Meditation for restless people.

belcarra

This thread will cover the next 16 weeks of my training for the Connemara Ultra Marathon taking place on April 11th.

I've completed 8 marathons in total and this will be my first attempt at a longer distance.
I'm not going to be seeking any particular time but I reckon it'll be somewhere around 7hrs +/- 30mins.

The 8 marathons completed so far were:

1. Dublin, 2007
2. Connemarathon, 2008
3. Newry, 2008
4. Belfast, 2008
5. Cork, 2008,
6. Longford, 2008
7. Dublin, 2008
8. Connemarathon, 2008.

PB for the distance is 4hrs 23m 47s in Belfast. Not a great time I know but most of these races were done over a short timeframe so it was more about getting around...but I still pushed hard. I'm definitely capable of a sub 4hr run as my HM PB is 1hr 44m 31s as recorded in Waterford last weekend.

Let's see how it goes!

belcarra

So, I've been building up for the past several weeks to this training schedule. It is designed for the 50-mile Comrades Ultra in South Africa but I'll be going ten miles less in Connemara.
Knowing the sort of person I am and my tendency to have less than 100% committment at times(!) I figure I'll try and match this for as much as possible yet knowing if a session or two gets away from me then I should have some miles already banked.
The reason I'm not following a 40mile schedule is, well, there doesn't really appear to be any such plan widely available!

At this stage in my progress a 2hr run is no issue and a 2.5hr run is possible at a relaxed pace. However, the schedule throws an LSR of 3hrs straight at me in my first week of the schedule so it'll be interesting to come through all that later in the week and see how I feel!

ultraman1

best of luck belcarra with the new log,

Krusty_Clown

Best of luck Belcarra. Hope to see you at the start line, although my training is at the opposite end of the spectrum, so I may not see you at the finish line!

Killerz

Best of luck with the prep, and indeed the race belcarra. you have some extensive marathon experience, including (as a result of participation in Connemarathon) 2/3 of the Connemara Ultra, so this will be of great benefit to you no doubt.

asimonov

3hr LSR at the start of the programme, Yikes...good luck with the log!

belcarra

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Best of luck Belcarra. Hope to see you at the start line, although my training is at the opposite end of the spectrum, so I may not see you at the finish line!

Ya, don't expect to see you at the finish line either KC, but I expect I'll be happy just to see the finish line!!

belcarra

Killerz wrote: »

Best of luck with the prep, and indeed the race belcarra. you have some extensive marathon experience, including (as a result of participation in Connemarathon) 2/3 of the Connemara Ultra, so this will be of great benefit to you no doubt.

Thanks Killerz,
I've seen the odd post commenting that the first 13.1 miles are flat but I know it's the latter parts that'll be the real struggle!

belcarra

asimonov wrote: »

3hr LSR at the start of the programme, Yikes...good luck with the log!

Yip, it starts off tough and gets worse!

belcarra

I've been doing plenty of races this year but only the one Marathon (Connemara back in March). However, I've completed 4 half marathons and have done plenty of longer runs over the late Summer/Autumn. I also did 13 races in the IMRA Leinster League coming in approx half way down the field in general.
In August i completed GaelForceWest in 5hrs 19mins, a time I was pleased with. However, I know I should be able to tackle the 5hr mark for next year if I tweak a few things.
In the lead up to the 16 week training schedule, which I'm about to embark upon, I've done approx 30-35 miles per week for the past ten weeks. This can be seen in the attached graph...(I like excel!)...
Hint: Select "Don't update" if you are asked when viewing the data.

belcarra

This is a list of fellow Boardsies that have signed up for the Ultra.
Where available there is a link to their own training logs.
Best of luck to everyone and I'm sure there'll be more than a few questions and queries on their way to you guys!

Sarsfieldsrock, Killerz , TFBubendorfer, Mithril, RQ, SUNGOD, ultraman1, Krusty_Clown, 911sc, Abhainn, Mick Rice, Nialloooo, ScottReynolds, Highway_To_Hell, Magnet.

belcarra

So, enough of the preamble...time to start recording the training!

