The end of the road (are we there yet?)

menoscemo · 14-07-2010 7:24pm

Congrats on the 5k PB. Sub 20 really is a great achievement, one I am hoping to accomplish over here a few weeks before the Marathon (it is a local race to me and slightly net downhill).

You are working off a pretty similar HR base to me, mine is maybe slightly higher but only by 4 or 5 BPM, so most of our readings should be similar for the different sessions.

pgmcpq · 14-07-2010 8:04pm

menoscemo wrote: »

Congrats on the 5k PB. Sub 20 really is a great achievement, one I am hoping to accomplish over here a few weeks before the Marathon (it is a local race to me and slightly net downhill).

thanks - a suprise I was hoping for < 20:30 but with the 5k it is so dependent on conditions - last night I got off well, and just about made it.

menoscemo wrote: »

You are working off a pretty similar HR base to me, mine is maybe slightly higher but only by 4 or 5 BPM, so most of our readings should be similar for the different sessions.

Once I get the minimum ( had the Garmin on the bedside table this morning but forgot it when I woke up ! ) I'll start to keep an eye on HR and see how it works for me in training.

menoscemo · 14-07-2010 8:28pm

pgmcpq wrote: »

Once I get the minimum ( had the Garmin on the bedside table this morning but forgot it when I woke up ! ) I'll start to keep an eye on HR and see how it works for me in training.

Judging by the stats you generlly post up I'd say your effort on runs are about right. It can be pretty difficult to get a good resting HR value, so I just work off the % Max stats as per the P&D book p144.

pgmcpq · 16-07-2010 4:25pm

Thursday: 5 miles, recovery, 9:13mm. HR avg 128, max 156. Grass. Temp 81f/? Later start 7:30am. Fianlly some rain has softened the ground a bit. Harder than it looked - and felt too hard an effort for a recovery run but the pace and HR say differently.
Friday: 11 miles, 6 miles LT (4-6-1). Temp low 80s f/70%+ (forgot to check before the run). Misty humid morning the container port on the far side of the river looked spooky. Out about 6.30am, later than I hoped but with work I am running on a sleep deficit. Little unnerving - there's a model plane being flown very spectacularly on the softball fields. Looks very cool but another hazzard on my recovery runs on those same fields - getting slpatted by a looping-the-loop model plane is not the type of noble running injury that impresses over the dinner table.

Again this is a bit off track for P&D with the duplicate weeks, but since the plan calls for an LT session once every two weeks I am trying to honor that. The problem is I am struggling to insert a recognizable down week.

Anyway an LT session - my least favorite session. Every time I face into it, I cannot understand how the hell I kept this pace up for 13.1 miles. Anyway 6 LT miles to keep up the sequence (LT being between 6:55-7:05 - slightly generous at the high end) - here they are :

Mile...Pace .......HRAvg ..... HRMax
5......7:06 .......148 ........ 156 -- over by 1 second
6......7:01 .......157 ........ 160
7.......6:57 .......161 ........ 164
8.......6:57 .......164 ........ 166 -- hr over
9.......7:03 .......165 ........ 167 -- hr over
10.....7:03 ........166 ........ 169 -- hr over

The struggle in the last two miles in particular can be seen. If my HR calculations are correct assuming a max of 179 then my LT HR should be between 145-163 ... so we are pushing that especially in the last two miles. My last LT session was 4 miles and average HR peaked at 160 at a lower pace ... so this confirms that I am a bit tired - probably the result of the 5k this week. Happy enough with that. Back home and soaked legs in a cold bath for 5 minutes.

Gentle (16mile) LR tomorrow will wrap up a successful week.

pgmcpq · 16-07-2010 4:33pm

menoscemo wrote: »

Judging by the stats you generlly post up I'd say your effort on runs are about right. It can be pretty difficult to get a good resting HR value, so I just work off the % Max stats as per the P&D book p144.

Thanks, I looked at that and came up with

LR 131-150
Aeorbic 125-144
MP 140-156
Recovery < 135.
LT 145-163.

Looking back - if anything I have been a bit easy on myself :eek:. Yikes. Based on that I might try increasing effort a little on some of the "general areobic" runs ( I was considering swapping in some hill repeats/fartlek running in the GA runs anyway just to mix things up a bit) though I'm happy enough with the way things are going.

menoscemo · 16-07-2010 4:53pm

pgmcpq wrote: »

Thanks, I looked at that and came up with

LR 131-150
Aeorbic 125-144
MP 140-156
Recovery < 135.
LT 145-163.

