Sub 2.30 marathon? Suits you sir!

smmoore79

Sun 17 Dec 17 - 14 miles(with 4 at HMP)

With the forest and large parts of the main park in Berlin being muddy as hell I decided to get this session done in the nearby palace grounds.  So my route was 1 mile out, 12 miles there and 1 mile home.  The grounds itself is roughly a 2 mile loop so 6 loops and job done.  I decided on 3 miles warmup and then up the pace to HMP.  The trail itself was firm, fairly wet but otherwise ok. So with apprehension I upped the pace for 4 miles of hardship!!  As usual the first mile was ok, the hill at the end being manageable.  The second mile felt tough and come the third mile that hill felt a lot bigger!!  The last mile was torture, my breathing starting to go as I gasped at the ice cold air.  Without a Garmin I was probably getting closer to 10k perceived pace.  Still I slugged it out.  Once done it tough a half mile to catch my breath properly and get back to normal running pace.  I felt good for the last 7 miles though got that hungry feeling from mile 12 to 13.  The last mile was grand, I felt strong(probably because I knew I was heading home to a warm house with tea and biscuits

Overall a solid week of running.  Hopefully come January I will be getting closer to my old fitness.  Not sure of my HMP today.  Maybe 5 40 to 5 50.  Still Im happy with that at this early stage...

smmoore79

Mon 18 Dec 17 - 6 miles
Tue 19 Dec 17 - 6 miles
Wed - Sat - nothing
Sun - 1 hour including 25 mins at tempo
Mon - 11.1 miles averaging 7 14 pace
Tue - 6.4 miles averaging 7 07 pace

This week wasnt a great week running wise.  The sons creche closed early for Christmas so I didnt run for 4 days in a row as a result.  But the last 3 days Ive redeemed myself.  The Sunday run with Tempo was in the forest near my in laws.  The trail rolls with inclines, nothing major until you try to get up em at Tempo!! The effort at times felt harder than tempo pushing half to 10k pace.  Still it was enjoyable feeling the pain of hard running up through muddy stretches.

Yesterday I hit over 11 miles in same forest.  Again it was enjoyable, as I wasnt flogging my body up through the trails.  Today, more of the same but shorter.  So the plan is for more of the same as I try to get back into some form of shape!!

smmoore79

Wed 27 Dec 17 - 8 miles w 2 at 10k pace

This was a tough one.  The quads felt a bit shredded from the last 3 days so I was trying to convince myself to reschedule.  So I headed out the door leaving behind the in laws for some "clear the head" running.  Its 2 miles from my start point to the forest.  After a mile I convinced myself on an easy run.  2 miles gone and entering the forest I said f"ck it just run hard!! So I pushed myself through the forest trail.  The first bit felt grand with some mild rolling inclines.  Just after mile 1 theres a sharp hill followed by a longish gradual incline.  This knocked me for 6, and I was heaving as I now reached a sharp downhill at 1.5 miles.  The last half mile I was in bits but pushed on by a random car on the forest trail.  It was quite annoying so toward the end I came off the main trail and onto some off the beaten track mulch.  Thankfully my new Garmin beeped and I could catch my breath for my 4 miles easy pace home.

My splits on the 2 miles at 10k pace were 5 23 and 5 35.  Im happy enough with those splits.  I guess the difference here is a mix of still not being 100%  race fit and the 2nd mile being tougher than the first.  Still, decent enough considering both were in a forest!  Its deffo something to work off as I continue to train for the Leipzig half in April and maybe Dublin full..

smmoore79

Thur 28 Dec 17 - 6 miles (6 58 av pace)
Fri 29 Dec 17 - 8 miles (7 00 av pace)
Sat 20 Dec 17 - 5 miles (7 12 av pace)

Headed out to Meissen for Thursday and Fridays run.  Our hotel overlooked the river Elbe and a beautiful old castle town on a hill.  The path along the river goes for a serious amount of miles, we were near Dresden in East Germany and in theory I could have run from here to Hamburg in North Germany on continuous path!!  Needless to say I didnt make it to Hamburg, I didnt even make it to Dresden!! The first run was 3 miles towards Dresden and return.  Nice enough scenery with forests along the river.  The next day I ran in the opposite direction from Meissen away from Dresden.  This was nicer as there were nice vinyards built along the small hills on either side of the river.  Small BB's advertised wine stops for cyclists along the path.  Id say summer here with a bike would be great!!

Back to now, Im in Berlin and due to run 13 miles tomorrow. But Im tempted to turn up to a 9.9k doughnut run!  The course looks half trail, half road with a dirty great hill halfway.  Around 2500 people normally take part so it could be good banter.  Will see what I feel like doing tomorrow, tough decision!!

smmoore79

Sun 31 Dec 17 - 13 miles av 6 49 pace in 1hr 28 mins

So my last run of 2017 was not a 10k trail race, but rather 13 miles as per the HM plan that I created.  This run was rather enjoyable as I felt full of energy.  It took 1.5 miles to get to Grunewald forest and from there it was lovely trail!  At 3.5 miles I got a small shock when a wild boar crossed my path about 20 metres ahead!!! He was a big f"cker so there was gonna be no messing with him.  At the back of my mind was a recent news story here in Germany of a hunter killed by a boar.  Luckily for me he disappeared off the trail and into the bowels of the forest. 

A couple of miles later I was met be a half mile stretch of mulch:O.  There was no choice but to push on through.  The sadist in me enjoyed this part   After 6.5 miles I did a U Turn and headed back home.  There were to be no more boar sightings thank God!!!

