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140.6 deep breaths...
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Coach reckons I'm good for the sub3 attempt but my hamstrings and belly are telling me otherwise. A bit of turbo then a good long stint on the roller planned for this evening. I'll be in with a chance if I can get to the start with fresh legs. 18 days to go and if I didn't have so much other important life stuff going on I'd be getting nervous. It will be a quick dash of a weekend too. Fly over Saturday, register, short run, eat , sleep, long run at sub 4:15 pace Sunday morning, a few beers and fly home. It will be done and dusted one way or another in 36 hours total.
I have a 5k swim race coming up in 10 days and haven't been in the pool in 2 weeks. So, no snoozing this am and into the pool for a longish steadyish swim of sorts. It was rough to say the least but glad to get it done. Some 15-20 secs per 100 off where I was a few months back
I'll brave the group swim tomorrow only I'll demote myself from the fast lane. This swim race is more about survival and a bit of fun against a couple of mates than anything else...
Plastering has started in earnest at the house and we are now in serious debating territory about tiles, colours, architraves etc etc... A bit of a hold up on the external insulation as it turns out the non english speaking fella was not certified enough despite being SEAI registered
We also had to give our doors people the boot as they made a ridiculous blunder, hence a lead time on a new crowd to do it right. The kitchen fella is back from his holiday and starting his stuff and the stairs guy handed us a nicely scary quote this morning. All in all though things progressing well and I'm optmistic about moving in at the end of October. Right now all bikes are being regulated down to a shed at the bottom of the garden. This will be a far cry from their current home in the dining room! Not sure I'm thrilled about the PX being down there though... 0 -
..em well not really. If you can picture the old USSR gymnast training camps with Coaches stretching their young prodeges limbs for them in what usually looked like some form of torture. Well I enlisted Caz's help last night to push my hamstrings where I was too meek to do so myself. In Yoga classes I generally have good strength, balance and flexibility except for the ole straightening the leg and touching the toes one. I blame A) years of sliding up and down a rowing shell with feet attached to shoes
Sitting at a desk all day and C) Not really stretching them properly after runs (usually the token 5 mins toe touches). With the running focus of late my hamstrings are always tight and stiff after a run and I can often feel them tightening during the run. It can only have a shortening effect on my stride
So when I try to push the boundry a bit , the leg shakes, knees won't stay straight and I bail. After watching the strides of the middle distance track runners in Deagu I'm convinced flexibility plays a huge part in running and I'm thus inspired to do something about it. So I spent 30 mins rolling and stretching the hamstrings last night and with Caz's help pushing the stretches further than I could do on my own. With some 40,000 or so steps you take in a Marathon, every milimetre counts! Hurt at the time but feel a bit better for it now.
Just heard that some scobes got into a nearby elderly women's back garden and burned her shed to the ground at the weekend. Not a hope the PX is going in there now!! Even if it is a concrete shed! Punks. She usually keeps her dog in there too but just happened to be out walking him.0 -
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Jaysus...you now have me panicing about a lonely Focus TT bike sitting in a wodden shed in Wexford, with little or no supervision until next summer:eek:
How are you finding getting back up to (mental) speed for Berlin?
With all that is going on, is it a struggle to try to peak again after Roth?
Hey Izoard.
Mentally I'm struggling with the space and motivation to be honest. I'm pretty much pouring myself into the house to make sure we are in by Christmas and after all the decisions and planning around that Berlin is an afterthought at best. I've basically booked a flight over and back, a no nonsense hotel by the airport and made sure I'm getting the long run done. To put it in perspective. When I downloaded the Roth Race briefing I had it by heart within hours. I printed the Berlin race info a week ago and its hidden under a stack of kitchen magazines somewhere unread!
Peaking again is similar. I can count on one hand how many swims and cycles I've done in the last 3 weeks so it feels like I'm doing nothing in comparison to the load of the I training. I'm running 5 times a week and prioritising form and quality over mileage. If you asked the marathon lads if a sub3 marathon was doable off 40 miles a week they might shake their heads but thats about all I've got in the bank for Berlin, so come what may. I'm also fatter than I was in July so that surely won't help
Again its something I've learned. Its 2 months now since Roth and I can safely say my legs were just not firing up until 2 weeks ago. Perhaps not having it on the forefront of my mind will be a blessing. Either way in less than 2 weeks I'll enjoy it whatever condition I'm in and hopefully bag the sub3 in the process.
A positive reslt in Berlin will surely motivate me into a winter with a fresh fist full of ambition 0 -
... for the 5k swim on Sunday? Hell no!! 3 swims in the last 4 weeks has given me serious cause for concern. I have even entertained the idea of not doing it for a moment. That was more about getting my @ss handed to me by some mates I'd normally beat than anything else though. So, I'll just swallow the pride of being sub hour IM swimmer to surviving this swim. I'm hoping the wetsuit,a set of feet and downhill nature of the course will help
I'm not sandbagging either. I have literally averaged 1 swim a week and my 'long' swim last week was a 3k effort that near broke me.
