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Making every mile count
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Thursday 7/9
Nice recovery day after the previous days session......:cool:
AM: 5 Miles Very Easy @7.4xp/m (watch issue)
PM: 7 Miles Easy @7.25p/m
Friday 8/9
6 Miles Very Easy
Oh. The. Hangover.
Saturday 9/9
I really shouldn't have headed out so hard on Thursday. Still paying for it today. Eyes on the target from here on in.
McCormack Kilomarathon (Wicklow Hospice)
1.37:56
A good 60-90 seconds slower than planned today. Says it all really!
I arrived down, tired and a dodgy stomach. I was looking forward to the run but Thursday's activities still left their mark. A quick warm-up with Niall before the off. The race was a low key one; well organised, for a great charity and in a great part of the country. I quickly settled, with a young man forging ahead at 5.40 pace. My pace soon settled at 5.50. That was exactly where I want to be (5.50-5.55). I was under strict orders to go no faster, with Charleville on the horizon. Now 8 miles in, with the young man just ahead, it really did feel like a training run. Man, in hindsight I should have enjoyed those opening miles a lot more! I should also have ran faster! As we turned off the main stretches of road we entered a few rolling hills and a few sharp bruisers. This was the loop section before retracing our steps to the finish.
The wind really picked up after halfway and boy, I the enjoyment levels plummeted. As mentioned, I was under strict instructions, so I let the pace slip as I battled the wind. Now, I was all on my own, with the young man falling off the pace. I knew Mark and Ronan were closing and a huge part of me wanted them to pass so I could slot in and hide from the wind
. The course elevation was now all uphill and coupled with the very strong headwind, I fought the losing battle.
The average pace slipped and I put the head down to grind away the last 10km.
A good testing run on a challenging enough course.
Average pace: 5.59p/m
-w/u 1.10+ Miles
-w/d 2.25 Miles
Sunday 10/9
AM: 5 Miles Easy @7.26p/m
PM: 8 Miles Easy @7.05p/m
A fair mundane end to the week, framing a days work down in Blessington for The Lakes 10km. The weather was almost as bad as last year. The race deserves a bit of sun for 2018! Crackin' race.
WEEK TOTAL: 88.80+ MILES
1. I feel in good shape!
2. I don't feel in bad shape!
3. I have no idea really what type of shape I am in!
4. I am enjoying my running!
5. See above :pac:
What I do know is that I have 5 weeks to go. 5 weeks and I will be able to answer all the questions I pose to myself on a near daily basis. I guess this is to be expected. I guess doing something new, doing something different brings with it a certain degree of uncertainty. I say uncertainty but I believe and trust 100% in the methods. I guess I am just uncertain about, well, me - my capability and my ability to do the training and efforts given justice.
Above all, point 4 is the most important and the one I constantly tell myself.
4. I am enjoying my running!
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Monday 11/9
AM: 8.60 Miles Easy @7.23p/m
PM: 8 Miles Easy @7.06p/m
Tuesday 12/9
14.25 Miles Easy @7.18p/m
Wednesday 13/9
14.50+ Miles
Session (deep breath!): (4×400m @10km ~1min rec), 3min rec, (1mile@MP), 3min rec, (3x400m @10km ~1min rec), 3min rec, (2mile@MP), 3min rec,(3x400m @10km ~1min rec), 3min rec, (1mile@HMP)
-77,79,78,75 (4×400m @10km)
-5.41 (1mile@MP)
-76,78,77 (3x400m @10km)
-5.39,5.41 (2mile@MP)
-76,78,76 (3x400m @10km)
-5.25 (1mile@HMP)
A session so complex I wrote it out on a post-it.
Unfortunately for me, I neglected the 2 miles at marathon pace as well as one of the 3x400m sets. Needless to say I got a bit of a shock on realising it! Luckily, someone did manage to properly remember the actual session and not the easier/shortened one I hastily scribbled down.
With Charleville on the horizon the session today wasn't the hardest on paper (ha!). Obviously some of the splits were a tad bit optimistic but the marathon stuff, as well as the last mile, felt like jogging. Hard jogging but still jogging :pac:.
Finally, I am running pain-free; no cuts, bruises or dogs so far this week. There is still time though <touches wood!>.
