The Road to Am Dam

Arnied

Howdy All

I have been reading a number of the training logs on boards for quite a while now and thought that it was about time that I got the finger out and post my own. There are a few reasons I am starting a log but it is primarily to keep a track of my progress and also to help act as a motivation for those days when I really just couldn’t be bothered to pound the roads.

I will fill you in with a brief snap shot of my running credentials to date. I got talked into doing the Connemarathon half by a good friend of mine (rigal) last year and once the training began we thought that given all the quality training we had been doing that doing a marathon would not be that much more effort so we signed up for Edinburgh. The half was completed in 1hr 49 mins which I was delighted with at the time, the training for Edinburgh also went well and our original time of sub 4hrs was reduced to 3hr 30mins. However neither of us anticipated that the weather conditions would be absolutely baking on the day of the marathon in Edinburgh as the bulk of the training was done in fairly poor/average conditions. Saying that though I managed to put in a time of 3hrs 40mins which given the conditions I felt was a good performance for my first marathon.

Move on a few months and after many guilt trips later I was talked into doing the Amsterdam marathon instead of my original destination Dublin, ah well thought I, sure I live in Dublin anyway and would have been sick of the surroundings come the marathon so a new destination and a new challenges lays ahead. This time around I am hoping to achieve the 3hr 30mins target originally set and given that the fitness levels were at a descent standard after the marathon we have undertaken a 12 week training plan which has a lot more weekly mileage and is a lot more technical but enjoyable thus far (bar lactate threshold) which also incorporates a good bit of cross training which I didn’t do on the last occasion.

I must add that I will be in Las Vegas for two weeks in August but I am hoping to get in between 30-35 miles a week to keep me ticking over, it is easy saying this now but could be a different matter when I am there.

Look forward to any suggestions/comments anyone has on general training performance along the way!

Bally8

Welcome to the training logs arnied. Best of luck with the training. Im curious as to the reason for 2 weeks in Vegas, you will have to tell me all about it- Im getting married there next year.

Killerz

Best of luck arnied.

Dont forget, whatever happens in vegas, stays in vegas, so you don't need to post it in your log!

Arnied

Thanks Bally8, Vegas was a completely random decision to be honest, a chilled couple of weeks was originally planned but things spiralled out of control very quickly due to a good deal we found.

Cheers for the support, it seems a great forum so I will certainly be making regular posts given the intensive training schedule ahead, the Vegas posts might have to be censored though!!

Arnied

Killerz wrote: »

Best of luck arnied.

Dont forget, whatever happens in vegas, stays in vegas, so you don't need to post it in your log!

What up Killerz, I might have to set up a new thread in a holiday misadventure forum or maybe a why not to act out your favourite hollywood films forum, I could end up kidnapping a tiger or hiring ten other guys to rob a hotel ! I will send you the link of course.

Arnied

Wednesday 5 August

I think if I were a piece of apparel I would definitely be a sweater, it was a piping night in Fair City (shouldn't complain). Planned on doing an 11 mile run though only managed 10.55 miles due to running too fast for a training run - 8.02/min avg and running out of fluids around 7.5 mile mark.

The legs are feeling good at the moment though so I wanted to rev the engine to what I could put in. I hope this rich vain of form lasts. Need to get off a few more pounds though but the core work and cross training seem to be of benefit.

rigal

Killerz wrote: »

Dont forget, whatever happens in vegas, stays in vegas, so you don't need to post it in your log!

Killerz, I think that you have just given out some of the best advice ever on this forum...

Best of luck Arnied. I think this log will make quite entertaining reading over the next couple of months...

Arnied

Thursday 6th August

Tonight was supposed to be a long run of circa 15 miles but this is being postponed to Sunday which in all honesty I am glad of after last nights run, not that the legs are in any pain, on the contrary they are feeling great, I think I might have been overdoing it by running again this evening.