Looking back - if anything I have been a bit easy on myself :eek:. Yikes. Based on that I might try increasing effort a little on some of the "general areobic" runs ( I was considering swapping in some hill repeats/fartlek running in the GA runs anyway just to mix things up a bit) though I'm happy enough with the way things are going.

Mine are more or less 4 BPM higher for all readings (because I was basing it on a max HR of 184).
You probably didn't reach the height of Your Max HR in that race, rather a few BPM lower. Your HR for a flat out 5k should be around about VO2 max, So that's another way to work it all out.
Either way i wouldn't sweat about your HR being a few BPM above your range in an LT session, I know I am often way over!!

pgmcpq · 19-07-2010 6:00pm

Saturday: 17 miles. Temp 78f,55%. Pace: 8.38mm, HR Avg 130, Max 155

Up at 5am... dawdled about a bit so did not get out until 6.30. Immediately met some religious group that wanted to save me - at 6.30 in the morning ??
Took off on what I now know to be a "progression run" where I aim to run each five mile group segment than the last. 9:00mm. 8:45mm, 8:30mm. 8:15mm. Hit the targets pretty closely without too much stress and seems to fit my HR range pretty well too (range 130-150, actual 130-155). Might decrease the stages to 4 miles to push the average pace up a smidgen going forward. Plan called for 16 miles, but around mile 13 I decided to add another mile at the end. Began regretting this at mile 15 when one of my stashed water bottles went missing so the last mile pace was slower to account for the resulting bad language break.

Sunday: 6+ miles recovery. Pace 9mm+ (forgot to stop Garmin),
Originally this was meant to be a rest day but Mrs P wanted to get out so I shifted Monday's session a day early. This works out well because we are doing a HM next Saturday so this gives me two rest days and turns this week into a down week/mini-taper.
Interesting run. The need to dodge multiple hazzards - low flying aerodynamically challenged model planes, two golfer practicing, multiple unleashed dogs and a couple of soccer games - made this more a challenge than I would like. Finished off with Mrs P on the running track.

Week|PlanWeek|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
14| P&D 12 | rest | GA8 w10*100 | 12LR | 5R | GA10 | 5R | 15 | 55
14| MyPlan | 5RP | 5K race | 14LR | 5R | LT11/6| 16LRP | rest | 54
14| Actual | 6RP | 5k (19:56) | 14LR | 5R | LT11/6| 17LRP | 6RP | 62
|HR(Avg/Max)| 130/167 | 168/179 | 134/146 | 128/156 | 147/169 | 130/155 | |
| Weather | | 81f/50% | | 81f | 80f/70% | 75f/50% | |
| Comments | | PB ! | | | | 8:38 | |

pgmcpq · 19-07-2010 6:05pm

menoscemo wrote: »

Judging by the stats you generlly post up I'd say your effort on runs are about right. It can be pretty difficult to get a good resting HR value, so I just work off the % Max stats as per the P&D book p144.

Been thinking about this again. Given that Max HR does not improve - it actually decreases as we age - the only way to adjust for improvement if training by HR would be to monitor HR improvements at rest ... so I think I will do the HR reserve calculations and see if they agree. Probably no different but unlike Max HR it at least holds out the hope of improvement.

I need my hope !!

pgmcpq · 20-07-2010 4:18pm

Monday: Decidec on a full day off for the legs. Core work.
Tuesday: 14 miles+, Pace 8.22mm, Temp 81f/66% (at end).

Another pre 6am start. Decided to push things a bit so after the first three miles at 8.45-9.00 the remaining miles were around 8.15 with a few hill repeats (more on this below), and a few breaks for water. Have to say I felt it towards the end. By mile 10 I was starting to feel it.

Equipment notes:
Equipment note #1:
Just got a "hydrapouch" ( http://www.hydrapouch.com/ )- a soft plastic container that open when squeezed and has a nozzle to make drinking on the run easier. I've been looking for things to give me an edge on hydration - I figured fill the hydrapuch with one cup and take one as normal at later water stations when the crowds have thinned. I like the concept but todays debut had mixed results. Since it does not close securely it requires a certain hold to keep the water secure (it is not designed to carry water on a belt ). It might just require practice - it's light enough that I will try it on the HM on Saturday. Jury is still out.