Once again I failed to get out on Monday night. I think in the past 10 weeks I may have managed this feat only once or twice! This is something I’ll need to overcome if I’m to get my 5 days per week programme in place. In fairness I had a reasonable excuse last night given that Ronan was in town so I had to meet up with him for a couple of hours. This allied with frozen footpaths meant going out for a run last night just wasn’t feasible.

Tuesday’s usual football training in DCU wasn’t meant to go ahead this week but somehow we managed to get 9 players and played anyways! Once again I ran to and from training, but tonight for the first time I wore my heavier tracksuit bottoms and top so that the cold would stay away. Well it certainly worked as when I got to the pitch I was very warm indeed! I took them off for the game and wasn’t too long getting cold again!

I wore the Garmin during the game also. This was the third time I wore it during 5 a side in the past week. It appears from my study that 3-3.5 miles is a more reflective distance covered for 5 a side training (As opposed to 4 miles). However, with the effort involved it’s much more beneficial than taking an hour to jog the equivalent distance I’m sure. I’m planning on giving up pretty much most of the football in the New Year so that I can concentrate on the running instead. So one or two games at Xmas and that’ll probably be it for a few months.

Session Summary:
We played footie for 70 mins and it registered 3.86 miles on my Garmin. The run to and from DCU was nice and comfortable and the paths weren’t too icy! Oh and the distance from door to door is only 2.0 miles and not 2.16 miles as reported last week.

Session Details:
Distance: 2.0 Miles x 2 + 4 miles 5 a side = 8 miles total.
Time: 0hr 33 mins 23 secs + 1hr football.
Pace: 8:20 min/mile for the run to and from training.

belcarra

Drove home to Mayo yesterday afternoon but it was too icy, dark and dangerous to go for a run:( so I missed out on the easy 5 mile run in my schedule. Not to worry though as I ignored the rest day today to go for a 10 miler in the afternoon sunshine.
I did a quick reccie of the route in the car to see how icy it was and the answer was very in places but not so bad in general. My route is a well trusted loop that is always very quiet and today was no different. Over the course of the whole loop I witnessed less than 20 cars in total. I guess some of the locals were in Castlebar doing the panic buying for tonight!
Given that the plan is a long run tomorrow i tried to hold back today. The idea was 9:00-9:30 miles but I kept finding myself sub-consciously pushing the pace. The icy patches helped to slow me down but in general I was given free reign on the road.
Half way came very quick indeed and I was cruising easily. There was a 2 mile stretch of straight road which had the sun on my left shoulder keeping me somewhat warm, hidden as I was under a tracksuit bottoms, warm top with thermal top underneath, a pair of gloves and all topped off with a wooly hat courtesy of WAC from last weeks Half Marathon. However, over the last couple of miles the sun went behind the hills and the temperature dropped considerably. I was happy to push on a little bit at this stage allowing me to warm up a little more as well as avoiding getting caught out in the approaching darkness.
When all was done and dusted with the 10 miles complete I still felt remarkably fresh...lets hope that continues through to tomorrow!

Session Summary:
Very icy 10 mile run at comfortable pace in anticipation of long lonely run tomorrow! Once sun went behind hills it got very cold out there!

Session Details:
Distance: 10 miles.
Time: 1hr 27 mins 05 secs.
Pace: 8:53 min/mile.[/quote]

belcarra

Today called for a long run and after a period of gazing out at the white landscape I eventually managed to move myself to put on the running gear and get out there. The conditions were worse than yesterday as the roads were mainly covered in slush and ice but where available I tried to keep to the snowy parts for a little bit of traction.

I basically covered the same route as yesterday but amended the last half mile with the introduction of a 2 mile bog loop. Everything was fine for the first 3 miles but I then got a friction blister just below the outside of my right ankle from rubbing against the top of my runner. I stopped at 5 miles to attempt to adjust this but no dice! It wasn't very sore, but it was noticeable. I continued the remainder of the run without making it any worse though so that was good. Miles 6 to 9 were tough with much sliding around the place although I never fell even if it did come close a couple of times. Then mile ten was up a steep 150 metre hill which was easily the toughest of the run. The surface for most of it was very slippy but then half way up a stream of thawing ice was flowing down on one side of the road which allowed for grip, even if it meant dowsing my feet in freezing water!

