An 18 Week Sabbatical

Monday 8th February
18km
Opening Kilometre: 4:37
Kilometres 2-15: 3:59 average
Final Kilometre: 4:37

I’ve temporarily relocated to Tullamore, and today was my first time venturing out for a run here. Unsure of any suitable routes and hoping to avoid any holdups, I stayed away from the town and opted to run on N52 in the direction of Durrow. It turned out to be a lumpier road than I had bargained for. Or maybe it just seemed that way as I’m not as fit as I’d like to be. I’ll likely be in Tullamore for a few weeks, so plenty of time to find out.
Totals: 1:05 - 16.01km


Tuesday 9th February
15km
Warm-up: 1.50km in 6:56, 4:37/km
Kilometres 1.5-14.5: 4:00 average
Cool down: 0.52km in 2:27, 4:44/km

Day 2 in Tullamore, and I chose a different road to yesterday. Whenever I encountered a drag during the opening few kilometres of 13km at pace, I struggled to keep things on track. But then I was also dealing with a headwind, plus wearing several layers and a flappy gilet to deal with the windchill, on a day with top temperatures of 2°C. So I’ll cut myself some slack.
Most pleasing thing of all is how I salvaged the thirteenth kilometre of this section. Unfamiliar with the route, I thought I was finished when my watch autolapped for the penultimate kilometre. I backed off and settled into cool down pace. As I approached a roundabout, I realised I had finished prematurely and thought “Ah feck it! 12km at pace isn’t a bad run.” I’d about 300m left before my cool down was supposed to have officially begun. However, I’d maintained 4:11 pace for the first 700m, and it wasn’t going to be too much of an ask to get it down under my 4:09/km upper limit. I upped the effort, and was rather pleased to see 3:56 flash on my watch when I completed this final kilometre.
Totals: 1:01 - 15.02km


Wednesday 10th February
14.50km w/ 6 x 10” hill sprints
Warmup: 2.15km in 10:08, 4:42/km, 125bpm
Hill sprints: 1) 8.7” @ 3:23/km, 2)10.9” @ 3:46/km, 3) 10.1” @3:16/km, 4) 11.9” @ 3:34/km, 5) 11.1” @ 3:12/km, 6) 11.1” @ 3:41/km
Run: 10.02km in 39:31, 3:57:km, 139bpm
Cool down: 0.87km in 4:36, 5:16/km

I took a 2 minute walking recovery after each hill sprint. I didn’t feel such generous recoveries were necessary, but as far as I could make out, that was Steve Magness’s advice. Part of me thinks I’m simply not capable of sprinting fast enough to warrant the recovery. And perhaps if I could run faster, I’d need every second of the 2 minutes walking.
Anyway, once the eight sprints and subsequent walks were completed, I got stuck into the main body of today’s run. I sussed out another road’s suitability during this stretch. It was scenic, but lumpy. I would have settled for drab, but flat. The 10k itself while not tough, certainly wasn’t easy. I can think of a few reasons as to why, but it’s still very early days in the plan, so none of the reasons are cause for concern.
Totals: 1:07 - 14.50km


Thursday 11th February
10km Run
Opening Kilometre: 4:38
Kilometres 2-8: 4:01 average
Final Kilometre: 4:37

I was on the Tullamore bypass for the bulk of the 8km at pace, and was exposed to a horrendous headwind for the first half. It was obviously helping me on the way back, but the wind chill combined with the 2°C ambient temperature made the help hard to appreciate.

Totals: 0:41 - 10.00km

There was a 6 mile recovery run in the plan for later today, but I substituted it with an easy 1-hour spin on my turbo trainer.


Friday 12th February
12km Progression + 1km Cool down
Kilometre splits; 1) 5:03, -1m, 2) 4:53, +1m, 3) 4:42, -5m, 4) 4:34, +1m, 5) 4:22, +11m, 6) 4:17, +5m, 7) 4:03, +4m, 8) 3:56, -12m, 9) 3:42, -13m, 10) 3:36, -1m, 11) 3:29.5*, +5m, 12) 3:13 -1m,
Finish) 4:35
*I feel it’s important to record I hit my :30/km target.