Here is hoping for a good one at the weekend. After that, it's 4 weeks 'till the 'Dam. Cannot wait.0 -
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OOnegative wrote: »All the best Sunday Anto, no doubt another top performance in the offing.Good luck on Sunday. Make sure you nail the pre-race as much as the race itself or there will be words had.
Cheers gents.
Racing whilst in the depths of marathon training is a tricky proposition. What should one do? Taper? Go in tired? I guess I am not in the position (4 weeks out) to do a real taper because doing so will effectively mean taking the guts of a week between that and recovery. I'll ease back the pace over the next few days and plan to run well. It's hard going into a race not 100% fresh but eyes on the Amsterdam prize. I just want something tangibly positive on the performance front to head into the final phase.
Anyway, enough waffle. Go hard or go home........and watch Dublin secure the 3-in-a-row on Sunday:D:D 0 -
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Thursday 14/9
AM: 6 Miles Very Easy @7.46p/m
PM: 6 Miles Very Easy @7.23p/m
Friday 15/9
7.10 Miles Very Easy @7.49p/m
Great company today in the Park. Run and coffee. My type of morning!
Saturday 16/9
3 Miles Shakeout @7.28p/m (grass)
How not to prepare for a race!
I took on some night work in Cork (lucky location for once), with an early start in Kilkenny it meant a 19 hour day, ending with me finally hitting bed at 1.45am. Driving over 500km throughout the day meant me getting to the accommodation that evening at 19.45 and leaving for work at 20.05. Alarm set for 7am, totally shattered and mentally drained. Possibly the shortest stay ever in paid accommodation!
Sunday 17/9
Charleville Half Marathon
12th - 1.13.21
-w/u 1+ Mile @7.36p/m +drills/strides
-w/d 2 Miles @7.21p/m
We were out the door at 8am for the 80km drive to Charleville. The poor B&B owner, she was in shock after our whirlwind stay! Arriving down in Charleville with plenty of time to spare was a blessing. This morning wasn't the day for my usual last minute arrival antics. After a mile warm-up I got back to the car, put a hat over my head to block the sun and questioned my sanity.I closed the eyes for 10 minutes, listening to the excellent GAA Hour Podcast. The legs felt good but from the waist up I was a dead man walking/running! The coach text me the previous night and basically just told me to get on with it! Sage advice. Sometimes it's just nice to hear that and not let yourself give in. Start and finish each race. There's a skill in that.
I briefly thought about race tactics: set out steady and pick it up or go out hard and cling on? Go hard or go home was the decision. I went out with conviction for the first 4 miles, aided by a nice group of runners with similar time ambitions. The group really helped me in the early stages. The stomach was at me all morning, I couldn't isolate the reason but it was either 1) The dodgy shop bought salad the previous night 2) The dodgy bacon baps in work 3) The dodgy B&B muesli. One of those three for sure though! I knew there was no chance of maintaining that fast(ish) pace for 13 miles. I doubled down on my stubborn ability to grind something decent out.
I lost real contact with the group after 4.5 miles. I did my best but that was it. I knew the tiredness would kick in at some stage so the fast start was the only call for the day. I was now running solo; feeling surprisingly ok, with the miles ticking by nicely. I did not look at the watch once today and had no real idea how fast or slow I was going. What I did know was where I should be and that was the group slowly pulling away. Call it instinct or whatever but I knew that was that the 1.12 bus. Time to dig in and run.
Reaching Kilmallock was a welcome change from the country roads and wind. The course up that point was favorable enough, depute a challenging wind in the exposed areas. We now went by half way. I say 'we' but I was all on my own, having passed out Conor (not his day today unfortunately). I could still make out the 1.12 bus ahead but the gap was now 30-40 seconds. The next few miles flew by; legs good, body wanting a much needed pitstop!! I weighed up the pros and cons and decided to motor on. It would have cost me more time than it would saved :P. Here I passed out by a runner which broke the monotony of solo running somewhat. The course now was very favourable with many fast downhill sections, less exposed to the wind.
Mile 7,8,9......
Mile 8 in the half distance means the countdown had most definitely begun. Get to Mile 10, from there it's the run from home. The right turn signaled the long straight run from home and Mile 10. It was now a case of seeing the run out and running with a bit of heart. I was soon joined from behind by a strong runner. Running can be an amazing sport. We shared the road to the finish, running side by side for the majority of the closing miles. Stride by stride, metre by metre, inch by inch. He was one tough cookie! I had no aspirations to beat him but every time I leveled to pick up the pace he responded. Sometimes you can create a bond with barely a work spoken. I was emotionally drained passing 11 mile marker. The legs felt strong but all sort of things went through my fatigued mind. Emotionally drained. We continued to challenge on another. The penultimate left turn, the climb, seeing Emma, the final left tun, the two sets of speed ramps, the finished. I crossed the line and immediately my head dropped. Shattered.