Equipment note #2:
I decided to incorporate a few hills repeats this morning having done no explicit hill work for while. Looking at the results on Garmin connect I was surprised at how little elevation was shown. Yet when I look at Sunday's recovery run around the playing fields of the local park I see an elevation gain and loss of 240 feet

. This cannot be correct ! Played ardound with switching off elevation correction but the results still seem out of whack for a six mile flat run.

Equipment note #3:
The recent trip of a Garmin through the washing machine has left it unable to charge. Initially it seemed fine but Mrs P took it on a trip and it after one use it now refuses to charge, Tried cleaning the contacts etc, but no dice. It's a 201 so changing off the USB port is not a option unless I can get my hands on a USB/serial adapter. *Sigh*

pgmcpq · 21-07-2010 4:00pm

Wednesday: 8 miles, with 10*100m. Temp: 77f, 60+%.

Tough morning - not too hot but the humidity again took a toll. 5.5 miles at around 8:30mm followed by 10 100m strides on the track, and a slow mile+ to finish up. This is the last hard session before the Queens HM.

Guy on the track with a set up I've never seen before. He had resistance bands attached from his feet to his waist and on to his arms. As he ran he raised his arms over his head. Looked damned difficult. Was not around too long after I arrived. Seems an odd way to do strength training (?)

Undecided about Saturday's HM - again the weather outlook looks grim - 93f is showing as forecast right now with thunderstorms. (I've really had it with this weather - dreading August) It's also a 7am start which means rising at about 3.30am and being on the subway by 5am :eek:. I am really really tempted by how close a 1.30 HM seems to be (I ran 1:32;47 a few months ago) - then I look at the pace required and think ... ehhh..maybe not so close ! I think a decision on how to approach this will be a morning of the race decision.

pgmcpq · 22-07-2010 4:23pm

Thursday: 6 miles, recovery, grass, pace 9:19, temp: 80f/40% with a breeze.

Being a low mileage week I had pushed the pace a little during the last two - still slowish but faster than I'd normally have gone and combined this with core/strength training in the evening. I may have pushed things a bit too far - the legs were actually a little heavy and stiff this morning. By the time the run was done the legs were actually feeling a little more lively.

So that's it till the HM on Saturday. Let's think cool thoughts !

A local 5k in early August has been canceled. A bit disappointing as I had hopes for this (and 5 year AGs too!). A few years ago Marcus O'Sullivan turned up to run this! Looks likely that last weeks 5k may the only attempt at this distance this year. The other local 5k is two weeks before Dublin.

pgmcpq · 26-07-2010 6:36pm

Saturday: 7am, Temp 86f/64%.

This is the 3rd Hm in the NY HM Grand Prix. Once again a battle with the elements. Hats off the the organizers - the night before when they were trying to get the course set up there was a tornado warning crossing the area so they had to stop, remove a lot of the equipment, toilets etc, and take cover for about an hour - as a result they were up most of the night.
This being NY no trip is complete without a celeb encounter - so we met Wes http://wesleybroulik.com/ on the subway over !

On the morning it hot and humid. Not nearly as bad as the NJ Marathon but still hot. Before the race dire warning were given about the conditions. Much more dire was the disintegration of my shorts when I pulled the waistband to tie it :eek:. Luckily I was able to improvise enough support to hold them and my water bottles up - but it was touch and go !
Course was not bad. First five miles were a bit grim - rolling hills on poor fairly poor (potholes, patched and with several miles of concrete) roads though some of Queens industrial sections ( I'm told there there was a dead rat by the roadside ). But once the race returned to Flushing Park things were pretty ok (other than the odd waterlogged section left from the storm the previous night ).

I had the 1.30 target in the back of my mind but it was clear early on that this was not going to happen. My first mile was 7.55, the next five miles were in the 7.10-20 range. At that point I took my shirt off (bib was pinned to my shorts - a less learned this summer) - makes a big difference you can throw water down your back ad have it evaporate. After that I dropped the pace down to the 6.58-7.12 range. At mile 10 things started to go bad : dropped my water bottle and and had to stop and turn around to pick it back up (there's those 4 seconds right there), within a minute after resuming I hit an uneven road surface and the legs began to buckle. fro a fraction of a second I though my race might be done, but I managed to regroup. At mile 11 there was a overpass over one of Queens numerous highways - not that long but steep enough to knock the stuffing out of me and those around me for a while. By this time I was overtaking huge numbers and got a lot of encouragement from other runners. I am not sure I'd be so gracious if the positions were reversed. Finished strong with a 6:46 final mile for a time of 1.35.04. Not great but acceptable - as everyone said : not a day for PBs. Much like post the NJ marathon after the race it sounded (and felt) like I was loosing my voice - the consequence of fighting to fill the lungs in humid air.

