nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Chapter 2 - Finding Nemo

Swashbuckler

2018 - Chapter One: The Day That Never Comes - Post 1 to 634

2019 - Chapter Two: Finding Nemo - Post 635 onwards

Original Post:
I've decided to set up one of these in the hope that every now and then someone will come along and in their good nature, answer one of my many questions about my training. I find I've been posting a lot of questions in the Random Running thread so maybe this is a better way of going about it.

Background
36 year old male. Been running for 7 years but only started properly focusing my training since January. Only learned what a tempo, LSR etc. were this year! Previous to that I just went out most days and ran 6 miles at as fast as I could manage. No direction or focus to my training. Had ran some half marathons and mixed in circuit training. But this year I really fell in love with running. Thanks to advice from people on here and chatting to some advanced runners I've met at many races this year I've manage to see significant improvements.

PB's;
5k - 18:22 - Parkrun (2017)
10k - 37:44 - Run Killarney (2017)
Half Marathon: 1:31:35 Charleville (2012). Most recent Half was in June - Half Thru the Heart which I did in 1:33. Extremely tough course and the distance was a little short.

Short to Medium term targets (over the next ~10 months);
5k - Sub 18
10k - Sub 37
Half Marathon - Sub 1:30

Long term targets/dreams;
5k - Sub 17
10k - Sub 35
Run my first Full Marathon (maybe by end of next year).
Run a really good Full Marathon.

Myself and my wife have a baby on the way so I'd say the training could be impacted for a while but I really hope I can keep it up to the same level.

I generally do two/three sessions a week (mix of intervals and tempo), one long run and the rest easy runs. Train 5-6 times a week with one day off.

I do all my Mon-Fri training within my one hour lunch break. LSR is either at the weekend or in the morning before work.

I know I should probably join a club. I would love to but we'll see how life changes once baby arrives. Even if I could do one session a week with a club I think it would be of benefit.

Last weeks training;
Mon: 7 miles steady/progressive starting at 7min/mile and finishing at 6:30min/mile. I'm thinking this run isn't of much benefit as it's in no mans land pacewise for me?
Tues: 5 x 1 mile intervals. Intervals at 5:50min/mile average with 3min recovery between.
Wednesday: 10k easy/recovery @ 7:30min/mile. Not sure if this should be slower but I read that it's bad to have easy and LSR paces the same i.e. too much running at the slow pace. The 7:30 pace felt easy.
Thursday: 15 mile LSR @ 8min/mile. Total time: 2 hours.
Friday: 4 mile recovery jog @ 8:50 min/mile.
Saturday: Parkrun 5k - 18:22.
Sunday: Rest

Probably overdid it a bit last week. Not sure to be honest but I feel good. I'm still learning. I'll be giving up the Parkruns in a couple of weeks for a while so I wanted to run a couple of them pretty hard to end up on a good note.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm looking to improve and still relatively new to proper training so I'm willing to take any advice on board.

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

RayCun

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Would you be an advocate for playing around with the plan on the lead up to a target race? If I remember right from your log you tend to adjust your training on the fly each week.

The trouble with my adjusting my training on the fly is that I seem to end up doing a lot less work than if I was following a plan! :pac:

Swashbuckler

RayCun wrote:

But if your last few sessions are on the bits you like and are good at, you finish training thinking you're brilliant and go into competition feeling strong.

Would you be an advocate for playing around with the plan on the lead up to a target race? If I remember right from your log you tend to adjust your training on the fly each week.

Swashbuckler

El CabaIIo wrote:

Newmarket should be a good race, you'll have plenty of people to battle it out with anyway as those Munster 4 miles are pretty deep. You doing County 4 as well?

I think the Munster is Dundrum. Looking forward to it. Back to back weeks should be a nice stimulus.

Yeah County is on the plan. Again no major expectations.

El CabaIIo

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Haha believe it or not I did and it didn't work so I have up. I'm semi tenacious.

Cheers lad. I've parked it and ready to move on. Munster 4 miler on Sunday so hopefully these races will tune me back up a little. Haven't raced in months.

Newmarket should be a good race, you'll have plenty of people to battle it out with anyway as those Munster 4 miles are pretty deep. You doing County 4 as well?

Swashbuckler

El CabaIIo wrote:

Or you could stop dwelling on it and be tenacious in editing out the symbols

Haha believe it or not I did and it didn't work so I have up. I'm semi tenacious.

El CabaIIo wrote:

Well done at the weekend btw, solid run to open up the year

Cheers lad. I've parked it and ready to move on. Munster 4 miler on Sunday so hopefully these races will tune me back up a little. Haven't raced in months.

