A Tall Order

py · 30-09-2020 3:50pm

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Huge well done on the Half at the weekend M, great running. It's great to see your progress, which is much deserved given the consistency of your training over the past 15 months or so. You'd have to think there would be another chunk off that in a proper race too?

Your time is a few minutes better than the two HM's I ran in the lead up to DCM last year (1:43 and 1:44), and I did DCM in 3:47. So, 3:55 seems a tad pessimistic, under normal circumstances at least. Given the TT aspect however, it does seem wise to not be too greedy with a target time.

Thanks A. The TTs definitely remove a lot of variables like early wake up time, fixed start time, travel to the race, bobbing/weaving past people etc so I've tried factoring in those things with regards to the conservative approach to my goal time. Getting a 3 as the first number of my finish time for the first time is the goal, anything after that would be a bonus.

py · 04-10-2020 11:54am

Monday

9Km @ 6:46min/Km, 138bpm. Recovery run with 40-50% of it being on grass.

Physio later that afternoon to get some work done after the 1/2 TT. I've a few niggles that show up after each race so I've got some imblanaces to correct after virtual DCM.

Tuesday 11.5Km @ 6:07min/Km, 138bpm.
Wednesday 12.5Km @ 6:13min/Km, 145bpm.
Thursday 12Km @ 6:30min/Km, 140bpm.
Friday Unplanned rest day

The three midweek runs had me wrecked and the legs were still tired after the 1/2 TT. Friday came around and mentally I didn't feel like getting the gear on.

Saturday

31.5Km @ 6:13min/Km, 144bpm. Legs felt a little bit fresher after the rest day on Friday so I decided to break the 3 laps up and add some PMP in to the mix. I ran the 1st and 3rd laps of 10.5Km at my usual maffetone HR, though you can see fatigue having an effect throughout the 3rd lap. The 2nd lap I ran at PMP and felt great throughout

I also used this run to test out more fuel/fluid options. I attached a nakd bar and maurten gel to a 250mil bottle of water which had a 1/4 tab of zero electrolytes. Nakd bar just too dry so for my virtual DCM I'm going to go with 2 maurten gels on the bottle which will be collected at the end of each 10.6Km loop. I'd been using the hyradtion pack on the LSRs up until now but this reduces weight a little bit without affecting fuel/hydration.

Strava has this down at an average of 6:07min/Km but I took a bathroom break after the 2nd lap. Should've given myself more time before starting the run to avoid this but I needed to get it done so the Mrs could get study done. Garmin seems to have the correct average.

I was wiped at the end of this and for most of the morning till I got a lunch time nap in. Sunday's run was not something I was looking forward to.

Sunday
17Km @ 6:17min/Km, 135bpm. Got out early to get back before everyone woke up. Wet, windy, cold and dark

This was more a mental than physical challenge. HR was well within ranges throughout but the conditions and the accumlative fatigue had me considering dropping out after the first lap but managed to get the route I'd planned completed.

Total
Running - 93.6Km
Cycling - nadda

Delighted to have completed the training block. I wasn't sure what to expect when I set out the plan back in early May but have come through unscathed and happy with how the maffetone method worked for me. It's been a total of 1,365Km with around 1,300 of that being run at my prescribed HR rate, the exceptions being the TTs and some of my 20 milers the past few weeks. I missed 7 runs for a total of 90Km missed, 4 of those due to a mini lockdown due to covid test for our youngest lad.

Even though it's gone well, I'm really tired. The end to the block has come at the right time from a physical and mental perspective. I'm looking forward to the lower mileage over the coming weeks so I can fully recharge.

3 weeks to go, planning on adding PMP in to the Saturday long runs as I was happy with this week's PMP effort.

Week|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday|Total
3|6.7|9|9|9|6.7|24|14|78.4
2|4.5|6|6|6|Rest|16|7|45.5
1|Rest|4.8|4.8|4.8|Rest|4|DCM|56.6

py · 12-10-2020 5:16pm

1st of the taper weeks, glad it's done. Didn't really feel like much recovery was had until today.

Monday

7Km @ 6:41min/Km, 133bpm. Legs really tired after the weekend's long runs so took it easy around the local gaa pitch for this.

Physio later that day just to make sure I've nothing of concern in the run up to the big day.

