Ultra marathon down ...just Half Ironman and Sub 3 Marathon to go

jaymack75

Abhainn wrote: »

The LAKE’s 10k race in Blessington
Finished in 36:10. 8th position.
Well done me.

Well done u is right...knockin on the door of 35:xx......and not much of a taper.....and backin that up with the 20miler. That's solid.

Abhainn wrote: »

So last tune up race is the Half marathon in the Park this Sat. I really shouldn’t race this hard but I probably will

Ah go on.....I think u should....in your current shape, you're on for a nice pb

Sosa

great running today abhainn....1:18 is a fantastic time.
Now....take it easy for the next few weeks and do a right job in Dublin.

asimonov

Sosa wrote: »

great running today abhainn....1:18 is a fantastic time.
Now....take it easy for the next few weeks and do a right job in Dublin.

Great run abhainn, nice to go sub 60 on the way as well. You're flying at the moment, keep it going!

Racing Flat

Quality.

Abhainn

Cheers guys.Ill post race report soon

Abhainn

Week endding 27th September

I was a bit of a tit on Sunday. Went to the pub to watch the All Ireland intending to have a few pints. I had more than a few. What a way to aid recovery after great weekend of running?

Mon
Rest (Intended not enforced by been a tit on Sunday)

Tues:
7.1 miles at 07:11 pace. HR 136.
Still felt the beer affects from Sunday. Run was fine though

Wed:
8.1 miles at 06:55 pace. HR 144.
Poor sleep last night and feeling wrecked. Probably excited as family returns from Cyprus this evening
Not in any form to run but did 8 x 30secs fast pick ups in this session
Felt a little tightness on my left hamstring towards end of session.

Thurs:
8 miles at 07:06 pace. HR 138
Still feeling tired. Tried out shoes Nike ZOOM Start 2009. Had a great run.. Legs felt very lively and bouncy.
Shoes are 50g lighter each than my normal Nike Pegasus
I still have very slight tightness on my left hamstring. Need to be careful on Sat.

Fri: Rest..

Sat:
Dublin Half Marathon Phoenix Park
Finish time 1:18:03. Position 39th. New PB by 5 mins! Race report below

Sun:
10 miles at 07:16 pace. HR 135
The quads were a bit tight from yesterday but this was a comfortable run. Tried to slow to 07:30+ pace but that was just an effort

Abhainn

Race Report Dublin Half Marathon Finish Time 1:18:03 39th Position

McMillan wasn’t predicting this, I wasn’t predicting this.
My training sessions and in particular any speedwork doesn't probably explain this finish time. On Friday a work colleague who coaches cross country said I was well capable of going sub 60 for 10 miles now. Ya I said to myself maybe next Feb with some good winter training maybe.
Now I did run the full 13.1 miles without taking any shortcuts!, I was not training at altitude and I have not been doing EPO! But taking over 5 mins from my last PB at the end of June is something I am still trying to get my head around. A perfectly run race? Maybe

I did a short warm up but nothing too dramatic. In the starting pin I introduced myself to a guy with a Boards AC singlet. It was Peckham. We exchanged a few words. He was looking focused though relaxed.
After a 10 minute delay we were off.
I was intending on 06:10 pace. This would get me into the 1:20’s. I knew I would probably loose some seconds on the hills in the second half of the race. But if I got a 1:20 I would be estatic.
I immediately met an old school mate who I hadn’t seen since his 2:33 unreal time at the Amsterdam marathon last year. He was less than 4 years running to that point and had made rapid progress. We chatted and his excuse for not running / racing much this year was a new arrival into the family. Though he did mention he ran a training run of 10 miles in 59 mins the week before. Off with you I said.
Anyway through mile one in 05:45 which I thought was too fast. I continued chatting to my mate through mile 2 in 05:54 and that when we parted, I slowly moved ahead. I saw a group of 4 that included a polish girl just a little in front. My plan here was to tuck in and relax and hopefully get pulled along by the group.
Mile 3 was fast at 05:39 and I was concerned my HR was 172 now. This was unknown territory so early in half marathon. But I felt good. The group quickly became no more and by mile 4 it was just the Polish girl and myself. I think there was a bit of a drag here as mile 4 was 06:10. Soon I was inching onward on my own. So much for my plan.
Miles 5-7 were lovely. I was really relaxed now and HR was around 170. I went through 5 miles in 29:30. It was then I realised a sub 60 for 10 miles was on. This was beyond any of my plans.
I was continuing to pick runners off.
Miles 8 and 9 were a bit of a drag as we were now in the hills section. I got overtaken by some dude who was just cruising “where were you till now?”. But I got by more on these hills though including a group containing the leading female runner.
When I went through mile 10 in 59:15 I said to myself “brilliant job well done, no need for Ballycotten or Dungarvan now”. I knew a finish time beyond my wildest expectations was definitely on now.
Miles 11 and 12 were tough. Though I dug deep and tried to relax as much as I could. I think I was overtaken by 1 or 2 here but as I moved into the last mile I got by one of these again. I really enjoyed this last mile. It was great to hear the announcer speak out “no. 4694 from Wicklow is looking very strong and relaxed as he crosses the finish line”. I had a broad smile across my face alright

