Running's not just for New Year's, it's for life!

Darren 83

vitani wrote: »

Longest run to date so far. Had scheduled a steady 10 miles, but I sort of made the route up as I went along, so it ended up being 10.68 miles in 1:43:30 - Average pace of 9.41 min/mile

Felt pretty good throughout, up until the end when I reached my estate and starting walking. Oh dear Lord, the pain in my calves and hamstrings! A cold shower, some stretching and some chocolate helped.

I'm getting closer and closer to that HM distance. Only 2.5 miles short of it this evening. And less than a month to go as well. The plan is to run with the 2 hour pacers (if they have them) and push on myself after 10ish miles if I'm feeling good.

You will be well capable off keeping ahead of the 2 hour pacers for the whole race

vitani

I'd like to think so, but I'm kind of erring on the side of caution. I want to have positive memories from it, and I don't want to risk blowing up halfway through or setting myself a goal that's too ambitious for me. There'll be plenty of opportunities to get my time down in future.

That said, I'll have a rethink about strategy when I find out more details about pacers etc.

Darren 83

vitani wrote: »

I'd like to think so, but I'm kind of erring on the side of caution. I want to have positive memories from it, and I don't want to risk blowing up halfway through or setting myself a goal that's too ambitious for me. There'll be plenty of opportunities to get my time down in future.

That said, I'll have a rethink about strategy when I find out more details about pacers etc.

There is always plenty of other races too improve, I do think you will have no problem getting under 2 hours.

vitani

Was supposed to do the Clontarf 5 mile on Saturday, but chickened out in the end. I'm finding running in the heat to be quite tough, and didn't want to exhaust myself on Saturday so close to the half-marathon if I wasn't going to end up with a good time at the end of it.

Instead, went out for an interval session on Sunday afternoon. Between the heat, and me running way too fast again (first interval was at 6.45 pace!!!), I had to cut it short halfway through.

I've never been so glad as when I woke up yesterday morning and saw clouds. I had a nice six miler last night in about 55 minutes.

There's just under three weeks to go now until the HM, and I have it planned so that I'll be running pretty much every second day from now until then.

vitani

Steady 5 miles on Wednesday in just under 47 minutes. I left it until nearly 9pm to go out but the heat was still intense! That said, it was a very pleasant run once I'd gotten through the first two miles. I don't know why, but it takes me that long to settle into it.

Same with today's 5 miles but because I was running at any easy pace, it didn't take as long to settle in. Feels like it's been ages since I had an easy-paced run and I thoroughly enjoyed my plod this evening. Even got a shout of 'hey sexy' from some guys driving past. Very flattering, especially as I was doing my impression of Tom Jones' 'huh' at the time to clear my throat :pac:

Ososlo

vitani wrote: »

Steady 5 miles on Wednesday in just under 47 minutes. I left it until nearly 9pm to go out but the heat was still intense! That said, it was a very pleasant run once I'd gotten through the first two miles. I don't know why, but it takes me that long to settle into it.

Same with today's 5 miles but because I was running at any easy pace, it didn't take as long to settle in. Feels like it's been ages since I had an easy-paced run and I thoroughly enjoyed my plod this evening. Even got a shout of 'hey sexy' from some guys driving past. Very flattering, especially as I was doing my impression of Tom Jones' 'huh' at the time to clear my throat :pac:

ha ha i had similar on Tuesday but a little more rude:o What is it about the heat that brings out the "passionate" side of the men-folks!
Your training is going great and you'll nail that half. Best of luck with the rest of the training.

vitani

Ososlo wrote: »

ha ha i had similar on Tuesday but a little more rude:o What is it about the heat that brings out the "passionate" side of the men-folks!
Your training is going great and you'll nail that half. Best of luck with the rest of the training.

Hee. Probably all the skin on display!

Thanks - there were a couple of lazy weeks but on the whole, I'm delighted with how it's gone. Roll on August 5th!

I'm following the Mentored Novices thread - your marathon training seems to be going really well, which is fantastic. I can't wait to be where you are next year.

vitani

14 miles today at an easy pace - about 2 hours 25 min in total.

