was negative, so a bit of a relief, or so I thought.

Monday - Bed

Felt poor but not as bad as yesterday. 

Tuesday - bed most the day

Better than yesterday but still not great. 

Wednesday - 8.5km @5:46min/km. 

I woke up feeling tired that I attributed to just getting over the illness. Still a sort throat which wasn't too bad. Decided to go for a short (6km) easy run to see how I felt and any negative reaction. I ended up going another 2km as was feeling better than I thought I would. Again, still thinking I had a bad cold and was getting over it so symptoms were remnants of that. 

Thursday 13km @6:00 min/km

Felt better than yesterday so decided to go easy again but longer. Felt fine but sore throat and fatigue still, albeit not as bad as yesterday. Again, still thinking its just getting over a really bad cold.

Got home to wife telling me she just tested positive for COVID, so I took another test, and yep, positive as well. Likely when I took the test on Sunday I done it wrong. Felt okay-ish though. Lots of googling and looking up HSE. 

HSE suggests a need to isolate for 5 days from first day of symptoms, so today would have been the last day. Hmmm.. Luckily almost all my running is on very quiet back roads or industrial parks.

Friday 20k @5:52min/km

Okay. Controversy. I know I had/have COVID, but also know it affects people differently. I got through Wed & Thurs fine, with no ill affects, so decided to see what I could do on Friday. I tried a MP tempo run of 13km after a 3.5km warmup, to see what I am able for. Warm up was fine, but I knew tempo would be too much of a strain so I pulled back to easy-ish pace. Decided I’d do that distance called for but not the pace. Once my breathing was under control and relaxed, I felt fine. My legs felt fine, and overall the only real negative was a feeling of a lack of energy.

Again, to stress, all my runs were done away from people, and will be until I test negative again.

Saturday - 13k @6:00 min/km

Again another easy run, and again, once I didn’t strain my breathing, it was fine. 

Sunday - 25km @5:45 min/km

So today I went out again with a target of 25k but not committing to it and see how I got on. All runs this week indicated that my legs were fine, and again, as long as my breathing was relaxed, I would be okay. I know though that I am putting my body under a lot of additional stress with the recovery.

Overall, it went fine, except the last 5k. 

I am definitely struggling a little with fatigue and my breathing isn’t as good as it should be, but my legs feel like they have plenty of strength, just not the same stamina as normal.

I pushed on and after 13k I was getting a very dull ache in my stomach. Nothing that concerned me as I got them last year when I started to build up the miles. I didn’t think it was anything that would cause me an injury and it wasn’t really a pain - just a dull ache. 

As long as I didn't feel any pain and any discomfort was similar to what I would expect from high miles, I would go on.

However, with about 4k to go, I got a bit nauseous. Not like I was going to get sick, just like it was churned around. I had to stop 2 or 3 times to let it settle. It settled down as soon as I finished.

A couple of other new things today: I used a couple of SaltStick FastChews. I don’t believe they were the cause of my aching stomach though. Much easier to take than messing around with tabs mid-run. Also took 1.5ltrs water on run as well as a couple of gels.

Also, with about 1km to go, my insole of my right shoe became loose and came up the back of my foot. My runners got plenty wet during the run due to the back roads I was running on with a lot of puddles. I think this caused it, so something to remember for future. 

I haven’t yet posted for advice to the group, because after plenty of reading, I’ve learned that COVID is unique to the individual. Where some have no symptoms, some fair much worse.  I am treating this like a normal type illness and focusing on recovery, easy running, hydration and good food.

Today, as I write this, my quads are a little sore and I have a slightly sore throat, but other than that, I feel fine.

The plan will be to take a day or two off and ease back in with some more easy running and see where things stand later in the week. I do not plan on doing either the interval or tempo runs this week.

Total for the week: 79.7km, 7h 47m

skyblue46

Nothing controversial about that...verging on insanity definitely, putting yourself in danger of overtraining or injury is incontrovertible but controversy....No.

TheRef

Week 10 of Hanson Advanced: 28th August - 3rd September

Plan to take it day by day but reduced pace and overall distance. Planned the tempo run for later in the week to see where I stand. I will be in Dungarvan for a couple of days over the weekend so looking forward to running the Greenway on both Saturday and Sunday. 

