A Slow Journey to Faster Times

yaboya1 · 16-11-2015 10:14PM

Thanks Sean.
I agree with everything you say.

In all walks of life, it's always easy to find something/someone else (other than yourself) to blame when you perform worse than your capabilities suggest you should. In my opinion that's the easy way out. People who do that will continue making excuses & repeating the same mistakes, while failing to make any improvement. The cold, hard truth can hurt, but facing up to it and being completely honest with yourself/others gives you the best possible chance. My immediate plan is to give myself the best possible chance of beating your pb in Boston. Maybe if I do that, you'll be enticed out of retirement

aero2k · 17-11-2015 10:13AM

yaboya1 wrote: »

My immediate plan is to give myself the best possible chance of beating your pb in Boston. Maybe if I do that, you'll be enticed out of retirement

Ha ha, nice try, but no way. Anyway, Boston doesn't count as it's downhill, you'll have to do it in Dublin!

Besides, why limit yourself to some auld lad's PB - pick on a young lad like Krusty. (or pick on an auld lad like Pauric McKinney)

ger664 · 17-11-2015 01:55PM

aero2k wrote: »

Ha ha, nice try, but no way. Anyway, Boston doesn't count as it's downhill, you'll have to do it in Dublin!

Dublin is an easier course to PB then Boston. Early downhill sections if ran too fast will leave your legs in bits @ 15

aero2k · 17-11-2015 09:04PM

ger664 wrote: »

Dublin is an easier course to PB then Boston. Early downhill sections if ran too fast will leave your legs in bits @ 15

My remark was tongue-in-cheek, however it does highlight the difficulty in comparing marathon performances. Wind and extremes of temperature are also often a factor in Boston. That said, Geoffrey Mutai did manage 2:03:02 there in the past few years. Cheruyiot's three successive victories in 2:07, 2:14 and 2:07 would suggest that something other than the downhill was in play, though I have no idea what took place during those races - i.e. if he was trying to lose rivals, or if it was down to weather.

Anyway, every marathon has lots of sections in the first 20 miles which will leave you in trouble over the final 6 if you run them too fast.

Peter, I hope you smash my PB, and I don't care where you do it!:D

menoscemo · 17-11-2015 11:01PM

aero2k wrote: »

My remark was tongue-in-cheek, however it does highlight the difficulty in comparing marathon performances. Wind and extremes of temperature are also often a factor in Boston. That said, Geoffrey Mutai did manage 2:03:02 there in the past few years. Cheruyiot's three successive victories in 2:07, 2:14 and 2:07 would suggest that something other than the downhill was in play, though I have no idea what took place during those races - i.e. if he was trying to lose rivals, or if it was down to weather.

Anyway, every marathon has lots of sections in the first 20 miles which will leave you in trouble over the final 6 if you run them too fast.

Peter, I hope you smash my PB, and I don't care where you do it!:D

Being a point to point course, wind plays a big factor. Generally there is a head wind which eliminates any advantage that the downhill might provide, however the year Mutai ran 2:03:02 there was a decent tailwind and perfect temperatures. The nature of the course means it cannot be used for world records although most countries seem to accept Boston times for the purposes of qualification times.

yaboya1 · 18-11-2015 09:34PM

Wednesday 18th November - 120 minutes Easy
120 minutes @ 129bpm avg

Took an unscheduled rest day yesterday. Barney nearly blew me under a car on the short cycle to the train station, so I thought staying indoors was the safest option all things considered. Wasn't sure how long I'd run for tonight. Decided to play it by ear. It takes me less than an hour to run home from work, but I can alter the route to suit how far/long I want to go. Felt great all the way and stretched the 45-50mins out to an hour, then the hour out to 90 minutes and finally 90 minutes out to two hours. Could have run all night

aero2k · 19-11-2015 02:02PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Wednesday 18th November - 120 minutes Easy
120 minutes @ 129bpm avg

Took an unscheduled rest day yesterday. Barney nearly blew me under a car on the short cycle to the train station, so I thought staying indoors was the safest option all things considered. Wasn't sure how long I'd run for tonight. Decided to play it by ear. It takes me less than an hour to run home from work, but I can alter the route to suit how far/long I want to go. Felt great all the way and stretched the 45-50mins out to an hour, then the hour out to 90 minutes and finally 90 minutes out to two hours. Could have run all night

That's fantastic. Unlike many others on here, I've never experienced the "I struggled to keep my pace down to x:xx / mile", however I have had that run forever feeling - it's hard to beat.

