Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Speedy44

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Today: 8 miles with 3 x 1,600m @5K Pace
Ran this session a day early to afford me more recovery for my half marathon pacing duties on Saturday. This is the session I've been dreading since I started this program back in June. For me it has become the real make or break session. It is my version of Bart Yasso's 800s. If I can run this session well, then for me it's a good indicator that I've made good progress over the course of this marathon training program.

Because initially I run the Vo2max intervals (shorter intervals) at a 5k pace beyond my ability, these mile intervals would be almost impossible at the outset of the program. Achieving them at the end of the program, at a pace significantly faster than my last marathon program and finding them 'relatively' comfortable is a solid confidence booster. It doesn't mean I'll run well on race day, it just confirms that I have made progress.

Intervals: 5:25 / 5:29 / 5:22 (any of which would be a mile PB).
Pre-Barcelona, these were: 5:43 / 5:38 / 5:39

So the last tough session is completed. Just the half marathon on Saturday, and lots of easy recovery runs, for the next 10 days, and the rest is in the hands of batman, superman and the other gods.

Summary: 8 miles in 55 mins, @6:46/mile. HR=a bit confused

Great session to get under the belt Krusty. Better still was the consistency. What type of a recovery were you taking?

Abhainn

That 3 x 1600 was good work.
You are pacing sub 1:30 on Sat ...hmmmm:rolleyes:. Seems like 1 week taper so??
Just keep ticking over next week , nothing over 6 miles and some strides. Maybe deep tissue massage mid week could be beneficial.
You need to be chomping at the bit Sunday week.

Krusty_Clown

Hey Speedy, the program calls for 50-90% of rep time for recovery. I aired on the side of caution, and dialed it up to 3:30 between reps (65%), but was kind of waiting around for around 30 seconds for the next one to begin, so could've kept the recovery shorter. Session like that makes me hungry to give a flat mile a pop and see what I could do. Maybe I'll give the Goal mile a pop at christmas.

Krusty_Clown

Abhainn wrote: »

That 3 x 1600 was good work.
You are pacing sub 1:30 on Sat ...hmmmm:rolleyes:. Seems like 1 week taper so??
Just keep ticking over next week , nothing over 6 miles and some strides. Maybe deep tissue massage mid week could be beneficial.
You need to be chomping at the bit Sunday week.

Well, there's a 13 miler in my program, I'll just be doing it a little quicker than LSR pace (the lengths I go to for a free balloon!) and it might help to keep the taper monsters at bay! Looking back to pre-Barcelona, I did a 13.1 in 1:33 the week before, so hopefully the couple of minutes quicker won't do me any harm. There's two 7 milers in the program next week, but they're all at recovery pace, so hopefully nothing too tiring!

My sports-massage/physio guy is selfishly on holidays next week, so I'll have to find another solution. Thanks for the advice.

Weather forecast in Berlin is 14'-17'C with a chance of rain (depending on which site you look at) so all looking good for the big day.

ManFromAtlantis

you seem to recover pretty quick between intervals.
new plan for berlin.
run half marathon real quick. 3 mins rec. run half marathon.!

Peckham

I have that session this evening, although I'll be aiming for 5:45 pace with 4:15 recovery. Was slightly anxious about it before reading your post, but the importance you are putting on it makes me extra nervous!

Am hoping that Daniels' tempo sessions pay off in this session tonight!

Will have to update my log after this session.

Krusty_Clown

ManFromAtlantis wrote: »

you seem to recover pretty quick between intervals.
new plan for berlin.
run half marathon real quick. 3 mins rec. run half marathon.!

I was thinking more like 26 x 1 mile @6 min/mile, with 25 seconds recovery.

pgibbo

That's a savage session Krusty. Well done. A real confidence builder too I'm guessing, especially with the improvements since the previous time.

A friend mentioned last night that they read how Gerry Ryan from Galway waits until a certain heart rate is hit during recovery between mile repeats. Once he hits this number (135bpm for him) he starts the next repeat. Any idea how he would have picked that number? Any thoughts on this method for rest between intervals? Cheers.

