Tales of a Tortoise

Concerned2

Bloody hell , I've not updated my log a few days & I've had to search through 7 pages to find it again. Looks like I'm lazier than the average logger ! I gave the track session on Tuesday a miss as my legs were in bits.
On Wednesday I did an easy 5 mile run with 3 strides thrown in at the finish. The legs felt like wood & in the strides I felt a sharp pain in my glute , I must have pulled somethin on my ass playing tennis last weekend :mad: Is it even possible pull an ass muscle ?
On Thursday I had to do 10 hill repeats , basically a hard run up a moderate hill about 100 meters long , jog back & repeat. On the very first hill repeat I could feel the pain in the glute. Did loads of icing & foam rolling after this & it seemed to help.
Friday's session was 5 easy miles with 3 strides at the end. The glute didn't hurt during the strides but it was sore when I was stretching my quads afterwards so it seemed to be easing anyway.
Saturday was 1 mile easy followed by 4 miles @ marathon pace & 1 mile cooldown. My glute didn't hurt during this run but my legs were still very heavy & sluggish. Getting up to marathon pace felt much harder than it should have.
Sunday was just a 4 mile easy paced run.

This evening there is a 4 mile race near home whiich I plan on doing instead of my Tuesday track session. I normally have my rest day on Monday so I'll move that to Tuesday. There is also a very flat 10k nearby on Wednesday so I might do that instead of my hard session on Thursday. Dont think I'll be setting any WR's in these races as the legs have been very sluggsih all week. Also I was getting a touch of shin splints a couple of weeks ago when my runners needed changing. Even though I've changed my runners I still have the shin splints They are not really painful but they are stinging me throughout the day. I'll ice them for a couple more days before heading to the physio but this does'nt bode well for the marathon as my mileage for the last 2 weeks has been on the low side .

Month|No. of Runs|Miles Run
January|17|83.93
February|3|15.85
March|21|110.73
April|22|129.88
May|18|102.78
June|22|119.45
July|3|15.16
Total|106|577.78

Concerned2

Headed down to this race with little hope of a good race as the legs have been awful for the past 10 days. This race wasn't really very well advertised so I was worried only a timy number of club runners would turn up & I'd be running on my own. Thankfully with the mini running boom thats happening at the moment a lot more entered than for the past 2 years (about 130 people). Of course most were in club singlets & all looked extremly lean & fast.
Once the race got underway the pace was pretty hetic for the first mile but I was feeling great & averaged 6:24 min/mile pace. That first mile was downhill , furthermore there was a breeze behind which I didn't take much notice of until the course turned sharply into the wind & I really started to struggle. The wind was just awful, the course was still going downhill but I was slowing badly. I only glanced at the garmin twice for the rest of the race & I saw 7:30 & 7:40 as my pace so I was expecting my finish time to be really bad. Thankfully my splits were a nice bit faster than that so it mush have been bad timing to check the pace at low points in the race. The gory details of the race are in garmin connect here http://connect.garmin.com/activity/96898580

It took me approx 2 secs to cross the start line so my official time was 28:01 , garmin time is 27:59. There is no sign of any official results up on the internet yet but I think I finished 61st out of around 130. I'm hoping when my legs come out of their current wooden state I'll be a bit faster as I'm expecting to hold this 4 mile pace over 8k in Galway next month.

ghiertal

Hi, just came across your blog when looking to see if results of dromcollogher race were on here. Just started running myself a few months ago. One thing i notice about your running is that in training you are doing 9 minute miles while in that race you did averaged a 7 minute mile, i know that you are training for a marathon but maybe you would be better off concentrating on 10k/10 mile race for next while and forget about marathon for at least a year.
John Treacy had never even completed a marathon before he finished second in 84 olympics and mainly did 10k races. If you trained more intensely over lower distances it might be of greater benefit to you in longer term goal of doing 3.30 marathon.Judging by your times in last few outings i'd say you would be well capable of it. However, i am no expert and am not in running club. If you joined a club they would be able help you in future. I just finished slightly ahead of you. Best of luck in future.

belcarra

ghiertal wrote: »

I just finished slightly ahead of you.

