Faster

Maximus Alexander

Great report tailgunner, sounds like you got a well deserved payoff after a great year's training! Excellent job and congrats!

This Fat Girl Runs

I got goosebumps reading your report. Brilliant racing! Well done!

The Muppet

Wow TG Great report and great running . To get up after the fall and still hit your target is really inspiring .

diego_b

Excellent stuff, really well done there on the fine race and class report. Thankfully you managed to stay going after the fall and got faster to run an excellent negative split! Nailed that goal you did.

Ososlo

Fabulous! Brilliant report! You really have a way with words. What a first marathon experience you had! It's great that you remember such detail too. You ran a great race.
I really look forward to following your progress as I have a feeling that lots of great running and fast times lie ahead.
Massive congrats!

hillsiderunner

BAA level 2, hmmm, will keep a note of that ...

Very well done with that great debut.

kin9pin

Great report tg and congrats again on a fantastic debut.

Singer

Great report, and well done - pretty sweet negative split!

ThebitterLemon

Class, well done, great negative split. A fall like that would have derailed a fair few people but you sucked it up. Kudos.

Well deserved

TbL

jake1970

Great report TG, it really goes to show that the marathon is not just a physical test but also a mental one which you passed with flying colours. Well done!

Kennyg71

Fantastic stuff TG, great report, really well run race, really well done keeping
going after the trip, pain defiantly worth it:)

Younganne

Great report and what an achievement to get back up and continue on your mission. Well done on a great race.

paddydriver

tailgunner wrote: »

Race Report: Berlin Marathon 2016

Background
I entered the lottery for the Berlin marathon last October, days after running my first half marathon. I wasn't really expecting to get in, and pretty much forgot about it for a couple of months. After a decent first year of running, my motivation was beginning to drop off coming into winter. It was only in December when I got the confirmation email that I was in for Berlin that I got back to any real consistency. Sure, I had months and months to prepare, but knowing that 2016's main target race was now set in stone gave me the kick-start I needed.

Everyone says you shouldn't set a time goal for your first marathon, that it's more important to enjoy it. This is excellent advice, but being a greedy bastard, I wanted to have my cake and eat it. Otherwise, what is the point of having the cake at all? So the plan was to spend 2016 getting myself into shape to run sub-4.

I spent the first few months of the year working towards the Reading half marathon in April. Training went well; I ran a 10k in 48:20 in the build-up, and got in some decent mileage. I made a balls of the half itself – went out too fast, and suffered badly over the latter stages – but still managed to finish in 1:49:36. I ran a big 5k PB a few weeks later (22:25) so I knew I was in good shape coming into marathon training.

Training
I jumped in at week 4 of the BAA Level 2 plan, leaving me with 19 weeks of training. The plan had a nice mix of sessions, and it was structured in such a way that I was always running on tired legs – this really stood to me I think. I'm lucky in that I don't seem to be prone to injury, so I was able to bank a lot of consistent mileage over the summer. I did back off when I felt the odd niggle, and juggled some runs around to suit other commitments (i.e. the pub), but I got into a good routine of training fairly early on, and rarely missed a run.

It was tough going though. The MP sessions were murder, and I struggled with the long runs more than I would have liked. Still, I got through them every week, and felt very strong coming into the taper…

… which was bizarre. The first week passed without incident, a minor calf niggle led to an existential crisis during the second week, but I found myself almost eerily calm and collected during the final week. This lasted right up to the day itself, and I didn't experience the slightest jitter of pre-race nerves. This is very unlike me.

Berlin
My girlfriend and I flew into Berlin early on Friday morning, and had a very relaxing weekend. I even had a couple of beers on the Friday afternoon after the expo. Ate rings around myself all weekend, and drank loads of the horrible homemade sports drink I made up with some electrolyte tablets.

Woke up early on Sunday, had a quick breakfast of instant porridge (eaten in the bathroom with two coffee stirrers that I fashioned into chopsticks…), instant coffee, and a bottle of Powerade. Chilled out for another half an hour, then had a shower, got dressed, and took the U-Bahn to Potsdamer Platz, which is about a 10 minute walk from the start area.

I was about to hop into my starting corral, when someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was from Boards. Briefly confused, I was about to respond that I was actually from Cork, when she introduced herself as Bluesquare. What were the chances?! We had a quick chat, and went our separate ways.