The last two miles were straightforward and I was home in around 1hr 40mins. At some stage I managed to flick the Garmin off and it was only on the last half mile that I noticed this so not sure on the time and pace.

I should have stayed out for another 40-60mins but the conditions were just too icy so I'm hoping there might be more favourable conditions tomorrow when I have a 16 mile route in store...we shall see!

Session Summary:
Counted 25 cars throughout the whole run...I was surprised there was actually so many out and about considering the day & weather! Slushy run in overcast conditions. Preferred yesterdays conditions by far.

Session Details:
Distance: 11.6 miles.
Time: 1hr 4? mins ?? secs.
Pace: approx 9:00 min/mile.

belcarra

In the local village last night and ended up falling on the ice and smashing my face off the ground :eek:. Blood was pouring from it when I eventually got to see it in a mirror and my eye/cheek puffed up hugely. At least today the swelling is going down but there'll be quite a bit of temporary scarring for the next couple of weeks...

Blueskye

Sounds terrible. Hope it heals soon.

belcarra

Haven't been out since Xmas day's 12 miler:mad:.
The wounds are healing but the weather was just too bad to try another step! Back in Dublin this evening and heading for a couple of nights in Holland so it'll be Sat by the time I return. Hopefully this Weather will have fecked off by then!

belcarra

Back running for the first time this evening since XMas Day. Still not trusting the weather/paths so I called into the Gym to do the planned session on the treadmill instead.
As per comments on here I set the incline at 1% to reflect road running resistance and started into it. The plan called for 7-9 miles with the middle 3 miles at MP. I veered from this to run a faster than MP pace but to split it up as follows:
0-4km @ 5:33,
4-7km @ 5:00,
7-8km @ 5:33,
8-9km @ 5:00,
9-10km @ 5:33,
10-12km @ 5:00,
12-13km @ 5:33.

Session Summary:
Boring as hell on the treadmill...can't wait for the roads and paths to sort themselves out!

Session Details:
Distance: 8 miles / 13km.
Time: 1hr 09 mins 10 secs.
Pace: 5:18 min/km.

belcarra

Back in the gym today. Did 15km with a break at 7km as the gym was way too hot. Stood outside the door in the snow for a couple of mins which proved to cool me down rapid!

Set the incline at 1% again but changed up to 1.5% for parts. Today's plan called for 6-10 miles with the 2 sets of 2 miles at HMP. Again I veered from this slightly to run 3 sets of 2kms @ 5:00min/km (HMP):
0-3km @ 5:43,
3-5km @ 5:00,
5-8km @ 5:43,
8-10km @ 5:00,
10-12km @ 5:43,
12-14km @ 5:00,
14-15km @ 5:43.


Session Summary:
Boring again...! Got a blister from a new pair of 2140's last night (Which I got in JJB Sports for €56!) so changed onto normal Kayanos tonight and there was no issue. Muscles felt a little tight so had a good warm down afterwards for once!!

Session Details:
Distance: 9.3 miles / 15km.
Time: 1hr 20 mins.
Pace: 5:20 min/km.

belcarra

Bloody Gym was closed this evening so even though it was only to be an easy 5 miles I couldn't even manage that...pissed off to say the least!
Will try and rouse myself tomorrow morning to be in for the 5 miles @ 6:30am but given how fundamentally opposed to mornings I am, it'll be a struggle to say the least! We shall see...

Don't even wanna think about how I'll manage the LSRs due on Fri and Sat...!

belcarra

Well I amazed myself today. I actually managed to get my ass in gear by calling to the gym for 5 miles (8km seeing as I was in the gym) this morning! I think this is perhaps my first ever early morning run before work so am feeling really happy with myself!
Granted the run was an easy one and the 6:00min/km pace for the first 2km felt extremely boring. My HR was approx 140bpm for this. I decided to up it to 5:42 min/km for the remaining 6km. This upped my HR to approx 150bpm. Are easy runs mean to be at these HR levels? Or am I taking it too easy?? (I'm using these ranges as recommended by McMillan.)

Anyways, here's the details...