So all in all a solid week of training and the first time Ive gone higher than 50 miles in a week in ages.  57 miles this week to be exact.  I think next week will total 60 miles, the only speed work prescribed being strides.  Onwards and upwards...

smmoore79

Mon 1 Jan 18 - 5 miles
Tue 2 Jan 18 - 8 miles(incl 2 x (12x100m))
Wed 3 Jan 18 - 5 miles
Thur 4 Jan 18 - 11 miles

So the new year is here and Im off to a good start!  My 2 big runs this week were Tuesdays run and today.  It was a dark wet night in the palace grounds when I did the 8 miler.  Initially I only was supposed to do 10 x 100m, but I was in eager mood so did 12!  Another mile gone and I decided that Id hit another 12 100's.  The pace was stride pace for each one and I have to say the bit of pace was a nice variation. 

Today I headed out to Grunewald forest for 11 miles.  My stomach felt rough for 4 miles but after that I was sucking diesel!! The paces were quick even though it was muddy in parts and rolling inclines in other parts.  I actually hit a 6 23 at one stage   Overall though I averaged 6 44 per mile which is fairly moving for me.  So the rest of the week involves a 10 miler, 5 miler and 16 miler.  That should get me to 60 miles this week, woohoooo!!!

smmoore79

Fri 5 Jan 18 - 10 miles
Sat 6 Jan 18 - 5 miles
Sun 7 Jan 18 - 16.14 miles

Today was gonna be my longest run in absolutely ages, maybe since my Oslo 2015 training, so there was a bit of apprehension as I set off at 9.30 this morning.  Grunewald is the ideal spot for this length of run, literally 8 miles out and return.  After 1.5 miles I got to the forest and felt a bit light, paranoia about not eating enough entered my mind.  So for the next 5 miles I worried about this thought!  Around now I happened to look at my garmin pace and it was low 6 pace :O.  Still I felt ok and the hunger hadnt hit me yet.  Parts were still a bit mulchy and a couple of nice little inclines but overall its great trail.  At the 8 mile mark I managed to cross the whole forest and reach the lake on the other side.  This boosted the confidence. 

11 miles in and 2 women and a dog were walking towards me.  The bugger decided my legs looked tasty and went for me!!! In fairness the owner was mortified but the event managed to spike my adrenaline.  I was still hitting quick splits but would this knock me?  The legs felt heavier and maybe this was the dogs fault for scaring the bejaysus outta me?  I looked up and realised I was running up a gradual incline and looking back Id already covered a big chunk of incline.  The trail levelled off and I felt ok.  The Garmin hit 13 miles.  Now the worry of tanking really kicked in.  So I just took it 1 mile at a time.  The rest of the miles were quick aswell and there was no sign of tanking

Overall my pace was 6 18 per mile!!, 6 bloody 18!! 16.14 miles in 1 hour 41 mins.  This was quicker than my first half marathon a couple of months ago!!!  SO a real confidence booster today.  Fitness deffo coming back slowly but surely...

Oh yeah, my runs are on Garmin connect but Im not sure how or if any of you can look/access them..

OOnegative

Great long run that, fair play.

smmoore79

Mon 8 Jan 18 - 5 miles
Tue 9 Jan 18 - 8 miles(2 at 10k pace)

So today I hit the palace grounds.  I dont know what it is with this place but its hard to hit decent splits.  The forest makes for great splits reading but here is harder work!!  After feck all sleep from my son having broncitis I headed out with trepidation.  Strangely enough once I got going, there was no tiredness and no real stiffness from Sundays run.  After 2 miles I upped the pace.  There was a nasty icy wind blowing into me for good chunks but otherwise I was ok.  The first mile was fine, 5 30 - a little slow for my liking but not the end of the world.

The 2nd 10k pace mile felt tougher as I hit the river side of the palace the ice wind hit me hard.  With a half mile left I started to tire, but I made it it one piece and tipped around for the remainder of the 8 miler.  Overall Im happy enough,  2 weeks ago on the same session I hit a 5 25 followed by 5 35.  Today I hit 5 30 followed by 5 25 in windier conditions.  Not a lot in it except that my 2nd split was faster this time round which may suggest my endurance is coming back! Plus on the day in a 10k Id expect a faster split, taking the race buzz into account and the fact it would be a road race(today was on trail).

More mileage for the rest of the week which culminates with a 15 miler including 5 at half marathon pace; Lord help me :O

smmoore79

.....

smmoore79

Wed 10 Jan 18 - 5 miles
Thus 11 Jan 18 - 11.15 miles avg 7 13 pace

Today was more of a recce run.  I have it in my head to set up a run tour business here in Berlin.  So I wanted to see if the River Spree had anything to offer between the palace in West Berlin and the city centre.  It was so dull and miserable out there and unfortunately there wasnt a whole lot to see between both points, save the odd industrial building and indutrial bridge.  Ive done the river cruise from here and I remember it being good.  Maybe coz I had a beer in my hand and I was preoccupied with talking with my folks who were here on a visit.  Running the same route was too mundane so I doubt this will be part of the tour plan.  Still, its good to run new parts of the city.  Theres 2 other run tours that are operating from here and they max out at 10k.  Maybe I'll aim for a more longer running niche market and hit a 10 mile tour

AuldManKing

Whats the running/racing scene like over there??

smmoore79

AuldManKing wrote: »

Whats the running/racing scene like over there??

