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Confessions of a never has been.....

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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    Thanks for the good wishes everyone, $hite race today unfortunately, 64 minutes or so, nowhere near where I should have been. Not a bad training session I suppose but a disappointing day all round


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,121 ✭✭✭tang1


    Looking at the results D, everyone suffered this morning. Lads from my club that ran close to 60 mins in Trim in February ran slower than yourself this morning. That's down to one thing, the heat and nothing else. It ain't by any means a true reflection of where you are at the minute, we as a nation don't perform well in the heat!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    18.07.2016

    Thursday

    AM - easy run around St Anne's, don't remember a whole lot about this one

    6.3 miles easy

    PM - more easy miles, more memory loss

    3.8 easy

    11.1 for the day

    Friday

    Off - that's right, a day off! I think the last day off I took was in February so it felt odd to have no run today, have to admit that I enjoyed it :)

    Saturday

    Easy miles with .5 @ 10mile pace

    Out the coast for this one, legs felt great, kept the pace down and enjoyed the spurt of pace for the .5 mile section.

    3.5 miles in total

    Sunday


    Mullingar 10

    Not sure if this is really worthy of a race report as to be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot of racing done….it was however a tough run that may serve to teach me a lesson or two down the line so I’ll put some words around it anyway

    Having only raced once in the build up to DCM last year, coach and I decided to make sure there were a couple of good race efforts in the plan leading up to Berlin. Last year’s lack of racing was partly by design ( to focus on aerobic development) and partly by life getting in the way ( I had to cancel a half because of work\life stuff) but this year it made sense to keep some sense of sharpness going right through to Berlin – for me, its as much a mental thing as anything, I don’t race well during marathon training but at the same time, the racing environment gives a much needed test of mental strength ( on top of all the physical sciency stuff).

    The Mullingar 10 miler was to be the 2nd last race before Berlin and would perhaps serve as a pointer as to how training was going (although training itself is a good indicator too of course). I like the distance, the course was flat by all accounts and had this picked from a long way out as the first real opportunity to stretch the legs over a distance longer than 10k for a few months.

    Up early to get the usual pre race breakfast on board ( porridge, toast and peanut butter) , got the race gear on and hit the road for Mullingar. The day was shaping up to be a cracker, sun splitting the skies and really warming up as I got further away from the city and closer to the midlands. Mullingar. This week had seen me take my first day off running in 130+ days ( lost count to be honest) and with reduced miles in the legs over the couple of days leading up to the race, I fancied giving myself a good workout and hopefully clipping something off the PB ( 10 mile is a distance that I feel I have unfinished business with – 61.42 earlier in the year in Clontarf).

    Hats off to Mulingar Harriers, directions to race HQ were really well marked on the roads around the town – despite this, our very own version of Phileas Foggg, that oh so Bitter Lemon sent out a distress call having managed to lose himself somewhere in Mullingar. A bit of toing and froing with screenshots of directions and possibly a phone call or two to some boardsies more familiar with the area sorted him out and we met up for a couple of easy miles before the off.

    The sun was out in all its glory now and it was noticeably hot in some of the more sheltered areas along the route we picked for our warmup. I don’t run well in the heat, I never have but I didn’t want to let any excuses in before things got started. I was going to get off to a quick start, see how I feel around the 2 mile mark and call it every 2 miles….my hope was to keep things as close to 6 min miles as possible, anything under 6.10 would do fine…anything over would mean an effort to dip under 6 towards the end.

    Foolish, foolish D! Whatever about running shorter races in warm conditions, not having a backup plan to allow for the warmer conditions was mistake number 1 – I can remember talking to Yaboya1 about his sub 3 time in Berlin and how important it is to take conditions into account on the day, it makes perfect sense of course but that conversation wasn’t anywhere near my mind in the starting pen at Mullingar – it should have been front and centre.
    Without delay we were lined up at the start and sent on our way, I was close enough to the front so traffic wasn’t an issue, out from a tight enough country road, swinging left onto a main road and into a strong enough headwind.

    I didn’t bother with the watch at the start, I focused on the effort – fast but controlled and comfortable, I knew this would keep me in and around 6 min miles. A couple of little groups formed early on and I found myself leading one of these for most of the first mile.

    Mile 1 – 5.56

    Saw the time flash up on the watch and thought it was just a little quick but knew that things would slow down a little given that I was piercing the wind for the lads behind me. I felt good too along the stretch we had just run, enjoying the pace and enjoying the fact that I was racing again. I focused on keeping the breathing regular and the strides in check, in on left, out on left – seems to keep the stiches at bay for me. Things were ticking along nicely, I was moving quickly down any hills and easing off just a little on the way up, the field was spreading out nicely and we still had our little group going, I moved aside to let 2 of the other lads lead the charge for a bit.