My calves are currently plotting revenge against me for the torture of those last couple of miles :pac:

Darren 83

How are the legs holding up, two weeks to go till the race

vitani

Not too bad at all, actually. A little stiff and sore today but I'm recovering pretty well from yesterday. Most of my runs between now and the race are only 3 miles as well, apart from one longish one next weekend.

Darren 83

vitani wrote: »

Not too bad at all, actually. A little stiff and sore today but I'm recovering pretty well from yesterday. Most of my runs between now and the race are only 3 miles as well, apart from one longish one next weekend.

You have the distance done which I find helps a lot during a race, it got me through my first half

vitani

Official result has me at 1:58:16

I have to say, I pretty much enjoyed every minute of that. I lined up with the 2 hour pacers and stuck to their heels for the first four miles. I was a little concerned that they were going too fast - the first mile was 8.49 - and I wondered if they were trying to bank a bit of time. (I was also amused by the belt full of gels that one of them had.)

I wondered if I'd be able to maintain that pace for the entire thing. The second and third mile were pretty much uphill and it was taking more out of me than I'd have liked. I could feel a touch of something that felt like indigestion. However, around the third mile, I settled into it and got comfortable. At the second water stop (about four miles), I went in front of the pacers to grab a cup of water and by the time I looked back, the balloon was a little bit behind me so I decided to continue on myself and use them as a contingency plan if things got tough later.

I have to mention the man we passed in the Park, pushing his brother in a wheelchair and wearing a tshirt with 'He Ain't Heavy' on the back. He got a huge round of applause and many pats on the back as we went by.

First four miles were 8.49, 9.03, 9.00 and 8.53.

Shortly after, my stomach started to hurt with a stitch. I tried to keep my breathing slow and steady and I have to say, despite it, I really, really enjoyed that run through the park. It's an extremely familiar route at this point but that didn't take anything away from it. And the S bends get more and more manageable each time I run them.

Down and out onto the Chapelizod Road and the stitch was continuing to bother me. Coming up to the 8 mile marker, I had no choice but to hop up on the footpath and walk for about a minute until the worst of it was over. I wasn't too worried about my time at that point as the red pacer balloon was still quite a distance behind me. As soon as I could, I started running again, telling myself very firmly that 'it's just a stitch'. And possibly startling the man next to me in doing so. Thankfully, the short walk took the edge off the pain and I concentrated on my breathing for the next mile until it was nearly gone.

Next four miles were 8.59, 8.57, 8.49 and 9.13.

The hill near Mile 9 didn't faze me too much, although I was very, very glad that there was a water station positioned at the top of it. I also appreciated one of the volunteers (possibly RayCun?) reassuring us that it was all flat and downhill from there.

The next two miles were good and I think I spent a lot of them smiling as I knew at that point that I was going to finish, and a little bit under my goal time. I felt good enough to skip the last water station.

The last bit of the race was tough enough. From about 11 miles or so, it was just about digging deep and keeping myself going but I managed to sustain my pace.

Last five (and a bit miles) were 8.48, 9.17 (walked through water stop), 8.49, 8.48, 9.00 and 1.57 for .22 miles.

My Garmin has me at 1.58.22, but I'll take the lower time!

Kept myself moving afterwards and even though that meant the longest walk in history back to my car, my legs feel good now.

I've been building up to today for 7 months, and it completely lived up to my expectations. Turning into Earlsfort Terrace and seeing that finish line ahead of me has to be one of the highlights of my life so far.

I will definitely, definitely be doing another half in the future, and I'm more determined than ever about the marathon next year.

blockic

vitani wrote: »

I've been building up to today for 7 months, and it completely lived up to my expectations. Turning into Earlsfort Terrace and seeing that finish line ahead of me has to be one of the highlights of my life so far.

I will definitely, definitely be doing another half in the future, and I'm more determined than ever about the marathon next year.

Well done vitani, sounds like you really enjoyed it. It's nice when things meet your expectations as often they can get overhyped!

And for the DCM finish line feeling, multiply todays by 10! Really is a special event.

vitani

blockic wrote: »

Well done vitani, sounds like you really enjoyed it. It's nice when things meet your expectations as often they can get overhyped!