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - 11k @5:50min/km

Easy enough run but noticing overall recovery is not as quick as normal.

Wednesday - 16km @6.03 min/km

Continuing the rejig of plan this week, idea is to do one of the weekends 16k easy runs today and push out Thursdays tempo run by a day. This likely means no more speed intervals as next week the plan moves on to strength paces.

Ran a local route with some much steeper hills as it’s been a while. 

Thursday - rest

I was initially thinking of going out for an easy run, but decided to rest instead and try the tempo run tomorrow. That would give me an idea how close I am to a full return.

Friday - 3.5k w/u; 13km @5.20; 3.5k c/d

Lovely warm sunny day for a run.

I’ve been having some stomach pain at times over the last week which played up this morning. No idea if it’s COVID related but it doesn’t help when this is the busiest time of the year work wise. Luckily it settled down when I was out and didn’t cause any issues.

I felt strong throughout and could easily have gone on for a few more k. My throat was still a little sore at times so still some remnants of the illness. I brought a gel and a couple of Fastchews just to get used to them again but didn’t take the gel in case it upset my stomach. 

Expecting that from next Monday I’ll be back at full steam and good for the remaining 8 weeks of the plan.

Minor pain - the volume in the right side of my Shokz is much lower than the left. People also saying there is a problem with the mic, so looks like something went wrong with them. Pretty disappointed as they are only a year old and I only use them for work and running. I’m wondering if rain or sweat got into them causing damage. Need to find the receipt and see if theory are still in warranty. 

Saturday - 10k easy @6:00 min/km

Down in Dungarvan for the weekend and took an opportunity to run part of the Greenway and a little around the town. Nice spot and weather was lovely. My legs were feeling it quite a bit from yesterday though. I know I should be slower on these runs but I always find it so difficult to go slower.

Sunday - 16k easy @ 6:02 min/km

Another run along the greenway, this time headed away from the town early in the morning. Plenty of people out cycling. Run was easy paced but again legs were still feeling it.

They really need some toilets along the greenway. Seriously!

Total for the week: 74.1 km  7h 14m

TheRef

Week 11 of Hanson Advanced: 4th September - 10th September

Monday - 13k @6:03min/km

Easy running that was actually not that easy. Sun was blazing and energy was not there. Have found the last couple of days more challenging that I should have. Possible it was with all the driving over the weekend. 

Tuesday - 3.5km w/u; 6x1mile @5:13min/km with 400 rec; 3.5km c/d

Felt back to normal for the most part but legs did feel heavy. Some foam rolling and stretching in the morning and headed out into the midday sun. Luckily plenty of cloud cover and not as hot as yesterday.

I was looking forward to the strength sessions, and I really enjoyed it. Feeling that I am finally over COVID and back running as planned. 

Wednesday - u12 match (referee)

Wasn’t planning on refereeing till after DCM, but league were looking for someone to cover an u12 game. Sometimes in this weather, I’d wear black runners as the pitch would be hard and dry, but the sole of my runners broke a few months ago, so back to boots for today. They were not comfortable as they hadn’t been used in a few months. Pitch can also be hard on the ankles, so took a bit more than I liked out of me, but we’ll see how tomorrow’s tempo run goes.

Thursday - 3.5km w/u; 12.5k tempo@5.23 (fail); 1km c/d

Didn’t sleep well last night with the heat and some pressure from work, and had to do the run at 11am due to work/family commitments later in the day/evening. 

I knew before going out I was struggling for energy and my legs felt very heavy. On reflection, the match last night probably wasn’t wise, even if it was only u12s. 

Luckily there was some very very light cloud cover so it kept any blazing sun off my for most the run, but it was 25C and very humid, so energy sapping. After about 7k into the tempo, I knew I was really struggling. Just couldn’t keep the pace, and I was kicking myself because I started the tempo too fast so that didn’t help at all. I had to stop three times for a minute and then just realised its not doing me any good, so decided to just jog it home. 

I’m not too downbeat yet as the heat was really really sapping. Plus, I’ve had a long week, so fingers crossed, the easy running over the next couple of days will help before Sundays LR.

