My first Marathon and first log log

marathon2022 · 07-11-2021 11:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118133801#Comment_118133801

Hey, really appreciate the advise.

The next few weeks I hope to nail down the pace ranges and gain more a disciplined mindset. If I'm being honest I found it really hard to keep todays 12 mile at 8.15. Planned a meandering hilly route to keep it easy (I'm thinking 8.30 so far) but my focus let me down. Enjoying the run and forgetting about the plan.

Also made the wrong shoe choice today, stuck the endorphin speed on. Like biscuit's for my feet.

Have to buy some daily workhorses, my Reebok's are on the way out and the vaporflys are to expensive/fast to use for long easy runs.

skyblue46 · 07-11-2021 11:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118133985#Comment_118133985

I'm sure your plan will give you pace guides but they would be based on fairly level ground. If you are depending on a hilly route to slow you down it means that you are working too hard. Have a day or two that feels embarrassingly slow. Keep your powder dry for your sessions...

marathon2022 · 07-11-2021 11:37pm

Your right. It's very possible the sessions will knock the over enthusiastic easy runs on the head.

Next week the plan has 32 miles aerobic and only 6 easy. With sessions proper starting the week after.

Let's hope the weather stays mild this winter 🌄

Murph_D · 08-11-2021 1:15am

Aerobic is easy, so no problem there.

Irish weather is perfect for year round running. It's gas the way people think we have bad winter conditions for running. As I always say, look at Newfoundland (same latitude).

Happy running.

marathon2022 · 14-11-2021 2:47pm

Week 2 of 3-WEEK PREP PHASE

Easy running this week, kind of enjoyed it.

Monday, work, study, no runs

Tuesday, Aerobic Run 6.4 miles @ 8.07 per mile

Wednesday, Easy Run 6.0 miles at 8.50 per mile

Thursday, Aerobic Run 7.4 miles at 8.11 per mile

Friday, work, study, no runs (Ice cream, Pizza, Coke, yum)

Saturday, Aerobic Run 5 miles at 8.08 per mile

Today, Aerobic Run 13 miles at 8.02 per mile.

Next week the sessions start 😀

Roll on April

marathon2022 · 21-11-2021 4:43pm

Week 3 of 3-WEEK PREP PHASE

Monday, work, study, no run

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 6 x (0.2mile uphill at 5/10K pace, 30 seconds rest and 0.2mile downhill at MP, 90 seconds rest between sets), 2 miles warm down.

Wednesday - 6 miles at 8.40 per mile

Thursday - 2 miles WU, 2 x 2 Miles at Half Marathon pace with 3 minutes slow jog in between, 2 miles warm down

Friday - junk food and Wheel of time

Saturday - 6 miles at 8.30 per mile

Sunday - 8 miles easy(8.40), 10 x (1 minute 5/10km pace, then 1 minute at HMP), 2 miles warm down. what a lovely day out there.

Next week starts the 6-week building phase. some juicy sessions are on the way.

marathon2022 · 28-11-2021 9:11pm

Week 1 of 6 - WEEK BUILDING PHASE

Monday - Day off

Tuesday - 2 miles warm-up easy pace, 5 x 1K at 10k pace with 2 minutes rest, 2 mile warm-down.

Wednesday - 6 mile easy

Thursday - 6 miles aerobic

Friday- Day off

Saturday- 4 mile warmup easy, 4 x 2 miles at MP with 2 min jog/walk between, 2 mile warm down easy

Sunday - 9 mile easy

The Tuesday session took it out of me. More of the same this week.

marathon2022 · 05-12-2021 2:58pm

Week 2 of 6 - WEEK BUILDING PHASE

Monday, work, study, no run

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 8 x (0.2mile uphill at 5/10K pace, 30 seconds rest and 0.2mile downhill at MP, 90 seconds rest between sets), 2 miles warm down.

Wednesday - 6 miles at 8.45 per mile

Thursday - work, study, no run

Friday - 2 miles WU, 5 x 1 mile at half marathon pace with 2 minutes slow jog in between, 2 miles warm down

Saturday - 5.8 miles at 8.14 per mile

Sunday - 14.5 miles aerobic, another fantastic day for running. First time out with the vaporfly other than 5k parkrun or interval sessions. Really nice shoe for medium/long run.

