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Everything's easy when you know how

Applegirl26

I've always enjoyed reading the various logs here on boards. I was very lucky that I discovered boards not long after I started running and I spent hours reading thread after thread, writing down many a little nugget of wisdom to help me on my way.

I wanted to start this log before DCM. I joined the novices thread in June and the wonderful mentors there took me under their wing. They have taught me how to run and I will always be indebted to them.

This week is a mega milestone for me and it just felt like the right time to start this log. Who knows, maybe someone out there will enjoy reading it too.

I started running 2 years ago and it quite literally changed my life. I'd even go as far as to say my very first run changed my life.
The word saved could also be used here!

I studied ballet for 11 years and martial arts for 7 years so I was always fairly fit. I had always been interested in running but thought it was something athlete's did and I wasn't an athlete.. For a long time I held a secret ambition to take up running but my shyness held me back.

Okay, short version :

One day I went to the PP with the intention of taking a walk. I thought of my yearning to become a runner and I started to run. I don't know why or how I had the courage that day but I did. I ran down to the zoo without stopping. I was out of breath, I had a stitch, my throat hurt but oh my gosh, I will never forget how amazing it felt. My first experience of that lovely runners high and I was hooked! I went back the next day and did the same thing, soon I was running 4 times a week.

My PB’s aren't amazing but with hard work and the right training I know they will improve.

My times are:
5k: 27:20
10k: 58:32
HM : 2:14:33

So that's me. If I survive this taper madness (it's a real thing y’know!) I'll let you know how the big day goes. This has been my first time to follow a training plan and I've loved every second of it. I think back to that day in the park, after I finished my first run. I was in bits, but glowing. I couldn't help but think of my Daddy who had been a runner, a marathoner, and I wondered what he would say to me if he was there.

“Don't ever forget what you just did here. This is only the beginning for you”.

And it was.
I run DCM in 3 days… Yay!

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skyblue46

eyrie wrote: »

Woohoo!
Brilliant first week of the plan there! Mind yourself too though - two 2-hour runs in a few days is a lot! Great start to it anyway, well done!

I just want to echo the need for caution. A double day yesterday followed by a 5am run this morning is also a lot. It's 3 runs in 24 hours. Well done on getting out and for the enthusiasm but the plan is a plan for a reason.

Applegirl26

Thank you eyrie and Skyblue. I fully appreciate what you are saying. I'll dial it back a bit.

Applegirl26

Manchester training week 2

Mon, Jan 7th :
Plan: 60 mins very easy
(05:30) I ran 6 miles in 1 hr 17 mins, pace 12:55, hr 139, elevation 45

Feels strange to finish a run not even a teeny bit out of breath.

Tues, Jan 8th :
Plan : 60 mins very easy
(05:20) I ran 5 miles @ 12:57,hr 139, elevation 134

Pretty boring run but at least it was dry.

After work I headed out again. I ran 4 miles in 51 mins, pace 12:49, hr 133, elevation 31.

My only thought was getting the miles in but yes, I can fully appreciate that this was probably overdoing it a bit. When you work 12-13 hr days, you just have to manage the best you can, sometimes.
I was rewarded with my vo2 increasing by a point. Yay.

Wed, Jan 9th :
Plan : 60 mins very easy

(05:20) I ran 5 miles in 1 hour 5 mins, pace 12:58, hr 137, elevation 142

As this run was before work, I didn't have time to add on any extra miles. I also ventured out from doing laps of the hospital, to running up the Crumlin road. I was pleasantly surprised at how many runners I passed at that hour.

This was also my first time to run this road since DCM. This had been where I had started to panic that day. As I ran this morning, I wondered why I had let it all get to me. The moment I started to panic, I was doomed, I thought.

I really need to keep a clear head when I run Manchester.

Thurs, Jan 10th :
Plan : 4x 8 mins @ threshold (pace 09:50-10:00) with 4 min jog between

(09:40) I ran a 15 mins warm up and then cool down. For the session itself, I ran 4.3 miles in 44 mins, pace 10:14, hr 156, elevation 92.

