If nice guys finish last, then I'm in training to be a badass!

rob w

Have been planning on setting one of these up for a couple of months now and have never made it around to actually doing it! As I am sitting in the airport waiting for a stupidly early flight, I have plenty of time to kill, and so it begins.....

Im 28yrs old, have always been somewhat active, playing football etc., but not really coming from any sporting background as such. I decided to take up running properly with a bit of commitment in early 2012. After having been through a pretty bad year or so, I figured something needed to change and decided to find a new focus. So I stuck on a pair of runners and ran out the door, and Id say I got about a quarter of a mile before I felt like puking (not sure why I ever tried again). Looking back its clear to me how I had no idea about anything like pacing, form or anything running related at all (not claiming I know it all now, but you learn something new everyday!) for me there's just something about running that relieves all stress, and it just allows you to clear your head! The more I ran, the more I learned about it all and once I started setting myself decent times/distances to beat it all just started to become an addiction. So have been running consistently for around a year or so now and have never looked back since! I used to think the people out running at the crack of dawn had lost the plot and now I've somehow become one of them!

I have found these forums on boards brilliant for advice, inspiration and motivation. Have met up with a few boardsies this year for training and it has been great. I'll try to keep this log updated as much as I can and all advice from the pro's on here is appreciated.

Current PB's

5k 22:22
10k 47:21
10m 1:18:04
HM 1:53:16
Mara. ?????

My goal at the time of writing is the 2013 DCM. It's my first marathon and not only do I aim to just finish in one piece, if I can do it in under 4 hours I will be over the moon. It seems to be a very common target for novices and a will be a great achievement for me. Right now I'm six weeks out from that and training couldn't be going better. Topped out last week at 42 miles, and my total for the year is over 500 miles so far which is insane for me when I look back to where I started!

My secondary goal for the year is to set myself a much better PB at HM distance than what I've listed above. That current PB was set after what I realise now was minimal training and effort well below my capability. This years commitment to training has increased twofold. So if all goes well I think I can knock 10mins+ off that time and sets the bar higher for next year.

Post DCM I'd like to carry on doing endurance events, at the moment I'm not really as interested in the shorter distance races. Also it's far too early to know what I'll be doing over the next year or two but at the moment theres little voices in my head murmuring something about a 50k. As far as I know there's only one way to silence them, so I'll have to see what happens after the marathon!

rob w

First post is just a recap of the week for me....

It's a step back for me this week, but also a bit all over the place as I am away for the weekend and had no room in my one piece of carry on luggage for running gear unfortunately. So squeezed as much running in before today as I could.

Had planned a 7m easy pace run on Tuesday and Thursday and a 14m LSR on Saturday. Cross training days were to be Wednesday and Sunday. This was all changed to suit though

Monday 9th

(5m) 8k @ 6:30/km

Moved my first 7m of the week to today, which is usually a rest day. A stupid idea as it was only a day after my first 20m LSR. I struggled on this one and felt a bit of discomfort in my right knee. Could feel myself working towards a needless injury, so I decided to cut it short at 5 miles. Long walk home, and lesson learned. Body needs rest and recovery the day after LSR's

Tuesday 10th

Rest day

Rest day. Spent most of it freaking out thinking I'd injured myself the day before!

Wednesday 11th

(14m) 22.5km @ 6:14/km

Moved my LSR to today to make up for missing it at the weekend. Thankfully my knee is back to normal, won't be running the day after a 20m again! First run with my new garmin, having previously used my phone for GPS tracking. Found it great, and kept my pace very consistent. (All splits were +/- 2sec). Very happy with this run overall, and much happier than the park warden who had to come and open the papal cross car park to let me out 2hrs after closing time! Completely forgot they close the car parks earlier in September! Lots of lessons learned this week!

Thursday 12th

(3.1m) 5k @ 6:45/km

Just did a few very easy paced recovery miles tonight. Went well, and that's it for me until Monday now, a few miles fewer than scheduled, but I'm sure it'll be fine as its not something I make a habit of!

Going to see Micky Flanagan tonight, and will have to be careful just to pop "out" and not go "out out" afterwards!!

rob w

Saturday 14th

(3m) 5k @ 5:20/km

Away in Devon for the weekend. Managed to squeeze in a 5k on the beach. Worked out well as I had no running gear with me, so just went barefoot. Kept on the compacted sand, but it was still kind of tough. Ive never ran on sand before so found it a bit different, between that and going barefoot I could feel a couple of previously unused muscles working! Got in the sea for a dip afterwards, it was like an ice bath though. I was the only one in without a wetsuit. Felt good on the legs though!