The start time for the marathon was 9:15am, but I hadn't realised that those of us in the third wave wouldn't be setting off till 9:45am. This was worrying, as the temperature was forecast to be in the low 20s after midday, and I'd be running until at least 1:45pm. Anyway, there was nothing I could do about it now, and I reminded myself that I had run loads of MP sessions and long runs at far higher temperatures during the summer. Now was the time to cash in.

The plan was very simple: run as many 9 minute miles as I could in the right direction.

Okay, maybe not that simple. Not having had a warm-up, I wanted to take the first mile fairly handy, and hoped I could make up whatever time I lost over the next few hours. I wanted the sub-4 very badly, but it was going to be a warm day, and I knew I wouldn't be able to run much faster. My pace band had 5km splits of 28:20 for a 3:59:30 finish. There was no margin for error.

Inauspicious Beginnings - Km 1-5
My memory of the early stages is a little hazy. The congestion was crazy, so the first few miles were mainly about not getting tripped. I made a half-hearted effort to stick to the racing line over the first mile, but after losing my only spare gel when someone brushed past, I gave up in the end. It was just too dangerous.

With all the unavoidable ducking and weaving, the first mile came in at 9:48. I had planned on easing myself into things for the first mile, but that was a long way off target pace. Not good.
The next couple of miles were on pace, and felt easy, so I held out some hope that the first one had been a GPS anomaly. But when I passed the first 5km clock and saw 29:01 on the watch – over 40 seconds late – I knew I had a lot of work to do.

Don't Panic - Km 6-10
I wasn't panicking just yet, there was still a long way to go. I was moving well, feeling great, and for the time being, the running conditions were excellent. The congestion had eased a little, and I was generally able to find little gaps and run my own race. I took my first gel very early on – the plan being to take one every 40 minutes or so, for as long as I could stomach them – and it went down well.

The water stations were on both sides of the road (for now!), but even then, it was absolute carnage. The stations were crammed with people, and the road was slick with water. I lost 5-10 seconds at every single station throughout the race, and more if I tried to grab a drink. The next 5km split was 28:28. This was much closer to target pace, but I had still lost another few seconds. My 30 second buffer was beginning to look very flimsy indeed.

The Bright Side of Life - Km 11-15
Getting the first 10k out of the way gave me a bit of a boost. There were 20 miles to go, but this was a distance I had covered before. I was still feeling really good, and had pretty much glued myself to 9 minute mile pace. I could sense when I dropped a couple of seconds off the pace, and when I pushed on, and my occasional glances at the watch were only for confirmation. It was a great feeling.

Took my second gel shortly before the 15km mark. The split was 28:21 – pretty much bang on. At this point, even though I hadn't made up any lost time, I was starting to feel optimistic. I certainly wasn't expecting to cruise all the way to the finish feeling this good, but I figured that the longer this good spell lasted, the better my chances of a strong finish.

Chipping Away - Km 16-20
Even though nothing had changed in terms of the time I still needed to make up, I felt like my fortunes were improving. I was nearly halfway, feeling good, and absolutely loving the running. I happened to glance at my watch as it ticked onto 1:58:45, which was my finishing time in my first half marathon last October. I was absolutely leathered after that, and here I was, moving at the same pace and feeling like I could keep going all day.

It was this section more than anything else that made me feel like the training was all worth it. All those long slogs on a Saturday morning, those MP sessions in the blazing heat after work on a Thursday – it all suddenly seemed like a pittance for the rewards I was reaping now. I hit 20km with a 28:08 split. I was finally starting to claw back some of the time deficit.

Keeping it Together - Km 21-25
I hit the halfway point at 2:00:02, and experienced the sobering realisation that I was going to have to run a negative split. I took my third gel – they were still going down nice and easy – and did a quick systems check. My legs were feeling tired now, but all good other than that, and I didn't feel like I was working too hard yet. I knew I had put down a solid foundation over the first 13 miles, but there was still a long way to go, and I knew the next few miles would be crucial.

It was getting noticeably warmer now. Not enough to affect things too much yet, but I was definitely aware of it. The water stations were becoming even more chaotic now, and I was stopping at the majority of them. There was no way of grabbing a cup and running on – it was just too congested. If I wanted a drink, I had to stop dead for a few seconds. There was no other choice.

