Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Connemara Half, Full and Ultra 2014
Options
Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
Once you go beyond the marathon distance you get a lot of different opinions about what is most effective in terms of training plans. It's good to see that people here work out what's best for them and go with it. What other people do isn't necessarily going to be relevant. Even in the elite end of ultra running you get a lot of variation. Personally I'm a much bigger fan of b2b long runs these days. I wouldn't have had the time to do them so much in the past, but I reckon they are great ultra prep, with the second one being the key, as you're getting very close to replicating race conditions, so I reckon there should be some very useful adaptation as a result.
I reckon the longer a race is the more critical pacing becomes. Not many people try to aim for negative splits in ultras, but a large number of my best races have been where I have managed an even or negative split. My Conn PB is almost perfectly round (4:29:50), and to get that I ran an almost perfectly even paced race, doing the 3 half marathons in almost exactly 1:30 (And when you run that pace you don't even need a watch to tell you, as the marathon and half started just I reached their start lines
) So my very strong advice is don't aim for a positive split. At worst aim for even splits. Preferably set out nice and steady with the aim of having tons in the tank to race home. Jog out the first marathon. Race the last half home.
I agree with TBF that 5:30 is very conservative for a 3:06 marathon runner. Closer to 5:00 I would have thought.0 -
-
On an aside, kind of. I've often thought that b2b long runs was a safer way for people aiming for 4-5hrs or over in a marathon to get some of their long running in. You reduce injury risk, you can get better quality in, especially as, as yous ay, your body is under race conditions on day two. You need the odd 1 or two single long run I guess, but most of the adaptions can be achieved via b2b.
The elite marathon guys are doing similar with 2 big sessions (usually same day) with a lot of rest/supercompensation after, and I wonder did this idea originate from looking at some ultra long run blocks.
Was wondering. Do you alter recovery time for these as well as length for progression? Or how do you schedule them? Thks
That's interesting about the Marathon elites.
Given my target races I'm pushing out extremes these days. For example 2 weekends ago it was 2x 5.5 hour runs . I usually try and follow the 2 with my easiest running day afterwards. In reality this translates as an easy paced run on one of my shorter regular loops in the Dublin hills. I've been wearing minimalist shoes for one day a week for the last few months, seeing if they had any training value. One effect of wearing the minimalist shoes on that terraine is it has the effect of keeping my mind focused on running form, and by necessity keeping my speed lower. So the day after the B2B runs is when my "minimalist day" So overall I find that a useful recovery day. (In my own head I have found that the harsher feedback from minimalist shoes has improved my running form... whether that is the reality or not I don't really know, but I do feel like I'm running more effectively as a result).
As usual, if I'm feeling really tired on any given day I'll happily skip a session. I usually find that's more likely to occur two days after the b2b runs, rather than immediately afterwards (I have no explanation for that!). that'd be quite rare though.
And on a second aside, It struck me the other day that the harsher feedback from the minimalist shoes is probably also great long distance ultra training. Tired feet from simply being on your feet for a long time is one of the harder things to deal with in ultra races, and I reckon that minimalist/barefoot running would help in toughening up the feet to adapt for this. Just my own little theory!0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
If you can get yourself to Marley Park you've plenty of options. Here's a loop I did up to Kilmashogue Forest, over to Ticknock and down back to Marley. It's a clear path all the way around. I did a good few of my long runs around here before Conn last year.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/443262378
Loads of options to explore here
You seem to spend quite a bit of time in Dublin mountains car parks.... The Stan Collymore of A/R
0 -
-
Advertisement
-
Advertisement