So this week has a 10m planned for tuesday, crosstraining on wednesday and a 7m on thursday. All bedore the Dublin HM on Saturday. I cant wait for it, a bit worried I may have started off the prep badly though as my nutrition/sleep was crap over the weekend!

rob w

Tuesday 17th

(10m) 16k @ 5:40/km

Up bright and early for this run as I didnt think I would have the time in the evening once I got home, and was right because I didnt get home until 8pm, cold, wet and hungry :mad:. Very happy I had my run out of the way!

Was out the door at 5.30am. Im not usually out in the mornings, have only done it once or twice before. I prefer to get out a bit later in the morning or else evening time for my runs. The first km or so I struggled to find my pace, it was so strange, no co-ordination between brain and legs taht early in the morn I guess. Felt as though I was doing a good pace but my Garmin begged to differ.

Finally picked it up to what I was aiming for around 5:45/km. Kept that pace pretty steady for the remainder and picked it up to 5:00/km for the last two as I felt good by then. Met a good few other runners on the road too, so I wasnt the only one who looked like they'd escaped from the asylum!!:P Got back in around 7am, had a shower and some breakfast and then straight back out for a long day.

Bit of a funny pain in my foot the last couple of days, kind of like a cramping sensation in the sole of my foot. I think it has something to do with the run on the beach on Saturday, which was barefoot and something I'm not used to. So, I picked up a foam roller on my way home to try and loosen it out (also just for general use as I've been meaning to get one for a while). Did a bit of rolling on my legs and back this evening. Feels quite good now and hope it does its job and loosens me up a bit, as muscles are starting to feel a bit tighter than normal these days for some reason!

rob w

Woke up this morning with a bit of tightness in my calf and achilles of my left leg. Still had a mild pain in my foot, which is definitely easing though.

But today was a crosstraining day anyway, so I cycled in and out to college. The tightness was starting to worry me a bit though in the aftrenoon, so I decided to book an appointment with my physio just to get it checked out, as my mind was going ninety all day.....what if Ive injured myself.......what if I cant do the HM.....what if I cant do DCM?

Went to the physio and told him the problem, I had a feeling it was from running barefoot on sand the other day, which he agreed would have put extra strain on my calf/foot. He checked it out and said everything was fine, nothing to worry about but a bit of a tight spot in my soleus. So he gave it a rub down......man that was painful while he loosened out the soleus! Been a while since Ive had to visit a physio....I forgot how sadistic they can be! :P

But he said its fine to continue running just make sure to stretch/foam roll. So happy now as its put my mind at ease!

rob w

Thursday 19th

(6.25m) 10k @ 6:30/km

Nice easy paced run this evening. Legs felt good after the physio yesterday although I am also becoming well acquainted with my new foam roller which is probably helping!

All set now for the race on Saturday, and I cant wait for it! Will be taking it very easy between now and then. Hoping to finish sub 1:42!

rob w

Saturday 21st

Race Day: Dublin Half Marathon

First off I just want to express my condolences to the family and friends, and (any other runners or spectators who may have witnessed the incident) of the runner who passed away at this race on Saturday, may he rest in peace.

Its absolutely heartbreaking news which I just cant seem to get my head around. The guy was the same age as myself. I know we have all heard of this happening on tv or in the news but to happen so close to home is just scary and if we can take anything from it, it should maybe raise awareness and encourage us to re-assess our fitness to continue exercising safely. I'm aware that there are many underlying conditions or causes to tragedies like this that may not be obvious or picked up on, but the more aware we are the safer we will be. I know I will be arranging some sort of screening/check over the coming weeks just to put my mind at ease.

The Race Report:

Pre Race:

Arrived at the park bright and early just after half eight and did a little stretching while waiting to meet up with lmguillou, as we were planning on running together as we were aiming for similar times. Couldn't believe how warm it was already, and knew this was going to be a tough race if it continued to get warmer. Once we met up we headed of for the start line to drop the bags in. Then did a short jog/stretch to warm up, before positioning ourselves in the middle of the 1:40 and 1:50 pacers! Was aiming for a 1:42, so pacing per km around 4:45 was the aim! My previous PB is 1:53:16, so aware it was a big ask!