I knew I needed to keep taking on fluids, but being paranoid about overhydrating, I generally tried to alternate between water and the sports drink on offer, taking a couple of sips of each, and throwing the former over my head. I was also doing my best to make sure I ran through the various water hoses that were starting to appear. I was far from overheating at this stage, but I figured prevention was probably the best approach. Passed the 25km mark with a 28:22 split.

No Man's Land - Km 26-30
This is where things started to get tough. After nearly 16 miles of running, my legs were feeling it – mainly my hips. With these signs of physical discomfort came the first mental dip. There were no particularly negative thoughts – it was just a general concern about the rising heat, and whether I'd be able to keep the pace going.

This section was all about just getting to the next kilometre marker. I was sick of them being stuck in the 20s, and was getting pretty desperate to get into the 30s. The pace must have increased a little here, and when the beautiful 30km mark finally appeared, the 5km split was 28:12. For the first time in the race, I was finally on for sub-4.

There Will be Blood - Km 31-35
The effort was feeling hard now, but I had emerged victorious from the mental slump, knowing that there was little more than 10km to go. I took my final gel at 32km knowing that there would be a water station in a few hundred metres. It appeared eventually, looking like a scene from The Walking Dead, full of zombies who had just ran 20 miles at MP. That it was on a very narrow street only added to the chaos.

I stopped at the first table, grabbed a cup, and moved off to the other side of the street beside a grass verge. Took a couple of sips and started running again. I was about to throw the rest over me, when suddenly a woman in front of me came to an abrupt stop. I twisted to avoid her, but it was too late. I clipped her foot, stumbled, tripped on the kerb and then I was flying.
I'm a human. I can't fly. So inevitably, there was a bang and a grunt – the former being the sound of my face slapping the ground, and the latter being the accompanying noise of pain.

Before I had really registered what had happened, I was up again. The woman I had tripped over was traumatised, but I assured her I was fine and pelted off down the street. I glanced down after a minute and saw that the plastic water cup was stuck to my race number. There was an interesting cocktail of mud and blood on my thigh, and I could feel more dirt stuck to my face. Annoyingly, I was in need of a water station again. But this time I needed a bit of a wash more than anything else.

This incident actually turned out to be a good distraction, and the 35km marker appeared much earlier than I was expecting, with a 28:10 split. Something was wrong with my left foot though – my toes were throbbing badly since the fall, and getting worse.

Steadying the Ship - Km 36-40
My girlfriend was due to be somewhere around the 36km, so I'd had a "just get to 36" mantra in my head for a good while now. Sure enough, she shouted my name just after then kilometre marker – I said a quick hello, told her about the hopper I had taken, and carried on. This was a lovely boost.

I pushed on, switching to an exciting new "just get to 40" mantra. I was suffering now. It was so warm, and it seemed to be taking longer and longer to get to the next kilometre marker. My legs were sore – quads, calves and hamstrings – and my toes were in a bad way. Each step sent a sting of pain through my foot.

But even through the hurt, I kept thinking "well, at least it's not as bad as the Reading half". With that, it slowly dawned on me that I was actually going to finish, and if I could keep things together for another few miles, I'd have the sub-4.

The effort to maintain the same pace was increasing now. Any lapse in concentration meant that the pace slipped, and I had to keep throwing in little surges to catch up. Eventually I reached 40km with a 28:13 split.

Monumental - Km 41-42.2
The last bit is a blur. There was noise – so much noise – and a palpable sense of something incredible lurking just around the corner. I turned onto Unter den Linden, looked up ahead, and audibly gasped. The Brandenburg Gate was glinting in the sunlight. I'd seen it before, but nothing could have prepared me for how wonderful it looked that morning.

I felt like I was floating towards it. I couldn't even see the other runners around me, or the spectators lining both sides of the street. I was a moth to that big, beautiful flame.

Then I was under it, and out the other side. The finish line was ahead, and if anything, seemed to be hurtling towards me. I crashed over it in 3:58:49 and slowed to a walk. I can't even remember how I felt physically, but I was an emotional wreck. I didn't cry (that came later!) but I was totally overcome with it all.

The Aftermath
I staggered around the finishing area in a daze. I have fragmented memories of eating a delicious apple, drinking some disgusting tea that I thought was going to be alcohol-free beer, sitting down near a tree when I finally had my hands on said beer, and taking 10 or 15 minutes to get back up again because my hamstring kept cramping up.