How did I take 5 minutes off my PB? I’m still trying to work that one out. It was a tough course to be sure. But a few things to note:
1. My new shoes felt great. Ok they are still not the lightest but I definitely knew the difference between this and previous week 10k.
2. I started off quick and made a conscious effort to stay as relaxed a much as possible. Starting off quick was risky though and wasn’t planned.
3. I ran by “feel”. I know I refer to my HR too much, which is a bad habit. I stayed in the 90% + zone all but 10 minutes of the race, which is something I didn’t know, was possible.

On wards Dublin marathon.

Splits:
1. 05:45
2. 05:54
3. 05:39
4. 06:10
5. 06:01
6. 05:51
7. 05:52
8. 06:05
9. 06:02
10. 05:54
11. 06:07
12. 06:12
13. 05:52
14. 0:37

HR average 172. Max 183

Peckham

Your report doesn't give you finish time! So a bit of maths from your 10 mile time and adding on the splits after that, puts you at around 1:18. Is that right? Great running, and well paced - you can really see the effect of the hills in your splits!

Great to meet you at the start too (even if I was unsure who I was talking to!). "Focussed but relaxed"?? hmmmm :rolleyes:

MCOS

Blinding run Abhainn :eek: Sub 60 10 miles and sub 80 halfM and a strong last mile to boot... you are simply flying! Well done on another super performance. There are some fantastic athletes on boards here giving accounts of their challenges and accomplishments and the journey in between. I'm constantly amazed by your clear natural athletic ability and you deservedly belong with the best of them. Not easy either having the night feeds with the little one and the usual responsibilities of a man, a partner and a parent... Kudos dude... Kudos!

Abhainn

Week ending 4th October

I had forgotten how much a half marathon can take out of you. I have been trying to get more sleep than of late but I was still tired and cranky all week. This been my peak week I was more conscious than ever of getting ill injured etc.

Mon:
Recovery run 4.4miles at 07:20 pace. HR130
Easy run to recover from weekends race and Sunday session. Legs ached a bit especially quads

Tues:
6 miles at 07:10 pace. HR 132.
Kids sick. We were up and down all night with them. Really tired
Quads still ache a bit. Was going to do 7 miles but reduced it to 6

Wed:
8 miles at MP of 06:44. HR 145.
Intended at around 07:00 pace but felt good and HR ok so sped along a bit quicker. Legs seem to be ok again.

Thurs:
7.1 miles at 07:09 pace. HR 132.
An easy intended 07:30 pace session. But ended up been an easy 07:09 pace session! Legs were tired after last night but lungs good. Enjoyable run

Fri: Rest..

Sat:
11 miles at 06:28 pace (sub 2:50 marathon pace). First 3 miles averaged 06:40 and wasn't easy against strong breeze. But then got things going and some fast miles thereafter.

Sun: 22 miles in 2:34.Pace 07:02. HR 139
Ok wasn't really looking forward to this one especially after yesterday’s session. Legs felt a bit achy but altogether they turned over quite well. Out 11 miles average 07:10 and back. Last 8 miles at 06:51 pace.
Wish I had brought a gel in the end.


Weekly miles total = 57.5

Sosa

Great week againn Abhainn,Do you know the meaning of the word "Recovery" ?

wizwill

Abhainn wrote: »

Sat:
11 miles at 06:28 pace (sub 2:50 marathon pace). First 3 miles averaged 06:40 and wasn't easy against strong breeze. But then got things going and some fast miles thereafter.

Sun: 22 miles in 2:34.Pace 07:02. HR 139
Ok wasn't really looking forward to this one especially after yesterday’s session. Legs felt a bit achy but altogether they turned over quite well. Out 11 miles average 07:10 and back. Last 8 miles at 06:51 pace.
Wish I had brought a gel in the end.


