2012 4 Races for 4 PBs

outforarun

2013 has been my best running year to date.

The key moment came I think on 20 April. This was my first ever 10K time-trial. I set out with the intention of running this at around 7:0X min/mile pace. In the event I surprised myself with a final time of 42:25. I'd run 6:49 pace for 6.2 miles. Up until this point I'd believed consecutive sub 7:00 minute miles were largely out of my reach. Not anymore. I was really thrilled with this. I attribute it completely to P&D. Subsequent 10K TTs improved on this time, and my confidence continued to grow, to the point where a sub 40:00 10K became a goal that I felt was in my grasp. This was brilliant 6:XX racing! I'd been on a plateau for I reckon 18 months before hand. P&D had finally lifted me off this plateau.

I honestly believe that setting the Garmin to metric for that initial time-trial helped me mentally maintain that pace. The metric equivalent of 6:49 min/mile pace had no significance to me, I wasn't frightened of it. I now like racing in metric, and I'll probably race CCM14 in metric. I'll stick with statute for everything slower than PMP.

I don't believe I had a good enough base starting P&D and in fact after 7 weeks I picked up my one significant injury of the year, for a while I thought CCM13 wasn't going to happen. In the end I managed to PB in Cork and break the 3:40 barrier, but the sub 3:30 continued to evade me. Heading into 2014 I have a much healthier base to call on. My confidence has never been higher that I will break the 3:30. The next 2 weeks I'll decide on paces and goals for CCM14.

I set a mileage record of 1763.26 in 2013, a 35% improvement on 2012.
I completed the 4PBs called for in my log title (Marathon, 10 Mile, 10K and 5 Mile). I ran more races (9) in 2013 than in any previous year. And in 2 of these races (Blessington and Cork Rebel Run) I felt like I was actually racing.

Wasn't all roses in 2013. I picked up an unexpected injury in January. A bloody chaffing which had me (do not read if squeamish)

for the first time ever wishing I wasn't circumcised

. Following this Underarmour heat gear shorts and Nike Pro-Combat shorts became part of my running attire.

Another lowlight was my first ever DNF. This happened in the Dublin Half, where after 3 miles I knew I was struggling and after 8 miles I didn't want to find out how poorly I'd finish and so I called it a day.

Focus now switches to 2014. Back of a beermat platinum goals (these may change for better or worse):

5K - sub 18:30
5M - sub 32:00
10K - sub 39:00
10M - sub 65:00
HM - sub 1:30:00
Marathon - tbc

Happy New Year All

outforarun

Silver. 19:19. Full Report later.

outforarun

Pre-Race

I wasn’t happy yesterday morning to look out the window and see a dark wet and windy new year.

I needed to register around 60 minutes before race start which meant leaving the house around 10:30. I’d be soaked if I went out in only a t-shirt. So I wore a long sleeve top and a light running jacket, one I wouldn’t mind pinning a number to. Gloves on. My first warm-up takes me from home over to the Furze Road via Islandbridge Gate. Some big puddles along the way ensure I arrive with cold and wet feet. I register and I’m given a t-shirt. What do I do with this? Decide to pin my number to it and I throw it on over my running jacket. The most dressed I’ve ever been for a race.

Still 45 minutes before race start. Find a tree for a pee. Then I go on my second warm-up, a slow jog to Knockmaroon Gate and back. On this second warm-up I realise I don’t have a race plan. I decide I should start out at 3:48 min/km pace [6:07 min/mile] just to see how it feels. If it feels ok then I’d try to sustain it and try push over the final 1500m to get under 19:00, if not then I could drop back as far as 3:52 min/km pace [6:13 min/mile] and hope to come home sub 19:24. Find another tree for another pee. Re-lace my shoes and head to the start line. The race gets underway with minimal fuss, siren sounds and we’re off.

Lap 1 (partial loop)
Speed down Furze Road with the wind at our backs. I’m overtaking lots of runners on this stretch. I’m happy to see 3:3X pace showing after a few hundred meters. I know that once we turn onto Ordnance Road we’ll have the wind and gradient against us so I don’t worry too much about applying the brakes for the moment. I’m still overtaking people as we take the first corner. At the start of Ordnance average pace is 3:41 min/km [5:56 min/mile], by the end of Ordnance Road it has dropped to 3:46 [6:04]. I went through the first K in 3:45 [6:02]. The pace feels comfortably tough. I decide to forget about my prerace 3:48 pace plan and try instead to hold 3:46. Let’s see how it goes. We have to battle with the wind as we go down Chesterfield. I continue to slowly overtake other runners. My breathing seems ok compared to some others who definitely went out too fast. K2 logs at 3:47 [6:05]. Turn back onto Furze Road. It’s great to have the wind at our backs again. Through the finishing chute for the first time.

