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A Slow Journey to Faster Times

yaboya1

So I finally decided on Seville for my Spring Marathon. The date & costs suit me well and the race seems to be pretty well reviewed by anyone who's previously run it.

This is my first attempt at a training log so please go easy on me!

I've run three previous marathons (3:39, 3:35, 3:34). The aim in Seville is to finally go below 3:30. I've had various things go wrong on me in all of the above, so I think my target is pretty achievable. I haven't done any running since Chicago last month, so I plan to ease back into it gradually for the next month by doing a couple of short/medium runs during the week with a long one at the weekend. Then from the beginning of December I've decided to follow the 12 week 'Up to 55 miles per week' marathon schedule from the Advanced Marathoning book by Pfitzinger & Douglas.

My biggest problem in the past has been going too quickly on my long runs. There are 7 different paces in this plan. I have estimated what pace I should be running them at as follows:

MP runs: 8 min/mile
Long runs: 9 min/mile
Med-long runs: 8:45-9 min/mile
General aerobic runs: 9:30 min/mile
LT runs: 7:35 min/mile
Recovery runs: 12 min/mile
VO2 max intervals: 7 min/mile

If anyone has any comments/observations, I'd be delighted to hear them. Otherwise I'll be back as soon as I get back out on the road.

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Gavlor

You 3 goons should try and get a pacing gig for dcm and see which one (or two!) arse it up!!

Although you'll struggle to find two as a bad as the clowns I paced with

annapr

Gavlor wrote: »

You 3 goons should try and get a pacing gig for dcm and see which one (or two!) arse it up!!

Although you'll struggle to find two as a bad as the clowns I paced with

Ah the good ol' 3:40 smackdown, I'm coming over all nostalgic. Not a good memory for TAFKAM (:))from what I recall.

Great report P, at least you got a few good pics to go with it too!

tang1

Very quiet here, how's Enniscorthy prep going?

yaboya1

Quick update.....

Week after Raheny (Feb 1st - Feb 7th)

Was hoping for a good solid week ahead of my holidays, but it never materialised due to a niggle in my left achilles. Exact same spot I had trouble with in 2013, so terrified of a repeat I backed off doing very few miles with anything I did at very easy pace. I figure a week off is better than nine. After seeking advice from a few more knowledgeable than myself, it was pleasing that they agreed.

(Feb 8th - Feb 14th)

Spent the guts of two days travelling, before arriving in Perth where it was 40+C. Not ideal running weather, but I tested the water with a couple of short watchless runs on the first two evenings. With no complaints from the Achilles, I got up for a 7am run on my final day there. Even at that hour I struggled to keep the HR below 140bpm at 8:24min/mile pace. Not something I'm going to complain about

An overnight flight to Melbourne meant another night without sleep. I arrived at my hotel at 7:55am unable to check into the room until the afternoon. I contemplated giving the nearby Albert Park parkrun a bash, but they start at 8am over here, meaning I'd have never made it. Probably just as well as it's likely I'd have collapsed with exhaustion having gone 30 hours without sleep :P.
Stayed up until the early hours to watch the rugby, meaning a planned dawn run didn't happen until 11am. Not a good idea! 8:24min/mile again, but this time 143bpm average :eek:

(Feb 15th)

Finally hauled my arse out of bed early enough for a run of some quality. Not quite ready for a 5-4-3-2-1 MP session, so I went for a 3-2-1 instead. 1m w/u (3-2-1 MP with 1m easy in between) 1m c/d. Out at 6:40am for this and got it completed coming up to 7:50 (still almost 20C). Happy enough with the results, but it's laughable delusional optimistic to think this could be my MP in Boston considering the effort it took. I'l reassess closer to the race. Easy running until the weekend. Might give a Sydney parkrun a go on Saturday if I feel up to it.

1m w/u: 7:33

3@MP: 6:27, 6:26, 6:27
1m easy: 8:07
2m@MP: 6:27, 6:28
1m easy: 8:26
1m@MP: 6:28

1m c/d: 8:15

yaboya1

tang1 wrote: »

Very quiet here, how's Enniscorthy prep going?

Not very well :pac:

(I was never running Enniscorthy?)

tang1

yaboya1 wrote: »

Not very well :pac:

(I was never running Enniscorthy?)

I got logs mixed up, my bad!

FBOT01

tang1 wrote: »

I got logs mixed up, my bad!

