Ever Decreasing Circles:

tang1 · 20-03-2016 3:56pm

If you don't mind me asking, do you have regular issues with your hip? I ask cause mine locked up on me few weeks back running the Kinvara Half and was curious as to what you do to rehab it if it's an ongoing issue like myself?

BeepBeep67 · 20-03-2016 8:01pm

tang1 wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking, do you have regular issues with your hip? I ask cause mine locked up on me few weeks back running the Kinvara Half and was curious as to what you do to rehab it if it's an ongoing issue like myself?

The current issue is from a cross country race when I slipped and over extended on a corner. Not helped by tired / under firing glutes.
Have had treatment, mainly focussed on dry needling the glute, loosening the quads and some deep treatment on the hip flexor.
When I feel it outside of a planned treatment window I just get at the trigger points with the foam roller and the slithoar.
Also have added fitness band work to my routine to try and build up my resilience, clams, side steps, side leg raises, etc.

AuldManKing · 20-03-2016 9:31pm

That's an amazing week.

The 7m or so at a tough pace, followed by a masters pb and quality long runs, very solid.

How many brownie points did you lose by doing the Mullingar HM

BeepBeep67 · 20-03-2016 10:42pm

AuldManKing wrote: »

That's an amazing week.

The 7m or so at a tough pace, followed by a masters pb and quality long runs, very solid.

How many brownie points did you lose by doing the Mullingar HM

Well, home at 2, showered and out the door by 2:45 for the local parade. Brownie points were a double loss when I said I wasn't feeling well and had to go home.

RacoonQueen · 20-03-2016 11:32pm

Great week Dom. What's the plan for this week? One last big week and two week taper?

BeepBeep67 · 21-03-2016 10:38am

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Great week Dom. What's the plan for this week? One last big week and two week taper?

Will start to drop the mileage from this week and increase the intensity, only 1 double and general decrease across the days, down approx. 10% from last week and 20% from the peak.

kit3 · 05-04-2016 3:54pm

Best of luck at the weekend

Dory Dory · 08-04-2016 2:16am

Stay away from the orange juice!!!

:) Best of luck!!

PaulieC · 08-04-2016 10:16am

Best of luck on Sunday BB, enjoys the beers afterwards, they are well earned.

AuldManKing · 08-04-2016 3:01pm

Best wishes Dom - you're in great form!

aero2k · 08-04-2016 9:21pm

Best of luck Dom, looks like nice weather for it.

neilc · 08-04-2016 9:42pm

Good luck Sunday beepbeep

yaboya1 · 08-04-2016 9:54pm

Very solid training the past few months.
Best of luck on Sunday.
Is it Manchester or Rotterdam you're running?
What's the target?

Back in Black · 08-04-2016 10:41pm

Very best of luck.

Dubgal72 · 09-04-2016 10:54am

All the best BB, you're in top form lately, go get it

El Caballo · 09-04-2016 3:36pm

All the best man! Give it socks.

Bulmers74 · 09-04-2016 8:25pm

Best of luck D, you've a great block done the last few months.

Gavlor · 09-04-2016 9:35pm

Good luck Dom, may you use up all of the jammyness that the redsh!te have left!!

AuldManKing · 10-04-2016 11:04pm

good result today Dom.

however, i must say, and I mean this with the utmost respect, I though your PB before today was under 2:57???

ThebitterLemon · 10-04-2016 11:20pm

AuldManKing wrote: »

good result today Dom.

however, i must say, and I mean this with the utmost respect, I though your PB before today was under 2:57???

I thought so too, but as it wasn't mentioned on here as a target maybe it just part of a LR on a weekend away

TbL

BeepBeep67 · 11-04-2016 7:52am

AuldManKing wrote: »

good result today Dom.

however, i must say, and I mean this with the utmost respect, I though your PB before today was under 2:57???

I hate marathons, pb was 2:57:50

Yours sincerely

Track Fairy

P.S. thanks everyone for the good vibes, will stick up a report in a few days, lying in bed at the moment contemplating keeping the run streak goring, the tow path along Deansgate lock looks tempting for a 20 min shift the gunk run.

BeepBeep67 · 12-04-2016 2:48pm

Manchester Marathon - 2:55:51 - PB

So I had no plans on doing a Spring marathon, but back at the end of September I got the dreaded facebook message from UM that DCM pacers were dropping like flies and how was I fixed. I said yeah go on 3:30 and quickly went out and ran my 1st 20 mile run since January. As I was heaving at the car after the County Intermediate XC another message arrives, something like how are you fixed for 3:20! Dublin came and went and actually was a very enjoyable day which took nothing out of me and got me thinking. 2 weeks later while looking for Liverpool tickets for Luke for Christmas, I combined the trip with the Manchester Marathon and then forgot about it until the New Year.

