A Tale of Two Halfs :)

yungwan

Monday: Stretch & Strengthen
Tuesday: 3.5 miles run
Wednesday: 35 minutes tempo or hill training, yet to decide.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 mile & Strength
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 7 miles

We are babysitting a 7 month old this weekend, so hopefully I get out for the 7 miler! I might be too tired, but hopefully not! Himself can get up to her

yungwan

Week 4 Day 1: Monday

Aim: 3.5 miles run

Result: 3.5 miles in 38:58 mins

Average pace per mile: 11.07 p/mile*

Mile 1: 9:51/m
Mile 2: 11.02
Mile 3: 12.00
0.5 miles: 6.04 (12.00/m)

*which im delighted to announce is 1:31/mile better than this time last week! So I am getting faster!! Progress at last!!

Also I love that my Garmin tells me calories burned! Lets me know how much treats I can afford in the day!
Hill training Thurday.

yungwan

Week 4 - Thursday

Aim: Hill Training

Result: Hill Training - 3 x reps of following:

- Fast up hill with high knees
- Fast downhill
- Fast uphill without high knees
- Recovery downhill

and 1 x uphill with high kness with recovery down.

1 mile warmup preceding this and 1.5 mile cool down.

Total Distance covered: 3.3 miles.

Found the first two reps hard but it didnt seem as hard after this. Can feel it in my legs today but I am happy all the same.

3 miles this evening (hopefully) - we have visitors this evening so I hope I can sneak out!

jcsmum

Well done on your progress! And yes, it is great to have a plan to follow - I'm with Emer on that one.
It gives you structure and once you more or less keep to a plan, you will start to improve and your distances and speeds with increase. You do have to be patient to begin with though.

yungwan

Ok so life REALLY got in the way this weekend.....

I didnt get out at all unfortunately.

As mentioned above, we were babysitting all weekend and man are babies hard work! Anyway, I didnt get a chance to do any running so missed my 3 mile on Friday and my 7 mile LSR yesterday.

I will do it this evening though I promise!

Have to be good this week as I am busy from the weekend until mid week next week (Rugby game Sat in Galway and Lady Gaga in Dublin Tuesday) so I dont know how my training will go )

Will post this weeks plan tommorrow after I get the LSR done this evening, as I am a day behind.

Bold Yungwan

yungwan

Ok ok I am throwing my hands up.... I wont be able to fit my 7 miler in

I tried to get out this evening, I had even changed and set off, but it was raining, and depressing, and I knew I wouldnt have enough time to do it by the time it got dark, so I came home.

Im thoroughly pissed off but I have to forget about it. At the end of the day Im not aiming for Olympian standard, so getting wet is not worth it to me.

Anyway Im going to (hopefully) ge out for my planned 4 miles tomorrow, and if not, the gym might be the best option for me.

God, I hate winter training.........

yungwan

Monday: Stretch & Strenghten
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 7 x 400 @ 5k pace
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday:Rest and Rugby!
Sunday/Monday: 8 miles (depending on hangover levels!)

Emer911

yungwan wrote: »

Ok ok I am throwing my hands up.... I wont be able to fit my 7 miler in

I tried to get out this evening, I had even changed and set off, but it was raining, and depressing, and I knew I wouldnt have enough time to do it by the time it got dark, so I came home.

Im thoroughly pissed off but I have to forget about it. At the end of the day Im not aiming for Olympian standard, so getting wet is not worth it to me.

Anyway Im going to (hopefully) ge out for my planned 4 miles tomorrow, and if not, the gym might be the best option for me.

God, I hate winter training.........

Geesh! You can't let our crappy irish weather get in the way of your training - or you'll never get any running in!! :rolleyes:
Get yourself a decent running jacket, a nice hat and gloves and HTFU (as the guys would say ).
Good luck with the winter training

yungwan

Emer911 wrote: »

Geesh! You can't let our crappy irish weather get in the way of your training - or you'll never get any running in!! :rolleyes:
Get yourself a decent running jacket, a nice hat and gloves and HTFU (as the guys would say ).
Good luck with the winter training

Haha I know, I am a wuss!!

Dont hold back Emer911!!

lol you're right, I think I needed to be told. I was having one of those REALLY unmotivated days and I was nearly crying at the thought of the run. 7 miles just seemed to much to take in that mood.

Anyway, yes I have to harden up and I have been lucky with the weather thus far so I have to get the finger out and get proper rain gear. At least I wont get soaked through then.

Kick up th ebum appreciated.... strangely!

yungwan

Tuesday: Aim - 4 miles

Result - 7 miles LSR:)

Albeit 2 days late, but better late than never eh??