Bought a new pair of Endorphin Pro last week as a backup for the vaporfly, will put them through their paces in the next few weeks.

marathon2022 · 12-12-2021 10:46pm

Week 3 of 6 - WEEK BUILDING PHASE

Monday, work, study, no run

Tuesday, Session - Tuesday - 2 miles warm-up easy pace, 6 x 1K at 10k pace with 2 minutes rest, 2 mile warm-down.

Wednesday - 6 miles easy

Thursday - 6 miles easy

Friday - Session 2 miles WU, 2 x 2 mile at half marathon pace with 3 minutes slow jog in between followed by 1 x 10k pace, 2 miles warm down

Saturday - 6 miles easy

Sunday - Session 15miles 6 x easy, 7 x MP, 2 miles easy

First 50 mile week since June, feeling it

marathon2022 · 19-12-2021 4:52pm

Week 4 of 6 - WEEK BUILDING PHASE

Monday, work, study, no run

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 6 x (0.2mile uphill at 5/10K pace, 30 seconds rest and 0.2mile downhill at MP, 90 seconds rest between sets), 2 miles warm down.

Wednesday - 6.5 miles easy

Thursday - session - 6.5 miles MP

Friday - work, junk food,

Saturday - Session 4-mile warmup easy, 3 x 3 miles at MP with 3 min jog/walk between, 1 mile warm down easy

Sunday - 9 miles easy

It's near Christmas and I've already tried a good few brands of mince pies; The local boulangerie has been top of the list in years past but I haven't had a chance to try them yet so something to look forward to this week. It's the homemade turkey stuffing I look forward to the most.

marathon2022 · 27-12-2021 4:15pm

Week 1 of 2 - Wildcard weeks

Basically started a 20 week Marathon plan 22 weeks before the Marathon. This gave me an option on having a couple of down weeks in case I got the covid, had a niggle, or just wanted to do Christmas without any hard sessions. So I got to Christmas week and decided to use one up

Monday, no run

Tuesday, made up Session - 2 miles easy, 2 miles 10km pace, 2 miles easy, 2 miles 10km pace,2 miles easy.

Wednesday - 6.5 miles easy

Thursday - nothing

Friday - nothing

Christmas Day - Parkrun in Malahide. It's been a couple of months since I did a parkrun and I loved this. All the happy faces out on Christmas day for a run in the park. Most enjoyable.

Sunday - 16-mile aerobic.

This week I'm going to drop back into the plan at week 5 of 6 Building phase, I still have another spare week to take if needed. At the latest mid-February. Might try a 10k TT or parkrun with a mini taper. Something to look forward to.

Hope ya'll had a happy Christmas.

marathon2022 · 03-01-2022 6:25pm

Week 5 of 6 - WEEK BUILDING PHASE

Monday, eat drink, and be merry

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 4 x 1200m 10k pace with 2-minute recovery between sets. 4 x 400m at 5km pace with 1-minute recovery, 2 miles warm down

Wednesday - 6.2 miles aerobic

Thursday - session - 6.2 miles easy

Friday - Session - 2 miles warm-up, 4 miles at HMP, 3-minute recover, 1 mile at 10k pace, 2 miles warm down

Saturday - 5.3 mile easy

Sunday - Session - 7 miles easy, 8 x (2 minutes 10km/5km pace, then 2 minutes easy), 2 miles warm down

This week sucked balls(training wise), been on the usual chrimbo eating and drinking binge so between heartburn and lethargy most of the sessions were not enjoyable. Also my watch crashed and burned on Tuesday, I bought it during my 2019 novice marathon training so it owes me nothing.

Bought the Coros Pace 2 to replace the watch and have to say my initial thoughts are positive.

Happy new year guys, 13 weeks to Manchester.

marathon2022 · 10-01-2022 10:28am

Week 6 of 6 - WEEK BUILDING PHASE

Monday, took it easy

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 8 x (400m uphill at 5/10K pace, 45 seconds rest and 400m downhill at MP, 90 seconds rest between sets), 2 miles warm down.

Wednesday - 5.2 miles easy

Thursday - nothing on

Friday - Session - 2 mile WU, 3 x (2 mile at HMP with 3 minute jog/walk recovery) 2 mile warm down

Saturday - 5.2 mile easy

Sunday - 16 mile aerobic

A better week than last with only 46.5 miles on the clock. Gradually easing into normal eating and sleeping. The sessions were more controlled with little or no divergence from the plan.