Get the dig in!
I like it:D:D

Concerned2

ghiertal wrote: »

Hi, just came across your blog when looking to see if results of dromcollogher race were on here. Just started running myself a few months ago. One thing i notice about your running is that in training you are doing 9 minute miles while in that race you did averaged a 7 minute mile, i know that you are training for a marathon but maybe you would be better off concentrating on 10k/10 mile race for next while and forget about marathon for at least a year.
John Treacy had never even completed a marathon before he finished second in 84 olympics and mainly did 10k races. If you trained more intensely over lower distances it might be of greater benefit to you in longer term goal of doing 3.30 marathon.Judging by your times in last few outings i'd say you would be well capable of it. However, i am no expert and am not in running club. If you joined a club they would be able help you in future. I just finished slightly ahead of you. Best of luck in future.

Ah come on now , you can't just say you finished slightly ahead of me & not tell me what time you finished in so I have someone to target in my next race
I'm not worried about the discrepancy between the pace on some of my training runs & the pace I'd do in a short race because on the plan I'm following the only stipulation it has regarding pace on the easy days is they have to be done at a very easy pace so it doesnt affect the 2 or 3 hard sessions I have per week. I'm certainly no elite but I do occasionally go faster than 9 min miles in training I do like being compared to John Treacy though :pac:

Concerned2

belcarra wrote: »

Get the dig in!
I like it:D:D

Dont be encouraging him to beat me , plenty of people manage that without any encouragement whatsoever

ghiertal

Hi Concerned2. Sorry if my post was offensive. I like you, i like what you do. One can see the improvements you've made over the past few months. I am by no means an expert on athletics. I mainly played gaelic but got fed up with the injuries, sneaky digs and nonsense from team mates. I would be half way fit anyway but no great shakes overall. I finished around the same time as you. I was talking to a lad i know in a running club about doing the dublin marathon this year but he told me to build up my stamina over a year in shorter races,up to ten miles, at a quicker pace. That was my first race since april and found it tough enough going especially with the wind in the middle third and the hill at 3 miles. I'm not in the slightest bit competitive by the way and only do it for enjoyment. Plus i find the people there to be a lot sounder than some of the lads you meet playing football.:) Anyway keep up the good work.

Concerned2

06/07 .Even though I did a race 2 days before this I entered anyway because it was in the locality. The legs were tired & heavy going into it so I knew there was no possibility of a pb but I thought I'd use the race to try a different pacing strategy than what I usually use (ie. hammer it from the start & try to hang on). I though I'd start at 7:03 pace which is what my pb is & try to keep the pace dead even for as long as I could. However with the tired legs I couldn't even manage to hold that pace for the first mile so I just plodded along as best as I could. I finished in 44:23 on the garmin (gun time was 44:33) in 100th position out of 215 people. If this race is on again next year I might enter it with a bit of a taper as its really flat & offers a decent PB opportunity.
Full stats of the race are here ... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/97824075

Concerned2

07/07 Did 5 miles, avg pace was 8:56 min/miles , avg hr was 137 with a max of 155. I had to really force myself out the door to do this run as it was cold, wet & windy out.

08/07. Did 5 miles, avg pace was 9:30 min/miles, avg hr was 139 with a max of 164.

09/07. Yet another easy run , this time 4 miles with an avg pace of 9:15 min/miles , avg hr was 141 with a max of 164.

10/07. 12.6 mile LSR . I was really dreading this run as I think I suffer less at the short fast stuff. The legs were a bit stiff for the first 2 miles or so. I found the middle 6 or 7 miles very enjoyable just ambling along , especially since the day was perfect for running (mild with no wind). The last 3 miles were a bit of a slog though , loads of things were getting really sore so I was very happy to get home.Avg pace for the run was 9:19 miles , avg hr was 141 with a max of 161.
Delighted to have a rest day today (Monday) as it was a really tough week & I have a number of worrying niggles (sore achilles , shin splints & sore hips from ITB's). Every week there is nearly something different sore , as long as the pain keeps moving around I don't mind too much !