I couldn't find the other Boardsies unfortunately, and my hotel bed was calling to me. Had a good long soak in the bath first, then a bit of a lie down. Had a lovely dinner with my girlfriend later in the evening, and the first guilt-free beer (with alcohol) in ages. I was on an absolute high all evening, and have been for days since.

I'm still sort of processing the whole thing, so don't really have much in the way of post-race analysis. Maybe I'll have more to add in a few days or weeks. One thing I am sure about though, is that I fell in love with the marathon last Sunday, and I'll be racing the distance for a long, long time to come.

Brilliant read tailgunner.. Well done! Been looking forward to reading it all evening. Sorry had to do the full quote but only got to read now on the phone and can't edit properly. Top class.

nop98

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! I am so pleased for you. What a great run. Well done!

Bluesquare

Well done again TG on a great race. Your race report is excellent especially in the detail - I have no idea how you remember it so well . It was a big blur to me . I did like the tea though - it settled my stomach . I may have been hallucinating but I may have seen you again at the finish in a thingy being pulled by a bike ?

tailgunner

It was all a blur to me as well, but I was starting to piece together some details towards the end of the week. Once I started writing it down I found it easier to remember little things.

Having said that, I can't remember anything about the course. Other than the very end, it felt like I was just running in a straight line for four hours, constantly surrounded by hordes of people.

And yes, that was definitely me at the finish. Completely forgot about that escapade!

So at that stage, my foot was so bad I couldn't really put any weight on it, so we hopped in this cycle-rickshaw thing to take us back to the hotel.

Every other finisher must have been looking at me going "why is this lazy sack of ****e being chauffeured around like the pope when we have to walk?".

Took about an hour to get around all the road closures! Stupid marathon shutting down the city for the day. It's a disgrace, Joe. Etc, etc.

Bluesquare

tailgunner wrote: »

It was all a blur to me as well, but I was starting to piece together some details towards the end of the week. Once I started writing it down I found it easier to remember little things.

Having said that, I can't remember anything about the course. Other than the very end, it felt like I was just running in a straight line for four hours, constantly surrounded by hordes of people.

And yes, that was definitely me at the finish. Completely forgot about that escapade!

So at that stage, my foot was so bad I couldn't really put any weight on it, so we hopped in this cycle-rickshaw thing to take us back to the hotel.

Every other finisher must have been looking at me going "why is this lazy sack of ****e being chauffeured around like the pope when we have to walk?".

Took about an hour to get around all the road closures! Stupid marathon shutting down the city for the day. It's a disgrace, Joe. Etc, etc.

I remember thinking if that's TG again I hope he's not injured and got in under the four hours! Yeah the course was exceedingly dull - bit of variation may have shaken me from my feel sorry for my self stupor .

I did notice the entertainment though - and I saw a whole bunch of vampires ! Or nest I think is the collective word for vampires !

I wasn't prepared for the amount of people taking selfies - at the Km markers ,with the belly dancers , outside loos!!!

Like what's that about .

tailgunner

Ha, I didn't see any vampires. I did see a guy in his fifties twerking with, or rather "at", one of the cheerleaders. She was smiling and laughing, but in a sort of "please kill me" way.

chickey2

What a great report and a great first marathon. Sounds like the first of many!

aquinn

What an incredible experience. Super report. Well done.

tailgunner

Time to crank up the old training log again, not that there has been much running going on. I find myself in the depths of post-marathon despair, floundering aimlessly with no goals or targets in sight, and at a loss as to what to do with myself. I exaggerate, of course.

Firstly, thanks for all the advice and encouragement over the last few months. It really made this log an invaluable resource, and I wouldn't have got near running a decent marathon without everyone's contributions.

So, as mentioned, not much running going on, but I thought I'd put together a brief synopsis of the first couple of weeks of post-marathon recovery.

Sunday, 25th September 2016

Raced a marathon in the morning. Fell and hurt my toes badly, and the rest of my legs were in a state of shock. Very achy, and on the brink of cramping up for the day. Walking was a hilarious struggle. Couldn't sit or stand still for more than a few minutes without fidgeting. Lying down was okay. Loved that.