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

I have that session this evening, although I'll be aiming for 5:45 pace with 4:15 recovery. Was slightly anxious about it before reading your post, but the importance you are putting on it makes me extra nervous!

Am hoping that Daniels' tempo sessions pay off in this session tonight!

Will have to update my log after this session.

Hey, don't get anxious about it. That's just the important that I attach to it because of the information it gives me, rather than the physiological benefit. I can compare the results directly with my last two marathons, and it also marks a progression during this training campaign, where I note the difficulty of running the 600s, then 1,000s, 1,200s and finally 1,600s at the same pace. It's the mental boost that counteracts the doubts that usually set in at this stage of the program.

Almost to the day, I did this session last year before Berlin marathon, and recorded the mile intervals as: 6:02/5:54/5:58, so around 33 seconds per mile improvement. Wish I could do that every year!

Krusty_Clown

pgibbo wrote: »

A friend mentioned last night that they read how Gerry Ryan from Galway waits until a certain heart rate is hit during recovery between mile repeats. Once he hits this number (135bpm for him) he starts the next repeat. Any idea how he would have picked that number? Any thoughts on this method for rest between intervals? Cheers.

Hey Pgibbo, I'm far from an expert but perhaps that HR corresponds to the heart rate levels he runs his recovery runs at? Seems like a much better option than an an arbitrary time period, that may be too much / too little. At least he will know that he is fully recovered between reps, whereas the time or distance-based recovery doesn't take your physical readiness into account at all.

TFBubendorfer

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Today: 8 miles with 3 x 1,600m @5K Pace

Intervals: 5:25 / 5:29 / 5:22 (any of which would be a mile PB).
Pre-Barcelona, these were: 5:43 / 5:38 / 5:39

Jesus, Krusty, that's one savage session. Running almost 5k at 5k pace. You might as well have done a race! And the comparison to pre-Barcelona is telling. Don't do anything stupid between now and Berlin and a savage time is yours.

Abhainn

pgibbo wrote: »

A friend mentioned last night that they read how Gerry Ryan from Galway waits until a certain heart rate is hit during recovery between mile repeats. Once he hits this number (135bpm for him) he starts the next repeat. Any idea how he would have picked that number? Any thoughts on this method for rest between intervals? Cheers.

Sorry to hi jack this, I try and wait until mine is <140bpm. That is about mid Z3 for me. I know then I am adequately recovered and can complete the next rep then at planned pace.

Krusty_Clown

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Jesus, Krusty, that's one savage session. Running almost 5k at 5k pace. You might as well have done a race! And the comparison to pre-Barcelona is telling. Don't do anything stupid between now and Berlin and a savage time is yours.

Thanks Thomas. Sadly, all the preparation and statistics isn't worth a cr@p on the big day as times aren't based on what one deserves, but what one has the good fortune to run on the day. So it's fingers crossed, and hope that all the ducks line up!

Krusty_Clown

Abhainn wrote: »

Sorry to hi jack this, I try and wait until mine is <140bpm. That is about mid Z3 for me. I know then I am adequately recovered and can complete the next rep then at planned pace.

What's a Z3 (other than the obvious).

pgibbo

Abhainn wrote: »

Sorry to hi jack this, I try and wait until mine is <140bpm. That is about mid Z3 for me. I know then I am adequately recovered and can complete the next rep then at planned pace.

Cheers Abhainn. Is that based off Friel or some other method? I used Friel to calculate my zones this year.

tisnotover

Very nice session yesterday, your in top form !

Enjoy the pacing at wknd

Krusty_Clown

Thanks tisnotover. Time to change gears, and run as slow as I can for a change (except for the half marathon!). and on that note..

Tonight: 4 mile recovery run on the grass in Shanganagh Park, in 33 minutes, @8:18/mile, HR=120! How's that for discipline! I even walked over to the park, and walked home afterwards.

village runner

Absolutely great session. With that session maybe you could go better than 2.48 although I would hold that pace. your in great knick.
I pulled out of the half........Just didnt feel right in my head. Thought about it for 48 hours. Will run 13.1 easy instead. Have 4 x 1k tempo nxt tuesday but with a big rec that wont be too hard.