Kms 1 - 5

Glad to get going as had been looking forward to this race for a long time. As always the first few kms or so down the kyber and back up to chesterfield ave were a bit congested. I was sweating buckets already and realised just how tough this heat was going to make it. Was getting a stitch/pain in my stomach over these kms too, and was a bit worried I may have to ease off or pull up, but I started to find my stride and it eased off thankfully.

Pace for the first 5 was 4:54, 4:36, 4:55, 4:42 and 4:46. So pretty much on target so far

Kms 6 -10

First water station approaching, took two bottles, one which I poured over my head to keep cool and the other to drink. This was repeated at each station! Had started to feel more comfortable now but definitely started to ease off slightly on the pace to adjust for the conditions. These were a comfortable few km's. Got a great cheer from my brother and his three kids as I turned down towards Farmleigh, a cheer like that gives such a boost and the supporters were absolutely fantastic all day!

Pace for these 5 was 4:55, 5:01, 4:59, 4:50 and 5:10. Easing off slightly but still going well.

Kms 11-15

Decide to take a gel at around the halfway mark, as I knew I was pushing myself pretty hard for this race. Had only ever taking them for LSR's so was hoping it would stay down, which it did and that went fine. Once we got to just after the halfway mark, myself and lmguillou parted company as I felt I could push on a bit despite the heat. I wanted to empty the tank in this race as I felt I've been to cautious and holding back in previous races.

Pace for these 5 was 4:50, 5:04, 4:58, 4:34 and 4:40. Had definitely been easing off a before but picked up for the last two.

Kms 16-20

Found these quite tough physically and mentally and I came across the first casualty of the day at around 16km, (being treated with an oxygen mask by paramedics, confirming to me I wasn't the only one feeling the tough conditions.) Thanks to the kid handing out watermelon slices on the downhill section to parkgate street, brilliant idea and fair play to him! Something else unexpected happened me at 16km......I beat my PB at the Frank Duffy 10mile! Had not even considered this as a scenario in the race, but looked at the watch at 16km and it was 1:17:xx, about a minute quicker....does that even count as a PB?!?! Chatted to a guy while running down Conyngham Rd, and it passed the time nicely. You meet some great people at these races!:D As we were nearing the gate back into the park, I could hear sirens approaching from behind and shortly after entering the park they followed us in and straight up the hill to the aid of the fallen runner. Some people were oblivious to the sirens behind them and continued to run on the road, whether it was due to ipods blaring or just being in considerate I dont know but some of them were firmly put in their place by other runners and rightly so! I passed by the scene and it was quite clear it was a serious incident. Feels wrong to just run on by, but experienced help was immediately on hand and they should be highly praised for their efforts. Carrying on over these kms there were other casualties being tended to again, just showing how difficult the last stretch was in those conditions.

Pace for these 5 was 4:37, 4:50, 5:15, 4:54 and 5:09


Km 21 and (.3)

Was delighted to be nearing the end, as I was beginning to feel like my legs were about to cramp up at any minute. This has never happened me before and I wonder if it is something to do with hydration? Anyone any ideas?

Came across a young american guy who seemed to be really struggling and he asked me how far was left. I told him 500m and just to keep up with me and we'd get him over the line. He matched my pace around the final bend, (where I came across my nephews again who were high fiving everyone on the way around! Great inspiration from them again, especially when the 7yr old raced alongside me on the grass for 100m till he wore himself out!:pac: )
Kept chatting to the american guy for this last bit and got him to sprint finish with me and we both crossed the line at the same time. He was relieved but also delighted to come in under his goal time! Also got a shout out from the announcer as I approached the finish, 15mins of fame!:cool:

Pace for the final km and (.3km) was 5:02 and 4:05

Result:

Overall time was 1:44:01.......meaning a whopping new PB of almost ten mins (and 2 if I count the 10mile PB!) . A chunk like that Ill probably never knock off again, but it feels good! Didn't reach my ambitious goal of 1:42, but I'm putting that down to the conditions on the day, and gotta leave something for next time I guess! :pac:

Finally I want to give my praise to all runners/organisers/pacers for another great race day. In particular the medics, who came to peoples aid on the day, so sad to lose a fellow runner so tragically, but I know they did everything in their power to help.

pa4

Well done on the PB!

statss

that's a great report Rob.