The 13 year old daughter had a mad notion of doing a plant based diet for January so in solidarity me and the misses are also trying to adhere. With the exception of a few eggs I had left to eat and a Whey protein shake after yesterdays 16 miler Ive been good. Takes a lot of time to prepare but no bother really. She's stubborn so I have no doubt we will do the whole of January so it will be a couple more weeks before I have a nice steak.

On the training front this week is interesting in that there is a 20 miler rostered for Saturday, its also a 6 day training week with the usual punishing Tuesday and a 10 mile Sunday just to rub the 20 in. Its week 1 of 9 Marathon specific with two more 20 milers at the tail end so not till March.

Also have two online exams to do from the first semester coursework which I have totally forgotten but how or never. Took the week of work so I should be OK.

marathon2022 · 16-01-2022 10:03pm

Week 1 of 9 -MARATHON PHASE

Monday, took it easy

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 6 x 1200m at 5/10K pace, 2.30 jog recovery between, 2 miles warm down

Wednesday - 5.3 miles easy

Thursday - 7 miles Aerobic

Friday - 5.3 miles easy

Saturday - 2 miles warm-up, 3 x 4 mile at MP with 1 mile easy between, 2 miles warm down (19 Miles)

Sunday - 10 mile easy

Tough sessions in there but all in all, it is not a bad way to start the Marathon phase training.

RIP Ashling Murphy,

skyblue46 · 17-01-2022 1:00pm

Good solid stuff going on here. Out of curiosity what are the 5/10k, HM and M paces you are using?

marathon2022 · 17-01-2022 9:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118488729#Comment_118488729

Bare with me. Manchester plan fine details.

I know its a bit late with 10 weeks to go but I haven't fully decided on the Marathon target. Its somewhere between 3.15 and 3.30. Currently Im focusing more on training for closer to a 3.15 finish.

The Boston Marathon plan I am using (freeby from tinterweb, level 3) gives the pacing strategy according to the target and as I'm undecided I'm using the 3.15 given pace with 3.30 pace as a drop back in case I feel I cant handle it.

This gives me the following times for intervals and targeted pace for 3.15 to 3.30

5km 6.25 to 6.55

10K 6.48 to 7.20

HMP 7.08 to 7.40

MP 7.30 to 8.03

Easy 8.30 to 9.00

Aerobic 8.00 t 8.40

I try to stick to the plan with hill sprints and intervals even though the plan itself more for a hilly marathon- Boston.

My A goal is 3.15, B is 3.18 and C is 3.30(this was my A until a month or so ago)My long term target is based on reaching a training peak in the next two to three years with an significant Ultra, a major marathon and a crack at sub three at the pinnacle. I'm 50 next year so I keep my fingers crossed for consistency and injury free momentum. A fine fellow I got speaking to at parkrun said I should get down to the local club as well. This is on the cards but not till later in the year or early next year.

Oh, got a Dublin entry today so pretty stoked about that.

Bgiraffe · 18-01-2022 11:57pm

Been following your updates as I was working off the exact same plan myself with a very similar goal - 3.15 to 3.30 - and also at Manchester. Did Belfast in Oct and all was going to plan with current block until mid-Dec when I pulled an adductor with bonus abdomen injury!

Been four weeks off plan with very little running. Physio hasn't worked so far. Doc visit today and order is two more down weeks and various anti-inflam meds.

So I'm banking on you now to deliver on my Manchester plan! With flights and accommodation booked I'll probably still try and run it but it'll be a slow training run at best. Feckin groin!

Best of luck with it.

marathon2022 · 19-01-2022 11:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118497589#Comment_118497589

My worst nightmare, there is a psychological toll to injury that is extraordinarily tough, the misses has an ongoing heel fracture stopping her run for a couple of months now and its hard to watch.🤞 Hope you get some good new soon and get back on the road. Personally I am just plowing ahead with the plan, blinkers on trying not to over think it. Just hoping for a clean shot at 3.15 but if I do sub 3.30 I know I will be over the moon.

The added bonus of getting a Dublin entry has given me something to chew on. I'm thinking of adjusting to train on intensity as opposed to the purely pace based strategy I use currently(always used). My training routes might be suited to this and no harm in putting in one block to see if the outcome is positive.

Thanks for the comment, sound

skyblue46 · 19-01-2022 3:16pm

Thanks for the info above. Hopefully you narrow down a target soon enough. There is quite a spread in those pace ranges and training at 3:15 paces could be counterproductive if your likely result is 3:30. 10 weeks of running at 30 secs per mile too fast could be more hindrance than help.