Instead I decided to head to the gym. 10 minute warm up on the bike followed by some stretching then 40 minutes on the cross trainer. I definitely think it is having a good effect and the less impact on the knees the better at this stage.

After reading an article in Runners World about the benefits of stregthening the core I have been trying to incorporate more of this into my training routines, it was hard at the start but as the weeks pass by it has start to become slightly easier. I am hoping the cross training and core work will help the endurance performance in the marathon.

Arnied

This was the first weekend I have been able to take it easy in Dublin in a long time and not have to travel to Derry so it was good to be able to focus on the fitness and healthy living.

Friday 7th August

Took a day off from the training to give the legs a chance to rest as the weekend schedule was fairly packed. Enjoyed the relaxation.

Saturday 8th August

The bank holiday earlier in the week threw a Spaniard in the works as I missed out on the LT run so I thought that I really should fit it in somewhere. The original plan was for a 8 mile LT run with 2 mile warm up, 4 mile at LT and 2 mile warm down. Given that I was planning the long run for Sunday I thought I should scale this back a peg so decided upon 6 miles, 2 warm up miles, 2 miles at LT (7.30/mile) with a 2 mile warm down. The avg pace for the whole run was 8.02/mile and I was happy keeping the LT pace at 7.30/mile as I didn't want to overdo it.

I have to admit though that I found that maintaining the LT pace was more difficult than interval sessions, if a PE teacher was writing a report card on me he/she would definitely comment "must try harder". Oh well I suppose it will be more beneficial knowing where improvement is required and doing something about it than not. Threw in some core work after too for good measure on the squeeze's pink exercise mat:p.

Sunday 9th August

A 15 mile MLR was planned for the weekend and given that I need to pack in as much long distances as I can before the Vegas sejourn I was looking forward to straping on the camel pack and hitting the roads of Dublin. Saying that I didn't want to push the pace too much as this was the longest run since the Edinburgh marathon so I thought the legs would have been in a world of pain if I went a bit loco.

Maintained an average of 8.29/mile throughout the run and forgot about the benefits of doing a proper bit of carb loading before the long runs, I am glad that I decided to bring a torq summer fruit with guarana gel which I certainly felt the benefit of around mile 12 when the energy levels were getting sapped.

Overall I was pleased with keeping a solid pace of 8.29/mile as I tend to go too fast on my lonesome without someone to reign me back a bit which generally makes the latter stages of the long runs a chore. A few good reminders though for the next long run! Also glad to report the legs are feeling good today too, the mile and a half walk each way to and from work everyday helps to stretch the legs out too I find.

Arnied

Monday 10th August

4.5 Recovery Run (41.12 minutes) 9.10/mile average.

Recovery runs were something that didn't feature in the previous marathon training and I was glad that the legs were feeling good after Sunday's long run surprisingly.

Tuesday 11th August

Day of rest given this weeks long run was rescheduled to Wednesday night, packed the case for the hols, left the mankini out after the last fiasco, I doubt the strip is ready for my balls quite yet!

Wednesday 12th August

16 mile MLR (2hour 15.02 minutes) 8.26/mile average pace.

Doing a 16 mile MLR was definitely not top of my priority list after a tiresome day in the office however I think the best way to deal with this loose of motivation is just not to think about it, get home stick the gear on and get out there. It worked:).

The lesson learnt after Sunday's MLR was that getting the energy supplies right is paramount to a good performance, Tuesday night and Wednesday lunchtime consisted of plenty of pasta lasta, emhhhh. I felt a lot more energetic during the run where I previously began to falter on the last MLR so was pleased with the performance despite not bringing the average pace down much.

Arnied

Thursday 13th August

4.16 mile recovery run (38:46 minutes) 9:19/mile average

Was considering going to the gym for a cross training session but opted for the recovery run instead, will do some core work after this post.

