Down the road to somewhere....

tang1

My bad, same times though!!!

Bulmers74

Monday 27th
6.04 @ 8:16
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/762181469
Up in Dublin for the week so met the brother for this out along the canal. Didn't know he was doing a bit of running so I was glad when he said he'd come with me. Thought 'twould be a very handy run but the fckr kept pushing the pace. Ran the last 2 miles about 20 metres behind him - thought he might get the hint. Legs were heavy.

Tuesday 28th
6.02 @ 7:11
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/762181448
Out along the canal again. Legs a lot better. The 3 tempo miles were a bit faster than pmp.

Wednesday 29th
6.04 @ 8:40
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/762181420
Out to the Park for this with the brother. A lot more sedate than Monday's effort and was very enjoyable. Some cold rain and a strong wind to accompany us up the North Road - refreshing.

Thursday 30th - rest
Friday 1st - rest

Might do 2 or 3 recovery miles in the morning. In the afternoon will go to the expo & will accompany Bulmers09 on his 1 mile kids run.

Bulmers74

tang1 wrote: »

My bad, same times though!!!

to the 1000th of a second - what are the odds!

ThebitterLemon

Savage mileage a very consistent cycle and your pure mule stubborness will see you to a big pb

Just don't go daft at the start

All the best. Tear it up hoss

TBL

career move

Good luck. I hope you have a great race. Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you

Bulmers74

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Savage mileage a very consistent cycle and your pure mule stubborness will see you to a big pb

Just don't go daft at the start

All the best. Tear it up hoss

TBL

Alright C. As discussed during the week my plan is very similar to yours in Limerick last year and I think it's a sound strategy. Stick with the 3:15 pacers for the first mile or so and ease up to pmp (7:10ish) coming down through town and maintain.

career move wrote: »

Good luck. I hope you have a great race. Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you

Thanks K, I'm kinda even looking forward to it at this stage:eek:.

Dubgal72

The best of everything to you, go reap what you have sown

NetwerkErrer

Yep, should be in the Locke at some stage in the evening. Going to head home first and get myself sorted. I'll see you at some stage, should be around the station when ye're passing by halfway.

Bulmers74

Dubgal72 wrote: »

The best of everything to you, go reap what you have sown

Thanks DG - ready for the off now

menoscemo

Good luck Bulmers. BQ and London Q at all costs!!

JohnDozer

All the best... In awe of the training put in by you! If it doesn't get you what you're after there is no justice

Bulmers74

menoscemo wrote: »

Good luck Bulmers. BQ and London Q at all costs!!

Cheers Niall - BQ is definitely 3:15. Don't think LQ GFA times are out yet but was 3:15 last year

menoscemo

Bulmers74 wrote: »

Cheers Niall - BQ is definitely 3:15. Don't think LQ GFA times are out yet but was 3:15 last year

Should be the same!!
I reckon you can go well under 3:10 tbh but it serves as a good fallback and gives you a nice choice to make

Bulmers74

http://track.rtrt.me/e/TDL-GLR-2015#b=R25W4UT9&v=ptrack

Bib number 9268 in case anyone is interested

Bulmers74

menoscemo wrote: »

Should be the same!!
I reckon you can go well under 3:10 tbh but it serves as a good fallback and gives you a nice choice to make

The plan is sub 3:10 so hopefully that will do. A couple of the London GFA times changed last year but I don't see them changing by any more than 5 minutes.

Bulmers74

JohnDozer wrote: »

All the best... In awe of the training put in by you! If it doesn't get you what you're after there is no justice

Cheers JD - hope to put a face to the username tomorrow:)

yaboya1

Good luck J.
You've put in some miles. Hope it all goes to plan.

Bulmers74

yaboya1 wrote: »

Good luck J.
You've put in some miles. Hope it all goes to plan.

Cheers P, hope recovery from Hamburg is going well.

martyboy48

Give it stick tomorrow J. Don't think I'll make it down but I'll be tracking you and willing you on... Don't let up, drive on champ

Murph_D

All the best, J. Run well.

Bulmers74

martyboy48 wrote: »

Give it stick tomorrow J. Don't think I'll make it down but I'll be tracking you and willing you on... Don't let up, drive on champ

Thanks Marty - I've written the bit in bold above on my hand as one of my mantras.