    Mile 2 – 6.03

    It was maybe around the 15 minute mark when things started to feel less comfortable, we had turned right off the main road again and the wind seemed to have picked up a little - my breathing wasn’t sounding too good either. I could feel the effort levels rising, even though I knew the pace had dropped a little. The group around me were all working very hard and there wasn’t a word spoken between anyone. I could sense things rattling a little here, the temptation to ease off and let the group take the lead was growing, I had to shake it off a few times and force myself back to the front of the group ( I should possibly have let them off and eased off a little myself if I’m honest, 10 miles is a long enough race). The road surface was good but I was feeling very warm now, huffing and puffing way more than I should have been

    Mile 3 – 6.11

    The next mile, I suspect, was the mile that broke my spirits – I let three of the lads from the group kick ahead while I languished in no man’s land, not sticking with them and not slowing enough to pick up another group, I wasn’t too worried about the pace yet, I was starting to accept that I wouldn’t be keeping things down to the original target pace but I would still have lots of time to put in a respectable time. I took a bottle of water from the water station ( I never drink during any race other than a marathon) and poured most of it over my head, remembering Goshie123 telling me how he found it gave him a boost during a few of his 10k races, it did the trick for a minute or so I was feeling rough though, there was no escaping that fact and to make things worse, I KNEW I was feeling rough. I drank some of the remaining water from the bottle and tossed it towards the bin, missed – kind of summed things up in a way !

    Mile 4 – 6.22

    Working through the course profile in my head, I had an idea that we would be turning away from the breeze soon enough, while the going was tough at the moment, I still wasn’t panicked about the dropping pace – I’d hold steady until we turned and then pick things up with the wind at our backs. I could see a turn in the road up ahead, a sharp left which would probably mark the halfway point. That should give us some relief from the wind and I was noticing that the going was much easier when we passed through parts of the road with thick bushes\trees that provided shelter from the sun. Every race has its rough patch and I was trying to re-assure myself that this was one of those, hang on until the turn and things will feel easier….the doubts were there though, swanning around the inside of my head, telling me that I was a long way from home.

    Mile 5 6.24

    After reaching the turn at the top of a small hill, we did indeed move left so that the wind was no longer in our faces – it wasn’t quite at our backs but it wasn’t an issue any more. Initially this did bring that expected relief but to be honest, it didn’t last very long – I was completely isolated now, 3 or 4 MH runners were about 30 feet ahead and I couldn’t hear anyone behind me but a glance back on the turn told me that there were a few people spread out behind. It didn’t take long for the effort levels to climb again, I wasn’t holding pace at all and was having to kick harder to just keep things from slowing dramatically. While things had been warm up until this point, it was becoming obvious that the wind had been providing a little relief from the sun and with no wind at play, I could feel myself beginning to overheat ….energy levels were dropping, effort levels increasing – this was going to be a tough 2nd half, I knew my race was effectively over somewhere around here.

    Mile 6 6.34

    The next few miles are a bit of a blur , effort levels continued to rise, I cursed the sun, cursed myself for heading out so quick over the first 2 miles, cursed myself for cursing myself…
    I think I was passed a couple of times here, the pace had dropped right back and I had very real ideas of just easing up and jogging the rest of the route back to the car, I had nothing to gain now that a good time was out the window.
    At least twice I convinced myself to just keep things somewhat respectable for another mile, one more mile…just get to mile 7, mile 8. I had written “Make it count” onto the palm of my hand as a reminder to myself that every mile should count towards the target, I glanced at it a few times during this stretch and it did serve to remind me that I could still benefit from this run, if I could keep things moving and avoid complete capitulation then I’d have toughed out a horrible day at the office. I had a very similar experience in Athlone almost 2 years ago when I first went after a 1.34 half, that day was sweltering hot too and I ground to a near halt after 7 miles, dropping back to steady and then almost easy pace for the next few miles.
    This felt exactly like that day, I wanted to stop, knew I couldn’t. I passed a couple of lads who had pulled up by the side of the road, looking like they had developed cramps in the hamstrings – thankfully and strangely my legs actually didn’t feel too bad, it was just an overall lack of energy.

    “Make it count” – right so, mile 8 was done and dusted, 2 miles to go and I was hanging on, slowing rapidly but holding on. The drag over the 2nd last mile felt much worse than it should have, I had carried a bottle of water with me from the water station after mile 7 and dunked over my head, the relief was instant but short lived.

    I spotted a couple of runners up ahead and knew that we were coming up to the last mile, I had finished my last 10 mile race with a 5.4x mile, there was no chance that was happening today but I knew I had to do something to at least make the run worthwhile so I worked on reeling these two in. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly they came back to me pretty quickly, although they were breathing almost as loudly as I was so they were obviously suffering too.
    We passed the race HQ and I was back holding an ok pace, I knew from the effort levels as opposed to the watch but I also knew that I wouldn’t hold this for very long.
    The finish area appeared up ahead, I followed the line of cones around a right hand turn, took the sharp left into the finishing area and crossed the line, grabbed a bottle of water and sat down in the shade for a minute or so. The time on the clock was poor, I knew the splits would be poor but f*ck it, I had hung on and finished when every part of me was begging me to stop.