Best of luck with it anyway 🙂

marathon2022 · 19-01-2022 3:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118500152#Comment_118500152

Sound, I suppose now that I've said it out loud I might as well give the 3.15 finish time a go. The long run this weekend should be telling, 8 mile easy, 8 mile at MP(7.30) and 2 mile easy on rolling hilly course. There may be some answers in there. In relation to the outcome of any plan I have a pretty pragmatic outlook, during the runs I dream about failing as much as success so either way I will be right. 3.15 - 3.30 - DNF

Murph_D · 19-01-2022 6:29pm

I agree with skyblue - that's a very wide range you've set yourself, and the problem is that most of it is on the optimistic side and you are training at paces appropriate to the more optimistic end of it.

You posted above about a 74 minute 10-mile TT - OK it was only a TT but it's your best current or recent indication of marathon fitness, and it indicates a marathon of about 3:25 on the J Daniels calculator, which tends to be optimistic as well. If I were you (and of course I am not) I'd be looking at a 3:25 to 3:30 range and training at paces appropriate for the conservative end of that (given your results to date).

As skyblue suggests, if you train at inappropriate paces - and 3:15 is a big difference from those numbers - you won't get the endurance adaptations you need, and you risk missing that target, wide as it is, by a long way.

Hope I'm wrong, but it would also be wrong to read your log and say nothing. Good luck with it!

marathon2022 · 19-01-2022 11:12pm

Thanks Murph, love your log by the way👌. I take on board your assesment and I understand the comment on being over optimistic,certainly from my runs prior to the training block.

In my defense I haven't really pushed myself at 10 mile or half distance. Might give one a blast on my down week early Feb.

I would be more than happy with a sub 3.30 at Manchester. 👍

marathon2022 · 24-01-2022 9:42am

Week 2 of 9 -MARATHON PHASE

Monday, always take this rest day

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 10 x (400m uphill at 5/10K pace, 45 seconds rest and 400m downhill at MP, 120 seconds rest between sets), 2 miles warm down.

Wednesday - 5.9 miles easy

Thursday - rest day

Friday - Session - 2 mile WU, 3 mile at HMP with 3 minute jog recovery, 2 mile at HMP with 2 minute jog recovery, 1 mile at 10k and a 2 mile warm down

Saturday - 6.5 mile easy

Sunday - 8 mile easy, 8 mile MP and 1.5 mile warm down.

Overall a solid week.

marathon2022 · 31-01-2022 1:47pm

Week 3 of 9 -MARATHON PHASE

Monday, always take this rest day

Tuesday, Session - precautionary cancel. I've had a recurring hip problem, long before running became a thing which flairs up now and again especially during long periods of training/strides a lot of the time, sometimes quite sore. Sunday evening it was a niggle but Monday morning was feeling worse. As Monday is my rest day I decided to just wait and see. Still annoying me through the day so I dropped the Tuesday session.

Wednesday - 5.1 miles to test the hip- sort of OK

Thursday - 5.9 miles easy - bit better

Friday - Session - 2 mile WU, 2 x 3 mile at HMP with 3 minute jog recovery and a 2 mile warm down. - hip slightly sore but less so

Saturday - 6.5 mile easy

Sunday - session - 7 miles warm up - 6 x 3 minutes at HMP/2 minutes MP - 2 mile warm down - hip fine 🤞✌️

The hip pain on Monday freaked me out, sometimes this old injury lasts weeks but thankfully it has receded to a slight niggle later in the week. On reflection three decisions may have contributed to this.

1- Had to much to drink last Friday evening after the session,

2 - Ran in the wrong shoes Saturday morning(a pair I bought on sales with smaller drop and a lot less give than my normal rotation)

3- Pushed too hard on the warmup hills during the Sunday long session.

Live and learn.

marathon2022 · 06-02-2022 4:43pm

Week 4 of 9 -MARATHON PHASE

Monday, took it easy

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 4 x 1 mile at 10K pace, 3.00 jog recovery between, 4 x 400m at 5k pace with 1-minute recovery- 1 mile warm down

Wednesday - 5.3 miles easy

Thursday - 5.8 miles MP(started 30 seconds less ended 30 seconds faster)

Friday - day off

Saturday - 2 miles warm-up, 10 miles at MP, 2 miles warm down

Sunday - 10 mile easy

Easy kind of week.

marathon2022 · 14-02-2022 10:31am

Week 2 of 2 - Wildcard weeks

I started the 20 week Marathon plan 22 weeks before the Marathon. This gave me an option on having a couple of down weeks in case I got the covid, had a niggle, or something came up. A long overdue night out with old friends was on the cards Friday and as haven't had much practice at the drink lately I knew this would leave me ropey at the weekend.