Murph_D wrote: »

All the best, J. Run well.

Thanks Murph - not long now!

yaboya1

Superb performance Joe.
Very well done.
Looking forward to reading about it.

overpronator

Big congrats and savage running, very well deserved!

career move

Go Joe Super performance:D

tang1

Well done, great running man, throughly deserved.

martyboy48

Awesome running J, can't wait for the report. You're going from strength to strength

Bulmers74

3:08:36 - near 10 minute pb
Thanks for all the kind words. Will do a report in a few days

barryoneill50

Top run, well done

Murph_D

10 mins? Awesome. Well done indeed.

adrian522

Well done, that's a great time!

JohnDozer

Great stuff! Not unexpected... Saw you when you were on your way back in from Vistakon and you looked very strong at that point. Obviously kept that going all the way to the end!

Ososlo

Brilliant running! Congrats and enjoy the celebrations!!!

NetwerkErrer

Cracking run and massively well deserved J! You looked the picture of cool and collected out there. Awesome stuff!

Calvin Johnson

NetwerkErrer wrote: »

Cracking run and massively well deserved J! You looked the picture of cool and collected out there. Awesome stuff!

Yep well done Bulmers. Very pleased you got the time your training deserved.

You ran with me at the start for a few seconds and then went ahead of me around the 7 mile mark.

I gave you a nod when you turned and were running the opposite way. Not sure why as you don't know what I look like!

Sorry for not saying hello but I wasn't feeling great.

kerrylad1

First time I've had a few hours to spare in months and I've gone through ur log,fantastic training man.Great to see all the hard work pay off,Well done again.

Bulmers74

Sunday 3rd May
Great Limerick Run Marathon
26.23 @ 7:14
3:08:36
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/764828351

This was to be my third marathon having previously ran in DCM in 2013 & 2014. I had chosen Limerick as it's local & I really enjoyed doing the half here the previous 2 years. Training for this race started back in the first week of January. Having run a pb of 3:18 in DCM the plan initially was to knock 3 minutes off this come Limerick. Again the plan was to use the tempo sessions out of menos graduate plan with higher mileage, as this had served me well in the previous cycle. In addition to this I was going to incorporate the club session on Tuesdays into the plan to help with a bit of leg turnover. I had 2 races built into the plan during step back weeks. In early February I pb'd in the Dungarvan 10 mile & on Paddys day I ran a healthy pb (1:28:13) in the Mullingar HM which gave me a nice confidence boost. These confidence building races were important to me as it showed progression during the plan. As a runner I tend also to lack a bit of belief in myself at times so these prep races indicated that things were going in the right direction. Had no real disruptions in training despite doing my highest ever mileage although I missed 4 days off the road 3 weeks out from the race with a bad stomach bug. I did miss a key 12 mile mp session & a 20miler that week but there was nothing I could do but move on. I did ten 20+ mile runs and topped out at 110 miles. I was paranoid about overtraining and was constantly checking for any symptoms arising. Thankfully the body held together and as the cycle progressed my easy pace was getting naturally faster which I took as a good sign. After Mullingar I decided to make sub 3:10 my new goal for Limerick. I felt it was both realistic & achievable. Although some of the calculators had me at around 3:06 I felt such a time would be over stretching myself as I'm still a relative newbie to the distance. As race day approached I found myself looking forward to it which was a new departure for me. Although I had my usual pre race nerves I was determined to give a good account of myself come race day. The forecast was changeable to say the least but that was outside my control and didn't let it get to me. So race day rolled around and the routine of my previous 2 marathons would be slightly different as I wasn't travelling. It was great to get (some) sleep in my own bed the night before. With race time at 9 I was up at 5 for a substantial breakfast. Took a couple of high5 electrolytes also to get the salts topped up as it was predicted to get warm. Left home about 7:45, parked up the car & walked to bag drop. No hassle here & not much of a queue at the portaloo. Had a quick chat with Ger664 & congratulated him on his pb in Boston. Got to the start area in plenty of time. I was relaxed and chatted to a few I knew. Introduced myself to Nogutsnoglory who was one of the 3:15 pacers. My plan was to stay with the 3:15 pacers for the first mile or so and then ease myself up to planned race pace 7:10ish on the downhill into town. I hoped to get to 10 miles in about 72 mins, 20 miles in 144 mins and that would give me a good 45 mins for the last 10k.