Tuesday

8.05Km @ 5:43min/Km, 142bpm. Body was feeling ok and after the first few Km decided to see how a MAF test would look. Came very close to sub 4 hour pace whilst in aerobic zone so feeling good about that but twas no an idea route for a MAF test. Started looking online for somewhere relatively close to home and found that Sundrive Velodrome would be a good option. Might get to it this upcoming week, will see how time is.
1Km @ 5:57min/Km, 136bpm. Extra Km to get home.

Wednesday

9Km @ 6:19min/Km, 129bpm. Lower temperatures starting to affect my HR but decided to keep it slow to allow legs to recover.

Thursday

8Km @ 6:33min/Km, 123bpm. Ran around local gaa pitch to allow for further recovery. HR very low once again.

Friday

5Km @ 6:38min/Km, 131bpm. Run round a field close to home. Should've been 1-2Km but at this stage of the week the body and mind are tired so happy with the 5Km I got done. Perhaps should've dropped this run altogether given the fatigue I felt the following two days.

Saturday

14Km @ 6:09min/Km, 138bpm. Got out early so I could be back before the kids woke up. Felt sluggish throughout after having 3 beers (lightweight) on Friday evening.

This was due to be run on Sunday but swapped it with the 24Km due to how time crunched my weekends have become. Mrs' postgrad course has started backup a few weeks now and assignments are coming thick and fast for her, my own is going to commence this coming week. Glad to be in taper season as I couldn't manage the training block plus college work plus actual work plus parenting.

Sunday

24Km @ 6:15min/Km, 139bpm.

Time crunched again so I knew I would have to run this when the day was done so I was trying to prepare mentally for it all day. Run started off by listening to Scullion's post London podcast episode and I may not have got through it had I started my run off listening to something else, was a good motivational listen.

Body was still tired and a few aches/niggles had me considering not getting out at all or reducing it significantly. I'd felt the same niggle in my calf before and when I ran it was fine so opted to get it done as prescribed. I never know quite how to fuel during a late in the day run so I didn't bring any fuel/fluid with me as I'd eaten rings around myself in my folks after watching the Irish soccer match.

Eventually finished but felt physically and mentally drained at the end of it. Downed a recovery drink and then drank some water and felt somewhat normal after that.

Total
Running - 76Km - 2-3Kms short of target but content with that.
Cycling - n/a

2 more weeks of taper to go. For the upcoming week, the mileage looks favourable for recovery and also for life in general. Yay to not cashing in brownie points to go on runs :pac:

Week|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday|Total
2|4.5|6|6|6|Rest|16|7|45.5
1|Rest|4.8|4.8|4.8|Rest|4|DCM|56.6

Can't contain my excitement for this block to be over. It's been a long one.

py · 19-10-2020 6:36pm

I thought maranoia was setting in on Friday when I woke up with pain in my left rib cage. It eased up on Saturday/Sunday until night time on Sunday when I got a serious sharp pain when I turned on to that side. GP visit today and whilst any major concerns have been alleviated, I need to go for an x-ray this week for confirmation that it is just a bruised rib that I've got. Unsure if I'll have had this done prior to the VDCM, could be up to a week before I get it. It's giving me slight discomfort in certain positions/movements but generally ok when running. Think it was picked up horse playing with the boys and the eldest dropped himself straight on the side where it hurts.

Left hip has been at me a little for a while and it's not been a show stopper but I'm concerned how it is going to behave at the latter stages of VDCM. Last physio appointment today to loosen it up and it felt great afterwards. Rest of the legs are feeling good and have been responding well to the reduced mileage.

Got the runs done during last week. Think I'm set for Sunday but will see how the week goes with regards to plan and also how the rib reacts to the ibuprofen I've to take for it.

Monday

5Km @ 6:32min/Km, 129bpm. Recovery run in the evening.

Light meander on the bicycle early that day.

Tuesday

6Km @ 6:54min/Km, 125bpm. Recovery on grass.

Wednesday 6Km @ 6:27min/Km, 132bpm.
Thursday 5Km @ 6:22min/Km, 131bpm.

Easy unmemorable runs

Friday

Rest day.