Lap 2 (full loop)
Average pace is holding at 3:46 [6:04], I’m hoping that by the end of Furze Road I’ll have brought it down to 3:45 [6:02] which if I could hold would give me a fair shot at sub 19:00. However I’m also now conscious that this is suddenly becoming hard work. I’m still slowly slowly working my way past other runners. K3 is another 3:47 [6:04]. I’m disappointed to still see 3:46 [6:04] showing as we turn back into the wind on Ordnance. I decide to not kill myself on Ordnance, just try hold the effort steady and then see how much I can push down Chesterfield before a sprint finish on Furze. I slowly pull ahead of a female runner (she’d finish 6th female). I can hear her staying with me though. K4 is my slowest at 3:53 [6:15], I’m not watching splits, just average pace and this is showing 3:47 [6:05]. This is now really hard work. Legs and lungs. 6th Female overtakes me as we reach the top of Ordnance. We turn onto Chesterfield and into more wind. I’m trying to push, but I also want to hold something back for the last 200ms or so. The gap between me and 6th Female holds steady at about 3meters. 5K has never felt so long! My eyes are searching for the finishing chute.

I’m pushing but I don’t feel like I’m going a whole pile faster. 6th Female speeds up as we approach the turn onto Furze. I check my watch 18:36 is showing but there’s about 250ms to go. I won’t be going sub 19:00 but I should pick up silver. I start my sprint too soon. Ease of just a little which means 6th Female stays ahead of me, I sprint again for the last 100ms, finishing just behind 6th Female. Wrecked.

Post Race

Garmin reads 19:19, and this is identical to the official chip time. On the day I’m happy with silver. (went through 5.00K on the Garmin in 19:01.9). Finished 57th of 413 finishers, or 14th in a race of 100.

Great way to start the New Year. First time racing a 5K and it was great fun. Gives me an official 5K time to bring to P&D. Gives me a target to beat during the year to count toward one of my 4 PBs. I must sign-up to Park Run.

Full marks to LVAC for a very well organized race. All the organizers in good humour despite the weather conditions. If I’m in Dublin next New Year’s this will definitely be in my diary.

Warm-up 1 – 2.71M @ 8:49
Warm-up 2 – 1.84M @ 9:56

KM01 3:45 [6:02]
KM02 3:47 [6:04]
KM03 3:47 [6:04]
KM04 3:53 [6:15]
KM05 3:50 [6:10]

Total 5.09KM @ 3:48 [3.16M @ 6:07]
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/423000923

Cool-down – 2.20M @ 9:08

menoscemo

You seem to be continually unlucky with conditions/tough courses.
FWIW I know a lot of people running that race and some seemed to be up to a minute down on their normal 5k times.
Keep at it and one day you'll get really good conditions and absolutely smash it!!

belcarra

Yip, Vader_MLK thought he was going to be close to his 16:4x PB but ended up with a 17:2x instead. I think the general consensus was that barely anybody PB'ed. I'm sure a lot of that was down to the wind.
Probably worth a sub 19 if you get to run again soon in calmer weather.

belcarra

By the way, well past time to update the log title from 2012...!:P

AuldManKing

menoscemo wrote: »

You seem to be continually unlucky with conditions/tough courses.
FWIW I know a lot of people running that race and some seemed to be up to a minute down on their normal 5k times.
Keep at it and one day you'll get really good conditions and absolutely smash it!!

+1

outforarun

menoscemo wrote: »

You seem to be continually unlucky with conditions/tough courses.
FWIW I know a lot of people running that race and some seemed to be up to a minute down on their normal 5k times.
Keep at it and one day you'll get really good conditions and absolutely smash it!!

It actually didn't occur to me yesterday that the conditions could be affecting my performance. I think I was seeing it in a in a glass-half-full way cause the weather during the race was actually much better than it had been just a couple of hours previous. Reassuring to hear that lots of runners were down on their usual times.

The flying portaloos at the Aware 10K did make me think that in better conditions I might have hit my goal.

