PB or not PB...that is the question

Cartman78 · 25-07-2022 3:14pm

WEEK BEGINNING - 18/07/2022

Another solid, decent week I think - broke through the 'magical' 60K barrier at last 🙄

Started the week off with a short easy lunchtime run - the extreme heat didn't put me off too much but I deffo wasn't up for doing a hard speed session.

Did something approaching a long slow run on Tuesday evening - 18.6K at ~5:20 pace.

Wednesday was a refreshing spin on the bike followed by a tough but enjoyable 3 x 2 Mile session on Thursday (@4 min pace)

Ordinarily those few days of training would have me in bits and generally hobbling around the place moaning but no issues on that scale at all (fingers crossed)

So on Friday evening - I headed out for a 10 Miler with the plan being 10K @ 5min pace followed by 6K @ 4:30 pace (this is a rough PMP). I wasn't confident really heading out of being able to hold the 4:30 pace for 6K but lo and behold I totally nailed it 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

Took Saturday off for some much needed R&R at a spa hotel in Cork - relaxing in an outdoor hot tub with a glass of prosecco in the rain was very enjoyable I have to say.

Got back late yesterday evening and managed to pop out for a very comfortable mid-paced 10K.

So a good week and one that I wouldn't have been able to complete previously it has to be said.

I think at this stage I can confidently say that my borderline chronic injury/inflammation issues are behind me (or certainly very much under control) - in the past, the more I ran I knew it meant the closer I got to being injured and missing large chunks of training. Now I'm feeling stronger with every run - it's a very weird experience!!

A lot of it is down to training smarter, running slower and maybe even down to the Nike supershoes a bit but the bit game changer is surely the diet change.

Anyway, I won't be getting carried away just yet until I've done a few more longer runs. That could be a challenge again this week tbh with the way things are panning out so will wait and see what happens

Cartman78 · 02-08-2022 10:30am

WEEK BEGINNING - 25/07/2022

Hmmm...not good...a weekly total of 33K (!)

As I expected/feared, family and work commitments are putting a squeeze on my time....not a whole lot I can do about it right now tbh but things should settle down a bit in the next few weeks hopefully.

This week comprised of the following - 15 * 400m intervals, 22K cycle, 16K Easy (with 2K @ PMP) and due to time pressure on Friday, an ill-fated attempt at a 10K TT - ran a not too shabby 41:14 on my local hilly route but a major asterisk on that is the ~2 mins break I had to take after 5K :-(

Ideally that TT would have been a LSR of 25K but couldn't squeeze it in.

Overall, things not going too badly - have a couple of minor niggles but nothing approaching an injury thankfully. But the lack of long runs starting to become an issue now in terms of the marathon.

Also felt super tired in the middle of last week - I suspect my thyroid may be acting up/down a bit....had blood tests on Friday so will wait and see if a tweak is needed on my meds.

This week is probably going to mirror last week I think - did 10K last night in heavy rain and clammy heat after a 2 hour drive so not the ideal start but better than nothing I guess. Tied up with family stuff again this weekend but might be able to get in something approaching 20K on Sunday possibly.

Was eyeing up a 10K next week where I ran a PB a few years ago but they've inexplicably changed it to 7 miles (?!?!) - bizarre decision imho and a major turn off for me.

Clonmel Half sold out so that decision is made for me now....will be signing up for Charleville now

Murph_D · 02-08-2022 11:32pm

We’ll give you the 41:14 as long as it included the 2 min break. 😉

Not sure if the logic of substituting 10k TT for 25k LR though - completely different sessions.

Why?

Cartman78 · 03-08-2022 8:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119421872#Comment_119421872

Haha... unfortunately the watch was stopped for the 2 mins. It's not far off a PB for that route.... haven't checked the archives but fairly sure I've never gone under 41 mins.

It wasn't a straight substitution of sessions...was tight for time on Friday (basically just had my lunch hour) and still had an outside chance of a long run over the weekend so said I'd have a crack at the TT. Alas, was tied up with various other bits and bobs after that so no chance for an LSR.....the kids being off has really thrown the routine out of whack 😂

Cartman78 · 08-08-2022 9:42am

WEEK BEGINNING - 01/08/2022

A slightly less chaotic week and a quasi acceptable 60K......and still injury free!

7K @ 4:30 pace

8 x 1K Intervals

22K Bike Ride

18K @ 5:00 pace

12K @ 4:25 pace

10K Easy

Still a glaring need for a longer run obviously - again unlikely this week tbh but I should be able to get a few longer efforts in over the next few weeks if everything goes to plan.

FWIW these are my current predicted times on the Garmin - I know these are pseudo-faff at best but interesting data points all the same:

5K - 18:43

10K - 39:47

Half Marathon - 1:30

Marathon - 3:27

Cartman78 · 16-08-2022 10:00am

WEEK BEGINNING - 08/08/2022

Still ploughing on fairly ok - overall mileage still a bit low maybe (~60K) but I'd rather be running at this level consistently rather that pushing towards injury by over-doing it.

8K Easy

22K Bike Ride

26K LSR (5:15 pace)

7K Easy

22K Bike Ride

16K (8K @ 4:45, 8K @ 4:15)

The second bike ride should probably have been a run really but it was too hot on Friday afternoon for running for me. Also did a bunch of body-boarding on Saturday but not sure if that counts as cross-training 😅

The 16K tempo run was quite satisfying I have to say - did the first 8K at easyish pace and happy to report that the 8K home felt comfortable as well.