This was the scariest looking run in the first 2 weeks of the plan, and I’m glad I finished it having hit my targets. There was a significant wind today, and I made sure to plan my run, so as it would be as advantageous as possible. The way the bypass circles round Tullamore, meant after performing a 180° turn at the halfway mark, it was still another few kilometres before the crosswind turned into a most welcome tailwind. Consequently I never really got the sneaky mid-run recovery I was hoping for, but at least when it came to the fastest few kilometres, the wind was at my back. I’m not sure how long more I’d have held the 3:13/km pace I finished on. Not much longer I suspect, but I’ll find out for sure next week when I’ll tag on a thirteenth kilometre.
Totals: 0:54 - 13.00km


Saturday 13th February
22km Long Run - Easy (My decision)
As short as it was, after the hard work in yesterday’s progression run, I decided I’d run a far more conservative pace than usual. So as I wouldn’t be distracted by the readings on my Garmin, I switched the units to miles and ran to feel. It caused a few moments of panic when I saw 7:00+ pace showing on my watch, before I realised it was 7 minutes per mile, rather than the snail’s pace of 7 minutes per kilometre.
Totals: 1:41 - 22.54km


Sunday 14th February
12km Recovery
A most welcome recovery along the Grand Canal. I’ve been wondering where I’d find a nice flat route in Tullamore, and this should do. I knew the Grand Canal Greenway was a tarred path, but I was worried sporadic gates would be a bit of pain. They’re scarce enough though, and set up in such a way that I didn’t lose too much momentum getting through. I think the Greenway will suffice for next week’s progression run. Should walkers and gates arise simultaneously when I’m trying to run 1,000m at :10/km, I might just have to grunt a little louder than normal to clear a path. But other than that, I think it should work.
Totals: 0:49 - 8.00km



Weekly Totals
Running - Time: 7:42, Distance: 103.08km
Cross training - Time: (all virtual cycling)
S & C - Time: 0:35 (A lame attempt at a strength workout; push-ups are a lot harder than they used to be.)

I was happy with most things this week. I wasn’t as fast as I’d like to have been for Monday’s hill sprints, and to a lesser extent for the final 2km of Friday’s progression run. But I guess that’s why I’ve taken on this plan.
Several days this week were very cold and windy, but I think I got off comparatively lightly here in Tullamore. I never had to contend with snow or ice, so that was a win. Fingers crossed that’s the last of the extreme cold weather for the year.
Here’s hoping I’m as cheerful in 7 day’s time.

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Solid week. 2 mins is a generous recovery for short hill sprints. Whats the difference between those hill sprints vs your normal strides? What was the approx gradient? Was the objective to build strength/form like doing strides so you don't over tax the system? Sorry, haven't read Magness (yet) so not familiar with the approach.

And to be able to knock out a 39 min 10k afterwards at low tempo 139HR is alright for week 2 I guess :cool::eek:

For strides, I start running merely thinking of form. Counting “One thousand one, one thousand two, etc.” in my head, I inject some pace every three seconds, finishing with what feels like a 5k effort. I concentrate on holding good form throughout the strides, whereas the hill sprints are eyeballs out from the get go.
I couldn’t tell you what the gradient was, I didn’t take my protractor out with me. The hill wasn’t too steep though. Garmin Connect gives readings from 0m to 6m elevation gain over the 100m reps, and I started and stopped each stride in more or less the same place. It also says there was 2m lost on one of them, which would have been impossible. Make of that what you will.
Like I said to Itziger, I don’t delve too deeply into the whys of the plan. But from what I did read, I think the purpose is to recruit muscles/fibers a distance runner wouldn’t normally use. I’m sure there’s a better explanation than this, but that’s enough motivation for me to do them. If somebody else wants to weigh in here, they’re welcome to.

Cheers for the praise, but I wouldn’t have classed those 10 kilometres as a tempo effort. There’s a split 20 minute tempo coming up on Monday. I assure you my HR will be a lot higher than 139bpm for that.

