Berlin Q or Bust: Road to sub 2:45

Manchester Marathon Week 4

Mon: 12k Recovery: 1:03:16 @5:16/km

6am shuffle around the bog before heading out west on holidays.

Tue: 13k Easy: 1:04:25 @4:56/km

The Armada in Spanish Point was our HQ for the week. Holidaying with 3 young kids is, in my experience anyway, always a pretty intense experience 😁 The plan was there but I wasn't going to kill myself to fit stuff in. Plan was to get runs in very early each morning and be back showered and ready for breakfast roll call.

This one took me along the coast, past Whitestrand and towards Lahinch before turning around about 4 miles in. Ropey-ish roads to run on at busier periods I'd imagine, but were deserted at that hour.

Wed: 5 Miles Easy: 38:31 @4:47/km

Had a session down on the plan, but slept it out and didn't get out the door until close to 7am. Pretty tired so just mooched around, managing to catch a pretty spectacular rainbow over the Atlantic before getting an equally spectacular drenching on the way back to the hotel.

Thu: 12 Miles Relaxed: 1:23:50 @4:20/km

Had about 90 mins window for this one and plotted out a route that would get me a 13mile loop or so. Into Milltown Malbay and by my reckoning I needed to take the 3rd right out the Flag road. This of course was fine in theory, but I started to think that the 2nd right I'd passed was in fact the 3rd right. The prospect of arriving back late for breakfast was not an enticing one, so I turned back and took said 2nd right. Met a nice lady a few km down that stretch and she gave me a bit of a steer as to how to extricate myself from my current predicament. With the time lost being lost and the route change, only managed the 12 miles in the end but was happy enough.

Fri: 10 Miles Easy: 1:18:03 @4:59/km

Last run around the banner. Great few days was had by all. I was pretty wrecked by the end of the week I have to say. Eating out everyday and packing in all the usual holiday activities wouldn't leave you feeling particularly sharp.

Sat: Rest. Unplanned.

We're getting our attic converted and the start date was brought forward by a week...which meant I'd a day of clearing out the attic. I often look at guys who I run with that have physically demanding jobs, and marvel at how they manage to train and race after a hard day's work. Anyway, I'm not one of those guys. Had LR planned, but by the time I'd finished in the afternoon, I pushed the LR to the Sunday and just took the day off.

Sun: LR: 20 Miles inc 10 Miles @MP

Wasn't sure how I was feeling for this one. Was a bit fuzzy after the week's indulgences and my stair repeats the previous day. Happily I felt pretty damn good on this one. Had a vague route in mind which would see do the last 6 miles of the MP section on the Lidl loop. Did 8 and and a bit miles to warm up, averaging about 6:50, but having to reign myself in after Mile 4 clocked in at 6:44. These miles felt pretty effortless and I sort of knew I was gonna have a good day from there. Took on some fluids and had a bit of a stretch before I started the MP section. First mile was fairly downhill (6:11) and then the was a tasty 400m hill at the start of the second mile which I often use for hill repeats. I attacked this section and after coming down the other side on a gradual decline, the second mile clocked in at 6:06. 'Steady here Johnny' I found myself repeating. During the next mile I felt a bit of a issue with the sole of my left shoe. Thought nothing of it, but it became pretty irritating so I pulled in and took off the shoe to find that the rear crash pad of the Next% was starting to come away. Tore off the bit in question and said I'd see how things developed. If I had to call back home for an 'AMK-mid-session-shoe change' then so be it. 6:14 and 6:10 miles got me down to the loop, where I'd some water waiting for me. The 2 loops saw me lock into a nice rhythm which was only interrupted by me having to tear off the rest of that crash pad on the shoe. Last 6 miles were 6:11,6:12,6:12, 6:09,6:12,6:13 giving me 61:50 for the 10 miles.