Session Details:
Distance: 5 miles / 8km. "Easy Run"
Time: 47 mins.
Pace: 5:52 min/km.
TM incline: 1%

belcarra

Went to the Phoenix Park for 16 miles this afternoon. All paths and roads were covered in snow but there wasn't really much ice present so it was much better than it might have been. Parked just outside the Ashtown Gate and once in the Park went anti-clockwise for the first lap.
Once I crossed Chesterfield Ave there was hardly any cars so I could run on whatever part of the road looked safest. This worked well as the paths were under a couple of inches so the roads proved much better.
On the Chapelizod side there was a few kids sliding down the hills on less than sturdy toboggans...I was even tempted to join them but I continued on... Completed the lap by going past the Garda HQ and back to Ashtown Gate after about 6 miles.
On the Second lap I decided to cut up through the middle of the park via the 15 Acres Rd(?). A freezing fog had just descended so as I was running through the wide open space I reckon the air temp was at least -10! Couldn't wait to come out the far side which I eventually did and found myself back up near the Ashtown Gate again. This time I hung a right to do my final lap clockwise direction. Towards the end, seeing as I was feeling good still, I took a detour down towards the Furry Glen. Then, rather than running directly back to Ashtown Gate, I exited through the Castleknock Gate and doubled back to the car.
The scenery today was magnificent with the low lying sun and the herd of deer on the roadside. Hopefully I'll be back out tomorrow and if so, I'll be bringing my camera!

Session Details:
Distance: 16 miles. "LSR"
Time: 2hrs 30mins.
Pace: 9:30 min/mile.

belcarra

Still chuffed after a good 16 miles yesterday in the snowy Park, I had intended to return for a 2hr run as part of my first ever back-to-back session. I figured I'd sneak the run in during the early afternoon before it got dark but soon realised the Gunners were playing live on Setanta at 3pm. So, the trip to the Park was immediately scuppered as I prepared for the match instead!
When the poor performance (2-2 at home against a team we beat 6-1 away:eek:) was out of the way I made for the streets of the Northside! Still covered in snow they were pretty easy to negotiate as I was wearing my Salomons again. There was a couple of icy patches but no real issues. After the 9 mile mark I had a couple of options remaining. One such option was an extra lap of my Estate which is a round 2miles. This would bring me to 14 miles and a great session and I was still feeling pretty good so I set that as the target. Unfortunately though, over the course of the next 3 miles I had to suffer through a 20min blizzard which put paid to the extra 2 mile lap. End result was 12.5 miles or thereabouts in a couple of mins shy off 2 hours.
Pretty happy at the end that I'd come through the B2B session without any major issues. A nice bath sorted out the few aches I did have.

Session Details:
Distance: 12 miles. "LSR#2"
Time: 1hrs 57mins 26secs.
Pace: 9:24 min/mile.

belcarra

Rest Day...was tempted to do a few slow miles but decided I should stick to the script! No real aches or pains today so that's nice .

Back to it tomorrow either in the gym or preferably on the paths if they're decent.

belcarra

Went for a run around Santry tonight with the intention of doing 9 miles. Within the first few steps it was evident that the thawing snow was beginning to freeze over again. This led to very icy conditions underfoot. I wore the Salomon’s for this run and every time I hit the bare road which was just beginning to freeze again I could feel my feet slipping. The 2150’s or Kayanos would have been much better for the road crossing sections. Anyways, decided to complete a loop by turning up Collins Avenue and back to the apt via Ballymun. This run was 4.5 miles.
I returned to the apt briefly to change into gear for the gym and within minutes I was on the treadmill. Managed to get 8.8km or 5.5miles covered at paces between 10.0 and 12.0. Took a break at 4km for a mouthful of water.

Session Summary:
Overall a 10 mile run on a Monday night was really good. The pace was fairly relaxed but then again it’s the miles in the legs I need for this, not the speed!