This week is going to be a mess I think - was knackered yesterday after no proper sleep for a few nights so did nothing exercise wise.

Taking some annual leave as well with the kids this week so routine will be all over the shop possibly

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:38

10K - 39:27

Half Marathon - 1:29

Marathon - 3:23

Cartman78 · 22-08-2022 4:10pm

WEEK BEGINNING - 15/08/2022

Somehow managed 66K despite things being predictably a bit messy.

Happy with the LSR - didn't feel too much under pressure at any stage tbh...was actually aiming for 30K but the lure of 20 miles proved too hard to ignore as I was still feeling fresh.

The 10K mid paced run was probably my highlight - felt really comfortable.....always a nice feeling to notice your fitness like that imho.

Also haven't done Hill Repeats in a long time (are they still a thing in marathon training?) - the young fella is back at soccer training and there's a perfect hill right beside the pitch so it seems like good use of an hour either way.

Have a couple of aches but nothing I'd class as a niggle at the minute which is very unusual for me....this is deffo the deepest I've got into a marathon training block without multiple trips to the physio.

18K Easy

22K Bike Ride

Hill Repeats (15 * 200m)

10K @ 4:30

32K LSR (2hrs 50 mins)

Another slightly higgeldy-piggeldy week ahead I'd say - seems like every evening is choc-a-bloc with kids training/matches so I'll have to get creative with my time and planning.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:38

10K - 39:16

Half Marathon - 1:28

Marathon - 3:14

Cartman78 · 29-08-2022 12:37pm

WEEK BEGINNING - 22/08/2022

A low frequency week but I'm actually relatively content with it all things considered.

Felt pretty tired after the LSR on Sunday so took Monday as a rest day.

Tuesday was a very sedate 6.5K lunchtime effort in dead heat.

So was feeling pretty energised by the time Wednesday rolled around - did a very satisfactory 18K split tempo....did 9K to start at ~5 min pace and followed up with 9K at ~4:15 pace. It felt easy tbh....I don't think I've been in a position before where a session like that would be a) possible or b) feel easy.

Was on Annual Leave Thursday & Friday tooling about with the kids - did 400m in the pool on Thursday and 27K on the bike Friday.

Dragged myself out for a LSR on Saturday evening - was going to run it locally but the flat plains of UL/Castletroy proved too tempting yet again.

Struggled a bit for the first 10 miles or so (Achilles/Calf starting to groan worryingly) - had a gel then and got a bounce off it so wondering if I was slightly under-fuelled. Settled into a nice rhythm after that and kept it going up to 26.25K (2:16).....was half thinking of doing a few laps of the pitches to bump up the mileage but it was getting dark and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

Yesterday was another non-running day - I did get to spend some time in the sea at Spanish Point so I guess that counts as recovery right? ;-)

6.5K Easy

18K Split Tempo (9K Easy, 9K Hard(ish))

Bike Ride 27K

26K LSR (2hrs 16 mins)

Not sure how this week is shaping up yet tbh....left Achilles/Calf is still grumbling a bit so might focus on taking care of that rather than ploughing on with upping intensity and mileage.

We're heading back into THE ROUTINE (kids back at school, swimming lessons etc) this week as well so running bandwidth during the week likely to be under severe pressure.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:35 (1 second outside PB)

10K - 39:10 (10 seconds outside PB)

Half Marathon - 1:27 (2 mins inside PB)

Marathon - 3:12 (12 mins inside PB)

Cartman78 · 05-09-2022 10:40am

WEEK BEGINNING - 29/08/2022

Not a great week at all at all :-(

Started off the week feeling a bit leggy and tired so had planned a lighter week anyway. Was wfh with the kids earlier in the week which complicated things a bit as well.

Started off with a slowish 10K, rest on Tuesday and another slow short run on Wednesday.

Was all togged out and ready for a session (8 x 800m) on Thursday and got stung by a wasp during my warmup. Tried stupidly to carry on (I initially thought it might have been just a regular insect bite) but had to give in after about 200m and hobble back to the office. It actually got quite sore after that so spent the rest of the day sitting uncomfortably at my desk.

Bit of a shambles all round really - did another 10K on Friday, then felt totally wiped out on Saturday for some reason (upset stomach etc) so did nothing really exercise wise.

Felt ok yesterday again so did 20K which was neither long enough or slow enough to be an LSR or fast enough to be a session. Still better than nothing I guess all things considered.

So no cycle last week either - did a small bit of core stuff a couple of days, some heel drops, and a few hundred metres in the pool yesterday as well with the kids.

10.15K @ 4:50

9K @ 4:50

10K @ 4:30

20K @ 4:55

This week should be better hopefully, although I'll be keeping a very close eye on my Achilles which feels like it's on the verge of a flare up

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:33 (1 second inside PB)

10K - 39:06 (6 seconds outside PB)

Half Marathon - 1:27 (2 mins inside PB)

Marathon - 3:11 (12 mins inside PB)

Murph_D · 07-09-2022 8:06am

Some good stuff going on here. But what would you say those Garmin predictions are telling you?

What marathon method/plan are you following?

Cartman78 · 07-09-2022 11:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582694#Comment_119582694

Thanks for the feedback.

Re: the Garmin times - I have very little faith in them to be honest...I suspect the 5K and 10K times may be in scope but far less confident over the longer distances.

Still they are a metric based on my training load and other inputs so I keep an eye on them as mildly interesting data points.

