I can see the sun in wintertime

menoscemo

Oops sorry. Brian and RQ are likely right. I must re-examine the way I do strides.

RayCun

There was a whole big debate about this last year. Some people did strides midrun, some people did them at the end of a run.

Since Rachel was having trouble with the strides last week, I think midrun makes sense for her. A big gap between each set will mean she has plenty of time for recovery. Once she gets the hang of them she might switch to end of run.
(I always do them midrun anyway, because the last mile or two of my routes are concrete, and I prefer to do any faster running on tarmac or grass)

rainbow kirby

menoscemo wrote: »

Oops sorry. Brian and RQ are likely right.

Meno admitting someone else might be right.

*frames this*

menoscemo

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Meno admitting someone else might be right.

*frames this*

Twice in a week now :P

racheljev

Thanks for all the replies folks. Still a bit confused but I'll work it out. For the minute, I'll do them during the run like a mini fartlek; when I get used to them, I'll do them at the end. Next session with strides is 8mil with 10x100 again, next Tuesday. Looking forward to it already

RacoonQueen

RayCun wrote: »

Since Rachel was having trouble with the strides last week, I think midrun makes sense for her. A big gap between each set will mean she has plenty of time for recovery. Once she gets the hang of them she might switch to end of run.
(I always do them midrun anyway, because the last mile or two of my routes are concrete, and I prefer to do any faster running on tarmac or grass)

I know she's already replied, but, IIRC the reason she found them tough was because she was sprinting?

racheljev

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I know she's already replied, but, IIRC the reason she found them tough was because she was sprinting?

Yes that was part of it alright. I just wasn't really sure about pace, distance, recovery, the while thing. Have a better idea now, so will just have to wait and see how next session goes.

RayCun

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I know she's already replied, but, IIRC the reason she found them tough was because she was sprinting?

Yes, and for too long I think. I see the logic in doing them at the end of a run, but they're less daunting if they're spread out more in the middle.

Brianderunner

RayCun wrote: »

they're less daunting if they're spread out more in the middle.

they're also less beneficial, you will recruit more fast twitch muscle fibres and it will be easier to maintain form throughout if you do them after a couple of mins rest after the run.

racheljev

3.6 miles in 30 mins, close enough to 5k pace. Not sure how that happened actually! Ran out on the road instead of the beach and that made me a bit faster. Road near holiday home is very up and down so even got a few hilly bits done

Thanks for all the advice re strides folks. Much appreciated

racheljev

Plan: 8 miles at GA (9:30+ pace) with 10 x 100m strides.
Actual: 8.8 miles divided as follows:
6.7 @ 9:13 pace, 12 x 60-70m @ 7:26 pace with 30 secs recovery (1.06 mile), 1.04 @ 9:32 pace.

So, I think this is closer to what strides should be. I took a few days off last week - I was on my holidays and I was just so frickin' tired anyway. I'd always thought last week would cause problems and I've always had it in the back of my head that, if the program doesn't go to plan straight away, i can give the 12 week one a go.

Anyway, because of the break, I was nice and fresh this morning. I went out with the intention of doing the strides closer together than one every km. I tweaked my route so I'd be close to Fairview park at around 6.5 miles so I could do strides and recovery there. I stopped at 6.7 miles and did a good stretch out. Then I started. 15 secs at 5k pace, which meant between 60 and 70m, then 30-35 secs recovery. I ended up doing more than intended, simply because I miscounted. I thought I'd done 10 and I said to myself, I'll do an extra one for safety. But of course I'd already done 11, d'oh! :rolleyes:

Much happier with that session than the last one, I feel it was closer to what it should be. Thanks for all the advice folks, it really helped.:) Oh, and does anyone know if Woddle lives on the Northside? I could swear I saw him running in Clontarf this morning. If it's not him, there's a Woddle-a-like around...