Good enough on the day for 141st overall and what really was a lift - 8th place in my AG - the first time I made the awards list in a large NYRR race. So 1:30 (a qualifying time for the NY marathon) remains out there. In three weeks I have what is probably my final attempt the year in the Bronx HM. If I get the reasonable weather the gods of running owe me at this point - I'll give 1.30 a real go.

Overall Gender Age NetTime Pace/Mile

141 132 8 1:35:04 07:16

This week - well we've deviated quite a bit from the P&D plan. Hope to resysch with the plan this week :

Week|PlanWeek|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
13| P&D 11 | rest | LT10 w/5 | 14LR | 5RP | 11MLR | GA7 w10*100 | 21 | 68
13| MyPlan | 6RP | 14MLR | 8GA w10*100| 6RP | rest | HM Race | 5RP | 54
13| Actual | rest | 14MLR | 8GA w10*100| 6RP | rest | HM Race + 2 miles| 7RP | 50
|HR(Avg/Max)| | 133/148 | 134/162 | 127/144 | | | 130/141 |
| Weather | | 81f/66% | 77f/60% | 80f/40% | | 86f/64% | |
| Comments | <-to prev day| | | | | 1:35.04 8th AG | |

menoscemo · 26-07-2010 8:06pm

Nice running all the same PG. Reading your log we are blessed with the weather over here, 19c and overcast here yesterday for my race. Ideal running conditions!!

pgmcpq · 27-07-2010 3:45pm

Monday: - AM 6 miles recovery. Grass, wooden boardwalk Pace 9.10mm HR Avg 133, Max 172
Finally some relief as the heat and humidity have eased.

- PM 4 miles recovery. Grass Pace 8.26mm HR Avg 143. Max 167
A nice night. A bad early evening left me ticked off so I found myself running this too fast. Got the first three miles in before the sun had gone down ... the last mile was a bit dicey in the dark on an uneven surface.

The first of the recovery "doubles" in the P&D plan. Less stressful than I would have guessed.

Tuesday: 14 miles, Pace 8.13mm, Temp 75f, 43%. 136, 164
Slept badly and considered postponing this session to later in the week - but the morning was so good it could not be "wasted" on a shorter session. Decided to push it again. I've been wondering if I have not been taking it too easy - so every now again I am going to push a session a little to the faster end of the range. Unfortunately the session was broken by two bathroom breaks - a little frustrating but unavoidable if I am to get out in the morning.

Photos/Video from the Queens HM:
http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event_video.asp?EVENTID=61923&BIB=1512&LNSEARCH=1&PWD= That nonchalant wave to the crowd as I finished

... where the heck did that come from !

Humidity and diet:
Few people have asked me about this. Read an interesting post on active about hydrating for running in hot weather. The suggestion was that foods like melon, pineapple and yoghurt in the days before a race would help to keep hydrated. Tried it before the HM and was fairly pleased. One attempt is not proof but I am encouraged enough to keep doing it (though pineapple strikes me as a bit acidic so I stuck to the melon).

menoscemo · 27-07-2010 4:00pm

pgmcpq wrote: »

[
Photos/Video from the Queens HM:
http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event_video.asp?EVENTID=61923&BIB=1512&LNSEARCH=1&PWD= That nonchalant wave to the crowd as I finished ... where the heck did that come from !

You look as fresh as a daisy there PG. You want to see the pic of me finishing off the 10k on Sunday

You don't seem to be slowing down there after you cross the line at all. Did you have another race to run to?

pgmcpq · 27-07-2010 4:18pm

menoscemo wrote: »

You look as fresh as a daisy there PG. You want to see the pic of me finishing off the 10k on Sunday
You don't seem to be slowing down there after you cross the line at all. Did you have another race to run to?