And for the DCM finish line feeling, multiply todays by 10! Really is a special event.

I can't wait. I entered the international ballot for London, just in case a miracle happens and I get a place, but it's really DCM that I want to do as my first.

Ososlo

Delighted for you vitani! WELL DONE:D

Darren 83

Well done Vitani, fully deserved

Tom Joad

Well done Vitani - cracking stuff and well deserved.

vitani

First run tonight since the HM. I'd hoped to get out during the week but the toddler had other ideas. The extra few days of rest probably didn't hurt though. In terms of recovery, I was a bit stiff and sore on Tuesday and Wednesday, but nowhere near as much as I'd feared. I think the walking around I did on Monday helped a lot.

So, finally managed to get out this evening. 6 and a half miles at about 10 min/mile. It was a very nice run once I'd settled into it, and it was nice to just make it up as I went along for a change, rather than having a target distance or pace in mind beforehand.

The plan now is the Frank Duffy 10 mile in two weeks time. I couldn't give a fig about reaching a particular target time in it though - I just had it booked to stave off any 'what now?' slump after the HM.

After that, I'll have to see. I have two weeks in September where I won't be able to run more than once or twice. I was thinking of searching for a suitable 10k near the end of November or December, and concentrate on training for that from the end of September. Then maybe another half in the first half of next year.

I also have to run a decent 5k before the end of the year. The two I've done so far have been a disaster, so I'll be making my way over to Lucan for one of the Parkruns in the next few months to try and remedy that.

Darren 83

vitani wrote: »

First run tonight since the HM. I'd hoped to get out during the week but the toddler had other ideas. The extra few days of rest probably didn't hurt though. In terms of recovery, I was a bit stiff and sore on Tuesday and Wednesday, but nowhere near as much as I'd feared. I think the walking around I did on Monday helped a lot.

So, finally managed to get out this evening. 6 and a half miles at about 10 min/mile. It was a very nice run once I'd settled into it, and it was nice to just make it up as I went along for a change, rather than having a target distance or pace in mind beforehand.

The plan now is the Frank Duffy 10 mile in two weeks time. I couldn't give a fig about reaching a particular target time in it though - I just had it booked to stave off any 'what now?' slump after the HM.

After that, I'll have to see. I have two weeks in September where I won't be able to run more than once or twice. I was thinking of searching for a suitable 10k near the end of November or December, and concentrate on training for that from the end of September. Then maybe another half in the first half of next year.

I also have to run a decent 5k before the end of the year. The two I've done so far have been a disaster, so I'll be making my way over to Lucan for one of the Parkruns in the next few months to try and remedy that.[/quote
Signed up for the 10 mile as well looking forward to it, if your legs get sore try Epsom salts in a warm bath for 10-15.mins

vitani

Ok. So it turns out that without a training plan set out for me, I'm useless at motivating myself to get out and run. I've only been out once since my last post (although I did give blood early last week which would have meant taking a few days off anyway).

I'm going to head down to a club this evening to try it out. And now that I've posted that here, I can't chicken out. :pac:

Darren 83

vitani wrote: »

Ok. So it turns out that without a training plan set out for me, I'm useless at motivating myself to get out and run. I've only been out once since my last post (although I did give blood early last week which would have meant taking a few days off anyway).

I'm going to head down to a club this evening to try it out. And now that I've posted that here, I can't chicken out. :pac:

The club will bring you along loads

vitani

Went down to one of my local clubs. They were doing intervals. Gah.

Was one of the slowest there, even at my 'fast' pace!

I actually don't mind at all though - somebody has to be, and I'm sure it won't be long before I see improvements. I think I'm better off doing speedwork with other people because I never feel like pushing myself enough on my own. I enjoyed the session and will definitely head along again.

wowzer

vitani wrote: »

Went down to one of my local clubs. They were doing intervals. Gah.

Was one of the slowest there, even at my 'fast' pace!

I actually don't mind at all though - somebody has to be, and I'm sure it won't be long before I see improvements. I think I'm better off doing speedwork with other people because I never feel like pushing myself enough on my own. I enjoyed the session and will definitely head along again.