Be careful with that........could be painful depending on what you are doing at the time!

yaboya1

Tuesday 16th February - 90 minutes Easy
90 minutes @ 120bpm

Ran south from the city for 8 miles, before turning around and heading back to St. Kilda where I'm staying. Cooler than it has been today and extremely windy, especially along the coast where I was running. Wind against on the way out and behind for the last two. Got a nice photo of the Melbourne skyline on the way back (attached). Flying again tomorrow, so will probably take a rest day. Don't know how TbL fits in 52m weeks with that lifestyle, never mind 91! :O

Mrs Mc

yaboya1 wrote: »

Tuesday 16th February - 90 minutes Easy
90 minutes @ 120bpm

Ran south from the city for 8 miles, before turning around and heading back to St. Kilda where I'm staying. Cooler than it has been today and extremely windy, especially along the coast where I was running. Wind against on the way out and behind for the last two. Got a nice photo of the Melbourne skyline on the way back (attached). Flying again tomorrow, so will probably take a rest day. Don't know how TbL fits in 52m weeks with that lifestyle, never mind 91! :O

Looks just like Clontarf coast !!! Hope you're enjoying hols too

yaboya1

Update.....

Another poor week of training here. My accommodation in Sydney has woeful air conditioning which has badly affected my sleep. Hasn't affected my holiday much, but means I've struggled to get up early enough for a run as I've been so knackered. Did get out for an hour at 7am this morning, but couldn't do anything other than an easy run as it was incredibly hot & sticky even at that hour. Had great intentions of making my Australian parkrun debut last Saturday, but that never happened either. I've enjoyed my time here otherwise though. Few sightseeing photos attached (including a Japanese woman with an unconventional way of transporting her child)

Onto Dubai tonight (14.5 hour flight :O ) for water parks and horse racing (not sure what running I'll fit in there either) then home on Friday. Might make an appearance at St Anne's on Saturday if I can wake up in time :P

Mrs Mc

Pics look great P - not sure she'd get that case through customs !!!

aero2k

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Pics look great P - not sure she'd get that case through customs !!!

Might be a bit of a squeeze in the overhead locker too:D.

Stop trying to annoy us all with pics - we prefer the cold wet and windy weather!

Firedance

aero2k wrote: »

Might be a bit of a squeeze in the overhead locker too:D.

Stop trying to annoy us all with pics - we prefer the cold wet and windy weather!

speak for yourself!!

never mind the running P, look at that beach #seriousenvy

enjoy Dubai!

yaboya1

On board WiFi here.
Don't know myself!

Firedance wrote: »

speak for yourself!!

never mind the running P, look at that beach #seriousenvy

enjoy Dubai!

Thanks!
The busy one is Bondi. The other one is where they film the soap 'Home & Away'. A place called Palm Beach about 25m north of Sydney. Beautiful spot.

aquinn

yaboya1 wrote: »

On board WiFi here.
Don't know myself!

Whatever, you can do that on Dublin bus :P

Happy holidays.

Missed my chance for an Australian Starbucks mug I see.

Chivito550

Did you go for a run around 'The Tan' when you were in Melbourne?

yaboya1

aquinn wrote: »

Whatever, you can do that on Dublin bus :P

Happy holidays.

Missed my chance for an Australian Starbucks mug I see.

Never works for me on Dublin Bus. The bus also never comes on time, so a double kick in the balls

Yeah, too late. You'll have to head over yourself

yaboya1

Chivito550 wrote: »

Did you go for a run around 'The Tan' when you were in Melbourne?

I'm not familiar with 'The Tan'. Mustn't have stayed there long enough to be educated on that one. What and whereabouts is it? 'The G' is about the extent of my Melbourne local slang.

yaboya1

Wednesday 24th February - 60 minutes Easy
60 minutes @ 142bpm

It is Wednesday right? My body clock is all over the place. Slept a total of 18 hours yesterday with just a short break for some food in between. Did get out for an hour this morning though. Fine to start with, but really started to heat up as I went along. My plan to run down the beach was scuppered as it was closed. Boarded up with cranes behind the wooden perimeter. No idea what they're doing. Seems to be building sites everywhere over here. Constant improvements going on. In saying that, it does seem a bit fake/plastic as some parts are really barren & undeveloped, full of wasteland and derelict buildings. Don't really know what to make of it. Photos below of some impressive skyscrapers and an air conditioned bus stop. You'd never guess the areas in between resemble some sort of no mans land.

Chivito550

yaboya1 wrote: »

I'm not familiar with 'The Tan'. Mustn't have stayed there long enough to be educated on that one. What and whereabouts is it? 'The G' is about the extent of my Melbourne local slang.

