So that's "your thing" now is it?

29 July: [Plan 16m with 10m at MP]: 16 miles with last 10 at MP. Average 8:21, avg HR 146.
My first marathon pace long run of the plan (missed the one in week 2) so I was looking forward to this as an indicator of where I am endurance-wise. Last week's 10k struggle had put a dent in my confidence, but then I've had a great week of feeling pretty good on my runs.
Ran down to the canal via Roebuck Rd/Fosters Ave/Donnybrook. Ran the first 6 miles at the faster end of my LR range (re-read that chapter tonight and I should have been gradually increasing the pace over the first 6 rather than flicking the switch at the start if mile 7. Oh well, I'll remember for next time) and started the MP section around Donnybrook. Followed the canal and picked up DCM route from Dolphin's Barn to Milltown. Like last year, I'll aim to run my MP runs on parts of the marathon route to get used to the drags etc. at race pace.
Legs felt good the whole way and HR stayed in the right range for all pace miles. Tried 2 Torq rhubarb & custard gels at race pace. Very nice. Sweet, but not too much.
MP splits: 7:56, 7:54, 7:46, 7:58, 7:56, 7:55, 7:49, 7:53, 7:50, 7:55

45 miles for the week. Next week is a step-back week, the last of mesocycle 1.

Week 7 P&D 18/55

7 August: [Planned 10 miles 5 miles @ LT]
Ran: 10 miles with 5 at LT pace. Avg HR 146. Ran this at Marlay as I wanted to use the path by the house which measures an almost perfect 1k. Started off with an easy 3 mile loop of the park before grabbing a bottle of water from the car. Left that on a seat before starting 8 laps at LT. Found it easier to maintain a more even pace as oppose to stopping to cross roads etc. Third mile was a little fast, but I did stop for water at halfway.
LT splits: 7:23, 7:20, 7:09, 7:14, 7:16

8 August: [Planned 4 miles recovery]
Ran: 4 miles recovery at 9:36 avg.

9 August: [Planned 11 miles GA with strides]
Ran: 11.2 mile commute without the strides. Avg 9:07, avg HR 138. Had to add on a bit for the mileage so I ran this via Terenure. It's a nicer route, not as busy as Rathmines so less weaving. Felt very strong on this one.

11 August: [Planned 7 miles GA]
Ran: 7 miles at 9:19. Avg HR 141. A few pints after work on Friday meant I ran this with what I thought was a raging hangover. Not sure it was though as I was completely drained and full of aches for the rest of the day. Bed early.

12 August: [Planned 18 miles LR]
Ran: 13 miles at 9:29. Avg HR 132. Woke up late and still not great, plenty of toilet vists. By 2pm I was feeling a bit better though so decided to head out, but to keep to a relatively local loop. Ok for the first 7-8 miles, but the body was just feeling weaker so had to finish up after 13 miles.

45 miles for the week.

The Black Oil wrote: »

What's your impression of the P&D plan?

Nice to see Pearl Jam, never got into them hugely. Someone I was in school with in the late 90s managed to get injured at one of their gigs - leg injury.

Also learning new words from ye - mesocycle.

Yeah their gigs are a bit mad all right, well they used to be when i was younger.

At the moment P&D isn't as hard as I imagined, plenty of recovery runs, generally 1 LT session and 1 long run per week. It's due to ramp up a bit now though with 35 miles including an LT session this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mesocycle I only know that from reading the book.

You're doing great on the Meno plan. I see you've increased your paces, something I did on that plan, so it looks like it's working great. Have you signed up for the Irish 3/4 on 7th October? I ran that last year for my last long run, 14 steady and 5 ish at MP, and it was a massive confidence boost.

14 August: [Planned 7 miles recovery with strides]
Ran: 7 miles at 9:07. Avg HR 142.
Definitely not recovery pace. Ran home from work, taking the straight route. Not really sure what I was thinking with the pace, especially as I knew this was going to be a tough week. Anyway what's done is done. No strides again, becoming a bit of a theme.

15 August: [Planned 12 miles MLR]
Ran: 12 miles at 9:13. Avg HR 134.
Planned to run home from work, but that didn't work out. Ran 3 and a bit long loops round Sandyford on an empty stomach. Felt really sluggish for the first 5 miles, heavy legs and just not feeling it. Stopped at a Centra and bought a bottle of own-brand "Powerade", orange flavour. Maybe placebo, but it was like rocket fuel. The last 6 miles were the complete opposite of the first. Seriously considering having a bottle of this stuff waiting for me at Milltown for DCM! I don't want to see the sugar content though.

17 August: [Planned 10 miles with 6m @ LT]
Ran: 10 miles with middle 6 (.2)m at LT pace. Avg pace 8:05. Avg HR 151.
A Friday LT run? The plan must be getting serious. Ran this at lunchtime, 2 miles warm-up to Sandymount then 6 miles pace out to Blackrock and back, followed by 2m cool-down back to work. Ended up running an extra .2 miles at pace as I realised I was close to unofficially beating my 10k PB. Turns out I did.
New runners, Pegasus 35's, my DCM shoes. Very impressed.
LT Splits: 7:23, 7:16, 7:26, 7:28, 7:17, 7:26, (1:32)

18 August: [Planned 5 miles recovery]
Ran: 5 miles recovery. Avg pace 9:34. Avg HR 129.
Made an effort to keep the pace down.