Felt good afterwards and headed up to Croker tobsee the Lilywhites meekly accept their beating 😔

Just over 100k for the week. I really just need a few quiet and consistent weeks now. I've had some decent runs but I don't feel like I'm sharp enough or fit enough for where I need to be right now.

Fri: 10k Recovery: 55mins ish

Without going into too much detail, a friend needed a 10k run that totalled around 68 mins. So took his watch and ambled around the Curragh plains for my own run, stopping a couple times to chat to people I'd met and sitting in car with watch still running at the end. I actually ran about 12k but forgot to start my own watch at a couple of junctures. Hadn't ran on the plains for a while and enjoyed the run.

Sat: 5.8k w/strides: 26:57 @4:37/km

Ran down to the Liffey Linear park to get a few strides in. Threw on the Hyperion Tempos for this one as they were looking a bit lonely on the shoe carousel 😁 I think I've found their niche; pre raceday shakeouts!

Sun: Race: Kilbeggan 10 Mile: 59:35 @3:42/km

My mate/athlete who I'm coaching :), drove for this one. Was a bit tired waking up as despite my poor week's sleep, I watched both the Olympic marathons and then got up to watch the boxing. 

Got up to Kilbeggan about 10am and after taking care of the necessary went for a warm up out the opening stretch of the race. This was a long, straight drag into a stuff enough breeze and didn't exactly send the spirits soaring :) Felt pretty flat and tired during this but this feeling is never necessarily a portent of a poor day to follow. 

Caught up with a couple of clubmates and also had a quick chat with Djemba Djemba from these parts and it was great to meet in person after a couple of years of chatting in these parts. 

My mantra was simple; 'Race effort. Race effort.' I knew I wasn't fresh, and I knew a fast time was probably out of the question. This meant I had to check the ego and accept that guys who I'd like to be a lot closer to were going to be down the road. All that mattered was putting in a showing that would continue to build fitness towards Manchester. 

At this juncture I have to say how great it was to be on a startline again after 18 months away. It was pretty much like the good old days and I did take a moment to appreciate this as we waited for the off. 

As Mick Clohisey, John Travers, Conor Duffy and a few others rocked up to the start line it was pretty clear that although a relatively small field, it was high in quality. 3,2,1 and off we went... 

First 6k or so was a long stretch on the main road out of Kilbeggan, and it was basically uphill until 4k. I was determined to work my way cautiously into proceedings so I found myself falling off a couple of groups that, on another day, might have went with. 5:56 and 6:01 clocked for the first couple of miles and I'm sort of in no mans land, but not too preturbed about that. Mile 3 clocks in at 5:57 before we turned off the main road to a fairly generous 4th mile which came in at 5:50.

I'm catching and passing a good few runners here that had clearly gone out too quick and were now paying the price. This wasn't really providing me with a whole lot of energy though. Was feeling flat and tired and some doubts were starting to gnaw away. 5th mile clocks in at 5:57, giving me 29:41 for the first half. Not bad I thought, and whilst I wasn't fleecing myself, I wasn't sure what was in the legs as I moved towards the business end of the race. 

Miles 6 & 7 were full of little pulls and drags and they really took their toll on my mojo out there today. Had fallen in with/tailgated a group of 3 Raheny runners, and after hanging off them for these two miles, 6:03 & 6:01, once we (finally) made the left turn for the downwind stretch for home I decided I may share a few turns at the front!

Mile 8 was another generous one and, now that we were close to home, I mustered up a bit of a spurt. This beeps in at 5:53 and although the legs are leaden enough, I'm able to cajole myself into miantaining the effort. This 9th mile is grim enough, loads of drags and I'm clinging onto the Raheny lads for most of it. At this point a lad from Piranha Tri Club who I always seem to be around in races has passed us on the previous mile. I decide to try and go after him and one of the Raheny guys follows suit. The penultimate mile clocks in at 6:01.