Shattered. Just shattered.
Some days are there for fast times and placing. Today wasn't that type of day. Today wasn't the fastest time but in many ways, it will rank a lot higher than times that look faster on paper.
23 second PB.
One proud Dub.
PM
4 Miles Recovery @7.56p/m
WEEK TOTAL: 86.55+ MILES
4 weeks.
I promised myself a beer for every 4 seconds I PB'd. I think it was a positive that I did in fact run a PB (I probably would have drowned my sorrows heavily!). That's alcohol finished with until the 'Dam. So, with so little time remaining, training changes and in many ways becomes less about running. In fact, I put most of the emphasis on diet and fluid intake. The running? Well, I leave that to it's own devices! The simple truth is that you really cannot get much fitter over the course of the next 2 weeks (before taper). A lot of miles to come and hopefully keeping it on the fairway. All one can do now is f it up. Here's hoping I don't :pac:.........0 -
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Monday 2/10
AM: 5 Miles Very Easy @7.42p/m
PM: 6 Miles Easy @7.20p/m
Nice and easy after the steady long run the previous evening. Oh Sunday pints, how I miss thee!
Tuesday 3/10
10.25 Easy @7.18p/m
Another easy day before Wednesday's session. Part of me likes not knowing the session until the day before, the other part of me loves it. No looking ahead, no day(s) of anticipation. It really has made a very nice change.
Wednesday 4/10
Session Time.
11.50+ Miles inc. drills (no strides :rolleyes:)
The session today resembled a session undertaken a number of weeks ago. The only difference being: 2 less 400m reps at the end and a mile at MP, not HMP. Why the change? I must be in tap.......(I cannot finish that particular word!)
Session: (4×400m @10km, 1min float), 1m@MP, (3×400m @10km, 1min float), 2m@MP, (2×400m @10km, 1min float), 1m@MP ~3min easy b/t sets
I was back down to the cinder track for this. Good to be back after a long stint away. The opening 400m reps flew by; feeling good, in control and enjoying myself. It kind of continued in that fashion. In ways, another attritional session but not one to tip one over the edge. It had a nice balance of speed, mixed with some marathon pace work. I for once ran all the recoveries at easy pace. I was in no humour to hang around today in the cold!
One day closer.
Splits: 76, 78, 78, 78, 5.48 (1@MP), 78, 77, 77, 5.43 (2@MP avg.), 78, 78, 5.42 (1@MP)
Thursday 5/10
AM: 4.25 Miles Recovery @7.56p/m
PM: 3.25 Miles Very Easy @7.45p/m
Friday 6/10
AM: 5 Miles Very Easy @7.51p/m
Chat and coffee in the Park.
I finally sourced the last every pair of possibly the best shoe ever made, the Asics Hyperspeed 6. After many weeks searching, I finally sourced my marathon shoe from Cork of all places. Bloody Cork! Marathon shoe picked. Now just to run the bloody yoke! One happy boy picking them up this morn.
A hard run in the Park tomorrow before a medium long run on Sunday. Things are getting serious............ 0 -
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Ultraman100 wrote: »great job pat
If that names sticks, I swear........I know where you live! :pac: 0 -
Saturday 7/10
8.80+ Miles
Simon 5 Mile
3rd - 27.04
Standing on the startline. Standing there with 5 miles hard miles ahead of me and with the main event in 8 days time firmly on the consciousness. Having raced here a year previous, I knew how difficult the finish to be and how fast the first 3 miles were going to be. A small delay. BANG! Time to work. I knew SR to be an excellent athlete so I tagged in behind him until we reached the Avenue. I really did not notice anyone else, well except a very fit looking athlete but having being burnt once or twice in the past, I have come to the realisation that you can never judge a book by it's cover! The race settled after half a mile, with the large group already splintered. We faced now a strong headwind and I reluctantly surged passed SR and was now running solo with the lads ahead pulling away. Game over already, not even a mile in! The two runners ahead were a class apart. No shame in that.
