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ultrapercy

Mon 29

6 miles easy 42:49

Tue 30

Track Session. 3.25 mile w/up 22:30

3 miles 16:33, 1 lap recovery
3x 2k 6:39,6:43,6:43
1.5 mile c/dn 12:20

Wed 1st

10 miles very easy 1:09

Thu 2

Track again, windy. 3.25 mile w/up22:56

10x1k 200m jog recovery(60-65sec) 3:15,3:14,3:14,3:15,3:19,3:18,3:18,3:19,3:17,3:20
1.5 mile c/dn 11:49

Fri 3

5 miles 34 mins

Sat 4

25.25 miles 2:45:20 (6:33p)
easy first 10 miles then 3x 5 mile loops 32:10 30:30 29:50

A good week. Didnt push too hard on any session but was happy with the effort and consistency. The wind spoiled the session on thurs where the aim was to hold 3:15 but the wind really whipped up at half way so I just accepted it rather than push to hit digital numbers. Its important sometimes to remember that the body only knows and responds to effort and not numbers on a watch. Todays long run was not as good as Id hoped but it wasnt bad either. I was hoping to get down to 5:40 pace for last 5 miles and it didnt happen but the last 15 miles in 1:32 is a good worout on what is a fairly hilly route. Im now back in a situation where 2:30 is a reasonable outside possibility, Im going to have a cut at it anyway because at 6 months short of my 40th birthday I cant afford to turn my nose up at oppertunities, no matter how unlikely, because pretty soon they will stop knocking.

ultrapercy

Sun 5

14.5 miles inc. 11.36 miles at "MP" 5:51 per/mi

Mon 6

3.9 miles @ 7 min pace. Busy and tired.

Tue 7

Track session 3.25 miles w/up 23:00

400mfast/200 cruise x 8(plan was 76/46) actual:76/45,74/46,75/46,75/46,76/46,75/46,75/47,74/42 total 3 miles 16:11
1 lap jog then 3 miles 16:36
1.5 miles c/dn

snailsong

That's seriously impressive training there, J.

Will we see you in Breaffy on Sunday?

ultrapercy

snailsong wrote: »

That's seriously impressive training there, J.

Will we see you in Breaffy on Sunday?

Ya thats the plan. Ae you running Dublin yourself?

snailsong

ultrapercy wrote: »

Ya thats the plan. Ae you running Dublin yourself?

Yes I am. Prob lining up behind the 3:10 group with your OH. Same as last year but with a better outcome hopefully.

See ye in Breaffy if I can shift a chesty cold in 3 days.

ultrapercy

Wed 8

7.7 miles @ 7 min pace

Thu 9

1.7 miles inc 10 miles 57:50

Fri 10

6 miles no time

Sat 11

5 miles 34:20(6:52p)

Sun 12

Breaffy 10k 3rd 33:26(16:23,17:03) 3 mile w/up 20:50(6:57p) 2 mile c/dn like a pensioner snail.
extremely disappointed with this race. Possibly the biggest kick in the balls Ive ever got. I dont usually overestimate my fitness but Im nowhere close to where I thought I was. Felt sluggish in the warm up but I expected to shake the cobwebs when the gun went but it didnt happen and I felt like I was battling too hard from the off. I need to reset my marathon goal now because 2:30 simply isnt realistic.

ultrapercy

Mon 13

6 miles 41:15(6:51p)

Tue 14

2.84 mi w/up 20:36(7:15p)

3 mies AT 16:40(5:28, 5:42, 5:29) 3 min jog 2 x 1 mile 5:20, 5:33 off 90 sec jog

1.78 mi c/dn 13:21(7:30p)

Monday gave me a new perspective on Sundays race. When I looked back on training for the previous few weeks, logic won over and I realised I was never going to run the time I had hoped for. Im training for a maathon so a good 10k probably would be a bad sign. Il stick with it and see how I feel on the day.

tunguska

ultrapercy wrote: »

Monday gave me a new perspective on Sundays race. When I looked back on training for the previous few weeks, logic won over and I realised I was never going to run the time I had hoped for. Im training for a maathon so a good 10k probably would be a bad sign. Il stick with it and see how I feel on the day.

