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Timber!!

overpronator

As you may have guessed from the title this thread is going to be my training log!

Bad jokes out of the way I have found the training logs on here to be both extremely educational and motivational. Furthermore they brought home to me what required to properly improve and the work people put in to do that, I have great admiration for many posters on here and hopefully with chat and feedback through this thread I can improve bit by bit.

About me, I'm a 30 year old male with a pretty sedentary job. In the past I played GAA at a good, sometimes very good level but succumbed to injury and more accurately apathy and pints in my early to mid twenties. The most exercise I got over a 5 year period consisted of five a side a couple of times a week thinking that was keeping me fit, the usual nonsense.

I started running properly about 18 months ago when I "trained" for the Irish runner 5 miler in the park. That involved going up there once or twice a week for the 3 weeks before the race and tearing around the course as fast as I could:). That progressed to the remaining races in the race series where through the graduates 2012 thread I picked up some basics, got some long runs in and got myself around DCM12 just under the 4 hour mark at 3.54

Last year I got more structured and followed a Hal Higdon type plan for the Limerick marathon. I had a tough day finishing in 3.36 blowing up around 20 miles chasing 3.30. I did the race series again last summer and followed a Hybrid plan of P&D which I supplemented with Meno's midweek long MP sessions in place of VO2 max workouts for the last 5 weeks and got around in a comfortable 3.26.

My current PB's are

5k 19.48
10k 41.00
10 Mile 68.45
Half 1.34.03
Marathon 3.26.51

The goals for this year however ambitious, were (and still are) a sub 40 10k and a sub 1.30 half.
The little matter of the London Marathon 2014 has gotten in the way of specifically focusing on these goals. I hadn't intended on doing a Spring Marathon this year but myself and my GF got offered a spot so I couldn't turn it down really.
I'm currently following the 12 week P&D plan up to 55 miles and have been just doing slow base building for the month before the plan started. I will follow the structure of the plan quite closely but will add more mileage depending on how I feel but will again supplement some of the VO2 max workouts at the end with longer marathon specific efforts as I think it was these sessions from Meno's graduates plan last summer that made the difference for me in DCM 13.

From my PBs its clear that my endurance isn't really where it should be yet so hopefully another marathon cycle with more fast finish long runs, sessions Ive never really gotten to grips with will help with that.
Ill post again later with a summary of what ive been up to for the last 3 or so weeks, hopefully this log will keep me more active on here for feedback as im sporadic enough when it comes to posting but love to lurk!

Comments, feedback and general slagging welcome.

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OOnegative

Great running this evening S, well done.

OOnegative

Best of luck Sunday S, run well!!

overpronator

IvoryTower wrote: »

I'm stewarding at entrance to old bridge ,we can high five

Bring cans incase I decide to stop!

IvoryTower

I'm stewarding at entrance to old bridge ,we can high five

scotindublin

Another quality week S and good luck Sunday!

overpronator

Monday: Off

Tuesday: Session 5 mile tempo. Splits 5.58, 5.59, 6.02, 5.59, 5.57. A couple of nights on the beer over the long weekend had me thinking id probably pay for it in this session. Started in a group of 6 or 7 that soon splintered to a 3 after about a mile. Felt alright until 3 miles but started working to hold pace from there, also the other two lads pushed on ahead of me so last 1.5 was solo. Wasn't looking at the watch so initially I thought it was me slowing but turns out they just picked it up to 5.50 for the last 2. Good to get this one done, felt tougher than the last time we did this session.

Wednesday: 5 miles 7.44 pace

Thursday: Session 16x400 More or less the same as last weeks session with another rep added to the middle set. So it was 3 sets of 5, 6 and 5 with 3 mins job between sets.

Big group for this one and it got a bit tasty in the last set. Mostly felt good, the last three of the final set were tough as you'd expect as that's probably even faster than mile pace for me.

86, 83, 84, 84, 82
77, 80, 80, 79, 80, 77
77, 75, 72, 73, 73

Friday: 6 miles 7.41. Looking at this it was probably a bit quick after those 400s. One (of many) things I'm bad at is setting out to deliberately run 8.30 pace or whatever as a recovery. I just go out and jog and pay no attention.

Saturday: 8 miles 7.38 pace: Easy hour. Feeling the fatigue.