... for a sub3 at Berlin? Yes... There I said it, or rather whispered it! My last long run was at the weekend and was adecent improvement again on recent efforts. There was a pig of a wind about for it too and my heart rate stayed where I wanted it to. All good. I did an hour at PMP though during the week and it was hard work. So I'm not as ready as I'd initially liked to have been but I'm as ready as I will be (if that made sense). Just a few more runs, a long swim and lots of rolling and work on the hammers and I'll give it a go.
Being honest if I can surpass the feeling I had in Connemara I'll be chuffed.0 -
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Cheers lads,
@pgibbo - its a lake swim on Lough Derg so a bit of wind won't kick it up like Glaway Bay. Should be ok
@El Director - Option is your to wear a wetsuit or not. There will be plenty of those hardy souls (proper OW swimmers) giving us wetsuit cladded folk disapproving looks. I'm hearing a lot of interest in the event and with a lot of the top swimmers (Chris Bryan et al..) having a training base in Limerick it should be a quality field too. I'm hoping for some packs to form
Re: regaining the Mojo. I guess its easy to feel motivated by fresh goals when you put them down on paper at the start of the journey. What you don't see at that point are the peaks and troughs that lay ahead. I was out with a bunch of mates at the weekend and all good athletes they are too. One of them, a coach, asked us what our best moment of the year so far had been. I replied with Roth of course but couldn't help a few other races in the lead up to it springing to the back of my mind. It was at that moment that I revisted the joy I felt after Conn and the dejection of a DNF at Limerick, easily my low point of the year. Both extremes kick started a hunger for Berlin again. Now, I really want the sub3 and feel ready to give it a good ole shot on the day. I had been really struggling with motivation after Roth. I wasn't even excited about the swim race. I've never done a swim race or a distance swim like this and just for being something different it excited me. It took a reflection of the emotions I felt during those peaks and troughs to bring this to the surface again. A place thats surprisingly hard to visit yourself sometimes but worth it to recharge the mojo 0 -
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shotgunmcos wrote: »I'm running 5 times a week and prioritising form and quality over mileage. If you asked the marathon lads if a sub3 marathon was doable off 40 miles a week they might shake their heads but thats about all I've got in the bank for Berlin, so come what may. I'm also fatter than I was in July so that surely won't help
I averaged 32mpw in the 12 weeks prior to taper last year with 1 bike & 1 swim thrown in for good measure. You'll be grand.
I'm only averaging 31 this time around with no bike & no swim and hoping to knock 10 more minutes off so not sure how that will work....
I would recommend though if the sub 3 is so important to you, then go with the pacers and forget about the tactic of putting a few minutes in the bag early on - that tactic just does not work unless you are already in sub 3 shape, which means you don't need to put time in the bag - the reduced effort of running with a pacing group will stand to you in the latter stages of the race.0 -
I averaged 32mpw in the 12 weeks prior to taper last year with 1 bike & 1 swim thrown in for good measure. You'll be grand.
I'm only averaging 31 this time around with no bike & no swim and hoping to knock 10 more minutes off so not sure how that will work....
I would recommend though if the sub 3 is so important to you, then go with the pacers and forget about the tactic of putting a few minutes in the bag early on - that tactic just does not work unless you are already in sub 3 shape, which means you don't need to put time in the bag - the reduced effort of running with a pacing group will stand to you in the latter stages of the race.
Hey Gringo78 thanks for the interest and 2 good points. Yep 40mpw should be good enough if the quality is there. I am doing 1 swim and 1 cycle a week too so my approach is similar to yours. Hopefully It will end in as favourable an outcome as your did
This will be Marathon #9 for me so I undertsand the flawed concept of building minutes in the bag. Thats not my intended approach for a sub3. What I meant was that I could head out with the pacers, run safe, pick it up at the end for a 2:59 or I could aim for something a little more ambitious and do it without the pacers. So the real question is what is the secret goal? After Conn I said to myself I'd love to run a 2:55. My rationale was that 3:00:20 was as good as that on a flat course like Berlin (all things being equal in terms of form) but up until a couple of weeks ago the mojo was absent and best case scenario was to run as I did in Conn. However the runs in the last 2 weeks have been more reminiscent of pre Conn form which would suggest a crack at 2:55 may be on. My coach also reckons that based on some recent run tests that I could be a bit more ambitious than 2:59:59 as long as I feel it out...
The approach will be to start off with the 3hr pacers for a few kms and find a rhythm. If I settle quickly push gently onto 4:10 pace . If the RPE is too high back off again to the 3hr pacers and come back to the 2:59:59 goal. Whatever way I approach it I have a negative split in mind.
Don't get me wrong, sub3 is what I really want and I'd be chuffed with it. I just decided to make the goal that bit scarier to get the best out of what I have on the day... Running just in front of the pacers is me running kinda scared. I'm not looking to have a few minute in the bank by half way. I'm looking to have a few minutes in the bank by 42km
So, 2:59 Mike happy out, 2:56 Mike happy as a pig in sh!t...0 -
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There has to be a point where you convince yourself that the work is done and its time to chill out and rest ahead of your big goal. Ok, it may be obvious if you have been rolling along with HH or P&D to the letter but for some like myself, who feel a bit under prepared, its is a case of knowing when enough is enough. Cramming in training doesn't work. I guess even when I know I've prepared well I still wonder if I've done enough? Will that one morning I chose to stay in bed because the wind was howling make a difference? Probably not. Its better to arrive at the start line 90% prepared and healthy than overtrained and tired.
So the sign for me to taper off is when I realise that my long run for the upcoming weekend is just an hour! Aha, the Marathon is just around the corner, the work is done. Time to focus on other things like sleep, food, hydration, race plans etc..
I'm generally pretty good with the self drive and self discipline but I need this feeling to sink in to stop me from doing that extra unnecessary set of strides or doing the last long run too hard just because its an hour.
The last 2 sessions I did were poor form, but they were a swim and a turbo. Running feels good lately and thats all that matters for now
Taper time 0 -
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griffin100 wrote: »oohhh a chance to test myself against Catweazle. How could I resist now. So if I sprint the last few metres and beat CW, MCOS and Macanri how good would that make me:pac:
You won't be outsprinting me (other 3'45 pacer) i'll make sure of it
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The secret Griffin, is to take your time going over the start line and then catch up to the 3.45 group (say you were tightening your laces). So then when you go scampering off over the last 100 metres, you will see while leafing through the results that I Catweazle has emerged triumphant again
Wont be too much competitiveness coming through from me that day, I just want to make it through in one piece0 -
Brianderunner wrote: »You won't be outsprinting me (other 3'45 pacer) i'll make sure of it
Or you could hang back* and watch the 2 Jokers have a go in front of us (particularly as I'll find the most capable girl in our group to sprint with them and chick them both)
*as in the job spec..0 -
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shotgunmcos wrote: »Or you could hang back* and watch the 2 Jokers have a go in front of us (particularly as I'll find the most capable girl in our group to sprint with them and chick them both)
*as in the job spec..
Like that poor fella caught trying to outsprint Lizzie Lee in Cork last year. The contemptuous smile on her face said it all.
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griffin100 wrote: » but I always thought CW was a woman
We've all thought that at one stage or another... 0 -
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The 2nd 'A' Goal of the year is 5 days away.
Its going to be a mental challenge as much as a physical one. It will be my first attempt at sub3. When I set out the goals for the year this one seemed like the biggest stretch. By the end of the Spring though I felt like I could do it comfortably. Then I fell agonisingly short of my Roth target and motivation has been the real struggle since. I haven't missed a long run in between, although they have been capped at 2 hours. I've probably maintaned enough running and quality since Roth to warrant the attempt but it just feels like I've been dossing! The reason I think is that the volume of the IM training was just so encompassing. I had to really work on life balance and recovery. I had to eat like a horse to sustain the energy required and I slept 6 hours a night, tops. These days I get up at 8am instead of 6, take 2 days off per week and the belt buckle feels tight again :rolleyes: I went for a gentle 8km with strides yesterday evening and felt good apart from the tight hammers. I rolled the bejeezus out of them again and just hope they play ball on Sunday. For a change the last couple of weeks Caz has been ushering me out the door for a run rather than holding the reins as she did during the IM block, quite a turnaround really...
I haven't felt this nervous about a Marathon since my first one in Dublin in 2008! I'm fatter and stiffer than 2 months ago but I still believe I can do it. I'm ready to throw the sink at it and feel some pain again. I'm finally excited woohoo 0 -
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Great going on the 5k OW swim - only a short step up to a Channel swim, eh?
Interesting thoughts on your motivation/mojo for the sub-3 in Berlin.
I reckon if you didn't do Conn, you would be a bit more unsure, and as such, more up for this.
Not wanting to trivialize what you are about to attempt, but it sounds like you subconsciously know this is well within your compass, assuming the wheels stay on.
Either way, all the best with it - takes talent and application to even be in the picture for it.0 -
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@brownian - thanks Chief. The last 2 months have been haphazard with training to say the least. Nowhere near the consistency I had approching Conn
@Izoard - Interesting perspective on it there. True know I got so close before and not having the same training done is playing cat and mouse with my nerves on this one. True some blinkers would be advantageous too at times
I just want to get on with it now. Taper is torturous enough without having the doubts on board. Whatever I feel now though, I'll shake it off once I line up with the thousands of others
I think I have to stop reading Brianderunner's posts. I feel he is in better shape for a sub3 than I and his nerves are unnerving me!0
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