Definitely need to get the weight down for a good performance in Amsterdam, it is fluctuating too much at the minute for my liking (currently 13 stone, 12 is the goal) I reckon it has something to do with the diet, naughty weekends are my down fall not to mention the odd phat chicken tikka roll for lunch.:(

Arnied

It has been far too long since I last posted on boards as I was away on holidays for two weeks and didn't have internet access. I only managed to fit in 6 gym sessions when I was away with one hour being the maximum I could do no the treadmill before I got completely bored. There is too much to report since the last post so I will try and keep this as brief and informative as possible focusing on the highlights and low points as I go.

Vegas had a terrible effect on my general fitness due to ridiculous portions sizes and drinking for 14 nights on the spin, needless to say I threw on a few pounds and the lack of running meant it was extremely difficult to regain all the hard work I had done previously. The first night back training comprised of a c12 mile run around Blessington (with a lovely big hill to start off with that seemed to last forever). Needless to say I completely struggled:( and I think it was definitely the kick in the arse I needed. The Thursday night after was a 10mile LT run which I again struggled with:mad:. Morale was a considerable low point and I wondered whether I could possibly get back to a fitness level to help me achieve the 3.30 target for Amsterdam.

I was away in London for the weekend but I wasn't going to let that stop me from training. I actually surprised myself with the long run as I managed to do 19.2miles (probably too much) with an average of 8.19/mile so the spirits began to improve from there.

The following week involved an 8mile V02 with 5 x 600m at 5k pace with splits of 2.17/2.17/2.14/2.12/2.19 which I found difficult but ultimately satisfied that I managed to improve the speed work capabilities. Due to work commitments I couldn't fit in the 12mile MLR but it worked in my favour for the weekend. I managed to do the best training running this year by far, 19.49 miles, 10 miles at PMP with an average time of 8.08/mile. The legs felt strong, I was energised and I didn't feel as tired after as I had on previous long runs of this distance, chuffed:)!

The training has been going well since but I won't get stuck into the detail too much as there is too much to say however I will add that it is good to be back in the land of of the log! More to come!

Bally8

Welcome back- Im dying to hear all about Vegas but I bet you are sticking to the 'what happens in vegas' mantra

Arnied

Tuesday 22 August

VO2 Max- 10M w/ 4 x 1200m @ 5k pace with 2mins jog recovery, 1:20:04, avg pace: 7:58mins/mile

Splits: 4:49/4:47/4:46/4:48

I was absolutely dreading the thought of doing this session as speed work would not be my strongest area, I can go the distance but put me on the track and it is a different story. Saying that though this was definitely a lesson in mind over matter as we (inc rigal) managed to hold firm for the four splits. I was thoroughly delighted with the performance as I actually surprised myself being able to handle the speed and distance although I was questioning my sanity after the third split - money in the bank!

Thursday 24 August

General Aerobic - 10.04M 1:19:57, avg pace: 7:58 mins/mile

After Tuesdays track work I was looking forward to getting out and seeing what I had in the legs although didn't want to push it too much given this was without doubt the hardest week on the training schedule. I felt great the whole way through and running at PMP was very manageable. It was good having a bit of company again for the mid week runs with rigal and the legs felt fine afterwards.

Saturday 26 August

Long run- 22.04M 3:05:08, avg pace: 8:24 mins/mile

Mile 1-5: 9:00 mins/mile Actual: 8:47 mins/mile

Miles 6 -15: 8:30 mins/mile Actual: 8:28 mins/mile

Miles 16-20: 8:00 mins/mile (pmp) Actual: 7:49 mins/mile

Miles 21-22: Warm down Actual: 8:14 mins/mile

What a run, this capped off what was the hardest yet most satisfying week of running I have had since I started any running last November. We (inc rigal) headed down to Brittas Bay for a change of scene and also to get out of Dublin. Fantastic choice as it is a beautiful setting and definitely worth checking out if you happen to live within a 45 minute drive.