Nules10

concerned2 you are getting plenty of races in at the moment. My first since Kildare is the 5 mile this weekend in the park and i no more want to do it. Your training is coming along nicely some great sessions in there... i enjoy reading of others pain keep it up

Concerned2

Nules10 wrote: »

concerned2 you are getting plenty of races in at the moment. My first since Kildare is the 5 mile this weekend in the park and i no more want to do it. Your training is coming along nicely some great sessions in there... i enjoy reading of others pain keep it up

Hi Nules, best of luck in your 5 mile race. I think even if you don't manage a pb at least the races provide a good hard workout. I expect to read about plenty of pain in your race report

Nules10

Saturday will be a PB for me regardless as i have never done a 5mile race before. Although Mcmillian says i should do it in 44:06 there is not a hope of that happening. If i got 47 i would be happy. You will definitely be reading of pain on Saturday

Concerned2

Lovely warm evening for a run. Todays session was a 2 mile run @ 10k pace followed by 3 miles @ marathon pace with a w/up & cooldown. I ran nearly 2 miles easy to warm up . The next 2 miles were done at 7:03 pace which wasn't fun. The next 3 miles were @ 7:57 pace (supposed to be 8 min/mile pace) which felt tough enough. Then I did nearly 1 mile easy cooldown. The total distance covered was 7.86 miles , avg hr was 152 with a max of 173. Average hr during the 3 miles was 166 which I don't think I could hold for the duration of a marathon.

belcarra

Concerned2 wrote: »

Lovely warm evening for a run. Todays session was a 2 mile run @ 10k pace followed by 3 miles @ marathon pace with a w/up & cooldown. I ran nearly 2 miles easy to warm up . The next 2 miles were done at 7:03 pace which wasn't fun. The next 3 miles were @ 7:57 pace (supposed to be 8 min/mile pace) which felt tough enough. Then I did nearly 1 mile easy cooldown. The total distance covered was 7.86 miles , avg hr was 152 with a max of 173. Average hr during the 3 miles was 166 which I don't think I could hold for the duration of a marathon.

This sounds like a very interesting session! What plan are you following?
I'd guess there would be some residual fallout and LT issues from the fast 2 mile segment which would carry over into the 3 mile slower part. Did you take a break or slow down in between?

Concerned2

belcarra wrote: »

This sounds like a very interesting session! What plan are you following?
I'd guess there would be some residual fallout and LT issues from the fast 2 mile segment which would carry over into the 3 mile slower part. Did you take a break or slow down in between?

I Belcarra, the plan I am following is here http://www.runningplanet.com/training/marathon-training-beginning-competitor.html

The run from last night is at the start of week 8. There was no break between the fast 2 miles & the marathon paced bit. Funny enough on paper I though it didn't look like too hard of a session but 10k pace is pretty tough to hold for any length in a training session.

belcarra

Concerned2 wrote: »

I Belcarra, the plan I am following is here http://www.runningplanet.com/training/marathon-training-beginning-competitor.html

The run from last night is at the start of week 8. There was no break between the fast 2 miles & the marathon paced bit. Funny enough on paper I though it didn't look like too hard of a session but 10k pace is pretty tough to hold for any length in a training session.

This session should be a help when you hit the 18-20 mile section of the marathon, i.e. struggling along at a slower pace/higher effort than just a few moments before!!

BrokenMan

Just catching up on you log. Some impressive sessions in there well done.
Good results in the races as well given that they are bang in the middle of hard training and you aren't tapering for them. Reckin you should be easily able to hold the pace for teh streets if you take a small taper in the week leading up to it. you have the time in the bag with starting your training early.

Its a lovely downhill/flat finish as well and hopefully the wind will be in its usual point at our backs coming in. Although I have noticed on a few of my runs out Salthill last month it was hard into my face on the way back in.