The one that annoyed me most though was the short course round the quays. I was well on target even despite the crazy congestion.

outforarun

belcarra wrote: »

By the way, well past time to update the log title from 2012...!:P

asked twice for it to be changed last new year, but it never happened, now though I don't want to change it.

menoscemo

outforarun wrote: »

asked twice for it to be changed last new year, but it never happened, now though I don't want to change it.

You have to actually PM a mod, but yeah, I prefer a log that is not always changing title..

Sharkey47

Hey Outforarun, just want to say how enjoyable a read your log has been over the past 12 months. Your honesty in assessing your runs/races is very obvious. Your last two races in the Phoenix Park have been very impressive inspite of the weather. Good luck in 2014 especially in CCM.

outforarun

Sharkey47 wrote: »

Hey Outforarun, just want to say how enjoyable a read your log has been over the past 12 months. Your honesty in assessing your runs/races is very obvious. Your last two races in the Phoenix Park have been very impressive inspite of the weather. Good luck in 2014 especially in CCM.

Thanks Sharkey47. I like my stats and sometimes worry the log is just a boring list of paces and splits. Really looking forward to kicking off CCM training now.
My December holiday of casual off-the-cuff runs, suspended vegan diet, lots of mince-pies, generous glasses of wine officially ends at midnight this Sunday. Then I've one week of running before starting P&D (55 mile) on Monday 13 January.

Sharkey47

outforarun wrote: »

Thanks Sharkey47. I like my stats and sometimes worry the log is just a boring list of paces and splits. Really looking forward to kicking off CCM training now.
My December holiday of casual off-the-cuff runs, suspended vegan diet, lots of mince-pies, generous glasses of wine officially ends at midnight this Sunday. Then I've one week of running before starting P&D (55 mile) on Monday 13 January.

Your Christmas "holiday" didn't seem to slow you down last Wednesday....! Our 5k and 10k times are very similar and I was 40 seconds slower in the Tom Brennan compared to the Jingle Bells race in December. I used P&D55 for both the marathons that I have done and it worked well for me, I am sure it will be the same for you.

outforarun

Super quick update. Been in Strasbourg since last night. Packed runners but haven't had an opportunity to get out for a run yet. Clocked up a lot of kilometres on a warehouse floor though.

Saturday I managed a 10 miler. Wore a Skins sleeveless top. Mate ordered this for me online where it cost just €11. Felt really snug. Pity these are normally so expensive.

Run was a leisurely, didn't look at the Garmin until the end.

10.23 miles @ 8:33.

outforarun

Sharkey47 wrote: »

Your Christmas "holiday" didn't seem to slow you down last Wednesday....! Our 5k and 10k times are very similar and I was 40 seconds slower in the Tom Brennan compared to the Jingle Bells race in December. I used P&D55 for both the marathons that I have done and it worked well for me, I am sure it will be the same for you.

That is encouraging. Thanks. Did you complete P&D off different paces the second time round? Did it work better for you the second time?

Sharkey47

outforarun wrote: »

That is encouraging. Thanks. Did you complete P&D off different paces the second time round? Did it work better for you the second time?

There were two big differences the second time. Firstly, I was much more confident of the correct paces the second time around. I did nudge the paces lower as the training progressed but it was quite seamless. Mind you, I think I am far less rigorous than you. The second difference is that I increased my mileage by an average of about 5 miles a week. I didn't have the time to undertake the P&D55-70 plan but I was advised by a "real" runner that the easiest way to lower your marathon time was to run more miles. Simple as. It definitely worked.

outforarun

Sharkey47 wrote: »

There were two big differences the second time. Firstly, I was much more confident of the correct paces the second time around. I did nudge the paces lower as the training progressed but it was quite seamless. Mind you, I think I am far less rigorous than you. The second difference is that I increased my mileage by an average of about 5 miles a week. I didn't have the time to undertake the P&D55-70 plan but I was advised by a "real" runner that the easiest way to lower your marathon time was to run more miles. Simple as. It definitely worked.

Thanks Sharkey47. I think I too will have a more accurate set of paces this time round. I'm pretty rigorous alright, so even though I know a plan is just a plan I'll be aiming to stick to all the prescribed paces and distances, I won't risk getting too creative. Increasing mileage by just 5 miles a week seems such a little thing, but over the course of a year 260 extra miles is nothing to be sniffed at.