Re: Marathon plan -

Not following a specific plan....just (trying) to take a common sense approach that works for me in terms of injury avoidance and family/work commitments....over a week it will take the form of:

1 or 2 * Short easy runs ~ 10-12K

1 * Intervals/Hill Repeats

1 * Tempo (18K)

1 * LSR

I was doing pretty well until recently but the kids returning to school, activities, shorter evenings etc has put the squeeze on big time...it looks like the tempo run is the one that's most in danger tbh

Cartman78 · 12-09-2022 9:24am

WEEK BEGINNING - 05/09/2022

77K for the week - all good in the hood :-)

The main goal of this entire training block was to stay injury and illness free and it’s going ok so far.

Started the week off with a decent set of 8 x 800’s - ran them all fairly comfortably at ~4:10 pace.

Back on the bike Tuesday for a 60 min blitz, and then a solid 10K tempo on Wednesday (@4:25 pace).

Thursday was another gloriously rain-sodden easy 8K at lunchtime.

The clammy head returned on Friday for my split tempo session - was tight for time so had to limit it to 16K….went out easy-ish in 37 mins and back fairly hard-ish but comfortable in 33 mins.

Felt great I have to say but that will sadly be my last run in my beloved Nike Tempos….noticed a small crack in the sole a couple of weeks ago and it’s only getting bigger so they’ll be going back to Nike HQ for a refund this week. Very annoying but they’re a fabulous shoe imho…not sure if I’ll chance getting another pair yet tbh.

Took a rest on Saturday - back coaching with the juveniles after summer break so great to see a decent turnout for training.

Up at the craic of dawn on Sunday for LSR - could hear the rain pelting down from the bed so despite my love of running in the rain, this was going to be rough.

Had the porridge and hopped in the car to UL - did 10K around the campus and Annacotty, then looped back to the car for a gel and some water. Headed off then towards the city with the miles clocking off nicely at 5:25ish km pace.

The rain was bucketing down big time but I barely noticed it after a while tbh - met a fair few other runners out as well so lots of knowing glances exchanged along the route.

Felt strong all the way - had another gel at 22K and drove on the pace a bit down to 5 min k pace for the last few. For once I planned/estimated my route properly in my head so didn’t have to do a bunch of laps to make the distance at the end - had a lot more running in the legs but stopped the watch at 35K (3hr 3mins).

My longest run since 2019 marathon and my longest training run since April 2012.

No injuries, niggles etc to report but have some of the worst chaffing I’ve ever had - did a good smattering of Vaseline beforehand but missed a few key areas….I think the fact my gear was saturated was the main problem :-( Still though….could have been worse I guess…better it happened now than on the big day.

This week might be tight for time again but not a whole lot I can do about it really so will have to make do - will be similar to last week I think…will try to inject some more PMP miles into the LSR next week.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:31

10K - 39:02

Half Marathon - 1:26

Marathon - 3:10

Cartman78 · 19-09-2022 9:37am

WEEK BEGINNING - 05/09/2022

Bit of a strange week - only 3 runs but mileage just about within tolerance for me (66K)

Still feeling pretty good overall - avoiding injury is still the key metric for me this time around.

Was feeling a bit leggy on the Monday after the LSR so did a recovery cycle.

With half an eye on Charleville and tight for time at lunchtime - Tuesday was a solid 10K effort at PHMP.

Nada on Wednesday due to work/family shenanigans but had pencilled in some time for myself on Thursday evening.

Popped on the Vaporflys and headed out for a 20K tempo in fading light - had set it up as 5 x 4K with the 4K (split into 1K easy-ish and 3K hard-ish). Went really well despite running the last 2K in the dark nearly.

Felt grand on the Friday and contemplated a few easy miles but didn't want to push it so hopped on the bike instead.

Faced a similar choice on Saturday - was busy in the morning and afternoon with soccer matches and juvenile athletics training but had a window for a few easy miles in the evening - again, decided to give it a miss with LSR looming (and had to cut the lawn anyway lol)

Out again early yesterday morning in UL - perfect conditions, no rain or wind, probably around 10-12 degrees. Did a similar route to last week but ran slightly longer than planned (36.4K) due to route miscalculation. I've never ran that long before in training and happy to report I felt grand throughout - ran slightly faster than last weekend and did a few spurts of PMP but nothing too structured tbh.

Bike 18K

10K @ 4:18 pace

20K Tempo (mixed pace) 1 hr 27 mins

Bike 22K

36.4K LSR 3 hrs 06 mins

I might pump the breaks a wee bit this week in terms of sessions/tempo runs - will probably do some easy short stuff and a couple of cycles.

I hadn't planned on a taper for Charleville but it might be no harm to take it a bit handy at this stage anyway.

Not yet 100% sure on my strategy for Charleville (or the DCM itself tbh) - I think I'll race as honestly as I can without wrecking myself...might throw in a few easy miles after as well if it goes well.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:31

10K - 39:02

Half Marathon - 1:26

Marathon - 3:09

DeepBlue · 19-09-2022 12:00pm

I always assumed that those bullsh1t garmin predicted times just worked off whatever it determined your vO2max was but comparing yours to my own they clearly use some other metrics also. Your predictions are 40s faster than mine at 5 and 10K, 2 minutes faster at half but six minutes slower at full.

I'd just be curious why the algorithm wouldn't predict a faster full time for you. (But obviously I wouldn't waste too much time thinking on it 😄).