Session Details:
Distance: 10 miles / 16km.
Time: 1hr 34 mins 37 secs.
Pace: 5:54 min/km.

belcarra

About to leave for the gym when I made the mistake of answering a phone call that turned out to be 26mins market research! Not impressed and probably should’ve just hung-up but regardless I was left with even less time in which to squeeze my 5 mile run. Ended up having to stop at 7km rather than 8km as planned. Not too bothered about it anyways as it was only 1km short and that won’t make much difference over the course of 63.3km in April!
Not much more to say really as it was a typical boring treadmill workout. Membership ends at the end of the month so hopefully the weather can’t get much worse then…can it??
Left hamstring is feeling a little tight the past few runs but nothing major at the moment.

Session Details:
Distance: 4.3 miles / 7km.
Time: 38 mins 30 secs.
Pace: 5:30 min/km.

belcarra

Weather was ok this evening so I managed to get out for a 9.3mile run around the Northside. And hell, I even managed it in one full loop running via Coolock, Malahide Road, Griffith Avenue, Ballymun Avenue and back home to Northwood.
The first half of the run I was feeling pretty lethargic so it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. Form seemed to be all over the place. I think this can often be as a result of using the treadmill the day before, it sometimes takes a while to get back used to the outdoors.
Anyways, after the 4 mile mark or so, things came back more naturally with the last 5 miles being relatively easy even though I was putting in a bit more effort at this stage seeing as most of it was now uphill slightly. Seems odd, but I think I prefer to run uphill sections as opposed to flat sections. I think it might be that it focuses the mind a bit more and is therefore less boring.
Training is going well so far in this New Year and I’m in the top 15 for the mileage log so that’s pretty good. Hope it continues!

Session Details:
Distance: 9.3 miles.
Time: 1 hr 27 mins 30 secs.
Pace: 9:24 min/mile (5:42 min/km).

belcarra

Rest day - Took it easy this evening, lazing on the couch guilt free!:D

belcarra

Today was the big one for the week...LSR #1.
Was hoping to get an extra 2 miles on last weeks LSR#1 which would bring me upto 18 miles.
First 4.5 miles brought me from Northwood to Phoenix Park. I then continued along the North Road and back down Chesterfield Avenue. When I got to the last roundabout I hung a right for the Chapelizod Gate and back around the South side of the Park before once again coming back down Chesterfield Avenue. At this stage it was well and truly dark so avoiding floods on the paths and cyclists took up much of my time during this section! I retraced my route back towards Ballymun but added in a little section by turning right on Griffith Avenue and back through Santry and the main entrance into Northwood.
All-in-all this amounted to 20.5 miles which I was very pleased with. I had a bottle of Raspberry Lucozade Sport with me in my belt and also brought a few sugary/sour sweets. The LS was useful and there was less of an after taste than Energiser I had last week. I ate one of the sweets with 3 miles to go and another with one mile to go and each of them managed to spur me on for a bit. I think the taste simply makes you forget about the tiredness for a short while even if there are no other obvious effects!
Back out in the Park tomorrow for another 14 odd miles/2hr run with my Brother. Hopefully I didn't overdo it tonight...!

Session Details:
Distance: 20.5 miles.
Time: 3 hr 8 mins 21 secs.
Pace: 9:15 min/mile (5:44 min/km).

belcarra

Went for a quick bath after yesterdays LSR which helped my recovery no end. I awoke this morning a little tired but in no way sore.
Met my brother in the Park at 12:30 and we started off nice and slowly with an approx 9:30 first mile. Once legs were loosened out we upped the pace to approx 9:00. We did a Southern loop first, followed by a Northern loop. These 9.5 miles were enough for him so I headed off for one more Southern loop which brought me upto 14.5 miles before returning to my car. Very happy with the distance and I felt pretty good for most of the run. The last couple of miles were a bit of a strain as I was just bored of running at that stage and considering it was 35 mile total for the two days I guess this was bound to happen at some stage!
Anyways, LSR#2 out of the way successfully again this week. I'll try and push on with the LSR#2 next week to about 16 miles hopefully as it's been 14 & 14.5 the last two weeks and I don't want to settle on this distance for too long.
Always be improving!

Session Details:
Distance: 14.5 miles.
Time: 2 hr 14 mins 20 secs.
Pace: 9:15 min/mile (5:44 min/km).

belcarra

Rest Day again!
Nice leisurely day helped along with a Fabregas inspired Arsenal performance winning 2-0 away at Bolton:).

