The Quest for 59.59

Racing Flat

Goal: 59.59 or better in Ballycotton 10mile road race, Sunday March 9th.

Height 5'9" - 5'10"
Weight 10'10"
BMI 22
Body Fat 10% (skin-fold calipers)
Waking Heart Rate 42

PB 61mins

Today's training:
Rest

SUNGOD

the holy grail , best of luck racing flat .i read in another post somewhere on boards that a sub 60 min for a ten mile is one of "the big eight" in running which also included sub 3 hour marathon and so on. some acheivement if/when ya do it good luck again might see ya in ballycotton

Odysseus

A tough challenge indeed, though its "only" two mins off your pb. Looks like this log will make interesting reading, best of luck with the training.

eclectichoney

Good luck racing flat - will be reading with interest (and running vicariously through you as I'm laid up at the moment with a sore left calf and a sore right foot!)

Racing Flat

Today:

Rest - not lazy, just have race tomorrow, 2 days off before usually works best for me

weight 10'13" (damn you cake in work yesterday (a birthday) and Pizza Hut last night....
Waking HR 44

Odysseus - 'only 2 mins' is right. Huge 2 mins. Have 3 61's now, been there for 2 years, so really want to make the break through. Tmorrow will be good indicator. 5 mile race. Would probably want to break 28 to have a good cushion but hovering around 29mins last few 5milers...

BossArky

Good luck Racing Flat. I'll be reading hoping to pick up some running tips and training plans!

Racing Flat

Weight 10'11''
Waking HR 42

Today - 8.5miles including 5 mile road race.

Around the 29 mark for the race. Happy with performance, but this time will mean breaking the hour will be very very difficult. Prediction sites predict between 60 and 61 based on today. However have 6 weeks to go, so quietly confident that if training goes well I'll have an outside chance.

Roll on the hard training!!!

redved

Hi Racing Flat,
Enoying reading this training log.
I'm doing Ballycotton also, hoping for low 70's.
Would you mind posting a sample weeks training. It would be interesting to see what you have to do to get those kind of times

Racing Flat

Weight 10'9"

Training - recovery 6.3miles, 54mins

redved wrote: »

Would you mind posting a sample weeks training. It would be interesting to see what you have to do to get those kind of times

The times are not only a function of the training but also of training over a 4 year period, and also the starting point in terms of fitness....

Started from scratch 4 years ago, was out of shape, 14stone:eek: but still playing football 2 -3 times a week, so had some element of fitness. To lose weight I started jogging Jan 04, 2-3 times a week 20-30 mins and gradually got up to 40mins - once I got to this I started 4 times a week, gradually upping the time running and then got to 5 times a week 45mins - 1 hour each time. This probably took about 3 months but I was keen and motivated and had a lot of time on my hands, so stuck to it. Then in April 04 ran my first race a 10k in 42 mins. Loved that so did a few more, jogging away the whole time and culminated in the marathon in Oct 04. I followed Brendan O'Shea's marathon training programme religiously for the marathon training. This is published every year in the Irish runner, a 20 week programme, starting in early June, running 6 days a week about 50miles (I decided to challenge myself by doing the 2.30-3.15 programme, he gives a few varieties based on time), most of the emphasis is on mileage, with some speed work, mostly long intervals and tempo runs. I think this gave me a great base. So after this, I was hooked and wanted to get faster so joined a club. Since then I have been doing fairly typical club training, probably similar to what Jack Daniels advocates ie

Mon easy 45mins - 1hour (6-8miles)

Tues - intervals - 5-6x1k, or 6-8x800, or 8x600, or 10-12x400 - anything really that involves going very fast (around 3k pace or faster) with a minute or two resting in between each repetition. (8miles)

Wed - easy 45mins - 1hour (6-8miles)

Thurs - tempo run - 20mins easy, 20mins tempo (10k-10mile pace), 20mins easy (8miles)

Fri - Rest

Sat - long run 75mins - 2hours, depending on time of year, what races are coming up, usually easy, sometimes picking it up for second half (10-16miles)

Sun - easy hour (7-8miles)

At the beginning you will improve your race times no matter what you do, but then it may plateau so you need to tweak the speed work etc.