    Miles 7 -10
    6.32, 6.46. 6.51, 6.22
    Official time 1.04.00 ( I think)


    Hung around for the Lemon to finish up, he had a disappointing outing too and we headed off for a couple of easy miles in an attempt to turn a crap race into a half decent workout. Good to see you as always C, pity about the way the race went for us both but there’s plenty more races to come.

    I was pissed off but pragmatic at the same time, I didn’t want to blame the conditions but I couldn’t ignore them, I honestly felt drained of all energy from just after halfway. Chatting with coach later on, he reminded me that I had an average at best run during the FD10 last year during marathon training too – while this week had been a bit of an easier week, in general there is a lot of work sitting in the legs at the moment and that just isn’t going to produce fast race times along the way.

    A fast time yesterday would have been a great confidence booster for me, as it turned out, it was a slog from halfway – a real battle to keep moving. When I think back to Athlone when it was a similar story ( running 1.34 when aiming for sub 1.30), I am reminded at how I ran 1.26 in Waterford a 10 weeks later.
    Lots to learn from the weekend, lots of lessons to take onboard and while the performance in racing terms was poor, there is some context to tie around that and even a couple of positives to take from it.
    For now its back to the training – and praying for a cool September in Berlin !

    Just shy of 14 miles for the day and not a bad week overall when I look at the bigger picture, 2 good workouts and lots of easy stuff


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 16,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭adrian522


    Very similar to my day it seems. Recover well and get on with the next phase of training!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,119 ✭✭✭Mrs Mc


    Bummer sounds like a tough day out there heat seems to get everyone I suppose we are just not used to it thanks for sharing the report it gives us novices comfort in the fact that you elites have crap days too and use the events as lessons learnt. All is not lost. Onwards and upwards can't believe you have gone that many days running with no rest day ! How do you keep your running gear washed and up to date !!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,629 ✭✭✭ThebitterLemon


    Good directions me bollix, I didn't see one sign and I went into the town centre and back, twice!! And I don't know why the hell they call it the Mullingar half, the feckin thing was closer to Tullamore!!!!

    Anyway well done on toughing it out, I found the heat too hard to take after we turned out of the wind and ended up walking and didn't have your mental fortitude to grind it out. That ability will really stand to you. Thanks for cajoling me into the extra few miles at least I salvaged something from an otherwise miserable experience.

    Ps, one final request when we are in a crowd could you stand an extra foot or two away from me, you're in savage shape and I feel like Fat Amy beside Taylor Swift :)

    Make it Count ;)

    TbL


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 16,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭adrian522


    Good directions me bollix, I didn't see one sign and I went into the town centre and back, twice!! And I don't know why the hell they call it the Mullingar half, the feckin thing was closer to Tullamore!!!!

    Anyway well done on toughing it out, I found the heat too hard to take after we turned out of the wind and ended up walking and didn't have your mental fortitude to grind it out. That ability will really stand to you. Thanks for cajoling me into the extra few miles at least I salvaged something from an otherwise miserable experience.

    Ps, one final request when we are in a crowd could you stand an extra foot or two away from me, you're in savage shape and I feel like Fat Amy beside Taylor Swift :)

    Make it Count ;)

    TbL

    There were signs all the way from the M4 to the startline. Didn't need to go near the town. Also don't know why it was called the mullingar 10. Glamour reasons i guess. Dalystown 10 doesn't have the ring to it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,447 ✭✭✭FBOT01


    I feel your pain on this one. The uncontrollables are a bitch when they go against you. No a lot you can do as even well tapered the heat at the weekend would have taken its toll.

    The key lesson really is that when the heat is at those kind of levels ignoring it is not an option. You either readjust your targets and back off earlier or accept that there is a high risk that it will end up as a horrible slog home.

    As they say if it doesn't kill you..............


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,388 ✭✭✭laura_ac3


    Sorry to hear it wasn't your day D. When you put in the work you want to go for the race and time that you feel your training has worked for, I guess experience helps you realise when you genuinely need to readjust and aren't just giving yourself pre race excuses that you need to ignore. Hopefully there's a few things you can learn from the day anyway so between that and the training stimulus there's positives to take away. I've no doubt you'll be back with better again. Good luck with the next few weeks of training.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,606 ✭✭✭RedRunner


    Hey D. Hope things have been going well since the disappointment of Mullingar.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,936 ✭✭✭annapr


    I wish I had read your Mullingar race report before doing Fingal 10k this morning... Sorry to hear it didn't go well, but I always get so much insight into the psychological battles from reading your reports! Actually, selfishly, I think your reports when it doesn't go well are much more helpful :D

    Thanks for the wave the other morning on the seafront too!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    adrian522 wrote: »
    Very similar to my day it seems. Recover well and get on with the next phase of training!

