25 April 2010

dermCu

Peckham wrote: »

Have niggling anxiety about my speed. Feel like I haven't done enough at or PMP or HMP, but am confident about endurance.

Take that niggling anxiety and bin it.
Seriously, take a step back and look at what you wrote above - you are running a marathon, which would you rather: the knowledge that you can run a few miles at HMP or the knowledge that you have the endurance to stick out the 26 miles come what may?

You are running fast enough to go sub 3, just keep the momentum going until the taper kicks in and it will come together.

Krusty_Clown

Do you feel faster than your last marathon? Don't forget all the good sessions you did before the ankle injury as well. They haven't just disappeared. Believe (and give me my next target to beat )

aero2k

Peckham wrote: »

Am following the leadership of tergat and focussing on two key sessions a week - a midweek fast session and a weekend LSR, with all remaining runs done at a handy pace so that I approach each key session with fresh legs and mind.

This week's key sessions were:

Wednesday
13 miles with 4*2 miles at PMP
....average across the 4 reps was around 6:45/mile.

Saturday
19 miles @ 7:23/mile
Again another session where speed (i.e. too fast) was an issue. Wanted to keep the pace around 7:30/mile but despite running it over a pretty hilly course I was keeping this pace quite easily (avg HR around 160). QUOTE]

Wednesday
14 miles with 4*2 @ PMP
Kept these a bit more consistent than last week (with each of the 8 PMP miles ranging between 6:47 and 6:51).

Saturday
21 miles @ 7:23/mile over lots of rolling hills

Have niggling anxiety about my speed. Feel like I haven't done enough at or PMP or HMP, but am confident about endurance.

Relax Peckham, those twice-weekly workouts are really solid. Your average pace on the long runs is excellent too. By the time the race comes round (yes, I know it's only 4 weeks) your body will have had the benefit of all that training, plus you'll get the extra few seconds per mile that only comes from pinning a race number onto your singlet. Remember, if you're really following Tergat then you'll know it doesn't take many workouts to bring you to peak form. Enjoy!

Sosa

aero2k wrote: »

Relax Peckham, those twice-weekly workouts are really solid. Your average pace on the long runs is excellent too. By the time the race comes round (yes, I know it's only 4 weeks) your body will have had the benefit of all that training, plus you'll get the extra few seconds per mile that only comes from pinning a race number onto your singlet. Remember, if you're really following Tergat then you'll know it doesn't take many workouts to bring you to peak form. Enjoy!

+1 on the comments above.

As you know i am following almost identical workouts to yourself,
I have my doubts also,but will keep the faith and see what happens on the day.
I dont see why you have not done enough in those sessions to get you to your goal time.

Peckham

Thanks all. I guess the doubts (and they really are just niggling, minor ones) came from the long run on Saturday. I had considered doing a few PMP miles at the end of the run, but the strength wasn't there. Last marathon I would have had no problem knocking out the PMP miles at the end of a long run, and was a fan of "predator" style runs.

Looking forward to Wednesday's session which will see increased PMP mileage (either 5-4-3-2-1 or 3*5k - haven't decided which yet, maybe the former).

village runner

Wednesdays session sounds good. Did you get your envelope for london. If so which start and pen did you get into.

Peckham

Haven't got my magazine yet - however I know it's en-route from "my" UK address. Don't know which start/pen I'm in, however it's GFA.

Peckham

Another deja-vu week. 53 miles with two key sessions:

Tuesday
13.25 miles with 4-3-2-1 at PMP with 2 mins recovery between sets
Great session. That 2 min recovery really means you feel a lot fresher at the end than if you had just run a straight 10 miles at PMP. I guess it could be nicknamed the "Eddie Izzard session"

Some of the miles were a bit too fast (over-compensated for the long hill during the second set), with average pace across the 10 miles of 6:41.

Saturday
22 miles at 7:21/mile
Very enjoyable run with good company and conversation with a more experienced marathoner from these parts. Felt okay throughout, and having company really helped over the final few miles. My longest ever training run, and a good confidence builder.

So, three weeks to go now. Will ease off the pedal a little next week, but not by too much (maybe 48 miles). Again, two key sessions - midweek the same Eddie Izzard session, and then 18 miles next weekend.

