I thought it was a half they had in Connemara?

KC, thanks for this detailed input. Much to think about. I suspect that intervals are the area where I need to do the most work,and have the most hope of finding an improvement...but between now and Conn it might be best not to try to change things too much.

Will certainly try to finish hard next weekend's LSR; would be hoping to do most of it at projected Conn pace (so about 2:30-2:40 for 20 miles) - I did this two weeks ago in Roundwood, but hopefully am a little fitter now. Either way, will try to put the boot in a bit over the last five.

Turns out I didn't get out at all today. I'm nursing the hint of a cold, and that combined with some urgent work, a wife who wanted to go into town and a daughter who wanted to stay at home (and be babysat) was enough to keep me at the desk.

I did sleep nearly 11 hours last night, and with no school run in the morning I'd hope to get more of the same tonight. So if nothing else I'll be rested for tomorrow. That'll mean, all going well, a Sunday LSR this weekend.

Hope that I'm not really getting a cold - that'd be offputting this close to Conn....

ElectraX wrote: »

That's great going! Especially on a mainly uphill route. Used to run out that way alot for my LSR's when training for the marathon last year...that hill from Vico Road/Victoria Rd up to the arch at Killiney Hill Road is a killer:p

Sorry, slow to respond...I have to confess to not taking that turn, but keeping on down to the sea beside Killiney beach, along past the Dart station and then up Military Road to Ballybrack, then into the linear park all the way home. The hard climbs are thus just the one out of Coliemore up to Sorrento Terrace and the one from Eddie Jordan's house (just after Sorrento, heading south). My excuse is that I like to see the sea if I have the option

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I can only speak for Pfitzinger and Douglas, which is where my own experience comes from. From three weeks out, you cut back your total weekly mileage by approximately 25-28% weekly (if my memory serves me correctly).

So if you were running a 60 mile week before taper, you would run 45, 33, and 25 miles (plus marathon).
Long runs should come down by a corresponding factor. So for example, 20-22 miles pre-taper, 16 miles, 12-13 miles, Marathon.

Thanks, KC. That's great service. Given my lazy 40 mile weeks, that's 30 this week (to 28 March), 22 (to 4 April), 16 (to 10 April) + 26.2

What's odd is how little 30 miles seems, now that I've gotten used to the current regime. My wife accuses me of having ultra ambitions....but not next week.

Some days you just don't feel right. There's a wave of temperatures, sore throats and headaches breaking over the household, and I feel it creeping up behind me. Attempts to keep sick kids in isolation and force them to face the wall when speaking to me aren't finding favour, for some reason :rolleyes:. I don't have the bug yet, but I've a nasty feeling it's in there and just waiting to strike....

Hypochondria aside, today's run was a tough one. Despite yesterday's recovery run, it was "wooden legs syndrome" from the start, and it only improved marginally. Even after 10km or so, when things are usually pretty loose, the actual placing of the foot on ground was uncomfortable - stiff calves, unhappy shins. A couple of hours later, both shins feel bruised all up the front, as if I'd be been kicked, and the calves feel tight and uncomfortable, despite a pretty comprehensive stretch. There's no discernible injury, thank goodness - all muscles do stretch without pain, so maybe there's just lactic leftovers.

Maybe I needed a longer rest after Sunday's exertions - I'll do nothing tomorrow and maybe Thursday, and likely scratch any plans of a spin down to Mallow.

All the same, 1:06:30 going a little carefully (really only hit my stride for a couple of miles at most) isn't too shabby for ten miles, so at least there's no disastrous loss of pace. That means my overall confidence isn't bruised, though I am concerned about catching a dose of nasties off the kids....

No definite time today, as I didn't charge the Garmin properly after the last run. But did the usual ten-mile circuit and felt pretty comfy on it. Maybe a minute or two slower than usual, maybe not.

That's the last of the mid-week ten-mile runs, as we slip into taper mode. Next week's will be 11 or 12 km runs, likely just in the linear park. So my expeditions into Rich Mans Land in Killiney and Dalkey are at an end.

Fabulous out there today - sea as calm as I've seen, sun beating down, not much wind. Perfect running weather, as the overall temperature wasn't too high. The usual half-litre before take-off was just right. Took it handy for the first couple of miles through the park - after feeling so poor the day before yesterday, I was ready to cut short and head home if things got painful. Fortunately got to the Ballybrack end of the park without discomfort, in fact with a nice looseness and reasonable feeling of leg strength - so over the main road, through the village and down Military Road to the sea at Killiney Dart Station. It's a sharp uphill from there, but once your'e up, it's downhill for a long way, and there's no serious climbing left except from Glasthule to Tivoli Road. Feels easier than my usual direction.

I'm well relieved - I felt so dodgy two days ago that I thought I'd perhaps injured myself and would need a trip to a physio - not the ideal two weeks out. But if today's anything to go by, I should have a pleasant enough run on Sunday and that'll put my head in the right place for Conn. Little tweak in the left hip after the run, but I don't think it's anything (touch wood).