The sun was shining the whole way through and the temperature was high but manageable, it would have been nice to have had a couple of sessions like this before Edinburgh. The added benefit of the location was having the sea at the end of it all, I have to disagree with anyone that says a cold dip after a long run is psychological as I felt great after a few (very chilly) minutes in the sea, nipplus erectus:eek:!!

Summary

I was slightly apprehensive about how this week might pan out given it was fairly intensive but I feel in a lot better shape now for achieving sub 3.30 in Amsterdam given that each session went very well, bring on the taper!

Arnied

Jaysus I am thoroughly inconsistent when it comes to postings on boards so here is a concise update since the last post (Only realised what a complete plonker I am also when it comes to dates, I keep living in the past).

Monday 28 September

4.1 mile recovery run 34.51 minutes avg pace: 8.30mins/mile

The legs were feeling good after all the endeavours of the previous week so it was time to keep it going and get the miles in. Recovery runs hadn't been a great feature of late so thought it would be worthwhile to start again.

Tuesday 29 September

VO2 Max- 7.9M w/ 5 x 600m @ 5k pace with 90 secs jog recovery, time: 1:033.19, avg pace: 8:02mins/mile

Splits - 2:22 / 2:16 / 2:22 / 2:17 /2:17

This session definitely didn't feel as good as the previous week which I am putting down to being tired from all the previous weeks exertions. Strange though give that last week was a lot further. Some days your on it other days your not!

A night of intoxication on Wednesday meant that the remainder of the week incorporated resting up given that there was a 10k simulated race planned for Saturday and a 16 miler on Sunday.

Saturday 3 October

10K simulated race, 43.12 minutes, avg pace: 4.31mins/km.

The forecast for wind on Saturday made me change the plans slightly, instead of plodding around Dundrum getting blown hither and tither I opted for the treadmill instead. I have to confess that I did stop at the 8km mark to let my girlfriend into the gym. I was beginning to tire at that stage but the brief hiatus meant that I polished off the last 2 kms feeling strong surprisingly.

I think if I had have been doing this session outdoors it would have been a completely different story. I plan to focus on a good 5km and 10km time after the marathon. This without doubt has been the weakest area of my overall training, I am making progress but a more concerted effort if required to get the times down.

Sunday 4 October

MLR- 16M (Incl. 4M @ PMP) time: 2:14:58, avg pace: 8:26 mins/mile

I would say that for the majority of this run I felt fine until I started to get an unbelievably bad cramp around the 14 mile mark. I was planning on holding out from taking a gel but the energy levels were low around mile 12 so I decided to pop a torq guarana. We had to chop back the proposed 6 mile PMP as I was having difficulty running at any great speed. I have been so used to doing the long runs first thing in the morning so starting at 3.00 pm meant my breakfast of a boiled egg at 11.00 am probably wasn't enough to sustain me, lesson learnt though on the running learning curve.

Tuesday 6 October

VO2 Max- 7.92M w/ 3 x 1600m @ 5k pace with 2 mins jog recovery, time: 1:07:29, avg pace: 8:31mins/mile

Splits were - 6:37 / 6:25 / 6:28.

If I had have been sane on Tuesday I wouldn't have been looking forward to this session so taking a complete paranoia attack about having an injury in the right hamstring definitely didn't help matters. I don't know what came over me but I was convinced that I had problems which were a lot more severe than they actually were, granted the right hamstring was feeling tight but nothing a good dose of the required stretching wouldn't sort out. I managed to convince myself that I would only do a few miles to see how the legs felt for this run.

As we (Rigal and I) were running late (:eek: what's that you say skip, we weren't bloody late, struth) I had to run down Wyckham Way to rendezvous with Rigal. To say that the legs felt good would be an understatement given the earlier bout of paranoia. I thought maybe I will take part in the intervals after all. After a 2ish mile warm up the legs were still feeling fine so I thought I may throw caution to the wind and even though this was going to be a hard session I was determined to see the training plan through to the end.