Cartman78 · 19-09-2022 12:25pm

I think the 5K and 10K times are probably accurate enough, not so sure about the Half (will find out on Sunday!) and deffo not confident about the Full....I think I'll be on the limit at 3:15 tbh.

I'm not a huge fan of the marathon distance fwiw...I like every distance up to and including 10 miles... everything beyond that can be a bit of a grind as I prefer running fast.

My v02 is 57 which apparently is in the top 1% for my age (44) 😂 and Garmin also gleefully informs me that my fitness age is 20 (!!)

Anyway, I take all those metrics with a gigantic pinch of salt

DeepBlue · 19-09-2022 9:29pm

It seems I'm also in the 1% club (woohoo!) and have a fitness age of 20 (those average 20 year olds must be really unfit!!)

Yes, it's all boll0cks but I still check it religiously 🙈

Cartman78 · 22-09-2022 11:46am

A quick midweek check-in...

Deffo feeling a bit tired this week so not too bothered about the lower-mileage/intensity few days I've had so far....did 8K recovery on Monday, bike on Tuesday and another easy 8K yesterday.

Today is shaping up to be a rest day so might do some stretching/core stuff later on - my slightly stiff Achilles could do with a bit of a rollout too...might do an easy 10 miles tomorrow maybe or a cycle depending on how the legs are.

Was looking back at my stats from 2019 and tried to diagnose my relatively underwhelming 1:33 performance in Charleville (after running 1:29 in Limerick earlier that year) - I have vague recollections of managing a bad Achillies flare up and the numbers probably reflect that.

For the period from August 1st through to September 22nd in 2019 I ran 25 times for a total of 260K

For the same period this year I've been out 31 times for a 443K (!)...a fairly whopping difference of 180K.

So that's actually given me a boost ahead of Sunday - I'm going to give it a decent lash I think....a PB should be in scope but I won't go too far in to the red zone if it's not coming relatively comfortably

Cartman78 · 26-09-2022 9:41am

WEEK BEGINNING 19/09/2022

So to continue from my midweek update above - I was still feeling tired as the week wore on. The training has become a bit of a grind lately tbh but not long to go so just need to stay focused if I can.

Did a solid tempo session on Friday (12.5K @ 4:30 pace) and felt fine but the aches and niggles seemed to be surfacing a bit…..not sure if this was some form of mild taper madness or what but I hit the foam roller, heel drops, stretches, ice packs etc fairly hard on Friday and Saturday.

So had an early night on Saturday ahead of the trip to Charleville.

CHARLEVILLE HALF MARATHON 2022

Landed in to Charleville around 8:45am and already felt like I was late - could see plenty of runners milling about, some doing extended warmups and others probably getting a few miles in to transform the day in to a LSR.

I’d considered doing something similar but had no real conviction to do extra miles either before or after the race tbh.

Parked up the car near the graveyard, got my number, chatted to a few people, back up to the car and listened to a podcast for a bit and then did a short-ish warm up.

The weather was shaping up to be perfect - cool, dry, light wind - a big change from the clammy humidity of 2019.

Made my way to the start line still unsure of my exact racing strategy and target.

There was loads of pacers but for some reason they all decided to squeeze in to an area 20-30 yards near the start line so it was fairly congested, and there was lots of people who were far too near to the top.

So I hung back and we set off - the first 500m were mainly getting past people and not trying to getting blocked in.

Made contact with a fairly large pacing group and initially wasn’t sure which one it was as the balloon was flapping about widely. Got closer and confirmed it was the 1:30 group.

Settled in to the pace fairly easily but quickly got a bit agitated by the crowd - made a dart off to the side to get some space and somehow ended up right beside the pacer and the balloon bouncing off my head lol. Not where I wanted to be at all so I increased the pace a bit and pulled out in front of the group.

Settled into a nice rhythm after that and the sounds of the pacing group (mainly fellas coughing, snorting, and the melodic tune of carbon plated shoes slapping off the tarmac) started to fade away.

5K - 20:46 (4:07, 4:09, 4:11, 4:07, 4:11)

I wish I had a load of interesting observations and insights to make but Charleville must be one of the most boring courses in Ireland - can’t really remember anything from the next few miles other than I was feeling good :-)

5K-10K - 21:01 (4:09, 4:14, 4:14, 4:10, 4:12)

Was feeling very comfortable as the race came into Kilmallock, popped a gel and also got a good boost off a bunch of supporters from my club who were stationed at the end of the town. As we turned left and passed the water station I injected a bit of speed - not quite a kick for home but I was feeling good so knew a PB was on the cards if I could keep it up.

Started to pass a good few people in this section - there was a fella on my shoulder doing the same thing….”We’re moving nicely now” he said in a Cork accent and I couldn’t disagree with him :-)

10K-15K - 20:28 (4:03, 4:04, 4:08, 4:03, 4:06)

I was really cruising now - absolutely no clouds on the horizon. My previous PB from the Limerick Half in 2019 had been a bit of a mess in hindsight - was with a pacing group but fell off it completely and even had to take a brief walking break iirc.

Anyway myself and the Cork guy were flying it now, passing out a good few people as the miles ticked by.

15K - 20K - 20:03 (4:09, 4:05, 3:56, 3:58, 3:53)

Normally this would be the point where the doubt starts to kick in I guess but I was only thinking now about how much I was going to break my PB by and maybe the Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted times weren’t so crazy after all :-)

There was a couple of hills to navigate in this section but I barely noticed them - I’ve only experienced finishing a race strongly a couple of times before really (the Dungarvan 10 Mile in 2012 probably the standout) and it’s a great feeling.