Miles 1 - 6
7:29, 7:06, 7:13, 7:19, 7:12, 7:05
Took a gel as I crossed the line and away we went. Going up the Hyde Road got talking to the other 3:15 pacer who was supposed to be Baspel but I didn't confirm if it was him. He's also from Waterford so we had a bit of a chat about Waterford hurling and that afternoons league final. As we got towards the downhill in to town I said my goodbyes and said I hoped I wouldn't see them again 'til the finish as I eased away. About a half a mile later they passed me again :eek: and I got a bit of a shock. Had a look at the watch and was travelling about 6:55 pace so was happy enough. I suppose the lads were banking a 30 second or so buffer on the downhill. Going down through town & out the Dublin Road I tagged onto a group of 4 or 5 which included Angela McCann. I stayed in that group up to around Castletroy before pushing on a bit. Angela was getting plenty of support as she went along. Got a high 5 into a bottle of water around here & sipped away occasionally. Looked at the watch at the 5 mile marker & saw 36:17 which I was happy with. In UL got out onto the UL boat club 5k route for a bit.

Miles 7 - 13
7:13, 7.00, 6:58, 7:12, 7:05, 7:11, 7:09
Crossed the 10k mat with a split of 44:59. We went over the living bridge and out onto the Plassey Road. I've ran this stretch many times and there's a couple of drags to negotiate. Met a couple of lads from Kerry Crusaders here & asked if they were the 3:10 bus and they said it was just up ahead.Was with this group as we got to the turn around point at Vistakon. The next couple of miles were my fastest of the day (7.00 & 6:58) as we passed back on the field on our way back towards UL. Got a shout out from Ger664 as he passed and also gave a shout out to few others I knew. Hit the 10 mile marker in around 71:45 which was spot on. We got a heavy shower as we hit the university roundabout and I thought the insole in my right runner was moving a bit as it got wetter. Shook out my arms on the small downhill in Rhebogue as we went back onto the Dublin Road. Took a gel around this stage. There was pockets of support now as we went towards town going through Pennywell & into Johns Square. Met a few out supporting here that I knew & got a shout out from NetwerkErrer. Got another bit of a shower here but nothing too bad.