Sosa

Peckham wrote: »

Another deja-vu week. 53 miles with two key sessions:

Tuesday
13.25 miles with 4-3-2-1 at PMP with 2 mins recovery between sets
Great session. That 2 min recovery really means you feel a lot fresher at the end than if you had just run a straight 10 miles at PMP. I guess it could be nicknamed the "Eddie Izzard session"

Some of the miles were a bit too fast (over-compensated for the long hill during the second set), with average pace across the 10 miles of 6:41.

Saturday
22 miles at 7:21/mile
Very enjoyable run with good company and conversation with a more experienced marathoner from these parts. Felt okay throughout, and having company really helped over the final few miles. My longest ever training run, and a good confidence builder.

So, three weeks to go now. Will ease off the pedal a little next week, but not by too much (maybe 48 miles). Again, two key sessions - midweek the same Eddie Izzard session, and then 18 miles next weekend.

2 good sessions again Peckham,all specific work.
My 2 key sessions this week were 15m, 2.5 easy then 4x2.5m @ pmp (w/2 mins rec ) then 2.5 easy,felt great at the end.
The other one was 18m,first 15 @ 7:36,last 3 at 6:35 ( a bit fast ),they are real confidence builders,could keep going at the end,thats the point i guess.
Enjoy the taper.

Krusty_Clown

Sounds like you're giving yourself the best possible opportunity to hit your goal, given the mid-program injury. Congrats. Many others would have caved and given in. Not long now.

Peckham

Final week of hard training finished. Post-injury when I was planning the 4 weeks that I had available to me before needing to taper, I set two objectives:

1) Run a total of 200 miles over the 4 weeks
2) The cumulative distance for the 4 long runs to be 80 miles

Can tick both those boxes with 204 miles and exactly 80 cumulatively across the long runs.

This week was 48 miles with the same two key sessions as over the previous 4 weeks.

Wednesday
13 miles with 4-3-2-1 PMP
Yet again I probably did the session a little too quickly with an average pace of 6:39 over the 10 PMP miles. Was out of the traps a bit too quickly with a 6:33 first mile, and slowest of the miles was a tough uphill at 6:42.

Most worryinginly I stumbled during the warm up and hurt the ankle that I injured a few weeks back - however after a moment of panic I jogged it off pretty quickly.

Saturday
18 miles at 7:23/mile
Didn't get out until the evening, and had a big lunch about 90 minutes beforehand. Lesson is that a large bowl of soup is not conducive to comfortable running. Didn't feel great throughout, and was a bit of a struggle....but the thought of it being the last long run pushed me on.


So, that's it. Time for taper - am going to revert to the P&D taper from the <55mile week plan, which means 32 miles next week. Am going to introduce an extra rest day, so 4 days running. Midweek fast session will be 5/6*1 mile at LT pace.

Peckham

Volcanic ash???!!!! :eek: What's this about, there's nothing in the index of my Noakes or Pfitzinger books about it. Haven't prepared for this eventuality, but may have to take out the insurance policy of a ferry sail and rail package just in case my flight is cancelled.

Apart from that, first week of taper went pretty well. Cut back to 32 miles and from 5 to 4 runs (just felt I needed that extra day rest). Two sessions of 5.5 miles each, and then "bigger" sessions on Wednesday and Saturday.

Wednesday
10 miles - avg 6:59/mile, HR:158
with 6 miles at LT pace (2 mins recovery between each rep)
6:15
6:15
6:14
6:11
6:12
6:13

Saturday
11.2 miles - avg 7:43/mile, HR:152


Next week - 22 miles
Mon: 6 miles easy
Tue: 8 miles (with 2*1 mile @ 10k pace)
Wed: Rest
Thur: 4 miles easy
Fri: Rest (but maybe a full day travelling if the combination of volcanic ash and wind direction aren't in my favour)
Sat: 4 miles very easy

.....and then a gentle jog around London on Sunday.

dermCu

Its all lies; there's a clear blue sky over London at the moment. Not a cloud in sight. I don't think there's any volcano....

You'r last few weeks of training came together well. Nothing much to do now but wait.....

Peckham

I know my travel issues are relatively minor compared to the many thousands of people stranded in airports around the world, but this travel situation is not making normal final week nerves any easier!

Went to Irish Ferries office yesterday to sort out a Plan B for getting to London, if (as looks reasonably likely) flights are not running to plan on Friday. Apparently all that Irish Ferries can sell me is a open return ferry/rail ticket that I can use any time over the next month. That gives me no guaranteed place on the ferry on Friday, and no guaranteed train to London from Holyhead. I bought the ticket anyway, but the plan B is not as strong a fallback as I would have hoped for!

