26.2, Part two

Saturday - 28th July

5 miles - worse for wear

Rather naviely decided to chance a run around Dingle after probably the most alcohol I'd drank in 9 month the previous night. Felt good for the first mile until I realised I was lost and ended up coming back the main road into the wind and dodging camper vans and buses. The scenery was lovely but couldn't appreciate it as the heavens opened and all I wanted was my bed. All in all 5 miles at a suprisingly sprightly 9:01 avg. Suffice to say I paid for my bravado later in the day.

All in all very disappointing week with only 16 miles as against the planned total of 45 with a 16 mile long one. Need to pull my socks up.

Monday - 30th July

7 miles - Hills Trail Run

Pretty much deja vu of the previous week except I pushed a bit more on the intervals. Really good session, 8:57 avg with 1,300 feet of elevation.

July gave me a total of 133 miles with a bad half marathon race, one good 5k race and another poor one. August is a big month so looking forward to ramping up the mileage and have one target 10k race.

Wednesday - 1st August

8 Miles - Tempo Run

This was supposed to be a general aerobic run but turned into a bit of a see could outlast the others with a few lads from the club. We started off with a nice handy 8:47 mile and gradually ramped it up to 7:45 pace on relatively hilly roads. Last two miles were 7:18 and 7:33 with an overall avg of 7:53. We were all fairly wrecked after it but pretty pleased. I was really glad to get a tough run in after a couple of inactive weeks, spent almost 60% of the run in my threshold HR zone. I noticed when I uploaded the run to strava afterwards that it brought me over the 1,000 miles for the year, 1,003 and counting now. Considering I did a grand total of 1,099 last year I should blow past that this month. Nice confidence boost and good start to the month.

ReeReeG wrote: »

Best of luck with the training! Your lead-up to Limerick was very similar to my own, but the wheels came off sooner for me on the day

Same to you for DCM. I read your race report from Limerick again, remember reading it at the time and thought fair play for finishing it out so well. It's tough when the wheels come off so early. Leeson learned for Dublin, loads of time left to get the MP miles in and have a right rattle off it.

Wednesday - 8th August
5 miles - recovery

Nothing too fancy about this one, I just wanted to stretch the legs after the race the previous evening. The average pace was 8:41 with the HR firmly in Z2.

Wednesday - 10th August
4.5 miles - easy

With the 10K the following day I didn't do anything too hectic. Nice easy warm up, a couple of 400m progressions to race pace and a jog back to the car. The average was 8:10, skewed by the few quick bits.

Saturday - 11th August
East Cork 10K

I did this 10K last year and it was one of the first races where I felt an improvement in my running. I had targeted it from a long way back as a race I wanted to have a decent crack at. Unfortunately training in the lead up hadn't been great but I was still confident of coming close to or breaking my PB of 44:49. I woke up early to the sound of rain outside and got myself ready to be down there in good time for the 10am start. I had guilted the famliy into coming with me so we had a full car travelling down.

Unfortunately as we came closer to Race HQ the weather really got bad, nasty heavy rain. I was getting dirty looks from the kids as I had promised a family fun day etc. Ah well! The event itself has a full marathon, a half and the 10K so there were about 1000+ competitors in the vicinity. It's a great fundraiser for local charities and has a really good atmosphere. Both the half and the 10K were supposed to start at 10am but I could tell by the fact that people were still coming in at nearly 10 that it was going to be delayed. So yeah a 10 minute delay, unfortunate that it was so wet, people were either sheltering for cover or trying to keep warm. I did a nice relaxed warm up mile and moved my way close enough to the front. There wasn't a massive amount of club singlets so I parked myself in behind a few lads I knew.

The course itself is an out and back, fairly flat but it can be a bit exposed as you are right on the water. The weather at the start was miserable but it was just a case of deal with it like everyone else. I had done 47:2x in 2017 so I was hoping to take a decent chunk out of it. I didn't have a specific pacing plan and was just going to see how it went and try and hold on.

To be honest the race itself was a bit of a non event, I tried to stay with a group as I seem to spend a lot of races running on my own. I stuck with a group for about 2.5 miles and felt ok for about 2.25 miles of that until I didn't, which when it come was sudden and sharp. The first 3 miles were 6:48, 6:57 & 7:07. At this stage we had turned the corner and were heading back against the main crowd to the finish line. I think I was passed by about 10 people in the 2nd half of the race and didn't come close to passing anyone. The last 3 miles were 7:37, 7:31 & 7:41 with 6:53 pace for the finish. In the end I finished in 45:24, good bit outside a PB but on a positive note two minutes quicker then last year.