Mile 14 - 20
7:05, 7:06, 7:15, 7:08,7:05, 7:07, 7:19
When the rain stopped it started to get very warm and the conditions reminded me of the second half of DCM last year:(. Going up passed the army barracks heading towards Rosbrien I fell into a group of 3. We would stay together until about mile 19 or 20. There was a guy with a triathlete club top on (not sure which one) and a guy in a grey top (who I've subsequently found out is boardsie metamorphosis). Although it was beginninning to bake a bit there was a strong headwind as we went through Ballinacurra Gardens. We got up the drag at Crescent rugby club (7:15 mile) and I was met by clubmate MiketheMechanic. He ran along with me for a couple hundred metres before heading off towards town as he was doing the half (which he pb'd:)). We moved through Dooradoyle passing Raheen church & into the small loop of the industrial estate. I'd done a few of my long runs around here so was familiar with the route. Passed 2 guys here on the way into the industrial estate. Went over the 30k mat & the split shows 2:13:17. I rember trying to figure out what 12k was in miles but gave up:rolleyes:. I seemed to be getting plenty of time at the front of the group so asked the lads to do a bit of the driving. The triathlete guy took to front and I knew the next mile had a couple of drags with the over pass in Dooradoyle and the pull up past Punches Cross. Passed 3 clubmates here including MiketheMechanic again & exchanged a few high 5's. Metamorphosis took to the front here and he eased away on the downhill through town. The split for the second 10 miles was 71:30 which put me 45 seconds ahead of plan but I didn't realise it at the time.
Mile 21 - 26.2
7:02, 7:22, 7:28, 7:23, 7:25, 7:09, 6:46 (.23)
Support going down through town was great from people gathering to do the half. Saw NetwerkErrer again doing a stride up the middle of a closed O'Connell St. The support here gave me a bit of an adrenaline boost and it resulted in a 7:02 mile. The downside of this was the anti-climax of going over Sarsfield bridge and leaving town & the support. I knew the pace was dropping slightly and there was a couple of drags to come. I knew the last loop around the northside was going to be a slog & I was going to have to dig in now. Doing the half the last 2 years I hated the section going up past the treaty stone through Thomondgate & this year 'twas no different. When I got to the High Road the demons were flooding in. Momentarily the thought of jogging 9's for the last 4 miles entered my head as I reckoned I'd still go sub 3:15 & get my BQ & London GFA:o. I had to tell myself to fcuk right off with that soft sh!te talk & just keep going. Took a water bottle on the Shelbourne Road before going up the drag through Clareview. I think that was the 7:28 mile & I drew a line in the sand at that point that I would not let the pace go slower than 7:30. I also told myself that that was the worst of the drags. Two passed me here, a guy with a Brother Pearses vest who I ran with around mile 9 or 10 and one of the guys I passed on the way into the industrial estate from Eagle AC. Got a little bit of relief on the downhill at the back of the Gaelic Grounds before going out on to the Ennis Road & going up the drag towards Union Cross. Although this drag is a pain I don't remember it affecting my momentum. I hate the section from Union Cross out the North Circular Road as at Union Cross your nearly in town and going out the NCR you're heading away from town. Psychologically it's a downer. Was thinking this as I turned at the cross and had to tell myself just to get on with it & shut the fcuk up. Once I'd done that I just maintained pace. I could still see the 2 boys that passed me and I was passing a few myself. Got to the top of the NCR & the wind was straight in my face. With no cover I just had to dig in but knew once I rounded the bend there'd be a bit of shelter. I was now on the homeward stretch and had to keep it together. Along here I was shouting at myself to keep it going. I kept reciting my mantra of 'you are fcuking strong' over & over. The split at the 1 mile to go marker shows 3:01:27. I can't remember if there was a clock here but all I wanted to do was to wind it up as best I could & get the best time possible. Very happy with the 7:09 pace for mile 26 & the 6:46 for the last .23. Support coming into town was great but I kept the head down & missed a few people cheering me on:(. Crossed the line knowing I had given it all I had on the day.

Afterwards
Was a little bit wobbly on my feet when I pulled up but got some water into me & was grand. Made my way to the rub down area and just as I got on the table I could feel both hamstrings about to go. The physios managed to avert a full on seize up which was great. When I got off the table the calves seized a bit but I was able to stretch them out. Made my way up to the bag drop & met Metamorphosis again. He had managed to pull 2 minutes further up the road from me over the last 10k which was a really strong finish. Met Ger664 again on the way back down from bag drop. Himself & Brian had driven the 4 hour bus expertly as usual - well done. Made my way slowly to the car and drove home for a shower & some grub before watching Waterford have a great day in Thurles. Came back into town later on & met a gang from the club for a few hours.

A finish time of 3:08:36 gives me a 9 minute 31 second pb which I'm thrilled with. I ended up with a 78 second positive split which is not too bad considering the profile of the second half combined with the heat. Overall I'm very happy with the way things panned out and feel I've got a just reward for a strong training block over the winter. I'm pleased with the way I tactically approached the race and executed that plan. The short term plan for now is proper recovery & try to get a decent 10k time in Dundrum in about 8 weeks time. In that time I hope also to make plans for my next marathon. Thanks again to all for your continued support.

martyboy48

I believe that every aspect, from your approach, your training, your mental/physical strength, your goal, and your execution, were spot on.

You played the cards that were dealt to you perfectly...

Well done again boss..

PS will waterford do it when it really counts

Bulmers74

martyboy48 wrote: »

PS will waterford do it when it really counts

Cork will be hurting after the manner of the defeat at the weekend & I'd expect a bit of a back lash come the first round of the championship. Winning is a good habit to have so will have to wait & see. I think the main thing though is this young team have shown some promise after a couple of years in the doldrums.

annapr

Enjoyed your report Bulmers, really strong finish! Big congrats on your PB!

tang1

Fantastic report Bulmers, a result that was hard earned but so well deserved, delighted for you.