Have you got your DCM entry in yet> Remember the price goes up at the end of July. Get your accommodation sorted out early as well, I would recommend somewhere close to the RDS for number pickup and its not too far from the start/finish area.

Concerned2

BrokenMan wrote: »

Just catching up on you log. Some impressive sessions in there well done.
Good results in the races as well given that they are bang in the middle of hard training and you aren't tapering for them. Reckin you should be easily able to hold the pace for teh streets if you take a small taper in the week leading up to it. you have the time in the bag with starting your training early.

Its a lovely downhill/flat finish as well and hopefully the wind will be in its usual point at our backs coming in. Although I have noticed on a few of my runs out Salthill last month it was hard into my face on the way back in.

Have you got your DCM entry in yet> Remember the price goes up at the end of July. Get your accommodation sorted out early as well, I would recommend somewhere close to the RDS for number pickup and its not too far from the start/finish area.

I'm not overly confidant of hitting my target in the streets. Its 1 of my 3 main goals of the year (ie. breaking 35 mins in the streets) & when I averaged 7:03 miles for the 10k in Bilbao I was pretty sure I could average 7 min/miles for the streets but then I did a 4 mile race in Drumcollagher & just about averaged bang on 7 mins for the 4 miles when I was hoping to be closer to my 5k pace. I'm just hoping as both these races were not 'A' races for me a couple of easy days before the streets & the right mental attitude on the day will get me over that line in sub 35 (I just know its going to really hurt though:o)

I hav'nt entered the marathon yet , I was thinking of waiting until near the end of August to see how the training is going even though its a bit more expensive then. I've a couple of niggly injuries that I'm not shaking off so it will be a real slog to get to the start line. Where would you recommend for accommodation ? I'm not too worried about the price but I'd like somewhere that is quite , comfortable & won't poison me the morning of the race

Concerned2

I haven't updated my log since last Tuesday so yet again I'm having to write up nearly the whole weeks details in 1 go .If I was as lazy with the training I'd have no hope of doing this marathon !

13/07 Todays session was an easy paced 5 mile run , avg pace was 9:41 min/miles , avg hr was 131 with a max of 152.
14/07 Decided to take a unscheduled rest day today as I had a shooting pain in my calf throughout the day (in addition to my usual list of injuries !).
15/07 Another easy paced session , I was supposed to do 5 miles at an easy jog but I went straight after a very large dinner & I ended up having to walk about the last 1.5 miles with very bad stomach cramps :mad:
16/07 Today was supposed to be a 4 mile easy run but as the legs were feeling pretty good & yesterdays session was such a disaster I did an extra 2 miles. Avg pace was 8:50 min/miles , avg hr was 138 with a max of 164.
17/07 Todays session was a couple of miles easy as a w/up , then 5 miles @ marathon pace (ie. 8 min/miles) & nearly a mile easy to cool down. Total distance covered was 7.86 miles. Total mileage for the week was 31.84 miles.

BrokenMan

Concerned2 wrote: »

Where would you recommend for accommodation ? I'm not too worried about the price but I'd like somewhere that is quite , comfortable & won't poison me the morning of the race

Sent you a PM with the hotel I stayed in last year, will be staying there again this year.

Concerned2

19/07 Todays session was 1/2 mile w/up then 2400 meters @ 10k * 2 with 800m easy in between & 1/2 mile easy to cooldown. The pace I was trying to hold for the intervals was 7:03 min/mile pace, I did the first interval at 6:56 pace & the second at 7:02 pace. Total distance covered was 4.55 miles , avg hr was 149 with a max of 168. I found it a decent session without being overly painful.

20/07 Todays session was an easy paced 5 mile run. The average pace for the run was 9:05 min/miles , avg hr was 137 with a max of 158. Some of my minor niggly injuries are really beginning to p*ss me off , I did lots of icing & stretching after the run but its going to be a struggle to complete the rest of the training for this week. Next week is a pretty easy week & as I started the marathon plan early I might repeat the easy week to try to get some of the injuries to calm down:mad:

BrokenMan

Dont get too down on the niggles, keep up the icing and stretchign and get to the physio if they aren't going away. We all get them from time to time.