RayCun

Swashbuckler wrote: »

The last six weeks before a key race like a marathon should include all your favorite, confidence-building workouts. Don't just follow a training plan because that's what's "accepted wisdom" Instead, tinker with your training and add as well as omit workouts that just don't work for you

It's a good point, I remember this coming up on a course (talking about long jump :pac: but same basic idea)

Coming up to a competition, the temptation is to focus on your weak points, the aspect of your training that you find hardest. But since that is your weak point, your sessions are going to be a struggle, you're probably going to finish each one thinking you could have done better. And then you go into competition thinking about your weak points and the sessions you weren't happy with.

But if your last few sessions are on the bits you like and are good at, you finish training thinking you're brilliant and go into competition feeling strong.

El CabaIIo

Swashbuckler wrote: »

I have to stop posting stuff from the internet from my phone. All those symbols not recognized almost turn it into another language in places.

Or you could stop dwelling on it and be tenacious in editing out the symbols:p

Well done at the weekend btw, solid run to open up the year

Swashbuckler

I have to stop posting stuff from the internet from my phone. All those symbols not recognized almost turn it into another language in places.

Swashbuckler

Another good article from McMillian. I do enjoy the simplicity of his articles.

CERTAIN TRUTHS FOR RUNNERS OF ALL ABILITIES

Iâ€™m a lucky coach.Â I get to work with beginning runners just coming off the couch as well as competitive runners aiming for age-group victories or trying to qualify for Boston. And through the work Iâ€™ve doneÂ with pro runners in Flagstaff, Iâ€™ve been able to help Olympians and world championship-level athletes.

Whatâ€™s most interesting is not the differences between the various groups of athletes but rather the similarities. Over my 20 years of coaching, Iâ€™ve noticed five key traits of successful distance runners. These traits apply to everyone â€” beginners just joining the sport; competitive folks who balance work, family and other commitments with their running goals; and Olympic-level athletes.

1) Donâ€™t Dwell

Every long-time runner has experienced this phenomenon: week after week of great runs suddenly interrupted by one of the worst workouts in years, for no logical reason. Iâ€™ve found that the most successful athletes donâ€™t dwell on the bad days; instead, theyâ€™re eager to move on to the next dayâ€™s training or upcoming race. Successful runners know that bad days donâ€™t last and arenâ€™t a true indication of their fitness. Bad days are just a freak occurrence that must be tolerated on the path to your goals. Running is hard but fun, and that short statement should tell us that there will be good days and there will be bad days. Live through both. Neither lasts forever.

A personal example: I work with two outstanding athletes who took their fitness to new levels in a few years ago. One went on to win a national championship. The other never raced to his potential. The difference was in their outlook. The national champion endured a few bad workouts and races but let them slide. The underperformer also endured a few bad workouts and races but couldnâ€™t get past them. He was training with other athletes who were having great success. He was accomplishing workouts that he never dreamed he could do. He was recovering quickly and was not overtrained. But when we talked, his attitude was, â€œYeah, but â€¦â€ Weâ€™d talk about the hundred great workouts heâ€™d done but heâ€™d follow that with, â€œYeah, but that tempo run last month really went poorly. I donâ€™t know if Iâ€™m in great shape.â€ Clearly, this â€œdwellerâ€ will never achieve what the national champion did, and it has nothing to do with training. It has to do with mindset.

2) Find Your Sweet Spot in Training

Successful training is about finding the balance in your stress/rest cycle. Training (and much of life) is stressful. It depletes your bodyâ€™s energy stores. It stresses your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones. In short, training tears down your body. With rest, however, your body builds back stronger than before. The trick is to find the training rhythm where your stress/rest cycle is in balance â€” where youâ€™re having positive workout followed by positive workout, successful week followed by successful week. In fact, if weâ€™re smart (and this is what I do as a coach), we set up the training from the outset to be positive.

This can be tricky due to the unpredictability of our other life stresses (work, family, etc.), but if you find a training routine where nearly every one of your workouts and races is positive then youâ€™re in balance. If you find that you frequently have poor/unpredictable workouts or races, or are often injured, then your training (or life) stress is too great. You are under-recovering and should add a bit more recovery to your plan. Progress things as your body adapts but think constantly about balance so that you can have successful training. Successful workouts lead to greater and greater motivation, which leads to better and better racing.

3) Focus on Consistency

Once you find your sweet spot, you can train consistently week after week, month after month and year after year. This â€œstackingâ€ of successful training week on top of successful training week will lead you to your full potential. Injuries and illness from overtraining cut short your improvement so structure your training with the long-term in mind.