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

Absolutely great session. With that session maybe you could go better than 2.48 although I would hold that pace. your in great knick.
I pulled out of the half........Just didnt feel right in my head. Thought about it for 48 hours. Will run 13.1 easy instead. Have 4 x 1k tempo nxt tuesday but with a big rec that wont be too hard.

Thanks VR. Are you still going to pace the Kilkenny half, or just take it handy?
Eyes on the prize at this stage. There's little we can do to improve this late in the day, beyond give ourselves a confidence boost. Anything else is just going to detract from the big day.

village runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks VR. Are you still going to pace the Kilkenny half, or just take it handy?
Eyes on the prize at this stage. There's little we can do to improve this late in the day, beyond give ourselves a confidence boost. Anything else is just going to detract from the big day.

It would be like you running 87 min sat which would be silly. If It was 95 I could have done it.
Will do easy paced run instead and stay of the crap.........Even bought wheat free pizza base this evening so I will be in full swing to carb load from wednesday.

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

Will do easy paced run instead and stay of the crap.........Even bought wheat free pizza base this evening so I will be in full swing to carb load from wednesday.

I had to eat a few of those in my time. Rotten! Wheat free pasta is worse!
Sounds like porridge, rice and potatoes for you for a few days..

Krusty_Clown

Tonight: Three mile recovery run (yes. that's right, I said three).
Not entirely sure why I bothered, but I suppose it de-stresses a little. Was going out to do five miles, but with the 1/2 marathon looming in 12 hours time, I decided to cut it short.
Summary: 3 miles in 24 mins, @ 8min/mile

osnola ibax

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Tonight: Three mile recovery run (yes. that's right, I said three).
Not entirely sure why I bothered, but I suppose it de-stresses a little. Was going out to do five miles, but with the 1/2 marathon looming in 12 hours time, I decided to cut it short.
Summary: 3 miles in 24 mins, @ 8min/mile

They're just junk miles Krusty, or should I say (running) junkie miles.

Krusty_Clown

Today: Paced the 1:30 group in the Dublin half marathon. A very enjoyable experience, particularly running at a decent trot. Got a little unnerved when the mile markers were not consistent at all with the Garmin, but ecoli kept us on the straight and narrow.

Despite uphilla and downhills the pace was very consistent:
6:52/6:50/6:51/6:54/6:46/6:43/:6:54/6:54/6:48/6:50/6:51/6:58/6:35.
So within 5 seconds of target for most of the race. Lost a few seconds on the uphill mile 12, so had to make up for it in the final mile. Lots of greatful punters afterwards which is really what keeps me coming back to do this job again and again (well, that and the free balloons!).

Heart rate was a little high for my liking (155), and a few niggles during the run, so really have to try and take things easy this week.

Garmin finish time: 1:30:00
Race chip time: 1:30:01 (Grrrr....).

Summary: 13.1 miles in: 1:30 @6:49/mile, Hr=155

seanynova

good luck with the final prep this week krusty....

osnola ibax

Nice one Krusty, job very well done, nice to meet you again before hand.

donothoponpop

Great job on the pacing today. Yourself and Peckham looked like tightly-wound elastic before the race, I presume all that pent-up energy stored for Berlin. Hopefully the 13 miler was a good pressure release.

Seres

well done on the good pacing job , would have killed to be there today tryin to keep with ya , hope those niggles clear up before next weekend

Krusty_Clown

Seres wrote: »

well done on the good pacing job , would have killed to be there today tryin to keep with ya , hope those niggles clear up before next weekend

Thanks seres. You would've had no bother. Look after yourself. There'll be many more half marathons, but you've only got the one back.

Krusty_Clown

Today: Total recovery day, spoiled only by a 7am start to the day (I wish I could sleep past 7am :mad:). Started with the foam roller, then the zum rub, then iced the achilles and tendons in my left foot, then out on the bike for an easy 22km @25km/hour, followed by an easy two mile recovery run @7:54/mile, then back onto the foam roller, back on with the zum muscle rub and a second icing.