Eh ... actually I was not completely sure where the finish line was ! Plus there was a guy with a hose right after the finish !

pgmcpq · 28-07-2010 5:31pm

Wednesday: 5 miles recovery - grass. Temp 73f, Humidy 53%. HR Avg 127, Max 152
Another good morning after the sauna of the last few weeks. Found this run suprising tough going. Connot say why but I know I need to get more sleep. Yet again had to take another bathroom break after which things seemed better.

Ok confession time...I've been pondering this for a while: I am wondering about 3.15 for Dublin. Been training at about a 3.20 pace - with the notion that that get's me to 3.30 with a margin of error, crowds, race line, etc. But after a 1.32 HM the evil McMillian-esque devil on my should started whispering "try 3.15, 3.15" in my ear - in part because I would like to run with a pace group for some of the race. But to hang with a 3.15 group I feel I'd have to be training for 3.10 - which is definitely not on the cards. Recent race have been erratic ( worst being 4m 28.22) - projecting any where from 3.31 to 3.15. So since a race cancellation allows me rejiggle the schedule (again!) I am going to drop the LT session (and count last weekend's 1.35 HM as an LT session) and run a GA session with some hills and convert this weekends' 20 miles into a PMP run with 10 miles @ 7.26. If I can hold this pace then maybe - just maybe - I will start to consider if 3.15 is worth the risk. I think it may be late to be diddering about trying to decide on a goals. ... Or I may just didder a little longer.

There .... I've said it.

pgmcpq · 29-07-2010 3:59pm

Thursday: 10 miles, w 10*100m. Temp: 70s'f, humidy 80%?, overcast/rain/thunder. Pace 8.05. HR: Avg 140, Max 161

Very humid. Heavy rain was forecast so made an early start (6am). Very glad I moved the LT session to next week. The air was so heavy this morning I doubt I could have completed it.
On my walk down I was stopped by some guy who wanted to bum a cigarette. Obviously in my running gear I do not seem to cut a very athletic figure

.

Found the start very tough in part because of the weather and in part because the head was not in the game this morning. Stowed the shirt and hat at the track after 3 miles and found the going easier after this. At mile 4 I started to my usual hills routine (6 loops - about 2 miles). When I finished this the rain began to fall - took a bathroom break and started the strides while the track surface was still relatively dry. Met Mrs P !! Strides are getting easier - in part because I am running them in a more controlled fashion. By the time I was done the rain was coming down hard and thunder was getting closer. Actually very refreshing. Someone sheltering asked Mrs P if I was a professional athlete (probably in darts) !! That's more like it :cool:. Two miles to finish off in the rain.

So Saturday's 20 miler will become a 20 miler with 8-10 PMP miles. Always dread these sessions - logically this makes little sense - I was faster longer last Saturday - so it definitely my head that needs work. Anyone got a couch ?

Krusty_Clown · 29-07-2010 5:12pm

Well done on the half. I agree with memoscemo - we're incredibly lucky to have such mild conditions over here. Hopefully the weather will get cooler for your next assault. On a positive note, it's gotta be worth around 10-20 seconds per mile, when you come to do DCM. Is Mrs P running DCM too?

If you can hold 7:26 for a 10 mile PMP in those weather conditions, then, I'm not entirely sure what you're target for DCM should be, but running at 7:26 in Dublin will feel easy by comparison.

pgmcpq · 30-07-2010 12:07am

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Well done on the half. I agree with memoscemo - we're incredibly lucky to have such mild conditions over here. Hopefully the weather will get cooler for your next assault. On a positive note, it's gotta be worth around 10-20 seconds per mile, when you come to do DCM. Is Mrs P running DCM too?

If you can hold 7:26 for a 10 mile PMP in those weather conditions, then, I'm not entirely sure what you're target for DCM should be, but running at 7:26 in Dublin will feel easy by comparison.

This summer has just been ridiculous. Dublin will be cooler but I still need to get the training in for whatever the pace is. I am not sure I want to line up in Dublin relying on cooler weather to bridge the time gap. Mile 18 would be an awkward time to find out it didn't work ! If I can train to 7.26 or "thereabouts" I would be very happy with 7.26 in Dublin. I have deliberately put off finalizing a goal but it's getting to the point I need to make a decision.

Yes, Mrs P is running, as in Brother-In-Law P ( though I don't know if he plan to race Dublin. He's on the west coast in very nice training conditions! ). We have a few others coming ....

