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Moving on up ...
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02-11-2014 05:12PM#1Woo hoo! Just back from a slow untimed 3.2mile run on a bright, sunny, cool-but-not-cold autumn day (possibly one of the last of these we'll see in Edinburgh this year :rolleyes:).
Very happy to have done this after five weeks of absolutely no running at all
. I managed to injure my right calf at the peak of marathon training, just 4 weeks out from DCM2014. The physio's instructions were no running whatsoever until the leg was perfect and two extra days had passed. And even without those rules I wouldn't have wanted to run anyway - even a week ago I was having twinges doing tiny 50metre jogs. But felt pretty good on today's run.
About me: I've been running on-and-off since 2000, with the offs sometimes being a couple of weeks, sometimes a few months; once or twice an entire year. Over the years I did about 10-15 organised half-marathons and a couple of 10ks. The half-marathon times were usually about 2hrs, so nothing too impressive. For the past couple of years I have been a bit more consistent with the running, and last year I *finally* decided I was going to try to get faster. Really if I'd been planning my running career, I would not have waited till over-forty to make this decision:rolleyes: .... but unfortunately I stayed a very large number of years in the comfort zone. In this past year, I've introduced a bit of speed training in the way of occasional interval training and the occasional parkrun. Apart from the running I do Pilates every week and the occasional dance class.
marathon?: The biggest difference to my training came after I made a decision in early August to have a go at taking up my mileage/LongRunDistance and see if I could get in shape to run DCM 2014. The carrot of a full-marathon in Dublin, not to mention the wonderful support on the "DCM2014 novices" thread, had a great effect on the consistency of my training. I was very happy, not too mention a bit surprised, that I was able to bring my long run distance up to 22.5miles just by dropping the pace a small bit. But unfortunately I had a knot/niggle in my calf that I didn't diagnose and after running on it for about 10 days it eventually turned into a real injury. So I've been off the pavements for 5 weeks, and have had plenty of time to plan my next mission which is "marathon de Paris" on 12th April 2015. It'll be my first marathon and I'll be doing it properly with a good consistent 18-week plan.
My PBs so far:
5k: 23:29 (Sept 2014)
10k: 49:02 (July 2014)
HM: 1:49:31 (Sept 2014 - DCHM)
this log: I've been lurking on the Athletics/Running sub-forum for about a year, and got a bit addicted to the "DCM 2014 Novices" thread over the past few months. Got some brilliant advice from Ososlo there, in particular I finally accepted that Long Runs shouldn't be run close to goal pace (I'd read this on the internet many times but never took it on board before). So I'm starting my own log to help keep me going towards Paris over the next 6 months. Apart from the advice, it'll stop me boring "real friends" with details of my training. For some reason non-runners don't seem so interested in intervals versus Long Runs, or why I'm so disappointed to have ran 1:58 instead of sub 1:50, or the details of how black toenails eventually detach
the plan: I'm going to use the next three weeks to build up running again to 25miles a week. Then on 24th November, I'll start into my 18-week marathon plan. I've based this on the "Boards" plan from the novices thread, but there are slightly more "proper Long Runs" and slightly higher mileage. The mileage is quite a bit higher than I'm used to, starting around 30 miles and getting up to 50 - also 5 runs a week which is a lot for me. But I'm going to try to do it. When I get the chance I'll put the plan on Google Docs to have it online and update it with my progress as the weeks go on. I also really want to get my parkrun time under 23minutes and I'm hoping that I'll be able to do this before the end of January. The only other race I'm planning along the way is the "Lasswade 10" south of Edinburgh on the 1st March - a hilly 10mile road race (or the meadows half-marathon the same day, if Lasswade sells out).... so plenty of weeks for the "proper long runs" and I hope a sub 4hr in Paris.22
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Saturday 8th Nov: 5.25 miles @ 9:49, 9:36, 9:24, 9:24, 8:52, 8:53equiv
The excuses, the rain, the dithering, the mind games I played to get out of this.... over the five weeks off I have laid a solid base of laziness. Didn't head out till 9pm, and of course it was lovely, soft, cool-not-cold weather and a very enjoyable run. Not an easy one though - this would have been a very comfortable pace for me 6 weeks ago, but this evening was definitely "steady" on the effort level. Have definitely lost a bit of fitness ...