I suppose, at least I have the option of overland travel. My heart goes out to anyone here travelling further for a marathon - e.g. Boston, Madrid etc.

shels4ever

Peckham wrote: »

I know my travel issues are relatively minor compared to the many thousands of people stranded in airports around the world, but this travel situation is not making normal final week nerves any easier!

Went to Irish Ferries office yesterday to sort out a Plan B for getting to London, if (as looks reasonably likely) flights are not running to plan on Friday. Apparently all that Irish Ferries can sell me is a open return ferry/rail ticket that I can use any time over the next month. That gives me no guaranteed place on the ferry on Friday, and no guaranteed train to London from Holyhead. I bought the ticket anyway, but the plan B is not as strong a fallback as I would have hoped for!

I suppose, at least I have the option of overland travel. My heart goes out to anyone here travelling further for a marathon - e.g. Boston, Madrid etc.

Fingers crossed that once it has cleard by tomorrow flights should beetting back to normalin a couple of days.I wonder did Belfast get a flood of entries on Friday before itc losed.

theboyblunder

+1 Feel for ya. Hope you make it over without too much stress.

kennyb3

Peckham, check out the euroline with bus eireann, heard about it on a program last night. one coach goes all the way to london. id be quick tho if its even still available for the weekend

Bally8

Best of luck Peckham, I really hope you get your travel plans sorted. Definately not the kind of thing you should be worrying about after all your hard work. It will work out and I look forward to reading your race report:)

Peckham

kennyb3 wrote: »

Peckham, check out the euroline with bus eireann, heard about it on a program last night. one coach goes all the way to london. id be quick tho if its even still available for the weekend

I looked into Eurolines, but the times seemed a bit rubbish (i.e. they were based on overnight travel). I know they have since introduced a daytime service, but I already have a return ferry/train ticket, and providing I turn up at Dublin Port early enough on Friday morning I shouldn’t have a problem getting on a ferry. That’s my plan B, as I’m trying to remain optimistic that plan A of flying still works out. Would rather not have to shell out more cash on Plan C!

Bally8 wrote: »

Best of luck Peckham, I really hope you get your travel plans sorted. Definately not the kind of thing you should be worrying about after all your hard work. It will work out and I look forward to reading your race report:)

Bally8 – my situation pales in significance to yours! I feel much more sympathy for you, than you should for me.....but thanks anyway!!

Salty Dog

Best of luck for the race on Sunday. Fingers crossed your travel plans sort themselves out.

Look forward to your interview with Sue Barker on the mall just after the finish line with a PB in your bag.

kennyb3

best of luck at the weekend. fingers crossed for you for that sub 3

Krusty_Clown

You've surmounted every obstacle that's been thrown at you so far. If a volcano can't halt your progress, then nothing can slow you down. Very best of luck and good running in London. I hope you hit your goals, and have a very enjoyable race.

christeb

V best of luck K, keep it steady until 18 and let loose from there. Wishing you all the best and I have no doubt you'll cruise it!

misty floyd

Best of luck on Sunday Peckham. You have all of the hard work done, now its time to enjoy the rewards. Well done on a great run of training. You did have a bit of a lay off, I know, but that won't make any odds. Nothing but confidence. Enjoy it.

Sosa

Looking forward to your report Peckham,best of luck and give it socks !

Peckham

awww....thanks all!

This week pretty much going to plan. Usual final week phantom strains, but yet feeling confident and ready to go.

Mon: 6.1 miles @ 7:45/mile
Tue: Unplanned rest
Wed: 8 miles with 2*1 mile @ 10k pace (6:06 & 6:01). The rest were all at 7:40ish pace.

Two more gentle runs of 3-4 miles each. One tomorrow morning, and another on Saturday morning.

All I need now is for Cityjet to confirm their flights on Friday. At the moment, they've confirmed everything except for the Dublin-London route.

tunguska

Cant think of anything inspirational to say at the moment so best to leave at a good old fashioned, good luck dude. I look forward to reading your race report.

Peckham

...and for those interested/bored on Sunday morning and want to follow progress of boardsies running in London, there is a Facebook app that provides 5k splits in-running.

http://apps.facebook.com/marathon-tracker/index.html

My race number is 32241

asimonov

Good luck no. 32241, keep It nice and controlled.

Macanri

All the very best for your London Marathon.