A Slow Journey to Faster Times

Itziger · 20-02-2014 11:14AM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Thursday 20th February (Day 81/84) - 5m Recovery (with 6 x 100m strides)
5 miles @ 9:01p/m average. Strides (18:03, 17:89, 18:04, 19:53, 18:53, 19:14)

My last miles on Irish soil for a little while! Decided to get this out of the way this morning, because I'll be travelling all day tomorrow as I mentioned last week. Feel good after that. Can't wait for Sunday now!

Splits:

Mile 1 - 8:49
Mile 2 - 8:42
Mile 3 - 9:16
Mile 4 - 9:18
Mile 5 - 9:00

One minor problem in relation to Sunday is that I've been put in the 3:30-3:45 starting pen due to my time from Chicago. I'll try to get moved up or sneak into the 3:00-3:15 on the day but I guess if I don't/can't, although it's not ideal it will prevent me going out too fast early .

I wouldn't worry too much about the pen, given it's not a 50,000 runner marathon. Yes I would get up to the front of the pen you're in. Take it handy for the first 5k anyway.

Ferris B · 20-02-2014 05:32PM

Good luck in Seville....as someone said to me before 'Trust in your Training and you should hit your goal'...Enjoy it too.

jake1970 · 20-02-2014 05:44PM

hi Yaboya, i have been following your log with great interest and have been impressed with your progress. Best of luck at the weekend and i hope everything goes to plan.

yaboya1 · 20-02-2014 05:46PM

jake1970 wrote: »

hi Yaboya, i have been following your log with great interest and have been impressed with your progress. Best of luck at the weekend and i hope everything goes to plan.

Thanks Jake. Much appreciated

yaboya1 · 20-02-2014 05:47PM

Ferris B wrote: »

Good luck in Seville....as someone said to me before 'Trust in your Training and you should hit your goal'...Enjoy it too.

Cheers Ferris. Was surprised not to see you in Chicago.....:P

AuldManKing · 20-02-2014 10:52PM

Best of luck at the weekend - hope it goes well for you.

yaboya1 · 20-02-2014 11:11PM

AuldManKing wrote: »

Best of luck at the weekend - hope it goes well for you.

Thanks Alan. I might give your log a read on Saturday night for some inspiration :-).

yaboya1 · 21-02-2014 07:36PM

Friday 21st February (Day 82/84) - Rest/Cross Training

Spent the day on planes, trains, automobiles & buses, but I've now finally arrived safely in Seville. Plan for tonight is a bowl of Paella and a good night's sleep!

ecoli · 21-02-2014 07:47PM

Best of luck this weekend man. You have trained hard now its time to reap the rewards.

Itziger · 21-02-2014 08:25PM

Shoot, Yaboya, forgot to say, there's a Valencia marathon stand at the Expo. I see they have a little draw giving two free entries… If it ain't too late and you see this……

And good luck!

yaboya1 · 21-02-2014 10:15PM

Itziger wrote: »

Shoot, Yaboya, forgot to say, there's a Valencia marathon stand at the Expo. I see they have a little draw giving two free entries… If it ain't too late and you see this……

And good luck!

I'll have a look when I'm up there tomorrow. I assume you're looking for the other one if I win? :-P.

p.s. Nobody in this town speaks English, and I mean nobody!!

Itziger · 21-02-2014 10:58PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

I'll have a look when I'm up there tomorrow. I assume you're looking for the other one if I win? :-P.

p.s. Nobody in this town speaks English, and I mean nobody!!

Hehe, yeah I could have told ya that!! (Then again, they barely speak Spanish either) 700 years of Moorish conquest will do that.

I would humbly accompany you to Valencia, yes.

Ferris B · 22-02-2014 11:11AM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Cheers Ferris. Was surprised not to see you in Chicago.....:P

Was on a day off.:D

yaboya1 · 22-02-2014 11:36AM

Saturday 22nd February (Day 83/84) - 4m Recovery
4 miles @ 9:28p/m average

Perfect morning for it out there. I'll take the same again tomorrow. Saw some of the elites warming up while I was jogging around. One of them shot past me like Usain Bolt. I got a photo of him on the way back (attached).

Splits:

Mile 1 - 9:40
Mile 2 - 9:13
Mile 3 - 9:32
Mile 4 - 9:27

I'm off to the expo now. Almost time for this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

Badreputation · 22-02-2014 12:33PM

Best of luck Tomorrow

belcarra · 22-02-2014 02:35PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

I'm off to the expo now. Almost time for this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

I wanna see pics of you crossing the finish line sub 3:05, with the Irish singlet but also and more importantly with Europe's big hair style!
Best of luck with that!