My progress
10k 42, 43, 39, 38, 36, 37, 36
5k 19, 18, 18, 17, 18, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17
10mile 66, 67, 64, 65, 61, 61, 61

So as I have plateaud somewhat, I have started on a slightly different programme to the above, concentrating more on tempo/lactate threshold runs as this is what's limiting my 10mile performance.

BossArky

What age are you? I'm presuming you are male too, yes?

redved

great thanks for taking the time to post that. good luck in Ballycotton.

Racing Flat

9.1miles, 67mins
Lactate threshold session - 2x20mins hard 5mins easy

Racing Flat

Easy run - 7.5miles, 62mins.

Racing Flat

8 miles incorporating interval session, 6 x 1k

Racing Flat

Friday 1st Feb - Rest

Sat 2nd Feb 12 - 12miles 83mins inc. lactate threshold session, 3 x 20mins hard 5 mins easy

Sun 3rd Feb - easy run: 8.2miles, 62mins


Week - 6 runs, 51miles

Racing Flat

Easy Run: 7.6miles, 60mins in a nice, hilly field

Going to be very, very tough. Just can't seem to hit the times in training. Still a few weeks left though...

Racing Flat

Today - Rest, enforced due to work.
May make decision as to whether this week or next week is an easy week easier...couldn't decide, but after today maybe better off having easy week, race Sunday then 3 hard weeks, as opposed to hard this week, easy next with race at end then 2 weeks hard...

Racing Flat

6 miles, 45mins incorporating 2 x 10mins hard, 5mins easy lactate threshold pace.
Race at weekend.

SUNGOD

well racing flat ,im enjoying your log just wondering what race have you this weekend and what distance etc,if its not 10 mile what time would you be hoping for to see if your on track for a sub 60 in ballycotton . either way good luck over the weekend, thanks

Racing Flat

Race will be 10k cross country, so time won't really be that relevant if it's hilly/muddy/windy, would probably be happy enough with 38mins or so, but good hard run just to get used to race conditions main priority. Need to be comfortable at 6min mile pace for an hour, so would want to be at 5.50 paceor better for 10k I think, so 36mins or so may be needed on road. Would think 28.30 or better for 5 mile on road would be needed. Don't feel at that level, but after this easy week will have 3 real hard weeks, so maybe at the end of that will have an outside chance if conditions are good on the day (unlike last year).

Racing Flat

5 miles easy, 40 mins, heart rate 134

Racing Flat

Rest

Racing Flat

3.6 miles 28mins with 3 x 30secs at race pace.
Race tomorrow.

Racing Flat

10miles including 10k cross country race. Don't know the exact time but finished under 40mins, considering it was a hilly course I was delighted with the run. Felt very strong, feel the lactate threshold run is standing to me...

Easy day or two now, can't wait to get into a hard burst of training then.

Week totals - 32miles, easy week with race.
Weight 10'11
Waking HR 43

Racing Flat

easy run, 7.5miles 60mins, HR 145

Racing Flat

lactate threshold session, 3 x 15mins hard (HR 170, 6.30 min mile pace) 5 mins easy
Total 10.5miles, 77mins

Racing Flat

Easy run. Hilly cross country route.
8.1 miles, 63mins, 7.50 min mile pace, Average HR 146.

Racing Flat

speed session 8 x 3min hard (~5min30/mile pace; 850m) 3min easy
Total 9miles
Not the fastest, but felt strong.

Abhainn

Mine are all time based now, 3k in 10mins, 10miles in 60mins and marathon in 3hours are 3 goals for 2008...

Hi Racing Flat you mentioned the above goals in a earlier SUN GOD post.
Are you thinking of creating a fitness log for the marathon under 3hrs?
Where do you plan to do it? What is your PB?