Krusty_Clown · 30-07-2010 11:08am

pgmcpq wrote: »

This summer has just been ridiculous. Dublin will be cooler but I still need to get the training in for whatever the pace is. I am not sure I want to line up in Dublin relying on cooler weather to bridge the time gap. Mile 18 would be an awkward time to find out it didn't work ! If I can train to 7.26 or "thereabouts" I would be very happy with 7.26 in Dublin. I have deliberately put off finalizing a goal but it's getting to the point I need to make a decision.

Yes, Mrs P is running, as in Brother-In-Law P ( though I don't know if he plan to race Dublin. He's on the west coast in very nice training conditions! ). We have a few others coming ....

If you train to 7:26 though, you'll find Dublin that bit more comfortable and enjoyable, and if the will is there, you can push on from 20 miles.

pgmcpq · 01-08-2010 2:33am

Friday: 5 miles, recovery, grass. Pace 9.07, HR Avg 124 Max 132. Temp: 69f/61%

Was supposed to be six miles, but that what comes of squinting at the schedule on the fridge door at 6am without reading glasses.

I find there quite a big difference between how hard I think I working and my HR. This for instance was harder than I felt it should be - yet the HR says differently. It may be lack of sleep -but this should show up in the HR reading. It may simply mean that I have poor sense of "real" effort - just as I have a dpdgy sense of pace.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

If you train to 7:26 though, you'll find Dublin that bit more comfortable and enjoyable, and if the will is there, you can push on from 20 miles.

Saturday: 20 miles w10 at PMP (8+10pmp+2), Pace 7.58, HR Avg 137, Max 169. Temp start: 70f/57% end: 76f/57%.

Up at 6am, out by 7.30am. The weather gods finally answered my prayers. Great morning - heat and humidity had really lifted - about as good as it gets in terms of running conditions in summer.
Since it had been a few weeks since the last PMP session and having posponed this weeks LT session this LSR became a PMP run.
I also allowed me try a PMP pace of 7.20-7.30mm. My first PMP run hit this range accidently, the second was slower ( ~7.35). One critical error -in my hurry to get out I forget to bring any gels - indeed anything other than water.
First eight miles were my usual loops of the park -then a bathroom stop and I hit a straight route along the roads for the 10 miles. I usually run this route early and only on weekend soI can run on the road facing traffic and avoid the concrete and up/down of the sidewalks. Probably pretty unpopular with motorists.

10 miles were (pace, hr avg/max) : 7.34 (135/145), 7.21 (140/149), 7.30 (142/150), 7.19 (145/169), 7.21 (145/155), 7.17 (149/156), 7.18 (153/164), 7.10 (153/161), 7.21(155/164), 7.17(158/161)

Not as regular as I would have liked - though the first five are predominently uphill, the return leg down hill which accounts for some of the variation.

Finished with two miles 8.02,8.15 with HR hovering about low 150s

Happy to have hit the targets - no sure about the conclusion to draw. During the 10 I was not at sure I could complete them until I was down to 3 left. Didn't feel there was another 16.1 in there. By the time the 20 were done I was pretty wiped - last mile was a grim struggle. Part of the problem was that having nothing but water I was famished - truely running on empty ! I tend to judge runs by how I feel when they are done - I really don't want to be completely out of gas. By this standard this would be a mixed result. Definitely the fasted 20 I have ever run - so happy about that ...we will see how much it took out of me.

pgmcpq · 02-08-2010 6:10pm

Summary for last week:

Week|PlanWeek|M|T|W|T|F|Sat|Sun|Total
12| P&D 10 | rest | 5RP+4RP | 14LR | 5RP | LT11/6 | 6RP | 20 | 66
12| MyPlan | 6RP+4RP | 14MLR | 5RP | 10GA w/10*100 | 6RP | 20 w/10PMP | rest | 65
12| Actual | 6RP+4RP | 14MLR | 5RP | 10GA w/10*100 | 5RP | 20 1/10PMP | rest | 64
|HR(Avg/Max)| 133/172, 143,167 | 136/164 | 127/152 | 140/161 | 124/132 | 137/169 | |
| Weather | ? cooler | 75f/43% | 73f/53% | 70f+/80% -rain | 69f/61% | 69f/57% | |
| Comments | First double | | | | | Pace: 7.58/7.21 | |

To recap moved the LT to this week session in favor of an over due PMP
run.

Monday: 6 miles recovery, grass. Temp: 76f/64%. Pace 9.00+ ( have not uploaded data yet).