Saturday

16Km @ 5:55min/Km, 147bpm. First 6Km @ HR, 8Km @ PMP, final 2Km @ HR. Enjoyably enough run, hip at me a little during it but didn't hinder the run. A little concerned as to how it's going to be after 20+ miles though. Rib wasn't sore throughout though was aware that it wasn't perfect.

Sunday

7.5Km @ 6:26min/Km, 137bpm. Took the youngest out in the buggy whlist the eldest was on his bike so had fun with them throughout.

Total
Running - 45-46Km.
Cycling - ~12Km of light cycling.

Week|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday|Total
1|Rest|4.8|4.8|4.8|Rest|4|DCM|56.6

Best of luck to all doing the virtual DCM this weekend.

py · 25-10-2020 11:25pm

Monday

Rest day

Tuesday

5Km @ 5:54min/Km, 143bpm.

Wednesday

Quick spin on the road bike in to city centre to pick up the remaining maurten gels I needed for Sunday.

5Km @ 6:25min/Km, 132bpm. Buggy run with the boys.

Thursday

5Km @ 6:17min/Km, 126bpm. Really easy run to finish out the weekday schedule.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

4Km @ 6:17min/Km, 145bpm. Short run to loosen out the legs for the next day.

Sunday

DCM 2020 Virtual

Entire training block has gone well. It was a long 24 weeks but I was just over injury when I laid out DCM's plan for 2020 and it seemed like a good idea then. I won't be doing a block as long as that again. After PBs at 5Km/10Km/10mile/Half I'd set a goal of 3:55 which I felt was a wee bit conservative but achievable. I'd chosen a 4 lap route to pick up water/gels at the beginning of each lap.

Goal: 3:55 or under 4
Actual: 4:09 - 5:54min/Km (2019 4:28-4:29)

Didn't have a great night's sleep and the clock going back compounded things but stayed in bed till 5am and got up as I'd planned before the alarms went off. Tea and toast with jam and then chill till things got moving

Got out the door a little after my planned time of 7am. The clocks going back meant the kids were up "early" so I helped get them up and ready. Got some activation drills done and then got started.

0-0.5 Laps
Felt a little quick for the 1st Km but dropped in to a solid rhythm after that. This is the drag of my lap and it averages 1% over the distance I was face first in to the wind. Legs were fresh so didn't notice that much this time round. I take my first gel at the end of the 3rd Km and then every 5Kms after that for the remainder of the race.

0.5-1 lap
Easier part of the lap and roads were extremely quiet so I took to the road against the traffic. Had a very slight detour on this lap to make the extra mileage up as the laps fall short of exactly 1/4 of a marathon. Lap ended well. Picked up my water and 2 gels and got back out for lap 2.

1-1.5
Bag to the drag and the wind. By the end of this section I knew it had the potential to be a long day. :mad:

1.5-2 lap
As soon as I turn the corner the legs feel much better. Going good here after the struggles in the wind and up the drag. I pass the halfway mark with an average of 5:35, bang on target. I get to my house and fall over the concrete stump in my driveway which is used to hold the gate... luckily I fall on to the grass. :rolleyes: Gather myself and grab my water and gels, 1 of which is caffeine.

2-2.5 lap
Fuck this wind. Downed the caffeine gel at 23Km. At the end of this stretch I need to stretch my left hip flexor, I begin to and then my hamtsrings cramp...alleviate the cramp and stretch the hip flexor. Get going and they feel good again.

2.5-3lap
More road running. Just chugging away at the distance. More hamstring stretching towards the end of this lap. The drag and wind have taken their toll by now. :eek: I'd done some mental maths at this point and reckoned if I ran 6min/Km I could perhaps hit sub 4. Grab final lot of gels and get out for the last lap.

3-3.5 lap
It's been said that the marathon starts at 20 mile, sure as hell does. Feels like you should be playing this as you start the 20th mile. Bridge going up and over the M50 felt like I was climbing it for hours. One or two brief stops for stretching along here.

3.5-finish
This is the final easy section. Brief stretching at the start and my watch is showing an average of 5:42/Km so I'm a smidge over the sub 4 hour mark. I dig in and get about 1-1.5Km worth of effort before I'm done. Motivation to get there is still there but there's nothing left in the tank. Burned my match(es?) too early so something to learn for my next marathon. Felt like it needed to be tried but the drag and wind zapped the legs from an early stage in the day. Last 4Kms were tough and almost had a 2nd fall which woulld've been on conrete this time but got there in the end. Stopped the watch and did some more stretching.