We had a saying in our Olympic training team that you must train consistently for two straight years â€” no unscheduled interruptions due to injury or illness â€” to even begin to see how good you can be. This reality applies to all of us. A year of consistent running is more beneficial than a few stellar weeks of training.

4) Be Tenacious

Successful runners are tenacious (some of our loved ones would even say stubborn). Success is about keeping on keeping on. Put one foot in front of the other for long enough and the finish line will come. You have the ability to go to greater heights than you ever dreamed of â€” just by sticking with it. A little stubbornness can be a great attribute when youâ€™re in the middle miles of a marathon. Foster tenaciousness in small ways every day. I always think of Desiree Linden when I think of tenaciousness. There were many women runners who were faster then she was in college but look at what she has achieved just by keeping on keeping on. Sheâ€™s a multi-time Olympian and always seems to get the most from herself.

5) Build Your Confidence Constantly

The most important key to success is confidence. You know the workouts and training rhythm that give you confidence. Itâ€™s a good idea to include these types of training throughout your year to keep you motivated. Itâ€™s also a good idea to put confidence-building workouts close to your key races. The last six weeks before a key race like a marathon should include all your favorite, confidence-building workouts. Donâ€™t just follow a training plan because thatâ€™s whatâ€™s â€œaccepted wisdom.â€ Instead, tinker with your training and add as well as omit workouts that just donâ€™t work for you

ariana`

Great report P. And great comeback too. Like eyrie i love the honesty in your reports, there's so much i could learn from your attitude to racing. I love that you didn't give in and wear the watch too, very admirable. It'd kill me afterward not being able to analyse the splits and all the other bits of data but really you know yourself what happened out there and it's all just confirmation of that really isn't it. Fair play to you, sounds like an honest effort and a honest result too

Duanington

Well done on the racing comeback P - no doubt you'll fine tune things over the next while and hone in on that racing art a bit more

eyrie

Welcome back! Great to see this. Not the time you want I know but the attitude sounds spot on and I've no doubt the times won't be long coming back. Very honest assessment too, but sure we'd expect nothing less from you

OOnegative

Get a bit more endurance into those legs as I said last night you’ll come on loads, nice early season marker P.

AuldManKing

Super - Good man - its early in the season and you're just back - so a great run by you.
I'd say a lot more to come as the weeks progress.

Swashbuckler

Adare 10k 2019 Race Report

Sometimes you get what you expect. Sometimes you're surprised. Today I got what I expected and I don't mean that in a negative way. Man it's good to be going through that awful racing feeling again. Haha.

Had been feeling very positive about this one. Had pretty much removed all pressure and thoughts of times. One of the reasons I was thinking of leaving the watch on the subs bench is I didn't want to think about pace. I didn't want to look at the watch and see 6.10 pace and be disappointed. I just wanted to run! Realistically I knew where I was coming from with the bones of a month being injured/burned out and hadn't raced since November. Expectations were low but hope was high. Who knows. Maybe I'll surprise myself. But one of the toughest things (and best things) about racing is it makes an honest man of you. There's no faking it or hiding the last few months. If it's not quite there yet, you'll find out. I always say, it's one thing having great notions and dreaming when you're sitting on the couch or on an easy run but it's a different thing altogether when you're 7k deep into a 10k race and everything is telling you to stop.

I have zero complaints about how I felt on the run up to this. Coach had built up my confidence with the tempo/threshold stuff. I felt good. Training has been going well lately. Not race specific stuff but base building. Had no idea what I was capable of but suspected I might struggle deep into the race especially in Adare which has a tougher second half. Hence the decision was made to leave the watch at home. What difference would it make. Seeing 5.45 or 5.55 or 6.05 would have no bearing on how I felt. Nothing to lose.

Got to Adare nice and early. Was chillier than I expected. Stiff enough breeze. Headed off for a warmup. Went out and back from the start finish line. Could really feel the breeze as I turned back.

Lined up at the start line about four rows back. Some serious quality there. A load of west limerick ac singlets. Some big turnouts from some clubs. Doneraile stood out too. Whistle went and we were off. Settled straight into my pace. Was surprised to see so many ahead of me. Definitely more ahead of me this year. It was a sign of the standard of the field. The winning time was 30.40 and a new course record. Top three ladies were all sub 37.30. Impressive. Settled into a group of three with three others lagging behind a bit.

Felt comfortable enough for the first 2 or 3k. Some lumps and bumps throughout the course. The little group we had worked pretty well together up to 5k. An Riocht and a couple of lads from Mallow. The lads from mallow struggled and dropped off at 5k. By halfway I was working hard enough and the worst of the hills to come. I slipped ahead of An Riocht. By 7k I was deep deep in it. Feeling it and finding the going tough. Lungs shouting at me, the legs heavy and the mind asking me to stop. This wasn't as deep as I've been in the past. I don't think I have the toughness to dip that deep yet. I think if I had I would have stopped.