Weekly miles total = 57.5

Two smashing session there. Your heart rate is very low for the 22 miles, any idea of your resting heart rate, what % of max heart rate are you at on 139? was the 22 miler a tough session or a standard LSR, smashing speed especially after your saturday session. Are you on taper, whats the mileage plan from now till DCM

Abhainn

Sosa wrote: »

Great week againn Abhainn,Do you know the meaning of the word "Recovery" ?

Thanks Sosa. You know I'm nearly of the thinking that any session that isn't a "lung bursting ordeal" is a recovery run. I had 5.5 recovery runs last week:)

wizwill wrote: »

Two smashing session there. Your heart rate is very low for the 22 miles, any idea of your resting heart rate, what % of max heart rate are you at on 139? was the 22 miler a tough session or a standard LSR, smashing speed especially after your saturday session. Are you on taper, whats the mileage plan from now till DCM

Cheers wizwill.
Feeling good today. It was an important weekend and I’m happy to have got through it well.
Yes it was a pretty standard LSR. I was happy my average HR was that low. for that pace which didn’t seem that fast. Facts are that it was an efficient run (using the body’s fat storage as the main fuel source instead of glycogen stores)
The 139 represents 74% of my MHR
I try and keep LSR’s well inside the aerobic zone i.e. under 150BPM. Looking at the data I was just 3min of the total session at 150+BPM which I happy about. I estimate my resting HR is about 46bpm. But I rarely get a chance to measure this. You are supposed to measure this on awaking the morning after a rest day. I don’t have many rest days and when I do I forget! My max is about 188.
If I run at my normal pace the day immediately after a hard session, for example a tempo or VO2 max run I find my HR is lower that after a steady or normal run. I’m not sure why this so. I would have thought it should be other the way round.

I will just do two-week taper which begins next week.
This weeks milage will be about 52 reducing to about 35 next week and the last week will probably be about 25.

I just want to keep her between the hedges for 20 more days, no funny stuff.

Abhainn

Ryanair Rant

I used to travel a lot, yes a lot with my work. I counted 42 trips in one year alone. But I haven’t travelled much in the last 18 months, thankfully.
I used to hate Ryanair for all the reasons that are too many to list here. But I have succumbed to them over the last while. Yesterday I had the pleasure of getting one of their 6.30am flights. I had checked in on line of which Ryanair charged me €5 for doing their work. €170 was total fare. I couldn’t print off boarding card; sure I figured “I’d get one printed at the desk in the morning. “
At 5:30 am I was charged €40 for the boarding card. Fcuking hell!
I was due to come back on a flight a 4pm. Missed it by 3 hrs. As I missed the flight I figured incorrectly for the second time “they’ll put me on next flight for maybe £40”.
“Hello sir we’d normally charge £189 to put you on next flight but as you have your boarding card printed (well done me:D) I might be able to do something…. Ah yes.. ah no?? That’ll be £100”
Luckily work will be glad to pay.

Finally got home at 12.50am.

I fcuking hate Ryanair.

kennyb3

I love a good rant myself. good to get that off teh chest i bet! I second that, ryanair are cnuts

wizwill

Abhainn wrote: »

Thanks Sosa. You know I'm nearly of the thinking that any session that isn't a "lung bursting ordeal" is a recovery run. I had 5.5 recovery runs last week:)




Cheers wizwill.
Feeling good today. It was an important weekend and I’m happy to have got through it well.
Yes it was a pretty standard LSR. I was happy my average HR was that low. for that pace which didn’t seem that fast. Facts are that it was an efficient run (using the body’s fat storage as the main fuel source instead of glycogen stores)
The 139 represents 74% of my MHR
I try and keep LSR’s well inside the aerobic zone i.e. under 150BPM. Looking at the data I was just 3min of the total session at 150+BPM which I happy about. I estimate my resting HR is about 46bpm. But I rarely get a chance to measure this. You are supposed to measure this on awaking the morning after a rest day. I don’t have many rest days and when I do I forget! My max is about 188.
If I run at my normal pace the day immediately after a hard session, for example a tempo or VO2 max run I find my HR is lower that after a steady or normal run. I’m not sure why this so. I would have thought it should be other the way round.

I will just do two-week taper which begins next week.
This weeks milage will be about 52 reducing to about 35 next week and the last week will probably be about 25.

I just want to keep her between the hedges for 20 more days, no funny stuff.

