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Plodder's progress

plodder

Ok, decided to take the plunge and record my running here.

Having run 4 DCMs since 2004, all around the 4:00 mark, this year's (probably ambitious) goal was to try and hit 3:30. The quick buildup in mileage and a general lack of care towards flexibility definitely contributed to the plantar fasciitis that has plagued me since the Summer, and which scuppered the marathon plan. Over the last month seems like I've built up again to a 4 or 5 mile run every second day. So finally, there seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, injury-wise.

So, the immediate goal is to gradually increase the mileage a bit, lose some weight (95 kg - 5 kg hopefully) and try to build up the pace again for one or two weekly runs. In the Spring then, we'll see about a program for next years DCM. Finger's crossed .....:pac:

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plodder

kennyb3 wrote: »

Hi Plodder,

I think the 10k and half marathon show you have the speed for 8m/m to feel very easy on the day and you ve plenty of good quality long runs done so thats the stamina covered. Best of luck with it. The training has gone well so have faith.

Thanks. Appreciate that !!

pgmcpq

plodder wrote: »

It's hard to imagine doing 26 at 8:00 to be honest

We're all wondering this right now ! I'm thinking of starting a taper madness support group ! Runner (lying on a couch) : "Well Doctor I suppose it began in week 2 of training ...."

I'm the world's worst at this but - repeat after me:

plodder wrote: »

It's hard to imagine doing 26 at 8:00 to be honest, but you have to have faith in the program I suppose. I see myself cranking out the 8.00 miles my training has prepared me for

plodder

Well, what happened to the Indian Summer we were supposed to have this weekend? It didn't show up in Dublin anyway ...

Friday 8 Oct
4 miles recovery @ 9:10

Saturday 9 Oct
BHAA Teachers XC Race 4 miles in 28:20 (7:03 pace) plus 1 mile warmup. First Xc of winter series. Great race and really enjoyed it. Started at back of field and really got caught up in traffic, being a narrow course. But it forced me to pace myself, and conveniently provides the official excuse for not breaking 28 minutes. Was glad that the course was very firm, as I didn't want to risk wearing spikes at this stage. I find they don't have much support for the ankles.

Sunday 10 Oct
16.5 miles at 8:30 (nearly constant pace). Stopped in a shop for water. It was cold this morning so I figured I wouldn't need much. Took one gel before hand and one with the water.

Must say, I was hoping the taper would be a bit more ... tapery. Let's see about next week. :pac: Sports massage tomorrow. I've had about 6 of them over the last two months, and they've been very helpful I think. I was definitely on the brink of knee and hip problems, which I seem to have kept at bay.

Total mileage for week: 41

plodder

Week of Oct 11

Tuesday
7 miles @ 8:02. Clontarf sea-front. Very warm. Hope it's not this warm for marathon.

Wednesday
8 miles with 3 @ 7:15, 7:15, 7:07. Perfect cool weather today.

plodder

Thursday
Rest

Friday
Rest (should have done Saturday's run today)

Saturday
4.5 miles @ 8:40

Sunday
12 miles @ 8:30 (couple of MP miles at end). Went back to one of my old hilly routes. Reminded me of how tough they were, and how hard it is to judge effort/pace etc. when running on hills. The first 6 miles is up hill, followed by 2 steepish down, followed by 4 fairly level. Legs quite sore afterwards. Hope I didn't overdo it.

Went to Wheelworx on Sat, and bought a few more caffienated Powerbar gels. Might as well give myself every possible chance. One thing about Powerbar gels, is they have fructose which is known to be hard(er) to digest, and boy, I could fart for Ireland as a result. God help anyone running near to me next Monday. :pac:

plodder

Week Oct 18

Tuesday
6 miles @ 8:10 including 6 x 100m strides

Wednesday
7 miles @ 8:17 incl. 2 @ 7:54, 7:51 (a bit tough into the wind)

Hope there isn't too much wind on Monday. It was a bit uncomfortable keeping PMP into the wind today. Only plan to do a short run on Friday and that's it before the big day.

plodder

Last post before Monday. After my run on Wednesday, I got this strange ache in my right calf, which kind of went away gradually, and then reappeared during and after the last run on Friday. It's kind of nagging me since then. I hope I'm just being ultra sensitive and it won't be a problem. Anyway, can't do anything about it now.