Ah you should have told me you were going to Melbourne. It's not slang. The tan is a 3.8km loop around the Royal Botanical Gardens. It's the most popular running trail in Melbourne, so much so that people have a "Tan PB", and there is a list of the fastest times ever recorded on it. Craig Mottram holds the record. Each year there is a big club event called the Tan Relays. It's a real mainstream spot though with runners of all abilities on it throughout the day. It's even floodlit at night. You could even see some top sportspeople training on it if you're lucky. A lot of AFL players use it in preseason, and most distance runners do. My friend spotted David Rudisha on it once, along with the lead singer from The Prodigy going for a slightly less intimidating jog.

yaboya1

Chivito550 wrote: »

Ah you should have told me you were going to Melbourne. It's not slang. The tan is a 3.8km loop around the Royal Botanical Gardens. It's the most popular running trail in Melbourne, so much so that people have a "Tan PB", and there is a list of the fastest times ever recorded on it. Craig Mottram holds the record. Each year there is a big club event called the Tan Relays. It's a real mainstream spot though with runners of all abilities on it throughout the day. It's even floodlit at night. You could even see some top sportspeople training on it if you're lucky. A lot of AFL players use it in preseason, and most distance runners do. My friend spotted David Rudisha on it once, along with the lead singer from The Prodigy going for a slightly less intimidating jog.

Maybe I'll be back to rectify that someday then

Loved Australia. Such a great place. Why did you leave?

Chivito550

yaboya1 wrote: »

Maybe I'll be back to rectify that someday then
Loved Australia. Such a great place. Why did you leave?

It's a long long story which I don't want to get into. The very short version is that it is awfully far from home and family.

yaboya1

Chivito550 wrote: »

It's a long long story which I don't want to get into. The very short version is that it is awfully far from home and family.

Understandable. I have family who don't live there for the same reason, but would otherwise.

yaboya1

Thursday 25th February - 60 minutes Easy
60 minutes @ 146bpm

Two hours later getting out today due to a lie in, after an exhausting but hugely enjoyable day spent at the Atlantis Palm Aquaventure park yesterday. Found it impossible to keep the HR down in the conditions. Headed out towards the Burj Khalifa and back. Last night of the holidays tonight. Heading to Meydan for the racing carnival, which I'm really looking forward to

yaboya1

Saturday 27th February - St Anne's parkrun (18:27)

Solid enough run considering the prep. Doesn't look like I've lost much fitness in the last month. Hopefully I can improve it a fair bit over the next seven weeks.

yaboya1

Sunday 28th February - 20m (with 12m @ MP)

Joined the DNS crew in the PP this morning for this one. Two mile solo warm up, a further five with the whole crew (FBOT01, Ferris B & Murph_D), before myself and M kicked on for the 12 MP miles. Target was 6:45 for those. One mile cool down to finish before a summary with the gang over a coffee. Very happy with that, especially considering the rolling course. I was drunk towards the end, but hung onto M's coat tails to come in just about on target.

7m w/u: 8:14p/m average

12m @ MP: 6:46 p/m average

1m c/d: 8:11

tang1

Your visit to the Tang Palace didn't affect you adversely anyway, nice run to have in the bag P.

yaboya1

Monday 29th February - Rest

No excuse not to run on what's going to be a rare day off in the coming weeks. I could say I was being sensible, but the truth is it was probably just plain lazy!

Tuesday 1st March - 60 minutes Easy
60 minutes @ 131bpm

Ran home from work. The body is still feeling pretty lethargic. Probably due to the tough weekend and the last of the jet lag. I won't worry too much about it.

Wednesday 2nd March - 70 minutes Easy
70 minutes @ 124bpm

Was awakened by the howling wind hammering against the window before my alarm went off this morning. Really icy, biting breeze when I got into it. By the time I had finished though, it had developed into a beautiful morning.

Duanington

yaboya1 wrote: »

By the time I had finished though, it had developed into a beautiful morning.

Jaysus , I was going to complain in my log about how horrific the run in ice cold howling gale was this morning ( in the office for 9) .....I'll change that to how much I enjoyed the easy miles on this beautiful morning, thanks P

Firedance

Duanington wrote: »

Jaysus , I was going to complain in my log about how horrific the run in ice cold howling gale was this morning ( in the office for 9) .....I'll change that to how much I enjoyed the easy miles on this beautiful morning, thanks P

+ 1 to that, could have been much worse than it was