I was suprised that I wasn't more disappointed afterwards. The lads in the group that I started with all run sub 43:45 and while they are usually a bit quicker then me, I should have been able to hold the pace for longer. I know I should have had a plan for the race, I should have targeted getting a incremental PB rather than expecting to run a sub 43:30 which I admit was in the back of my mind. My 5K and 4 mile times suggest I am more than capable of running quicker but I just haven't put the work in over the last few weeks. Despite all this it was a great event for worthy causes and hopefully I'll be back next year to take another two minutes off my time.

Sunday - 12th August
13.5 miles - LSR

The main priority for this run was to get easy miles in the legs. A good crew of us set out early in the morning in perfect conditions. The first couple of miles were good craic with a nice bit of banter over race results in the previous week. After about 4 miles the various pace groups had sorted themselves out and I slotted in with a group aiming for 9 min miles. Even though I was tired after the previous days race, the pace felt comfortable and I had to remind myself to pull it back a few times. There was one nice little climb for 200 ft elevation gain in less than a mile which split the group again but everyone was happy enough to run away at their own pace. About 10 miles in I started to get a niggle in my knee, I was conscious that I didn't want to aggravate anything and bailed out from the run to do 13.5 miles while the lads continued to do 16.

I was happy with the run and the pace felt easy enough, 8:57 average with a HR average of 143.The mile splits ranged from 9:21 to 8:32. The last five miles were in my PMP range so I was happy to get them in without pushing myself too much. Although I'm behind on my DCM plan I didn't want to go mad this week and get injured. As it was, the ramp up in mileage was severe enough, 43 for the week up from 23 the previous week. The last time I did that I had severe knee pain for a few days so I need to be careful. This week is a busy one with work and family activities so I'm hoping to get one midweek 10 mile run, one shorter tempo run and a LSR of 16 - 18 at the weekend. Less then 11 weeks to go so all about getting the miles in now.

skyblue46 wrote: »

What plan are you following? The training paces seem a bit on the fast side...

I started off on the P&D up to 55 mile plan but I've missed a considerable amount of it thus far. I'm trying to decide whether to stick or twist on it this week.
Do you think all the paces in general are too quick or specifically the longer one? PMP is about 8:47.

skyblue46 wrote: »

All! I mean your recovery pace is faster than PMP! All runs are faster than PMP so you are not training your body to run at that pace or to make the physiological adaptations for running 26.2. Pop over to the novices thread. There is a link to a training paces calculator on the first page. Train to your most recent race time not to some notional target for the marathon itself.

I've seen some of your posts in other threads about training paces and the need to slow down and I have read the articles. So I do appreciate the science and value of it. I do agree that the recovery runs should be slower. My problem is I don't do a lot of pure recovery runs, I'd usually throw in a few strides or a bit of speedwork purely out of boredom. I think that this is something that I need to be more conscious of as the mileage increases and the niggles mount.

Before I started the plan I popped my most recent race times into the McMillan calculator and that would have given me an idea for the target paces for the LSR. I did that again this morning, ranging in distance from 5K (20:32) to half (1:46:08) and the time ranges I'm getting are quite wide. The quicker end is going from 07:45 - 08:33 with the slower end being 09:01 to 09:51. I put my 5K time into the Hanson race equivalency calculator and it gave me my actual PBs for the 1 mile and 4 Mile with a long run training pace of between 08:01 - 09:01. I tihnk you could drive yourself mad with all these calculators! Based on all of the above and how I've been feeling I am comfortable with a long run pace of between 8:30 ish to 9:30, I expect that as the mileage increases the pace will slow accordingly.

In relation to the marathon itself I feel that you need a target and that it should be a genuine target. One of lessons I learnt from Limerick was that the lack of a clear target caused doubts to creep in on the day and when things got tough I cracked. I firmly believe that 3:50 is achievable, based on a quantifiable combination of recent races and training. I am also hopeful that the lessons learned from Limerick will make me stronger mentally. If it transpires that it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world and there is always another race, another day. I appreciate the feedback and its given me something to think about.

Wednesday -15th August
5 Miles - Recovery

So based on some sound advice I decided to try and treat this run as a pure recovery run. To be honest it was hard to keep the pace down at the start, it felt a bit artificial if that makes sense. However after a couple of miles I was able to stop looking at the watch and just keep the rhytmn going. The mile splits were 10:00, 9:51, 9:24, 9:23 & 9:53 for a 9:42 avg. I wore my Brooks Ghosts and they felt like cement blocks compared to the Nikes. Its amazing what difference a couple of ounces makes. They are unbelievably comfortable though.I must admit I was happy with the run and something to include going forward.

Thursday - 16th August
9 miles - w/4.5 Miles Tempo

After spending the day on a family outing, probably the last before back to school, I was feeling a bit lazy before heading out for this run. I thought I might be on my own but it turned out that there were six of us going out. The consensus was a few steady miles to start and then increase the pace for 4 miles (c 7:30 pace). The first few miles were nice and relaxed, lots of chatting, until we hit the main road and the pace increased. The group splintered slightly but everyone was relatively comfortable with the pace. The miles flew by and it turned out to be a really enjoyable run. There were two quicker miles when the lads pushed on but I was happy to go with it and it felt very manageable. The mile splits were 8:36, 8:35, 8:22, 7:33, 7:32, 7:14, 7:04 & 3:51 for the .5 mile. I finished with a nice easy cool down mile which brought the total for the day to 9 miles. I was delighted with this session, so far this week is tipping along nicely.

Monday - 20th August
8.25 miles - Steady Run

This turned out to be another enjoyable club run, five of us headed out at a nice leisurely pace with plenty of chat. We got through the 10K mark in around 57 mins and finished strong for an average of 8:46. I was happy the way the body was feeling after the long run the previous day.

Tuesday - 21st August
6 miles - Intervals

Due to a manic day in work I didn't get out for this one till well after 8, the evenings are really starting to pull in. The plan was 2 miles warm up, 1600m @ 6:50, 1:30 recovery, two sets of 800m @ 6:40 with 2:00 recovery and 1600m @ 06:50 with a cool down. As it was getting dark I decided to reduce the warm up to one mile. I was doing this session with a buddy who hadn't done intervals in a while so was hoping to hit his own paces. I made a bit of a mess up of inputting the session in the watch, put in .5 km rather then .5 mile, which really confused me in the middle of the session.
Overall I was happy enough with the splits considering my mistake, 9:08, 06:50, 06:52(500m), 06:36(500m), 6:54 with two miles cool down at the end. The effort felt manageable and I would hope that this would be my range for 4 Miles to 10K at the moment. I'll find out soon enough as there is another local 4 mile race Thursday evening where fingers crossed I can come close to another sub 27.

Friday - 31st August
5.25 miles - hills
I hadn't done any specific hill work in a couple of weeks so was looking forward to heading out for a few miles with the group. I had decided in advance that I wouldn't do the normal 7 mile run and just do five repeats. The effort was honest without pushing it too much. The intervals ranges for the uphill were about a minute slower then normal, I did try one quicker one at the end and I was happy with that. It was an enjoyable run in the pelting rain with over 1,000 ft of elevation. This run brought me up to 176 miles for August which is the most I've ever done in a month.

Saturday - 1st September
5.25 miles - easy
I missed my morning window to get this done and after a couple of hours at a GAA blitz I threw on the runners and decided to start the month off with a few miles. I was actually a bit apprehensive about the planned 20 mile run the following day so just wanted to stretch the legs. It was a grand easy 5.25 miles in a 9:14 avg.

Sunday - 2nd September
20 Miles - Long Run
This was the big one! I didn't enjoy either of the 20 milers I did for Limerick and if anything they dented the confidence a small bit. The plan for this was to get the miles in at a comfortable pace. We set off nice and early on a lovely morning for running. The group split into the normal pace groups and there were three of us who ran the full distance step for step. We passed 10K in 58 min (9:26 avg), 10 Miles in 1:33 (9:18 avg), 13.1 miles in 2:01 (9:13 avg) and finished the 20 miles in 3:03 (9:09 avg). The last two miles were done in 08:47 & 08:37. I could definitely feel the increase in effort for those two miles but other then that the body felt good. I took 3 gels, one with caffeine which was the first time, and was happy with the refueling strategy. Did a small cool down at the end which brought me up to 53 miles for the week.
Next week is a bit of a step back week with the John Buckley 10 Mile race on Saturday evening. This was one of my favorite races last year and I'd love to put in a good effort next weekend. I think sub 75 is achievable and I'll try and have a rattle off it. I checked my calendar and this will be race 24 so far this year. I was a bit surprised at the number. There is a lot of local club 5K and 4 Mile races which is one of the benefits of having so many strong clubs locally. The loss of the Ballycotton Summer Series was obviously impossible to replace but it did open up a few dates for new races which is a good thing also.

Thursday - 6th September
10 miles - too fast

I learned a bit of a lesson with this one. The plan was for a moderate tempo session in advance of the race at the weekend. I wanted to up the miles slightly so decided to go down early and do some laps of the field beforehand. Grand job, 3 miles around 8:30 pace, comfortable. I then met the lads and started into the run, I was wearing a long sleeve top and didn't pay attention to the pace. I was chatting away, thought it was about 7:50 ish but nothing mad. I was a bit surprised then when some of the lads started to drop back. I checked the watch and saw average pace was just under 8 so kept going. The lad I was with doesn't run with a watch (proper old school) so we kept going. I hadn't realised that the slower warm up miles were obviously skewing the pace. The end of the story is a 10 mile run in 1:18, about 3 mins outside my PB. The rest of the lads were fairly wrecked at the end with the pace also. It seemed that noone wanted to be the one to say slow down. I'm going to have to be more aware of the pace and be a bit more selfish with my pacing. Despite all that it was a good run.