Nice morning. Back to some pace discipline today. Plan is to do the LT session tomorrow before the return of the hot weather so kept this nice and easy. After a few session where I pushed it a bit the objective was to get back to keeping a nice steady slow pace witha focus on form. Found myself dropping into the mid 8.xx range for short sections but generally ok.

Looking at some old shoes with a view to retiring a few I was surprised to see how worn the back of heels were. Along with photos from races this makes me suspect I am falling back into old habit of heel striking ... which means I am overstriding etc,etc. Need to get back t focusing on stride.

Krusty_Clown · 02-08-2010 11:20pm

Well done on the pmp run. Looks like you're bang on target. If it were me, I would be well happy with that session.

pgmcpq · 03-08-2010 4:41pm

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Well done on the pmp run. Looks like you're bang on target. If it were me, I would be well happy with that session.

Thanks, yeah - pleased enough. have to see if I can keep churning these miles out. Some of the later PMP sessions in the plan look ... interesting !
I would like to go into these sessions with a bit more confidence ... which leads me neatly to today's LT session. This was postponed from last week. Probably not ideal so close to a PMP run but necessary to get the sessions in.

Tuesday: LT 11 miles with 6 @ 6.56-7.05 pace (4+6LT+1). Temp:73f/55% overcast. Pace: 7.42, HR Avg: 142, Max 165.

Another good morning for running. Plan was to try to keep it below 7.00 - for each mile. Four miles warm up ~8.45, a quick break for water than into the 6 LT miles. Well as every by mile 2 I am bargaining with the lead footed devil on my shoulder .."You've done two -- that's enough.... you'll never make it through the rest ... com'n you think you can do four more". This voice comes out on every thing other than LSRs and is very hard to shake. And there were a few times I backed off a bit thinking - could I really keep this pace up for an hour ? Anyway the miles:

LT Miles|1|2|3|4|5|6|
Pace | 6.53 | 6.57 | 6.58 | 6.55 | 6.55 | 6.57
HR(Avg/Max)| 147/152 | 154/158 | 157/162 | 159/162 | 160/162 | 161/164

Made the target - maybe a little too fast. That HR is definitely trending up ...

It's interesting doing the tempo run in the park. People who normally greet me on slower runs look annoyed at the faster pace, back off, dogs bark and I generally feel like I am disrupting the calm morning barelling though at race pace. Feel slightly guilty !

Thinking about that voice of doubt that pops up after a few miles and says "You're kidding yourself if you think there's another X miles like this in you". I am beginning to think that the biggest asset in running is accepting failure - being willing to risk that possibility of blowing up and how judging how close to that line to go. After the marathon in May I began to run very tentatively, very conservatively - nervous about hitting the same problem again - leading to a couple of disappointing races. Why aim I so concerned about the risk? I should be able to head into LT and PMP sessions with confidence.

All in all though - feeling reasonably optimistic.

menoscemo · 04-08-2010 2:20am

Well done on all those fast miles PG. I have been out the lst few days and even though it has apparently 'cooled down' It really is incredibly different to running in Dublin (harder). Funnily enough I don't feel it in my lungs, the breathing is no heavier; however the heat just dehydrates me and makes my legs feel much more tired more quickly. Believe me when you get to dublin and the cooler temperatures, you'll have no bother.

BY the way do you do your running in the monrings or the evenings? I went out this evening and while it was cooler with the sun down, I couldn't run many of the trails due to lack of light and running along very badly lit streets makes me slow down, not to mention not feel 100% safe.

Krusty_Clown · 04-08-2010 4:10pm

One of the best things about preempting a marathon training program with a 10k program (with a 10k race at the end) is that during the P&D program when you run the LT sessions, you get some comfort from the fact that you ran 6+ miles at a faster pace before beginning the marathon training (although I do have a 7 mile LT run in next week's plan. eek).

I feel the same way about running fast in my local park. I seem to be disturbing the park's harmony and worry about running into someone as I round a corner. Thankfully last night I shared the park with the local bats and a couple of startled dog-walkers.

pgmcpq · 04-08-2010 4:49pm

menoscemo wrote: »

Well done on all those fast miles PG. I have been out the lst few days and even though it has apparently 'cooled down' It really is incredibly different to running in Dublin (harder). Funnily enough I don't feel it in my lungs, the breathing is no heavier; however the heat just dehydrates me and makes my legs feel much more tired more quickly. Believe me when you get to dublin and the cooler temperatures, you'll have no bother.