This was it, the first run of the grads plan that I was dying to sink my teeth into. I knew I needed to make these speed sessions really count and I was determined that it would go well.

I knew I couldn't run this one at an early hour so I took a deep breath and hope and prayed that no one or nothing would interfere with my running. It didn't! I had eaten my porridge 2 hours before, all good. I headed to the park and had an amazing run. You know the kind where you feel like you are flying? Yup, it was that good.

Friday, Jan 11th :
Plan : 60 mins very easy

(09:30) I ran 7 miles in 1 hour 25 mins, pace 12:13, hr 143, elevation 144.

I took another gamble that nothing would interfere with my run and ran later in the morning. It paid off. My legs were still feeling pumped from the day before so my pacing was too fast.

Sat Jan 12th :
Plan : progression run: very easy, easy, moderate

I took my dudes to a Parkrun for a walk/light jog.
Then I headed to the park to do my progression run. Again, like the day before, my pacing was too fast. I hung in there and produced something resembling a progression run but I came away, feeling disappointed in myself that my pacing was not more accurate. I've still a lot to learn here.

Sun Jan 13th
Plan: rest day

Total miles for the week : 45.2 miles

I'm continuing to add in some core work. It has to help.

Nutrition wise: I keep a pot of homemade veg soup in the fridge and after a run I have a big mug of it. Yes, eating soup at 0700 did seem a bit strange but it's like a tonic in itself.

A lovely thing happened this week. Two people approached me separately and told me that they have signed up for dcm this October. They each said how watching me train last year, inspired them to run the marathon this year. How sweet it that? It warmed me down to my toes.

I think that's everything….

Later!

Kellygirl

Lovely to read you are enjoying your runs. I love those runs when the kids are in school and nothing has prevented me getting out too.

eyrie

Applegirl26 wrote: »

A lovely thing happened this week. Two people approached me separately and told me that they have signed up for dcm this October. They each said how watching me train last year, inspired them to run the marathon this year. How sweet it that? It warmed me down to my toes.

Ahh that is just lovely! How nice.

Great week again there

gypsylee

Well done on a great week's running. Love reading your posts. You have a great way with words.

Applegirl26

Aw thanks girls x

Applegirl26

Manchester training week 3

Mon, Jan 14th :
Plan: 60 mins very easy

I ran 7 miles in 1 hour 28 mins, pace 12:37, hr 139, elevation 150

Tues, Jan 15th :
Plan : 60 mins very easy

As this run was before work I didn't have the time to add on another 30 minutes. I ran 5 miles in 1 hour 5 mins, pace 13:06, hr 132, elevation 131

Wed Jan 16th :
Plan : 60 mins moderate pace (11:30)

I ran 5.4 miles in 1 hour, pace 11:06, he 150, elevation 173
Warm up and cool down 15 minutes each

I loved this run. The benefits of slowing down my paces have finally sank in. I feel it on runs like these. It only took me training for my second marathon to finally realise it!! My mentors told me over and over while training for Dublin. I did listen but I didn't get it, until now. Run slow to run fast. I got it.

Thurs Jan 17th :
Plan : 60 mins very easy

Again, before work so I just ran 5.1 miles in 1 hour 6 mins, pace 13:03, hr 132, elevation 131

Fri Jan 18th :
Plan : 60 mins very easy

I ran 7 miles in 1 hour 26 minutes, pace 12:16, hr 141, elevation 132

Sat Jan 19th :
Plan : 2 hours 15 minutes easy

I ran 11. 3 miles in 2 hours 15 mins, pace 11:55, hr 145, elevation 178

After, I brought my guys to a parkrun where I walked my way around. It was a sneaky way to bump up my mileage while having a fun time with my boys.

Sun Jan 20th :
Rest day, no run.

Total mileage for the week : 46.5 miles

So, that's week 3 done. I'm really loving the training so far, though the hunger has set in with the increase in miles. I'll have to keep an eye on that. I ran later in the morning, a few times this week also. So that meant I could run in the PP. Perfect.