My goals
10KM - Sub 40 mins (No PB yet though 5K best is 19:12)
13.1 mlie -Sub 90min - (Current best 91:30)
26.2 -Sub 3:08 - (Current best 3:14)

To achieve the main marathon goal I need to
i) Loose a further 2kg at least to reach 78kg or so. I had a BMI of 26.1 for marathon above which doesn't sound great.
ii) Increase my average weekly milage from 27 to mid 30's /week.
iii) Do four runs a week every week. Was only doing 3 runs one week and 4 the next in the 12 weeks leading up to the DM last

Racing Flat

Abhainn wrote: »

Mine are all time based now, 3k in 10mins, 10miles in 60mins and marathon in 3hours are 3 goals for 2008...

Hi Racing Flat you mentioned the above goals in a earlier SUN GOD post.
Are you thinking of creating a fitness log for the marathon under 3hrs?
Where do you plan to do it? What is your PB?

My goals
10KM - Sub 40 mins (No PB yet though 5K best is 19:12)
13.1 mlie -Sub 90min - (Current best 91:30)
26.2 -Sub 3:08 - (Current best 3:14)

To achieve the main marathon goal I need to
i) Loose a further 2kg at least to reach 78kg or so. I had a BMI of 26.1 for marathon above which doesn't sound great.
ii) Increase my average weekly milage from 27 to mid 30's /week.
iii) Do four runs a week every week. Was only doing 3 runs one week and 4 the next in the 12 weeks leading up to the DM last

Depending on how this pans out, I may do a log for the marathon.

I did 2 marathons when I started running first, but realised I much preferred shorter distances, so have concentrated on these for last few years. My first marathon was a 3.15, second 3.06. Was very disappointed with 3.06 as I felt better than that, but kind of messed up the last 6 weeks of training. Therefore, I feel I have unfinished business at the marathon, i.e. I want to get under 3hours, but I really don't enjoy them or the training. It just so happens that this year I'm having a long break after Ballycotton - maybe a month or so, having taken no more than a week off twice a year for the last 2.5 years, I think it will be good for the body to have complete rest. So will try to bow out in style at Ballycotton, then rest for a month. Because of this it will probably take me to the end of May to get back in shape, which means I'll be a little late to start speed work for a track season, so it is probably a good year to do the marathon, hopefully break 3 so I can forget about them again and get back to the shorter distances.

As I want to break 3, I would like to do a marathon that is conducive to fast times, so I originally planned for Amsterdam in October, but am now thinking that Berlin in September may be better - training won't drag on as long and I'll have time to recover and still get to enjoy a fair chunk of the cross country season.

Regarding your own goals, they seem quite realistic. Based on your marathon time I would expect you to run a better 5k and half marathon in due course. Losing weight will generally help to improve your times, but the running training will take care of this, I would concentrate on the running training and the weight will look after itself. What height are you? 80kg seems quiet heavy as runners go, but it all depends on your height, body distribution etc. to do 3.14 at that weight is no mean feat. LOADS of potential I imagine...

I know mileage isn't everything and everyone's different but 27miles a week does seem a little low for a 3.14 marathon, so great potential. By gradually upping to 4 days every week/mid 30's you will naturally get an increase in endurance and performance. Quality is also important - what kind of runs are you doing? For the marathon milage/time on feet is important but to achieve your 10k goal an element of speed work would probably help. I think a good thing to do is set your marathon goal at the end of a 3-4month training block, then put in a few interim races (e.g. half marathon 5 weeks before that, 10miles 3-4weeks before the half and 5mile/10k 3-4 weeks before that) and hopefully you'll get PBs in all, but also it breaks the 4 month period in 4 more or less 1 month block, makes it more interesting, helps to stay focussed and cuts down on missing training days. The adidas series is set up perfectly for that.

Best of luck.

SUNGOD

Abhainn wrote: »

Mine are all time based now, 3k in 10mins, 10miles in 60mins and marathon in 3hours are 3 goals for 2008...

hi abhainn i read somewhere that the 3 goals above are part of the BIG 8 in running which also includes 1 mile in 5 min,5k in 20 min, 5mile in 30 min,10k in 40 min and 1/2 marathon in 90 min , some easier then others , racing flat has probably picked the more difficult of the 8 .to complete either of the three would be a great acheivement .

thanks racing flat

good luck