Friday - 12k @6:08 min/km

Easy running after work. Was looking forward to a run in the sun, but it was hotter than I expected.

Saturday 14k@6:01 min/km

I was feeling it a little after such a hot week and felt a little leggy but at least the weather was slightly cooler. Towards the end I ran on the nearly complete Sallins towpath which is currently packed fine gravel giving a smooth surface. I assume there will be tarmac on top which I think may mean that apart from a short 4.5k section, one could run/cycle from Sallins to Dublin along the canal. This will be a fantastic route once when complete, hopefully in the coming weeks.

Sunday 27k @5:41min/km

With nothing on today, I decided to park in Crumlin Village and do the second half of the route as far as the Haddington Row and then head down the canal back to Dolphins Barn and up the Crumlin Road as far as Walkinstown roundabout. 

I’m not sure why, but probably because I was just about to go north of 100k for the week, I didn’t really enjoy it as I felt I really had to work throughout. The one part though I really never seem to enjoy is around Orwell. It's just a leafy suburb and I can never really tell where I am so tends to drag. Once I got to Milltown though it was back to more familiar territory. Another annoyance with doing this route as a training run is the paths are often in a terrible state, particularly around D4. The old trees have raised and broken the paths, making under foot conditions tricky. A positive is that going out early on a Sunday makes traffic a non-issue.

When I got back to Crumlin, I was about 2k short so went for a run around the area but found it very very tough. The body was very tired and I was counting the meters (or track circuits) left before I got to my target. And just as I stopped, I felt a couple of drops of rain and headed back to the car, but the heavens just opened. Absolutely belted down and just like that, summer was over. 

This week was my first over 100k and what a week for it to be - blistering heat for most of it. I got through it though and feeling really good to be back on track after a frustrating couple of weeks.

Total for the week: 102.8km  9h 56m

Total for year: 2216km

Lazare

Solid week that took a lot of commitment with those conditions. Wouldn't be overly concerned about the tempo given the heat, but from one Hansonite to another, be mindful of those Wednesdays. Sounds like you didn't want to let people down, but you prob need to be a bit selfish now.

I'm finding I absolutely need that day for recovery. Particularly for where it falls in the week sandwiched between two hard efforts. Thursday is the most important day of the week, get the best recovery you can for it.

TheRef

Yeah, I did regret doing the game as even an u12 soccer game involves a lot of running about on the hard ground of last week. I learned my lesson and last night got a call asking to cover another match, but nope, that's it till November. Wednesdays are now for doing absolutely nothing 😁

Lazare

Good man 😀 That's it

ariana`

Just in case you need any more incentive to put the feet up on a Wednesday night, I was on a workshop with a running coach last night and one of the slides made the valid point that "we don't get fitter when we train, we get fitter when we recover"! I think it's very apt around now for anyone who is marathon training and starting to panic that they may not be doing enough and trying to squeeze more in!

And fair play on the reffing all the same! While i know it's not in your interests right now, I also know what it's like to be the person (or to be married to the person 😂) ringing around trying to source a ref for juvenile games at short notice!

Good luck with the rest of your block!

TheRef

Week 12 of Hanson Advanced: 11th September - 17th September

Monday - 10k 6:14 @min/km

I was feeling quite sore and tired from yesterdays long run and wasn’t sure how even an easy run would go. Started stiff and uncomfortable but after a couple of k, things start loosening up. Felt so much better after.

Tuesday - 3.5k w/u; 4x1.5mile @5:13 w/800 rec; 3.5k c/d

Lovely morning for a run, much cooler than last week. While still feeling it somewhat from last weeks effort, hit the paces and felt good.

Again, felt so much better after this run.

Wednesday - rest

Ah, a day off.

Thursday - 3.5k w/u; 14k tempo @5:15; 3.5 c/d

After the warmup, got into my stride, but maybe a little faster than I should have. Decided after a few k to divert to the “hilly” route. There were a few really hard short hills and some drags which really gave my legs a workout. My calfs were proper feeling it, but good recovery when back on the flats.

Got through the 14k without bother and could have done a few more k if needed. 

Funny thinking the next 4 days are all going to be at easy pace.