FBOT01 · 19-11-2015 02:40PM

aero2k wrote: »

That's fantastic. Unlike many others on here, I've never experienced the "I struggled to keep my pace down to x:xx / mile", however I have had that run forever feeling - it's hard to beat.

I feel better now that I know I am not alone

yaboya1 · 19-11-2015 07:46PM

Thursday 19th November - 2 x 60 minutes Easy
60 minutes @ 126bpm avg (A.M.)
60 minutes @ 126bpm avg (P.M.)

Two almost identical runs. If the logistics weren't so difficult, I'd run to and from work every day. My mood is so much better afterwards. I hate sitting in traffic or squeezing onto trains that resemble sardine cans.

dublin runner · 19-11-2015 07:58PM

Forgot to qualify my question, sorry! Are you using the HADD for marathon training or as base training?

yaboya1 · 19-11-2015 08:43PM

dublin runner wrote: »

Forgot to qualify my question, sorry! Are you using the HADD for marathon training or as base training?

I'm hoping to follow the plan (incorporating the two steady sessions per week) right up to the marathon. That's what I did for Hamburg and it worked out ok. For now though, I'm just running easy effort miles until the end of this month to try and get some fitness back. If I did decide to move onto a different plan before the marathon (I don't intend to atm), I think what I'm doing at the moment can only help me.

yaboya1 · 20-11-2015 07:39PM

Friday 20th November - 50 minutes Easy
50 minutes @ 126bpm avg

Easy run home from work. Very cold out there.

dublin runner · 21-11-2015 03:02PM

yaboya1 wrote:

I'm hoping to follow the plan (incorporating the two steady sessions per week) right up to the marathon. That's what I did for Hamburg and it worked out ok. For now though, I'm just running easy effort miles until the end of this month to try and get some fitness back. If I did decide to move onto a different plan before the marathon (I don't intend to atm), I think what I'm doing at the moment can only help me.

On the old phone so excuse the short reply.

Put shortly and simply, are you not in big danger of overdoing the same approach? How much did your times come down last time, one minute? If it were me I would try something different. I really don't mean for that to come across in a bad way. I really think you are a 2.54 runner.

Have a big think about it. I promised myself that my next marathon cycle will be very different in it's approach. I won't 'rinse and repeat', knocking off a bit here and there.

yaboya1 · 22-11-2015 07:23PM

dublin runner wrote: »

On the old phone so excuse the short reply.

Put shortly and simply, are you not in big danger of overdoing the same approach? How much did your times come down last time, one minute? If it were me I would try something different. I really don't mean for that to come across in a bad way. I really think you are a 2.54 runner.

Have a big think about it. I promised myself that my next marathon cycle will be very different in it's approach. I won't 'rinse and repeat', knocking off a bit here and there.

I take your point and see why you would believe it won't help me achieve much of an improvement. However, I just have a hunch about something and I'm keen to follow it through and see if I'm right. If I feel its not working for me, I can switch to a more conventional approach. I'll be open to criticism if whatever I decide doesn't work. Isn't that what an online log is all about?

yaboya1 · 23-11-2015 03:25PM

Monday 23rd November - 120 minutes Easy
120 minutes @ 132bpm avg

Work & team night out meant no running on Saturday, while I'd hoped to get something done yesterday but tiredness & dehydration got the better of me. Nothing much to say about today. Not as cold as last week, but felt slower.

yaboya1 · 24-11-2015 08:00PM

Tuesday 24th November - 45 minutes Easy
45 minutes @ 125bpm avg

Post work trot. Hope to do similar in the morning.

yaboya1 · 25-11-2015 07:32PM

Wednesday 25th November - 50 minutes Easy
50 minutes @ 126bpm avg

Very similar to yesterday except five minutes longer.

yaboya1 · 26-11-2015 01:32PM

Thursday 26th November - 150 minutes Easy
150 minutes @ 134bpm avg

Fine for most of this, but definitely felt a bit of a slowdown in the last thirty minutes to prevent the HR rising. Will hopefully do better next time.

FBOT01 · 26-11-2015 01:51PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Thursday 26th November - 150 minutes Easy
150 minutes @ 134bpm avg

Fine for most of this, but definitely felt a bit of a slowdown in the last thirty minutes to prevent the HR rising. Will hopefully do better next time.

Hi P great to see you back with some real consistency in your running since New York. Every cloud and all that

What's the thinking behind going out for as long as 150mins? I would have thought that 90/120mins would have been more than enough in one go if rebuilding the aerobic base is the plan at the moment?