No running tomorrow (going to stick to the physio's "every second day only" rule for a couple more runs). Which means the weekly total will stand at a measly 9.47miles for this week. Planning for about 20 next week.0 -
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Regular stretching for Monday and Tuesday, and today - 4 very comfortable miles in lovely mild, calm conditions: 9:52, 9:55, 9:39, no time for the final mile because my Garmin ran out of juice at 3.15 miles. A very enjoyable run with only a tiny bit of calf niggle. I am not banking on anything yet though, just crossing toes, fingers etc and will be doing the stretches before bed again! 0
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happiness is ... coming down five flights of stairs the day after a 4-mile run, and feeling no twinges from your calf.
That was Thursday at work. I'm sure people wondering why I looked so cheerful! Leg was not quite as perfect for the rest of the week but they were minor grumbles and I was able to get the runs in.
Wed 19th Nov: 4miles as reported above
Fri 21st Nov: 6.02miles "progression run" in light rain, 9:24 avg pace.
This was never planned to be a progression run, but things were going well after 4 miles so I decided to take the pace up a bit. I wanted to know what it would feel like to run faster than 9:30 pace again .... Anyway mile splits were 9:44, 9:47, 9:50, 9:26, 9:05, 8:19. Last mile was difficult especially as the last 400m or so was up a hill, but was good to know I could do it.
Saturday No running but I did a 15mile hill walk of the "Seven Hills" route around Edinburgh. I am hoping to do the race in June (14.3 mile race where you have to run between the tops of the 7 city hills), so this was a very early recce for that. I knew it was not a good idea to be doing this with a less than perfect leg, but had arranged it with a friend and his two kids 2 weeks ago and didn't feel I could back out.... not to mention it had been my idea in the first place. So I headed out at 8:30am with some misgivings. It was a gorgeous day for a hike, and I picked up some good shortcuts and race folklore. I was getting a bit of sensitivity in the leg at various points, but on the positive side it was feeling good again by Sunday. Think I was lucky there.
Sun, 23rd Nov: 8.23 miles @ 9:29 average pace
This was pretty consistent apart from 10:01 for mile 1, and two faster miles (a downhill mile, plus the final mile) at about 9:05/9:10. Happy I was able to do it!
weekly total: 18.25miles
Plan for the week ahead is to do 4 runs, with a slightly longer Long Run, to make a total of 23miles. And lots of stretching. I might introduce a little bit of fartlek and strides too ...
(god, all the smileys in this post :rolleyes:)0 -
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positives and negatives ...
Wed 26 Nov: As reported, 5.32miles at average 9:30 pace
Sat 29 Nov: 9.11miles at average pace 9:15 (LR ... but not a LSR)
Did this run as the dusk set, as 6 laps of a fairly flat 1.5mile loop. Was a lovely afternoon for it with perfect conditions of 9C or so, and no wind. The splits were:
9:31, 9:24 9:27, 9:21, 9:16, 9:19, 9:16, 9:11, 8:41, with the .11 @8:32pace
Definitely lost the run of myself with this one .... I knew full well that my current fitness is not good enough for 9:15 pace on a long run, but it was a lovely evening and the leg was feeling strong, so I picked it up as the run went on. Proof that it was too fast came this morning: had to drag myself out of bed, and I spent all morning yawning.
Had a 5.7mile easy run pencilled-in for this evening, and by now I have the energy to do it! But now I'm feeling a small niggle on my ankle of the bad leg (which was good this morning), so I'm skipping it.... and instead I'm going use this evening to finish some of the work I've been complaining about ... plus a second batch of stretches :rolleyes:
weekly total: 14:43 miles
The big story in my running is that next week is week-1 of my 19-week Marathon schedule: 26miles including a 10-mile LSR is the plan. I'm not in perfect shape for this schedule - but I'll start, and if I have to drop runs because of niggles so be it.