Tom Joad

+1 great report and great run too.

rob w

Thanks guys, chuffed with it!

shortstuff!

Well done on smashing your PB! Your in great shape for DCM:) great race report too!

rob w

shortstuff! wrote: »

Well done on smashing your PB! Your I great shape for DCM:) great race report too!

Thanks shortstuff....almost as impressive as your PB in Athlone! :pac:

lmguillou

Well done Rob again, that s a great time. It was a pleasure to have your company, shame I couldn't keep up, I literally blew up passed the 16km mark :http://connect.garmin.com/activity/379315649
I was very disappointed after the race but when I heard the news about this poor guys, I was just happy to be home with my family, it was just a bad run for me which is not the end of the world! I think I did a novice mistake, I didn't drink enough water the days before. Thought drininking in the morning would be enough. That s the only explanation I found for getting dishydrated... Anyway, see you Saturday hopefully!

rob w

lmguillou wrote: »

Well done Rob again, that s a great time. It was a pleasure to have your company, shame I couldn't keep up, I literally blew up passed the 16km mark :http://connect.garmin.com/activity/379315649
I was very disappointed after the race but when I heard the news about this poor guys, I was just happy to be home with my family, it was just a bad run for me which is not the end of the world! I think I did a novice mistake, I didn't drink enough water the days before. Thought drininking in the morning would be enough. That s the only explanation I found for getting dishydrated... Anyway, see you Saturday hopefully!

Yeah it was great to have company alright. You can get the bad run out of your system on the LSR on Saturday!

rob w

Thursday 19th

(8m) 12.8k @ 5:55/km

Back to reality again after the race on Saturday. Had a late start in college today so I got out for an early run this morning. Did a nice easy pace of 5:55/km, it was still quite mild and a bit humid out this morning though....strange weather for late September! Pace was very consistent today......ever since I got my Garmin a few weeks ago my obsession with consistent pace on training runs has taken on a new level!

Legs are still feeling a little tired this evening though, the race at the weekend took it out of me! On the bike tomorrow for a crosstraining day, so should be a little easier!

Heading to the talk on nutrition for runners tomorrow in Amphibian King, hopefully pick up some good advice as I could do with a bit more variety in my diet lately!:pac::pac::pac:

lmguillou

rob w wrote: »

Thursday 19th

(8m) 12.8k @ 5:55/km

Back to reality again after the race on Saturday. Had a late start in college today so I got out for an early run this morning. Did a nice easy pace of 5:55/km, it was still quite mild and a bit humid out this morning though....strange weather for late September! Pace was very consistent today......ever since I got my Garmin a few weeks ago my obsession with consistent pace on training runs has taken on a new level!

Legs are still feeling a little tired this evening though, the race at the weekend took it out of me! On the bike tomorrow for a crosstraining day, so should be a little easier!

Heading to the talk on nutrition for runners tomorrow in Amphibian King, hopefully pick up some good advice as I could do with a bit more variety in my diet lately!:pac::pac::pac:

Will be happy to get some tips on nutrition during saturday's run

rob w

Ill make sure to take notes!

rob w

Thursday 26th

(8m) 12.8k @ 5:50/km

Up at 5.30am for this one, its becoming a bit of a habit these days!!

Just an eacy paced run, started off quite easy, bit increased the pace as it went on as I was feeling good. Taking on board all the nutrition advice received at the talk last night......how long will that last i wonder?!

Had been due to travel to Nairobi (on a poorly timed trip training wise) in three weeks time, but has now been postponed until possibly March due to the recent attacks over there! Had been looking forward to it but also a little bit anxious about the fact I may have picked up a bug/exhaustion or something while over there and so soon before D-day!

lmguillou

rob w wrote: »

Thursday 26th

(8m) 12.8k @ 5:50/km

Up at 5.30am for this one, its becoming a bit of a habit these days!!

Just an eacy paced run, started off quite easy, bit increased the pace as it went on as I was feeling good. Taking on board all the nutrition advice received at the talk last night......how long will that last i wonder?!

Had been due to travel to Nairobi (on a poorly timed trip training wise) in three weeks time, but has now been postponed until possibly March due to the recent attacks over there! Had been looking forward to it but also a little bit anxious about the fact I may have picked up a bug/exhaustion or something while over there and so soon before D-day!