PS I haven't read the HADD stuff so excuse my ignorance if the 150mins is in line with that and you are just doing what he says:o

yaboya1 · 26-11-2015 03:15PM

FBOT01 wrote: »

Hi P great to see you back with some real consistency in your running since New York. Every cloud and all that

What's the thinking behind going out for as long as 150mins? I would have thought that 90/120mins would have been more than enough in one go if rebuilding the aerobic base is the plan at the moment?

PS I haven't read the HADD stuff so excuse my ignorance if the 150mins is in line with that and you are just doing what he says:o

No real thinking behind it tbh. Just trying to get some longer runs in on days I'm off (like today). Tomorrow I'm not going to get to run at all, so I like to think I'm making the most of the opportunities I get atm. I'll have a more detailed look at the HADD stuff again once we hit December.

FBOT01 · 26-11-2015 06:14PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

No real thinking behind it tbh. Just trying to get some longer runs in on days I'm off (like today). Tomorrow I'm not going to get to run at all, so I like to think I'm making the most of the opportunities I get atm. I'll have a more detailed look at the HADD stuff again once we hit December.

Grand. It was just a curiosity question. It is early days in your return to glory so remember easy does it. Catch up after Waterford for a few miles

yaboya1 · 28-11-2015 07:52PM

Saturday 28th November - 50 minutes Easy
50 minutes @ 124bpm avg

Compulsory rest day yesterday, and felt much better for it today. Lovely run home this evening. Another easy one into work tomorrow to round off the week.

yaboya1 · 29-11-2015 10:14AM

Sunday 29th November - 45 minutes Easy
45 minutes @ 127bpm avg

The second last day of November. A cold, dark and wet morning. I noticed another runner travelling in the opposite direction as I passed through Cabra. At 7am on a Sunday in the conditions mentioned I think we both thought exactly the same of each other (He's fcking mad too!). In recognition of this fact, we gave each other a wave in perfect synchronicity. It was a beautiful moment

.

yaboya1 · 30-11-2015 08:41PM

Monday 30th November - 55 minutes Easy
55 minutes @ 126bpm avg

Took a day off without taking a day off, dublin runner style. 36 hours between my runs yesterday & today. Route a bit longer tonight due to traffic, as I don't like to stop. Perfect conditions out there.

So that's November wrapped up. Need to start getting back to Steady running soon. Won't be in the next 2 days though due to work.

yaboya1 · 01-12-2015 07:37PM

Tuesday 1st December - 105 minutes Easy
105 minutes @ 129bpm avg

Got out nice and early today, so stretched the jog home out a bit. Will get a short easy one in again on the way to work tomorrow morning. Might see my friend in Cabra again

kit3 · 01-12-2015 07:48PM

I have a 'canal friend' that I meet a few times a week during lunchtime. Really threw me when I saw him nearer work last Friday 'with his clothes on'

neilc · 01-12-2015 10:13PM

Just been browsing through your log yaboya1. Inspirational stuff. Really honest and epic race reports of both good and bad days!

yaboya1 · 02-12-2015 09:50AM

neilc wrote: »

Just been browsing through your log yaboya1. Inspirational stuff. Really honest and epic race reports of both good and bad days!

Thanks a lot

You've given me an idea now.
Maybe I should read back over it myself for some inspiration?
It is almost 15 months now since I ran a pb of any significance :eek:

Notwork Error · 02-12-2015 10:06AM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Thanks a lot

You've given me an idea now.
Maybe I should read back over it myself for some inspiration?
It is almost 15 months now since I ran a pb of any significance :eek:

Same, it's not a nice feeling to go that long. I'd definitely read back on it, I skim through mine almost constantly to see what I was doing and how I reacted to it, good, bad or indifferent. A log has so much value in that way and I think that's what it's best use is and where you learn from it. Obviously, it's a bit more difficult the more posts it has but it would definitely be worth it to go back through it.

yaboya1 · 02-12-2015 10:10AM

Wednesday 2nd December - 45 minutes Easy
45 minutes @ 126bpm avg

Leisurely trot into work. No sign of my Cabra buddy this morning. I was jogging along at easy pace, yet beat the 122 bus from Carnlough Road to Dorset Street. When I got to the crossroads it wasn't even in sight behind me. This wasn't rush hour either, it was 7am! Public transport in Dublin. What a joke!

A Slow Journey to Faster Times

Comments