Dubgal72

So well earned, congratulations. From your prep in January to the final mile you deserve every second of that PB. Great report! I'll be reading and rereading the last few months here when I get round to a marathon block next year

PDCAT

Great performance in Limerick Bulmers. Well deserved after putting in the hard work. Onwards and upwards for you. Another one/two marathon plans will have you pushing for sub 3.

Murph_D

Excellent racing, J. You used the local,knowledge well. You're a tough aul bollix too! Well done.

Bulmers74

So a week on from Limerick and it seems like a month. All the anticipation for weeks & months, then it's gone in a blink and life moves on. Had the usual DOMS on Monday & Tuesday but was gone after that. Had to go to the doctor on Tuesday and it transpires I had an infection in my naval for about 10 days and he put me on a course of penicillin. Don't think it affected my performance on race day in any way but I did ignore the symptoms which was stupid. Only afterwards I thought how the situation could have gone downhill rapidly like it did for jebuz. Took further rest days on Wednesday & Thursday as I felt my right hamstring was a little heavy & sore.

Friday 8th
4.13 @ 9:20
Short recovery run to see what the state of play was. Right hamstring was still 'uncomfortable' so didn't push things in any way. Dusted off the marathon stick when I came home and did a bit of work on both hamstrings. Felt better afterwards.

Saturday 9th
5.03 @ 8:28
Nice easy run yesterday evening. Was busy all day yesterday catching up on stuff I had put on the long finger during marathon training - lots more to be done:(. No complaints from the hamstring so all good.
Splits were 9:13, 8:35, 8:15, 8:18, 8:00.

Sunday 10th
7.06 @ 8:22
Another easy out & back from home this morning. Nothing major to report.
Splits were 9:12, 8:45, 8:15, 8:13, 8:06, 8:00 & 8:06.

Happy enough with the way the body has come out of the race. Determined not to overdo things over the next couple of weeks. Think I over did both the volume & intensity after DCM last year and hope not to repeat things this time round. Have been checking out different marathons, flight & hotel options for the autumn all week:eek: - nothing decided as of yet but Frankfurt is an early favourite!

Bulmers74

Murph_D wrote: »

Excellent racing, J. You used the local,knowledge well. You're a tough aul bollix too! Well done.

Thanks D. On the local knowledge I reckon sometimes ignorance is bliss:P. Not sure as to how tough I am but I know that a bit of pig ironed stubbornness goes a long way;)

kerrylad1

Bulmers74 wrote: »

So a week on from Limerick and it seems like a month. All the anticipation for weeks & months, then it's gone in a blink and life moves on. Had the usual DOMS on Monday & Tuesday but was gone after that. Had to go to the doctor on Tuesday and it transpires I had an infection in my naval for about 10 days and he put me on a course of penicillin. Don't think it affected my performance on race day in any way but I did ignore the symptoms which was stupid. Only afterwards I thought how the situation could have gone downhill rapidly like it did for jebuz. Took further rest days on Wednesday & Thursday as I felt my right hamstring was a little heavy & sore.

Friday 8th
4.13 @ 9:20
Short recovery run to see what the state of play was. Right hamstring was still 'uncomfortable' so didn't push things in any way. Dusted off the marathon stick when I came home and did a bit of work on both hamstrings. Felt better afterwards.

Saturday 9th
5.03 @ 8:28
Nice easy run yesterday evening. Was busy all day yesterday catching up on stuff I had put on the long finger during marathon training - lots more to be done:(. No complaints from the hamstring so all good.
Splits were 9:13, 8:35, 8:15, 8:18, 8:00.

Sunday 10th
7.06 @ 8:22
Another easy out & back from home this morning. Nothing major to report.
Splits were 9:12, 8:45, 8:15, 8:13, 8:06, 8:00 & 8:06.

Happy enough with the way the body has come out of the race. Determined not to overdo things over the next couple of weeks. Think I over did both the volume & intensity after DCM last year and hope not to repeat things this time round. Have been checking out different marathons, flight & hotel options for the autumn all week:eek: - nothing decided as of yet but Frankfurt is an early favourite!