From a bit of surfing online over the past week, it seems that my injury (soleus, plus a bit of shin/ankle stiffness) is one which really needs the stretches done regularly. For sure I was not the ideal person to pick this injury up .... anyway I am focusing on the stretches now, and if I'm still having trouble by Friday, I'll make another visit to the physio (have been afraid to go before now, being worried about the questions that might be asked
).
Apart from watching-the-leg, I am massively looking forward to the marathon training 0 -
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Thursday, 11th Dec: 5.74 relaxed miles 'cross-country' (ie, running on the grass to avoid the slush):
splits were 10:03, 10:11, 9:56, 9:58, 9:54, 9:31pace (for the .74).
Now usually I'd be feeling kinda tough after a run in the sleet and wind ... but unfortunately I forgot to pack my running-hat this morning ... so I ended up having to use a slouchy beret with pink hearts and a fluffy pompom instead - nothing dilutes that badass feeling quicker. I was looking around hoping I wouldn't see anyone I know (but it's very unlikely I escaped since I was doing laps of a route near work).
I've been quiet on this log lately. Anyway there was a second 5mile run last week... bringing last week's mileage up to a total of 10 miles.... ahem.
Also last week there was a trip to the physio, who was a bit blase about the mild recurrence of the calf issues. In a way that was a bit of a disappointment, but I know it's a good thing overall. She massaged the leg, & explained that I've been doing the calf raises the wrong way (and I got a couple of extra exercises ...zzzzzz).
Then from Sunday to Tuesday a cruel few days & nights deadline-chasing at work. Less said about that the better, but certainly no running
.
For now, running every two days, and building up the distance 2 miles at a time.0 -
Woke up this morning feeling a bit rough, and didn't pull myself out of the bed till 10:30. But felt quite happy about this ... and maybe a little bit of *pride* in there too ... because this morning the cause was a night out and a few glasses of prosecco, and not the result of working into the wee hours.
I was feeling a bit sharper by afternoon, so at 3pm I headed off for my "long run" of the week (whatever that means these days) .... the result:
Saturday 13 Dec: 10.14miles at 9:43 avg pace
[9:55, 10:49, 9:39, 9:41, 9:42, 9:36, 9:34, 9:36, 9:39, 9:19, .14 @8:58 pace]
There was a decent uphill on mile2, and also the final mile-and-a-bit had some downhill on it; so the effort was very consistent. I could have kept going, and the leg was feeling pretty good throughout. Lovely weather for a run, cool 3C-4C, not too much wind ... and by now most of the paths have been sanded, so I didn't have to do the cross-country thing, just once or twice had to avoid a patch of ice. Felt great and only remembered my headache when I was coming back home on the final mile....
*most* important - did a complete set of the stretches when I came back to the flat, even before I took my shower. Where is the halo icon? 0 -
Had a bunch of Christmas events all through Sunday, so fortunately I didn't get tempted into sticking another run in there. Anyway that meant I was able to start this week's running a bit earlier.
Monday 15th Dec: 5.04miles "not a tempo" run, average pace 8:58
The plan said 5miles tempo, but after the time off I'm not sure what my tempo pace is now, certainly not 8min pace any more. Was considering many different adaptations as I started out - to use 8:40pace instead, or maybe just do an easy five miles. Then I had the idea to run the middle 3 miles with bursts of fartlek - so I could get a bit of speed in without having to plan paces....
splits were 9:25, 8:50, 8:35, 8:31, 9:31
This was not an "every second lamppost" session or anything, I just threw 3-4 bursts of different lengths into each of the 3 miles. Think I got the balance right because miles 3 and 4 were fairly tough and I only got mile 4 down to 8:31 by doing a biggish spurt at the end. The 5th mile was very welcome:).
Think it was the right way to go and I'll probably do next week's "tempo" the same way before I start with sustained paces.
Tuesday 16th Dec: 4.2miles easy, fairly consistent, avg pace 9:43
Took a while to push myself out for this one because of the rain and I dithered a fair bit, stepping on my calf to see if it would twinge etc :rolleyes:. But pushed myself out and enjoyed the run rain or not. In fact there *was* a bit of twinging from the calf, but I'm stretching .... and since the most recent physio visit I have a better understanding of how to manage it anyway.