Start of the final 9 has a mountainous motorway bridge to traverse. I jest here, sort of. Anyway, c...r....a....w....l slowly up said bridge and try to empty whatever is in the tank. The 3rd female is up the road and I try use her as a target. Pass her and Piranha. I'm not looking at the watch now. 400m out now and the finish line is in sight. Last kick for home, Raheny kicks back and goes by, try to respond but I run out of road. 5:48 for the final mile and 59:35 for the chip time and 58th overall. 

Chats with a couple of clubmates after. Met Djemba Djemba again and congratulated him on a brilliant run. My buddy ran in the low 63's for a big PB and is looking good for his sub 3 tilt in Manchester. 

Takeaways from the race. 

*I'm not sure where exactly I am. I'd like to be faster over these sort of distances but my training is geared exclusively towards Manchester. It's a choice I've made with my coach and whether or not it's the right one, will only be proven come October 10th in Manchester. 

*I still can't shake the feeling that I should be running quicker. 

*It was great to race. I really took them for granted when time's were normal.

*That was a tricky enough route, not helped by the breeze.

*I maybe need a 'good' day in a race before Manchester. Will chat to Seán and see what he thinks about a small taper for the HM in 3 weeks time. I can't help thinking that I need to put a score on the board in Antrim if I'm to have the confidence to go after 2:45 in October. It's all well and good running a decent time on tired legs, or 1:19:10 in a HM TT on a hot day when I struggled. I'd like a day where I just go out and perform.

Around 110k for the week. 

Manchester Marathon Week 6

Mon: 10 Miles Recovery: 1:24:36 @5:15/km

Shuffled around the estate for a few boring miles whilst making sure my two fellas weren't burning down the house.

Headed to Naas in the afternoon for the first round of golf I've played in 2 and a half years. Enjoyed it and was actually hitting it half decent by the end.

Tue: 9 Miles Easy: 1:13:18 @5:08/km

More estate laps. The Nike Invincibles are without an equal for these shuffles. Pillows.

Wed: 19.6k in 6x1 mile off 2 mins.

Plan was to not go too crazy at this and see how the body was feeling after Sunday. Headed down to the track, whose gravel had gotten a bit of a resurface which was badly needed.

Had 5:35-5:40 as a ballpark target, and was feeling decent enough as I was warming up. Felt pretty good during the reps and the pace felt pretty manageable. The 2 mins recovery felt generous too tbh. All in all, a good day.

Splits: 5:35, 5:34, 5:32, 5:36, 5:34, 5:32

Thu: 14.2k: 1:09:53 @4:56/km

Caught up with an old pal during this and the run flew by.

Fri: 11.5k: 58:06 @5:05/km

Fri evening shuffle before the return of the football. Arsenal gonna Arsenal I suppose...😋

Sat: 7 Miles Easy: 57:49 @5.08/km

Morning trip out and back on the Naas dual carraigeway.

Sun: LR 20 Miles: 2:10:43 @4:03/km

Didn't get out until half eleven for this one and had seen a few people bang out great runs all weekend so was buzzing and rearing to go for this one.

Plan was 5 miles off/on by two, with the 'on' at MP. Figured out a route where I'd run up to the Camp and do the first 5 miles 'on' on the loop, then run back down to the Lidl loop and do the second 5 miles 'on' there.

Set off in drizzly conditions, but with little breeze it was actually quite nice to run in. Had no specific target for the 'off' miles, but I wanted to run them at a decent clip. To be honest I was having to reign myself in for these miles, trying to keep as much as possible in reserve for the MP sections. Feeling great and these miles clocked in at 33:40 (6:48,6:46,6:45,6:51,6:40). 

Had a little drink stashed on the loop, so took that and popped a gel quickly before I started the first 5 miles MP. These miles went like clockwork on the loop. Whilst I've considerably cut down on how much I use the loop, it does come in handy for stuff like this. Anyway, was bopping along nicely and after finishing up the 5 miles I was away back towards the town. 31:02 (6:10,6:13,6:14,6:11,6:14) for this section.

A couple of down hills and a couple of decent drags and I'm crossing the Liffey ready for the last 5 miles. The 5 miles off came in at 33:52 (6:43,6:44,6:47,6:51,6:47).

Had more water and a gel left at the Pfizer loop. Tiring a little now but feeling pumped and eager to finish strong. Found it a little harder to jump back to MP, as the first mile was into whatever breeze there was, and the Lidl loop always accentuates any wind there might be. 6:25 beeps on the watch, didn't feel that slow I think, but not to worry. Try to get back on pace and follow it up with a 6:16. Definitely feeling tired now, get caught up a little bit with some traffic and mile 18 beeps at 6:20. I've 2 miles to go now and I'm 2k away from home. Decide to make up the deficet at the end of the run and head for home. I've picked up the pace now and hoping to finish strong. Glance at current lap pace, '4:00/km' 😯 What's going on here me thinks. Up it a little more, glance down again...4:15/km' 😡 oh FFS! I don't need this at this stage of the run! GPS comes around eventually and mile 19 clocks in at 6:20, in reality was closer to 6:10 I reckon. Final mile included a couple of about turns and estate cul de sacs and comes in at 6:25. 31:41 for the final MP section. A bit slower than planned, but first mile aside, this was down to the GPS.

Really happy with that one.

121k for the week. 

Manchester Marathon Week 7

Mon: 11.4k Recovery: 59:22 @5:13/km

Bog shuffle. Body in decent enough fettle.

Tue: 14.8k Easy: 1:11:55 @4:51/km

Estate laps. Again, legs felt fresh.

Wed: 16k Easy: 1:17:52 @4:52/km

Meant to do a session, but various happenings meant that didn't materialise. Got in some estate laps on auto pilot. Head a bit melted. 

Thu: Session: 2 x 2 Mile: 11:02 & 11:11

Previous day's hectic happenings were repeated. Ended up with a pretty short window to get something in. Plan was for 3x2 mile with 5k w/u & c/d but that just wasn't a runner. Got out the door at 7, but had to be back for 8:15 as Mrs Healy 1835 was heading out for dinner. So, tired and underfuelled, I took myself up to the Lidl loop to get in 2 x 2 mile with considerably shorter w/u and c/d.

The reps were to be run at 'a good hard belt'. No paces accompanied this advice, so I just went hard and tried to hang on basically. First 2 miles were on an 800m-ish flat section of the loop from one roundabout to another. There was a decent breeze and I wanted to keep the reps fairly consistent so this seemed like a good idea. 400m into the first rep I'm already questioning the loop, the pace, the bloody benefit of what I'm doing. I've already decided to try something else for the second rep as mile 1 beeps at 5:32. This pace is not at all welcome tonight. I dig in and somehow manage to turn around a 5:30 mile for an 11:02 split. Jesus, there's no way I could crack out another of those I muse out loud. Certainly not 3 as originally planned anyway.

However, 5 mins is a long recovery time, and the fact I'd only 1 more to go, made me a little more positive. Decided I'd just go a mile out and back for the second rep. It would involve the first mile into the breeze and a little drag, but the second mile should help me home. First mile beeps at 5:42 but I'd rescued it a little as I was on 5:50 pace for the first 600m or so. Turned on the mile beep and rinsed myself for the final mile, coming in at 5:29.

Cool down back to the house for 9 miles on the button. AMK might be wondering what I'd run a 10k in. I'd like to say sub 35, but after how those paces felt, I wouldn't be too sure.

Still though, got in something and as the night wore on, I was increasingly happier with my effort.

Friday: 13.6k Easy: 1:08:25 @5:02/km

Early evening mooch around the town.

Sat: 14 Miles Relaxed: 1:35:16 @4:14/km

Cut back distance and intensity of LR this week and also put it on the Saturday, 8 days out from Larne. Run itself was fairly straightforward, with only an early return to the homestead to go to the toilet getting in the way. Pace felt very comfortable on a very damp morning.