Monday 15th February
16km w/ 8 x 10” hill sprints
Warmup: 2.15km in 10:04, 4:41/km, 118bpm
Hill sprints: 1) 10.8” @ 3:44/km, 2) 11.9” @ 3:19/km, 3) 11.6” @3:37/km, 4) 10.9” @ 3:17/km, 5) 11.5” @ 3:13/km, 6) 11.4” @ 3:16/km, 7) 11.7” @ 3:10/km, 8) 11.1” @ 3:19/km
Run: 11.28km in 43:22, 3:51/km, 149bpm*
Cool down: 1.01km in 4:47
This was more or less the same deal as last week’s hill sprints, but with two extra sprints added, and a single kilometre added to the “run” part. Once again, I spent two minutes walking the recoveries, and once again, I didn’t feel I needed all that time.
The 7 miles at pace felt easier than last week, but I took a much flatter route, and there was nothing like last week’s strong gusts of wind today. *I only notice my heart rate was 10bpm higher than fit the equivalent section in last week’s run, because shotgunmcos commented. I did move 6 seconds per kilometre quicker, but the higher heart rate doesn’t really fit with the narrative that it felt easier. It’s never something I unduly concerned myself with though, and I only it because.
Totals: 1:16 - 16.36km

65 minute virtual cycling in the evening


Tuesday 16th February
14.50km
Warm-up: 1.0.0km in 4:47
Kilometres 1-14: 3:54 average
Cool down: 0.50km in 2:15, 4:26/km
Back onto the Grand Canal Way today, but I headed west instead of east. I missed a crossover point that would have taken me onto a tarmac path on the opposite bank. I then had to contend with a muddy stretch clearly used by tractors. After slipping for a third time, I decided to stop and turn around. Thankfully I stayed on my feet, but I didn’t want to chance it happening a fourth time. I’d the wind my back now, and once I got back on the tarmac path, I cruised home.
Totals: 1:02 - 15.02km

8km w/ 6 x 100m strides
Warmup: 1.00km in 4:32
Run: 4.50km in 18:04, 4:01/km, 142bpm
100m Strides: 1) 20.2” @ 3:22/km, 2) 21.7” @ 3:37/km, 3) 21.1” @3:31/km, 4) 21.0” @ 3:30/km, 5) 21.2” @ 3:32/km, 6) 21.0” @ 3:30/km
Run 1.00km in 3:56
Cool down: Walking
I was pleasantly surprised how fresh I felt for this. And with my legs still feeling good after the strides, instead of using the final kilometre as a cool down, as I had originally intended, I went back to my general training pace to finish out the 8km.
Totals: 0:33 - 8.00km


Wednesday 17th February
16km
Warm-up: 1.00km in 4:36
Kilometres 2-15: 3:52 average
Cool down: 1.00km in 4:35
After three hours plotting a route on Garmin Connect, I eventually opened my front door and faced into what was supposed to be the first of two daily runs. I need to develop a more intuitive feel for pace, so I didn’t look at my watch for half of the run. I couldn’t resist looking at the kilometre splits every time they flashed though, so there’s I’m still doubting myself clearly.
Totals: 1:04 - 16.01km

55 minutes on turbo trainer
My legs felt heavy when the time came for a scheduled 4 mile run. And it occurred to me I’ve been doing a lot more of the plan than I intended. So being prudent, I did this instead.


Thursday 18th February
13km Progression + 1km Cool down
Kilometre splits; 1) 4:57, -9m (I wanted to keep this between 5:00-5:10/km, but I just couldn’t run slow enough), 2) 4:55,-2m, 3) 4:47, +6m, 4) 4:31, +19m, 5) 4:22, -10m, 6) 4:12, -3m, 7) 4:05, -1m, 8) 3:56, -10m, 9) 3:44, +2m, 10) 3:36, +8m, 11) 3:36, +10m, 12) 3:19.7 (Hit my :20/km target😀), -8m, 13) 3:15 -3m (Failed - aiming for :10/km; this included having to slowdown for an almost about turn at a round about, so I might have eked another second or two out of the effort, but the game was up long before then.)
Finish) 4:35; I’d just about chalk this down as a successful run. (I don’t know if it qualifies as a session.)
I can’t honestly remember the last time I ran a kilometre in less than 3 minutes and 10 seconds, so I was being tremendously ambitious hoping to run one at the end of this progression run. (Even if I did plan a route with a downhill finish.) Things feel like they’re going in the right direction though, and I’m hopeful of successfully executing the feat the next time a progression run crops up. It helps that that won’t be until the start of May. That of course comes with the proviso that I stick with this 10,000m plan for that long. But so far, so good, and I am actually enjoying the training. So fingers crossed I don’t get distracted along the way.
Totals: 0:41 - 10.00km