Im still not too sure as Ive been sitting on the fence a while.  Theres 2 clubs not too far from me.  1 organises the Berlin marathon and look like the Berlin Clonliffe with a nice little stadium.  The other is 10 mins walk away and also have a nice track but are a lot smaller.  Im sure if I join either that I'll find a decent running scene. But the fact is that Im half marathon training and will then be full marathon training so it suits me to do these sessions alone which is why I havent joined either yet.  I might drop ether an email to see if they have any long distance groups and at my level..

smmoore79

Fri 12 Jan 18 - 12 miles at 7 13 pace

Again today was a recce run which involved some stopping at traffic lights etc.  My run was all in west Berlin starting from my apartment, hitting the palace.  From there I followed the canal to Tiergarten park where I headed on to city west.  Here I stopped at the Europa centre/Kaiserwilheim church and retraced my steps home.  Definitely a lot of sights on this run.  So I think I have a big West Berlin tour route of about 10 miles and also a smaller one 10k

This weekend involves a handy 5 miler and a not so handy 15 miler with 5 miles at HM pace.  In an ideal world Id be hitting 5 20's but its still early doors so 5 35 to 5 40 would do at the job.  It'll be on forest trail so technically a bit slower anyways..

smmoore79

Sat 13 Jan 18 - 5 miles
Sun 14 Jan 18 - 15 miles(4 at HM)

Today was gonna be a big one for me, lots of miles and a lot of pace.  Initially my plan was for 5 miles at HM pace included in the 15 miles so I headed out to the forest trail to try and get this done.  After a mile I was hitting sub 7 minute miles as I bounded along the trail.  After 3 mile I decided to bite the bullet and up the pace.  I felt ok for the first bit although the cold air was tough to breathe(it was -8 out there today!!!).  2 miles in and my paces were in the 5 30's although now I was struggling a little.  The 3rd mile was tough and it felt there was more uphill incline here as I slogged it out, this one slipped to the 5 40's as a result.  Once the terrain levelled out I could regroup and ran by feel though I knew that 5 would be a bridge too far.  At last 4 were complete and the pace was back in the 5 30's.  I lowered the pace again; maybe I could have pushed a 5th but with the cold and the difficulty breathing I thought caution was best practice.  So I could relax now for the rest of the run.  I thought about doing 1 more pacey mile throughout the return home but at this stage I thought the benefit wouldnt really be there, 4 miles fast is good enough for now.

Back home now and reading the splits, most are in the 6 minute zone excluding the HM pace part.  Happy enough as really the pace of my HM miles are only 10-13 seconds off race pace on the day(excluding the 3rd HM mile which was over an uphill incline).  Im just gonna keep training through and over the next few months pace will come hopefully.

On another note, I contacted an athletics club here in Berlin who summer train on an outdoor track in Grunewald forest and winter train indoors out by the Olympic stadium.  Think I'll head out Thursday for their Tempo session to get a feel for how they operate.  Their main guys are training for the Paris full marathon in April so not too sure how many sessions I could do with them as Im HM training now..

7 27;  6 28;  6 30;  5 37;  5 32;  5 43;  5 37;  6 49;  6 28;  6 28;  6 30;  6 17;  6 37;  6 29;  6 32

smmoore79

Mon 15th Jan 18 - off
Tue 16th Jan 18 - 7 miles
Wed 17th Jan 18 - 9 miles (incl 2 x 12*100m)
Thur 18th Jan 18 - Club session ((16*50m(50m rec); 4*150m(50m rec); 2*150m(50m rec); 1*1600m T(last 150m fast))
Fri 19th Jan 18 - 8 miles
Sat 20th Jan 18 - off
Sun 21 Jan 18 - 14 miles

So this week was a mixed bag with 2 days being taken off.  Luckily its meant to be a "recovery" week so not the end of the world.  Either way it didnt feel like a recovery week as on Thursday I headed down to the local athletics club to train on the indoor 200m track.  Great setup there and the others on the team seem nice.  As ya can see from above, the coach gave us a very random session focusing on speed and strength.  The speed part is obvious but the strength part was in between each rep we needed to do 5 minutes of strength work such as sit ups, push ups, squats, bench press etc.  I held my own with the running part, though on the sit ups I could barely muster 15 out of 50!!!!!  Still, at this stage it was near the end of the session.  I forgot my garmin but the tempo part was 5 33 for me and I heard 1 of the lasds say 22 secs on the 150m.  All in all a good experience and Im sure I'll head back next week.  The only drawback was 3 days of muscle soreness from top to bottom :O

Today I headed out through the forest for my long run.  My body ached as I tried to put 1 foot in front of the other.  I didnt feel tired, just pure soreness and stiffness from Thursdays session!!  I got to the lake on the far side of the forest and ran a mile along this before turning and heading home.  Usually Im in the 6 30's for this long run but that slipped to overall 7 13 average pace due to my stiffness in the legs.  So all in all a decent week.  Thursday has shown me that Im seriously weak from top to bottom!!

smmoore79

Mon 22 Jan 18 - 6 miles
Tue 23 Jan 18 - 8 miles
Wed 24 Jan 18 - 10 Miles
Thur 25 Jan 18 - Dynamic WU; 8 x 400m; strength training and WD
Fri 26 Jan 18 - 6 miles
Sat 27 Jan 18 - 16.1 miles with club (hilly)
Sun 28 Jan 18 - 12 miles

This week was fairly productive.  Hit the 200m club track on Thursday, did a warm up followed by some dynamics before we were told that the session would be 400's.  One of the lads is a 2 22 marathoner so its good to be training off such a good standard.  This was my first 400 session in ages so I didnt know really how Id get on, maybe I would have hoped for 80's.  Anyway, the 2 22er asked me to lead off for the first 200m of the first rep, oh sh!t I need to hit this one hard!!  So the first 2 reps were 68's :O  After that I was Polaxed but still could motor, the hips were so sore still from previous training and I could feel fatigue around them.  The next few reps were 71 to 72 seconds.  The last couple of reps I did with an American lad who was averaging 75's so I dragged him to 72's for the final reps!!  The option was there to do 10 but I was happy enough with my 8 reps, most of the other lads also stopped at 8.  Really happy with the session as I never expected to hit 68's and 72's!