20K-Finish (3:55, 0:35)

My Cork buddy pulled away from me in the final km but I didn’t mind as I was still passing people out.

Sprinted from the gate in towards the finish line and was a little disappointed to see the race clock ticking past 1:27, but quickly remembered that I was slow starting due to the congested start so a quick glance at the watch confirmed my finish time and new PB of 1:26:49

Pretty chuffed I have to say :-)

Mr. Guappa · 26-09-2022 11:52am

Congrats on the PB. Love that feeling of strength at the end of a race and moving past runner after runner.

Dubh Geannain · 26-09-2022 12:02pm

That looks like a terrifically paced race. Congrats on the PB

Kellygirl · 26-09-2022 7:18pm

Congrats. That’s a great race.

Laineyfrecks · 26-09-2022 7:28pm

Congrats on a great race & shiny new PB 😊

Lazare · 26-09-2022 9:42pm

Fantastic running, huge congrats. You ran it so well.

You mentioned upthread not being confident of better than 3:15 in DCM. This obv changes that?

Cartman78 · 26-09-2022 10:05pm

Thanks to all for the kind words....in a weird way I think keeping this blog has helped me improve a bit as well over the last few months...I seem less likely to go off and do something stupid 😂

@Lazare - as a running buddy pointed out to me last night, speed has never been a problem for me as such, but endurance definitely has so I'd be still cautious about tackling a marathon too aggressively.

Having said that, Charleville has deffo given me a confidence boost so somewhere around 3:10 could be in scope.

It's essentially 4 x 45 minute 10K runs (and a couple of km added on at the end) which doesn't sound too bad to me atm 😬

Anyway back to reality....booked physio for next Monday evening...could do with a bit of a general loosen out and have a slight tightness in my lower quad/knee which might need a bit of needling

ariana` · 29-09-2022 1:35pm

Only catching up with this now. Super run, congratulations. A nice little confidence boost ahead of DCM too.

So it seems the auld Garmin knows you better than you thought, interesting.

Cartman78 · 03-10-2022 9:34am

WEEK BEGINNING 26/09/2022

Didn't have too long to bask in the glory of a half-marathon PB - happy to report zero after effects of my efforts in Charleville....not sure if it's due to the shoes or the gluten free diet....possibly a combination of both. A run like that in the past would have led to something like 4 days of extreme foam rolling and ice packs.

Anyway - took a non-running day on Monday and did 20K on the bike as recovery.

Followed that up on Tuesday with a comfortably paced 10K at something approaching PMP (~4:30 per km) - felt great and no signs on Sundays race in my leg whatsoever.

I did notice however a slight increase in tightness in my left knee/lower quad/hamstring - it's been bubbling along for a while but the extra training load seems to have pushed it into the upper realms of a 'niggle'. I booked in a physio appt for tonight so hopefully a rub out and maybe some needling might sort it out.

Had virtually zero time on Wednesday but managed to sneak in a slow 4 mile at lunchtime.

Thursday went sideways too in terms of time - ended up going out around 9pm in the village and ran in the two places with street lighting.....basically a 300m stretch of a hill near the soccer pitch, and a 500m straight flat bit down by the tennis club. So did 5 Hill Repeats at a easyish pace followed by 10 x 400m at something like 70% effort....not the most productive workout at this stage maybe but was just glad to get out and moving tbh.

Did a 12K tempo on Friday (55 mins) - still feeling good generally...ideally would have done a few more km but time was once again my enemy.

Got my flu jab on Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day feeling fairly wiped out on the couch playing Mario Kart with the kids.

Was still feeling a bit groggy yesterday morning as I dragged my ass out to UL for my LSR - I must have zoned out completely for it as the miles drifted by....nothing major to report really, ran it slow enough and didn't bother with any marathon pace sections (35K in 3hrs)

One more LSR to go - hallelujah!

Not sure when I'm going to do it yet though - it might actually be next Saturday afternoon/evening as I'm tied up with Juvenile XC on Sunday.

So 73K for the week which is relatively high for me - just need to grind it out for another week before I can focus on tapering.

Was reading up on tapering the other night and was wondering why none of it seemed to ring a bell - and then it dawned on me that I've never actually made it to this stage of marathon training before without my 'plan' being in absolute tatters.

Anyway hopefully the physio can sort me out tonight - only 27 days to go!!

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:31

10K - 39:01

Half Marathon - 1:26

Marathon - 3:08

MooShop · 03-10-2022 5:51pm

Haha, got a chuckle from your wording of the Garmin predicted times update!!!

It has crazy times for me, I'm nowhere near the times they have for me.

5k - 18:04

10k - 37:29

Half - 1:22:53

Marathon - 2:53:05

Some crazy times there seeing as my 10k PB from June is 42:43 and first half and fastest of two was 1:37:30ish. That marathon time for me is laughable!!!!

Cartman78 · 04-10-2022 12:23pm

Well it seems my predicted times went from wildy optimistic to spookily accurate over the space of a few months, I must actually read up on how they're calculated some day when I literally have nothing else to do.

Got on great last night at physio....been going to the same person for years so she was actually pleasantly surprised at the condition of my legs :-)

Got a good loosen out of the quad and calves anyway, so it's still full stream ahead. Won't run today though...will hop on the bike for a look lunchtime blitz instead.