Thanks for the reply, apologies for all the questions, missed the Dublin Half (through illness) and am trying to gauge a couple of things myself for the marathon, my HR levels are similar to yours, but unfortunately my times are not I find it hard to lift my HR above 150, the beauty of 2 years worth of garmin info is that i know i had my max heart rate is in the 180's, guess i need to do a test.

Woddle

Just catching up, thats a fantastic time for the half and what an improvement over such a short time. Keep up the solid work.

Killerz

Inspiring stuff, Abhainn. Just reading through some of the latter stages of your log there. Impressive running. Best of luck with the last of the training for DCM.

Just curious as to your in-run nutrition - do you use gels/ jellybeans etc? or just the water (You mentioned that you draw more on the fat storage, but is that solely what you rely on?

Abhainn

Killerz wrote: »

Inspiring stuff, Abhainn. Just reading through some of the latter stages of your log there. Impressive running. Best of luck with the last of the training for DCM.

Just curious as to your in-run nutrition - do you use gels/ jellybeans etc? or just the water (You mentioned that you draw more on the fat storage, but is that solely what you rely on?

Killerz didn't think it was inspiring stuff but thanks all the same.

I don't use any gels or energy drinks during long runs anymore. Just water.
I used to bring 400ml of my own concoction of water, lemon juice and a some glucose and also 400ml of water for the long runs in prep for the ultra earlier in the year.
I would do long runs about 30 mins after breakfast. That would consist of coffee (strong) 1 weetabix and 2 slices of brown toast wth jam. That seems to sort me out till I return.

I think I still have a kg or two of amble fat storage available for use!

Abhainn

Week ending 11th October

Another good week over. Taper begins now.

Mon:
Rest. Though not really as in UK for work and had a very long day. Hardly a recovery day.

Tues:
6 miles at 07:09 pace.
Pretty miserable conditions and felt cold. Relaxed run though.

Wed:
8.1 miles at MP of 07:04. HR 133
Ya pretty good run

Thurs:
8.1 miles in 52:30. HR 153.
Last tough session before DM. 4 x 1 mile intervals with easier mile between (about 07:12) Intervals were 05:53,05:34, 05:45, 05:43. Last two were a bit of a lung buster and got HR high (175). Happy to be over and done with

Fri: Rest.

Sat:
Kind of planned 2 easy then 8 at MP (6:30 – 6:40 range) but ended up 10 miles at average 06:24 pace. HR 153.
The first couple of miles was hardest but felt strong thereafter.

Sun: 20 miles in 2:20:15.Pace 07:00. HR 143
Up late Sat night watching IM Kona so felt fairly sluggish starting out. Actually first 7 miles were not nice. Legs ached and I promised myself to 7:25 pace which would be loads. Whatever about my intentions I was out in 72 mins for 10 miles (07:12 pace).
Return was rather good with last 8 miles at average 06:45 pace.

Thought: If I had to run 6.2 miles more and decrease each mile by 30csesc average that would equal a 2:50 marathon.


So after squeezing 5 weeks of proper marathon preparation done my training is really now complete.
With 2 great race PB’s (well 3 if I count the 10 mile on route) and 4 long runs everything has gone well.
I will be targeting at least a sub 2:55 on the day.


Milage summary:

Week 1 – 47.3 miles
Week 2 – 50.0 miles
Week 3 – 46.3 miles
Week 4 – 58.6 miles
Week 5 – 52.2 miles

wizwill

Abhainn wrote: »

Thurs:
8.1 miles in 52:30. HR 153.
Last tough session before DM. 4 x 1 mile intervals with easier mile between (about 07:12) Intervals were 05:53,05:34, 05:45, 05:43. Last two were a bit of a lung buster and got HR high (175). Happy to be over and done with

Sat:
Kind of planned 2 easy then 8 at MP (6:30 – 6:40 range) but ended up 10 miles at average 06:24 pace. HR 153.
The first couple of miles was hardest but felt strong thereafter.

Sun: 20 miles in 2:20:15.Pace 07:00. HR 143
Up late Sat night watching IM Kona so felt fairly sluggish starting out. Actually first 7 miles were not nice. Legs ached and I promised myself to 7:25 pace which would be loads. Whatever about my intentions I was out in 72 mins for 10 miles (07:12 pace).
Return was rather good with last 8 miles at average 06:45 pace.

those 3 sessions are solid.

i reckon 2.55 is well within range, things go right on the day and the skys the limit.