    Thanks A - you too


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    Mrs Mc wrote: »
    Bummer sounds like a tough day out there heat seems to get everyone I suppose we are just not used to it thanks for sharing the report it gives us novices comfort in the fact that you elites have crap days too and use the events as lessons learnt. All is not lost. Onwards and upwards can't believe you have gone that many days running with no rest day ! How do you keep your running gear washed and up to date !!!

    Onwards and upwards is right A - I had an identically brutal day in Athlone a couple of years ago ( in a similarly warmer than normal day) and it really was the making of the next 2 years or so of training. This one was never going to go as hoped but I can still take one or two lessons away with me, thanks a mill


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    Good directions me bollix, I didn't see one sign and I went into the town centre and back, twice!! And I don't know why the hell they call it the Mullingar half, the feckin thing was closer to Tullamore!!!!

    Anyway well done on toughing it out, I found the heat too hard to take after we turned out of the wind and ended up walking and didn't have your mental fortitude to grind it out. That ability will really stand to you. Thanks for cajoling me into the extra few miles at least I salvaged something from an otherwise miserable experience.

    Ps, one final request when we are in a crowd could you stand an extra foot or two away from me, you're in savage shape and I feel like Fat Amy beside Taylor Swift :)

    Make it Count ;)

    TbL

    Enjoyed the catchup C - hopefully see you in St Anne's soon for that parkrun.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,121 ✭✭✭tang1


    You any thoughts of doing FD 10 or just park that distance and move on D?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    FBOT01 wrote: »
    I feel your pain on this one. The uncontrollables are a bitch when they go against you. No a lot you can do as even well tapered the heat at the weekend would have taken its toll.

    The key lesson really is that when the heat is at those kind of levels ignoring it is not an option. You either readjust your targets and back off earlier or accept that there is a high risk that it will end up as a horrible slog home.

    As they say if it doesn't kill you..............

    Spot on M - I was honestly chatting with TbL about something Yaboya said to me with regards to the heat and having a plan b etc.....as the sun was bayting down on our heads.....unfortunately I was all talk and no action !

    Lesson learned


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    laura_ac3 wrote: »
    Sorry to hear it wasn't your day D. When you put in the work you want to go for the race and time that you feel your training has worked for, I guess experience helps you realise when you genuinely need to readjust and aren't just giving yourself pre race excuses that you need to ignore. Hopefully there's a few things you can learn from the day anyway so between that and the training stimulus there's positives to take away. I've no doubt you'll be back with better again. Good luck with the next few weeks of training.

    Thanks L - I did feel I could have put in a very strong performance last week but that was possibly naive given that I rarely if ever race well during marathon training, I tend to race a lot better after a marathon training block when the legs are fresher and the strength is there to be used.

    Should have adjusted the target for at least the first 3-4 miles anyway when I felt the intense heat at the start but didn't...it could have been a different story if I got to halfway with a bit more in the tank...would have, could have, should have :-)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    RedRunner wrote: »
    Hey D. Hope things have been going well since the disappointment of Mullingar.


    All good R - back at it the day after and have had a solid week again this week so all is not lost just yet :)

    Great to see you back by the way !


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    annapr wrote: »
    I wish I had read your Mullingar race report before doing Fingal 10k this morning... Sorry to hear it didn't go well, but I always get so much insight into the psychological battles from reading your reports! Actually, selfishly, I think your reports when it doesn't go well are much more helpful :D

    Thanks for the wave the other morning on the seafront too!

    Ha ha - thats gas, I tend to read back the reports from races that haven't gone well! We don't learn much from the stuff that goes well A :-)

    God, the mornings are a blur at this stage, as are the waves .....but I'm pretty sure you always wave too so you're welcome :D


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    24.07.2016


    Crazy week, haven't had a chance to log anything here so time to catchup

    Monday

    Run home from work, nice and easy...recovery pace, no watch so not sure of the numbers.

    4.1 miles @ recovery effort

    Tuesday


    Mental day at the office and a real cracker of a day outside so I was chomping at the bit to get going at home time. Didn't hang around to get roped into any more email conversations with the folks in the US, got the gear on and headed off. Didn't worry too much about the pace given the intense heat and I was delighted to ditch the backpack after 4 miles, headed off into St Anne's to do a couple of loops around the park, found the park very humid at first but then it cooled off a little, upped the pace a tad in the 2nd half of the run.
    Legs tired a little towards the end but nothing a bit of focus didn't sort out.