Sun: 12.6k Easy: 1:02:54 @4:59/km

Recovery around the bog.

106km for the week. Down on what I'd planned, but each kilometer seemed to be hard earned this week 😁

Race week beckons. I feel that as this HM is 6 weeks out and the fact I've a few decent LR's under the belt, that I can ease up a little this week and give the Half a good rattle. As opposed to Trim and Carlingford last year and Kilbeggan a couple of weeks ago. 

Manchester Marathon Week 9

Mon: 7 Miles Easy: 55:29 @4:55/km

Non descript trot around the town.

Tue: 13.7k inc 5x1 mile off 3 min light jog.

Had a small window to get this one in, so again I had to compromise on warm up and cool down. Plan was for 5:40's, just focusing on turnover and rythym. Was pleasantly surprised by how decent I felt on these. Paces came in a little quicker than prescripted, but effort levels were on point.

(5:31, 5:28, 5:30, 5:29, 5:36)

Wed: Rest

Had decided to take a rest day at some point this week, and Wednesday just ended up being a busy day so it seemed as good a time as any to take it.

Thu: 8.4k Easy: 40:40 @4:50/km

Trot after school.

Fri: 8.1k Easy: 42:54 @5:18/km

Out before 6 am for this one. Just tipping easily into the HM.

Sat: 5.3k Easy inc 5x20 sec strides: 26:13 @ 4:58/km

Squeezed in a shakeout before heading up North.

Sun: Race: Antrim Coast Half Marathon

Preamble: 

Decided late enough in the day to stay up the night before, so by the time we looked for accomodation there was nothing available anywhere near Larne. Ended up in the Maldron out by the International Airport, maybe the most soulless spot I've ever stayed in. Left Newbridge at lunchtime, and got up to the hotel in time to watch the Kerry-Tyrone game in the room. News came through that AMK sadly had to pull out due to a stout related ankle injury ☹️

Nipped down for a decent enough pizza for dinner and then back up the room where I was out for the count by 9:30. Restless night's sleep followed by a 6am alarm. 2 bowls of Crunchie Nut Cornflakes (other brands are available) and 2 slices of toast down the hatch, and off we set. 

Parked up in a shopping centre cark park, managed to convince a sports shop owner to let me use his toilet😜, then moseyed down to watch the elite race come by and went back to the car to get changed. Walked up the park area where runners were asked to warm up. 

Park was pretty jammers and the portaloo situation was pretty grim by the looks of things. Let's just say that the warm up was punctuated by runners of all profiles going in and out of the bushes. 

DJ was playing some tunes and also announcing the various waves time to head to the start area. No signage of any kind as to actually where this start line was, but after watching the various waves leave the park we were a little wiser.

'Yellow (Sub 80mins) Wave to the start line'. Was with a couple of clubmates at this point, so we tipped down towards the road. Once we got there it was just total confusion. No signage, most people unsure of which direction to go. Walked towards what we presumed was the start line but we quickly came to a bottleneck. What ensued was about 15 mins of extremely slow progress as the marshals and other runners tried to get the crowds to move backwards so that the front of the field could get back behind the start line. The first couple of hundred runners were like sardines in a can. No craic at all, but I was surprisingly calm, which in hindsight, boded well...

The Race:

Decided to head out tentatively as the chances for carnage in the first few hundred meters were high. Thankfully nothing too crazy went down and apart from the GPS on my watch kicking in a little late, we were off and running. 5:51 beeps for the 1st mile and while it's a little quick, it's also downhill and I've probably ran a little quicker than planned due to the GPS being out for a while. Heading out towards the ferry terminal, pace is quick and I'm just trying to ease into things, sticking with a little group for a while. 5:50 beeps for mile 2, but i think there was a little GPS assist of a couple if seconds there. Anyway, clipping nicely but I know there's a little drag coming back into the town in the 4th mile so I figure I might give a couple of seconds back there. Mile 3 comes in at 5:53 and as I suspected, the 4th mile comes in at 6 mins. 