FBOT01 · 23-02-2014 01:55PM

Great running in Seville. I look forward to you pacing me to sub 3 in Berlin:) Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Gavlor · 23-02-2014 02:21PM

Well???

yaboya1 · 23-02-2014 02:27PM

Sunday 23rd February (Day 84/84) - Seville Marathon
26.2 miles @ 7:07p/m average (3:08:26)

I'll post a long & boring race report next week, but the short version is that I executed my race plan to perfection, and was on for a comfortable sub 3:05 until an incredible stitch struck during Mile 23. You can see the effect from the splits. Now for steak, pints & junk :-D.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:02
Mile 2 - 6:58
Mile 3 - 7:02
Mile 4 - 7:06
Mile 5 - 7:05
Mile 6 - 7:03
Mile 7 - 6:59
Mile 8 - 7:02
Mile 9 - 7:02
Mile 10 - 7:01
Mile 11 - 6:58
Mile 12 - 6:57
Mile 13 - 7:05
Mile 14 - 6:50
Mile 15 - 7:01
Mile 16 - 6:58
Mile 17 - 6:58
Mile 18 - 6:56
Mile 19 - 7:00
Mile 20 - 6:59
Mile 21 - 7:08
Mile 22 - 6:59
Mile 23 - 7:16
Mile 24 - 7:45
Mile 25 - 8:03
Mile 26 - 7:54
0.2* - 3:31

*(0.5 on my garmin. Need to learn to stick to the racing line!)

ThePiedPiper · 23-02-2014 02:30PM

Fantastic performance yaboya, very well deserved. An absolutely enormous improvement over your initial target. Enjoy the steak, pints and junk.

Itziger · 23-02-2014 02:32PM

26.5 for a Garmin is excellent! Well done man. God, you were banging out some great steady miles there till the trouble started. Fantastic consistency. Enjoy the recovery. You can tell us later about the course and the atmosphere and all the rest.

Bulmers74 · 23-02-2014 02:41PM

Well done on a great performance & time. Fantastic progress considering less than 4 months ago the plan was 3.29!

AuldManKing · 23-02-2014 04:18PM

Great performance - really well done and massive progress!

Ferris B · 23-02-2014 06:19PM

Impressed with the very steady pacing until you encountered obstacles at 23. You still achieved a super time nonetheless. Well done.

ecoli · 23-02-2014 06:26PM

Great running. Your probably a victim of your own savage training. Remember talking to you at the X mas boards beers and your dream goal was sub 3.10 but felt it was unrealistic and now look you were just a few miles short of the sub 3.05.

Great running a well deserved result and plenty more to come next time round as well

Calvin Johnson · 23-02-2014 07:40PM

Is there anything you can do to prevent getting stitches? Or is it just one of those random things?

Gavlor · 23-02-2014 07:50PM

That's a great run!

Not sure if you have copped it yet but a true sign of how far you have come on over the past 3 months is that despite your hardship, your last 3 miles avg pace was faster than your original target for this marathon!!

yaboya1 · 23-02-2014 10:05PM

Calvin Johnson wrote: »

Is there anything you can do to prevent getting stitches? Or is it just one of those random things?

No idea. It's never happened to me before. I'm putting it down to the gels as I'd nothing to eat or drink after 6:20am. But if I dont take them I'll run out of energy. Catch 22 I suppose?

No reaction to the intial post, but should I just be happy that I've run a 26min PB rather than focusing on what stopped me going sub 3:05?

I for one am certain I'll go sub 3 in Berlin :-D

Calvin Johnson · 23-02-2014 10:34PM

Definitely revel in your achievement. Berlin should be perfect for an all out attack on a sub 3 marathon. Perhaps Dublin too if you run.

Was just a general question, remembered Krusty suffered with a stitch in the Enniscorthy 10k.

yaboya1 · 23-02-2014 10:40PM

Calvin Johnson wrote: »

Definitely revel in your achievement. Berlin should be perfect for an all out attack on a sub 3 marathon. Perhaps Dublin too if you run.

Was just a general question, remembered Krusty suffered with a stitch in the Enniscorthy 10k.

I know. Wasn't having a go

yaboya1 wrote: »

No reaction to the intial post

I love Berlin. It's possibly my favourite ever race. Hopefully it can maintain that status by helping me go sub 3 :-).

A Slow Journey to Faster Times

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