I was really happy with the time even though I was short of my target. What I could control, I did what I thought was best and it mostly worked out for me. Nothing I could do about the conditions but will know to cool the pace in the face of wind in the future for TTs or virtual races...or get a bicycle pacer out front :pac:

The body held up much much better than last year. I was utterly destroyed phsyically and mentally last time around wheras the body feels injury free and the mind is in a great place.

The brain (and banter) trust that are the grads from 2019 have been great since we crossed paths last year. Whether it's on Boards, Strava or WhatsApp, the support has been immense. All mediums were hopping this past week as we got behind everyone that was taking part this weekend. This was indicitave of the support we received from the mentors and wider boards running community.

Only thing lined up between now and the end of the year is Run the Line virtual in three weeks. Nothing on the books for next year due to covid which suits fine as I've a postgrad course to work through.

healy1835 · 26-10-2020 8:33am

Fair play for toughing it out. Sounded like a bit of a slog at times, but you kept moving (even performing stunt falls in your garden!) and put a time on the board. The experience will stand to you whenever and wherever you end up running the next one. Feet up today now.

Huzzah! · 29-10-2020 9:05am

24 weeks is indeed a long training block but you managed it well. Well done on the TT. I couldn't imagine trying to run that distance at race pace solo. Congrats on the PB. The sub-4 is there for the taking when you next go after it.

Recover well.

Mr. Guappa · 01-11-2020 4:44pm

Well done on the virtual marathon M. That's a big PB in very trying circumstances, and reward for a massive block and great consistency over 18 months or more. I'm glad that you're happy with it, sub 4 and more will come.

py · 01-11-2020 9:06pm

healy1835 wrote: »

Fair play for toughing it out. Sounded like a bit of a slog at times, but you kept moving (even performing stunt falls in your garden!) and put a time on the board. The experience will stand to you whenever and wherever you end up running the next one. Feet up today now.

Thanks. I perhaps over dramatized it, except for the fall, that was legit Tom Cruise stunt material.

Huzzah! wrote: »

24 weeks is indeed a long training block but you managed it well. Well done on the TT. I couldn't imagine trying to run that distance at race pace solo. Congrats on the PB. The sub-4 is there for the taking when you next go after it.

Recover well.

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Well done on the virtual marathon M. That's a big PB in very trying circumstances, and reward for a massive block and great consistency over 18 months or more. I'm glad that you're happy with it, sub 4 and more will come.

Thanks E & A. Tis all just a follow on from the great mentorship we received last year. Sub 4 is close for sure but relly happy with the progress across the board given there's no actual races going on.

Recovery week 1

Brief walk the evening of the marathon. Couple of walks the day after. Physio 2 days afterwards which went well. No injuries which is great news. Have continued with the walks when I can. More of the same for next week.

py · 08-11-2020 8:50pm

Recovery week 2

More walking with a few light cycles with the young lads.

Got out for an easy 5Km today and the legs were still not 100% when I got going. I don't think there's anything to be concerned about, just a few twinges in certain parts.

Nothing officially planned for the weekdays ahead, just going to take it as it comes and listen to the body.

Run the Line virtual next weekend which I'm looking forward to. Got a nice route planned from Kilmashogue on past Three Rock towards Fairy Castle and back down to Kilmashogue. Just shy of 12Km. Hoping for good conditions.

Lambay island · 08-11-2020 10:45pm

Very nice route you picked, no better place when the weather is decent. I was up in kilmashogue forest this afternoon and it was so busy and full of life too.

py · 08-11-2020 11:15pm

Lambay island wrote: »

Very nice route you picked, no better place when the weather is decent. I was up in kilmashogue forest this afternoon and it was so busy and full of life too.