Delighted I got out and done it. Just needed a realitycheck I guess, although I am still kinda glad I didnt do it yesterday as I was just not feeling it and I probably would have just plodded along and hated it. Instead this evening I had a lovely run on a lovely cool dry evening, and I even bet my 6 mile PB by about 3 minutes! Go me!

Mile 1: 11.30
2: 12:29
3: 13:34
4: 13:03
5:11:55
6: 12:12
7:13:33

Average pace: 12:37 (nice and comfortable most the time)

Total 1:28:15

Week 4 miles (ish!) : 14.5
Total Miles: 54

Will do my 4 miles tommorrow.

Emer911

Nice... Good work! Keep it up

jcsmum

Well done on your 7 miles.

It really is the thought more than anything else of leaving a nice cosy house or a comfy couch to head out into the dark or wind or rain for a run! But once you're out there............. :cool:

You will never regret going for a run... you WILL regret not going!

yungwan

My plan is a little all over the place this week, but none the less I am getting there, so bear with me!

Aim: 4 miles

Result: 4 miles, easy 48:11

Average pace: 12:03/m

Mile:
1: 11:11
2: 11.31
3: 13:09
4: 12.20

Its funny, I always start of fast and slow down, only to get faster from 3 miles+ It seems to take me a couple of miles to get into it!

Also, my calves always give me trouble for the first 2 miles or two and then they do be fine I have started consciously watching my foot fall as I think this has something to do with the calf problem. If I concentrate on my stride and land on heel rather than toes it helps alot. Also my posture can be an issue sometimes, so I will work on this too.

Starting to feel stronger though, more like a "real" runner, if that makes sense. Going to try some intervals tomorrow. Maybe 8 x 400?

yungwan

Starting feeling pretty lousy at work on Friday and had a cold all weekend So no running unfortunately.

Did get in my LSR today though, so thats something at least. :rolleyes:

Aim: 8 miles LSR

Result: 8 miles 1:46:00

Found this quite tough today tbh. Seemed much harder than last weeks 7 and was hurting from only 4 bloody miles! Some of the course, in particular from 3-4 miles was quite hilly, so maybe this was it.

Told myself to keep going though once I heard the 2:09 finish from the winner of DCM today! Unbelievable :eek:

Anyway got it done...

Mile
1 12:48
2 13.24
3 12.32
4 13.03
5 12.56
6 12:45
7 14:08
8 14:21

Average pace - 13:15 /mile


Hydration and running nutrition.
Think I am going to have to start experimenting with gels and other forms of energy. Also, I tend not to hydrate during training, just prehydrate. Maybe I next to have some water with me for my LSRs from now on? Advice would be appreciated on this, and also when I should take a gel? For eg for a 9 mile run? Maybe at mile 4/5?



Total Week 5 miles: (A pretty dismal, must try harder 12 miles :rolleyes:)
Total miles: 66

yungwan

Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 7 x 400
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Plan says 10k race so not sure yet whether I will do 9 miles or do 6 at race pace? Decide at a later date.

ger664

yungwan wrote: »

Hydration and running nutrition.
Think I am going to have to start experimenting with gels and other forms of energy. Also, I tend not to hydrate during training, just prehydrate. Maybe I next to have some water with me for my LSRs from now on? Advice would be appreciated on this, and also when I should take a gel? For eg for a 9 mile run? Maybe at mile 4/5?

Just my 2c but unless you are running longer then 2.5 hours there is no need for Energy Gels. However water is really important. One of the best things I ever did was getting into the habit of carrying a bottle when I ran and sipping as I ran. How much you need depends on yourself and weather conditions at the time. A 500ml bottle should go between 4-6 miles

yungwan wrote: »

Total Week 5 miles: (A pretty dismal, must try harder 12 miles :rolleyes:)
Total miles: 66

Do not stress it at least you got the LSR in.

Emer911

yungwan wrote: »

Hydration and running nutrition.
Think I am going to have to start experimenting with gels and other forms of energy. Also, I tend not to hydrate during training, just prehydrate. Maybe I next to have some water with me for my LSRs from now on? Advice would be appreciated on this, and also when I should take a gel? For eg for a 9 mile run? Maybe at mile 4/5?

I'm no expert, but as ger664 said, unless you going for 2hours or so, there shouldn't be any need for gels. Water (or a sports drink if you feel you need it) is really important and your performance will suffer if you get the hydration wrong.

I have used gel when doing a half marathon, but I'd generally only take them in training if I'm going over that. I find jelly sweets (like wine gums) work just as well for the shorter long runs (and it's a guilt free excuse to eat sweeties!:D)

Here's an extract from an article on About.com that's a good rule of thumb regarding hydration.

You should take in 4 to 6 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes during your runs. During longer workouts (90 minutes or more), some of your fluid intake should include a sports drink (like Gatorade) to replace lost sodium and other minerals (electrolytes).

conversion -> 4 fl oz ~ 120 mls; 6 fl oz ~ 180 mls

Another article here might be of use (though it's a bit scientific!)