Really itching now for next week to start.

outforarun

Got back from Strasbourg last night. Only managed to get out for a run on Tuesday evening. We were staying in the historical centre which is circled by the river Ill. So I ran three laps of the centre, following the river.

Not too much traffic despite all the bridges, I think I only had to stop once. there was one section about 500ms long that was cobbled. First time running on cobbles and hopefully last time.

Total 6.93M @ 8:46

outforarun

Ok, CCM14, I’m going to train for and almost certainly race for a 3:19.

Starting on Monday I’ll follow P&D55 18 week plan, with 2 weeks buffer built in for injury, illness, ice, or preferably races.

I know some posters here (and McMillan) will think I’m selling myself short and I hope they’re right. The prospect of finishing in 3:19 (a 20 min PB) in June feeling that I could have gone even faster is beautiful music to my ears right now. The context of CCM14, i.e.the fact that it comes after two failed 3:29 and one failed 3:34 attempt, is shaping what I will be happy with this June. If I do finish feeling I could have done better then I will set the bar higher for CCM15.

So then, paces.

PMP
I have to focus on metric because over 26.2 miles the statute still scares me :eek: PMP will be 4:43 min/km.

Recovery
I’m going to slow these down a little. I found that late last year my recovery runs often drifted into general aerobic pace. The main goal here will be to not run faster than 9:20 min/mile pace.

General Aerobic
P&D say that for most runners, the optimal intensity range for these runs is about 15 to 25 percent slower than marathon race pace. This range is quite wide and for a 3:19 marathon covers paces between 8:43 and 9:30 min/mile. I’m going to leave my GA pace unchanged from 2013 and target the middle ground of this range, i.e. 9:00 to 9:15 min/mile. I think this pace worked well for me last year and it makes the early morning rises that bit more bearable.

LSR
P&D say the most beneficial intensity range for most of your long runs is 10 to 20 percent slower than your goal marathon race pace. The range then is again quite wide, anything from 8:20 to 9:07 min/mile. I have found that my LSR pace has increased naturally over the last months. This has happened without any deliberate effort on my part to try and run faster. So I’m going to replace my 2013 range of 8:45 to 9:00 min/miles with a faster range of 8:30 to 8:45 min/mile.

MSR
P&D say that to gain the greatest physiological benefits the pace for these runs should be similar to the pace for long runs. So maybe just a tiny bit quicker then for these, 8:25 to 8:40 min/mile pace.

Lactate Threshold
This should equate to my 15K to HM pace. I ran the Frank Duffy 10 miler (16K) at 4:18min/km pace last summer. I reckon I’ve improved since then, so I’ll be setting LT pace at 4:10 to 4:15 min/km.

VO2 Max
P&D say that rather than 3K pace, marathoners will gain the best benefit by sticking to 5K pace. My pace for the Tom Brennan 5K earlier this month was 3:48 min/km. So I’m setting VO2 max at 3:45 to 3:50 min/km.


Just two more off the cuff runs, before the work begins.

Pace | Max km[mile] | Min km[mile]
VO2 Max | 3:45 [6:02] | 3:50 [6:10]
Lactate Threshold | 4:10 [6:42] | 4:15 [6:50]
PMP | 4:43 [7:35] | 4:43 [7:35]
Medium Long Runs | 5:14 [8:25] | 5:23 [8:40]
LSR | 5:17 [8:30] | 5:26 [8:45]
General Aerobic | 5:36 [9:00] | 5:45 [9:15]
Recovery | 5:48 [9:20] | 6:13 [10:00]

statss

looking forward to seeing how you get on, best of luck.

AuldManKing

Excellent post.
Great to see firm goals being set. Best of luck with the plan.

outforarun

I've enjoyed December (and the start of January). I don't think it's a bad thing to have a month or so of casual, make-it-up-as-you-go-along, running (with a couple of races thrown in just to keep me vaguely honest). However the guilties are now starting to get noisy in my head - holiday has to end. CCM14 starts today - with a rest day

Everything back on track from today. Diet returns to healthy, varied, unprocessed, seasonal, fresh products. For a treat I allow myself 100gs of dark chocolate over the weekend and that's it. My 2 vegan days a week return. Alcohol consumption is cut down (for now that corresponds to around 3 pints of black stuff, and one bottle of vino (mostly drunk with food) per week). I'm going to try once again to get some core work completed, just 3 days a week, better than nothing. I've also bought a digital scales, I'll monitor weight every Sunday after my LSR. New year's resolution junkie (13 days late).