Sunday: 12 miles 7.40 pace. One word. Bolloxed. That session of 400s really bit me hard. Again, no shock as the last few were at mile pace. Had 14 planned but was considering binning this by 10. Probably should have done actually, I ended up doing 12 out of stubbornness but it was like one of those runs you get towards the end of a marathon block. Nothing there.

50 miles for the week.

Recovery week this week which is needed and then the 10k on Sunday. Its a tricky week for me with work so I wont make the club session on Tuesday, Ill probably just drop it anyway or do something very very light.

For Sundays 10k, getting into the 35 min again is out of the question with the course, id take a 36.59 now to be honest so will be interesting to see how it plays out. Hopefully I can freshen up and give it a decent lash anyway.

healy1835

AuldManKing wrote: »

I think I'll be robbing that Fartlek - looks like a monster of a session!

scotindublin

Just the 100? He must have been taking it easy after he Nat 10k!

overpronator wrote: »

Just 100 miles less for the week C!!

overpronator

Swashbuckler wrote: »

That's a hell of a week. I think I'd be broken after a week like that

There's always this week!

overpronator

scotindublin wrote: »

Great week Shane; bit of Whitty pacing on the Sunday run aswell!

Just 100 miles less for the week C!!

overpronator

AuldManKing wrote: »

I think I'll be robbing that Fartlek - looks like a monster of a session!

Yea it really is, the float bit provides the value I think. Otherwise you're just banging out hard reps with huge recovery i.e mostly pointless.

Swashbuckler

That's a hell of a week. I think I'd be broken after a week like that

scotindublin

Great week Shane; bit of Whitty pacing on the Sunday run aswell!

AuldManKing

I think I'll be robbing that Fartlek - looks like a monster of a session!

overpronator

Monday: Off

Tuesday: Fartlek 7,1,6,3,5,2,4 min @10k effort with equal float in between. Tough session in the field last Tuesday, done solo so that probably added to it. The idea was to hit 10k pace and keep the recovery honest. Splits were

7 min @ 5.44 (Recovery 6.50)

1 min @ 5.35 (Recovery 6.50)

6 min @ 5.45 (Recovery 7.18 not sure why I was a bit slower here)

3 min @ 5.40 (Recovery 6.52)

5 min @ 5.38 (Recovery 6.50)

2 min @ 5.49 (Recovery 6.57)

4 min @ 5.49

Tired at the end of this one and was suffering over the last couple of reps. A solid session with more or less an hour spent at a high aerobic/threshold level.

Wednesday: 4 miles 7.49 pace. Can’t remember much of this one but Strava said it happened.

Thursday: Session 15x400 (3 sets of 5 @10k, 5k, 3k pace with 3 min between sets). Almost the same session as last Thursday with one rep taken from the 10k set and added to the 3k set. After Tuesday’s effort, the plan here was to just get through this with as little fuss as possible. Thankfully the lads had the same box ticking idea that I did so was grand in the end, no heroics.

Set 1: 87, 85, 86, 84, 82 (30 secs recovery)

Set 2: 81, 80, 81, 81, 79 (45 secs recovery)

Set 3: 78, 78, 76, 77, 75 (1 min recovery)

Friday: 6 miles 7.35 pace. Actually, felt ok on this one, which is very rare for me on a Friday.

Saturday: 8.75 miles 7.47 pace. At a stag in Kilkeeny on the Friday night so called into the Phoenix Park on the way home for an easy hour on the trails. Absolutely baking hot day so was trying to keep the pace down. Lovely to be on the trails again this summer, the bit of a hangover had me tired by the end though.

Sunday: 14 miles 7.29 pace. Another sunny day in the Phoenix Park. Very very easy starting but as these runs tend to be it was a decent negative split by the end, felt good and didn’t stretch my luck pace wise.

53 miles for the week.

Next race is the club’s 10k on the May bank holiday weekend. It’s a very difficult course so PBs will be out the window but will be nice to race on home territory.

outforarun

Sub 30:00 for a five mile tempo. Tasty.

overpronator

Monday: 5m 7.36 pace. Easy one after the previous day’s long run

Tuesday: Session 5 mile tempo. Pretty simple on paper. Splits 5.57, 5,59, 5.55, 5.58, 5.52. Felt ok in this one, the usual working hard in the second half but not racing. Initially had planned on 6.05-6.10 pace but rather than drop off the lads I just sat in. This was on grass, on the usual tempo loop in the club field and we had a group of 3 rolling along. Definitely seeing progress in these sessions.