On Saturday I met up with the coach and the Belgian 2 22 marathoner for a 16 miler; there were 5 of us in total.  Usually I keep to 1 side of the forest but this one was at Teufelsberg which is a long dirty hill.  They have a 2k loop of this and also a longer 6k loop.  So after the first rep getting up the hill the Belgian lad went ahead so me and the American lad kept with him.  The coach and another German lad dropped off for a slower session.  So we did the hilly loop about 3 times before the longer 6k loop.  Towards the end of the 6k loop we were pushing up the long steep hill and the American lad got dropped.  I was pretty wrecked too I must say.  At this stage I elected to let the Belgian lad do his own thing with 7 miles gone.  The last number of miles were alone as I was ahead of the American and behind the Belgian.  Got the 16 miles done at overall 7 01 pace.  Though the splits are very up and down so to speak!!  Some were below 6 20, others were 7 to 8 minutes.  So a decent session with plenty of hill work!!

Today I did 12 miles in the forest again with heavy legs.  The weather was crap and I kinda got lost heading through a lot of heavy mud.  Overall I averaged 7 01 again but with no hills, just a few inclines.

This week was a solid week, hopefully I can keep it up.  With some luck I'll be ready for Dublin come October!!

smmoore79

Mon 29 Jan 18 - 6 miles run
Tue 30 Jan - 8 miles (with 3 miles at hm pace)
Wed 31 Jan 18 - 6 miles run
Thur 1 Feb 18 - Track - WU, (20 squats, 30 lunges, 30 sec plank, 400m - for 40 mins continuous with the squats increasing x 10 til 60 and then back down to 30)

On Tuesday I headed to the palace grounds in windy conditions to do some sort of pace session.  I tried for half pace but with the wind and the fact I ate a heavy pasta lunch just before, I only managed to get 5 38, 5 38 and 5 45 pace! PLus I can never get a fast reading here with my Garmin!!!

Yesterday evening I headed to the club for a mad session.  A lot of speed and strength here.  First we did a 30 second plank followed by 20 squats and 30 lunges.  Straight after we got up and did a bounding run to the start of the track and hit a quick 400.  Then it was back down straight away for the plank, squats and lunges, this time with 30 squats.Then another 400.  This continued with the squats increasing by 10 each time till we reached 60 squats.  Then it was back down by 10.  The total session was 40 mins in total so we managed to get to the 30 squat mark on way down.  It was a serious session, me and the Belgian lad hitting 74's and 75's for the 400's.  The 5th one was 76 as we faded running with burning quads.  The 7th and last 400 I led out and the the Belgian lad kept in my ear to up it a bit.  I was in a heap but pulled off a 73!!  After that and it was a random 15 minute game of Olympic handball?!  My glutes and muscle just above the knee are stiff this morning but thats to be expected!! 

So far a good week of training, I reckon the strength work each week will definitely help me towards the end of a long race when the tiredness sets in..

OOnegative

smmoore79 wrote: »

PLus I can never get a fast reading here with my Garmin!!!

Have same issue myself training around the forests/parks in The Hague, get some crazy readings at times.

smmoore79

Fri 2 Feb 18 - off(had to stay at home all day!!)
Sat3 Feb 18 - 16 miles VERY hilly!!
Sun 4 Feb 18 - 8 miles run
Mon 5 Feb 18 - 6 miles run
Tue 6 Feb 18 - 10 miles run (recce of a potential tour I will give in Summer!)!
Wed 7 Feb 18 - 7 miles run
Thur 8 Feb 18 - Club - 4k wu, dynamic wu, 8 x 400m(90 sec rec); strength work

Havent updated in a week so theres a fair bit up there!  Last Saturday was a long 16 mile run with the coach and the 2 22 Belgian marathoner.  We met at our outdoor track on the edge of the forest with a plan of doing a hilly loop.  To keep us all together the plan was to backtrack at any trail cross roads and run back past the slowest person(the coach!!) then turn and pass him again.  Little did I realize the amount of rolling hills we'd encounter!  It was one after the other and the Belgian lad was pushing the pace! After 7 miles I couldnt keep onto him on 1 long hill, he is savage with lots of Alpine training in his belt so it was innevitable Id drop.  But due to our looping back at a crossroads rule Id be with him again to be dragged further!  At 13 miles, we were at the back of Teufelsberg and an incredible steep hill awaited.  I was shattered  and the incline was forcing me to tip toe all the way up.  I was shell shocked here.  Still I got to the top and was relieved.  The relief was short lived as a mile later there was another fecker of a hill!! I drooled my way up this one   It was pure joy finishing the 16 miles and overall the pace was 7 01!!  My fastest was 6 18 and slowest 9 something pace..

Tuesday was a nice 10 miler.  I mapped out 10 miles of a potential tour of west Berlin.  A nice mix of city, nature and nice neighbourhoods!