Monday, no run

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 4 x 1 mile at 10K pace, 2.30 jog recovery between, 4 x 400m at 5k pace with 1-minute recovery- 1 mile warm down

Wednesday - 6.5 miles aerobic

Thursday - 4 miles almost MP

Friday - loads of Guinness

Saturday - dying

Sunday - 15 miles - as I had two full days rest I decided to get a quick idea of my current fitness. Went out for a mile warmup then 13.1 at 7.00/mile. with a 1 mile warm down after. This breaks down to a 1.31.38 half and a 1.09.40 10 mile. Gives me a bit more to chew on when deciding on Manchester pacing.

This week I'm going back into the plan at week 5 of 9 Marathon specific phase, lots of mile in the next block. 🤞 Here's to a few clean living weeks and shot at a PB

marathon2022 · 20-02-2022 7:12pm

Week 5 of 9 -MARATHON PHASE

Monday, took it easy

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 6 x 1 mile at 10K pace, 3.00 jog recovery between, 2 miles warm down

Wednesday - 5.3 miles easy

Thursday - Session - 2-mile warmup, 5 miles at HMP , 1.5-mile cooldown

Friday - 5.3 miles easy

Saturday - 9 miles easy, 9 miles MP, 2 miles cooldown

Sunday - 5.2 miles easy

This week lessons were learned!

Running in really wet weather ruins expensive shoes - holes in the toes of Alphfly(200 miles) and Endorphin Pro(150 miles) after tough sessions in the pouring rain
Tights don't suit my gangly legs, wore a pair on the 20 mile LR cause it was early and damn cold only to receive friction burns inside my quads and thighs; it was the 1.5 hours of pouring cold straight in the face rain at the beginning of the run that did it. The tights were soaked
Running in the snow was wonderful, on Friday evening there was a 10-minute spell of big flakey snow in the middle of my easy run, beautiful
Running in hailstones not so much
Gloves are not all the same. I wore a normal pair of decathlon-type running gloves on the long run only to have them soaked with all the wind contributing significantly to my misery. Now here is where I made a good decision- I brought a spare pair of snow gloves, a hat and neck thingy in a running pack, at 10 miles into the long run I was freezing right through, my hands sore with the cold. Put the snow glows on and 5 minutes later I was flying :-)
Toenails can go blue

Onward and upward

Wottle · 27-02-2022 7:23pm

What's the plan you're following, that's a lot of sessions in a week?

marathon2022 · 01-03-2022 6:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118704173#Comment_118704173

Its a generic plan for the Boston Marathon by the https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-training. Just picked the first plan I seen and started it.

marathon2022 · 01-03-2022 7:10pm

****Reporting from the isolation of my bedroom****

Caught the Covid, Felt pretty **** Sunday night and a gradual worsening since. My symptoms are like a bad flu, fever, muscle pain and now the cough. Only time will tell how this will effect the Marathon.

3 weeks of marathon training proper left before taper, obvioulsy this week is caput. I also had two 20 mile runs( one all aerobic and one with 10 mile mp in the middle) this week and next week, this week is out for sure next week in the balance and the following week might be too late for a solid 20. The taper is the taper, what's a man to do. I had my heart set on 3.15(boston qualifier) and was very confident I could make a go of it prior to this virus but the B option is more likely now- 3.30( be over the moon with this). This week and the creeping cough will decide matters.

Anyway, I got last weeks training in just before the rain came

Monday, took it easy

Tuesday, Session - 2 miles WU, 3 x (hill sprints 600m up(10k pacee), 45 seconds rest, 600m down, 2 minutes rest, 200m up 45 second 200m down 2 minutes), 2 mile cooldown

Wednesday - 9.5 miles easy

Thursday - 6 mile aerobic

Friday - took it easy

Saturday - 2 miles easy, 5 miles MP, 5 minutes easy, 5 miles MP, 2 miles easy

Sunday - 10 miles easy

Funnily im not annoyed by this turn of events, I almost expected it. Im just glad its not the week of the race :-)

My first Marathon and first log log

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