    20 miles @ 7.47

    Stretching\core work after

    Wednesday

    AM - a very sluggish 6 easy miles before\on the way to work. Can't remember much but know I was sluggish

    PM - Much nicer run, another 6 miles easy - run home + extra stuff around St Anne's

    pressups\stretching in work at lunch

    12 for the day


    Thursday

    AM - Great sleep the previous night meant that I was sleepy all morning ( how does that happen - too little sleep and you're drained, too much and you don't actually wake up!), so when I got the chance to head out at lunch, I just got on with it.
    As expected , it took a couple of miles to wake up, St Anne's was very humid but this ended up being a nice run

    weights\core after

    8 easy miles

    PM - Belly full of dinner for this one, 4.2 easy miles and lots of strange noises from the gut area!

    12.2 for the day

    Friday

    AM - 5 easy miles before work, cursing the backpack some mornings because when the legs are tired ( which they are), it adds the bit of weight and extra strain. Got it done all the same, cranky run

    PM - 7 easy miles after work, identical to above, cursing, cranky, legs complaining

    12 for the day

    Saturday

    Slept through the alarm that I had set to get up and do my session, it was a pretty hefty looking session so I allowed 2 hours to get it done and had to be on the road for 9 am or so....got out at 7.30 am so swapped things around :o

    Lap of St Anne's then down to loop Fairview park, nice enough run but I have a feeling that pushing the session back avoided a failed session!

    9.4 miles @ 7.57

    Pressups\chinups\stretching after


    Sunday


    Session : 4 miles easy, 5x8 minutes @ pace, 3 minutes easy between, 4 miles easy.

    Target paces for the 8 minute sections:

    6.30
    6.20
    6.20
    6.10
    6.10



    I knew this would be a tough session so stopped off in the phoenix park on my way home from visiting family this evening to get it done.

    4 miles easy down towards the acres and I used the field there across the road from the cross. There was a nasty wind blowing in from the west and I had this in my face for a fair bit of each section, I did get some shelter towards the end of each section though which was bliss to be honest.

    Paces worked out as

    8 mins@ 6.26
    8 mins @ 6.16
    8 mins@ 6.14
    8 mins@ 6.01
    8 mins@ 6.01

    A little quick maybe but I'm putting that down to working too hard into the wind and then enjoying the shelter alongside the Southern side of the field.

    Nearly bailed after the 4th - the thoughts of trying to hold the pace into the wind again was mental torture! Stuck it out and I'm glad I did, a really tough session - I finished strong enough to be fair....but f*cked at the same time!

    4 miles easy back to the car

    15.8 miles for the lot

    ( core work earlier in the day)

    85.5 miles this week


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,617 ✭✭✭overpronator


    Savage work D.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    26.07.2016

    Monday

    usual run home from work, nice little run - these Monday runs are rapidly becoming my favourite run of the week :o

    4.1 miles

    weights\stretching

    Tuesday

    a planed session was ditched given that I had run a meaty enough session on Sunday evening. In its place, arrived a 22 mile long run - with Howth thrown in for the craic !

    Got going after work, perfect evening for it with the drizzling rain and the mild air, dumped the backpack in the house and carried on up into St Anne's before heading off for Howth.
    Instructions were to focus on effort and not pace on the uphill\downhill sections ( just as well really!). The climb up was tough enough work at times, I made my way right up the summit car park... but I found the descent tougher on my quads to be honest ( easier on the lungs though) and I was glad to get myself back down to sea level with about 5 miles to go.

    Felt great for most of this, the legs tired after 20 miles though and it took a bit of grit to get the job done in the end.

    Very happy to have this one done

    22.15 miles@ 7.46

    ( thought better of doing anything other than eating, relaxing and stretching after)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    31.07.2016

    The days are blurring together a little this week, as are the runs!

    Wednesday

    AM - 6 easy miles before work, 8ish pace....can't remember this but I know I did it

    PM - 6 miles easy after work, 8ish pace.....can't remember this but I know I did it

    12 for the day

    Thursday

    AM ( well, PM)Lunchtime trot around St Anne's, think I met FBOT on this one, tapering for his latest assault on a parkrun this weekend.

    8 miles @ 8.15
    weights, core work, stretching, food

    PM - A sluggish 4 miles around St Anne's with a belly full of food.

    4 miles @ 8.24

    12 for the day

    Friday

    AM, nice run...6 easy miles before work...legs felt better than I expected

    PM, another nice run....6 easy miles....physically tired but legs felt reasonable ( I won't say good)

    12 for the day

    Think I did some pressups later in the day

    Saturday

    Got into bed early on Friday to get myself right for this session, I knew it was a bit of a monster and needed around 2.5 hours to run....I had to be out the door and on the road before 10 am to head to Galway for the day\night so got the alarm set for 6 am and got the book out ( Game of Thrones, should have it read by 2025 at this rate....4 pages in and I'm asleep)

    Planned session was:

    3 miles easy, 7x ( 2k@6.30 pace, 1k@7.15 pace), 3 miles easy

    Up and at it just after 6, got the gear on, quick sip of coffee and headed out the door.
    Ran my warmup in an empty St Anne's park - beautifully lit up by the early morning sun, then headed down to the coast road to get started on the faster stuff.