Booked in again for another rub down on the 20th to help combat the inevitable taper madness

MooShop · 05-10-2022 7:49pm

Here's a little blurb from their support page on it:

https://support.garmin.com/en-IE/?faq=HUB4yrzJkg1BbgmozWkBm7#:~:text=The%20watch%20will%20use%20the,refine%20the%20race%20time%20estimates.

Cartman78 · 10-10-2022 9:46am

WEEK BEGINNING 03/10/2022

A confluence of random events (mainly work commitments, physio, possible flu jab hangover and Mrs Cartman being away at a corporate awards gig for 2 nights) meant that my taper kinda inadvertently started a week early.

Did an easy 8K recovery on Monday and then went to physio for a general loosen out that evening - I've been going to the same physio for years and she's seen my in all states so I think she was genuinely surprised/shocked by what (relatively) good shape I'm currently in :-)

Anyway no major issues to report and booked in again for a couple of weeks.

Hopped on the bike on Tuesday for a spin and was feeling a bit stiff and groggy - not sure if it was a response to physio or a delayed reaction to the flu jab. The arm where I got the jab was a bit sore/heavy and just ended up with a relatively easy wheel around in the lashing rain.

Wednesday was a very comfortable 10K at PMP; was completely boxed in on Thursday so didn't do anything.

Had planned a long-ish run on Friday but time got the better of me again so ended up doing a mid-paced 10K.

Saturday morning and afternoon was a mix of underage soccer and juvenile athletics training - I knew as well that Sunday morning and afternoon were going to be write-offs as well (Juvenile XC and a birthday party) so there was only one thing for it.....a Saturday evening LSR!!

To say that I did not enjoy this run would be a gigantic understatement - I was already tired starting off and in hindsight I should have probably picked a different route. Went with my normal Sunday morning route which is normally a sedate mix of parents out with prams , the odd dog walker and light traffic. Not quite the same picture of tranquility on a Saturday evening :-(

Gangs of young lads supping cans and smoking doobies, along with throngs of people in cars behaving like complete a-holes. Ended up retreating to UL and doing endless mind-numbing loops and laps....I must have ran over the Living Bridge about 5 times lol!

Anyway - I ground out 32K somehow and have never felt so relieved to finish a run tbh - I think that outing will probably be a tougher challenge than the marathon itself.

So it's now officially taper time - will probably end up doing something similar to last week with a shorter LSR (20-22K). As mentioned in other posts here and on the Improvers Thread - this is new ground for me....normally 3 weeks before a marathon I'd be scrambling to get lost miles into the legs or wrapping myself in bubble-wrap and arriving completely undercooked on the big day

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times Update:

5K - 18:28

10K - 38:57

Half Marathon - 1:26

Marathon - 3:07

Cartman78 · 14-10-2022 5:00pm

Sigh.

On antibiotics for a kidney infection 😩

Not feeling too bad but haven't been right for a few days and woke up this morning with an all too familiar pain in my lower back.

Maybe not the worst time for it to happen I guess (as long as it doesn't linger)....any earlier and I'd have missed some key runs/sessions

Cartman78 · 16-10-2022 10:53pm

WEEK BEGINNING 10/10/2022

So the first week of taper started grand....a solid mid-paced 10K on Monday, regular spin on the bike on Tuesday followed by another comfortable 9K on Wednesday.

Thursday was a scheduled rest day and then it all went t1ts up.

In hindsight I hadn't been feeling 100% for a few days probably....my sleep had gone haywire for a few nights and a few aches and pains were surfacing.

Woke up with a pain in my lower back/side so went to GP on Friday morning....really hope it's just a kidney infection (as opposed to yet more kidney stone shenanigans) and that the antibiotics do the biz asap.

So spent the weekend mooching around the house, googling things like "running a marathon after antibiotics in first week of taper" 🙈🙈🙈

Anyway, will see how things go I guess 🫤

Kellygirl · 16-10-2022 11:04pm

Hope all works out ok.

Cartman78 · 17-10-2022 8:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119754091#Comment_119754091

Cheers... I was really bummed out last week but getting more philosophical as the days tick by

Kinda glad I raced properly in Charleville now 😂

Kellygirl · 17-10-2022 8:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119754644#Comment_119754644

Assuming it’s just an infection you’ll be well over it on time for Dublin.

Cartman78 · 18-10-2022 8:11pm

Chanced a very gentle 5K today to see what sorta state I'm in...it was more of a mental exercise tbh.

Felt ok all things considered - still have a bit of twinge in my side but so addled now I'm not sure if it's muscular or what 😵‍💫🥴

Anyway doing lots of stretching etc and sleeping much better so fingers crossed yet again

Cartman78 · 24-10-2022 10:41am

WEEK BEGINNING 17/10/2022

So followed up that tentative 5K with a couple of walks (🙄), and then a not too shabby ~MP 7.5K on Thursday, a slow 6.5K on Friday and then a mid-pace 16K yesterday.

Not feeling too bad after the infection/antibiotics I think - energy and sleep quality back to normal levels.

Main concern atm is a tightness/ache in my left knee/quad/lower glute that is annoying me a bit.....never had an issue there before so not sure what the impact will be next weekend so will be rolling and stretching it as much as possible over the next few days.

Other than that it's all systems go....looking forward to the weekend, it'll be the first time the kids are coming up to cheer me on so hopefully i'm not a limping hot mess when I pass them by 😬😬😬😬😬

Anyway, my next update here will be a race report I guess !!