I was about to say the same thing.
I think you'll do it JB. Do you have a plan in mind?

ultrapercy

tunguska wrote: »

I was about to say the same thing.
I think you'll do it JB. Do you have a plan in mind?

Thanks Eoin, yes I have a plan based on Rotterdam and my experience in Dublin. Im a slow starter in marathons, for some reason, as opposed to other distances. Im going to use that to my advantage rather than fight to get up to target pace early. As you have posted before the last 10 miles are good running so Il try to run that last 10/11 very fast. Hopefully Il be comfortable at that point and just push very hard. Its a gamble but I might not even look at the watch for first 10 and just get into a comfortable rythym.I know you ran a big negative split last year and Bernard Roe did something the same so it can be done. 2:30 is a stretch but my best Dublin time 2:32:45 should be put under pressure. Not sure a 76/74 split is possible for me but Il see what the day brings.

tunguska

ultrapercy wrote: »

Not sure a 76/74 split is possible for me but Il see what the day brings.

Im not joking when I say this but I really think you could do 77/72 on the day.

ultrapercy

Wed 15

6miles 7 min pace

Thu 16

head cold so bagged the planned session and did 5 @ 6:47 pace.

Fri 7

Rest

Sat 18

10 miles @ 6:57 nice and relaxed but the virus Im strugglling to shake seems to have taken a bit out of me.

Sun 19

2 mile w/up 15 mins 10 miles 58:15 1.15 mi c/dn @ 7:16p
This was the same session as last week but the HR was 5-6 beats higher though it felt ok mostly. What ever virus I had has taken its toll, hopefully its behind me now. I cant really complain 37 previous marathon/ultra build ups have been illness and injury free so on the law of averages I was due something. I cant recall ever missing a race due to injury or illness which is a very lucky record considering my hap hazard approach to diet stretching massage etc. Its something I shouldnt take for granted especially when I see how plagued some runners are.

ultrapercy

Mon 20

5 miles 7:02 pace

Tue 21

Rest not feeling great

Wed 22

6 miles 6:48 pace

Sundays MP run turned out to be a bad idea and I was left feeling run down, de energised and demotivated since Monday. I feel more like myself today and hopefully that will continue. It certainly has not been a smooth build up but Im where I am and will make the best of it.

tunguska

Best of luck JB. See you at the start

TRR_the_turd

tunguska wrote: »

Best if luck JB. See you at the start

Good luck john. Fingers crossed for you!

RacoonQueen

Good luck John!

pconn062

Good luck tomorrow UP.

john mayo 10

Best of luck jb

ultrapercy

I have been away all week and off social media most of that time.I dont really feel like updating, but in the interest of continuity I will. First off, thank you to everyone for their support and well wishes before and during the race be it in person, on boards, on FB or out on the course or even in McGrattans afterwards. All the interaction with like minded people means a lot and gives it all a meaning even when it goes very pear shaped. Secondly big congratulations to Krusty and Dr Q on fantastic runs in Frankfurt. Im not going to go into too much belly aching detail about my own race on Monday just to say it was a tough day and I struggled from the word go. I still cant quite believe I ran so poorly. Had I managed to break 2:40 I would have taken something positive from the day but not having done even that(2:42:16) its one to forget as soon as I can. Im not sure where Il go from here but Il go somewhere, sports people retire but runners run.
79:23 82:53 were the splits, which considering how disinterested I was from 10 miles on doesnt read too bad.

RacoonQueen

ultrapercy wrote: »

Im not sure where Il go from here but Il go somewhere, sports people retire but runners run.
79:23 82:53 were the splits, which considering how disinterested I was from 10 miles on doesnt read too bad.

Know that feeling myself unfortunately. Impressed that you still managed to hold it together somewhat.

