"It's what you do next that counts"

Woddle,
If the July file above is your training plan, I think it can be tough enough to do a tempo run Wed followed by a speed session Tuesday, especially if you are new enough to running and in particular these types of sessions. I do a hard speed session Tuesday and Thursday's tempo session can be difficult, e.g. tonight I just had to rest and will try it tomorrow instead, as I'm still not recovered enough from Tuesday. So, see how it goes, but if you find you are getting very tired, maybe put and easy day between your hard days.
What kind of pace/distance are you doing for your tempo runs and speed sessions?

Woddle wrote: »

Cheers racing flat, any advice is much appreciated, tempo run would be 9 min miles with 3 miles in the middle at 8 min pace and increase the distance each week, and the speed session would be 2 mile warm up follwed by 10 x 300m, with 300 m recovery between each one and finish it off with a 2 mile cool down, I've kind of taken bits and pieces from a few marathon training plans, irish runner and Longford,
I'm going to give my football a miss during this period as that does zap me of energy, as its played so late on a Tuesday night,
I'll give it a go next week and see how I go from there, I've built the milage up to the 40s now and stepped it back the week before last, so hopefully I can give it a burst, I'm putting in all the stretches and I'm addicted to my foam roller.

As the tempo run doesn't seem overly intense you might get away with doing this Wednesday and speed session Thursday. By that I mean your 2 mile race pace is 6.37/mile. Based on this, you should be able to run for 1 hour at about 7.20 pace. While there are nmany definitions of 'tempo run', as I understand it, the tempo run is used to improve your lactate threshold. i.e. when you are running, your body produces lactic acid, but it can utilise this. However, above a certain threshold pace, the body accumulates lactic acid faster than it can utilise it, so it builds up, increasing the acidity in the body so that performance is hampered, ie you slow down. This threshold pace is typically the max pace that you can maintain for an hour. So training slightly slower than this pace will mean that your body will get used to running at this pace and subsequently get more used to dealing with the lactic acid etc, so that ultimately you can run faster before this threshold or turnpoint. So for you around 7.30pace might be fine for 20minutes. This would be a comfortably hard session, it would be like a race where you weren't giving it your all, you'd be wishing for it to be over, but knowing that if you wanted to you could speed up. But to do this the night before a speed session would be difficult. You going at 8.00min mile pace is probably closer to a marathon pace run, still good training. Are you training for a marathon? If so, your idea of increasing the distance of your tempo run each week is good. If your focus is the 5 mile, maybe increasing the pace of the tempo run and limiting to 20mins or so would be better?

I would imagine your 300s are at about 65-70secs each? Good session. With the miles up in the 40s now also, you shoudl see good improvements over the next few weeks/months. Thought of joining a club? Generally brings people on a great deal.

Woddle wrote: »

Great info and much appreciated, my goal is a 3:45 at the Longford marathon in August, so I wanted to have a good burst in July before I have to start tapering in August, I have yet to do 300s, I was doing 8x0.25 miles in 1:30 - 1:40, and I'm always aware that I don't push myself hard enough, so July is all about making me mentally stronger aswell as running better.

Your 2 mile race time predicts you about a 3.30 marathon (although I find the mcmillan site a bit ambitious for marathon times, for me anyway), so 3.45 is definitely a realistic target I think. This is 8.30pace roughly. I think you'd be better off doing longer tempo runs at marathon pace, or shorter ones at 'threshold pace'. Maybe your 8min mile tempo pace has you in no mans land/junk miles territory as Jack Daniels calls it?

8 400s in 90-100 is a good bit faster than your 2 mile race pace, so that seems an appropriate pace, so I wouldn't say based on that session you don't push yourself hard enough. If the marathon is the ultimate goal, I'd be doing longer intervals a little slower. Maybe 6 800s in 3.30 with at least 2 mins recovery between each and gradually build up to 8 or maybe even 10? Or do 6-10 of 3min hard 3 min easy, quite a nice session, seems easy at the start, not so at the end.

Dying to go home now myself and do my tempo run having missed it last night as I was jut too tired. One of the benefits of taking a day off every week is that if you miss a session you can fit it in on the day off...

Yes Woddle consider Racing Flat's advise.
Listen to your body.
If you postpone the speed session and perhaps do an easy 3 or 4 mile instead.

Good man Woddle wise decision today, though I am no expect. I try and learn from my mistakes
Was in amphibian king meself this evening, around 6 ish. There was someone getting the gait analysis done when I was leaving, it wasn't you?

hi woddle nice going on the 20+ mile's this morning do you plan on many 20+ runs before the taper for longford

i have'nt a clue woddle i have never wore a heart monitor or even checked my heart rate resting or running, i really dont get to involved in the science of running ,
the national half marathon is on in waterford this year on the 7th of september , but just thinking that will be just after longford so prob wont suit you

there is a 10 mile race in tipp on the 27th of july that im prob going to do it would give you a better indication for marathon pace