    Ran down towards Fairview for the first set, using the coast road for a little bit ( the actual road, it was empty but it's also in a state) then switched to the grass.
    Struggled a little at the start to get the pace right but I soon got into a good stride, settling in nicely at 6.30 pace and then easing back to 7.15 pace....which quickly made me realise that there is no real recovery as such in this session.

    First 2 sets went well, worked hard into the wind around the outside of Fairview park before heading back out the coast towards Howth.

    Each set took a bit more effort as the session went on and by the 4th or 5th ( which was 20k or so in) I was having to dig in to get going again from 7.15 pace to 6.30 pace.

    The last two were very, very tough - finishing up running into the wind again and I could feel by legs resisting each step as I tried to ramp the pace up.

    Knuckled down and got it done though, finishing off with 3 very slow and delicate miles to bring the total for the session to 19.2 miles

    Sections worked out as ( paces):
    (1k@6.26, 1k@6.26 - 1k@7.05)
    (1k@6.25, 1k@6.28 - 1k@7.05)
    (1k@6.20, 1k@6.28 - 1k@7.16)
    (1k@6.21, 1k@6.21 - 1k@7.13)
    (1k@6.25, 1k@6.28 - 1k@7.21)
    (1k@6.25, 1k@6.25 - 1k@7.19)
    (1k@6.29, 1k@6.25 - 1k@7.21)


    Sunday

    Drove back to DUblin this afternoon and headed out this evening for 8 more easy miles, once again I bumped into FBOT, fresh as a daisy having secured yet another parkrun victory for himself over the weekend. I joined M on his latest victory lap for a few minutes before parting ways and heading off for a few more loops of St Anne's

    Legs are a little tender but still enjoyed the run ( stuck to the grass for the most part)

    8.15 miles @ 8 min\miles

    PRessups and stretching afterwards

    Another good week down, some good quality and total mileage of 89.7


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,236 ✭✭✭AuldManKing


    your training is going amazing. I'm tempted to write down all those sessions :)

    Who set your plan up for you and what will be your max mileage?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,447 ✭✭✭FBOT01


    your training is going amazing. I'm tempted to write down all those sessions :)

    Who set your plan up for you and what will be your max mileage?

    I said the exact same thing last week. Somebody asked me about doing marathon specific sessions and long runs with stuff I told them all they needed to do was go back over this log or that of Myles Splits and they will find plenty of options..........as that's what I intend doing ;)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    your training is going amazing. I'm tempted to write down all those sessions :)

    Who set your plan up for you and what will be your max mileage?

    Thanks A - its gone well for the past while alright, fingers crossed I keep it up for another 7 and a bit weeks too !

    I've been working with Myles for quite a while now, he puts the plan\sessions together on a week to week basis, I don't actually know what the max mileage will be, I would guess maybe early 90s?

    Write away by the way, feel free!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    07.08.2016

    7 weeks till Berlin and the runs are coming thick and fast ( well, slow ...mainly...you get the idea though). This week was a bit of a rollercoaster with work and life throwing up all sorts of obstacles to overcome before I could get on with the good stuff !

    Monday

    Recovery effort around St Anne's park - felt pretty tired to be honest, legs were fine but the body and mind were flagging and glad of the very easy pace

    4 miles very easy

    Weights, core, stretching

    Tuesday

    First of two meaty sessions of the week - I had the choice of a 2.5 hour(ish) session or a shorter session - whichever one I picked, I'd run the other on Sat morning ( early).

    Foolishly I let time restrictions dictate my choice of sessions and went for the longer one, given that I would have a free run of the evening as opposed to having to get up that bit earlier on Saturday morning.

    The plan was for a 7-7-7 progression run, 7.45-7.00-6.30

    Got started straight after work on the easy stuff and was noticably sweating and working a bit more than normal by the time I was dumping the backpack off at home (just over 4 miles in), thinking back, the signs weren't great at all.
    Carried on into St Anne's and despite some temporary relief from the backpack, soon enough I was working harder than I wanted to be again.

    By the time I moved onto the 7.00 paced stuff, I was feeling the effort, I normally love this pace and often have to reel myself in on easy runs to stop slipping into steady pace because I enjoy the rhythm so much - not tonight!
    8\9 miles in and I was getting thoughts of packing the run in, I knew I wasn't recovered, it was warm out but that wasn't an excuse, we'd had lots of warm evenings of late and I'd run sessions fine.

    10,11, 12 miles in and I was still working too hard, no sign of settling into the pace......got to 14 miles when it was time to step it up to 6.30 pace and I knew I was a gonner, made it about 3\4 of the way through the first 6.30 mile and I was blowing hard, ridiculous effort levels for the pace...put the breaks on, gave myself a bollocking and decided to salvage a 20 mile run from the night...finished off with some very slow and very uncomfortable easy miles to bring the total up to 20 for the night.