Cross country ahoy...nothing like a few hard cross country races to remind you how easy marathons really are

Great to see you and Sarah in McGrattans on Monday.

tang1

Nice 10k today.

ultrapercy

Thanks tang. I might start logging here again since you went to the bother of resurrecting it. It's been going well for me lately with 3 sub 33 10k races best being a 32.26 solo effort which is just 30 secs off my 9 year old pb. I ran a 15.27 5k on what read on the garmin as 15 sec short still a decent hit out tho. I have a half marathon this coming Saturday and am entered for Berlin marathon so might get the typing finger back in training and put the sessions on here. What I missed most about my log was complaining about the weather and May has been ****e so far.

belcarra

There appears to be a particularly big group of the faster Irish guys taking part in Berlin this year, should be good!
Anyways, best of luck in Ballina (I assume!) and sure I might catch up with you in the pub in Berlin (Romania v Ireland in the RWC at 5:45pm local time!!)...

curtisbrown

I had that 5k a touch short also, good to see the blog back.

ultrapercy

curtisbrown wrote: »

I had that 5k a touch short also, good to see the blog back.

It was a strange one because it was officially measured Im told. The cone we ran around was clearly marked with an X and they had plenty or road at their disposal to make it the correct distance. could the 180 turn have affected the garmin reading by .06 of a mile ? I'd love to believe so but no matter how hard I swallow it won't go down. It is a fantastic event overall and I don't want to be critical of the organisation.

dna_leri

curtisbrown wrote: »

I had that 5k a touch short also, good to see the blog back.

No can't be true.
Has to be due to the turn around point.

ultrapercy

dna_leri wrote: »

No can't be true.
Has to be due to the turn around point.

Really ? I'd be delighted to believe it was accurate, I'd be as happy as a dog with 2 mickeys. 3.05 miles is what the garmin said and garmin is normally king but I will suspend my disbelief this once. It is a great event and acredit to Dermot and the rest of the team of organisers.

ultrapercy

2nd in the half today in ballina. 72.26 in very windy conditions. Alan O Shea won in 68.54. I had a titanic battle with Rich Gorman the I just shaded it after a 5.22 last mile. It's what the sport is about for me, 2 lads giving everything for very little reward and no a claim but it meant everything to us.

ultrapercy

I'd like to return to the world of logging with a bang. A revelation about addiction or compulsion or some other life obstacles that I struggle with on a daily basis. Some demon that I gallantly endeavor to defeat. Alas my life is boringly free of drama so it will just have to be racing and training. I have been ticking along nicely since I hit the big 40 at the end of March and my latest outing was a decent win in a local 5k on Saturday 15.57 doesn't do justice to what was one of the hardest efforts I have ever put in. Course was twisty turny and fairly hilly and weather was awful. I was in a hoop at the finish but that's what made me most happy how I was able to really hurt myself. A weekly track session is helping me tap into leg turnover that was robbed of me by ultra/marathon training of recent years while the strength seems intact. A 16.5 mile long run yesterday at 7 min mile pace in more winter conditions and a first nod towards Berlin. I hope to start detailed training updates from this week on here. I can sense the joy of my fans already.

ultrapercy

SUN 7 miles @ 6.50 p
MON 16.5 miles @ 7 min p in pouring rain started slow and built up to a decent clip
THE 6.1 miles @ 7.18 morning after a gallon and a half.
WED 10 miles @ 7.15 p 40 mins core/strength
THU Track 2.5 mile w/up 3 miles 16.20 2 miles 10.42 1 mile 5.14 1/2 mile 2.28 2 X 400 69 69, 400 meter recoveries under 2 mins 200 meter between 400
1.2 mile c/do
FRI 6.1 miles @ 7.18 p 1 hour core/strength
SAT am 5 miles @ 7.05 p 45 mins core/strength
pm 4 mile w/up @ 6.56 p 4 mile race 21.45 1st 1.2 mile c/dn 8 min pace
Very good week, happy with session on Thursday and tonight's race was at training run effort in windy conditions with some nice hills. It was a guess your time race run without a watch. I predicted 21.42 so just 3 seconds but still not good enough as someone was off by just 1 second.

kit3

There's a lot to be said for 'a life boringly free of drama' ! Looking forward to following your log. Best of luck with your training for Berlin.