50 minute virtual cycling in the evening


Friday 19th February

10km
Warm-up: 1.00km in 4:57
Kilometres 2-9: 4:01 average
Cool down: 1.00km in 5:06
I went out the door only planning 6km at pace. It seemed a bit short the more I thought about it. Knowing it was only a recovery run I’d to do this evening, piled on even more guilt. Making a decision on the fly, I settled on 8km, and happily called it at that.
Totals: 0:42 - 10.01km

8km Recovery I was trying to keep my heart rate at around 100bpm. It required “running” ridiculously slowly, but hopefully it was beneficial.
Totals: 0:54 - 8.00km


Saturday 20th February
Long Run w/ 6 x {30 second surges + 3 minute run}
Warm-up: 1.00km in 4:50
8 Kilometres: 3:57/km average, 142bpm
Surges + 3’ run;
1) 0.15km @ 3:17/km, Max = 3:00/km + 0.77km @ 3:55/km
2) 0.17km @ 2:59/km, Max = 2:56/km + 0.76km @ 3:57/km
3) 0.16km @ 3:09/km, Max = 2:58/km + 0.77km @ 3:53/km
4) 0.16km @ 3:03/km, Max = 2:54/km + 0.78km @ 3:52/km
5) 0.17km @ 3:00/km, Max = 2:53/km + 0.77km @ 3:54/km
6) 0.16km @ 3:04/km, Max = 2:57/km + 0.77km @ 3:55/km
8 Kilometres: 3:55/km average, 147bpm
Cool down: 1.00km in 5:08
I approached the surges by increasing my pace once after 10 seconds, and again after 20. I was running pretty much flat out come the end of the 30 seconds. I wasn’t allowing myself any recovery, and settled straight back into my general training pace. I was pleased how well I managed this and my heart rate responded appropriately. I’ll record this as one of my better long runs of late.
Totals: 1:34 - 23.59km


Sunday 21st February
8km Recovery
This was down as an 8 mile run in the plan, but between this and that, I didn’t have time for much more than the 8km I did run. Although after less than 3km today, I had already gone beyond a 10% increase on last week’s mileage. Consequently I didn’t feel too guilty about skimping on the recommended 8 miles.
Totals: 0:49 - 8.00km



Weekly Totals
Running - Time: 8:44, Distance: 118.58km
Cross training - Time: 2:50 (all virtual cycling)
S & C - Time: 0:00 (Not something I’m proud of, but my normal routine is out the window, and I find hard to start new habits when that’s the way things are.)

BeginnerRunner wrote: »

Having just saw the most recent circa 120km/week updated, I'm now off to pg1 to read from the start

Good luck with that. It’s 15 pages mostly filled with self doubt and worrying about being too fat. It probably reads like a teenage girl’s diary.

Monday 1st March
19km w/ 25 minute split tempo
Despite the appeal of the pancake flat Grand Canal Way, I decided I’d do this on normal roads. After my substandard tempo run last week, I was a little bit apprehensive about this. Before beginning the first 12½ minutes, I stopped to remove the base layer I was wearing. I stuffed it in a hedge, and 30 seconds later I was off, running in just a T-shirt for the first time since autumn.
Unlike last week, I didn’t aim for a particular pace. I was hoping what felt like a tempo effort would turn out a satisfactory pace. I don’t remember many downhill stretches over the first 12½ minutes tempo, but there must have been some. I certainly noticed them retracing my steps during the second part. The wind was at my back now though, and I never felt like I was over reaching.
While some bit off what I’m truly capable of for a tempo effort, the 3:28/km average finishing pace will do for now, and it left me in a much better mood than I was in after last week’s tempo run.
Totals: 1:21 - 19.06km