Cartman78 · 27-10-2022 4:06pm

Last "run" done and dusted 🥳

It was a very gentle and sedate 5K on the flattest section of road near me....an exact copy of the run I did on Tuesday 😂

No major aches, pains or niggles to report although I am battling a severe dose of taper madness 😵‍💫

Prediction Time - I should be able to bang out a solid 3:10 I think...I'm fully expecting the last 5 miles to be gruelling, but (recent kidney infection shenanigans aside) this is BY FAR the best shape I've arrived at leading up to a marathon

ariana` · 27-10-2022 4:32pm

Best of luck on Sunday, I hope you have a great run after your solid block of training.

Kellygirl · 27-10-2022 8:39pm

Best of luck Sunday. Hope it goes really well.

Laineyfrecks · 27-10-2022 8:42pm

Very best of luck on Sunday😊

Murph_D · 27-10-2022 8:57pm

Best of luck!

Cartman78 · 31-10-2022 6:40pm

So 3:16 and a new shiny PB...it was a real shoot for the moon and landing in the stars style effort in the end.

Was holding 3:10 pace comfortably enough but the wheels started coming off from 30K onwards so, as in 2019, it was a case of grinding it out and locking in the PB.

My Garmin still thinks I can do a 3:09 😂

Anyway, will be back with a more detailed report when I process things a bit

Lazare · 31-10-2022 7:31pm

Nice one man, well deserved. Looking forward to the report.

Cartman78 · 01-11-2022 11:52am

Dublin Marathon 2022

After what felt like the longest build up to anything ever in my life, the overriding feeling on Saturday morning was relief.

Having made it to the start line relatively unscathed I just wanted to get it done and do my training/prep justice.

Hit the road early from Limerick and checked into the Clayton in Ballsbridge around mid-day just in time for our room to be ready. Had my homemade lunch in the room and headed towards the Expo...my kids (7 and 10) were with us for the first time and had a fabulous weekend.

Popped on the DART and hit the Lego shop on Grafton Street, probably did a little bit more walking than I planned but doubt it had any impact tbh.

Back to the hotel for my homemade dinner and put the feet up. I wasn't taking any chances with food...a gluten flare up at the 11th hour would have been a disaster.

Had a bit of a meh sleep but felt grand on wake up...had porridge in the room, gave everyone a big hug and headed out to reception to hop into my prebooked taxi at 7:15.

PLOT TWIST! The taxi didn't show 😡

There was a couple of other lads in the same boat so after waiting in vain til about 7:30 we said fuppit and started walking. Not ideal but it was probably only ~2.5K and again, I don't think it had any real impact on what unfolded later on.

Hit the rather chaotic bag drop around 8:05am...came in from the wrong side so had to go up to the far side through hoardes of people. Anyway no major panic really, got a spot on the steps and got my stuff sorted...had all sorts of old t-shirts to throw away but the heat was already noticable so just went with an ancient long sleeve Mallow 10 Mile top and headed to the start 😬😬😬

Positioned myself in sight of the 3:10 pacers, chatted to a few people around me, retied my shoes once and then we were off.

The first couple of kms didn't seem to be as crowded as I remember (?) so I was able to settle into a rhythm fairly quickly....there did seem to be a LOT of random street furniture (bollards, signs, high kerbs etc) early on that I don't recall either. Some of them were well marshalled but a couple of signs seemed to pop out of nowhere.

Anyway, they didn't cause a problem for me but the heat kicked in early on which I definitely don't remember from previous Dublin marathons 🥵

Was cruising along really at this stage...no issues whatsoever in and around the Phoenix Park. Gels going down ok, water stations grand and I'd made contact with the 3:10 pace group.

As with the pace group in Charleville, I got uncomfortable in the crowd, got clipped a couple of times...when everyone slowed going downhill it was the final straw for me....it's like people switch off or something...if the pacer had gone for a pee I'd swear a crowd of people would have followed him into the portaloo 😂

So I changed gears and spurted out into the open space in front of the pace group...was feeling super at this stage.

Can't really remember anything else of note until halfway tbh....one thing I did sense was the beginning of a blister on my right heel. Was wearing the Vaporflys and hadn't had the problem before. Needed a pee break as well so nipped into toilet at halfway and repositioned my sock. Ran back on to the road and was still a few metres ahead of the pace group so was feeling pretty smug 😎

Halfway in 1:34...pretty much bang on the button.

Had a fleeting thought that if I could replicate my Charleville time, I'd sneak under 3hrs 😂

Somewhere between 25K and 30K things started to unravel a bit....nothing major but a few subtle twinges that I knew couldn't be ignored for long...the first pang of cramp struck in left calf, swiftly followed by right quad. I don't remember anything from the route at this point...it was all about when not if I was going to have to take a mini break and gather myself.

By now my neck and shoulders had seized up a bit as well and the strain of that was giving me a headache....there was a water station on the horizon so grabbed a bottle and (drum roll)...started walking for about a minute or so.

Got going ok but knew that the last few miles were going to be rough (in the end, the last 12K took me an hour...not a disaster by any means). There was a lot of people dropping off around me as well...seemed to be a very high attrition rate from halfway.

Anyway ploughed on with running, water,walking strategy....it was grim in hindsight...each mile marker seemed like a slap in the face..."3 miles to go" felt like an eternity.

Hit 40K in 3:05...the marker was right outside the hotel so I knew exactly what was ahead having speed walked in earlier on in the day.