I really really REALLY love running up there. No need for podcasts or music, just enjoy the tranquility. Hoping to do a lot more of it over the next few months, particularly with nothing on the schedule to make me think twice about whether or not it's fitting in to the plan.

py · 05-01-2021 12:35pm

Happy new year folks. Figured it would be a good exercise to look back at some stats from my two first full calendar years of running and see the progress I've made. 500miles/800Kms more running in 2020 compared with 2019. Twas TTs across the board for times in 2020 with the exception of Donadea. Expecting any attempt at PBs in 2021 will be TT/virtual based too. Still got my DCM entry from 2020 so planning on running a marathon on DCM2021 day again. No plans before then so I need to consider whether or not the discipline is strong enough to keep running without a target in late Spring or early Summer.

I've put in some targets for 2021 which I think are achievable. Only one I'm not sure I'll get to is the 50Km.

|2019|2020|2021
5Km|23:11|22:14|21:xx
10Km|51:19|45:59|44:xx
10 Miles|1:24:39|1:15:54|1:14:xx
1/2 Marathon|1:47:30|1:41:46|1:40:xx
Marathon|4:28:48|4:08:59|3:59:59
50Km||5:24:17|4:59:59
Total Kms|1,492|2,378|3,000

py · 28-02-2022 1:51pm

14 months since last log. Motivation fell off a cliff after February 2021's climbing challenge. Between college/work/family and undertaking a giant DIY project at home, I didn't have a lot of time or interest in running. I ended up taking about 3-4 months away from running and started back in early July. The DCM 2019 grads were still in contact and I noticed that Treviso was making great strides with his coach. Had a quick chat with Treviso about his experience and then got in touch with the coach. I signed up at start of August and have been building since consistently since. First race in 2 years is coming up at the end of March so excited to be back at it and also to see where I'm at. I reckon somewhere in the 1:45 range for the first race as it is a lumpy course. Race schedule for coming months is:

March - Wicklow Gaol break Half Marathon

April - Wexford Half Marathon

May - Glendalough Lap Of The Gap Marathon

June - Waterford Viking Marathon (Comrades qualifier backup)

August - Comrades

October - DCM (have entry but too early to say if I'll do it)

Last week's running was

Monday - Rest day

Tuesday - 70' easy, Km, 5:56/Km, 141 avg HR

Nice easy run after the school drop.

Wednesday - 20' easy, (7' @ HM, 3' recovery) * 8, 20' easy, 21Km, 5:36/Km, 153 avg HR

HM is estimated at around 4'55" for now. Quicker than my last actual raced half which was 2019 DCHM but slower than my 2020 TT. Conditions were pretty horrible for this run so keeping pace at certain points in Marlay park was difficult. If conditions are like that on race day then I can see the pace dropping by 10"/Km.

Thursday - 65' easy uphill, 11Km, 6:00/Km, 138 avg HR

Brief snow showers at the start of this meant I got some weird looks from the other half as I was heading out. I try and get some undulating terrain on my easy run. Usually adds up to about ~125m elevation for the run. It might not seem like a lot of elevation but the legs feel the last hill (5-10% gradients) after Wednesday's workouts.

Friday - 40' easy, 6.5Km, 6:11/Km, 137 avg HR

Monday/Friday were originally bike days but it proved difficult for that to happen on Fridays due to time constraints. This short easy run has been great to get me out the door and help the legs recover from previous 2 days efforts.

Saturday - 60' easy, 10Km, 5:57/Km, 134 avg HR

Sunday's easy run got swapped to Saturday as I'd family commitments that I dare not impact. Nice easy run on what was a nice spring morning.

Sunday - 20' easy, 90' @ ~5'25"/Km, 15' easy, 22Km, 5:37/Km, 142 avg HR

Westerly wind for the initial 7Km of this caught me by surprise. Was expecting a calmer day. Turned north and headed down towards the canal from Sandyford. Had planned this particular route as I wanted tired legs byt the time I turned south back towards home at Harold's Cross bridge. I got what I wanted though was manageable and I kept it relatively steady for the effort throughout.

83Km for the week. 585Km for the year so far.

DeepBlue · 28-02-2022 2:39pm

Welcome back to logging M. Your strava feed has been a great advertisement for your coach for the last while and you've been putting in an awful lot of work in advance of the challenges to come. The results are showing even in your training and no doubt will be reflected in your upcoming races. Interesting times ahead!

Laineyfrecks · 28-02-2022 3:28pm

Welcome back M😊

Looking forward to following your journey with your coach, some great training on your strava! Best of luck.