racheljev

Plan: 5 recovery miles @ 9:57-10:57
Actual: 5.4 miles @ 9:56 pace, all between 9:50 and 10:00.
Nice easy few miles. My legs were a bit stiff this morning but it wore off after the first mile. The only problem I had was keeping it slower than normal, I wanted to run faster - now there's a new experience :rolleyes: Every time the pace creeped into the 9:4?'s I slooooowed down again. As a result I feel like I haven't run at all and I'm ready for another 5 - I assume that's the point of a recovery run. Hear that noise? that's the penny dropping

racheljev

Plan: 10 GA miles @ 9:30+ pace.
Actual: 10 miles @ 9:26, 1:34:25
Nothing extra to add. The miles felt ok, all between 9:21 & 9:31 (except for one rogue 9:19). Small niggle in left thigh, feels very tight and a teeny bit sore. Lots of stretches today methinks. Rest/cross day tomorrow - might go out on the bike, depending how thigh feels. Then 15 on Saturday. Will take Sunday as rest day because DLR 10k is on Monday. Just over 24 miles in 3 days, not bad for me

Bally8

racheljev wrote: »

Just over 24 miles in 3 days, not bad for me

Thats some great going- well done rachel!


Can I ask a really stupid question- what does GA mean?

racheljev

It means general aerobic. P&D talk about it - it's one of the many things I'm not really sure about in the program! I think I'm doing it right but I'm not sure

menoscemo

racheljev wrote: »

It means general aerobic. P&D talk about it - it's one of the many things I'm not really sure about in the program! I think I'm doing it right but I'm not sure

I think you are generally doing all your paces a touch on the fast side. GA should be your current Marathon Pace + 30-90seconds/mile. Mc Millan can be a great resource for the pace of these runs. For example for a 4 hour marathoner he says that the GA runs should be between 9'40-10'10/mile (he calls them easy runs). P&D will let you go as far (on the slow side) as recovery pace on these runs so 9'40-11min/mile pace for a 4hr marathoner.

racheljev

Thanks Meno. So GA pace is faster than lsr pace and slower than tempo. Have to work on the slow stuff. Honestly, I'm so naturally slow, it's hard to run slower!

menoscemo

racheljev wrote: »

Thanks Meno. So GA pace is faster than lsr pace and slower than tempo. Have to work on the slow stuff. Honestly, I'm so naturally slow, it's hard to run slower!

GA pace is pretty similar to LSR pace actually, not much in it either way. GA actually gives you scope to go slower than LSR pace (in terms of the Heart rate that P&D prescribe) but in reality yeah, I find that and LSR is a long GA run, if that makes sense.

racheljev

Plan: 15 mile lsr, 9:57-10:57 pace
Actual: 15 miles, in 2:27:20, pace 9:49

That's the longest time on my feet since Barcelona. Did my usual "break it down" routine, don't look past this 30 minute block! Also used a just about 3 mile loop near my house for the first 12ish miles. Each time I turned the final corner I knew another 20% was done. Last 3 miles were hard though, it was very very hot and I was very very tired - oldest child did a puppy impression yesterday and basically ate himself sick, cleaning up puke from all over the bathroom at 1 a.m. is not a good forerunner to an lsr at 8a.m. :rolleyes: Main thing is it's done and I'm glad. Rest day tomorrow and then DLR 10k on Monday morning. Off to Dun Laoghaire to collect my number today, haven't a clue where I'm going

racheljev

Didn't feel good this morning. I was tired from Saturday's 15 miles and didn't sleep great last night. Woke up this morning with a fierce dodgy tum. OH told me off, said it was my usual "letting race nerves get the better of me" but I didn't think it was. Checked to see if I had any imodium... and I didn't... Not a good start. :mad:

Headed out to Dun Laoghaire with OH and 2 of the 3 kiddos. Found parking and headed down to the start. Then stood in the line for the loos for about 15 mins while a man with a loud speaker kept telling us all to "head for the pens, get into your pens". Honestly, buddy, i would have if I could have! Some unpleasantness in the portaloo later I headed to the line. Stomach felt like crap. Started with RK, and over the line we went. First 3k were uneventful. A bit of rain made it lovely and I was flying. Then my stomach started to roll, and continued all the way through the hilly bits. Oh, and who said this was a flat course? Flat my ar$$. At about 6k I saw a steward and I was two seconds from heading over to say, please help me. I resorted to an old trick of counting my steps to keep me going and that got me to 7k. The downhills also helped and I was feeling a bit better. At 8k I thought I was going to puke but kept going. Seeing the 9k marker was the best part of the day. I knew I'd make it back at this stage. Put a bit of a spurt on over the last few hundred metres and finished at 52:47. That's a full minute faster than Dunshaughlin and a big pb for me today. Still though... I would have really liked 51:?? or maybe even 50 something. But that's for another day. I met up with the OH and kiddos afterwards - saw Emer911 as well - and headed off to score some imodium from my mother in law.:rolleyes:

I thought the race was very well organised and run. The course was a tough one but still I reckon I'll give it a go next year.

racheljev

Swapped today's LT run with tomorrow's recovery run because of yesterday's race so:
Plan: 5 miles @ recovery pace
Actual: 5.26 @ 10:07 pace.