Last night was a tough session.  Earlier that day I did a 4 hour walking tour of East and central Berlin so see what sights were on offer; so basically more research for me!  I think that was in my legs and in addition to my son waking me at 5 I wasnt at the races.  I really had to force decent splits.  The first was 69 and the rest were between 70 and 72.  The Belgian lad was hitting 63/64s!!  The coach seen my state and said 8 were enough.  The Belgian did 10.  Still, Im glad to get the session done as its better than not showing up and the splits are ok..

smmoore79

Fri 9 Feb 19 - 10 miles
Sat 10 Feb 18 - 17 miles
Sun 11 Feb 18 - 6 miles

Met up with a few lads from the club on Saturday, fast  2hr 22min Belgian, American and a Swedish lad the ran an 8 25 3000m race a few days ago!!!  The coach wasn't well so just asked us to do the same very hilly route as last week.  So we set off into the forest at a very relaxed pace, 8 15 for the first mile!! It wasn't long before we realized that none of us knew the exact route!  So we just ran hoping to find some hills.  We found some but nothing all that bad.  From miles 2 to 6 the pace was low 7's and was getting quicker as the Belgian lad was finding form.  We were now heading along the lake which was blanketed in grey cloud.  The pace was now 6 30's.  We hit some more hills and after 10 miles we needed to make a decision.  The American lad was suffering with the pace; the 2 other lads were itching to hit low 6'5 or high 5's.  I was happy with the current pace!! So I decided Id hang back and pace the American til we got back to the club.  I got a couple more 6 30's outta him but for miles 13 to 15 we drifted to mid 7's.  I was feeling good, he was feeling lousy and on a downhill, he took a nasty fall.  Not the best thing to happen when youre in bits!! But he dusted himself off and we continued on up a nearby hill.  I got him back to familiar territory at mile 15.  I then decided to peg on a couple of more miles so headed to Drachenberg hill.  This is at least 400m uphill to the top and my quads burnt getting up.  The reward at the top was unbelievable views of Berlin!!!.  After that I headed down and ran up another nearby road which went up to Teufelsberg hill.  That was enough hills for me so I turned back finishing at the club house, the last 2 miles being 6 40 and 6 30. 

Overall the pace was 7 02; slow at the start then a load of 6 40's/6 30's followed by some 7 30's(to help out the American lad) and finally 2 more mid 6's.  Happy with this session as there were some hills to work off and hitting 17 miles is big for me, its the furthest I've run since September 2015!!!!

smmoore79

Mon 12 Feb 18 - Sun 19 Feb 18

Hit about 50 odd miles that week.  Thursdays training was 400m all out(I was slow and only hit 65 secs!), then 4 x 150m all out with 3 mins rec.  I averaged 22 seconds. Better than the 400 anyways!!  Saturday was the 17 miler. 

Since then
My son got a bad flu and a day later I felt it!  So the day after my Saturday 17 miler, I did 8 miles.  Towards the end my legs felt sore and fluey.  After that it was 2 weeks of shivers and nightly sweats.  The wife got it too so the 3 of us had a horrible time!  Last Saturday(4th Mar 18) I felt ok or so I thought.  I decided to meet an American lad for 16 miles.  Running through the forest I felt ok.  10 miles gone and then the wheels came off.  My back ached so bad.  Then the flu feeling came into my legs.  After 12 miles my left knee got so sore that I needed to stop and stretch a few times(damn ITB!).  I managed 14 miles with the last 3 being torture.  I guess my body wasn't ready.  

Since then Ive rested allowing my body to recover.  The flu is gone but I guess after a 2 week flu I should have taken a week recovery.  Anyway back to today.  I got itchy feet and headed out the door for 4 miles.  The outside calves felt sore and inside quads.  So my plan is to ease myself into running again and get some strength work done.  The 1 thing that the flu has shown was that my ITB had issues so maybe a left side weakness.  Was meant to do a half marathon next month but I don't think Id do myself justice.  Maybe I'll still do it as a tempo, will see.  Hopefully I can still marathon train through the Summer.

On another note, Ive more or less finished my running tour website and have all my tour routes planned.  So for the next couple of months I need to learn a tonne of Berlin history!!

smmoore79

General update - marathon training to today


So its been absolutely ages since my last post! But I have been training away and did a couple of races - the Berlin S25 in 1 hur 34 mins(25km). That was tough with 22 degrees heat:eek: At the beginning of September I ran the Mercedes Berlin half marathon in 1 hour 16 mins. My legs were tired from a hard Thursday session 3 days before. Also 2 weeks ago i did a 10.7k race in 39 mins. This course was a mix of path, grass and sharp hills. I ended up winning the race(even with a 17 miler in the legs form the day before!)



In general during Summer I was hitting maybe 5 to 6 runs a week. A lot of easy running and turning up to the club on Thursdays but I would only turn up on/off. 8 weeks ago my coach asked me to run the Grunewald forest marathon. Its a race my club organises each year and is a mix of road/trails and about 1/3 of the course is hilly. So not an easy marathon and definitely not a pb marathon!!! Anyways I kinda said I would do it.


So I crammed the PD 12 week plan into an 8 week plan. Training went ok with a couple of glitches. The first glitch was my right thigh muscle being quite sore after 6 miles of running. I would almost be limping towards the end of my run!! It lasted 2 weeks and luckily I only missed 2 easy runs here. 3 weeks ago I had a visit from an old friend and went off the rails for 4 days missing an 18 miler.



But in general Ive consistently trained doing a MP/HMP/5/10k pace session each Thursday in addition to medium runs and long runs. My biggest runs were a 17 miler with 12 miles close to MP(hoping for 6 20 pace on the day), 20 miles at 6 37 overall pace(first few miles were slow and middle 14 were at MP, last 3 miles at 6 30ish pace), a 22 miler all around 7 20 pace and recently a normal pace 17 miler.