Tuesday 2nd March
Run 1 - 10km
Totals: 0:41 - 10.01km

Run 2 - 10km I’m not 100% sure of the accuracy of the HR readings on either of today’s runs. There were spikes and drops in both that don’t seem realistic, so I won’t bother logging the data.
Totals: 0:42 - 10.01km


Wednesday 3rd March
Distance Run w/ 8 x 30” surges + 3’ run
I was up in Dublin today, and did the bulk of this in the NSC. It was great to be back on familiar and unchanging terrain. With no surprises in store, it was easy gauge the effort required to hit the necessary paces. I was deliberately not going as deep for the surges as I did 11 days ago. I still increased the pace every 10 seconds, but come the end of each surge, the effort was far closer to what I’d be capable of holding in a 5k race.
Definitely good speed overall; but I was wearing Nike’s original 4% shoes. When I bought them, it was my avowed intention to save such expensive runners for a race, But the heels literally fell off after a race last August, and I’d no longer trust this particular pair. They had seen very little use up until then (100km approximately), so I think there should still be a little bit of life left in them. Today’s run would seem to confirm that suspicion.
Totals: 1:01 - 15.41km


Thursday 4th March
Distance Run - 14.50km I did the exact same run on the exact same route as last week. Just to get a comparison, I did it again. I was quicker today for a lower heart rate. Only that the wind was far less of a factor today, I’d chalk that down as an improvement.
Totals: 0:58 - 14.51kmn


Friday 5th March
Distance Run w/ 2 x 4 Miles at MP
The way my recent tempo runs have been going, I felt there was little point chasing my marathon PB pace of 3:27/km. I settled on :35km as a target, but I realised it wasn’t a pace I was simply going to be able to click into.
The first 4 miles actually passed comfortably enough. I had to work, but keeping things under my 3:35/km target didn’t prove too strenuous. The second 4 miles proved a little more difficult though. My legs just didn’t seem to want to cooperate, and there were several moments when I felt like throwing in the towel. I was nearing the end of the 4 miles, when I was confronted with a 480m hill, with 18m of elevation. Whilst running up it, my pace drifted out to 3:36/km. I was thinking “F*ck it, at least you tried!” But what goes up, must come down, and the same hill presented me a fast declivitous finish. I was able to claw back one second, and while I didn’t manage to hold :35/km pace for the second split, at least I can say my average pace for the 8 miles was passable.
I do find it a bit strange that even though it was by the skin of my teeth, I still hit the target I’d set myself. When I saw it was getting away from me in the last few hundred metres, I was able to dig a bit deeper to keep things on track; Central Governor being put back in his box, perhaps.
Totals: 1:07 - 17.14km


Saturday 6th March
Long Run - 15 miles easy
Steve Magness hadn’t tagged this as an easy run, but I felt like it had been a challenging enough week up until now. I thought I had earned the right to back off a bit. I plotted a route on Garmin Connect, and just had the course displayed on my watch for the entire run. I ignored all other metrics and concentrated on taking it easy.
Totals: 1:49 - 24.17km


Sunday 7th March
16km Recovery
I decided I’d explore Charleville Forest/Castle/(and as I found out) some farmer’s private land. It was about 3km from my front door to the gates of the castle, and once in the demesne, I followed paths into the thicket; some paths led to dead ends, and others which led to undergrowth so thick, simply moving forward became bushwhacker-esque. After such trials and tribulations, I found myself running down a path bordered by fields. There were sheep grazing to one side of me, and cows to the other. I was enjoying the scenery, when a lady emerged from a barn, cried out at me, and gestured for me to turn back. Now realising, I must have been trespassing on private land, I held my hand up in apology and turned round. I think the farmer realised it was an honest mistake, and she seemed to accept my apology. Incidentally, I somehow doubt I was the first person to inadvertently stray onto her land today. But anyway, after all this, I’d covered far more distance than I had planned. I began with 15km as my goal, but even by tagging on an extra one kilometre and one hundred metres, I was still well short of my house. I’d covered 10 miles by now though, the max distance Magness recommends for recovery runs. Happy with what I’d done, I contented myself with a long walk home through the town of Tullamore.
Totals: 1:32 - 16.10km