Lambay island · 01-03-2022 11:52am

Good training lately..In terms of training for Comrades, as a matter of interest how long does the long run distance peak at?

py · 01-03-2022 5:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118712862#Comment_118712862

In terms of what I've discussed with coach so far, 30-35 miles which is similar to what you see Coach Parry recommend (Comrades associated coach). The book I read was in or around the same distance too. Typically, many of the locals will tackle the Two Oceans ultra (55-60Km) as their last big run before Comrades but I'm not sure how that fits this year due to the delayed start from June to August. I couldn't find a whole lot of Irish based races that fit in to the 2022 schedule that matched that distance, so I opted for the Glendalough marathon as it has a large increase/decrease in elevation which will emulate what will happen in the main event. Connemarathon was far too early and also sold out.

Unsure on intensity/pace/elevation of that long run just yet but I'll be sure to post it here when I get to it. Whilst there is an over arching race calendar plan, we are taking things week by week.

Coach parry video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lW8S9Rxwjw

Comrades book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22436142-make-sure-of-your-comrades-medal

py · 07-03-2022 2:16pm

Step back week this week. 3 on, 1 off has been working for me. At the end of the 3rd week I am mentally/physically cooked. I left it until late Tuesday to see if I'd be able for another week of sessions but opted to take it easy. Nothing exciting this week.

Monday - Rest day.

Tuesday - 65' easy - 11Km, 5:52/Km, 136 avg HR. Easy run after the school drop.

Wednesday - 70' easy - 12Km, 5:53/Km, 139 avg HR. To/From Marlay park with 2 laps of the park done.

Thursday - 65' easy - 11.5Km, 5:47/Km, 144 avg HR - Out earlier than normal for this. Body started to feel good this week.

Friday - 35' easy - 6Km, 5:57/Km, 133 avg HR - Recovery well underway and felt great for this.

Saturday - 65' easy with Parkrun progression - 17Km, 5:31/Km, 148 avg HR. Wanted to get up to parkrun for my 25th (milestone t-shirt ordered). Ran to/from Marlay but cut it fine on the way there so had to up the pace to reach the start line. Got to the back of the start line... it started a few seconds later. Hadn't planned on a progression run for this but that's how it worked out. Got around in 24:41. Grabbed a few of the VHI buffs at the end. Lost my keys at some point along the run so had to run to the young lad's GAA session to get OH's keys. A bit longer than was planned but felt good throughout.

Sunday - Junior parkrun - 2Km, 5:32/Km, 137 avg HR - Young lad wanted a PB but he didn't have the legs for it. Still got around in good time for him. Not too far off a PB. Nothing else for this day as I've a busy week ahead so this was an an unexpected rest day.

~60Km for the week. Physically/mentally recovered after that step back week. Looking forward to this week's sessions - Quicker session on Tuesday and then some HMP on Friday.

py · 13-03-2022 9:00pm

Fairly hectic week due to covid related childcare issues. Hoping normal schedule resumes this week as I'm mentally drained from the shift in work schedule to accommodate school runs.

Monday - 70' easy - 11.5Km, 6:00/Km, 135 avg HR

Fairly bog standard easy run.

Tuesday - 20' easy, (2' @ ~5 mile, 2' recovery) * 15, 20' easy, 17.5 Km, 5:41/Km, 153 avg HR

Reps: 4:33/km 4:17/km 4:31/km 4:27/km 4:29/km 4:28/km 4:33/km 4:41/km 4:35/km 4:31/km 4:39/km 4:42/km 4:49/km 4:58/km 4:48/km

Went to Bushy park for the reps. Conditions were quite windy and the reps suffered as the time went on. Should have been more conservative with the wind blowing as hard as it was.

Wednesday - 65' easy - 11Km, 5:53/Km, 149 avg HR

My usual hilly easy run. 150m of elevation. Slowly increasing the elevation in this week by week.

Thursday - 40' easy - 7Km, 5:53/Km, 135 avg HR

Nice easy 40' to keep the legs moving but aid recovery.

Friday - 20' easy, 30' @ HMP, 5' easy, (45" @ ~5K pace, 1'15" recovery) * 6, 20' easy - 15.5Km, 5:36/Km, 152 avg HR

Over to Marlay park as I wanted to get some bumps throughout the 30' interval. Goal at the moment for HMP is 4:55/Km so was hoping to hit this throughout the main effort. It was chucking it down so park was rather quiet. Plenty of surface water on the paths and mini rivers on some of the inclines.