19 August: [Planned 20 miles LR]
Ran: 20 miles LR. Avg pace 9:12. Avg HR 144.
Luas to Charlemont then ran the DCM route to Milltown. I was expecting to feel the effects of Friday's run, but didn't really notice any fatigue until mile 20. That was a bit of a struggle. Very quiet around town due to the match. That and using a hydration backpack meant this was an almost uninterrupted run. Pegasus 35's again, no issues there.

54 miles for the week. All is good again.

scotindublin wrote: »

Great week A!

Thanks C.

5 days running and 54 miles, bloody hell well done.

21 August: [Planned 6 miles recovery]
Ran: 6 miles at 9:33. Avg HR 129.
More like a proper recovery run. Started easy and kept it that way. Legs felt a bit heavy, but loosened up after about 3 miles.

22 August: [Planned 14 miles MLR]
Ran: 13.9 miles at 9:24. Avg HR 134.
A 14 mile run home from work meant I had to take the long way home. My favourite little site RunGo helped me plan a route via the canal/Kimmage/Terenure/Milltown. Ran this by effort and kept the heart rate steady. Strava tells me I passed the 1000 mile mark for 2018.

23 August: [Planned 6 miles recovery]
Ran: 6.2 miles at 9:40. Avg HR 126.
Again, felt pretty tired for the first 3 miles. I can see now why they stress the importance of running the easy days easy.

Unthought Known wrote: »

26 August: [Planned 16 miles LR with 13 miles at MP]
Ran: 16.1 miles at 8:00 avg. Avg HR 152.
The longest MP long run of the plan. Took the same route as the last 16m run, but this time I did it by the book, increasing pace over the first 3 miles to marathon pace. You can tell we're at the serious stage of training as I saw quite a few runners following the DCM route from Crumlin.
The legs felt great today and I felt more controlled/relaxed at marathon pace than last time. I think that's a benefit of the LT runs as 8 minute miles obviously feel way easier than 7:20-30.
Splits including miles 1-3: 8:53, 8:21, 8:08, 7:53, 7:55, 7:52, 7:46, 7:51, 7:51, 7:58, 8:02, 7:52, 7:52, 8:02, 7:50, 7:43.
A bit fast on a couple, but I seem to remember I had the wind at my back. The Crumlin drag was into the wind though (mile 11) so I probably should have backed off a bit.

13 miles at MP must be a real confidence boost. Nicely done!

To finish off August....

28 August: [Planned 8 miles GA]
Ran: 8 miles at 9:15 . Avg HR 133.
Not much to report here except a bunch of teenagers shouting something at me as I passed.

29 August: [Planned 8 miles with 8x500m @ 5k pace]
Ran: 8 miles with 5x800m at 5k pace . Avg HR 141.
Ran this one at Marlay, on the 900m loop by the house. First time I've I've set my watch up with pace alerts, but I thought I might as well give it a go. 5k pace for me is around 7 min miles so 3:30 for each interval. For recovery, P&D says to allow your HR to decrease to 70% max, or to take 50-90% of the interval time (1:45-3:10). I set my watch up to get me going again at 70% HR.

Splits (and rec):
3:31 (1:58)
3:36 (2:20)
3:25 (1:52)
3:25 (2:22)
3:23 (1:15)

Not really sure what happened with the last recovery, maybe wrist-based HR just isn't accurate enough. Happy with the session though, if anything it felt a little too comfortable.

31 August: [Planned 5 miles recovery]
Ran: 6.7 miles at 9:06 . Avg HR 133.
An easy lunchtime run, but maybe too fast to class as a recovery. and a little longer to hit the 200 mark. I'm planning to skip tomorrows planned rec though,hoping that helps me feel a little fresher for FD10 on Sunday.

200 miles for the month.

Unthought Known wrote: »

To finish off August....

28 August: [Planned 8 miles GA]
Ran: 8 miles at 9:15 . Avg HR 133.
Not much to report here except a bunch of teenagers shouting something at me as I passed.

29 August: [Planned 8 miles with 8x500m @ 5k pace]
Ran: 8 miles with 5x800m at 5k pace . Avg HR 141.
Ran this one at Marlay, on the 900m loop by the house. First time I've I've set my watch up with pace alerts, but I thought I might as well give it a go. 5k pace for me is around 7 min miles so 3:30 for each interval. For recovery, P&D says to allow your HR to decrease to 70% max, or to take 50-90% of the interval time (1:45-3:10). I set my watch up to get me going again at 70% HR.

Splits (and rec):
3:31 (1:58)
3:36 (2:20)
3:25 (1:52)
3:25 (2:22)
3:23 (1:15)

Not really sure what happened with the last recovery, maybe wrist-based HR just isn't accurate enough. Happy with the session though, if anything it felt a little too comfortable.