November - December, just continued what I was doing, but tweaked the mileage up a little to cover just over 600 miles to lay down a decent base.
Monday Jan 4th began a 12 week program, plus a 2 week taper, which was a combination of Daniels, P&D and experience.

The training itself went well, however, I picked up a twinge in my glute (RHS) during the County Master's XC which never really left me (had several dry needling sessions) and then a chesty cough which went on forever. As I was on a shortened program I just ran through both of these, hitting the weekly mileage targets and only missing 2 mid-week sessions.

Hit the key training weeks in early March and 2 weeks that would give an indication of where I was at.
Mar 3rd: 4 x 1200 @ 4:12 min/km pace + 6 x strides
Mar 5th: 5M, 4M, 3M, 2M, 1M @ 6:28 min/ml
Mar 8th: 2 x 3M @ 5:57 min/ml
Mar 17th: Mullingar HM 79:56
This went as well as it could have with the exception of the little Bohermeen blip which was the right decision to make.

Pre-race
Taper went well, easy days felt sh1t and the quality days felt great.
One of the challenges of an overseas marathon is sticking to routine and having the family in tow is great from a distraction perspective, but also adds a little stress trying to cater for everyone's needs.

Found a great Italian close to the hotel on Friday night and in hindsight we should have gone back there, but elected to eat at the hotel. Result was waking up at 3:30, 4:20 and 5:30 to empty the contents of my stomach.

The alarm went off at 6, I got up, dry retched a few times and then forced down a bowl of Alpen, a coffee and a flapjack and then lay in bed for another hour sipping water. Got up and went to the loo another 2 times and I knew finding a portaloo wouldn't be an issue. Got ready and headed for the Metro and was in the start area about 8:15. Warmed up at 8:30, took a few shot blocks and sipped on water with Dioralyte.
Weather was perfect, sunny, relatively calm, with a slight chilly breeze.

Said hello to a few familiar faces and lined up about 10 from front.
The plan was to run 6:30 Garmin pace, which would put me in the 2:51 - 2:52 window.

Miles 1-5 [6:32-6:24-6:27-6:30-6:36] 32:28
Got a clean start and pretty shortly we are heading towards the first turn, high fived my 2 kids here on both sides of the road and the race begins proper. Turn off the ring road after 1.5 miles and head down towards the 1st out and back section. I'm running at perceived marathon pace, but anytime time I glance at my watch it's showing 6:35-6:36 pace, so I have to consciously increase the effort to get back on target. I'm thinking this shouldn't be the case this early, but stick with it having learned from many training sessions that sometimes it just takes a bit of time to find the groove. Continue working hard to tag onto a group of 5-6 and we exit this section and back towards the start at 5 miles, see the family again for the final time before the finish.

Miles 6-10 [6:31-6:29-6:34-6:30-6:35] 32:39 (1:05:08)
Heading away from the city now, grab a sip of water and take my first gel shortly after 6. Decent pockets of support along here as we go through various residential areas which flank a main road where we are on the hard shoulder for a while. Turn into a leafy suburb just before 10 and I have a quick chat with someone from Rathfarnham and we head up the tree lined road for one of the few drags. Keeping on pace is a challenge and anytime I take my eye off the watch the pace just creeps up.

Miles 11-15 [6:34-6:34-6:36-6:32-6:38] 32:53 (1:38:00)
Leave the leafy suburb shortly after 11 and head towards Altrincham, good support along here, a few climbs over bridges and then a climb, albeit not too severe into the town itself where we are greeted to super support and the halfway gantry 1:25:58 as I go through. This gives me a little encouragement and I focus on trying to keep the pace up. My stomach doesn't feel great and I have to remind myself to take a 2nd gel at 14, a mile later than planned. We will be facing the other runners now for about 3 miles which adds a different dynamic.

Miles 16-20 [6-41-6:37-6:37-6:40-6:40] 33:14 (2:11:14)
Feeling a little queasy now I've stopped looking at my watch and I let my body dictate the pace, only glancing when the watch beeps. I'm feeling ok, but I'm in auto-pilot mode, not really taking in too much around me. Remember some piped music along a long open road, the sun has a bit of heat in it now and we are in the least supported part of the course.