You did well getting through that as your first session, I was the the guy who you did the warm up with. Keep with it, it definitely gets easier.

vitani

wowzer wrote: »

You did well getting through that as your first session, I was the the guy who you did the warm up with. Keep with it, it definitely gets easier.

Ah, I was wondering if anyone from Boards was there!

Thanks - found it tough enough, but I'm glad I bit the bullet and headed along. I've been thinking about it for long enough.

Darren 83

Keep at the club sessions you will find after a while it will require less effort on you're part.

vitani

With the Frank Duffy 10 mile on Saturday, decided to take it handy enough this evening. Went across to the Phoenix Park and did a 5 mile loop, keeping it as close to the second half of the race route as I could. I don't think I've ran up Military Hill or the Upper Glen Road since the Great Ireland Run - I generally go the other way around that section.

Average pace was 9.39 mile/min. It took more out of me than I'd have liked. I could blame the humidity but it's probably the fact that I haven't ran much over the past few weeks. Will be aiming for between 85 and 90 minutes on Saturday. I think it's going to be tough, but I'm relying on the fact that I genuinely love the race atmosphere, and that should distract me enough to get me around. I hope.

BTW, you'd swear the Phoenix Park had been invaded by runners this evening! Never seen so many people out there.

vitani

Frank Duffy 10 mile today - finished with a Garmin time of 1.29.00 and a chip time of 1.28.57.

Thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The last three miles were the toughest, especially Military Hill. I went from 8.38, 8.35 and 8.38 in miles 5-7 to 9.24 in mile 8 - a combination of the hill and stopping for water. But I'd anticipated that would happen, so didn't let it get to me. Every other mile was under 9 minutes, even the nightmare that is the Upper Glen Road. I got through that by staring at the feet in front of me and keeping my head down until near the top.

My average pace for the race was 8.54, so a little bit faster than the HM a few weeks back. I'm delighted with that. I look forward to seeing what I can do next year when I've another year of running behind me and, (fingers crossed) it'll be part of my marathon buildup.

After the race, I did something either very stupid or very clever. I walked about 4 miles home. My legs feel great now, so I'm going to go with 'very clever', but I might have to change my answer tomorrow.

Will take things easy enough now for the next couple of days. Possibly a short recovery run tomorrow.

Oh, and I seem to be in the first stages of losing a toenail. I think I can officially call myself a runner now.

Darren 83

vitani wrote: »

Frank Duffy 10 mile today - finished with a Garmin time of 1.29.00 and a chip time of 1.28.57.

Thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The last three miles were the toughest, especially Military Hill. I went from 8.38, 8.35 and 8.38 in miles 5-7 to 9.24 in mile 8 - a combination of the hill and stopping for water. But I'd anticipated that would happen, so didn't let it get to me. Every other mile was under 9 minutes, even the nightmare that is the Upper Glen Road. I got through that by staring at the feet in front of me and keeping my head down until near the top.

My average pace for the race was 8.54, so a little bit faster than the HM a few weeks back. I'm delighted with that. I look forward to seeing what I can do next year when I've another year of running behind me and, (fingers crossed) it'll be part of my marathon buildup.

After the race, I did something either very stupid or very clever. I walked about 4 miles home. My legs feel great now, so I'm going to go with 'very clever', but I might have to change my answer tomorrow.

Will take things easy enough now for the next couple of days. Possibly a short recovery run tomorrow.

Oh, and I seem to be in the first stages of losing a toenail. I think I can officially call myself a runner now.

Well done great time

vitani

Took it easy last night and ran 3 slow, slow miles in about 32 minutes. Quads and hamstrings were a little sore once I'd finished, but not excessively so. And I'm glad to say that my love of running is well and truly back. I'm sitting in work, planning when I can get out again, what races to sign up for next and what times I want to hit in 2, 3, 4 and 5 years time.

vitani

I'm injured :-(

Tripped and fell while running last night and landed on my shoulder. Nothing broken but I can't lift my arm past my shoulder without pain. I've to rest it for a couple of days and see a physio next week.