So now the race is this Saturday, my coach believes I can break the 2 47 course record. Im not so sure as my plan was so short(8 weeks); Id feel more confident if there were more 20 to 23 milers done, but it is what it is and I'll give it a lash!!:D

AuldManKing

You seem in great shape - interested to see how you get on!

smmoore79

Tue 13 Nov 18 - 8 miles(2 at MP)


The weather here has gone lousy in the last couple of weeks. Today felt like Ireland with consistent rain and grey sky's. So I headed out to Charlottenburg Palace and continued on along the river trail passing the small Berlin garden houses which stretch for 2 miles along the river. After 3 miles I upped the pace and hit a 6 14 mile followed by a 6 16 mile. Pace felt ok so at least it gives me an idea of how fast I should go.

smmoore79

Marathon Day!!!


Wed 14 Nov - rest
Thur 15 Nov - 5 miles with 6 x 100m strides
Fri 16 Nov - 4 miles easy


Sat 17 Nov - 26.2 miles in 2 hours 44 mins 47 secs


Grunewald Marathon


The lead up to this has been 8 weeks marathon training and the last 3 days with a stomach bug. The coach thought I could break the course record but I wasnt so sure due to above mentioned ailment. So I cycled out today to the club house/track where the race would start. I did a very small warm up and then lined up with the others. There was also a half marathon on too so I wasnt sure which lads that towed the line were doing what. Once the gun went off I went off like a hare with 2 lads ahead. It turned out later they were both half runners. After 1 mile my watch beeped a 5 45!!! Way too fast though the effort felt easy. The overall target pace was meant to be round 6 10. SO I tried for the next few miles to ease up a bit letting the 2nd place lad open a gap.


The next few miles were on flat surface on road along the side of the forest. Here you could zone out and hit the pace easily. So the next few were 5 56 ish. 9 km in, I turned into the forest. I was alone now, although passing many women who had started 30 mins earlier. So far so good. Then I reached the dreaded hill at 12km!! It was so long and went on for a whole km! My split here went down to 6 40 pace. I regrouped and now was on downhill were my pace was back to normal. 16km in and another hill, not quite as long but still long and tough. From here it was turning into the forest trail which rolled up and down with small hills back to the start for another half marathon loop.


So I was around 1 hour 20 on the first loop. Now to the second loop. I felt a little heavier this time round and was a little slower than first loop. Luckily I had clubmate Felip in front of me on the bike guiding me round. It was good as he could hold my water. Also he was consistently motivating me. After the long stretch I now turned into the forest. The second time I hit the hill, that mile took me 7 mins this time.


I was now working hard. The miles took so much more effort. Luckily Felip gave me some banana pieces to keep my energy up. The last 6 miles were torture, I lost a little time from 21 to 23. Mile 24 and 25 drifted to 7 15/7 30 ish. I was running on fumes now and new the wall had been hit. But I continued to put one foot in front of the other. Finally I had only 1 more mile. This was hell!!!! My pace was now a shuffle. It was such a relief when I saw the athletics track and knew Id soon stop running. My last mile drifted to 8 mins!



I crossed the line in 1st place in 2 hours 44 mins 47 seconds and on top of that it was a course record!!!! I really happy as this was the first marathon where I never stopped(even if my pace went downill for the last 4 miles). So now I can relax and train for maybe a Spring marathon thats hopefully a lot flatter!!!!!

OOnegative

Super performance, well done. Any idea what Spring marathon you may target?

smmoore79

Oops, just realized my first half was just over 1 hour 18 mins !!! At least 5 minutes faster than target:pac: So my second half was 7 mins slower, Though for 8 miles of that I was at the proper pace I should have run. That killer hill coincided with my gradual slowdown. Im such a school boy judging by losing so much time in second half, but having said that, I was overall 3 minutes ahead of target :cool:


ps, this time last year I ran the half marathon version of this and ran 1 hour 24 mins(in rainy weather). I guess running the first half in 1 hour 18 shows an increase in fitness!!!

smmoore79

OOnegative wrote: »

Super performance, well done. Any idea what Spring marathon you may target?

Im thinking Barcelona, but am worried about the temperature. Ideally a March marathon Id say...

El CabaIIo

smmoore79 wrote: »

Im thinking Barcelona, but am worried about the temperature. Ideally a March marathon Id say...

What about Rotterdam on the 7th April? Be cooler and a fast course with a lot of guys to work with around your pace.

Well done yesterday! Good to see you getting back again.

OOnegative

smmoore79 wrote: »

Im thinking Barcelona, but am worried about the temperature. Ideally a March marathon Id say...

I ran 3/4 of Barcelona in 2017 and succumbed to heat but going on what locals said it was an unusually hot day for that time of year. Great marathon though from what I experienced.

RayCun

El CabaIIo wrote: »

What about Rotterdam on the 7th April? Be cooler and a fast course with a lot of guys to work with around your pace.

Well done yesterday! Good to see you getting back again.

Rotterdam wasn't cooler this year...

AuldManKing

Great running - must give you a lot of satisfaction with the win and the course record! Top Marks.

I cant believe that this was the 1st Marathon where you never stopped - didn't you go top 5 in a big marathon (Oslo??) a few years back (2.3x)??

smmoore79

AuldManKing wrote: »

Great running - must give you a lot of satisfaction with the win and the course record! Top Marks.

I cant believe that this was the 1st Marathon where you never stopped - didn't you go top 5 in a big marathon (Oslo??) a few years back (2.3x)??