I am so glad now that I can say I finished this session well above what I could have previously expected. The proper taper began from crossing the line and I now feel a lot more confident of achieving sub 3.30 in Am Dam with my weird spell being well and truly over me. Has anyone else in the realms of boards ever experienced a turn like that or am I just a complete Nincompoop?

Killerz

Good to see you back posting Arnied - I was worried something sinister involving a time-warp back to August had happened in Vegas. I think its perfectly normal (especially so close to the marathon) to feel that any slight tweak or tightness is something serious. Usually, its the mind playing tricks - however you obviously need to address any concerns! Thankfully, it wasnt anything, and its great to finish off your training "proper" with a performance that you're really happy with. Enjoy the last week of build up. I begin my taper for DCM today - starting with a few bold beers tonight. :P

Arnied

Chip time - 3:37:53 (Personal best that doesn't really feel like it, back to the drawing "boards")

Couldn't believe how quickly the marathon weekend in Amsterdam had come around and given how well the overall training had gone I was very excited about the race on Sunday 18th. I had a sports massage on the Thursday night beforehand and felt great afterwards so I decided not to do any running between then and the marathon.

We decided to go to the pre race Expo on the Friday night so we could chill the guns on Saturday and it was near the start of the marathon in the Olympic Stadium so it was good to see part of the route too. Whenever I opened up the racing pack I noticed that they had issued me with the wrong pace band i.e 4 hours instead of 3.30 hours (a premonition perhaps) and wouldn't change it the scoundrels. Nevertheless I wasn't too concerned given that I had the trusty Garmin and there were pace groups to focus on too.

I unfortunately got some bad news on the Friday evening that my girlfriends grandfather passed away with the funeral being on Monday morning so I had to reschedule my flight for Sunday at 5.30 and not on Monday afternoon as planned, really wasn't looking forward to it at all.

The place we were staying for the weekend was known as Hotspot II and it was slap bang in the middle of the red light district, you wouldn't believe how much entertainment you could get just looking out the window at all the pervs below, highly amusing. It probably wasn't an ideal location in retrospect given the noise outside but that didn't stop me for getting a good bit of sleep although not as much as I would have liked as I had to stay up on the Friday night to console and Saturday due to things on my mind.

During the day on Saturday consisted of cheesey DVDs (thanks to rigal), sight seeing and plenty of carbs. I still wasn't sure what to do with the water situation so I finally made a choice of sacking the camel pack and taking my water bottle instead which was a good choice in the end.

Bag packed and a few Weetabix in on Sunday and we were off, the central station was quite close so we didn't have to go too far, it was very easy getting to and from the Olympic Stadium. Rigal and I packed into the 3.30 pen and waited for the off. The pace setter was slightly ahead so we decided that we would catch him up after a few miles.

The first 18-19 miles of the marathon went to plan with the times being above what we needed to get 3.30. This was the point when the wheels came off and I fluffed my lines. The legs bagan to feel extremely heavy and I just couldn't get up to the pace that I needed (see the splits below) and I began to get more disheartened as each mile passed by when I knew I was going to do the time. I just tried to hang in there and see it through at that stage.

Despite the legs not performing to the level I would have liked, I really enjoyed the marathon as a whole, the course was great, the support was phenomenal particularly the crowd in the Stadium, the only thing that was missing was my performance.

I am not admitting defeat just yet and I am even more determined to get back out on the road again and try and learn from some of the lessons that I learned during the Am Dam training. I think getting involved in a lot more 5k, 10k and half marathons are going to be the building blocks for whichever marathon I decide to do next. To Sum up I am probably "Disappointed but undeterred", some of this post might sound like me making excuses but I know that there is no point whinging about it, getting it out has certainly helped though. Picking yourself up after a set back is all part of it I suppose!