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Session 15X400.

This was split into 3 sets of

6 at 10k effort, 30 secs recovery (Splits 88, 84, 84, 83, 84, 83)

5 at 5k and 45 secs recovery (Splits (81, 81, 78, 82, 78)

4 at 3k. and 1 min recovery (Splits (78, 75, 73, 71)

Enjoyed this one, splits were a little sloppy in terms of consistency but that was just due do different people leading the group here and there. Also, probably a little undisciplined on the last set. From chatting to the coach we are moving into a speedier block after all the speed endurance type sessions since Jan, should be good.

Friday: 5m 7.46 pace. Tired after the session

Saturday: 8m 7.29 pace. Just an easy hour, out before 8 am so had the roads to myself. Was nice.

Sunday: Long run: 14m 7.04 pace. Plan was for a steadier long run, these will be dropped in occasionally from now. In my own head I wanted to keep 20 odd secs slower than marathon pace and had no real interest in running sub 7 minute pace average overall. Met some clubmates in Old bridge where it was freezing and very windy. The consensus was god help anyone racing in the phoenix park on that day. Mostly on grass and trail for this, a few of the lads took off after 5 or 6 miles at about 6.30 pace but left them at it. Felt grand and was in a good rhythm by the end.

50 miles for the week. Feel a bit of a cold coming on, hoping It doesn't mess me up too much this week.

overpronator

Took it handy last week, legs were pretty beat up after Dunboyne, sore spots everywhere and I was back to hobbling about in the morning when I got up, not good. For the midweek I was just playing it by ear, in the end I ran easy until Saturday where I did a short session.

Monday 5m 7.29 pace

Tuesday 10m 7.39 pace

Wed off

Thurs 5m 7.34 pace

Friday 8m 7.30 pace

Saturday - Wanted to do something a bit sharper Saturday just to keep ticking over, decided on the Fartlek we have done a few times in the block since Christmas, have found it good to shake off a race in the past. It was 2 sets of a pyramid of 30-90-30 seconds in 15 second jumps with equal recovery in between. I did this in the club field, nice and sunny but very windy. Overall It was alright, was over too quickly to say much about it, checking the watch afterwards I was anywhere between about 5.40 and 5.50 pace for the reps

Sunday – Long run – 14 miles 7.24 pace. Up to the phoenix park on the nicest morning of the year, met OFAR, scotindublin and the usual crew. Very timid and sluggish start but the second half we got moving, miles 7-13 all sub 7.10 pace and feeling easy on heavy legs.

51 miles for the week.

Have decided not to race the 10 miler in Clontarf, think its best to just put the head down and train away for another month before going again.

overpronator

Cheers C, gonna do exactly what you said, handy week this week, should see you Sunday if youre about!

scotindublin

Still a cracking effort on Sunday S; and like you said your 2 best 10ks so plenty of positives to take from not just the last 2 weekends but the solid start you have made to the year.

Racing 2 10ks over the space of 8 days was always going to be rough on the body. I had considered doing the 4 mile in St Anne's Saturday but the legs were goosed after the K Club and a decent session Tuesday.

You are in great shape coming into the Spring/Summer 5/10k season and I have no doubt you will push on again; nice recovery sessions and easy runs this week to get the last couple of weekends out the legs.

Sounds like a tough weekend for the club and as you said it puts things into perspective pretty quickly.

Hopefully catch up for a Sunday run soon.

overpronator

Cheers Davey, gonna see how I feel this week and make a call.

Probably be best to draw a line under racing for a month or so, get some consistency going again.

Duanington

healy1835 wrote: »

That's Easter Sunday right? Never did it.....You've a few decent LRs in the bag in addition to some great races & consistent sessions. I'd say <60mins is there for you. Would I be right in guessing that if the course is in and around St Anne's that it couldn't be too tough of a course?

I've done it a couple of times and the course, while relatively flat, is not a fast course. I like the event but couldn't honestly say its a good course with its countless turns and twists

overpronator

The week after the K club I did 2 light sessions and a few easy runs in between. Nothing longer than 40 minutes.

Tuesdays session was a Fartlek pyramid; 2 sets of 30,45,60,75,90,75,60,45 seconds with equal jog in between. Just hopped in with the group and wasn’t looking at the watch but it was all around 5.50 pace overall. The legs were rubbery and I felt tired as you’d expect. I was just hoping this would run the race out of the legs.