86pts already in fantasy football and all my players are due a second game this gameweek...:D This should move me close to the top of the various leagues hopefully!

belcarra

Today was meant to be a 9 mile run but was feeling knackered this evening so decided to give it a miss.
Will do the session later in the week in place of a Rest Day.

belcarra

Did a 7.5miler today. Pace was 8:24.
Did the session on the treadmill seeing as the weather outside was so wild!
Meant to do a 9-miler but the new pair of 2150s were giving me more blisters so I decided rather than running through the pain and putting tomorrows run in jeopardy I'd call it quits a little earlier than planned.

Session Details:
Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 63 mins.
Pace: 8:23 min/mile.
TM incline: 1%

belcarra

Did a 10.5miler today. Big loop around the Northside taking in Coolock Griffith Avenue and Ballymun.

Only meant to do another 9-miler but was feeling remarkably fresh so decided to push on and complete the 10.5 mile overall lap which allows me to top up last night's run.

After showering I noticed a pain in my right knee which wasn't there when running. I'll need to keep an eye on that!

Session Details:
Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 1hr 28 mins.
Pace: 8:27 min/mile.

belcarra

This was supposed to be a rest day but instead I decided to fit in the 5 miler from last Monday that I missed.

Went to the gym to do this session on the TM as it was only 5 miles. Tried out the 2150s again and there wasn't any blisters of note so I guess they're slowly coming around to the shape of my feet!

Run was as boring as ever but the knee issue from last night was still present. I could run through it without much hassle but I'd prefer if it simply wasn't there!
So, back on track for the week's target.

Session Details:
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43 mins.
Pace: 8:35 min/mile.
Incline: 1%

belcarra

I was down South this weekend for Mountain Biking in Ballhoura so arrived to the accommodation at 2:30pm and was out running the local roads by 3!
I started with a severe uphill section that lasted for almost 3 miles and approx 250m altitude gain. Most of the remainder was downhill with a couple of less severe uphills. However, this was supposed to be LSR#1 but alas the knee injury of the past few days soon put paid to that!
After approx 4 miles my knee was beginning to get very sore. It had been present from the beginning of the run but I had hoped I could run through it and indeed for the uphill section it seemed to stay at bay. The downhill sections though led to the injury being aggravated and so miles 4-10 were quite painful indeed! I'd hoped to finish the loop I was on and that would leave me with 12.5 miles completed but I ended up having to walk most of the last 2.5 miles as it was too sore to run. It was almost too sore to walk on but I eventually got back to the accommodation...

Session Details:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1Hr 32mins 55sec.
Pace: 9:18 min/mile.

belcarra

Meant to do LSR#2 today but seeing as I'm mountain biking instead I knew I'd be postponing this run. As it turned out we were biking for 5.5hrs and were well knackered afterwards. We did the Green, Brown and White trails but failed to complete the red and blue. All the uphill climbing will hopefully have strengthened my knee although afterwards both my knees were aching. A different ailment from the past few days and I'm confident this will be gone within 48hrs at most.

belcarra

Today was a Rest Day but I never really had much choice about this!
Body still aching from the marathon session of biking yesterday and knees still sore so I was happy to take it easy today.

belcarra

Should have done a 5 miler today but am just about coming round after the biking! Will be sure not to try that again before the 11th April!!

Also, my knee injury seems much better today so hoping to go for a LSR tomorrow evening seeing as I had such a poor weekend mileage wise.
Hoping for possibly even a 5 miler in the morning and maybe an 18 miler in the evening. Breaking it up a bit like this might put less stress on the knee.
We'll see...