Overall, a very enjoyable week.

I'm still doing my abdominal exercises to strengthen my core.

Nutrition wise : I ate a lot of bananas this week! Protein shake everyday, nothing else new really…

Week 4 starts tomorrow and brings with it, my first race of the year.

Later!

OOnegative

Best of luck tomorrow, run well!!

Applegirl26

OOnegative wrote: »

Best of luck tomorrow, run well!!

Thanks so much OOnegative!

juke

Slowly catching up here, L

Loving your enthusiasm. Did you enjoy the training for DCM last year, as much?

Applegirl26

juke wrote: »

Slowly catching up here, L

Loving your enthusiasm. Did you enjoy the training for DCM last year, as much?

Hi juke. Oh yes, I sure did. I think I trained with the same enthusiasm and grit. At least I hope I did. No, I did! Ha!

OOnegative

Best of luck in Trim tomorrow, make sure to get to the post race spread, it’s epic!!!

P.S Where is the Raheny report?

Applegirl26

OOnegative wrote: »

Best of luck in Trim tomorrow, make sure to get to the post race spread, it’s epic!!!

P.S Where is the Raheny report?

Thanks OOnegative! I'm posting it now...

Applegirl26

I'm back, finally! It's been one helluva week…

Ok, I've two weeks to catch up on…

Week 4

Mon, Jan 21st
(13:37) An extremely rare but lovely opportunity to run in the afternoon. I had forgotten how noisy the roads can be!
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 7.2 miles in 1 hour 30 mins. Pace: 12:26, hr: 147, elevation : 217

Tues, Jan 22nd
(05:12) A very crisp, frosty run before work. The gloves got upgraded to mitts!
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 5 miles in 1 hour 5 mins, pace: 13:02, hr: 135, elevation: 132

Wed, Jan 23rd
(09:50) A lovely run in my favorite parts of the PP.
Plan: As I was racing Raheny this week, I kept everything easy!
I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 39 mins, pace: 12:21, hr: 142, elevation: 172

Thurs, Jan 24th
(05:08) I knew I wouldn't get to run any other time today so I crept out while the house was asleep and got it done.
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 7 miles in 1 hour 31 mins, pace: 13:02, hr: 135, elevation: 121

Fri, Jan 25th
(09:54) Back to the PP for this run so I got a little lie in!
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 38 mins, pace: 12:16, hr: 144, elevation: 171

Sat, Jan 26th
Rest day

Sun, Jan 27th
Raheny 5 mile race!

I was hoping to run it in 47 mins but I finished in 48 mins 3 seconds and yes, those 3 seconds still taunt me!

Raheny race report

I hadn't ran Raheny before but I'd heard all the hype so I was super excited to be lining up. My son had been asking me for ages to sign him up for a few races so I thought Raheny would be perfect for us both.
My son was delighted when I pinned his very first racing bib on. “I'm just like you” he smiled at me.
We only had a few minutes to find the start for his race. It was quite congested in this part and by the time we found it, his race had already started and we couldn't even see the last kid. I asked him what he wanted to do. He was determined that he still wanted to race. I quickly checked with someone if that was OK. “Sure, better make it quick!” My son sprinted off, no hesitation. He had come here to race. I felt very proud watching him.
I don't know if I would have raced at that age, if I had missed the start and everyone was way ahead. He's his Grandfather's boy... After his race, his Daddy took him home. He loved his goodie bag! He brought his medal and racing bib into school the next day! Later I saw he had stuck his bib on to the inside of his closet door. Now I wonder where he saw that….

So, now it was my turn. I needed to warm up so I got busy doing that. Then I looked for the start to line up. I knew my place was at the back so I headed there. I remember thinking there's a lot of runners here and these roads aren't that wide! The gun went and we were off. It was very congested and to be honest, that was kind of how the race was throughout. At least where I was. Still, I was having a great time. I don't know the area so I can't recall all the places we ran through but I did like the park. I loved seeing the runners faster than me, as they ran alongside for a few minutes.
There wasn't a huge sprint at the end unfortunately but I had tried to keep a decent pace throughout. After I crossed the finish line, I slumped over a side rail feeling sick. I'm definitely not made for speed! Or maybe I just need to race more?