I can't decide whether to go for 3:30 or 3:25. I've printed out both pace bands, and will probably decide on the morning. If the weather is really good with little wind, I might go for the 3:25.

plodder

I want to write all this down because I'll forget it soon, and this is probably the last post on this thread.

Somehow managed to wake up an hour late (7 instead of 6) so breakfast was a bit more limited than I had planned. It was quite a rush to get in there as well on time. Got to start area with about 5 mins to go.

Main target was to beat 3:30, but decided to go for 3:25 on the day. I used 5 Powerbar gels and one of the supplied Hi Fives. I'm glad I wasn't depending on them though because I thought the handing-out was a bit haphazard. They were easy to miss. That was the only criticism I'd make in an otherwise faultlessly organised race. The baggage area and finish in particular, were excellent. The course was great as usual. This was my first year seeing the new start in the city centre. It's absolutely stunning and shows off the city at its best. A US runner I was chatting to afterwards couldn't praise the course highly enough.

Overall the run for me was good. I can't complain really. I was very comfortable right up to 20 miles, though slowed bit for last 6.

Garmin auto-splits were:

8:04, 7:42, 7:47, 7:30, 7:47, 7:42, 7:31, 7:21, 7:21, 7:50, 7:40, 7:53, 7:53, 7:55, 7:45, 8:01, 7:45, 7:52, 8:01, 8:08, 8:23, 8:04, 8:00, 8:16, 8:12, 8:01, 7:36. (overall distance overestimated by about 320metres.)

Looking at those numbers now, it's clear either I went out too fast, or just wussed out over the last 6 miles. Probably a bit of both. The breathing had picked up noticeably from mile 16, but nevertheless, I'm a bit of a "gasper" in all races. My limiting factor is always the amount of oxygen I can get into my lungs, and I do think I could have pushed it a little bit more. I was nowhere near as oxygen-starved as I normally would be at the end of a race. Having said that the main goal was to beat 3:30 and after 4 previous marathons with only 2-3 minute improvements each time, it's a great feeling to knock 25 minutes off.

Pleasant surprise just before the last mile as the family had come in unexpectedly to cheer me on. That was a nice boost just before the finish. Meant I couldn't make it to McGrattans afterwards though unfortunately.

I met pgmcpq(?) afterwards also, who I think ran a very good time close to 3:15 I think (in spite of injury).

Some other memories from the race:

- the deer in Phoenix park that wanted to get across the route, and looked like they were going to jump over the runners heads
- the crowds all along the route, particularly around Kilmainham/Rialto and at the finish.
- perfect weather. No wind in face dragging up Crumlin rd. - instead beaming sunshine.
- the pacers and the huge balloons. It was great to be able to see the 3:15 pacers ahead of me, for a good few miles.
- an English guy called Jason, who had his name on his shirt, and was struggling a bit, but still managed to thank every single person who cheered him on. Some guy called "grouch" as well. It was funny hearing people shout "come on Grouch!".
- I was surprised how so many runners were taking big wide sweeps on the route around 16 miles plus, where there wasn't much traffic and the racing line was really quite a bit shorter.
- a guy running in Vibrams. Saw him early on in the race (looking very relaxed). Would love to know how he got on.
- "tiger" man. Was running alongside him for a good bit. Perfect excuse for a guy to put on a leotard (or was it a tri-suit?) and plaster yourself with make-up.
- the guy near the end, who cleverly just caught your eye, and said "1 mile to go", like he was your personal coach - really effective.

After doing 5 DCMs, I think it's time to try a different one next. Maybe Berlin next year, and 3:15 to aim for :rolleyes:

menoscemo

Fair play plodder cracking time. I'm glad to see you shifted all the doubts you had in the middle of training. Nice report to boot.
So are you going to stick with P&D?

plodder

menoscemo wrote: »

Fair play plodder cracking time. I'm glad to see you shifted all the doubts you had in the middle of training. Nice report to boot.
So are you going to stick with P&D?

Thanks Meno. Not too shabby an improvement yourself either (45 mins?) Will probably stick with the P&D 55 mile program. I found it really suited me, and there's plenty for me to improve on. But, I'm going to take it very easy for a good few weeks now.

pgmcpq

plodder, great to meet you and conmgrats on the run. Yup that was me - pretty impressed that you identified me from a photo. You were clearly in better shape post race than I was. Took me many atempts to finally get those sweats on!

plodder

So, I took pretty much two months off after the DCM. I only intended to take two weeks, but work got busy and then that weather struck ... And without going into details, I was a bit worried about an injury that was bugging me as well.