30' effort times per Km: 4:45/km 4:58/km 5:07/km 4:55/km 4:45/km 4:47/km 4:49/km

This felt comfortable. Adjusted the pace slightly on the inclines. The 45" strides timings seemed off on Strava when they were uploaded. I've similar efforts in the upcoming week so I'm going to run them in a different location as I think the Marlay park forest hindered accurate measurement.

Saturday - 65' easy - 10Km, 6:16/Km, 130 avg HR

This was a bit stop/start as I had the boys on their bikes in tow. Herding cats would've been easier.

Sunday - Rest day

~73Km for the week. 2 weeks until Wicklow Gaol Break Half.

py · 20-03-2022 12:55pm

Monday 65' easy - 11Km, 5:54/Km, 132 avg HR

Standard easy run. Very uneventful.

Tuesday 20' easy, (20' @ 10 mile, 3' recovery) * 2, 20' easy - 15Km, 5:25/Km, 156 avg HR

2 * 20' efforts at 10 mile pace. Ran both of them in Tymon Park.

1st effort - 4:45, 4:45, 4:46, 4:42, 4:40

2nd effort - 4:48, 5:02, 4:45, 4:39, 4:37

2nd effort tougher than the first. Ran the start 2nd effort on the west side of the park and the undulation worked the legs.

Wednesday - 75' easy uphill - 13Km, 5:54/Km, 141 avg HR, 180m elevation

Added an extra 30m to my usual hill route. No paths up towards the top end of Stocking Lane so stepped aside when cars/cyclists came past.

Thursday - Scheduled rest day. Felt really **** mid afternoon. Napped for 3 hours. Negative antigen.

Friday - Felt worse and still negative antigen. Opted for no running due to a "head cold"

Saturday - Positive antigen late morning. Booked PCRs for the remaining people in the household as the antigen tests were inconclusive (mild lines). My dad has tested positive too.

Sunday - Moping about in my room trying to formulate how I can go racing next Sunday when in reality I probably won't have physically recovered.

Fairly poor time to catch covid with races coming up. Very fortunate that it hasn't affected my family and I throughout the pandemic. So perspective is needed.

I'll need to see how I recover over the next week or so and then determine if I need to reshuffle any other races.

ReeReeG · 20-03-2022 1:58pm

That's an absolute pain alright. Hope you're not feeling too bad. Some people seem to bounce back immediately, others take a few weeks. Hard to know

Laineyfrecks · 20-03-2022 3:58pm

Hope you feel better soon & hopefully it doesn't affect you too badly!

py · 20-03-2022 9:02pm

Thanks folks. Just a pita with the timing. We all seem to be over the worst of the symptoms, just dealing with the fatigue now.

bucky08 · 21-03-2022 12:10am

Hi just reading that you caught covid bad timing is right. We got hit with it in our house too all 5 of us since Mon 14th only seem to be getting back to normal today. Went for 5km yesterday and 7km today on treadmill try and get some life into the legs again. Hopefully you will get to your race..

Mr. Guappa · 21-03-2022 8:48am

That's crap timing with a race next weekend. Everyone's experience has been different with covid - for me it took about 10 days to feel mentally and physically right. On the plus side, looking back, once I did resume running I was quickly back to where I left off. Hopefully it doesn't linger too long for you.

py · 21-03-2022 12:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118812100#Comment_118812100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118812555#Comment_118812555

Cheers. I'm hoping for similar returns though I'll be taking it very easy. The eldest lad (tested positive) and myself went for a brief walk around a field and the HR didn't spike at all so I'm hopeful that it is a good sign. More walking to do before I get running. Just thankful for a bit of fresh air without the rain and wind.

py · 28-03-2022 4:55pm

Not a lot going on this week with covid.

Mon/Tue/Wed - Covid

Thursday - 2Km walk with sharp incline in middle. This was a test to see how my lungs/HR were doing. Went ok. No major issues with either.

Friday 30' easy - 5Km, 6:14/Km, 140 avg HR - Felt ok throughout this.