Friday - 10k 6:03 @min/km

Easy running, but it was very very wet.

Saturday 16.5k 5:50@min/km

Early morning run along the nearly complete Sallins greenway. Hopefully it will be complete soon to have a tarmac top layer which will make it very nice. 

Sunday 16k 6:00 @min/km

Even though the last three days were easy, I’m feeling it on todays run. Some niggles around knee and hip. Something to keep an eye on.

Total for the week: 94.1 km  9h 6m

Total for year: 2310km

TheRef

Week 13 of Hanson Advanced: 18th September - 24th September

Monday - 13km @6:00min/km

Easy pace, but for whatever reason, I’ve been having some aches and pains, even after the last few days easy.

Tuesday - 3.5k w/u; 3x2mile @5:10/km 800rec; 3.5c/d

Strength day. Again, wasn’t feeling the best heading out. Both knees a little sore.

Headed again down the in-progress Sallins greenway which will be fantastic once finished. Both first 2 mile intervals had wind to back, but last one was into the wind. Even though I was tired and felt a little achey in places, I really felt strong. 

Wednesday - rest

Thursday - 27km @ 5:45 min/km

Okay, so because I am doing the Dublin half on Saturday, I switched around the tempo run and weekend long run, and on the advice of others in boards. I was intending to run this easy and thought that would be in the range of 6min/km but I felt very good and relaxed, settling into a good rhythm. It was only the last 5k that it became a bit tough with some aches around different places, but I attribute that to the fact I ran so far/long.

Friday - 12k @6:15 min/km

Very easy pace to help recover from last night and prepare for tomorrow.

Saturday Dublin Half Marathon - 1:44:36 

I was so happy with this result as I never thought I could get close to it going in. 

Race Report - Dublin Half Marathon - 5 min PB

Going into today, I already had over 70km in the legs since Monday so wasn’t sure how it would go. My goal was to try to get somewhere around 1:47 (5:05 min/km) to prove I was capable of a 3:45 in October. Even a minute or so afterwards would be good as I hadn’t tapered and ran long on Thursday. I parked in the zoo car park which was pretty empty just after 7:40 when I arrived. About 8:15, jogged to the start area and dropped off the bag, There were two entries to the starting pen that I could see - towards the back around where the 1:50 and 2:00 pacers were (they seemed to be right beside each other), or just behind the sub 100 mins signs. After having problems with passing pacing groups in other races this year, I opted for the top of the Wave 2, knowing the start was pretty open and downhill for the first few k.

I started quick, much quicker than I was planning and was a little concerned but figured there were a lot of downhills so I’ll take advantage and give it back on the uphills. After the first 3k I was about 40 seconds ahead of plan, but I felt really really really good. I felt strong going uphill the next couple of km and overall settled into a rhythm of sub 5min/km which to be honest was exciting. I always saw that pace as a bit of a mental barrier. My heart rate was okay, my breathing was really good, and I still felt strong as the km’s ticked by. I encountered a little traffic on the paths a couple of times but put the foot down to pass and find open spaces. I was frequently looking at my watch and seeing my overall pace was static at 4:55 min/km and thinking wow, how am I doing this. I told myself as I got to about the 10 mile mark that no matter what happened, I was really happy with my performance. I was a little apprehensive of heading to the hill around Acres Road around the 17km mark wondering if everything would catch up with me then. When I got to it, I thought, slow down, shorten the strides, head down and work it. Before I knew it, I was at the top and the pace for that km was about 5:07 and wondered if I had it in me to pick back up the pace. From somewhere I got a burst of energy and used that to get back to a sub 5 min/km rhythm. Pushed hard for the last few km. With a few hundred meters to go I kicked on with a great kick. After passing the finish line, I glanced at the watch and it read 1:44:40. I was thrilled. A 5 minute PB (7mins quicker than last year), and also a 3 ½ minute 10 mile PB. All without any taper or pulling back any effort in the training plan. 

I got quiet emotional at the end as I just kept thinking how hard I have worked over the past couple of years since I started running, but in particular the last 8 weeks of Hanson with about 100km weeks. I never thought I was capable of going sub 5min/km pace in a race of that distance, and definitely not today.