Bought two pairs of Nimbus 13 (my favourite Nimbus) in Kildare Village this morning.

Saturday
My penultimate off-the-cuff run. One of those runs that you know you should make an effort to enjoy, because it's January and the sun is out and after 15 minutes on the road you're feeling snug and toastie in jacket and gloves. I didn't bother looking at the Garmin throughout. A five mile loop over to Phoenix and back. Lovely.

M01 9:10
M02 8:17
M03 8:00
M04 7:37
M05 8:02

Total 5.16M @ 8:12

Sunday
A goodbye to unstructured, spontaneous running. I was a little shocked when looking over Garmin activities to realise that I haven't run HM distance in over a month. Not good. I still stuck with just 12 miles yesterday, matching what P&D are looking for for my first LSR. Overcast with some light drizzle replacing Saturday's winter sunshine. Ran my Ballyfermot - Chapelizod - Tower Road - Whites Road - Furze Road - North Road - Military Road - Park Gate - Heuston loop. Gradually picking up the pace as the miles ticked by. Again I didn't look at the Garmin throughout. The last few miles the effort felt just beyond comfortable. Legs felt a bit tired yesterday after this one. A nice wake-up run ahead of 18 weeks of P&D.

M01 8:46
M02 8:04
M03 8:12
M04 8:07
M05 8:34
M06 8:04
M07 7:47
M08 8:00
M09 7:58
M10 7:55
M11 8:11
M12 7:43

Total 12.19M @ 8:07

Post LSR weight = 73.00KG

WTD| MTD | YTD
0.00 | 44.41| 44.41|

outforarun

13K with 6K at LT

And away we go. My 6th marathon (3:51, 3:41, 3:40, 3:41, 3:39) starts here. Time to leave the marathon plateau I've been living on for too long. I have some holidays at work which I need to take before the end of March, so I thought lets start training in style with a day off work. Called a vegan day today as well. Headed out at 12:49 this afternoon.

Despite the overcast damp and cold conditions I already feel like I'm on the road to the summer. Switched the Garmin to metric, I'll be doing this for any run that features PMP pace or faster. Ran from home to Islandbridge Gate and into Phoenix for a clockwise lap. I'd decided to split the 13K into 3K warm-up, 6K lactate and 4K cool down. I was a tiny bit anxious during the 3K warm-up, what if LT pace would prove too tough?

The LT section started on the descent to Chapelizod Gate, so it was very easy to hit a fast pace. I was instantly travelling at 3:5X pace but then the climb up Glen Road took care of slowing me down. The first half of the LT section is mostly uphill. I hold the average pace between 4:10 [6:42] and 4:12 [6:46]. This is not easy and I'm happy to work for it. Lot of runners out on a grim Tuesday afternoon. As I reach the end of Ordnance the road starts to flatten and then descend down North Road towards the zoo. This was a lactate session of two halves: the first half the effort was high as I tried to stay within target pace while running uphill. The second half instead became an exercise in controlled deceleration. The average pace had sped up to 4:09 [6:41] and I consciously dropped the effort levels to get back on track. The second 3K felt much more comfortable than the first 3K. I completed the LT section behind the zoo, average pace 4:11 [6:44]. Feeling strong.

Rain starts to fall during my 4K cool down. Finish happy to have ticked off the first of 86 P&D sessions. I'm still not looking forward to these LT sessions when I'll be running them in the early morning.

So far so good.

3.01K @ 5:30 [1.87M @ 8:50]
6.02K @ 4:11 [3.74M @ 6:44]
4.02K @ 5:00 [2.50M @ 8:00]

Total 13.05K @ 4:44 [8.11M @ 7:37]

P&D55 Week 1 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
13K with 6K Lactate Threshold @ 4:10 to 4:15| 13.05K [8.11M]| 4:44 [7:37] with 6.02K @ 4:11 [6:44]
General Aerobic 9M @ 9:00 to 9:15 ||
Recovery 4M @ 9:20 to 10:00 | |
LSR 12M @ 8:30 to 8:45 ||


Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining | Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
01 / 01 / 00 / 00 / 85 | 8.11 / 52.52 / 52.52

Sharkey47

Do you think it would be beneficial to do your faster runs on the flatter sections of the Phoenix Park so judging your pace would be easier ?

outforarun

Sharkey47 wrote: »

Do you think it would be beneficial to do your faster runs on the flatter sections of the Phoenix Park so judging your pace would be easier ?