Thanks AMK. Ive finished most of my marathons but usually stopped for 30 seconds walking and then a stop start shuffle to the finish! I stopped at mile 23 in Oslo for maybe 30 seconds and after that it was jog/walk to the finish

smmoore79

Still resting. Had a great few days in Dublin with no running and a few Guinness I plan to get back into it soon hopefully by Thursday. There's a staff relay this weekend and its 4 x 6.4km so I'll do 1 of the reps at a moderate pace. After that and I'll be planning for Barcelona hopefully!! Probably a 14 week plan!!! I dont think I'll be 2 hours 30 mins ready but I reckon quicker than my last 2 hour 44 mins attempt!

smmoore79

Thur 39 Nov 19 - 20 mins handy


So after 12 days rest I finally ran today!! Legs felt generally ok as I headed to the front of Charlottenburg palace and back home. Tomorrow and Saturday will be more of the same followed by a relay competition on Sunday. Our team of 4 will be running 6.4km each. Needless to say I wont be killing myself but will try maybe marathon to half marathon pace..


In light of my last marathon attempt which consisted of 8 weeks training and a missed long run in the middle, my next attempt will be a 14 week plan starting next week. Well really it will be the P&D 12 week plan with 2 extra weeks at the start to get up to speed! Im thinking of going for the bigger one which peaks at just over 100 miles. That should hopefully get me under 2 hours 40 anyway!!!

smmoore79

Fri 20 Nov 18 - 20 mins


Quads felt a bit sore from yesterdays 20 minute run. I guess I'll need to rebuild my running body again!!


Got an email from Berlin marathon saying that Ive been selected in the lottery to run!!! But the coach suggested doing Munch half instead. I guess he thinks I can win that and that in turn looks good for the club. Plus he'd like me to defend my Grunewald marathon title next November.



So I'll need to think about the next year and whats on the cards. Im thinking Barcelona, Berlin and Grunewald - 3 marathons in a year, I think its doable.....

smmoore79

Sat 1 Dec 18 - rest
Sun 2 Dec 18 - 6.4k forest trail relay
Mon 3 Dec 18 - 30 mins easy


So yesterday I headed out to Dreilinden forest to take part in a relay race. Our club had 2 teams present(A team and B team) and both made up of 2 males/2 females. As Im only back from the marathon I wasnt under any pressure, just get around in one piece. But of course I know I would push it once I was racing! I was 2nd man to take the baton on our team so I waited for 21 mins until our first man Flo came round. He was leading every other team by 30 seconds!! The baton was passed and now it was my turn.


I paced myself at a tough enough effort as a snaked through the forest following the lead bike. For the first 5 minutes I was comfortable but soon my lungs were working hard. 15 minutes in and I was gasping! But I didnt want to slow too much just in case anyone was catching me. By 20 minutes I couldnt wait til the race was over as the last while included some short hills. Eventually it levelled out and I could here the people cheering at the hand over area. I crossed the line handing the baton to 1 girl.



I had managed to keep a nice gap over probably 2 minutes but after that the team drifted to 12 overall. Most other teams were all male that passed us. Overall we came second in the mixed race so happy enough. My time was 21 mins 35 secs(4th fastest time of the day). Flo ran the fastest of everyone in 21 mins 08 secs. I guess a combination of marathon fatigue and the fact I wasnt racing anyone for my entire rep contributed to our 27 sec difference.



Still, not bad for 6.4km over all forest trail

smmoore79

Tue 4 Dec 18 - off
Wed 5 Dec 18 - 40 mins run
Thur 6 Dec 18 - off
Fri 7 Dec 18 - 45 mins run


Decided this week to not rush into training just yet so took a couple days off in between runs. First run was out around Charlottenburg palace and hitting the small hill there 12 times! Today I ran out to Grunewald forest, the site of my last marathon. Enjoyed this one as the rain slowly fell around the trees, funnily enough there's still large saw dust arrow markers on the trail floor showing the marathon route Wanted a little hill work so ran up Drachenberg hill which is around 400m pretty steep and down again. A run up Teufelsberg hill followed. This one is not as steep as Drachenberg but it goes on for a kilometer at a decent incline. Then turned and headed back.

smmoore79

Sat 8 Dec 18 - 50 mins run
Sun 9 Dec 18 - 1 hour hilly


Saturday was similar to Friday in that I ran up both main paths to Drachenberg and Teufelsberg. Yesterday I decided to hit the forest again. Though I just stuck to Teufelsberg. I started off heading up the main path thats a 1km incline. Reaching the old spy station(now a street art gallery) at the top I swung a left along trail that leads to the other side of the hill. From here I swung left down the main hill, i.e the steepest section thats trail and not path.



Reaching the bottom I headed back up. This was seriously sleep as I was tip toeing upwards. I was grand up until the halfway point, then I started to feel it. My breathing got seriously heavy and around 80% of the way up I thought my heart would burst out!!! Driving my arms forward I paced like a snail upwards until finally reaching the top. From there it was time to head home. Though whatever way I took. I was on a trail a half metre wide with railings to the left and a 300 metre severe incline to the right! Plus it was slippy mud I was running on! One bad slip and I could have been in serious trouble as there were trees all the way down this incline which would not have been nice to fall into! Anyways, I survived and headed on home.