    20 miles @ 7.30


    Wednesday

    AM - 6 miles easy, tired, stiff legs

    PM - 6 miles easy, tired, stiff legs

    pressups


    Thursday

    Crazy at work yesterday\last night so had a poor nights sleep and paid for it with this morning's run

    AM - 6 cranky miles at 8.09 pace around St Anne's

    PM - Bizzarely I was full of beans on this run and felt great, beautiful calm evening for it though, maybe that caused the energy levels to spike or something, had to reign it in at times.

    6 miles @ 7.59

    Friday

    AM - lovely run, 6 easy miles, rested well last night

    PM - cranky and tired again, 6 poxy miles

    Core\pressups

    Saturday


    Session time again and today was a chance to get back on the wagon after Tuesday's "blip" ( coach used that phrase so I'm using it too)

    3 miles easy, 4x10 minutes with 3 min recovery, 3 miles easy

    Target paces for each section:
    6.30
    6.20
    6.10
    6.10

    Up early to get this done but not as early as recent weeks, quick sup of coffee and I was out the door and headed for St Anne's to get my warmup done.
    Upped the pace a little over the last easy mile to make the first section less of a shock and it worked a treat, had to work quite a bit initially into the wind to get the pace down but held it nicely once I did.

    3 minutes recovery flew through and I was lapping Fairview park for the 2nd section before I knew it, again, the wind proving to be a pest at times and the hump at eastpoint business park reminded me that my run-mute isn't quite as flat as I always say it is.

    Into another 3 minutes easy and I was dreading the thoughts of upping the pace again, I was feeling tired now but knew I had to get through this one. Worked hard again into the wind for most of this section, getting some relief after turning along the back of Fairview park but the climb up past EastPoint nearly killed me this time! kicked the legs up and over and got it done again

    One section to go and I knew I'd get it done but also knew it was going to hurt. Ran this along the coast but avoided the grass in case I went over on an ankle, plenty of other runners out and about at this stage and I'm sure I was a sight for sore eyes with my flailing arms and legs as I gasped and spluttered my way through this one.

    Got it done though :D

    Section 1: 6.25
    Section 2: 6.18
    Section 3: 6.13 ( little slow but the effort was right with the wind etc)
    Section 4: 6.08

    3 miles easy to bring the total to 13.65 miles

    Weights\stretching after

    Sunday

    Nothing like a 4 hour stint walking around the zoo to freshen up the legs :( - in fairness, I love the zoo, brought loads of food and made lots of " lets sit here for a few minutes and take in the wolves\lions\whatever" comments while dishing out goodies to distract everyone...suckers

    Got out for an easy run on some pretty tired legs this evening and despite the wind and rain, I really enjoyed this one, stayed within St Anne's and mainly on the grass too - legs felt good towards the end too

    9 miles @ 7.50 min\miles

    pressups\stretching after

    Just shy of 83 miles for the week and despite Tuesday's mishap, another good week down - recovery is critical to getting through the next few weeks though, the weekly mileage is no problem anymore, the long nature of some of the sessions is something that has possibly thrown me though, they definitely linger deep in the legs a little longer than I'm used to.

    7 weeks to go, a lot of work done and each week seems to get more important than the last


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,236 ✭✭✭AuldManKing


    Duanington wrote: »

    AM - 6 cranky miles at 8.09 pace around St Anne's

    PM - Bizzarely I was full of beans on this run and felt great, beautiful calm evening for it though, maybe that caused the energy levels to spike or something, had to reign it in at times.

    6 miles @ 7.59

    83 miles is a great weeks training - Tuesday was more than salvaged with a 20m run. Don't look down on it. I'm old, I know these things.

    The 2 runs above were both 6 miles. One was 10 secs per mile faster/slower than the other.
    One was "cranky" the other "full of beans" - 10s doesn't do that - is it a state of mind?
    Would you have been better served not doing the AM run? Or doing it differently? Or doing 9 in the PM and calling it quits?

    I'm not saying the word 'over training' lightly - I've deleted some other sentences I wrote.
    Just a note to be careful in the closing stages................


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    83 miles is a great weeks training - Tuesday was more than salvaged with a 20m run. Don't look down on it. I'm old, I know these things.

    The 2 runs above were both 6 miles. One was 10 secs per mile faster/slower than the other.
    One was "cranky" the other "full of beans" - 10s doesn't do that - is it a state of mind?
    Would you have been better served not doing the AM run? Or doing it differently? Or doing 9 in the PM and calling it quits?

    I'm not saying the word 'over training' lightly - I've deleted some other sentences I wrote.
    Just a note to be careful in the closing stages................


    Thanks A - You're 100% right re Tuesday's run, even if it took me a day or so ( and a chat with L) to get myself into that frame of mind.

    Re the two runs on Thursday, I think I should have highlighted that I had to really reign myself in on the PM run to stop myself slipping into a pace that was borderline steady whereas the AM run was a trudgefest, the pace was ( and felt) easy but I was tired and grumpy!