Well on target for my goal in Dublin of 3:45 so a huge confidence boost, and now to start the endless wondering what my strategy will be for the marathon. 

Sunday 12km recovery @ 6:07 min/km

After watching the Berlin marathon, I headed out for a 12 km easy to stretch out the legs before the wind and rain arrived.

The wife entered the local 10k fun run so I headed out on the bike to support her at various points. The conditions were so difficult with wind and rain. The headwind in places was quite strong and made it very tough on the runners, and I struggled at times to cycle against it. 

Total for the week: 105.3 km 9h 58m

Total for year: 2415km

Lazare

Well done, that's a cracking performance 👏

Totally get what you mean by being excited by a pace you didn't think was doable. Fair play for holding it. Will do wonders for your confidence.

Great work.

TheRef

Week 14 of Hanson Advanced: 25th September - 1st October

Oh my, getting close now. I’m really enjoying Hanson. Only problem I'm having is finding the time for Tues/Thurs runs which are both 20k+ runs. Managing it though.

Monday - 10k @6:16min/km

Very easy run as legs still sore and debating how to approach tomorrow's strength session (go easy or hard)

Tuesday - 3.5km w/u; 6x1mile @5:02min/km with 400 rec; 3.5km c/d

So, I’ve always said that to get to the start line of a marathon takes a tremendous amount of luck. Anything can happen. So, I tend to take more risks. 

As I raced Saturday morning, in the back of my mind I had Murph saying do today easy and get back on plan Thursday. But.. but… maybe naivety or maybe stubbornness, I decide let’s give it a lash. However, not only do I go with the prescribed 2x3 mile interval, but based on Saturdays PB, I readjust my paces from about 5:13 to 5:02 (min/km). I could always pull back if I don’t feel good. I do though, and complete the intervals in the new pace I’ve decided to follow. 

BTW: I will still be targeting 3:45 and only if I get to Orwell feeling amazing will I decide to push on.

At the end of the second interval, I was about 16k in, with just the 1m recovery and 3.5km cool down to go (I’m always telling myself the cooldown means I don’t need the recovery, but good excuse to get an extra easy mile in). About the 17.5k mark, I am feeling really low on energy. I brought a gel and 300m of water and took some water after the first interval. Decided I would plough ahead for the last couple of k without taking the gel as it was at easy pace, but more challenging due to lack of energy. Got home and bananas/electro drink helped recovery.

Felt great overall with new pace and will readjust remaining sessions to new lower pace.

Wednesday - rest

With Storm Agnes about, I was so happy to have a day off.

Thursday - 3.5km w/u; 12.5k tempo@5.09; 3.5km c/d

Again, went with the more aggressive pacing and felt really good. Quite windy but feeling good.

Friday - 12k @6:00 min/km

Easy miles

Saturday 16k@5:56 min/km

More easy miles

Sunday 16k @5:51min/km

And even more easy miles

Total for the week: 93.8 km  9h 0m

Total for year: 2509 km

Lazare

Very nice week but be careful of straying from the purpose of the plan and those sessions.

You ran them this week based on a sub 3:40 target. If 3:45 is the goal you're turning those strength sessions into speed sessions and possibly not getting the adaptations they're designed for.

The tempos are so so useful at mentally dialling in what it feels like to run at goal pace, so again, if you're running them 10 secs per k too fast you're not getting that benefit.

Totally fine obv if you're going to adjust your goal to sub 3:40 (although I wouldn't recommend it at this late stage) but if you're keeping the goal at 3:45 you really would be better served training at the appropriate paces.

TheRef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121184587#Comment_121184587

I get what you're saying, although I'm still not sure what I should do.

Since the weather cooled down, I've found it much easier to meet all the paces (I only failed once and that was on one of the hottest days). Now, the Thursday tempo feels like a RPE of a high 6 whereas before it was a mid 8.

So, I was thinking about Dublin, the "A goal" is to do 3:45 but also "enjoy" the last 5k. Hence the idea that I go with the readjusted paces based off my recent half marathon result, which would target 3:40. Assuming the next few weeks go well, start Dublin at 3:45 pace, and see where I when I get close to Milltown.

To be honest, its a head wrecker :-)