Heading down out of the town towards the coast road and it's quick. I'm holding back on this mile and the group I was in has gone up the road a little. Despite this, the mile comes in at 5:50. Course markings had me about 10 secs slower than my watch, so I was around 29:34 through 5 miles.

So now we're out on the coast road, running into a bit of a breeze with the field spread out in front of me. Systems check. Where am I? How am I feeling? What's the plan from here? It became apparent pretty quickly that the little group I was attached to were pulling clear and I had a decision to make. A Sligo AC runner comes alongside me and suggests we both make up the 15m or so and get back onto the group. I'm feeling okay at this point but I make the decision to back off slightly, take my chances solo and hopefully kick on and finish strong when we turn at Ballygally around 8 Miles. 

The scenery is pretty spectacular here, and whilst I'm digging in, i know im having a decent day. No demons or doubts in my head like Kilbeggan a couple of weeks back. Miles 6 and 7 come in at 6:00 & 6:03 respectively. There's the first water station at around 7 Miles which, in my opinion anyway, isn't really sufficient. If the day was warmer then this may have been a bigger issue, but I was parched at that point, so I can only imagine how some of the runners who had been out for 90 mins plus felt by that stage. 

Through Ballygally and turning back around. Mile 8 comes in at 6:01, but there's an immediate boost in pace once downwind and a little downhill resulting in mile 9 of 5:55. Group from earlier on has splintered considerably and a couple of runners have already come back to me. Go through 10 Miles at 59:17 on the watch and under 59:30 on the course which is faster than Kilbeggan. I know I'm dicing with sub 78, but I'm not doing any mental maths. I'm racing now and trying to pick off as many people as possible, distracting myself from focusing on my own effort levels. 

Mile 11, 5:54......Mile 12. 5:53......I know now that I've a decent PB in the bag barring a disaster. That being said, 2 runners in front of me pull up as enter the final mile. My shouts of encouragement falling on tired ears. I'd noted a little drag back into the town on the way out and now I had to negotiate it. Probably worth giving my km 20 individual split here, 3:44, as it was a bit of a momentum killer. 

Right Johnny, do you want to get under 78 mins or not? An extremely sharp downhill onto the promenade finishing straight was excruciating, but now it's time to empty the tank. I look to the legs for a response and they give me one. Strava tells me that Km 21 was a 3:32 and the last 180m were at 3:27 pace which contributed to a 5:50 last mile. I can see the finish and i know I've still a bit of work to do. Bite down and get in under the 78 mins for a 1:17:55 chip time 😁

Chats with some clubmates afterwards, collected t shirt and medal, and enjoyed that nice warm fuzzy pb feeling 😄

Had most of this written earlier but my dog has woken me up so I decided I'd finish this report off. 41 days to Manchester and this the confidence booster I needed. I ran a sensible race backed off when I needed to, dug in when I had to, and finished strong when things were in the melting pot. On we go. 

Manchester Marathon Week 11

Been a while since I've done a post-midweek session update to the log...

Mon: 14k Recovery: 1:15:41 @5:24/km

Was after 9pm by the time I got out for this one 😮 But eyes are firmly on the prize and I shuffled out the door into the night to get this one in. Brilliant Second Captains pod on the soccer helped tremendously and the whilst the legs were quite tired, they were feeling better by the end.

Tue: 9 Miles Easy: 1:13:04 @5:03/km

Baking hot for this one, but once again I could feel things coming around as the run went on.

Wed: Session 3x3 Miles off 5 mins jog

Straight out the door of the school onto the loop in the Camp for this one. I knew I'd be tight enough on time so I decided to not impinge on the reps but rather cut down the wu and cd.