A good sensible approach that,ease ur way back into things.I think when you reach our age,less is more.I acted the fool last year after great limerick marathon and went all out in a 10k training run 4 days later,ended up with P-F on the heal,4 months of no running really tested me.I have a grade 1 tear on my left calf now after the marathon so no running for at least another week,maybe a blessing in disguise.Out of interest,Why are you not gona give Dublin marathon 15 a bash

Bulmers74

kerrylad1 wrote: »

Out of interest,Why are you not gona give Dublin marathon 15 a bash

Just wouldn't mind doing a marathon outside Ireland. I'd nearly get the cost of flights & hotel in Frankfurt for the same as train & hotel in Dublin. Haven't floated the idea at home yet so we'll see I wouldn't rule out Dublin yet.

Mind that calf.

martyboy48

Good to see you're back into it wisely, and all is intact(more or less )..
If you do decide to do Frankfurt you better be planning to be in Dublin The next day, by Dublin I mean McGrattans

Bulmers74

Monday 11th
6.38 @ 7:54
Had been working early so got this done in the afternoon when I came home. Kinda blustery but felt good & strong. Really enjoyed this run.

Tuesday 12th
6.37 @ 7:54
Out before work on the same route as the previous day - same pace too. Right hamstring not 100%.

Wednesday 13th
6.39 @ 8:05
Left this 'til after work in the hope that with 36 hours having elapsed since the previous days run that it might make a difference to the hamstring. Still felt tight/heavy over the final couple of miles.

Thursday 14th
Physio & rest. Decided to bite the bullet & went to the physio. He did a lot of work on the hamstring & it was painful:eek:. Came home & decided to do a couple of miles recovery. Got a couple of hundred yards up the road and bagged it as the leg was too sore. Think it was just sore from the work rather than the strain. Probably stupid to attempt the run in the first place:o.

Friday 15th
8.16 @ 8:32
Did this out & back after work. Got a couple of worrying twinges in the hamstring in the first half mile so I just shortened the stride & took things nice & handy. All was ok once I warmed up.

Saturday 16th
8.20 @ 7:56
Same route as Friday again this morning & all was good with the hamstring. Pace edged into the steady range for the last couple of miles. With over 16 miles in 12 hours :rolleyes: the hamstring seems to be holding.

Had been half thinking about doing a half marathon (Cork, Tullaroan or Enniscorthy) in the next couple of weeks but have now decided against it as it was the focus on Waterford HM last year after DCM that caused me to overcook things a bit. Plan to keep the running easy next week & will introduce a few strides once I'm confident the hamstring is alright. After that I might take in some local shorter distance (under 10k) races in the Ballyhoura series - http://ballyhouraactive.com/race

ThebitterLemon

Bulmers74 wrote: »

Monday 11th
6.38 @ 7:54
Had been working early so got this done in the afternoon when I came home. Kinda blustery but felt good & strong. Really enjoyed this run.

Tuesday 12th
6.37 @ 7:54
Out before work on the same route as the previous day - same pace too. Right hamstring not 100%.

Wednesday 13th
6.39 @ 8:05
Left this 'til after work in the hope that with 36 hours having elapsed since the previous days run that it might make a difference to the hamstring. Still felt tight/heavy over the final couple of miles.

Thursday 14th
Physio & rest. Decided to bite the bullet & went to the physio. He did a lot of work on the hamstring & it was painful:eek:. Came home & decided to do a couple of miles recovery. Got a couple of hundred yards up the road and bagged it as the leg was too sore. Think it was just sore from the work rather than the strain. Probably stupid to attempt the run in the first place:o.

Friday 15th
8.16 @ 8:32
Did this out & back after work. Got a couple of worrying twinges in the hamstring in the first half mile so I just shortened the stride & took things nice & handy. All was ok once I warmed up.

Saturday 16th
8.20 @ 7:56
Same route as Friday again this morning & all was good with the hamstring. Pace edged into the steady range for the last couple of miles. With over 16 miles in 12 hours :rolleyes: the hamstring seems to be holding.

Had been half thinking about doing a half marathon (Cork, Tullaroan or Enniscorthy) in the next couple of weeks but have now decided against it as it was the focus on Waterford HM last year after DCM that caused me to overcook things a bit. Plan to keep the running easy next week & will introduce a few strides once I'm confident the hamstring is alright. After that I might take in some local shorter distance (under 10k) races in the Ballyhoura series - http://ballyhouraactive.com/race

Mind that hamstring ya fool

TbL