8km Recovery I hadn’t planned this run at all, but after sitting down for my afternoon breakfast, I logged onto Strava, and saw I was approximately 8km shy of increasing last week’s mileage by 10%. I’m happy with how my body is holding up, and I want to be able to log two 100 mile weeks in weeks 7 and 8 of this plan. I think it’s best if I start building up to 100 miles by small increments, rather than one big 40km jump. So tonight’s second daily run was the first step down that road.
Totals: 0:45 - 8.01km



Weekly Totals
Running - Time: 9:55, Distance: 134.40km
Cross training - Time: 1:25 All virtual cycling
S & C - Time: 0:00

Murph_D wrote: »

I’ve done that inadvertent trespass thing too. Always worth it.

Couple of questions:

1. Is NSC the sports campus, and if so we’re you on the grass or the roads? Do the 4% shoes work on grass - wouldn’t have thought so, especially if wet.

2. That MP split run - if HR was so much higher on second stretch, is it really M effort?

Cheers.

It’s the National Sports Campus I’m talking about alright, but I didn’t go near the X-country route. The run was all on road or at least hard paths. I can’t imagine the magic of the 4% shoes would work as well on grass, but I’ve never tried either.

You’re probably right, it wasn’t a marathon effort, and there’s no way I’d have kept the intensity up for 26 miles. But it was an out and back run, with a tailwind on the way out, and and a headwind on the way back. That definitely made the second 4 miles harder. But more often than not, I’d rather aggressively chase targets than just accept I’m not in shape, and run to feel. I think I’ve done alright with such an approach in the past, so until I see something that tells me this isn’t working, I don’t think I’ll change my approach. Looking at it now, I should have left out the word “Effort”. “4 miles at :35/km no matter the cost” would probably have been more apt.

Incidentally, 159bpm was my average HR for my 2:26 marathon.,

It’s already past my bedtime. I’ll give you a detailed reply tomorrow.

Monday 8th March
1 hour 40 minute w/ 30 minute split tempo I’d done a short spin on my turbo trainer this morning with a few accelerations in the hope it would be an ideal leg loosener for this tempo run. My legs felt a little bit dead when crunch time arrived, and I’m not sure if the earlier spot of cycling was a help or a hinderance.
I used a stretch of road I’d discovered on last Saturday’s long for the tempo efforts today. My memory of it was that it would be mostly downhill for efforts of 1 and 3. My memory turned out to be faulty though, and with what was mostly a gentle crosswind throughout, none of the efforts proved easier than another. I think I made an okay fist of things, but I’m well into the base period of the plan now, so I won’t start rejoicing. And come the pre-competition period, I’d hope to be a good few seconds faster for the effort I was putting in today.
After finishing the combined 30 minutes of tempo work, I could have taken a shorter route home, but had to go back to retrieve a few items of clothing I’d stashed in a hedge. It made for a long cool down, but at least it served to bump up my weekly mileage.
Totals: 1:40 - 22.06km


Tuesday 9th March
Run 1 - 8km I was wearing a very old and cheap pair of beaten up runners for this. Considering that, I was happy enough how easy I found it to hit my target pace. Or maybe I’m just over complicating things.
Totals: 0:32 - 8.00km

Run 2 - Distance run w/ 13km progression
A progression run wasn’t in the plan, but it was the boards monthly challenge, and I thought it would be possible to incorporate that into the 9-mile run that was on the plan. Some of the gaps were bigger than I was aiming for, and this meant I had to exceed the pace range I’ve set for general training runs. Still, I’m sure there was some benefit to the progression, and I wasn’t all that remorseful about going off script.
It was very windy tonight, and repeatedly running the same 1.2km loop, the wind was frequently changing from a headwind to a tailwind. The effort required to maintain pace shot up when tackling the headwind, then it became hugely beneficial as a tailwind. It was very hard to judge the effort required to keep the progression on track, but the HR stats above tell me I got things right.
Totals: 1:00 - 15.00km