The famous Raheny goodie bag lived up to its reputation. I took out the Rolos and kept the rest to bring in to the kids at work the next day. I felt very cold after I finished running so I headed into the hall to warm up. Just as I'm enjoying a steaming cup of coffee I spot platefuls of fig rolls beside me. Please don't judge me but I ate 3…. Delicious. I'll be back next year…for the fig rolls…
Later that night my son came in to my room to say goodnight. He asked me if I'd book him into another race soon. I promised him I would. He placed a single rolo on my night stand and then kissed my cheek before he left.

Total mileage for the week : 42.1 miles

Manchester training week 5

Mon, Jan 28th
(05:16) A crisp, fresh run before work. The show must go on after all.
Plan: 60 mins very easy /recovery
I ran 5 miles in 1 hour 6 mins, pace : 13:14, hr: 136, elevation : 132

Tues, Jan 29th
(09:43) a lovely run in the PP. I was disappointed with my pacing though. I needed to keep all my runs this week very easy as I was running Trim. My pacing wasn't great today
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 38 mins, pace : 12:19, hr: 146, elevation : 172

Wed, Jan 30th
(05:15) My luck ran out! Two of my sonshines came down with tonsillitis. It was run now before my husband went to work or not at all. I ran. Utterly freezing out.
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 7 miles in 1 hour 31 mins, pace : 12:56, hr: 138, elevation : 119

Thurs, Jan 31st
(05:14) run before work
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 5 miles in 1 hour 5 minutes, pace : 13:02, hr: 132, elevation : 132

Fri, Feb 1st
(05:18) Ran an easy loop near me. I didn't add on an extra 30 mins today as I didn't want to get too tired for Trim on Sunday.
Plan: 60 mins very easy
I ran 5.2 miles in 1 hour 6 mins, pace : 12:44, hr: 135, elevation : 45

After this run, I was chuffed to see I had hit 200 miles so far for the year. Not too shabby considering I ran 25 miles for the month of January last year!

Sat, Feb 2nd
Rest day

Sun, Feb 3rd
Trim 10 mile race!

I really, really wanted to do well at this today. It was my 3rd 10 mile race. I wanted to hit 1 hr 40 but I was realistic too. I'm not fast, I'm not good at races. I thought I'd come in around 01:40 - 01:45. Still, I knew I'd give it all I had.
Google maps brought me to Trim. There were volunteers everywhere, all with a smile on their face despite standing out in the cold. Everything was very well signposted. I didn't have a lot of time to warm up so I only got one mile in. I lined up beside the 10 minute mile pacers and never let them out of my sight! At first I got a little nervous when I saw they were running faster than that. I was well able for the pace but I didn't want to burn out at the end. Maybe all pacers do this? Bank a little time early on? I usually run alone so it was great to have company. I loved them telling us about the next mile coming up, and how to run it. It was the quickest 10 miles I've ever done. Mentally that is! The miles seemed to fly by. Every time we passed another mile marker a big cheer went up! These two guys were amazing. I only got my PB today because of you.
A few times they suggested that if we were feeling strong to push ahead but I didn't trust myself enough. There was a water station around mile 5 and mile 7 or 8 I think. There was also sweeties on offer which was a lovely surprise. One of the pacers gave me some jelly beans. Around mile 8 I tried to be brave and go for it. The pacers had said we were doing well and had banked a little time. I was feeling fine. I came to mile 9 and started to feel tired. The last 500 metres seemed to stretch on forever. It was my slowest mile I'm sad to say. I'll have to make note of this and work on finishing strong. Make a bigger effort. Run with your heart not your head. Still I made it over the line at 1:38:50
Yay!
Unfortunately I couldn't hang around after the race to enjoy the spread afterwards. I had to go home and see to my little patients.
Great day, great race, I'll definitely be back next year.