Saturday - 8th September
John Buckley 10 Mile Race

Full disclosure, I really wanted to go sub 75 for this. My PB was 75:10 ish from Mallow earlier this year and I felt that with the training and mileage I'd done since I should be faster. Despite really wanting to do well I was trying to make excuses in the lead up - went too quick Thursday, late night Friday, too busy with family stuff during the day. The weather also was being used as an excuse. I was in serious danger of just dialing this one in and doing a 77/78 min race and being disgusted with myself with ages. I was really fortunate that there was a big group from the club doing this with many of my regular DCM training partners also lining up and targeting PBs. I got a bit of a pep talk from one of the lads, mainly along the lines of cop yourself on, and started to get in the zone. I did a decent warm up and accepted that the weather was going to be crap but that it would be the same for everyone. I got another boost when just before the start a good friend of mine,with a sub 67 min 10 mile PB, said he'd run with me.

Miles 1-4
The start was fairly congested but at least this year there was a timing mat at the start which seemed to help with the positioning of people. We tucked in between the 70 & 80 pacers with a few club mates saying that they would keep me in sight and then try chase me down in the second half, sound lads. Whistle went bang on 6pm and off we went. The crowd wasn't too bad and with minimal side stepping and weaving we found ourselves in some space to run. The pace was brisk but felt manageable. To start the race there is two laps of the marina which while flat has a dodgy enough surface in patches which wasn't helped with surface water and wet leaves. There was great support along the route, especially considering the weather, with loads of club mates out in force. I was beginning to feel the pace coming up to the water stop at four miles and got a flash back of the previous years race when I started to wilt at this point. This gave me a bit of a spurt and managed to plough on. Splits of 7:13, 7:11, 7:17 & 7:20
Miles 5-8
At this point the course heads out towards Blackrock where this is the only real hilly part of the course. I had been checking the mile splits and knew that some time was being banked and I wanted to try maintain this for as long as possible. I was also paying attention now to who was running around us with a small group forming which was helpful. So into Blackrock, with great support, and up the hill. I decided to attack this as much as I could and ease back on the downhill which seemed to work. Enjoyed the downhill past the castle and onto the walkway. Anyone local or who has done the marathon or half will be familiar with this part of the course. It's nice and flat but as you are right by the water completely exposed in parts to the wind. I was starting to struggle here and really had to dig in. There was one or two right turns directly into the wind which were tough but to be fair the mini group took turns pulling from the front. The final bit of mile 8 has a ramp to bring you off the walkway heading across the motorway which a dose, felt it in the legs. Splits were 7:20, 7:19, 7:32 & 7:36
Miles 9-10
I was in trouble at this stage, the ramp over the motorway had taken a lot out of me. I could feel the pace dropping and checked the watch to see 7:55 avg for the mile. I was also starting to be passed by a few people. My running partner really helped here and got me to dig in. The plan was to get to the mile marker and then assess how the body was. Mile 9 is a bit of a drag, very slight ordinarily but I was feeling it and starting to waver. I was delighted to hear the shouts of one mile to go from a few people. The finish line had changed from last year but I wasn't sure where to. We took a sharp enough left turn down towards the Atlantic pond and I knew I had to be close to the line. Great shouts of encouragement from club mates but I also knew the lads were closing on me. This gave me a bit of a jolt and determined not to be passed, I emptied the tank in the last 600m. I could see the clock ticking towards 74 and just kept running through the finish and stopped the watch. Straightaway I thought I was going to be sick but thankfully it passed quickly and I checked the watch to see 1:13:51. I think I was too tired for it to register immediately and wobbled over to the first couple of club mates who had finished. The rest of the lads followed in quickly and it turned out to be almost PBs all around. Splits for the last two miles were 7:38 & 7:18.

So after that lengthy ramble it turned out to be a great evening. It really is a quality race, well organised by people who know what makes a good race, with a serious field and a great spread afterwards. Due to the PBs and great runs had by all this will be a real confidence boost as we head towards the final weeks of DCM training. Personally I'm very happy with the time, almost 6:30 mins quicker then last years races and 100 places of an improvement. I am confident that there is more scope for improvement at this distance and I'd be hoping to target some of the 10 mile races next spring. I am probably most pleased that, with the help of my pacer and the fear of being passed, I stuck with it and didn't give in when it got tough. Job done, now back to the marathon training with Charleville half being the next target race.

Kellygirl wrote: »

Well done in the John Buckley. Great time. It was a brilliant race.

Thanks I was fairly happy with it, it felt like an honest effort. Well done to you on your race in the middle of a long run, very impressive. Your training is going really well.