I had mentally scheduled in another mini break before the finish but the crowd literally kept me going. I'd been playing to the crowd for a while...if I hit a quiet section of people just staring I'd roar "C'mon" and wave my arms which got a mega roar every time...good buzz I have to say and something I'd forgotten about until just now 😜

Trundled past the RDS, and ran shoulder to shoulder with a tall well built fella for a few metres before cruising by him...it wasn't til I heard a few shouts of "Gwan Gillick" that I realized who it was and he now joins John Treacy on the list of ex-Olympians that I've beaten in running events 😂

My Garmin dinged for 41K but then I saw the 25M marker.... WTF 😒....that was a real mindfcuk....my body was groaning big time now (even my teeth were sore!)...there wasn't going to be a sprint finish but I wasn't fupping walking again either.

Finally the line was in sight and a wave of emotional relief washed over me...not sure if it was endorphins or just general raw joy 😭😭😭

Stepped over the line and everything seized up....the medic guy started to walk towards me and obviously did some sort of visual welfare check, he asked was I ok and I gave him a thumbs up.

I staggered in a daze towards the t-shirt and medal collection....I was a borderline blubbering mess now so just needed a moment or two to compose myself...leaned over a railing to "stretch" and had a good cry 😢

Dunno where it came from tbh....it's like everything over the last 3 years bubbled to the surface when I crossed the line...there was a couple of times since 2019 when I thought I wouldn't be able to run again, nevermind run another marathon. Throw in COVID, lockdowns etc and all the sh1t and stress that went with it....well it all came out as I leaned over a barrier in Merrion Square 😅

Anyway, I was eventually moved on by a marshall and sauntered back to baggage claim... everyone looked shell-shocked.

My family were waiting round the corner at the meeting point....I was probably too dehydrated to cry anymore at that point but everyone got an extra big hug.

Headed back along the route to the hotel....some very unsettling scenes of people getting CPR etc, haven't heard anything on the news regarding fatalities so hope everyone pulled through.

Was hobbling along a bit....walking in a straight line was ok but having to stop and move to the side was a challenge.

Anyway tldr....an 8 minute PB for a 44 year old runner who doesn't really like marathons 😎

ariana` · 01-11-2022 12:13pm

Another brilliant report. Nothing like crossing the finish line of a marathon to make a grown man (or woman) cry! It really is such an experience, it's an honour really to get to do it! I've cried after all of mine, for different reasons mind you, but it's always been an emotional thing like no other really - kind of akin to childbirth. Massive well done to you on your achievement! I'm sorry things didn't go perfectly but I suppose they rarely do and any day you can eek out an 8 min PB is still a good one! You've had a string of setbacks and should be so so proud of yourself getting to this point. Wishing you a speedy recovery now.

ReeReeG · 01-11-2022 12:19pm

Great result considering the run-up wasn't entirely smooth for you! Well done, really enjoyed that report!

Cartman78 · 01-11-2022 12:28pm

EPILOGUE

I've been kinda struggling to process my thoughts since Sunday.... something felt a bit off and I still can't put my finger on it.

I should be over the moon with my time (I think) but it feels a bit meh 😕

Would I feel any better if I'd ran 3:12, 3:09, 3:04, 2:59:59??? I'm not sure I would if I'm being honest...

Maybe I'm overthinking it but right now I have no desire to run another marathon in the short to medium term.

As I mentioned in another thread yesterday, there's a bunch of other targets I have (specifically at 5K, 10K and 10 Mile) that I feel are in scope following my showing at Charleville a few weeks ago.

The build up to DCM felt very pressurized....entirely my own fault I guess but that feeling of being "all in" on something (when there's a zillion things that could fupp it all up) wasn't fun for the last few weeks...two people on my team at work testing positive for COVID in the past 10 days really spooked me 😱

At least with the shorter distances there's always another option around the corner.

Anyway, here's some random points that led to my PB:

1) Going gluten and dairy free (on medical advice) was a real game changer. I could run every day of the week if I wanted now...pre-2020, even doing 2 consecutive days was risky and 3 days back to back was a physio trip. I obviously had a latent problem for years which exploded spectacularly in late 2019. If anyone reading this has similar issues (ie. repeated unexplained injuries) then I'd recommend at least looking into your diet for clues.

2) Cycling - invested in a decent bike earlier this year and found it excellent for cross training and general fitness.

3) Shoes - the Vaporflys deffo made some sort of difference on race days in Dublin and Charleville, but all the hard miles were done in Pegasus...a real workhorse of a shoe so hopefully Nike don't fcuk them up anytime soon. Shout out to the crazy Nike Tempos I had for a few weeks....they fell apart but were great fun to run in

4) And finally Boards 🙂

Keeping the log here definitely helped...I knew if I did anything stupid I'd have to write about it so that kept me within tolerance.

Anyway, gonna take a break for a while.... probably not that long...will see how the body recovers

AuldManKing · 01-11-2022 4:24pm

Superb report and an amazing performance - to PB by 8 mins - (on an already good PB) while going through that is astonishing!

Fair play - I think the emotion on the day is telling - its such a big build up for 1 race it, but once it goes, it does leave you feeling a bit down - I've read a about a lot of people, Elites and hobby joggers like us feeling a bit 'meh' after a big goal race, especially one with a big lead up to it.

Enjoy the recovery and get back to enjoying running - good news on the diet - that should lead to some breakthroughs in the not too distant future.

Laineyfrecks · 01-11-2022 8:06pm

Great race report. Well done on the PB, it's ok to feel Meh, sometimes our feelings just can't be explained. Best of luck with your future goals.

PB or not PB...that is the question

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