Wednesday 10th March
17km w/ 6 x 10” & 2 x 20” hill sprints & 12km run I really felt the extra 10 seconds that were added to the 7th and 8th hill sprints. I find it hard to believe I didn’t hit my max speed during those two efforts, but this wasn’t the case according to Garmin Connect. Unlike the 10-second efforts, I felt the 2-minute walking recoveries were in order following the longer sprints.
The wind was horrible once more, and the way I’d planned my run had left me with 4km of heartbreak running straight into it. It was a huge help when at my back, and enabled me to record my second fastest kilometre split of 3:55 despite it including 11m of climbing. For comparisons sake, when the wind was at its worst, I could only manage a 4:00 kilometre, despite 9m of elevation loss.
I was delighted to finish is probably the best thing I could say about this run.
Totals: 1:20 - 17.00km


Thursday 11th March
Distance Run - 12km Just like last night’s run, the bloody wind is my abiding memory of this run. I hadn’t noticed how strong it was blowing until turning into it midway through kilometre 7. It became a real struggle for the next while. I merely detail the net elevation gain and HR for each split to show how hard I was having to work, while still not always bringing things home on target.
But just like last night, it was another run ticked off, and thankfully I don’t have to deal with wind like today’s on every run.
Totals: 0:50 - 12.01km

Run 2 - Distance run 10km I felt I’d been bet up enough on the previous two runs, so I decided not to push the pace below 4:00/km tonight. The wind was still blowing, but nothing like earlier in the day. I wasn’t taking any chances with it though, and stuck to the more sheltered routes I’ve discovered around Tullamore.
Totals: 0:43 - 10.00km


Friday 12th March
Distance Run w/ 6 x (200m strides + 200m jog) I left this until quite late in the evening, and the modus operandi was to just run and hope for the best once the 1,000m warmup was out of the way. I was a bit slower than I was hoping, and coming towards the end of proceedings, I put in a bit of a dig to unsuccessfully bring the 12km section in at 4:09/km pace. I clearly haven’t my training pace dialled in yet; a sign I’m not as fit as I’d like to be.
Totals: 1:11 - 16.40km


Saturday 13th March
Long Run - 15 miles easy w/ 10min pick-up Sorry, but I’m going to bitch about the wind once again; 36.9kph according to Strava. The running gods seemed to be toying with me all week. When I needed the wind’s help the most today, it instead conspired to provide the biggest hinderance it could.
I managed 21km at 3:59/km, and the first quarter of my 10-minute without over extending myself. It was then though the fun started. I’d broken the 10 minutes into 2½-minute segments, and the targets for each segment were <4:00/km, :50/km. :40/km, and :30/km consecutively.
I was a bit too fast for the first quarter, but wouldn’t say hitting 3:47/km pace completely derailed things. As long as I went even 1 second per kilometre faster for the next split, I’d have given myself the proverbial slap on the back. A c*ntish drag and the wind put paid to that though. I was running northwards on Tullamore bypass, and the longer I stayed on this road, the more it swung round forcing me into a head on battle with a northwesterly wind. If there was an easy out, I would have taken it, but ploughing on and accepting whatever numbers GPS threw up was the only option.
Even though it was a very humbling experience, I’d like to think given better circumstances, I’d have hit my target paces for the 10-minute build. There’ll be calmer days with more favourable terrain in future, so time will tell I guess.
Totals: 1:40 - 25.03km


Sunday 14th March
13km Recovery This was my last run in Tullamore, and I was greeted with a damp, drizzly morning to send me on my way. The strong winds had died down though, so in comparison to the previous few days, it felt like I was leaving a runner’s paradise.
Totals: 1:16 - 13.00km

6km Recovery My Tullamore odyssey is over, and I came back up to Dublin for the resumption of classroom learning tomorrow. Between doing laundry, packing my car, driving to Dublin, unpacking my car, and whatnot it was nearly 11 p.m. when I was finally ready to begin this run. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have bothered with it, but I was determined to hit the 90-mile weekly target Magness had set.
One and a half laps clockwise, and one and a half laps anti-clockwise around my estate saw me meet that target, and in the process log my highest weekly mileage since my halcyon days of 2018.
Totals: 0:37 - 6.00km



Weekly Totals
Running - Time: 10:50, Distance: 144.53km
Cross training - Time: 1:44 All virtual cycling
S & C - Time: 0:00

shotgunmcos wrote: »

I hear you Zico. I would LOVE to get over to UL for a swim, just to feel the water. Likely I'll brave the sea before that happens.