The amount of water you'll need to take in on your run will depend on your sweat rate and the temperature and humidity levels. You'll need to work out what your body needs, so experiment... and enjoy!

yungwan

Thanks for that guys! Really appreciated. I am very slow though so training over 2 hours isnt too far away! Once I get to 10 miles Ill be over it at this rate.

Next week will have to see a marked improvement in my running commitment. Otherwise I may forget about the Waterford Half Marathon in December Ive made no marked improvement in my times, which directly correlates with the amount of effort I have been able to do/felt like doing.

Going off drink for November and going to get serious from next week.

Anyway.... 4 miles done this evening veeeeery slowly: 52:54

Wont fit in intervals this week again.

Too much alcohol after Lady Gaga Tuesday night makes Yungwan very unmotivated (and slower!)

Mile:

1: 11:47
2: 13:15
3: 13:42
4: 14:05

Average pace: 13:13

littlebug

I'm going to go against the grain here and say if you feel you want to try taking a gel then take a gel! If I'm doing e.g. 12 miles then I'd take one at 6 and another at 9. Maybe it's just a psychological boost rather than physical but if it helps it helps.
I always carry water with me for anything over 6 miles so you could try that out as Ger said.

Also figure out what works for you fuel wise. Some people can run early in the morning with no breakfast but I can't. For shorter runs I'd need at least a weetabix and banana beforehand. I found a bagel and banana better for longer runs. So if you're long runs are getting longer maybe you could try different fuelling techniques and see what works best for you so you have it right on the day. It may be that it's the prefuelling that you need to look at rather than gels on the run but you won't know til you try different things.

yungwan

littlebug wrote: »

I'm going to go against the grain here and say if you feel you want to try taking a gel then take a gel! If I'm doing e.g. 12 miles then I'd take one at 6 and another at 9. Maybe it's just a psychological boost rather than physical but if it helps it helps.
I always carry water with me for anything over 6 miles so you could try that out as Ger said.

Also figure out what works for you fuel wise. Some people can run early in the morning with no breakfast but I can't. For shorter runs I'd need at least a weetabix and banana beforehand. I found a bagel and banana better for longer runs. So if you're long runs are getting longer maybe you could try different fuelling techniques and see what works best for you so you have it right on the day. It may be that it's the prefuelling that you need to look at rather than gels on the run but you won't know til you try different things.

Thanks littlebug.

Yeah I think I am going to have to experiment. I found on my last LSR ( 8 miles) my legs were really seizing. As I mentioned above, I dont bring water with me and up until now this has been fine, but I think dehydration started to drain me. I do feel like I do be sapped of energy on longer runs, even after eating beforehand and prehydrating well.

I think I will try one gel to give me a boost, or maybe Ill just try wine gums at first because personally I think I need something.

shazkea

Yungwan I bring glucose sweets with me on the LSRs and I find them great. They last for a mile or so and I have one every 3 miles or so. I know at some stage I'm going to have to try some gels as I can only fit about 5 or so sweets into small zip pocket on the capris! I tried jellys but ended up eating the frigging packet in almost one go so found these good because they were individually wrapped!!

Also on pace, seriously don't stress yourself about it. At the start of my logs I wrecked my head stressing about my slow pace and got so frustrated because I could see no improvement. Then I stoppped caring and because I had relaxed I started to see progress! Pace will come so stick with it and see how you feel for Waterford after some good sessions in November.

yungwan

shazkea wrote: »

Yungwan I bring glucose sweets with me on the LSRs and I find them great. They last for a mile or so and I have one every 3 miles or so.

I tried this today as my son is diabetic so there are always glucose tabs lying around. But I totally misread it and took one every mile after 3 miles! Then I got indigestion/heartburn so laid off it abit. All in all I think I took 5 for an 9 mile LSR!! I also brought a 500ml bottle with diluted orange (with quite a bit of juice in) and a pinch of salt in.

They definately helped. I felt much less drained and all the laps felt fine, except the last.

shazkea wrote: »

Also on pace, seriously don't stress yourself about it. At the start of my logs I wrecked my head stressing about my slow pace and got so frustrated because I could see no improvement. Then I stoppped caring and because I had relaxed I started to see progress! Pace will come so stick with it and see how you feel for Waterford after some good sessions in November.