Likewise i stayed up watching IM kona on sat night until about 1, i was wrecked on sunday, its absolutely addictive viewing, paid for it on sunday though.

Enjoy the taper, the days are counting down.

lecheile

What's the plan for taper abhainn? sounds like you have had a cracking few weeks and results. The 3 hour pacing group will have to wave you off into the distance

Krusty_Clown

That's some serious preparation. I look forward to reading how many minutes you'll take off 2:55.
*Edit*: Oh, and a top 150 finish. Is that asking too much?

Abhainn

lecheile wrote: »

What's the plan for taper abhainn? sounds like you have had a cracking few weeks and results. The 3 hour pacing group will have to wave you off into the distance

Cheer lecheile.
Taper looks some like:

This week
Mon - Rest
Tues - 6 easy
Wed- 7 including 2 miles tempo
Thurs - 6 easyish
Fri - Rest
Sat - 6 miles at MP
Sun - 11 or 12 easyish

Next week
Mon - Rest
Tues - 6 miles easy
Wed- 5 or 6 with some strides
Thurs - 4 miles easy
Fri - Rest
Sat - 4 miles with a couple of strides
Sun - Off or 2 to 3 easy

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

That's some serious preparation. I look forward to reading how many minutes you'll take off 2:55.
*Edit*: Oh, and a top 150 finish. Is that asking too much?

No.

Abhainn

Week ending 18th October

Satisfactory week overall.
My left achilles / ankle has been tender for most of the week but thankfully it seems to be improving.
My back is more of a concern. Some months back during 2 hr + bike sessions it ached a lot. Well for the past 10 days or so the soreness is back and its not improving. Its didn’t affect me during runs until yesterday’s outing.
I’ll be stretching well this week. The OH is giving it a bit of a rub these nights too, which hopefully will do the trick.

Mon:
Rest.

Tues:
6 miles at 07:19 pace. HR127
Easy relaxed run

Wed:
7.1 miles in 47:20. HR 142
Incorporated a 2.5mile tempo into this (05:56 / mile). Legs felt good.

Thurs:
6 miles at 07:07 pace. HR 128
Legs ached a little but an efficient run. HR average continues downward trend which is good

Fri: Rest.

Sat:
6 miles at 06:28 pace. HR 150
Last MP run and it was grand. I’m confident that I can maintain a 06:35-06:40 pace for the marathon but could I sustain 06:30 pace for 26 miles though? A gamble?

Sun: 11.9 miles at 07:08 pace. HR 136
My back was a little uncomfortable at times. Otherwise this was an easy, relaxed run.


I’ve been checking my log and I see I’ve averaged 35 miles a week or 5 miles a day from Jan 1st to now.

Abhainn

This week so far

The calm before the storm. The days leading up to a marathon can seem lazy and lethargic. But I’ve been here before and I know once alarm goes at 6am on Monday I’ll be raring to go.
My back is still basically the same, just uncomfortable rather than any pain. The OH is rubbing it a bit some nights.

Mon:
Rest.

Tues:
6 miles at 07:11 pace. HR132
Nothing spectacular about today.

Wed:
5.6 miles in 36:53 (06:57 pace) HR 136
Very difficult running conditions. Rain so forceful it hurt at times. But felt good at end. I find rain and been wet can be invigorating too.
Did 5 x 1 min pick-ups in this

Thurs:
4.5 miles at 07:15 pace. HR 131
Back a bit achy and not a nice run out. Bad nights sleep too.

Fri: Rest.

I’m booked in for sports massage tomorrow morning. After that it’s the visit to EXPO. There will be probably no running in the afternoon. It will have been ages since I took 2 days off in a row,
I’ll probably do 3 miles with some strides on Sunday to loosen up.

So really looking forward to the race now.
It would be surreal to repeat the form from the Dublin half. While sub 2:55 is my goal I believe I can go quicker. But you have to respect the marathon.

Hopefully I'll meet up with a few boardsies either before during or after the race. I'm not sure where the drinks after are to be had yet.
My no. is 1484 and I'll be wearing the dazzling yellow Eireman T-shirt :eek: before the off.

Slan for now

Slogger Jogger

"The OH is rubbing it a bit some nights"
Way too much information Abhainn!


Best of luck on Monday.

kennyb3

best of luck monday, really hope it goes your way

Woddle

Another great log and a pure definition of hard work, best of luck on the day, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you with the camera.

rigal

Best of luck Abhainn.