here goes nothing...

ike

asimonov wrote: »

I am still undecided as to what approach to take to the run

My guess is you'll go bald headed for it and and try and pass villagerunner on the line.

I'm not sure whether to give you or villagerunner the spare key to car!

asimonov

just pasting a tergat response to sosa into my log

+++
Your 23.15 equates to a 17.40-17.50 5km roughly. For a 17.45 5km guy the following a rough training paces:
Easy pace- 7.40 per mile +
CV pace- 5.55 per mile
Long Tempo (4-6 miles)- 6.30 per mile

You will get a lot more benefit doing longer tempos for the marathon, all you have to do is just slow down the pace. The following workout is very specific to the marathon:
2-5 miles easy, 4-6 miles long tempo at 6.30-6.35 for you, 2-4 miles easy. Do this once a week and your long run (adding some MP stuff at the end of it) and you will run well. Also run on hills for specific leg strength.

I’ve never believed that high mileage is necessarily the best way to train for marathons. Though mileage builds aerobic capacity, it is not specific. Long Workouts, on the other hand, are specific. They simulate the demands of the event. That’s the key! I have saved this stuff becauase it comes up time and time again.

Long workouts vary in length or duration relative to a runner’s ability and experience, but generally “Long” means at least 80-90 minutes of continuous running. When you run more than 90 minutes three important elements of exercise physiology are improved: glycogen storing, fat burning, and shock absorption. This doesn’t even include the mental elements: relaxation while tired, concentration, and tenacity.

++++

asimonov

ike wrote: »

My guess is you'll go bald headed for it and and try and pass villagerunner on the line.

I'm not sure whether to give you or villagerunner the spare key to car!

Ike, i think just give it to VR, he's way ahead of me.. and if i pass him, i can always get it off him :-)

asimonov

4.75 miles tonight around the racecourse. Rest tomorrow before LSR on Sunday.

RacoonQueen

I find I keep looking at the watch when I have it on my wrist as well, not for any particular reason but I'd sometimes look at it about 10 times a minute just because it's there. How far away is the race now?

asimonov

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I find I keep looking at the watch when I have it on my wrist as well, not for any particular reason but I'd sometimes look at it about 10 times a minute just because it's there. How far away is the race now?

Snap :-) The race is on this wednesday evening. The watch is currently missing in action somewhere around the house, so I might have no option but to go with out it. I'd ordered brooks st4's from amphibian king during the week, so I made my first trip there this afternoon to pick them up. Really impressed with the shop, easy going, friendly staff and good stock choice.

asimonov

16 miles with izoard in Wicklow mountains around sally gap area. Stunning place to run. It threatened rain all morning, but it never came, and with the sun out it got pretty hot at one stage. Finished at a viewing point over looking Dublin. Averaged 9 min miles just enjoyed the trip rather than pushing.. Test drove SIS isotonic gels for the first time, very easy to take.

Summary for week:

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 7
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 8.8
Friday: 4.75
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 16
Total: 36.55

asimonov

I travelled up with Ike and Villagerunner for the Lisburn Half Marathon, my first half since the wexford one (1:27:37). We left early and arrived just after lunchtime, travel time about 2hrs & 45min, pretty much motorway the entire way.

We had time to get something to eat and drive the course. The map-my-run elevation didn't really do the course justice, the middle section was way more severe than it looked on screen. The first 5 miles were easy - pretty flat with some nice down hill sections, but between 5.5miles and 6.5 miles there was a long hill that peaked with a double crest before dropping sharply, after this descent of just over a half mile, the pattern was repeat with a long drag that then peaked over two severe crests. It was a long drop back into lisburn for the next 1.5 miles, up through an industrial estate for a mile with about a mile from there to the finish in the town centre.

Because water was being supplied in cups (despite coke being the sponsor...where was the riverrock???), i had dropped a bottle of sports drink at the 6 mile market to pick up during the race.

We picked up our race packs in the really impressive leisureplex (pools, diving pools, slides, rapid type rides, squash courts etc etc) and warmed up in the playing fields before taking our place at the starting line at 7:45 for a 7:50 start. It was hard to estimate the size of the field, but around a 1,000 with bigger fields again for the 10k and fun run. Pauline Curley was the only recognisable face there - and VR, recognising talent when he sees it, duly introduced himself.

My aim was to start off at a slower (6:45ish) pace than wexford and build the pace, to try and hit sub 1:25. The hooter goes we cross the chip mat and before i know i'm looking at a 6:10 lap pace on my watch. I slow as much as i can and finally get it down to 6:25 pace (biting my lip as i let other runners pass). I hit lap 2 in 6:28 and 3 in 6:31, at this stage i change the display to show the time of day and just let my miles split alerts come up.