    This may have partly been a fuelling thing actually now that I think of it, I ran on empty on the AM run and ate\hydrated very well throughout the day before the PM run...I think little things like that can make a difference in the midst of marathon training.

    The difference in pace doesn't accurately reflect the state of mind I suppose.

    I think the doubles work well for me overall, given the busy work\life schedule I have...there is the odd day where it's a bit of a squeeze but I think it works well in the overall scheme of things.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    10.08.2016

    Monday

    Monday Monday.....4 easy miles home from work, took it very handy and enjoyed the effort.

    4.1 miles @ 8.30ish ( I think)

    Stretching and core afterwards

    Tuesday

    Scaled back long run this week with the half coming up this weekend - 10 easy miles on the cards tonight.

    I won't lie - I really enjoyed knowing that I didn't have 2.5 hour run ahead of me after work and subsequently enjoyed the run that followed.

    Usual route, dumped the bag, into St Anne's etc....Garmin was acing up a bit though, it gave me a 6.xx first mile which couldn't have been the case.

    Felt good all the way

    10 miles @ 7.42 min\miles

    skipped the extra work in favour of giving the body some rest this week

    Wednesday

    Plan had me down for a session today and I had a mental day at the office which meant no way I'd get this in at lunch, a dinner after work which meant no chance in the evening so I got out a little earlier than normal to get it done.

    2 miles easy, 1 mile@6.10, 1 mile easy, 2 miles@6,30, 1 mile easy, 1 mile@6.10, 2 miles easy

    Tough little session, the usual bit of breeze out on the coast road added to the effort levels maybe but always felt in control of the paces.

    8.25
    7.57
    6.07
    8.06
    6.23
    6.25
    8.21
    6.06
    8.08
    8.12

    No time for extras this evening, busy stuffing my face :D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,009 ✭✭✭Firedance


    Duanington wrote: »
    10.08.2016

    Monday

    Monday Monday.....4 easy miles home from work, took it very handy and enjoyed the effort.

    4.1 miles @ 8.30ish ( I think)

    Stretching and core afterwards

    Tuesday

    Plan had me down for a session today and I had a mental day at the office which meant no way I'd get this in at lunch, a dinner after work which meant no chance in the evening so I got out a little earlier than normal to get it done.

    I love the dedication you have DD


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,121 ✭✭✭tang1


    Best of luck tomorrow D, hope all goes well for you. Remember there's a sting in the tale in the last few miles, but no doubt it shouldn't affect you. It's a great race.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    tang1 wrote: »
    Best of luck tomorrow D, hope all goes well for you. Remember there's a sting in the tale in the last few miles, but no doubt it shouldn't affect you. It's a great race.

    Cheers B - looks like there are plenty of stings around the course alright, partly why I picked it believe it or not !


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 16,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭adrian522


    Best of luck tomorrow D , I had considered it myself but they'd upped the price by the time I went to register so Tullamore in 2 weeks for me!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,629 ✭✭✭ThebitterLemon


    Make it count or something like that ;)

    TbL


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,921 ✭✭✭Kennyg71


    All best tomorrow, hope all goes well.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,936 ✭✭✭annapr


    Good luck tomorrow D, looking forward to the report already :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,119 ✭✭✭Mrs Mc


    Have a good one tomorrow :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,447 ✭✭✭FBOT01


    Have a good one, D and of course ENJOY!!!


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 16,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭adrian522


    Well?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    1.22.56 - PB by 30 odd seconds or so - Tang wasn't joking about that hill towards the end!

    A good day's work all the same


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,420 ✭✭✭Ososlo


    Fantastic! Great work!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,272 ✭✭✭Dubgal72


    That's great going D, well done! Would you mind charting your HM progress over the last two years or so please? I have an inkling that not so long ago you were around 90 min shape so that's some progress!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,516 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Well done, DD. Really tearing it up at the moment!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,921 ✭✭✭Kennyg71


    Well done on PB, all coming together nicely.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,119 ✭✭✭Mrs Mc


    Nice work D :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,121 ✭✭✭tang1


    Savage stuff D, some going to PB on that route, delighted for you.


  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 16,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭adrian522


    Well done. Always have to be happy with a pb!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,601 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Chalk it up, no matter how good or bad you thought you ran. Great to hear of all the hard training bringing rewards.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭Duanington


    14.08.2016

    Thursday

    Working from home today - got out for 6 nice and easy miles around St Anne's, enjoyed this and felt good

    6.1 miles @ 7.52

    Weights and core after

    PM - nipped out for this one late enough, heading along the coast road for a change, another nice run

    4 miles @ 7.56

    Friday - rest :eek:

    Saturday

    Up and out a little later than normal for a 3 mile run around St Anne's, spotting Mrs Mc along the way.

    Plan was for 3 miles with 1 at HMP - ran that at 6.12, a little hot but still fine.

    3.5 for the lot


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