I was thinking about your trip when I heard the bad news from Nairobi...It's bad news, but may be better for your training, expecially if you still get the chance to go there a later stage I'm up @ 5h45am 3 mornings a week to do my mid week runs before work, I got used to it , just a bit tired in the evening and I'm going to bed earlier and earlier

rob w

Saturday 28th

(21.8m) 35k @ 6:09/km

Out for the second last LSR of the plan today......won't know what to be doing with myself on Saturday mornings then!! Met up with a couple of the lads from boards, Skidrow and lmguillou, and we waited around for some others but were no-shows! Took off from the Papal Cross just after 9am. I had been planning on doing 32/33km but decided to stretch it out to 35km as lmguillou was doing the same!

Did three loops around, back to the cars twice. Two loops down through the park and by the river in Chapelizod there, it was nice down that way for a change as Id never been out there for a run before! Pace started off nice and easy, got the legs going. Skidrow finished up at 24km, so we had 11 left and decided to pick it up to Marathon Pace for the last 5km. Finished that last 5km up the steep hill by the hospital, with an average pace of 5:30/km. Decided to skip on taking a gel this run as I dont want to become too dependent on them and want to train the body to burn a bit of fat too, felt fine without it up to the finishing point!

Absolutely delighted to have a run of that distance under my belt before DCM. Closing in on that 42.2/km!:cool: Was hard work but feeling good now. Planning on a 50km cycle tomorrow organised by one of the local GAA clubs here, so that will hopefully loosen out any stiff legs then!

Thanks for the company again to Skidrow and lmguillou! Only 4 weeks to go!

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

Saturday 28th

(21.8m) 35k @ 6:09/km

Out for the second last LSR of the plan today......won't know what to be doing with myself on Saturday mornings then!! Met up with a couple of the lads from boards, Skidrow and lmguillou, and we waited around for some others but were no-shows! Took off from the Papal Cross just after 9am. I had been planning on doing 32/33km but decided to stretch it out to 35km as lmguillou was doing the same!

Did three loops around, back to the cars twice. Two loops down through the park and by the river in Chapelizod there, it was nice down that way for a change as Id never been out there for a run before! Pace started off nice and easy, got the legs going. Skidrow finished up at 24km, so we had 11 left and decided to pick it up to Marathon Pace for the last 5km. Finished that last 5km up the steep hill by the hospital, with an average pace of 5:30/km. Decided to skip on taking a gel this run as I dont want to become too dependent on them and want to train the body to burn a bit of fat too, felt fine without it up to the finishing point!

Absolutely delighted to have a run of that distance under my belt before DCM. Closing in on that 42.2/km!:cool: Was hard work but feeling good now. Planning on a 50km cycle tomorrow organised by one of the local GAA clubs here, so that will hopefully loosen out any stiff legs then!

Thanks for the company again to Skidrow and lmguillou! Only 4 weeks to go!

I really like your training blog Rob, I would set one up myself but I just can't come up with a snappy name!

Thanks for the company on Saturday, not to mention all those nutrition tips you shared from the Amphibian King talk.

Looking forward to getting past the last high mileage week and the last 20m LSR, hope lmguillou and yourself can make it on Saturday.
I might try to start a bit earlier, 8 or 8.30.

Good luck with the rest of your training plan.

rob w

Skidrow wrote: »

I really like your training blog Rob, I would set one up myself but I just can't come up with a snappy name!

Thanks for the company on Saturday, not to mention all those nutrition tips you shared from the Amphibian King talk.

Looking forward to getting past the last high mileage week and the last 20m LSR, hope lmguillou and yourself can make it on Saturday.
I might try to start a bit earlier, 8 or 8.30.

Good luck with the rest of your training plan.

Haha.....the snappy name is the hardest part! :pac:

Yeah ill be out again for Saturday morning, 8.30am would suit me best if thats ok with you? Ill post it up in the Group Sessions Thread if we decide on that?

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

Haha.....the snappy name is the hardest part! :pac:

Yeah ill be out again for Saturday morning, 8.30am would suit me best if thats ok with you? Ill post it up in the Group Sessions Thread if we decide on that?

8.30 is ok for me. Lets see can we get lmguillou out of bed a bit earlier!
How many miles are you doing?

I might try to do 3x12km loops.

rob w

Skidrow wrote: »

8.30 is ok for me. Lets see can we get lmguillou out of bed a bit earlier!
How many miles are you doing?

I might try to do 3x12km loops.

Probably going to do 20m, maybe 21. I see lmguillou is doing 18, so we could loop back to meet him at 9 and all finish up together then?

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

Probably going to do 20m, maybe 21. I see lmguillou is doing 18, so we could loop back to meet him at 9 and all finish up together then?

Yea, good idea Rob.

rob w

A bit under the weather since Monday, so haven't got a run in this week yet. Hopefully will get out tomorrow! So frustrated to be stuck inside, its driving me nuts.

Foam rolling and stretching is all I'm limited to right now. Hopefully I still remember how to run the next time I head out! :mad:

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

A bit under the weather since Monday, so haven't got a run in this week yet. Hopefully will get out tomorrow! So frustrated to be stuck inside, its driving me nuts.

Foam rolling and stretching is all I'm limited to right now. Hopefully I still remember how to run the next time I head out! :mad:

Caution is the name of the game now, only 4 weeks to go, no point in aggravating any little niggle you might have.
You have a huge amount of preparation in the bank now so a couple of rest days will not do you any harm.

Hope you are ok by Saturday!

lmguillou

rob w wrote: »

A bit under the weather since Monday, so haven't got a run in this week yet. Hopefully will get out tomorrow! So frustrated to be stuck inside, its driving me nuts.

Foam rolling and stretching is all I'm limited to right now. Hopefully I still remember how to run the next time I head out! :mad:

Hope you ll get better soon, better being sick now than in 3 weeks

rob w

Thanks lads, feeling a bit better now....definitely still on for Saturday!

Thursday 3rd

(~6m) 9.5k @ 6:08/km

First run this week since my LSR at the weekend. Still wasnt feeling 100% but definitely feeling better, and needed to get out and get some fresh air after being stuck indoors pretty much all day every day since Monday....early nights too....was in bed at 7:30pm on Tuesday!!:eek:

Just went out to do a couple of miles at an easy pace, went by how I felt rather than looking at the watch like I usually do. Covered 6m at pretty much the same pace as I always do my easy runs....pretty happy with that. Bit of a miserable night but still nice to get out all the same. Looking forward to the last LSR on Saturday!

rob w

Just a recap on totals for the month of September and Year to Date!

Monthly (km)|Year to Date (km)
209|927

*Also did 175km on my bike, but gotta keep that quiet around these parts!:P

So almost a quarter of my yearly total in September!:eek:
Didn't realise I had such a poor start to the year until I just looked back over my log now.

Note to self: Must do better at the beginning of 2014!:pac:

Gavlor

rob w wrote: »

Just a recap on totals for the month of September and Year to Date!

Monthly (km)|Year to Date (km)
209|927

*Also did 175km on my bike, but gotta keep that quiet around these parts!:P

So almost a quarter of my yearly total in September!:eek:
Didn't realise I had such a poor start to the year until I just looked back over my log now.

Note to self: Must do better at the beginning of 2014!:pac:

Cycling rocks.... Ignore the mileage junkies

rob w

Gavlor wrote: »

Cycling rocks.... Ignore the mileage junkies

Good to know I have some allies!

rob w

Saturday 5th

(20m) 32k @ 6:04/km

Another great LSR under the belt. I met up with Skidrow and lmguillou again for this one. We all were doing different distances, so we staggered our starting times so we'd all finish around the same point. Hadn't been 100% all week so was really looking forward to this one for a few days now.

Another lovely day for it too, don't think I ever remember the weather being this good in October, so try to enjoy it while it lasts. Looking back over the garmin now, we seemed to keep a good pace throughout although ever so slightly picking it up towards the end. Then did the last 5km at 5:20/km, while it was a little tough to pick it up after 18m but managed to keep it consistent and felt good finishing.

So happy to have three 20m+ runs under my belt now heading into taper. Feeling good right now, but don't know how long that will last if the taper madness sets in! :P

career_move

Good work today. You should have got plenty of confidence from that when you were able to pick up the pace for the last 5k

rob w

career_move wrote: »

Good work today. You should have got plenty of confidence from that when you were able to pick up the pace for the last 5k

Thanks, its great to know I still had it in the legs after that distance! Hopefully i can repeat the same again when needed!

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

Saturday 5th

(20m) 32k @ 6:04/km

Another great LSR under the belt. I met up with Skidrow and lmguillou again for this one. We all were doing different distances, so we staggered our starting times so we'd all finish around the same point. Hadn't been 100% all week so was really looking forward to this one for a few days now.

Another lovely day for it too, don't think I ever remember the weather being this good in October, so try to enjoy it while it lasts. Looking back over the garmin now, we seemed to keep a good pace throughout although ever so slightly picking it up towards the end. Then did the last 5km at 5:20/km, while it was a little tough to pick it up after 18m but managed to keep it consistent and felt good finishing.

So happy to have three 20m+ runs under my belt now heading into taper. Feeling good right now, but don't know how long that will last if the taper madness sets in! :P

Thanks lads, these group LSRs definitely lighten the load of a 20m+ run. This is my 4th marathon and in previous ones I did most of the 20milers on my own and did not enjoy them.:eek:
Maybe try 12-14m of marathon route next week?

Skidrow

DCM route 15m ok?

lmguillou

Skidrow wrote: »

DCM route 15m ok?

Isn't too long? I have 12 miles on the plan I'm following, 15 may be too much 2 weeks before the race no?

rob w

Just seeing this now lads.......thinking 15 might be a bit too much aswell, would prefer to do around 12-13, dont want to overdo it over the next few weeks.

Up to my eyes here today, so will try get back on later and sort something out then!

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

Just seeing this now lads.......thinking 15 might be a bit too much aswell, would prefer to do around 12-13, dont want to overdo it over the next few weeks.

Up to my eyes here today, so will try get back on later and sort something out then!

12.3m (8 miles on course)?

Skidrow

rob w wrote: »

Just seeing this now lads.......thinking 15 might be a bit too much aswell, would prefer to do around 12-13, dont want to overdo it over the next few weeks.

Up to my eyes here today, so will try get back on later and sort something out then!

12m on DCM course, leave one car at Fosters Ave?

rob w

The last one there looks good...

Another idea could be to run from mile 13 to mile 25 of the route. Maybe myself an lmguillou could meet somewhere around merrion sq, leave one car there, drive to walkinstown and run from there back to merrion sq.

That way we could do the whole run on course and have a car at the end to drop you back/collect the other car!

A bit awkward maybe but I don't mind too much as its only a once off thing, and only if it suits everyone?

lmguillou

rob w wrote: »

The last one there looks good...

Another idea could be to run from mile 13 to mile 25 of the route. Maybe myself an lmguillou could meet somewhere around merrion sq, leave one car there, drive to walkinstown and run from there back to merrion sq.


That way we could do the whole run on course and have a car at the end to drop you back/collect the other car!

A bit awkward maybe but I don't mind too much as its only a once off thing, and only if it suits everyone?

i like this plan, if we all agree i can meet you somewhere near merrion sq.

Skidrow

lmgwiou wrote: »

i like this plan, if we all agree i can meet you somewhere near merrion sq.

Yes, this looks good.
What time will we meet?

rob w

Id be happy to start around 8 - 8.30, better off early before it starts to get busy!

lmguillou

rob w wrote: »

Id be happy to start around 8 - 8.30, better off early before it starts to get busy!

ok for this weekend, I'll make an effort

lmguillou

I shouldn't have checked the forum today, with all those posts regarding the tapering period I feel like 12 miles is not enough!! With the begining of my training plan being jeopardised because of my achilles at the begining of the summer, the bad experience during the half last month I feel like I should run more this weekend...

lmguillou

lmguillou wrote: »

I shouldn't have checked the forum today, with all those posts regarding the tapering period I feel like 12 miles is not enough!! With the begining of my training plan being jeopardised because of my achilles at the begining of the summer, the bad experience during the half last month I feel like I should run more this weekend...

Forget my last post, taper madness, let s stick to the plan

rob w

lmguillou wrote: »

Forget my last post, taper madness, let s stick to the plan

12 miles is plenty, you have more than made up for the missed time due to the achilles already!

rob w

Tuesday 8th

(6m) 10k @ 5:02/km - Tempo

Out early again for this one. Moved this run to today as I missed it last week when I was sick.

Did 1km @ 6.15/km,
8km @ 4.40/km,
1km @ 6.15/km

Thats the last tempo of the plan done now. Felt good considering i dont like early runs usually!