Thursday’s session was 2x4x400, 82 second ave. Again, felt a bit heavy in this compared to normal at this pace.

I hoped that the 2 light sessions would flush my legs out and have me ready for Sunday, not sure not if they helped at all. Would be interested to hear if people think doing 2 light sessions in the week between would help or hinder from their perspective?

On to the race.....

Got down Sunday and it seemed a decent day but did notice a pretty strong wind on the warmup, did 2 miles easy and the legs felt fine, no complaints. Lined up at the start with a clubmate that would be at the same paces in sessions so plan was to work together. The race started with a nice downhill through the village and out onto the main road heading for Dunboyne castle. Was hoping to settle into the pace once outside the village but a decent drag had me working already. First mile beeped in 5.40, hadn’t been looking and knew it was a bit hot. As we hit the country roads and started to meet the Summer 5 mile course I was moving alright but completely isolated, clubmate had moved up to a nice group of 5 or 6 but they were moving away from me, into the third mile I felt it was probably risking the big effort required to try and catch them. Miles 2 and 3 were both 5.45. Through 5k and I was working very hard now, we hit that decent headwind and a little uphill and here the fade started. Miles 4 and 5 are a total blur, couldn’t muster the pace I did last week was just looking to get it over with, legs like wood. There was nobody within 100m of me either side id say and the course felt exposed, it was really tough going. Was fighting the urge to walk along here too so knew I was goosed. Miles 4&5 6.00 and 5.59. I remember another short drag in the final mile before a downhill finish from about 800m out. A few people had been spat out of the group way ahead and I mustered a bit of an effort to pass a couple. Had nothing left 100m from home as one of the guys I passed steamed past me again. Mile 6 5.53 and the last 0.2 5.35 pace. Glad when this was over. Official time 36.16.

No much more to say, legs didn’t have it and fairly sure it was it due to the K club the previous week. I’ve never raced twice so close together before and will avoid it again, a good learning experience though. All in all though I’m not complaining, have ran my 2 best 10ks by a decent chunk in the past few days so not a bad couple of weeks work.

More importantly, there was a sombre mood afterwards among the club contingent due to a heart-breaking tragedy befalling a club member over the weekend, plenty of perspective provided for sure. It’s only running.

Murph_D

Never run it, but I've watched. The course is all in St Anne's, which is a small park to do a 10 mile race in, so there are some tight enough turns etc, and the park isn't all flat (mostly flat though!) It's a well organised event though, and the Leinster Championship, so always the chance of a medal. Not sure of this year's course, but here's a link to the 2017 version: http://rahenyshamrock.ie/?p=1373

healy1835

overpronator wrote: »

Thats the question. Think I'm gonna go for the Clontarf 10 miler. This is the closest I've been to a realistic shot at sub 60, pb is 60.55.
Has anyone done that race actually?

That's Easter Sunday right? Never did it.....You've a few decent LRs in the bag in addition to some great races & consistent sessions. I'd say <60mins is there for you. Would I be right in guessing that if the course is in and around St Anne's that it couldn't be too tough of a course?

overpronator

healy1835 wrote: »

What's in the plans next Shane?

Thats the question. Think I'm gonna go for the Clontarf 10 miler. This is the closest I've been to a realistic shot at sub 60, pb is 60.55.
Has anyone done that race actually?

healy1835

What's in the plans next Shane?

overpronator

Murph_D wrote: »

It’s hardly a terrible time all the same, S, is it? But as you say you had your day last week. Back-to-back 10ks sounds like a tall order to me. You’re obviously in very decent shape.

No not at all Denis. Just felt like death for the second half and knew what was in store from early in mile 2!! We've all been there. As you said, back to back was gonna be a tall order. A good learning experience anyway.

Murph_D

It’s hardly a terrible time all the same, S, is it? But as you say you had your day last week. Back-to-back 10ks sounds like a tall order to me. You’re obviously in very decent shape.

overpronator

36.15 on the watch today. What a difference a week makes. The legs just didn't have it today and I was working hard far to early. Was goosed by 5k and it was a sufferfest back home after that. All told, I think I left it all in the K club last week. That was a massive effort and I probably should have just knocked this one on the head. Hindsight 20-20 etc etc. Not to worry, still got around in a solid time for me, there will be fresher days to come!