Thinking about hyration - Ray says there'll be energy drink at M9, M19 and M23 (IIRC) on the day... I fear that means a few gulps from a cup. I'm pretty used to getting in about 2 litres over the course of a 20-miler, and if the weather is warm I'll want that much on the day. I'm also pretty keen on some sort of sugar mix (Torq is my usual tipple)...so perhaps I need to find some handy way to carry 250 mls worth of Torq, and to get it into a sports bottle of water...I have a vision of the paper twists that gunpowder used to come in, back in muzzle-loader days. More to think about....

sorry, he's rambling. Back to work.

You're too kind.

On the hydration front, your solution sounds sensible, especially if you've used it before. Personally I'm not mad keen to carry a lot of liquids - the sloshing puts me off. Something around the waist, like a long skinny belt-shaped camelbak, might work for me, but I don't have one and have never seen one.

I might drive the course on the Saturday and set up some stashes.

I do recall the half last year, where the heat absolutely whipped me at the bottom of the last hill. Very miserable - I'm not going there again!

What's your goal time for the run, if you have one? I suspect most of us have a "public" goal time, a "won't be too disappointed with" goal time and a "dream" goal time. My dream goal time is sub-3, but in all honesty I can't see that happening unless I feel like superman at mile 16, coming into the flat section between the two main hills. If I go over 3:30 I'll be a bit disappointed, I must confess, so that's my public goal time. Depending on the day, the other goal bounces around between the others

claralara wrote: »

My original goal was just to finish in whatever time it so took – I started with an ‘anything under five and a half hours once I cross the finish line’ target. I only really thought about revised goals after you mentioned it yesterday so I suppose I’ll commit to the following: - (they are so far off what you’re aiming for…don’t laugh!)
- over 4.45 – I’ll be a nightmare to be around. Forever.
- 4.30 – 4.45 – I’ll take it as an achievement and reassess for DCM to make some serious improvements.
- 4.15 – 4.30 – within the goal boundaries – I’d be delighted with this for my first marathon (especially in Connemara)
- 4.15 or less – my 4.15 is your 3.00 – dream goal.
The number one objective is to enjoy it though –the worst outcome possible will be if I never want to run again after it!

You've the right attitude - it's not a venue for speed or time really (though of course we all obsess about it, regardless, and most of this post is about speed ). It's a really different experience to DCM, though, so I wouldn't try to learn too much for DCM from Connemara. What I mean is...in Conn there's almost no support, and in Dublin it's a big help, especially for newbies; ... in Conn there are big hills, which have a huge mental and a substantial physical impact, and in Dublin there are none. So a really tough day in Conn (e.g. walking up the hills) doesn't imply a similar experience in Dublin. A good day in Connemara does mean that you can have Dublin for breakfast, if you train properly.

What I've found useful over the last few days is to actually get some proper plans in place - if I want to run in (say) 4:20, that's 260 minutes and so ten minutes a mile (a 10:00 pace). The last half has three tough miles in it, so ideally I'd want to be a bit ahead of myself by the time I get to Leenana. A 9:30 pace (still a gentle enough jog, if you think that a 15:00 pace is a brisk walk) would get me to Leenane with 13 x 0.5 or 6 minutes "to spare" over a 10:00 pace, and mean that I could go at 12:00 per mile for three hard miles.

Assuming I want to start gently, I might aim for 10:00 miles for the first two or three, then pick it up a bit so that I hit Leenane with my average 9:30.

Having a plan like this helps me not to start too fast,and to give me a "sanity check" on my pace - the first and best bit of advice I got about the full marathon in Conn was to leave plenty in the tank for the second half.

Enjoyment...hmm... personally I expect occasional flashes of "what a great place to run", or "what a nice day", but the real pleasure is in the achievement at the end..a bit like beating yourself with a stick so that you can enjoy it when you stop!

There does seem to be a bit of a bug doing the rounds in my house. Not feeling 101%, but not actually sick either. Slept in v.late after dinner party last night, then basically slobbed around. Height of exercise was a trip to a bookshop.

No running to report yet, but it's early days yet, and I'm just starting my work day with a quick scan to see how everyone else's training is going. It's an odd sort of a community - personalities seem to come through in the postings, so you get the impression you "sort of know" someone, but they could be completely different from what I expect.

Looking back over the last few weeks, this is certainly the most I've ever trained for a marathon, or any other event except maybe a mountaineering expedition. Which is odd, given that a PB certainly isn't on the cards in Conn, and my race plan, such as it is, is nowhere near the sub-3 that would be needed. If Conn goes well, Kildare might be a PB prospect, but it's not Kildare I'm training for just now. Despite a lingering bit of a cold, I do feel stronger than prior to any other marathon (I've only done three, so that's not a big sample), so hopefully it'll go ok.

Looking at the recent postings by Krusty and Mithril, I somewhat regret not giving the WW Ultra a go. It seems an epic undertaking, and the sort of event that you'd need to dig deep for. Very appealing. Maybe next year, in the event that I'm as fit then as I am now.

Sorry, just rambling this morning, sort of getting my head straight. And also giving myself that little nudge towards getting out for a run at lunchtime - 7.5 miles planned for today and for Thursday. But I guess that's the joy of a log - you can waffle away without feeling you're imposing too much, unlikely the quality-assured environment of the main ART forum.