It might well be a good idea to take two easy weeks now as well, you have been at it pretty hard recently...and you got your other A race coming up.

Concerned2

BrokenMan wrote: »

Dont get too down on the niggles, keep up the icing and stretchign and get to the physio if they aren't going away. We all get them from time to time.

It might well be a good idea to take two easy weeks now as well, you have been at it pretty hard recently...and you got your other A race coming up.

Next week on the plan is an easy week & because I started the marathon plan 3 weeks early I can repeat the easy week & still be on track for the marathon. I don't think I'll have any choice but to take a few days off because the shin splints are getting worse. The Achilles are quite sore too. I though when I replaced my runners a couple of weeks ago the shin splints would disappear which unfortunately didn't happen. I'm wondering if the different type of runners is straining my Achilles as I never had this problem in the past. I might have to fork out for a new pair & my current pair are only about a month old

Concerned2

I got up early to get today's session done before work. The legs were very sore getting out of bed , calves , shins & my Achilles were all pretty sore & I was dreading today's session because it's a particularly difficult 1 . The planned session for today was

1/2 mile easy to w/up , 2 * (4 * 800m @ 5k pace with 400m easy inbetween & 800m easy after the first 4) , then 800m easy , 1 mile @ 10k pace & 800m easy to cooldown.

The total distance covered was 8.5 miles & it was a real sufferfest of a session. Too many details to type out so all the ugly details are here

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/100779959

Concerned2

I'm going to have to start updating my log a bit more regularly as I'm having to search back a load of pages to find the bloody thing. Anyways after my last logged session I took 6 days total rest as my shin splints were getting pretty painful & my ankles were a bit sore as well. The shin splint pain disappeared after about 3 days but reappeared on my first run back (although not as bad as before). Ankles are still very stiff in the mornings & dont seem to have improved at all. Details of my last few runs are as follows

28/07 5.03 miles @ 9:12 min/mile pace , avg hr was 142 with a max of 162. Considering I had 6 days rest before this run the legs were pretty stiff. I reckon the regular running keeps the legs loosened out.

29/07 same easy paced run as yesterday , 5.03 miles @ 8:54 min/mile pace , avg hr was 144 with a max of 167.

30/07 yet another easy paced run. Felt a wee bit energetic so kept the pace a little bit faster than I usually use for a easy run. Distance covered was 4.07 miles @ 8:31 min/miles pace , avg hr was 148 with a max of 167.

31/07. I did my LSR today covering 14.41 miles with an avg pace of 8:55 min/miles , avg hr was 150 with a max of 168. This equals the long run I've done in training for a half marathon & I think the legs were in better condition back then Besides the usual aches like shin splints I'm getting a pain across the front of either feet. Its very sharp & would not be something I'd like to have to deal with for half a marathon. I think its some sort of cramping because if I stop & flex my foot a bit it eases off pretty quickly but its still worrying at this stage in the marathon training. I also can't get my head around the fact that after 14 miles I'm only just past half way in the marathon. I can't see the legs getting much stronger for the longer runs in the next couple of months , my next long run will be 16 miles & I'm dreading that.

02/08. This is the start of another "easy" week as the plan has a couple of rest days pencilled in & I'm doing 2 consective hard days to allow for 3 days off to taper for the streets of Galway race on Saturday. Todays track session on paper looked easy , 1/2 mile easy to w/up then 2 * 1600/800/400 with 1/2 mile easy in between. The 1600 was suppose to be at 10k pace (7:03 min/mile) , the 800 @ 5k pace (6:45 min/mile) & the 400m @ 6:35 min/miles. No rest inbetween the distances either. I think the legs were still a bit tired from the long run at the weekend as I couldn't hit the required pace on the 2nd rep. Stats for the reps were

1) 1600 @ 7:03 , 800 @ 6:44 , 400 @ 6:25
2) 1600 @ 7:15 , 800 @ 7:03 , 400 @ 6:53

I think its the first session on the plan that I didn't come close to holding the required pace. Avg hr for the session was 155 but the max was 178 so it wasn't from lack of effort that I didn't manage to hit the required paces !