Thanks shazkea, but I find it difficult not to worry about it. Even though I felt stronger today and less weak today with the glucose and drink, I was still slow, and compared to others who started running round the same time, I havent improved at all really. I will give it all a good go for the next few weeks, and hopefully giving up the vino and eating healthy will help. Otherwise I am afraid I will get completely disheartened and quit, and I dont want that. :eek:

Thanks for the advice though!!

yungwan

Sunday: 9 mile LSR

Time: 1:59:26

Mile

1: 12:56
2: 12:52
3: 13:07
4: 12:45
5: 13:17
6: 12:30
7: 13:37
8: 13:49
9: 14:28

This week will see me taking to the gym on weekdays as it will be too dark. Ive never ran in front of people, or on a treadmill, so hopefully it isnt a disaster!!

yungwan

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4.5 miles
Wednesday: 8 x 400
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10 miles

dolliemix

Hi Yungwan thanks for your encouragement as always. I've only just found your thread now so I've just read through it. You're doing so well. Its so nice to hear how you're doing - your highs and lows! I know you get frustrated with your times, but honestly its your perseverance and determination that is what counts and what you should be proud of. I have a friend who doesn't post on boards and goes out running every now and then and still beats my ass every time with times. She didn't run for 2 weeks and felt a bit lazy so went out after two weeks and ran 8 miles in 1.11 this weekend. I'm so jealous of her! She doesn't have a running background at all and it all seems so easy for her. And she still smokes!!! And there's me with my plan and my staying off alcohol and watching my diet and my training log....and I'll probably never run the times she does.

Anyway I do have this I really want to speed up thing at the back of my head when she tells me her times but when I'm out running that I must try harder goes out the window because I remember

- I don't want to get injured
- I'm not racing anyone else (its too stressful and I'm using this to distress)
- I can get competitive in other areas. My body has been brilliant to get me this far and I'm not going to punish it by telling it its not going fast enough for me.

A few years ago I did the Inca Trail in Peru and I was much slower than everybody else except this couple who were on their honeymoon. One they caught up with me and I was crying because I was so frustrated (and wrecked) because I couldn't keep up with the others. I remember the girl just saying to me - 'who cares how long it takes to get there - its the fact that you've done it that is the achievement'. I always think of that when I'm out there now. I read in a book as well that your body will take a year to get used to the mechanics of you running so you should start working on speed AFTER your first year of running otherwise your efforts could be futile!

You're in the same boat as me so I hope this helps.

And I think you're a superstar to have actually covered a Half Marathon distance no matter what the time.

Good luck with your week!

yungwan

dolliemix wrote: »

You're in the same boat as me so I hope this helps.

And I think you're a superstar to have actually covered a Half Marathon distance no matter what the time.

Good luck with your week!

Thank you so much for your kind words Dolliemix.
It was lovely to arrive into work today to see such encouragement!

I definately have perservered with it, more than anyone around me would have, and you're right, I should be proud!

I realised last night what I lack in speed I have in endurance so I will use this year to build up on my mileage and next year I will set new goals for myself.

In the meantime I have a Half PB to work on!

shazkea

yungwan wrote: »

Thank you so much for your kind words Dolliemix.
It was lovely to arrive into work today to see such encouragement!

I definately have perservered with it, more than anyone around me would have, and you're right, I should be proud!

I realised last night what I lack in speed I have in endurance so I will use this year to build up on my mileage and next year I will set new goals for myself.

In the meantime I have a Half PB to work on!

That's the spirit, you should be really happy with the progress you've made - because you have made great progress. Did you think you could do a 9 mile LSR a few months ago - I'm guessing not so well done. You will get a PB in Waterford with the training you are doing so enjoy your running!

BTW sorry about the confusion on the glucose sweets; glad to hear they helped though

yungwan

4.5 miles on treadmill.

Time: 48.08

Took me a while to get into the treadmill to be honest, but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It is very different though.

But somehow afterwards I felt like I hadnt done 4.5 miles at all, like I cheated or something as it felt easier than the road.

Maybe someone could advise me on this? I set the incline to 2 for the whole thing, but increased it to 3 for about half a mile. I felt a little dizzy though so I changed it back.

I actually dont think I completed it the way it is reading but heres my laps.

Mile 1: 10.44
2: 10:26
3: 10.32
4: 11:04
0.5: 6:06


Just how close can you measure/compare the treadmill to the road?

claralara

Hey Yungwan, well done on your progress so far. You're really doing great. +1 to all the words above. Keep it up You'll show those 13miles who's boss no bother!

Emer911

Fair dues on the LSR and on the treadmill run.

There's varying opinions on the differences in treadmill and outdoor running, but most agree that the treadmill does take less effort - for a variety of reasons. Increasing the incline is generally agreed as the way to go to try to attempt to resemble road running.
I think the varying surfaces and elevations are the key differences, but you have to factor in the elements too. Also, the treadmill dictates the pace and when you run outdoor you need to manage your own pace, so that takes energy too - and concentration!!


I personally hate treadmills and avoid them like the plague. Only to be used in extreme emergencies (like major storms or ice). But if outdoors isn't an option, then they're better than not running?!