Plan was for 18:15-18:05 pace. Managed to make a hames of programming in workout on the watch, so had to split workout into 2 activities (which I hate 🙄). Also meant it was actually 3 x 4.8k rather than 3 miles. But I knew the paces I was aiming for.

This was maybe the strongest I've felt during the block. Averaged under 6min mile pace on all 3 reps and was just cruising really. Would have liked to get a little more distance in, but had to settle for around 19k for the day.

A confidence boosting session 👍

Last 20 miler next Sunday, but just a steady effort. Nothing else too crazy in there; couple of MLR's, 10 Mile Tempo, couple of smaller sessions. Might make it up to the PP for a run at some point 🙂

Manchester Marathon: Week 11 of 14 😮

Mon: 8 Miles Recovery: 1:05:43@5:06/km

Up at 5:30 am for this one as my eldest fella who is in 4th class now, finally made his communion Monday evening. Run was non-descript, Communion was grand. He's fairly easy going and doesn't get too overwhelmed by things. Domino's Pizza afterwards with extended family was as raucous as things got on a Monday evening 🙂

Tue: 16.5k Easy: 1:20:46@4:53/km

Decent afternoon's work around the Curragh and surrounding areas.

Wed: 13.5k Easy: 1:09:08@5:07/km

Had one of 'those' days where life happened and was left lacing up shoes at 8:30 in the evening facing into a 6x1 mile session that I was completely under-prepared for. The gist of advice from people whom I trust as of late has basically been 'DFIU in the last couple of weeks by doing something stupid'. So I took off the Saucony's, threw on the Pegasus 35's, and plodded around for 70 mins.

Thu: MLR 14 Miles Relaxed: 1:34:33 @4:12/km

Aside from doing this during the commuting rush hour of 5-6pm and getting held up at every conceivable junction and traffic light on the route, this run was great. I am getting a real feel that fitness is approaching a peak. Will try and ride this out for the next 3 weeks. It's exciting, but also it's almost 'that' time. Jebuz summed it up fairly well on his log post regarding the mental vagaries of the last couple of weeks before a marathon 🤯 I've always found it difficult not to over analyse things in the lead up, and I'm sure sitting down and watching/tracking Berlin and London marathons over the next couple of weeks will have me bouncing off the walls! Hopefully I'll have some fresh inspiration from other peoples' races. AMK mentioning training on the DCM route did make me really miss the whole build up to DCM. Maybe in an ideal world, I'll get my Berlin 2022 Q in Manchester, and pace DCM or something next year. You see this is what happens, I'm waffling now...........

Manchester Marathon Week 11 cont'd

Fri: 10k Easy: 53:04 @5:18/km

Shuffled around at the ungodly hour of 8:30 pm on a Friday evening 😴 In autopilot getting out for these runs atm. A good sign for me anyway. 

Sat: 7 Miles Easy: 54:17 @4:49/km

Late afternoon around the bog after a busy day ferrying kids to matches, training etc. 

Sun: 20 Miles Relaxed: 2:14:36 @4:11/km

Last 20 miler of the block. My buddy who's going having a rattle at sub 3 in Manchester was having his last big MP run so I said I'd meet him in the camp and fall in with for a few of them. Was a bit off with the timing so had to wait a few minutes for him to arrive which wasn't ideal to be fair as I had cooled down quite significantly and really shouldn't have let that happen. Anyway, no damage done and the run was as straightforward as you could ask for really. 

Looking back over my LR's, and have managed to fit 8x20 miles in with today's effort being the slowest average pace of them all 😮 not that this stat actually tells you anything about the LR's themselves, but I got a bit of a kick out of it all the same. 

Not easing off massively just yet. Have a juicy enough effort on Wednesday to take care of, but that's the last of the 20 milers anyway. Really looking forward to tracking Djemba Djemba & Jebuz next Sunday morning, it's been too long since I spent a morning staring at a tracker...😁

120k for the week.