Stomach still not right, had to peg the last half mile home because of urgent bathroom requirement. Hate this so much. Just as well the MIL gave me lots of imodium tablets

digger2d2

racheljev wrote: »

Honestly, I'm so naturally slow

Yep, I gathered that when I first met you Rach!

racheljev

digger2d2 wrote: »

Yep, I gathered that when I first met you Rach!

Oi, cheeky git! Enough of that, I'm the only one here allowed comment on my slowness!

RacoonQueen

racheljev wrote: »

Oi, cheeky git! Enough of that, I'm the only one here allowed comment on my slowness!

I think he's talking about a different kind of slowness, and you could have just proved him right. :pac:

racheljev

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I think he's talking about a different kind of slowness, and you could have just proved him right. :pac:

Well d'oh RQ, I KNEW that! I was just refusing to entertain anybody else jeering at my slowness, mental or otherwise. Did I SAY, don't be calling me a slow runner? I'm no ordinary thicko ya know

racheljev

Plan: 9 miles w/5 @ LT pace (8:47-9:06)
Actual: 8.7 miles: 9:42, 9:17, 8:45, 8:40, 8:35, 8:26, 8:28, 9:16, 9:30 (for 0.7 ml)

This was hard. Stomach still not completely back to normal so two days of dodginess has taken it's toll on my energy levels. And every muscle in my body felt tight this morning. I had to stop 3 times to stretch and I never normally have to do that. I rigged my route so that my warm up and cool down were uphill, so that the LT miles were mainly flat or downhill. It just took some of the fear of running fast and staying at that pace away for this session. Anyway, not quite the 9 planned miles but I got to my house just at 8.7 and there was no way I was running up and down my road, the neighbours already think I'm a nutter :rolleyes:

For some reason the head is all over the place at the moment. I can see by my sessions that I'm doing ok, but I can't get this time last year out of my head and how well everything was going before disaster struck. I know I have to forget about it and get on with this training cycle - after all, I got through the cycle for Barca alright. I just have to beat the "awake at 4 a.m" obsessing that keeps telling me I'm going to get injured again and NYC will be down the pan. Jeez, if I'm this bad 14 weeks out, what will taper madness be like?:eek:

jcsmum

racheljev wrote: »

Anyway, not quite the 9 planned miles but I got to my house just at 8.7 and there was no way I was running up and down my road, the neighbours already think I'm a nutter :rolleyes:

I'm past the point of caring about the neighbours now. I stand outside my front door for however long it takes to get satellite reception on my garmin (sometimes it takes AGES ) and I'll run up and down and round and round the estate until I hear that mile beep. :cool:

Rachel, some of those miles times yesterday - very impressive. Just take the training day by day. Try not to think too far ahead. Yeah not easy I know. What is it with us women lying in bed awake worrying about stuff. :rolleyes:

Bally8

Well done on the PB Rachel amazing considering the stomach issues. Your training is going so well, dont be worrying!

digger2d2

jcsmum wrote: »

I'm past the point of caring about the neighbours now. I stand outside my front door for however long it takes to get satellite reception on my garmin (sometimes it takes AGES ) and I'll run up and down and round and round the estate until I hear that mile beep. :cool:

Rachel, some of those miles times yesterday - very impressive. Just take the training day by day. Try not to think too far ahead. Yeah not easy I know. What is it with us women lying in bed awake worrying about stuff. :rolleyes:

There's a rumour going around Mortons that there's a woman waving to aliens up the road every morning!:D

rainbow kirby

digger2d2 wrote: »

There's a rumour going around Mortons that there's a woman waving to aliens up the road every morning!:D

Claralara let you go anywhere near Mortons? :eek: