Run to the Hills

Badreputation

Finally decided to start a log after getting invaluable info from some savage efforts here and to put some pressure on myself to start a serious marathon plan and stick to it over 18wks. Started running just over 6 years ago after having this idea of completing a marathon before I hit 40. Was active underage in rugby but from my 20s on it was the good life and 20 cigs a day. Stopped smoking and started training for a marathon at 39yrs. Finished Cork 2008 not having a clue and getting a farmer tan in 4+hours. Repeated the same marathon the following year with almost the same effort and finish time. Have since ran a few marathons with a PB in Dublin in 2011 of 3hr 14m. Had some injuries after Dublin(Achilles) as I tried to push on and chase times. Ran low 64's in Ballycotton 10 this year and had PBs for 5 mile (31m28s) and 10k (low 39) in the same race. Planned to hit 3hrs-3hrs 05 in London Marathon after Ballycotton but it didn't happen on the day(3hr16) and since I am just plodding along without any real improvements.

Plan for 2014
Have booked accommodation in Rotterdam with a few club mates and the plan is to run the Rotterdam Marathon in April 2014. Will build up over the next few weeks and start an 18wk prog (Jack Daniels A Plan) in December. Hope to have a realistic go at sub 3hrs. Also want to log the training, put pressure on to actually hit the targets and get some advice as I go.

Badreputation.... its a Thin Lizzy thing:)

Badreputation

Sunday
10 miles easy. Had company for this and the plan was an easy run. Weather was unreal and run was as planned.
10m - 79min

Monday
Club session.
2m WU and 5 x 1ks. 1m WD
The 1ks were run in a group with a target pace of 6min/m. Pushed on for the last few as they felt comfortable. Hope to run these more consistently and in low 3:30s in future. Recovery was 60 secs v.easy jog between reps
Splits were: 3:50 3:43 3:42 3:38 3:28

Tuesday PM
6m easy - 46min

ecoli

Best of luck with training.

Booked in already? Much better organised than me. Spend so much time focusing on the training that I nearly overlook the logistics.

Badreputation

Thanks a lot Ecoli. Have read some of your log... impressive running. We just booked the hotel so far. Must book in for the race next week. Wont ramp up till Dec for full on training so its just a matter of building up till then.

Badreputation

Thursday
Headed to the track late in the evening. Small group of us did a 1m warm up and a 20 tempo session with 1m warm down. Under time pressure and had signed up for x country on Sun so kept it short.
3.04mls in 20min/6:36 pace

Saturday
Easy 4mls. No watch.

Sunday
County x-country. Signed up for a team in the masters section with the club for this. Had a late night with work Friday and Saturday and early mornings with the kids so was dreading it Sunday when we pulled up and the rain started. Had never ran x-country before so was looking forward to the experience and after walking the fields to check out the course we did a quick warm up and we were off immediately after the ladies race. It was initially a 1k loop and then 4 x 1500 to total 7k. Went out at a reasonable pace (again wearing no watch as its in bad need of repair) but felt ok after the first loop. A few clubmates were in the group and we ran together for the next 3k. All good at this stage and feeling ok. A few rain showers and the usual mixture of mud and cow sh!t every few yards but overall a fair course as whatever pulls there were you got it back fairly soon after with a level straight or a slight downhill. Started to fade at the end of the 4th lap and on the last 1500 while I fell behind my teammates by 20-30yds I still maintained my place to finish 3rd on the team but well down in the overall team standings as the standard was very high. Heard after the winner ran the last 1500 in around 5mins which is serious going in the conditions.Quick warm down and quick exit home to a hot shower and ERC rugby on TV. No idea of time as no one finishing near me had a watch. Really enjoyed the x country experience though and will try it again.

ThePiedPiper

Best of luck with the log and with the training badreputation.. The basic building blocks all seem to be there to make a realistic effort for a sub3.. The log will be a good motivational tool. Knowing you'll be logging your own training for your own critique as well as others makes you sometimes go that extra mile..

Badreputation

Thanks RFR. Just read your marathon report...congrats on both the race and the report. Top class!
Agree with you in regards to the log. Main reason I am doing it and putting my head above the covers is just as you said. Want to keep a record over the next few months but also put real pressure on myself to hit the targets in the prog. And with the standards achieved on boards already by some of you I might get some advice on what is really possible closer to the day after some training.
Best of luck with your next target.

Badreputation

Tuesday
Just an easy pace run after work while the small fella had a 40 min music lesson. 2.5mls out and back.
5mls in 37m20s

Wednesday
Club session. 3mls easy warm up ~ 24min. Then a quick stretch and a tempo run with a small group. Started out a 7min pace for the 1st mile and then the group picked up the pace as the run progressed. Finished around 6:10 pace for the last mile. Felt very comfortable throughout. ~1ml warm down after.
3.82mls in 25m:52s 7.8mls total

Need to start increasing the weekly mileage from next week and throughout the month of November. Will also start increasing the long easy run this weekend.

Badreputation

Friday
Plan was for an easy 10-12 miles. Had company for the run and we took in a loop with a few pulls/hills. Didn't plan on the weather though and hadn't gotten this wet on a run since running the Cork marathon 3yrs ago. Felt weak after 1 mile and breathing was not right either. Slowed down a little over the next few miles. Put it down to lack of sugar levels as I hadn't eaten well the previous day and was busy at work all week. Felt ok after 4/5 miles but we stopped once we completed the loop - Had enough at 10miles.
10m in 81min

Saturday
Wasnt happy with Fridays run so bulked up with pasta/red wine Fri night and organised a late morning run with 2 lads in the club for Sat morning. Didn't even check the forecast and 20mins before we headed the heavens opened again. Did 2 loops of a 5m circuit. Wind/Rain was unreal but stretched after in a hot jacuzzi for30min. Nice! Happy with the run and definitely considering replacing the beetroot juice shot each morning with a glass of merlot red:) Energy levels were perfect for the entire run.
Heading to Dublin for the weekend. Hope to watch some of the marathon.
10m in 74m50s

Badreputation

Sun/Mon/Tues
Headed to Dublin Sun and didn't bring runners as divorce proceedings would have followed! :)Got up Mon and headed to O Connell St. to shout on some club mates. Got over by mile 24 to witness some amazing runs from all including club mates and people here on boards. Inspiring stuff and after catching up on recent race reports/pacing reports congrats to all who competed,completed and hit/exceeded targets on the day.
Arrived back late Mon so no run. Tues was catch up in work after the short week so again no run.

Wed
Mad day at work so got out late. Headed from home around 9pm for a few easy miles.
6mls easy in 45m50s

Thursday
Had company for a few easy miles Thurs night. Wanted to do a bit of speed as the weeks running was slipping away so headed on my own after 3 mls. Did 3.7mls warm up in total and then ran 4 x 800s with 60 sec walk recovery. Was hoping to do the repeats in under 2:50s but it didnt happen as the body was tired.
2:58 2:57 2:56 2:58
Finished off with a 2.5ml cool down
Total ~8mls.

Friday
Tight calf from last night so just did 30min foam rolling and some core work (plank/sit ups/stretching)

Saturday
Miserable day in Cork so a clubmate suggested we run in the local woods. A tough 4mile loop but very well sheltered. The first mile is all uphill but after that you get it back and the rest is up & down. Soft surface so ideal for tired legs and plenty of shelter from the elements. Completed 2.5 loops x 4mls.
10mls in 75min 10s

Sunday
Late night at work last night so v.Easy 5mls around town while the small fella had soccer training
5mls in 39min

Nothing too stressful for the past week with work commitments and late nights. Club sessions starting next week for 10mile races in the new year so will fall in for some of these speed sessions over the next 3 weeks and build up weekly mileage as I am only hitting 30mls. Need a bigger mileage week next week to build up a good base before Dec. Also need a tempo session. Might do cross country again next weekend.

ThePiedPiper

Decent week's training there Badreputation.

It might be better to do 8-10 of the 800m reps at 3:00 than 4-5 at 2:50. I'd use the marathon goal pace in hours to calculate the 800 pace in minutes.

Badreputation

RunForestRun wrote: »

Decent week's training there Badreputation.

It might be better to do 8-10 of the 800m reps at 3:00 than 4-5 at 2:50. I'd use the marathon goal pace in hours to calculate the 800 pace in minutes.

Tks RFR. Ya - agree with that. Only did 4 as I wanted to add in a burst of speed as the weeks training wasn't great up to then.

Badreputation

Monday
Club track session. 5x 1ml repeats w2min recovery jog. Damp night but cool enough so the session was fairly comfortable. Legs not as heavy as last week and breathing was ok throughout. Just under 1ml warm up and 1ml warm down.
Splits were:
Mile1: 6:18 Mile2: 6:19 Mile3: 6:20 Mile4: 6:17 Mile5: 6:15

Total: ~7mls

Badreputation

Tuesday
1hr easy late Tues night.
7.25mls

Wednesday
Club training. Approx 3mls indoor easy running inc. stretches
Afterwards went out for a tempo run in a small group. Again started at 7min/m and worked down to 6.15's. Comfortable running. 3.9mls in 26.20min
Total 7mls

Thursday
6mls easy. Had company for this run. No watch between us but easy running.
6mls @ approx 8min/m

Badreputation

Friday - Off

Saturday
No run - Foam roller and core/stretching

Sunday - Munster X Country
After changing my long run plans this weekend to join a group of clubmates to run the Munster X Country, I was doubting my decision making as I drove to the venue in the lashing rain. After parking on the road a few 100yds down from the entrance to the field I also noticed that the preferred choice of footwear on almost everyone entering and exiting was knee high wellies. I should have read the beginners guide to X country pre race prep before taking on my second race. Made my way to the field in my shiny runners and after getting my race number did a mile warm up with the lads. After watching the ladies race we were called to the start pretty soon after. My plan was to initially place with our team and take it easy enough for the first 2 laps and then try to drive on in the final few. The course was 2 laps of 1k loop and then 4 laps of 1500m for an 8k total. That plan want out the window after 1 lap as I initially headed out too fast and conditions just got a lot worse as the race progressed. Even though I had spikes on the surface was really cut up. After finishing the 2 x 1k loops a clubmate was inside the rope shouting at me to run closer to the guide ropes and on the grass. I know they say the grass is greener on the other side of the fence but from where I was looking it was just muck, mud and sh!t. Tried to run outside of the main drag and get some firm footing but it was impossible. Anyway faded badly on the last lap as the legs were goosed at this stage. Managed to finish 3rd on our own team but way way down in overall placings. Nothing but respect for the people who train and race at the high end of the field in X country. After trying it for the second time would love to train properly for it next year as its enjoyable in a strange kind of way.
Mile 1: 6:44m/mile Mile 2: 7:11 Mile 3: 7:18 Mile 4: 7:23 Mile 5: 7:25
Total 7m

Monday
Club track session. 1 mile repeats. Lead group were doing these + 20-30 seconds race pace. Arrived late for the warm up so just did 800mts WU and took it easy for the first mile. Good session and the repeats felt easier than the previous week. This session is planned for the next few weeks so hope to build up and get comfortable at the pace over the next few sessions. 2 min recovery jog between each mile.
Mile 1: 6:34 Mile 2: 6:17 Mile 3: 6:15 Mile 4: 6:14 Mile 5: 6:14
1 m WD
Total 6.5m

Tuesday
Quiet morning with work so headed out for an easy recovery run this morning.
6m in 46min

Badreputation

Tuesday PM
4 miles easy 31min

Badreputation

Wednesday
6m easy in 45m30s. Had company and we did the usual 6m route.

Thursday
1m WU + 5x800s w 90sec rec +3min rest + 5x600s w 90s rec + WD
2 of us ran this session just before dark this evening on grass. Plan was to stay consistent for the session. Got through it ok but didn't do jog recovery's... walked briskly between sets. Legs were tired on the last 2x600 but happy with the times. Lost lighting for the 600s so they were a bit tougher as footing was a bit dodgy in the darkness. Preferred place for these is the track but when its not an option the grass is just as good in daylight. Last session of 800s last week were done on a cycle path with a pull at the end so in future will aim to run these on the track.
Splits were:
800: 2m:59s 2:58 2:55 2:56 2:57
600: 2m:11s 2:12 2:12 2:12 2:12
Total: ~6.5m

Badreputation

Friday
Off.

Saturday
12 easy miles in 92mins. Had company for 10 miles and the run was relaxed.

Sunday
5m easy to soak out some beers from the night before. 40mins.

Monday
Club session. 2m WU and then 5 x 600s all in under 2mins + WD
5 miles

Badreputation

Tuesday
The usual 6m easy run. Cold and dark but we plodded along comfortably.
6m in 46m20s

Wednesday
Long day at work but made the effort between jobs to get to the track tonight. Did the same session as last week except with recovery at 60 sec instead of 90 sec and slow jog recovery instead of brisk walking.(WU + 5x800s w60s rec +3min rest + 5x600s 60s rec + WD).
Forgot to charge the watch last night and didn't get a chance to get near home all day so after the first 2 x 800s the watch went flat. Had company for the last 800 so just got times for 3. Had no watch for any of the 600s but tried to keep them as consistent as possible. Hard to tell if I was on pace or under. Some lads doing fast 400s on the inside lanes so raced them on my last 2 600s (Made the last 2 a little easier and stayed ahead of them). 1m WU & 1m WD. Not running these flat out, just staying strong and definitely feeling more consistent with them.
800s 1. 2:54 2. 2:54 5: 2.52
Total ~6.5m

Badreputation

Thursday
5m easy on grass. 39min

Saturday
No run yesterday so wanted to push on Today. Plan was 13mls. Not a big fan of early morning runs (late morning start in Rotterdam next April is perfect for my lazy ass!!) so headed out b4 10am. Very cold so took it easy for the first few miles. 4mls in 31min 45s.. Picked up the pace for the next 2.5mls (6:48av pace). Easy few miles again (7.30s) and at mile 10 did another 6:44 mile. Easy miles to finish.
13 miles in 97min 50 sec

Sunday
4m easy. Right calf tender so onto the foam roller after.

Badreputation

Tuesday
No run Mon so missed the club track session. Headed out after work this afternoon and just did a few mile repeats + 800s/400s as there is a planned session tom on the track.
1.5ml WU + 2x1ml 2min jog rec+2x800s 90sec jog rec + 2x400s 60sec jog rec + 1ml WD.
Ran out a straight quiet stretch of road...Bit of a drag on the way out so the second splits are slightly faster on the return.
Splits:
Mile 1: 6:15 Mile 2: 6:05 800: 3min 800: 2:54 400: 87s 400: 84s
Legged it home and while the small fella had a music lesson I did another 4m easy.
10.5 Miles

Badreputation

Wednesday
4 of us headed to the track. Plan was 5x800's 60s jog rec+3min active rec +5x600s 60s jog rec. Keep them all under 6m/m pace and consistent. Cold breeze at the track so fast warm up and we were into it.
Splits were:
800s:
2.54
2.55
2.58
2.58
2.57

600s:
2:10
2:10
2:11
2:10
2:08

Felt a bit stronger/controlled on these this week, especially on the last few 600s.

Total ~7miles

Thursday
Easy 6mls on the usual route in 47mins. Had company and we just chatted and jogged easy.

Friday
Had a late night with work and an early start this morning but had a gap at work so decided to get some long easy miles out of the way as I can't run Tomorrow. Only had a coffee and bagel for breakfast and once I hit mile 2 I was in trouble. Had the same weakness/light head and lack of energy I experienced on 10m run a few weeks back. Walked for 200mtrs and tried again. A lot of my long runs are late morning after eating well so I am putting it down to bad fueling again. Hadn't eaten since 5:30 last night before the light breakfast this morning. Was going to do a 7m route out and back but took in a 5m route with a plan to pass by the house and get an energy drink. By mile 5 I was feeling ok again so I just dropped the pace to over 8m/m and didn't stop or fuel up. Kept going till I hit 13 mls. Not an enjoyable run but running on empty might stand to me when I need it at a later date!
No run planned for Tom. Will do the club week next week and then the following week start the 18wk JD A plan for Rotterdam.

13 uncomfortable miles in 1hr 48mins

Just over 170mls for the month of November.

Badreputation

Monday
Club session at the track. Plan was 2x2mls w 400m jog recovery and then 1 mile. Target pace was sub 6:20 and the plan was just to keep it consistent. I was breathing badly on the first mile as my warm up was brief but once I got into it I was comfortable throughout. Tender calf again after the session on the right leg... I need to do more of a warm up in future but as usual under time pressure after a hectic Monday at work and getting to the track at rush hour.
Splits:
2 miles - (1) 6:16min/ml av pace (2)6:15min/ml av pace
1 mile - 6:06min

Total: 6.5mls

Badreputation

Tues - Sat
Poor week of running due to work commitments and a head cold I couldn't shift. Managed 5mls easy Tuesday, a really nice relaxed long easy run Thursday afternoon of 14mls in 1hr 50mins and another easy 6mls Sat. Not a great week for building the mileage but from Monday I plan to start into the 18wk plan so will hopefully feel fresher next week as I need to build the miles. Haven't raced in weeks so will try and get in one or two 5k/4m races as well before the end of the month.

Badreputation

18 Wks to Rotterdam

Monday
9 miles easy run in 68mins. Headed out late afternoon Monday on my own. Didn't have a watch as the Garmin is in for repair so noted the time before I left the house and took in the usual 6m route + out and back 1.5mls at the end to make up 9m. Comfortable run.
9m

Tuesday
Had company late Tuesday night and we did the same route (really need to change it around next week ... feel like a cartoon character going through the same scene every Tuesday night). No watch between us but in around 8m/ml for most and under 50mins
6m easy

Wednesday
Plan was a quality session of 4min hard/3min easy to total 10k. Was gonna do this with 2 of the Rotterdam crew but again work commitments came in the way.
Headed to the track as some of the crew were doing 800s. Fell in with 2 club mates who were just starting the session. The plan was 10x800s so as it was similar enough to what I was supposed to do I changed my plan to the 800s (3 days into the prog and tweaking already :rolleyes:)
Warm up was brief as I was late so wanted to take it easy on the first rep.
200m jog recovery between each rep.

Splits were:
1.3:02
2:2.58
3:2.56
4.2.56
5.3:00
400m jog recovery after 5 to allow for a quick pit stop!
6.2:58
7.2:57
8.2:56
9.2:58
10.2:58

Glad to have finished the session as I felt tired after 5. Once I got through 6 & 7 the last 3 were ok again. Legs just felt a bit heavy and tired. 2m warm down & stretch to make up for the brief half mile warm up.
7.5mls

ecoli

Solid session. Good consistency with the reps.

Badreputation

ecoli wrote: »

Solid session. Good consistency with the reps.

Thanks. Easier with company as I was doubting myself mid way through. You're putting in some savage quality sessions as well...keeping up with your log. I must get in the am & pm sessions to build up the mileage once I get over the next 2 weeks with work. What mileage will you peak at during your training?

ecoli

Badreputation wrote: »

Thanks. Easier with company as I was doubting myself mid way through. You're putting in some savage quality sessions as well...keeping up with your log. I must get in the am & pm sessions to build up the mileage once I get over the next 2 weeks with work. What mileage will you peak at during your training?

Think I will probably peak around 105 dependent. Tbh I have not really been tracking weekly mileage to closely. Main aim is to average above 10 a day (so 70 - 80 a week) and will aim to do that until I hit the marathon specific block of training roughly 11 weeks out from. Will like to be rattling off at least 100mpw for about 6 weeks of this but with work if I feel that I am not recovering enough I won't force it

Badreputation

Thursday
Very easy run late tonight to loosen out. No watch so easy pace.
Just took in a small loop.Hope to race Sunday if legs feel fresh after long run over the weekend.
~4.5mls

Badreputation

Saturday
No run yesterday so got in two runs today. Did 6m early sat morning just over 8min pace and 4m sat evening when the wind and rain died down around 7:20 pace.
10 mls

Sunday
Early morning run. Plan was 2hrs easy so met with a group from the club and it was easy miles for 2hrs as planned. Comfortable running.
14mls in 1hr 57min

Weekly Total:51mls

Target was 55mls for the week so while I didn't hit 55mls overall I'm happy enough as it was a mental work week. Was planning a race Today but due to not running Friday I needed to do some miles instead.

Badreputation

17wks to Rotterdam

Monday
Late late night Sun night and plenty of beers so when my early morning job cancelled Monday I decided to soak out the beers and get a run in while I could. Easy 4mls at a very easy pace.
Went to the club session Monday evening and while most were doing speed sessions I just hooked up with one the of the lads and did another 5mls easy in 40mins.
9 mls ~ 8min pace

Tuesday
Had another slot between jobs Tuesday before lunch so got out for 6mls in 44mins. Pushed on for 3mls but still a bit sluggish from the late night Sun. Dropped the small fella to his music lesson that evening after work and did 4mls easy in 8:20 pace. Legs were tired and I was wheezing a lot during the run.
Woke up Wed and the plan was for a track session tonight but the chest was a lot worse so took a day off and dosed up in the hope that it doesn't get worse. Only getting into the 2 runs in one day thing... once work eases after this week I will try to fit in the morning and evening runs a lot more as the mileage increases.
10 mls