By the time January arrived I'd put on nearly the whole stone I lost :mad: and certainly fitness was ancient history.

I don't even know how much running I've done in Jan (until I write it down here now).

Dec 13 4.7 ml @ 8:21
Dec 28 4.6 ml @9:20
Dec 30 4.6 ml @ 9:40

Jan 4 7.3 ml @9:20
Jan 7 9.6 ml @ 12:10
Jan 9 7 ml @ 9:11
Total for week: 24

Jan 12 6 ml @ 8:10
Jan 13 4.7 ml @8:45
Jan 16: 8.7 ml @ 8:23
Total for week: 19.4

Jan 19: 4 miles @ 8:42
Jan 22: 6.5 miles @ 8:45
Jan 23: 12 miles @ 8:55
Total for week: 22.5

Wed Jan 26: 5 miles @ 7:50
Thu Jan 27: 4 miles @ 10:00
Sun Jan 30: 8.5 miles @ 9:00
Total for week: 17.5

Tue Feb 1: 5 miles, incl 4 @ 7:45

As I look at this Im shocked that I'm only getting out three times a week. So, the first goal is to try and get back to running at least 5 times a week, preferably 6. Will try to build on one LSR and one tempo run during week for next couple of months.

plodder

Wed Feb 2 4 miles @ 9:00
Fri Feb 4 5 miles 9:00
Sun Feb 6 5 mile @ 8:00
Total for week 19 miles

Tue Feb 8 5 mile @ 8:40
Wed Feb 9 5 mile @ 8:20
Thu Feb 10 4.8 ml @ 9:30
Sat Feb 12 NCF XC 4.8 mile @ 7:25 (36:17)
Sun Feb 13 6.5 mile @ 8:30
Total for week 26 miles

This is the first week I've been happy with since I started back in Jan. I've been making excuses for myself since then that I lost so much fitness in the 2 months off, but having run a race on Saturday to puking point, I know exactly where I stand now, and know what I have to do to get fit again.

plodder

15 Feb 5 miles@ 9:15
18 Feb 4.9 miles @ 9:23
19 Feb 5.3 miles @ 7:45 (ALSAA BHAA XC mudbath)

Total for week 15.2 miles

Mon 21 Feb 5 @ 7:51
Tue 22 Feb 5 @ 8:50
Thu 24 Feb 4.5 @ 8:36
Sun 27 Feb 12.5 @ 8:40

Total for week 27 miles

plodder

Tue 1 Mar 5 mile @ 7:45
Wed 2 Mar 5 mile @ 8:23
Sat 5 Mar 3.9 mile @ 7:17
Sun 6 Mar 8.7 mile @ 8:38

Total miles for week: 22.6

Another short week, really need to get back to 5 runs per week at least

. BHAA race on Sat was good - hilly, but great fast course - 28:17, thought I was getting back to 7 min miles, but the course was a bit short.

plodder

Apparently, there's some dude who runs in the BHAA who doesn't train at all, but runs every race he can find. I'm beginning to know what that feels like. Two races now in two weekends, but precious little training in between.

Tue 5 miles --
Wed 5 miles @ 8:20
Sat 4 miles @ 7:13 (BHAA race at Maynootth - 29:23)

Total for week: 14 miles

plodder

Week starting Monday 14 March

Mon 5 miles @ 7:50
Tue 5 miles @ 8:45
Wed 5 miles @ 7:54
Thu 4 miles @ 9:05
Fri 5 miles @ 8:05
Sun 14 miles @ 8:53

Total for week 38 miles

A better week at last. It was great to get out during the nice weather at work all this week, and the legs seem to be taking it ok. Did two more miles than expected due to a miscalculation today. 14 miles is the farthest I've run since October now and I really felt it afterwards.

plodder

Week starting Mon March 21

Tue 6.5 miles @ 8:30
Wed 5 miles @ 7:45
Thu 5 miles @ 8:30
Fri 5 miles @ 8:30
Sun 5 miles @ 32:00 (yep 32 minute miles and it was the toughest workout of the week :pac:. Climbed Nephin mtn. in Mayo. The quads are still aching 4 days later)

Will try and do one faster session per week for next while to try and improve speed a bit.

plodder

Week starting Monday March 28

Mon 5 miles @ 8:50
Tue 5 miles @ 8:15
Wed 5 miles @ 8:40
Fri 5 mile @ 8:00
Sun 9 mile @ 8:15

Total 29 miles

Week starting Monday April 4

Tue 5 @ 8:20
Wed 5 @ 8:00
Thu 7.1 @ 8:45
Sat 4 @ 6:55 (BHAA race St. Annes Park 27:42)
Sun 13 @ 9:00

Total 34 miles

Race on Saturday was good. It's a flat fast course, mostly inside St. Annes park, with a small half mile stretch just outside. Started off too fast at about 6:30 pace. Was aiming just to beat 7:00. I felt my lace loosen then, and had to stop and tie it. Must have lost at least 30 seconds over that stupidity. But managed to get just under 28 minutes. So, was very happy with that.

plodder

Week starting Monday April 11

Tue 5 miles @ 8:30
Wed 5 miles @ 7:50 (4 miles @ 7:25)
Thu 7.3 @ 8:40 (incl 6 x 100m strides)
Sat 6.2 @ 7:02 (BHAA K club 10k 43:12)
Sun 11.2 @ 8:45

Total for week 34.7 miles

I'm going to have to buy another USB stick for the Garmin, to replace the one I lost. I'm really missing the detailed info you get off the watch. By Sunday evening, I'm forgetting a lot of the detail about the runs.

Anyway, the notable run this week was the K-club race. Fantastic event. Even better than last year, which was its first running. Conditions were perfect. Dry but not too warm (like last year). There was a huge (for the BHAA) field of 400. But, what I like about these races is that I can start near the back and still not get caught up in traffic. I started out easy enough at 7:30 (mile) pace for first km and ended up averaging 7:02 overall. So, I'm happy with that. Was about 30 seconds faster than last year, possibly a PB.

Found it tough to do a long run today. Wasn't too well recovered after a boozy and meaty barbecue last night, but got it done anyway.

plodder

Week starting Mon April 18

Tue 5 miles @ 9:00
Wed 5 miles (4 @ 7:30)
Thu 7.15 miles @ 8:30
Sat 14 miles @ 8:40

Total for week: 31 miles

Week starting Mon April 25

Wed 4.8 miles @ 9:15
Thu 6 miles @ 9:20
Fri 7 miles @ 9:00
Sun 12 miles @ 9:20

Total for week: 30 miles

On Tuesday, I did a great 9 mile hike up, down and around the Sheeffry hills in Mayo, plus a 15 mile cycle to get there and back. Fantastic day, but tough workout. Serious DOMS for two days after it. I think hill walking is pretty good cross training actually. It definitely exercises muscles that don't get pushed much by running, and isn't too hard on the joints. Had hoped to do a bit more speed work, before starting on the Berlin marathon plan. I'm happy enough with the mileage done, but the quality could have been better.

plodder

Week starting Mon May 2

Tue 5 miles @ 7:30
Wed 5 miles @ 8:00
Thu 7.1 miles @ 8:30
Sun 13 miles @ 8:45

Total for week 30 miles

Got a bit of a groin strain after working in the garden on Sat, and it really hurt for today's long run. I've had a lot of similar problems before. So, hopefully this won't last.

plodder

Week starting Mon May 9
Tues 5 miles @ 8:50
Wed 5 miles (4 @ 7:12, 7:16, 7:37, 7:27)
Thu 7.1 miles @ 8:30
Sat 3.1 mile @ 9:20
Sun 7 mile @ 9:10

Total for week 27 miles

Short run today (Sun) ... my bad

I have to say the Sat run was sublime though. It was over a steep hill, yet it seemed effortless.

plodder

week starting Mon May 16

Mon 5 miles @ 8:15
Tue 5 miles (4 @ 7:06, 7:09, 7:30, 7:30)
Wed 5 miles (9:10, 7:50, 8:15, 8:24, 8:45)
Thu 7.3 (8:20, 7:50, 7:55, 8:24, 8:26, 13:00*, 9:17)
Fri 3 miles easy
Sun 13 miles (8:33 8:00 7:45 7:55 7:55 8:05 8:05 8:05 8:00 8:15 9:00 8:35 7:55)

Total for week 38.3 miles

Enjoyed this week. Looking forward to starting the 18 week program for Berlin now.

plodder

week starting Mon May 23

Tue 5 miles @ 8:15
Wed 8 miles @ 8:00 (8:20, 8:00, 7:25, 7:25, 7:40, 7:30, 8:30, 8:40)
Thu 9 miles @ 8:30
Sat 5 miles @ 8:45
Sun 12 miles @ 9:00

Total for week 39 miles

Felt a bit of a twinge in sole of left foot on Saturday, and it hadn't gone away by Sun. So, it got progressively worse through Sunday's run and ended up walking the last mile. It felt like the old plantar fasciitis was back. Got myself some new orthotic insoles in the chemist (the previous ones were very tatty and worn) and went mad stretching the calf and hamstring for the next two days (that was basically the treatment last time). So, I didn't run Monday or Tuesday. Took it quite gently yesterday and it held up pretty well. Today's 8 miler with 10 x 100m strides was fine. So, with a bit of luck I might have staved it off. Been quite bad about stretching recently. That's probably what caused it.

pgmcpq

plodder wrote: »

Been quite bad about stretching recently. That's probably what caused it.

Skipping or skimping on the post run stretch is pretty much a guarentee of injury for me. (Wouldn't know about gardening as our neighbours could tell you!).

What's the plan for Berlin ?

plodder

pgmcpq wrote: »

Skipping or skimping on the post run stretch is pretty much a guarentee of injury for me. (Wouldn't know about gardening as our neighbours could tell you!).

What's the plan for Berlin ?

I was doing ok stretching for most runs except for the long Sunday run, which is probably the one I most needed to stretch after. That'll teach me. :rolleyes:

Really not sure about Berlin. I'm starting the same P&D 55 mile program as last time, and actually I'm feeling fitter than this time last year, but I don't feel fully committed yet. We'll see how the first few weeks go. I was hoping to aim for 3:15 (12 minutes faster than DCM 2010), but if the motivation doesn't improve, that's not realistic. We'll see ....

plodder

week starting Mon May 30

Wed 3.5 miles @ 9:00 (took it easy after foot problem)
Thu 8 miles @ 8:30 (incl. 10 x 100m strides)
Sun 13 miles @ 8:50

Total for week 24.5 miles

Oops! Short week, but the foot seems to be ok! Did a nice mountain hike on Sat though.

week starting Mon Jun 6

Tue 10 mile @ 7:54 (8:24 7:36 7:46 7:47 7:46 8:00 7:49 7:52 7:53 8:04)

plodder

Week starting Mon June 6

Tue 10 miles @ 7:54 (8:24, 7:35, 7:46, 7:47, 7:46, 8:00, 7:49, 7:52, 7:53, 8:04)

Wed 4.5 @ 9:30

Thu 8 @ 8:08 (8:17, 8:19, 7:22, 7:25, 7:27, 7:28, 9:13, 9:40).

Sat 2 miles recovery. Went over on my ankle on a rough patch on grass at ALSAA. Bloody ground is still incredibly hard despite the rain this weekend. I've done this before and it only seems to affect sideways motion of the ankle. But cut the run short just in case.

Sun 14 @ 8:22 (8:42,8:25,8:30,8:35,8:27,8:22,8:23,8:23, 8:20,8:06,8:09,8:32,7:56). Ankle a bit sore, but ok, once I can see clearly where I'm running. Very happy with this run. Perfect drizzly conditions, and felt quite strong at finish.

Total for week: 38.5 miles

pgmcpq

While I like P&D I think mentally changing things up a bit is a good idea. When I was getting ready for Barcelona I did the 12/70 program because that's all I had time for ... but I actually like the shorted/harder program. Now I am ( well I was before this shoulder stupidity) doing a 10k program. Really very different stuff and the short fast interval stuff has really been hard but refreshing. I think that when I switch back to the longer distances in a few weeks for the next marathon I will find it relatively easy to get back to relatively slower paces (it also works well this way with the weather here).
My (long winded!) point is that it sounds like you (and your motivation) might benefit from shaking things up a bit. I can almost hear the "18 weeks of grind" thinking from here ! My results don't allow me give advice but this time around I am using P&D as a structure but with some variation on the individual sessions - partly with an eye on the NY course and partly to keep myself interested.
Mind that ankle - I have gone over on both recently and it can linger.