All in all some nice hill work over the last 3 days and a nice change to running in my usual spots. So this week will be just mileage before getting back into a 12 week marathon plan. Will have to seriously consider what peak mileage my body can handle. Im hoping max peak mileage 105 miles or min peak mileage 85 miles....

smmoore79

Mon 10 Dec 18 - off
Tue 11 Dec 18 - 45 mins run
Wed 12 Dec 18 - 45 mins run
Thur 13 Dec 18 - 60 mins run
Fri 14 Dec 18 - 60 mins run


Strange week of running. The little fella has been sick which meant from Tuesday to Thursday I had to head out at 6 into the night. Decided each time to loop the castle grounds. Naturally the place was empty bar the occasional jogger and visibility was tough. All in all a pretty creepy affair with the bare trees arching over the trail and the noise of small creatures scuttling about but exciting none the less! Today I finally got out for a lunch run heading out along the Spree river towards Spandau and back again.



On another note I have booked a spot on the Barcelona marathon! So from next week Im on a 12 week plan. Im not ready for the 105 mile peak plan just yet so I'll adjust the first 3 weeks to lessen the mileage a bit and come week 4 hopefully just blend into the plan proper

smmoore79

Sat 15 Dec 18 - 45 mins run
Sun 16 Dec 18 - 90 mins run


My longest run since the marathon a month ago. Today was a hilly affair in the forest. Firstly up the road leading to the top of Teufeslberg, then half of that mad steep trail hill following by a run up Drachenberg hill. At the halfway point I headed back doing the full Teufelsberg hill, which naturally was a lung-buster lasting 3 minutes, 15 seconds!! Also on the way back I headed up a hair pin road before a downhill run home. A nice bit of strength work while running:D marathon training starts tomorrow for Barcelona, hopefully its an easy run!

smmoore79

Mon 17 Dec 18 - Rest
Tue 18 Dec 18 - 7 miles am; 4 miles pm
Wed 19 Dec 18 - 10 miles incl 10 x 100m strides
Thur 20 Dec 18 - 14 miles (6 59 mile pace)



Monday was a write off as my son was still a little ill. So my marathon plan started Tuesday. Wednesday and today were the hard miles as both were in the forest. Today I went off the beaten path and encountered a few miles of rolling forest hills. The first 7 miles were quite enjoyable on the hilly trail but I tired a little in the second half. I wasnt totally bolloxed getting home but I did feel it. It'll take a little while to adapt to the longer mileage again. This Sunday Im down for 17 miles with 8 at MP. I might adjust this so as not to exhaust myself, maybe 15 miles with just 4 MP or something..

smmoore79

Fri Dec 21st to Friday 28 Dec 18


For the last week Ive had a head cold and sore throat which I thought would severely impact my training. But somehow I got a run in each day down at my sister in laws in Saxony. Im on Strava now so thats added competition to get out!!



Fri 21 Dec 18 - 4 miles am, 6 miles pm
Sat 22 Dec 18 - 8.4 miles
Sun 23 Dec 18 - 16 miles
Mon 24 Dec 18 - 8 miles
Tue 25 Dec 18 - 8 miles incl 8 x 100m strides
Wed 26 Dec 18 - 11 miles
Thur 27 Dec 18 - 14 miles
Fri 28 Dec 18 - 10 miles (4 at HM pace)


So Im still following the PD plan that peaks at 105 miles. Right now I should be hitting over 80 miles. Last week I hit 69 miles(due to 1 day off), this week I reckon I'll be up in the 70's hopefully. Its taking the body time to acclimatise, like today my HM paced miles were maybe in the high 5 minute pace. I wont panic yet as Im sure my pace will sharpen and the miles will get easier. A good sign is that Im not b0lloxed the next day after long runs!!!

smmoore79

2019 - The year that was! (MB Half marathon and Berlin marathon)

So the last few years I have arsed about and have lost a little fitness. But 12 weeks out from Berlin I decided to follow the PD 12 week 75 to 80 plan. To keep this post short, I enjoyed the summer training away and recovered quickly from hard sessions. Each day passed and I got the job done.

4 weeks out(I think) I did the Mercedes Benz half marathon. I got it done in 1 hour 13 mins 40 odd seconds. The conditions that day were tough. We started in 25 degrees heat and it rose to 28 degrees!! :eek: The last few miles were very tough but I was happy to come 3rd overall.

Yesterday I finally did the Berlin marathon!! I felt good for the first few miles. At the halfway point I still felt ok, though at this stage it was windy. I spent the first half slowly jumping from group to group until I found a nice little pack to join. Of course, I started to suffer around 20 miles but I was still on for 2 hours 31/32 mins. Mile 20 to 22 were a suffer fest but my splits only slipped a little. It was mile 23 that the wheels really came off! I literally slowed to a jog and it was then a case of getting to the finish line. I stopped 3 times and had both hams cramp in front of the Brandenburg gate Still, I finished in 2 37!!

So what have I learned? Well it was great to get a proper training cycle done. Right now, I have pushed my wall out to 23 miles and I guess that's good. Speed wise, I don't think I was quite at 2 30 lavel but Im happy that Im so close considering my lack of training up until beginning my 12 week plan. With regard to my plan, I think PD is not hardcore enough to have me in 2 30 shape. Looking back at my 2 34 in Oslo 2015 where I was really fit, I did a Jack Daniels plan back then and it made me tough(unfortunately it was 20 degrees that day). My one downfall back then was my mileage was not as high as now.

So, IMO if I technically follow a Jack Daniels plan with high mileage to maybe a 90 mile peak I should be in serious shape again!! Unfortunately for me I have a forest marathon mid November which is a slow hilly course so I wont get time to train properly. This will simply be an experience. So I'll plan for next year and hopefully I push out my wall! Here's my Strava link below. If you search for my sessions 12 weeks ago you'll see my progression. All feedback including criticism is welcome:D


https://www.strava.com/athletes/37249533