belcarra

Didn't manage to get up in time for a run this morning (No surprise there then!:rolleyes:)
However, my knee was feeling much better so I went for a long run in the evening. After about 2 miles the knee was back annoying me again but it stayed bearable for the next 5 or 6 miles so I decided I'd push onto 10 miles and then retrace my route back home. At the turnaround point (At the end of the seafront in Clontarf/Fairview) it was still sore but hadn't progressed too much worse as I had been taking it extremely handy.
I continued along the seafront as far as the Kilbarrack road before turning left and back towards Santry. At this point my other knee was beginning to scream pain! It was the same type of issue which led me to believe the injury is down to the runners getting on a bit. I continued through it but at this stage I'm sure my gritted teeth were beginning to grind a little!
When I passed through coolock I felt the need to pour some water on the two knees to cool them down! It worked for about half a mile until they were sore again:eek:.
Eventually I arrived home. The last 2 miles were extremely unpleasant but I promised myself I wouldn't stop. When I removed the Kayanos I noticed the black outsole in the rear-right of the right shoe (Where my heel strikes the ground initially) and the equivalent area on the left shoe were worn to the white mid-sole. This suggested to me that indeed they are worn-out and when I think about it they have probably served me for about 500 miles so I suppose it's time for a change alright...!

Session Details:
Distance: 20 miles
Time: 3Hr 11mins
Pace: 9:33 min/mile.

belcarra

Rest Day
Given the torture I suffered last night I thought it best to give the knees an opportunity to recover.
So, with my run-free evening, i decided to go shop for a new pair of Kayanos. Ended up in Elvery's buying a pair of Kayano 16's. I didn't really expect them to be any different from the 15's but from first impressions and a brief 10min walk in them they appear much more comfortable than the 15's. I must check later but I may have bought a pair a half size bigger this time round. Either way, looking forward to going out in them tomorrow evening as the knees should be fine by then.
I just hope this solves the problem or otherwise I'll need to book an appointment with a Witch Doctor/Physio!!

TheLargerBowl

belcarra wrote: »

So, with my run-free evening, i decided to go shop for a new pair of Kayanos. Ended up in Elvery's buying a pair of Kayano 16's. I didn't really expect them to be any different from the 15's but from first impressions and a brief 10min walk in them they appear much more comfortable than the 15's.

Really? I wasn't a huge fan of the 16s when I tried them in the shop, and ended up buying a third pair of 15s...

belcarra

TheLargerBowl wrote: »

Really? I wasn't a huge fan of the 16s when I tried them in the shop, and ended up buying a third pair of 15s...

I'll give you an update tomorrow!:)

belcarra

Went for a run to try out the new Kayanos 16’s today…and I was pretty pleased with them. They feel more spacious than the old 15’s but maybe I just bought a half size bigger? The heels are much softer also which is a good thing because the 15’s used to annoy me sometimes. One thing however is that they seem less cushioned than the 15’s.
Anyways, I went for another LSR as per my route on Tuesday. Tonight was less pleasant weather-wise and as I was running the seafront towards Clontarf it was getting worse. I decided to turn around about a mile earlier than Tuesday night in recognition of this fact. My knee held up perfectly all the way until approx 11/12 miles when it began to get a little sore. It wasn’t really until the last 3 miles that it was at its worst and the left knee never got sore at all so hopefully it’s on the mend now and it was indeed down to the footwear. I finished in less than 3hours but with a quicker pace than Tuesday night even though I was still taking it handy.
In two minds about going again today for another run. I know I should let the knee recover by giving it a couple of days off but I’m just wary of falling behind the plan…I might just go for a short 5 miler and see how it reacts…

Session Details:
Distance: 18.8 miles
Time: 2Hr 52mins 39secs
Pace: 9:11 min/mile.

belcarra

My bloody knee was still a little sore today so decided to stay off it again and give myself another rest day:rolleyes:.
It appears to remedy itself to about 80% within 48hrs so I should be right to go back out tomorrow hopefully.

belcarra

Met up with my brother in the Park today at 11am. We ran 11 miles together before he had to leave so I continued on for another Southern loop which brought me up to exactly 16 miles. This was a good run in really nice weather if a little cold at times.
I think I'm coping with these long runs pretty well over the past few weeks (If you ignore the knee that is!) and I finished feeling pretty fresh. I didn't wanna push it any further today as I intend another run tomorrow of 10+ miles so I should have a fully functioning knee at least!
All these LSRs got me to wondering: Is there a good alternative to the back2back LSRs for Ultra training?? If one was to complete 3-4 LSRs of 15+ miles each week would I be better off for endurance or worse in the long term? Seeing as this is my first Ultra it's all about completing the course and my time is almost irrelevant so I feel the tempo/fartlek/short runs aren't likely to be very applicable to what I'm aiming for. Sure the odd shortish run for time pressure purposes but intervals?? It'd be interesting to hear some feedback...