03/08. Today's session was meant to be done tomorrow but I though it was best to get it out of the way & have loads of rest before the race on Saturday. The session was 2 miles easy to warm-up then 6 miles @ marathon pace. The legs were really heavy & slow after the last 2 days & it took me ages to get the pace down to marathon pace. I hope the legs recover with a few days rest or the race is going to be a disaster. Total distance covered for this run was 7.91 miles , the marathon paced sestion was done @ 7:54 min/mile pace with a avg hr of 159 & a max of 175.

belcarra

What time are you aiming for in Galway?
I'll be there also looking for what should be an achievable sub 36 with one eye on pushing sub 35 (Current 8k PB = 37:28).

Maybe you'd be better off going out for a few really easy miles this evening, just to stretch them out and allow them a better chance of recovery? Given that the race isn't on 'til Sat evening that's along time to rest up before an 8k, no?
I have an 8 mile run pencilled in for tonight and I'll be doing that at a really easy pace so i don't expect it to stay in the legs for Saturday(...hopefully!)

Nules10

concerned2 hope the ankles improve. Your training was going so well. But i suppose its natural to have off days. i still think you are doing great running. Do you do your LSR's on your own? i have 15 miles this weekend my longest yet but i find doing them with others really helps. time passes by so quick.

Concerned2

belcarra wrote: »

What time are you aiming for in Galway?
I'll be there also looking for what should be an achievable sub 36 with one eye on pushing sub 35 (Current 8k PB = 37:28).

Maybe you'd be better off going out for a few really easy miles this evening, just to stretch them out and allow them a better chance of recovery? Given that the race isn't on 'til Sat evening that's along time to rest up before an 8k, no?
I have an 8 mile run pencilled in for tonight and I'll be doing that at a really easy pace so i don't expect it to stay in the legs for Saturday(...hopefully!)

Hi Belcarra , I think your target for the Galway race is very similar to my own. Funny enough my 8k PB which I did in the streets in 2009 is 37:30 so you are 2 secs up on me there I'll be very disappointed if I don't break 36 mins. Sub 35 was the goal at the start of the year but the legs are trying to convince me otherwise these last couple of weeks ! I know 2 days complete rest is a lot before such a short race but the legs have been so sluggish the last couple of weeks & this is my favourite race of the year I want to be certain there is a bit of life in them on Saturday. If we are both hit our goals I'll definately see you on some part of the course even if I don't recognise you Best of luck on Saturday !

Concerned2

Nules10 wrote: »

concerned2 hope the ankles improve. Your training was going so well. But i suppose its natural to have off days. i still think you are doing great running. Do you do your LSR's on your own? i have 15 miles this weekend my longest yet but i find doing them with others really helps. time passes by so quick.

Hi Nules , reading your own log you seem to be cruising through the long runs without much trouble . I suppose running with a group would help the time pass quicker but I live out in the sticks so I have to make do with talking to myself on the long runs :eek: Actually I'm going to be working in the big smoke from mid August to just before christmas so I'll be able to do some of my training on the latter part of the marathon route around Stillorgan. I'm sure my training pace will be so much quicker when I have to run away from the dodgy city folk

Nules10

Concerned2 wrote: »

Hi Nules , reading your own log you seem to be cruising through the long runs without much trouble . I suppose running with a group would help the time pass quicker but I live out in the sticks so I have to make do with talking to myself on the long runs :eek: Actually I'm going to be working in the big smoke from mid August to just before christmas so I'll be able to do some of my training on the latter part of the marathon route around Stillorgan. I'm sure my training pace will be so much quicker when I have to run away from the dodgy city folk

I drive a half hour into the Phoenix Park to meet up with the boards crowd to do my LSR's on a saturday. You should definitely join us when you move up.... then that way you get to run with the dodgy city crowd rather than away from them There is a thread in the main forum of the when and where of these sessions not sure if you have seen it.