Probably yes. Though I don't mind the odd hill yesterday's run was more or less 3K up, 1K flat, 2K down and in that order. So the profile had a significant impact on how the session went. It would have been better if I had tried to keep the effort constant from the start and trusted myself to recover lost time once the hills were done.

Not that easy to find a flat section in the Park. Maybe the Furze Ordnance loop.

outforarun

General Aerobic 9 Miles

The little one is sick with tonsillitis so I stayed at home with her today. When Mrs outforarun got home from work I had an opportunity to run session 2 at 5:15pm this afternoon instead of 5:15am in the morning. No hesitation, on with the runners and headed out. Fair bit of traffic at this time so I opted to cut out any junctions and just run my short loop along Kilmainham Lane, St.John's Road West and Military Road. This is a little less than 1.3 miles so 7 laps brought up 9 miles pretty much spot on.

Checked average pace after one lap and 8:56 was showing. Ok slow down. Checked average pace after 2 laps and 8:49 pace was showing :rolleyes:

Put the brakes on and got average pace back on track. Legs felt fine. Very happy to have dodged an early rise tomorrow. No more running until Saturday, these first two weeks of P&D, each with just 4 runs, feel very sparse.

M01 8:51
M02 8:48
M03 9:01
M04 9:04
M05 9:12
M06 9:07
M07 9:21
M08 9:25
M09 9:00

Total 9.01M @ 9:05

P&D55 Week 1 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
13K with 6K Lactate Threshold @ 4:10 to 4:15| 13.05K [8.11M]| 4:44 [7:37] with 6.02K @ 4:11 [6:44]
General Aerobic 9M @ 9:00 to 9:15 | 9.01 | 9:05
Recovery 4M @ 9:20 to 10:00 | |
LSR 12M @ 8:30 to 8:45 ||


Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining | Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
02 / 02 / 00 / 00 / 84 | 17.12 / 61.53 / 61.53

tomred1N

Best of luck..Excellent planing and layout....I'm very tempted to just follow ur log and ultimate goal a week behind !

neilc

outforarun wrote: »

General Aerobic 9 Miles
M01 8:51
M02 8:48
M03 9:01
M04 9:04
M05 9:12
M06 9:07
M07 9:21
M08 9:25
M09 9:00

Total 9.01M @ 9:05

Hi ofar, best of luck with the training, I'm following the same plan for London atm. I'm on week six and very glad it's a step back week

Take what I say with a pinch of salt but are your GA runs a bit on the slow side. P&D say they should be starting off at appox 70% HR and get up to around 81% by the end of the run. I'm guessing on your current form/fitness you don't come near the higher end of the range at that pace. It must feel like crawling for you!!

outforarun

neilc wrote: »

Hi ofar, best of luck with the training, I'm following the same plan for London atm. I'm on week six and very glad it's a step back week

Take what I say with a pinch of salt but are your GA runs a bit on the slow side. P&D say they should be starting off at appox 70% HR and get up to around 81% by the end of the run. I'm guessing on your current form/fitness you don't come near the higher end of the range at that pace. It must feel like crawling for you!!

Hiya neilc

Without a doubt my GA runs are a bit on the slow side. I don't train to HR (though might try it out in the second half of 2014), so I tend to glaze over the parts where P&D quote HRs.

When determining GA pace I focused on two assertions from P&D: the say the optimal intensity for GA (for most runners) is between 15% and 25% of marathon pace. My GA pace of 9:00 to 9:15 min miles is between 19% and 22% of PMP so falls in the middle of this range. P&D also say that the primary purpose of these runs is to increase your training volume, so I'm not worrying too much about speed.

If I run these in the evening like yesterday then I have to make an effort to slow down, and yes sometimes it can feel like I'm crawling. However, more often than not I'll be running these in the morning at five something a.m. at that time my GA pace feels just right.

Good luck with the plan yourself. Let me know if you hit any potholes that I should look out for.

outforarun

tomred1N wrote: »

Best of luck..Excellent planing and layout....I'm very tempted to just follow ur log and ultimate goal a week behind !

Thanks. I'm planning on following the PD schedule as close to the letter as I can so really you'd be following P&D not me (that's my disclaimer anyway). Keep in mind that I've factored in 2 weeks buffer. Are you targeting a specific marathon?