Session Details:
Distance: 16 miles
Time: 2Hr 23mins 19secs
Pace: 8:57 min/mile.

belcarra

Damn that 1000 mile league table!
Today should probably have been a rest day and I could have done with giving my knee an extra little time to recuperate fully but it being the last day of January I was determined to kick on and break the 200 mile barrier for the month! Perched on 192 miles it meant I only needed an 8.xx mile run to see me through. Started off a little easily for the first 300m but then began to up the pace over the course of the next 500m and before I knew it I was in the 6:3x's. This was repeated a couple more times during the run so what had been meant as an easy run to simply get over the line of 200miles now became a fairly tough fartlek run! And my knees were both fine today so hopefully that's all sorted now.

All good though but I've promised myself just an easy 5mile run tomorrow...let's see how that turns out!

Session Details:
Distance: 8.9 miles.
Time: 1hr 11mins 47secs
Pace: 8:03 min/mile

Killerz

Good running belcarra, i am jealous of the mileage that you are clocking up. It may be worth getting the physio to check your knee - it could be all linked with your core fitness and pronation.

You'll be well positioned for the Connemara Ultra. I really wish I didn't have to defer my entry (due to moving to Canada), but I'm working towards a 50 miler trail race at the end of May - every cloud has a silver lining!

Good luck with the training.

belcarra

Killerz wrote: »

Good running belcarra, i am jealous of the mileage that you are clocking up. It may be worth getting the physio to check your knee - it could be all linked with your core fitness and pronation.

You'll be well positioned for the Connemara Ultra. I really wish I didn't have to defer my entry (due to moving to Canada), but I'm working towards a 50 miler trail race at the end of May - every cloud has a silver lining!

Good luck with the training.

Thanks for that Killerz!
pretty happy with the mileage alright considering the weather at the start of the month and the knee towards the end of the month. Hopefully Feb should result in more miles in 3 days less:D

Sounds like you're not taking it easy on yourself anyways if the 50miler is anything to go by! I'm pretty sure that once Connemara is out of the way I'm unlikely to go past Marathon distance again...but then again that's what i said when I was training for my first Marathon! (Even thinking of roping an extra 0.7mile into my warmup so I can tell people it was a 40 mile distance rather than this 39.3 mile business!!)

Best of luck with the 50 miler anyways!

belcarra

I use way too many exclamation marks!!

belcarra

This is a log of my mileage for January...excluding the first three days when I was a lazy f'er!
04/01/2010 05/01/2010 06/01/2010 07/01/2010 08/01/2010 09/01/2010 10/01/2010
8.1 miles, middle 3 at MP (5:14) 9.3 miles, including 3x1.2 miles at HMP (4:58) 1hr 20mins. Rest AM: Easy 5-mile jog (8km @ 10.3kph) 47:00. 16 Miles / 25.75km / 2:30:00 12.5 Miles / 20.1km / 1:57:26 Rest
11/01/2010 12/01/2010 13/01/2010 14/01/2010 15/01/2010 16/01/2010 17/01/2010
10 miles, (5:54) 4.3 miles / 7km on Treadmill in 38:00, (5:30) 9.3 miles / 15km (5:42) Rest 20.5 Miles / 33km / 3:08:21 14.5 Miles / 23.5km / 2:14:20 Rest
18/01/2010 19/01/2010 20/01/2010 21/01/2010 22/01/2010 23/01/2010 24/01/2010
7.5 miles / 12.1km (8:23) 10.5 miles / 16.9km (8:27) 5 miles / 8.05km (8:35) 10 miles / 16.1km (9:18)
25/01/2010 26/01/2010 27/01/2010 28/01/2010 29/01/2010 30/01/2010 31/01/2010
20 miles / 32.2 km (9:35) 18.8 miles / 30.3 km (9:11) 16 miles / 25.8 km (8:57) 8.9 miles / 14.3 km (8:03)