Tomorrow's a "rest" day including lots of calf raises and Christmas shopping :rolleyes:.0 -
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Foam rollers are great for carrying bottles of wine in, in your suitcase though;)
Yeah you can do a lot with your fingers and a tennis ball alright!
At least time is on your side so if you need to back off now it's no huge deal but I know you're dying to get stuck in to the long runs and the higher mileage.
Fingers crossed for you!. Have never seen the hollow foam rollers in fact ...
Am a bit mad about the lost pace. And I was dreaming of a complete 18-mile schedule of solid mileage with lots of long runs and a glorious performance in April ...
I'll get over it though. My brother (also in Dublin for Christmas) had to give up running in February this year because of cartilage damage, so I'm not whining too much. Fingers crossed.0 -
hillsiderunner wrote: ». Have never seen the hollow foam rollers in fact ...
Am a bit mad about the lost pace. And I was dreaming of a complete 18-mile schedule of solid mileage with lots of long runs and a glorious performance in April ...
I'll get over it though. My brother (also in Dublin for Christmas) had to give up running in February this year because of cartilage damage, so I'm not whining too much. Fingers crossed.
You can still get lots of long runs and have a glorious performance by April:) lots of time to get it sorted out.
Your poor brother. That must be very tough for him:(0 -
Your poor brother. That must be very tough for him:(
He was very disappointed when he found out. This brother is the owner of the sofa in Paris, so I didn't get such an enthusiastic welcome when I first told him I'd be coming over for the marathon in April. Can't blame him, he's done that marathon a good few times in the past, as well as the Dublin one. If I'd been able to find a city marathon in early spring in Ireland/Scotland I wouldn't even have asked him.... Anyway, he seems to got used to the idea now though, and the way things are going with my leg, his times are probably safe! 0 -
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Week of positives and negatives on the running front. The main thing is that I'm off marathon training and that will continue for another fortnight - shortish runs (<1hour) every second day is the rule for now. Also gave my left toe a massive bash and will lose the nail .... All the same I did end up getting to do some running so it's not a total disaster.
Tuesday 23rd Dec: A trip up to Walkinstown for a examination and some very thorough efforts to switch-off the offending muscles in the leg. No running of course.
Hoped to get to an elliptical on Christmas Eve, but a cute little relative wanted some help with the Lego so I didn't make it. Then late that evening, I was putting glasses into a cupboard and I dropped one onto my big left toe ... oooowww! Even more embarassing because I hadn't drunk any alcohol all day... I have a bit of history with this kind of thing & have not been allowed to touch the Waterford Crystal in my parents house for a few years now. This particular glass was not expensive at all, but it was heavy.
Christmas Day was taken up with cooking in the morning, then I spent the evening icing my toe and drinking wine. "Food for the Fast Lane" and "Born to Run" among my presents.
Friday 26th Dec: 4.8miles @10:07 average pace. Slow but didn't feel slow, probably the wine from the day before to blame for that. Compared the Christmas trees & lights while I was out and about, a few streets definitely seemed to have a competitive thing going on.
Saturday 27th Dec: 45mins on the elliptical (zzzzz...), covered 3.96 "miles".
Sunday 28th Dec: 6.25 miles @9:36 average pace (60mins total).
Ventured out onto the frosty pavements at 8:20pm with a careful stride and set off through Kimmage, Terenure, Churchtown, Milltown and Rathgar. Had to spend a bit of effort dodging patches of frost in the first couple of miles, but after that I had better luck with dry stretches of pavement. Was a lovely run through the deserted streets - I only spotted 3 runners and less than 10 walkers while I was out. As I came in towards Rathgar, my watch hit 60 minutes ... my guesses for distances had been quite a bit off. I stopped the watch and stopped running, and walked the last mile back to base as a 'cool-down'. I discovered a new running shop in Rathgar while I was walking, and they were advertising a sale, so I might go back to check that out...
Pace overall felt very slightly faster than comfortable, and splits were 9:44, 9:55, 9:40, 9:19, 9:27, 9:33, plus 9:33 pace for the .25.0
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