The opening 3 miles went by in a blink of an eye. Having the race clock just ahead meant I could keep an eye of pace (well, until it disappeared like the leaders
) I was now temporarily occupying 3rd place but in a different league to the two leaders battling it out. Now came the hard work. Man, I really shouldn't have held back so much over the opening 5km. I had no idea how far I was ahead of the chasers but vowed to forge on, run hard and get home without screwing my body over! I love this course. I love the challenge it poses. For that reason, it and has quickly become one of favourite races.
I was now negotiating the S-Bends; up and down, left and right, twist and turn. The left turn just after the 4 mile mark meant the climb to the finish up the Khyber. Man, I really REALLY should have emptied the tank more over the first 4 miles!! With the leaders now firmly out of sight and me with a 20 second lead (quick glance) I now entered the wind tunnel. Grind, Grind, Grind.......it wasn't pretty but efficient. What a cruel cruel finish to a race! Love it. I was confident I would be caught, especially after coming a near standstill with the force of the wind a number of times. Jogging on the spot. A shout-out from the club, a right turn and home. Ah! That felt like a 26.4x run. A wee bit disappointed but a good workout. Perfect.
The winner, a 14.5x 5km guy, is quite obviously a number of levels above my current ability. Can I get there? For sure. Today helps me believe me I can get down to 25.3x but how much work I need to do to achieve that type of time. I am miles off it at the moment but getting there, slowly. Running is a funny old sport - the more I improve, the more work I realise I need to do.
A very enjoyable morning. A few miles to warm-down with 1st, 2nd and 4th. At least I can keep up with them during their cool-downs.
-w/u 1.30+ Miles inc. drills/strides
-w/d 2.50 Miles
Sunday 8/10
11 Miles Easy @7.21p/m
Zilch love for this one. A small bit tired but that was no excuse. I just could not get into any rhythm. NEXT!
WEEK TOTAL: 65+ MILES (the limit imposed!)
The final week.0 -
Monday 9/10
AM: 5 Miles Very Easy @7.33p/m
PM: 3.50 Miles Easy @7.03p/m
I left it late to decide whether to carb-deplete or alternatively, cut down to minimise weight gain and general sluggishness during taper. As depletion 'did not not work' (does that even make sense?!) in April, I set about undertaking it once more until Thursday evening.
The fun. Oh the fun.
I was already feeling the ramifications of my morning decision that evening, not even 20 hours into it. Not good! The actual act of running was fine, enjoyable in fact. Everything else? Well, just harder.
Tuesday 10/10
5.50 Miles Very Easy @7.24p/m -inc. 30sec stride @5km effort
It's funny. The coach outlined his plan for the week. Guess what? It matched my run in to Rotterdam almost to the letter. Great minds.......;)
Wednesday 11/10
5 Miles Very Easy @7.53p/m
A nice few easy miles in good company and even better coffee. Energy levels remain surprisingly good. If I see one more egg I swear to God though......there's literally nothing else to eat for breakfast. Now, I love eggs but being forced to eat 3 or 4 every morning has me up the wall. I find lunch and dinner a lot more conducive to leaving out the old carbohydrate. Breakfast for sure is trickier in terms of options and variation.
All good.
Thursday 12/10
4.25 Miles
-2 Miles @MP (5.36, 5.37)
That will not be marathon pace! Kabooooom!
I was a bit too eager early this morning but no damage done. The legs felt good, although zapped of any real energy despite feeling very rested. It was the exact same feeling felt in April; on the exact same out and back route, similar weather conditions and exact same distance. I do like routine.
Just two more runs of 3 and 2 miles before the gun.
I feel extremely grateful to again reach this point in training and taper in one piece. As an experienced marathoner knows, reaching the startline is often the hardest part of training and running. As I look for some wood to touch, I will reach Sunday with two legs intact! I also know that whatever happens on Sunday, happens. I have prepared, done the work, put the hours in and have a lot of quality training in the legs. Sunday is just another run, just another race. It means an awful lot to me but there's no pressure, it's just running after all.
A huge thank you to all.
DFIU. 0 -
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Anto stirring it up as usual, 😆Ultraman100 wrote: »best of luck..joe C reckons if u dont put 10 mins on him u better off givin up runnin
Have a great run. Thankfully Poznan Marathon starts 30 mins before Amsterdam so I hope I'll beat you to the high chair!0 -
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