Miles 4 & 5 were 6:33 & 6:22 - feeling great at this stage. I hit the hill at mile 6 (6:51) take a gel and pick up the bottle (fumble fumble), mile 7 (6:44) continues up this hill, 8 is a descent (6:19) and 9 is back up the second hill (7:03). This took a lot out of my legs and i was starting to breath pretty hard. 10 is the descent of that hill and i start to push on (6:10). At this stage it hurt a lot, but adopting a mantra i robbed off thomas bubendorfer's blog "suffer as much as possible" i grit my teeth and push on, passing a couple of runners along the way. Mile 11 (6:29) leaves us close enough to the finish with an uphill climb through an industrial estate (6:40). At this stage i am passing other runners and have not been passed since mile 6.

Knowing i was close to the finish i turn the watch display back on and i could see i was close to target average pace. It was head down again and push to the finish sidestepping the 10k and fun runners with a final mile of 6:12. The time on the clock as i passed was 1:24:37 - as ever i forgot to kill the watch as i cross the line...so i reckon that final mile was close to 6:00. The garmin showed 1:24:50 total. job done.

VR finished ahead of me and Ike just behind. The race is a really good one that i would recommend to anyone, there were a couple of southern reg's in the car park but for anyone dublinish - it's well within striking distance. As i said in a previous post, entry was only 15 sterling, for which you got a good tshirt, great facilities, full chip timing and good support and a strong field. They can deliver this level of quality and value because it is run by the town council and they have a strong title sponsor...i also presume they are not profit taking on it. That's my racing done for the moment i think.

Provisional results: time 1:24:40, finished 44th overall, 1232 in the field.

christeb

^ Great report, great time. I like TB's "suffer" mantra, I'll have to introduce that into my own racing vocabulary...

Krusty_Clown

Fantastic result. Must be a great feeling to see that progress over the last year. Well done. Enjoy the rest.
I won't even peek at Mcmillan.

showry

Great running, well done, that's a fantastic finishing position.

Abhainn

Heh great great result asimonov. You must be really pleased.
Another 3 mins off your PB is fantastic. Great progress in a year also .
Now that's puts you definately on course for sub 3 marathon "should you choose to accept it".

I was in very similiar position last year going from 1:27's in Newry to low 1:24's in Longford. Hoping to go faster next weekend (fingers crossed). Well done again

ike

Whats even more impressive is that you were that coherent at 2 in the morning

asimonov

Showry, the one thing i forgot to mention...and i'm not sure how to break this...but there was no food or tea afterwards...and its not the kind of town to ask for braic

christeb wrote: »

^ Great report, great time. I like TB's "suffer" mantra, I'll have to introduce that into my own racing vocabulary...

Its a real case of whatever you have to tell yourself. You can't fight it, you got to embrace it! Your training is coming along brilliantly btw...

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Fantastic result. Must be a great feeling to see that progress over the last year. Well done. Enjoy the rest.
I won't even peek at Mcmillan.

thanks kc, i've just been lucky with being able to train without interruptions. The club runs are helping too i'm sure. It was nice to know last night with four miles to go that i was in familiar territory and i had the wherewithal to push on. Mcmillan has me sussed; all the runs point in a similar enough direction now....

Abhainn wrote: »

Heh great great result asimonov. You must be really pleased.
Another 3 mins off your PB is fantastic. Great progress in a year also .
Now that's puts you definately on course for sub 3 marathon "should you choose to accept it".

I was in very similiar position last year going from 1:27's in Newry to low 1:24's in Longford. Hoping to go faster next weekend (fingers crossed). Well done again

Good luck with next weekend, Abhainn...on the sub 3 thing, i'm torn between openly declaring war on the target or just training to the pace on the basis and see how i feel closer to the date. I have enough pressure between work and a busy life (kids etc) and i don't really want to kill the one thing that is a pressure free zone at the moment for me...mmmm, what to do????

Peckham

Great run. You have to make a go at sub-3...it's my target for Berlin and I'm nowhere near the shape you're in!

rigal

Cracking time asimonov and a great report too.. glad you brought your watch?

Krusty_Clown

asimonov wrote: »

I'm torn between openly declaring war on the target or just training to the pace on the basis and see how i feel closer to the date. I have enough pressure between work and a busy life (kids etc) and i don't really want to kill the one thing that is a pressure free zone at the moment for me...mmmm, what to do????

Sounds like a sound strategy. Train to go as fast as you can without spelling out a specific target. That way, you can't but succeed.

SUNGOD

just catching up on your log..well done on a great time in the half good stuff.
great report to go with it.. your flying at the moment

asimonov

SUNGOD wrote: »

just catching up on your log..well done on a great time in the half good stuff.
great report to go with it.. your flying at the moment

cheers sungod, good to see you back running again, you're right to just take it easy on your return; grow slow to grow strong and all that.