31 August: [Planned 5 miles recovery]
Ran: 6.7 miles at 9:06 . Avg HR 133.
An easy lunchtime run, but maybe too fast to class as a recovery. and a little longer to hit the 200 mark. I'm planning to skip tomorrows planned rec though,hoping that helps me feel a little fresher for FD10 on Sunday.

200 miles for the month.

Big PB coming. Be sorry you went for it rather than sorry you didn't ðŸ‘

The Black Oil wrote: »

Good hunting tomorrow.

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Big PB coming. Be sorry you went for it rather than sorry you didn't ðŸ‘

scotindublin wrote: »

Good luck today A you seem to be in great shape so put all that effort on the line today for PB

Thanks guys, really enjoyed that today.

2 September: Frank Duffy 10m
A chance for redemption after I failed miserably to PB at the race-series 10k. A solid block of training and a 10lb weight loss over the last 8 weeks meant I was pretty confident. Goal for today was sub 75. Test for today was micropore tape rather than bodyglide and a compression top.

Parked up next to Woodies (thanks to Dealerz2.0) at about 8:45 and wandered down to the start just after 9. I did start a warm-up, but quickly came to the bridge and that was that. I got into the start area around 9:15 so was able to move up to a decent starting position.

Miles 1-3 (7:19, 7:20, 7:26): For the first half mile my legs felt dead. I was already telling myself I was running on tired legs, but I actually think it was lack of a warm-up. After the initial short climb there's a lovey downhill stretch so the pace felt pretty comfortable. First water station I got more water up my nose than in my mouth.

Miles 4-6 (7:28, 7:39, 7:29): Moving at a steady pace. Slowed a bit on mile 5 as it was a steady climb, not sure I needed to. Second water station was much better as I squeezed the top of the cup properly. Still feeling pretty strong,but not confident enough to push on.

Miles 7-9 (7:29, 7:23, 7:21): Mile 8. I loved mile 8. They said at the start that it was a straight, flat mile. It was actually downhill and I felt really good running it. This was the point I should have really gone for it, kicked on and emptied the tank. I didn't.

Miles 10 (7:11): Naturally increased the pace over the last mile, but so did everyone around me. I did manage to pass a few runners over the last 400m though. Stopped the watch at 74:19 (74:17 chip time) so a 4 minute improvement on my previous PB.

Micropore tape does not work for me! Thankfully it didn't get to the bleeding stage, but the nipples weren't happy. Checked when I got back to the car and both bits of tape had disappeared during the race.

33 miles for the week.

Great running and PB. From the sound of things there is a bit more to come too. Well done.

11 September: [Planned 8 miles inc 5x600m @ 5k pace]
Ran: 8 miles with 5x600m off 1:30
A nice easy 2.4 mile warmup down to the local GAA pitches meant I could run the intervals on grass for a change. Aimed for 6:50 pace and decided beforehand on 1:30 recoveries. Found this pretty easy, but they were short intervals so not unexpected.
600m splits: 2:34, 2:32, 2:32, 2:33, 2:34

12 September: [Planned 12 miles MLR]
Ran: 12 mile commute at 9:21. Avg HR 132
Legs felt good. I think I'm used to these long-ish midweek runs now.

14 September: [Planned 5 miles recovery with strides]
Ran: 3 miles at 9:24. Avg HR 126
It looks like this pace was too fast, but it really did feel like a recovery run. I cut this one short in preparation for the session on Saturday.

15 September: [Planned 10 miles with 6m @ LT]
Ran: 10 miles with 6m @ LT. Avg HR 141
Really pleased with this run. Plan has my LT pace 7:18-7:42. I've run this LT session a few times, but really felt in control of the pace on this. One of those runs where you physically smile on the cool-down.
LT splits: 7:27, 7:23, 7:24, 7:22, 7:29, 7:20

16 September: [Planned 17 mile LR]
Ran: 17 miles with at 9:14. Avg HR 133
Ran this later than planned so I could watch the Berlin marathon. Other random stuff meant I didn't get out until after 1pm. Took me 2 miles to get used to the heat, found it really warm, but as I got nearer the coast the breeze made it feel more comfortable. Legs felt tired for the last 6 miles, pretty much all uphill, but I think that's intended with the tempo >> long run weekend. Anyway, tired, but not to the point where I couldn't maintain the pace. That seems to be the theme for the rest of the plan.

50.3 miles for the week.
Plan for next week is currently rest, 8m GA, 9m with 5x1000m 5k, 12m MLR, rest, Dublin HM, 5m Rec. Planning/hoping to PB the HM so I'll cut back the LT and MLR for a mini taper.

skyblue46 wrote: »

That's a good solid week made even better by being in great form for the LT run. What's the target for the half?

Thanks S. Targeting 1:38 which would be a 5 minute PB. Not sure if that's soft or out of reach. Time to find out.

skyblue46 wrote: »

I'll wager soft!! Not too soft but you'll beat it. What pace will you head out at...1:38 pace and see how things are after 10 miles?

I'll start at 1:38 pace, 7:30-ish. I think I'll know after 7 if it's soft and maybe push on for the last 10k. I'll give this one a decent lash though. Hopefully the weather plays ball.