5km - 24:30 (24:30), 10km - 48:50 (24:20), 15km - 1:13:24 (24:34), 20km - 1:38:12 (24:48), (21.1km - 1:43:47), 25km - 2:02:52 (24:40), 30km - 2:28:03 (25:11), 35km - 2:54:35 (26:32), 40km - 3:23:52 (29:17)

another world

Congrats on the PB! They say it´s not the night´s sleep before the race that matters so much as the ones before it, so I wouldn´t feel too bad about not getting the Sub 3:30. Next time for sure!

Arnied

another world wrote: »

Congrats on the PB! They say it´s not the night´s sleep before the race that matters so much as the ones before it, so I wouldn´t feel too bad about not getting the Sub 3:30. Next time for sure!

Thanks another world, I appreciate that. Next time will certainly be a different affair!

misty floyd

Still a great time, well done.

Arnied

misty floyd wrote: »

Still a great time, well done.

Thanks misty floyd, I appreciate the kind words.

I have finally enjoyed the last of the rest period after the Am Dam marathon and got back out on the road this evening for a short training run, I was planning on hitting the gym but decided that some fresh air would be better despite the fact it was completely dark when I was strapping on the running shoes.

4.12 miles, 32:06 mins, avg pace 7:48/mile, HR: smelly strap being washed.

Time to up the pace during the training runs, the short terms goal is to focus on getting a good 5k & 10k time. Need to get the weight down pronto and make greater use of the gym which is on my door step for more core and cross training routines, no excuses.

rigal

Great minds think alike! (did a similar session myself). Will be interested to see what you make of those core exercises. I struggled big time with them this evening.

We should probably drop the pace a bit tomorrow night if we are to be like sensible adults. Know that won't happen :rolleyes:.

Arnied

rigal wrote: »

Great minds think alike! (did a similar session myself). Will be interested to see what you make of those core exercises.

I decided to dedicate Monday, Thursday and Saturday's to core work, not looking to the first session though, grin and bear it hombre I suppose.

We should probably drop the pace a bit tomorrow night if we are to be like sensible adults. Know that won't happen :rolleyes:.

You are probably right about pulling the pace back a bit but in order to make real pace progress I think my general training pace needs to improve, that and ridding myself of a wobbly mid riff after a week of naughtiness, god damn cream buns.

Killerz

Arnied wrote: »

You are probably right about pulling the pace back a bit but in order to make real pace progress I think my general training pace needs to improve, that and ridding myself of a wobbly mid riff after a week of naughtiness, god damn cream buns.

you've got to have that week Arnied, its what makes all the training worth it. I kicked off the post-marathon bingefest with a chicken royale meal, followed by many, many pints and some of the DCM goody bag contents, then a trip to the chipper. Best of luck with the next goal - and I will no doubt be running with you in the near future.

Arnied

Wednesday 28th October

Tempo Run - 8.61 miles (3 miles at tempo pace), time - 1:09:32, avg pace 8.04 /mile, HR: ?. I am taking this info from rigal as I managed to balls up my watch on mile 2 of tempo splits.

3 miles of a warm up followed by 3 miles tempo - 6.59, 7.05, 7.01 and a 2.61 mile warm down.

I think rigal was being generous when he mentioned that I struggled with just the last mile. These sessions were something that I know I really need to improve upon if I am going to achieve good 5k & 10k times. I feel like I am carrying too much bulk and am determined to shift the excess baggage.

I will be hitting the gym manana for a cross training session followed by some serious work on the core, I think a stint in the sauna might help too for a proper wind down:).

PS I am keeping the log going for a while until I reach a decision on the next challenge.

Arnied

Monday 2nd November

4.11 miles, time - 30:55, avg pace 7.31/mile HR: strap gone walkabouts

The exact same run as last Monday night, took the weekend off due to heading home for Halloween so the legs were feeling raring to go this evening.

Wanting to up the pace slightly during training runs I was happy that going that bit faster was manageable although I don't want to over do it too soon.