BY the way do you do your running in the monrings or the evenings? I went out this evening and while it was cooler with the sun down, I couldn't run many of the trails due to lack of light and running along very badly lit streets makes me slow down, not to mention not feel 100% safe.

Hey, how Philly. Yup, it has cooled off a bit but the bad news is that it is about to start getting hotter again I think. The humidity is deceptive - you head out thinking "ah, this is ok" and a few miles later both you and the shirt are run out.

Both morning and evening, but I usually go out in the morning - this morning I was running by 5.45am, and got about 4 miles in before the sun was really up. But to do this you need to be serious about applying a decent waterproof sun block. You'll notice it gets a dark a lot earlier here in summer than in Ireland. If I go out on the roads at night I either use the track or attach a flashing light to my shirt and stick to the roads in the park. On weekend I'd do a run early and go back to bed. Finally ... up the Dubs (oh ...yes I am) !!!

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

One of the best things about preempting a marathon training program with a 10k program (with a 10k race at the end) is that during the P&D program when you run the LT sessions, you get some comfort from the fact that you ran 6+ miles at a faster pace before beginning the marathon training (although I do have a 7 mile LT run in next week's plan. eek).

Well it really makes little sense because I've done it before so logically I should be able to do it again - I just can't remember how I did it before

! So it is a mental thing. I was reading somewhere where the alternating 10k/marathon training program was suggested. I might try that after Dublin (though probably foolishly - barely enough recovery time - there is a well known 8k here a month after Dublin I want to take real go at this year).

Meanwhile:

Wednesday: 15 miles, Temp 75f/Humidy 76% overcast-sunny, Pace 8.31, HR Avg 143, Max 181.

Another early start. Seemed more comfortable than the weather suggested. Not sure why but I started a little too fast (possibly left over from the LT session) so notions of a progression run wnt out the window early. I am not sure why but at mile 9 I started to struggle ... and ther remaining 6 miles were "messy" in terms of form. Might be the LT session yesterday but checking earlier weeks there have been LT sessions followed by 17 miles. What's really interesting is that my HR - the fgures for max were really up including a new all time high of 181 :eek: on the final complete mile (pace 8.17). Not sure what is going on there at. Possibly the PMP.LT and todays session have been to closely grouped - plus a few late nights at work. Today's struggle came out of the blue ...will have to keep an eye on this. I thinking this might be an early warning sign. Tomorrow is recovery with strides, and Friday is 13 miles (with a late night Thursday), 18 on Saturday. If the HR is still up Fridays session will get shortened or converted to a recovery run.

Sad news: My favorite shirt has been discontinued:(. InSport got bought by NewBalance - damn why didn't I stock up. It was very light weight with a pocket on the shoulder. I have one more never used .... now I am reduced to wondering if any given race is "shirt worthy"

pgmcpq · 05-08-2010 3:53pm

Thursday: 7miles w6*100m. Temp 78f/88%-81f/78%. Pace: 9.13 non-strides/7.41 strides. HR Avg 139, Max 161.

Out at 7.30am to find the humidity had screamed back with a vengeance. In truth the was not much recovery in this and I should probably have run it much slower - but after a couple of miles it was hard to think of anything other than "let's get this over with". Not a fun morning. Strides went well in the circumstances.

Out tonight so tomorrows run should be good for a laugh :eek:.

pgmcpq · 06-08-2010 4:17pm

Friday: 13 miles, Pace 8.51, HR Avg 135 Max 186. Temp ~80f/60% (roughly).

Well after arriving home at 1am** last night this run was jeopardy. In tright the intelligent decision might have been to take a rest day. The less intelligent course of action chosen : Reluctantly up at 6, out by 6.45am (cats come first!). Felt truly dreadful for the the first two miles - considered chucking it in and going back to bed - but having got up in the first place .... then began thinking "well maybe 8 miles might be ok - maybe 10". Any notion of increasing the pace went out the window.
After about five miles things I finally achieved some level of rhythm. But the last few miles were a ground. At mile 12 I was hanging on. A running couple I have not seen in many months passed. I saw them coming and was envious of how fresh they seemed but I did not recognize them until they were almost past me !

**Off topic rant of the day .... but who the heck needs to get up and clamber over people for five cigarette breaks in the course of a two and a half hour gig as the woman in front of me managed last night ?