Although in a slower league, I'm on a similar path. 10k plan with a TT then bridge to the marathon. 8 weeks 10k plan then 5 week bridge to start a DCM plan, if its a thing. Have you done a 10k/speed block before a marathon plan before?

Honestly don't know how you could be focused on triathlon, let alone long distance at this time!

Do you feel you have unfinished business with the marathon or would you do a plan and be content with the output of whatever you put into it?

True that Kona will always be there and your competitiveness per age group will always be there too. Running faster only goes so far

I would definitely benefit from pools being open. But to be honest, there's nothing enticing about the Irish Sea right now. It actually suits me that it's outside my 5km radius. I'll wait for a summer heatwave before I consider taking the plunge.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Whatever league you're in, I imagine getting faster over shorter distances can only benefit one's marathon training. I'm sure there are faster guys than me who've had success with our approach.

Bar training for marathons, I've never before followed a tailored running plan. So, no, I've never done a 10k/speed block before a marathon plan before. It will be interesting to see what comes of this. I'm not seeing it yet, but with 13 weeks still to go, I do expect to get faster, and if nothing else, I'd be confident of at least bettering my official 10km PB of 33:52. Just hopefully, there's an official race I can do it in. After that, I'll reassess, but whether it's Ironman or marathon I end up training for, the 21 weeks won't have been a waste of time.

I don't feel like I've any unfinished business in the marathon. I could have paced DCM 2018 far more sensibly, but it's not a regret. It was my goal for a long time to break 2:30, I did that, and if that's my lot, I'll be happy with it. But of course, much always wants more, and I haven't yet accepted that's the best time I'll ever do. With carbon fibre plated soles now in play, something I didn't have in 2018, I'll stubbornly hold onto the belief that my best times can still be broken.

Itziger wrote: »

This should be reposted every time someone asks about Easy runs. Many of you will probably have seen a YouTube clip of a guy singing the old Easy Days Easy mantra. He says one day he came across an elite female runner walking a small hill and asked her if she was ok (thought she was injured!) When she said she was fine, he asked her why she was walking..... Her response, Today is an easy day, if I run up this hill it's not easy..... I think so many of us are guilty of that mistake. I used to be terrible but I have improved a bit. One answer might be to leave the watch at home altogether and just jig jog away. Although I like Zico's "Could this be easier?" version too.

I feel I should clarify that I was talking about recovery runs, not easy runs, in the post you quoted. I draw a very clear distinction between the two. When someone takes up running for the first time, frequently asking the question "Could this be easier?" might be useful. But as soon as you pick a target time, you need to think differently about your easy runs. I’d go so far as to say “easy” is a bit of a misnomer, and if you instead think of them as “general aerobic” runs, the term used by Pfitzinger and Douglas, then the necessary shift in mindset happens.

I recognise “easy” is a subjective term, but it definitely shouldn’t mean “ridiculously easy”, which is what my recovery runs are. For me easy is a pace that is just slower than the 3:48-4:09/km range I target for my normal distance runs. I worked that out from my MP + 10%-20%, as advised by P & D in ‘Advanced Marathoning’. I allow myself a more generous margin for what I would deem an easy run, and add an extra 10% to my MP. So the pace range for my easy runs is between 120-140% of my marathon pace. That works out as 4:09-4:49/km. if I’m north of that, then I work to bring my pace back in range. If that wasn’t easy, then there’d be something seriously amiss.

And to be honest, following Magness’s 10,000m plan has me wondering how frequently you need to resort to easy running. While recovery runs are a frequent feature of the plan, there are only two complete runs tagged as “easy” in the entire 21 weeks. And one of them is only 2 days before the goal race. It’s a 6-7 mile run, and by then, I’d hope 4:09/km pace for that distance is a piece of p!ss. If it’s not, then I’m in for a world of pain 2 days later.