Weekly mileage total: 41.6 miles

OOnegative

Cheers for the kind observations about the race, i’m a member of Trim AC even though I live in The Hague. I’ll pass on the comments regarding the pacers.

Huzzah!

Applegirl26 wrote: »

There wasn't a huge sprint at the end unfortunately but I had tried to keep a decent pace throughout. After I crossed the finish line, I slumped over a side rail feeling sick. I'm definitely not made for speed! Or maybe I just need to race more?

Applegirl26 wrote: »

I came to mile 9 and started to feel tired. The last 500 metres seemed to stretch on forever. It was my slowest mile I'm sad to say. I'll have to make note of this and work on finishing strong. Make a bigger effort. Run with your heart not your head. Still I made it over the line at 1:38:50

It's funny: If I finish really strong I feel like I've raced badly, like I've left something out there? Sounds like you paced both races perfectly and, anyway, it's very tough to race as you have done in the middle of marathon training without any real taper.

Amazing stuff. Two races and a PB all in the midst of marathon training. Such a great inspiration to your kids, like your dad was to you

Congrats!

gypsylee

Congrats for your PB. Fab running at both races and huge respect for getting out so early these dark cold mornings.

Applegirl26

Thanks OOnegative, Huzzah and gypsylee. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my log.

ariana`

Later that night my son came in to my room to say goodnight. He asked me if I'd book him into another race soon. I promised him I would. He placed a single rolo on my night stand and then kissed my cheek before he left.

This brought a tear to my eye, how sweet is your boy. Well done, 2 really well ran races and in the midst of marathon training (which you are nailing too by the way). You're a real inspiration

Applegirl26

ariana` wrote: »

This brought a tear to my eye, how sweet is your boy. Well done, 2 really well ran races and in the midst of marathon training (which you are nailing too by the way). You're a real inspiration

Thanks Ariana. Ah he's a good kid.

Thanks for your encouraging words about my training. I don't know about me being inspirational! You're too kind.

AuldManKing

Thats a great week - congrats on the PB.

That line with the rolo.......must be the dust in my eye.....

ariana`

AuldManKing wrote: »

Thats a great week - congrats on the PB.

That line with the rolo.......must be the dust in my eye.....

Haha not just me so :P

Applegirl26

AuldManKing wrote: »

Thats a great week - congrats on the PB.

That line with the rolo.......must be the dust in my eye.....

Thanks AuldManKing. I appreciate you taking the time to look at my log.
The rolo bit... Yup, it got me too. I wasn't going to include it in my race report initially, but then thought how it was a lovely moment inspired by the race, and the great time my son had, so I left it in.

MY BAD

Congrats on your PB you're going from strength to strength

Applegirl26

Mellow Yellow 26.2 wrote: »

Congrats on your PB you're going from strength to strength

Ah thanks so much Mellow Yellow. I really appreciate that.

aloooof

Some brilliant running going on around these parts, fair play, some dedication!

Applegirl26

aloooof wrote: »

Some brilliant running going on around these parts, fair play, some dedication!

Ah thanks so much aloof. I appreciate that, I really do.

Kellygirl

I was thinking about you tonight. I was out running (plodding) along in the dark by myself and a bit bored and started thinking about the hours you are putting in for Manchester. When I look at Strava on the phone and see the hour you are starting your runs at I’m seriously impressed.

Applegirl26

Kellygirl wrote: »

I was thinking about you tonight. I was out running (plodding) along in the dark by myself and a bit bored and started thinking about the hours you are putting in for Manchester. When I look at Strava on the phone and see the hour you are starting your runs at I’m seriously impressed.

Thanks Kellygirl. I'd love to run at a more "normal" time and I do when I can, but sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I need to do.
I'd rather crawl out of bed at 04:30 and go run, than sleep through knowing there's little chance of me getting out later.
I've always felt that if you want something, you'll work for it. When it comes to training, I get a heck of a lot more back than I put in, honestly. Running has changed my life and its as normal to me now as breathing. My only regret is not taking it up when I was younger. I'll never know how good I could have been.

You're doing very well yourself! You're flying through your training plan. A great inspiration.