Hit that fecker of a hill around 8k. An riocht and two west limerick lads had passed me at this stage. I managed to keep in touch with them although one of them pulled well ahead. The 9k marker in Adare is where you can really open up if you have anything left. It's a beaut of a downhill. I managed to pass one of the west limerick lads but an riocht and the other lad had pulled away. Got to within a few seconds of one of them but not quite enough. Had a peek at the clock as I approached and it wasn't the surprise I hoped for. Funny how the internal GPS is pretty accurate. If you had asked me what time I'd finish after 9.5k id have guessed maybe mid 37s. And that would've been almost bang on. 37.42 official time. Took a while to catch my breath. Met up with some other buddies as they finished and met my two biggest supporters - wife and baba. Headed back to the hall for some sandwiches. Great spread.

Genuinely one of the better races around. Everything about it is well run. I couldn't fault it. Results are up on the wall by the time you get to the hall. Very well done to west limerick ac. I'll always try to include this race in my calendar. A fair enough route with plenty of lumps and bumps but nothing awful and a very competitive field.

I wouldn't say I'm happy with how it went but I'm not unhappy either. It's a decent run, nothing more. A starting point and a benchmark for improvement. It's a funny old game. You spend months away from racing, you're all excited about getting back into it and 6k into it you're asking yourself "what the f*ck was I missing about this! ". But then you finish and all those lovely endorphins are floating about.
I'm looking forward to the work ahead. I'm not all that pleased with my form at the end after seeing the video my wife recorded. My heels are barely making it up to knee height. Plenty of work ahead. Delighted to be back racing.

Next up is the Munster 4 miler next weekend. Will give that a lash.

Swashbuckler

A solid if unspectacular 37.42. Happy to be back racing. Report will follow once my body gets over this unfamiliar feeling. Haha

eyrie

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Cheers S. There is no plan

That's the best kind of plan

Good luck out there!

Murph_D

Best of luck, P.

Swashbuckler

skyblue46 wrote:

All the best tomorrow P. I hope it all goes to plan.

Cheers S. There is no plan

skyblue46

All the best tomorrow P. I hope it all goes to plan.

Back in Black

Good luck tomorrow!!

Swashbuckler

Cheers folks.... Must charge my watch

healy1835

Best of luck tomorrow mate.

Kellygirl

Best of luck P. Hope you have a great run.

OOnegative

All the best tomorrow P, have a great race. Run well!!

ariana`

Best of luck at the weekend P, run well with or without the watch!

Swashbuckler

I'm very annoyed with myself for missing that joke. Haha.

I think there's two clear leaders in that group right now but we'll catch up.

OOnegative

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Haha I ran 36.05 in Ennis last year and didn't run any 10ks over 38 in 2018 (Adare, Ennis, Ballyheigue, Killarney). But I dunno. We'll see. I definitely feel stronger than I have in a while. Pace for given effort is faster than it was last year but I doubt the endurance is there.

As for a race I think you can add a couple to that list. AMK and Mellow Yellow. Would be great wouldn't it! I plan on being in Dunshaughlin barring a disaster.

Who's St Tropez? I must do some log stalking.

St Tropez....... AMK!!!

Not because it rhymes, because he’s as pale as ghost!! Apols to Mellow Yellow to, Sheep is approaching that level and RayCun is always there, yeah serious year for lads all about the one level!!!

We could open a book on Dunshaughlin maybe....

Swashbuckler

OOnegative wrote:

Thereâ€™s people that would pay to see yourself, DD, healy1835 and St Tropez in the one race. Dunshaughlin maybe.......

Haha I ran 36.05 in Ennis last year and didn't run any 10ks over 38 in 2018 (Adare, Ennis, Ballyheigue, Killarney). But I dunno. We'll see. I definitely feel stronger than I have in a while. Pace for given effort is faster than it was last year but I doubt the endurance is there.

As for a race I think you can add a couple to that list. AMK and Mellow Yellow. Would be great wouldn't it! I plan on being in Dunshaughlin barring a disaster.

Who's St Tropez? I must do some log stalking.

OOnegative

Jeez P me heart bleeds for ya, only a sub 38!!! I’d need a few lung transplants off mediocre Kenyan’s to even think of such a time.

There’s people that would pay to see yourself, DD, healy1835 and St Tropez in the one race. Dunshaughlin maybe.......