I was wrecked after the combination of travel / race / late night so didn't run at all thursday or friday. Today, i did 10 miles easy without the watch. Going through my garmin data from wednesday nothing major stands out, other than i should have had the discipline to go out slower than planned pace and build but i find it hard to do - maybe next time. Tomorrow, i have a 16 mile lsr planned; i'm going to starting finishing the last quarter of these on PMP.

asimonov

Peckham wrote: »

Great run. You have to make a go at sub-3...it's my target for Berlin and I'm nowhere near the shape you're in!

cheers peckham, we all have a long way to go, and to be honest, you're a little more proven around the sub 3 mark than i am. I think for both of us if training goes well and the day goes well, we'll be there or thereabouts...

rigal wrote: »

Cracking time asimonov and a great report too.. glad you brought your watch?

good call rigal, it was good to use it at the start to get an idea of the right pace and then just use the split time from then on.

village runner

asimonov wrote: »

cheers sungod, good to see you back running again, you're right to just take it easy on your return; grow slow to grow strong and all that.

I was wrecked after the combination of travel / race / late night so didn't run at all thursday or friday. Today, i did 10 miles easy without the watch. Going through my garmin data from wednesday nothing major stands out, other than i should have had the discipline to go out slower than planned pace and build but i find it hard to do - maybe next time. Tomorrow, i have a 16 mile lsr planned; i'm going to starting finishing the last quarter of these on PMP.

You might join me for a lsr tomorrow week. A 16 miler. Maybe 11am ?

asimonov

village runner wrote: »

You might join me for a lsr tomorrow week. A 16 miler. Maybe 11am ?

Sounds good, we can arrange it on tuesday.

today; 15.5 miles in 2:06 - had planned to do 4 miles at pmp - could barely hold "easy" pace, so didn't even try.

Summary of week 3:
Monday: 3 miles recovery
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 14 miles (13.1 race)
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: 10 miles easy
Sunday:15.5 miles easy

Weekly total: 42.5

asimonov

Monday: rest

Tuesday: Lunchtime 10 miles with 5 at t-pace (6:30)
3 warm up
6:30, 6:35, 6:27, 6:29, 6:25
2 warm down

Very hot, dry and tough, glad its over!

Peckham

Good session. Am looking to do something very similar this evening, but probably with only 4 miles at pace - hopefully will post similar times though!

asimonov

Wednesday: 4.2 miles recovery around castlepark
Thursday: 5.6 miles easy in KK at lunchtime, hot as hell out there!
I might do county 10k tomorrow evening, feelin' tired, no great desire to run it though.

MCOS

Hey well done on your recent 1/2M performance, right on the money for a sub 3 bash.... When is the next Marathon?

asimonov

MCOS wrote: »

Hey well done on your recent 1/2M performance, right on the money for a sub 3 bash.... When is the next Marathon?

thanks mcos, i'd like to build in some margin for error though! Dublin is the next one, and i'm going to do the 10 & 1/2 marathon runs from the race series before that. I'd like to get my 1/2 marathon time down to 1:23ish maybe?

asimonov

County 10K

This was my first 10k, so it had PB written all over it from the get go :-) It was an out and back course on country roads in the glorious evening sunshine, no major hills just up and down the whole way. Finished 5th in a time of 37:53, had been hoping to break 38. The basic plan was to try and run 6 min miles whilst beating VR and our training partner! Mile splits were 5:57, 6:11, 6:09, 5:59, 6:04, 5:44 & 1:46 for the extra .3(?) of a mile. I had caught our training partner by mile 4 and kicked past him with 3/4 of a mile to go. This felt like my best run to date, very happy. The big difference was keeping the pace under control at the start and the new st4s felt much lighter than my kayanos.

tisnotover

asimonov wrote: »

County 10K

This was my first 10k, so it had PB written all over it from the get go :-) It was an out and back course on country roads in the glorious evening sunshine, no major hills just up and down the whole way. Finished 5th in a time of 37:53, had been hoping to break 38. The basic plan was to try and run 6 min miles whilst beating VR and our training partner! Mile splits were 5:57, 6:11, 6:09, 5:59, 6:04, 5:44 & 1:46 for the extra .3(?) of a mile. I had caught our training partner by mile 4 and kicked past him with 3/4 of a mile to go. This felt like my best run to date, very happy. The big difference was keeping the pace under control at the start and the new st4s felt much lighter than my kayanos.

great time asimonov, getting under 38min for 10k is fair impressive, are we thinking sub-3 now??

Woddle

Congrats especially so soon after the half, I can only dream of those times(for now ), running a 10k tomorrow and should get a pb (current 54'52 )
I've been keeping an eye on your miles as I can see you closing on me, your good motivation