Miles 21-25 [6:45-6:49-7:02-7:10-7:16] 35:03 (2:46:17)
My race effectively ends in this section, some mental maths told me keep it under 6:45 for 2:53:XX, but my body was starting to dry retch any time I increased the pace I got a type of gag reflux, so I was just trying to get to finish at this stage. My HR dropped to it's lowest of the race apart from mile 1 and the body felt good otherwise apart a little tightness in my left quad. So it was a strange end to the race, I was passing runners and getting passed, when I got passed I would tag on for a bit only for my stomach to go into convulsions causing me to slow and then rinse and repeat to the finish.

The End [7:09-7:01pace] (2:55:51; 1:25:58-1:29:53]
Just wanted the finish line to come, tried to increase the pace, but it just wasn't possibly. Once I crossed the line I fell to my hands and knees and started dry retching, after a while I puked up a load of bile, settled myself and walked out, collecting medal, goody bag and alcohol free Erdinger on the way, seen the family and we were reunited pretty quickly.

Had a quick wipe down, threw on some warm clothes, a quick debrief, a few hugs and a tear and by 12:10 we are on the platform of the Metro heading back to the hotel. No rest for the wicked, quick shower and back out by 1:30 to take Luke to Anfield. The one benefit of not being able to run to my max was I was in good shape, not too dissimilar to a long run.

While I'm not entirely happy with the result I can take some positives away.

It was a very solid block of training that gives me a great base for the rest of the year
Another marathon is a learning experience that adds another piece to the jigsaw puzzle
Sub 3 is no longer a fear, I know I can go much faster
A poor 2nd half is still sub 90
I'm more resilient now, 3-4 years ago I probably would have jacked it in when it wasn't going my way

I may have to do another one now

bollix

Thoughts on the event
Overseas number collection:

Pretty smooth, I arrived shortly after it opened and the queue was small
No checking of ID, just give your name

Public Transport:

This could be improved, I was staying 400mts from a Metro line (2 stops to the start), service was every 15mins, but the frequency wasn't increased for the marathon.
This meant the Metros were very crowded, I had to force my way on
Ticketing machines couldn't handle the volume and went into reboot mode, once I seen the Windows XP boot up screen I took my chances ticketless
Again on the return Metros stayed on their normal Sunday schedule which added to the overcrowding, although they did 4 staff on the platform

Start Area:

Underwhelming, no razzmatazz apart the distance sound over a local radio station roadcaster.
Very lax security, no number checking, spectators mixing with participants and a mixture different coloured numbers
Start itself was also underwhelming, start Marshall had no amplification to give instructions

Course:

Course is good for a city marathon, flat, fast and pretty decent support apart from mile 20 out near Carrington for 2-3 miles (although they did add a little music from a van here)
Water and aid stations were plentiful, well stocked and the helpers were a friendly bunch
Generally the Marshalls were very encouraging all the way around
Having you name on your number was great having people give you encouragement on the way around
The course doubles back on itself a few times and the 10 mile / 16 mile section looked pretty crowed as I passed the 4hr+ runners, this section will probably be their choke point if they want to grow
Mile markers were a bit sporadic, maybe 4-5 missing, some facing the wrong way and a few quite clearly misplaced
Lorraine did mention at the 1st turn point (about 1k) that the Marshalls weren't proactive enough as the wheelchairs arrived and this led to some confusion

Finish Area:

Nice straight run in for the last half mile
I was on my hands and knees only 20 mts over the line puking up bile for about a minute and no stewards came near me
At my end of the race it was very easy to meet up with Lorraine and kids, maybe a bit too easy
Metro is a short walk from finish, so easy to get out of there

Thankfully I didn't need to experience the baggage drop or collection.
Would I come back, yes, probably, fast course, early April, nice city.

tang1 · 12-04-2016 3:27pm

That's some performance when you were feeling sh!te, not many would have the mental toughness to do that, fair play.

ThebitterLemon · 12-04-2016 5:55pm

Sounds like you'd more than a touch of food poisoning (are you sure you didn't have one of Mrs Tbl's packed lunches:))

As Tang has said that's a pretty impressive performance given you were feeling so dodgy. Plenty more to come.

Only a pity that Stoke didn't turn up!!

TbL

Abhainn · 12-04-2016 8:59pm

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

I may have to do another one now
bollix

I thought that... but sooner rather than later I wonder? :rolleyes:

Well done dude.
Absolutely certain that there is more impressive results to come in the next chapter

TFBubendorfer · 12-04-2016 9:20pm

Ah sh*te. Clearly just a matter of time until yet another guy I know beats my PB. :rolleyes:

Very impressive performance. Just imagine what you'll be able to do on a good day! Congratulations!

Chartsengrafs · 12-04-2016 9:24pm

I read this earlier, very impressive. I couldn't imagine finishing a marathon at GT pace (gag threshold!!). Sounds like a rough day out, so well done.