Saturday 40' easy - 7Km, 5:54/Km, 156 avg HR - HR was 20bpm higher than my usual easy runs. Unsure what the cause is. Higher temperatures? Covid? Being off my feet for 8 days? All of the above? Answers on a postcard please.

Sunday 50' easy - 8.5Km, 5:48/Km, 150 avg HR - HR a little lower on this easy run. Going to continue to monitor the HR.

No race on Sunday. Given the short timeline between now and Glendalough marathon, I'm going to be skipping Wexford half. I would have liked to have gotten a race in before then but I want to spend more time on marathon building as time is limited. Upcoming week is just easy runs to get back in to the swing of things.

py · 06-04-2022 8:41pm

Bit of a frustrating week this. I'm not training by HR but I do keep an eye on it throughout my day and on runs (mostly afterwards). HR was elevated like the few runs I did the previous week. Two issues I noticed with the HR is that it wasn't dropping to previous lows of low-mid 130s during my easy runs and it was also spiking rather quickly as soon as any inclines presented themselves.

Monday - Cycling 1 hour - not been on the bike in some time. Enjoyable. Going to get out more (hopefully).

Tuesday 35' easy - 6km, 5:58/Km, 146bpm - HR was high for this run and for several days afterwards.

Wednesday 45' easy - 8Km, 5:52/Km, 143bpm - HR high. Frustrating.

Thursday 55' easy - 9.5Km, 5:52/Km, 147bpm - HR still running higher than usual. Not sure if me looking at the watch every few strides is helping.

Friday 65' easy with 5 * 20" strides - 11Km, 5:54/Km, 141bpm - Straight forward enough run. Ran easy pace down to Bushy Park to get the strides done.

Saturday 65' - 11.5Km, 5:32/Km, 156bpm - Few easy Km over to Bushy Park parkrun (Dublin version) for the first time in almost 3 years. Arrived to the back of the group just as it begun. Didn't go all out but made a bit of an effort during the parkrun and came home in 24:18. 3-4Km easy afterwards to finish out my 65'.

Sunday 80' easy - 14Km, 5:44/Km, 139bpm - family visit to the zoo so took the opportunity to run home. Started from zoo and ran up North Road until I met Chesterfield Avenue, down to Acres Road and then down Khyber Road and home. Lovely day and was nice to be running in PP again. First run I've felt good and enjoyed since covid. Beautiful day out too.

60Km for the week. 7 weeks until Glendalough.

Sunday's run was the first run were the HR felt like it was almost back to normal. No real issues on the inclines and HR responded as terrain got easier. Another easy week ahead but I'll be looking at 65' easy * 5 and a 100' long run. Sessions will resume after that.

py · 10-04-2022 10:04pm

This was a good week. HR seems to be back to normal on my runs in terms of the level it works at during the runs and with how it responds to the terrain. All runs felt comfortable.

Monday - Rest day

Tuesday 70' easy - 12Km, 5:49/Km, 140avg HR

Run to/from Marlay park and then 2 laps of the park exterior.

Wednesday 65' easy- 11Km, 5:48/Km, 138 avg HR

Uneventful easy run.

Thursday 70' easy - 12Km, 5:48/Km, 137 avg HR

Same as Tuesday's run. Enjoy these runs up there as they're relatively quiet at this time of the morning.

Friday 70' easy with 5 * 20" strides - 12Km, 5:47/Km, 137 avg HR

Switched parks today and went over to Tymon Park. Got the strides done on the undulating west side of the park.

Saturday 65' easy - 11.5Km, 5:53/Km, 136 avg HR

Another uneventful easy run. Felt good throughout.

Sunday 100' easy - 17Km, 5:58/Km, 145 avg HR, 359m elevation

Took to the hills for this long run. Went up Edmonstown Road, Cruagh Road and up to viewpoint. Down Kilakee Road, across Mount Venus Road and back down Edmonstown road. A few of the double digit gradients I walked as I wasn't making much progress by running them at easy-ish pace. Tried to keep it steady enough on the downhill. The route can be a bit start/stop with traffic but it was a good workout for the legs. Hoping for more hills in the coming weeks. Also got the boys out for junior parkrun early in the morning which was at recovery/walking pace.

78Km for the week. 6 weeks until Glendalough.

A Tall Order

Comments