Monday, 26th September 2016

General achiness in the legs was replaced with serious soreness. Sitting on a plane and then a car for about five hours in total didn't help. The toes were in a very bad way, and walking was still very difficult. Still hilarious though. Sitting down was okay, as long as I didn't move a muscle.

Tuesday, 27th September 2016

Leapt out of bed and nearly keeled over in agony. Oh yeah. Forgot about the toes, which were still very sore. Legs weren't much better, but after a five minute warm-up, I found I was almost able to walk without a limp. Almost. As long as there weren't any stairs involved.

Wednesday, 28th September 2016

Back to work. Nearly walking like a real person. Stairs were okay on the way up, but still a challenge on the way down. Toes were not happy with the uncomfortable work shoes.

Thursday, 29th September 2016

Toes still a bit sore, but legs felt like they were just about back to normal. Considered a short recovery run, but our shower broke. Went to the pub instead.

Friday, 30th September 2016

Right. Today was the day. The triumphant return to running. The shower was still broken, but there's a gym over the road. Threw on the gear with the intention of hitting the treadmill for a couple of miles. Took one look at said treadmill and decided I couldn't be dealing with it. Went straight to the showers instead. I love being clean.

Saturday, 1st October 2016

Okay. No excuses. The shower was fixed. Oh, wait. It was raining. Went to the pub instead.

Sunday, 2nd October 2016

5 miles
51:04
10:12/mi

Hungover, but at this stage I was itching to go for a run. Started off very easy, and gradually picked up the pace. The legs had a few tender spots here and there, probably as much from a week of inactivity as anything else.

Felt like I was motoring nicely by the end. Glanced at the watch expecting to see MP, if not faster, and saw that I was on the wrong side of a 10 minute mile. Post-marathon recovery is no joke.

Monday, 3rd October 2016

Toes very sore. Back to hobbling around in work. Hmm. Not good.

Tuesday, 4th October 2016

3 miles
31:00
10:19/mi

Toes were a bit better. Went to the pub, but made the cunning decision of bringing the gear with me, and ran home. Loved it, 5 out of 5. Pace still ridiculously slow compared to effort, but who cares? I had the best time.

Toes didn't feel too bad, but I had a sneaking suspicion that alcohol was masking the pain.

Wednesday, 5th October 2016

Yep. Toes were in bits again. Very annoying. Took another rest day.

Thursday, 6th October 2016

Planned on doing a few miles, but some sniffles I'd been having all week finally turned into a proper cold, so I sat on the couch eating pizza and drinking beer instead.

So that's me up to date. 8 miles for the week, so October is off to a flying start. Might even hit double figures before the month is out.

In all seriousness, I should probably just accept that I'm slightly injured, and stop making half-arsed attempts to run until I have no pain from the toes. "Sore toes" is quite an embarrassing injury though. Maybe I should invest in one of those medical boots and tell people I broke my ankle.

Tune in next week for another exciting instalment of tailgunner's descent into alcoholism.

Wubble Wubble

Very good TG. So will we be hearing about "the difficult second marathon" in the months to come? IIRC I went back to work three days after my first. Probably could have done with longer!

Best of luck with the recovery.

tailgunner

I'm never going to top my debut marathon. I'll definitely attempt a second one, but it'll probably be to mixed reviews. Then it'll be an "experimental" third marathon that everyone hates, including me, before I try to go back to basics with the fourth. Some will say it's a return to form, others will complain that I'm just rehashing old material training plans.

Then I'll enjoy a long hiatus away from running, before I run out of money, and have to make an ill-advised return in 15-20 years for a fifth and final marathon.

"The timing just feels right, you know? I just want to give back to my amazing fans. This one's for you guys! Please visit my gofundme page, as I can't afford to get to Tokyo off my own back."

Ososlo

I wouldn't be rushing back to running at all if I was you. I was recommended to take 2 full weeks off after my first marathon and I think it was a great idea, being a relatively new runner. It takes longer to recover than you expect. Relax about the running and let the body heal itself and when the toes feel good, they'll let you know

Good idea to do a recovery week report. Must do the same.

tailgunner

Yeah that's probably what I should have done in hindsight - I'm not overly eager to get back into heavy training or anything, I just like running! I'll leave it another few days anyway. Hopefully be okay after the weekend.

Hope your own recovery is going well!

Kennyg71

Agree with ososlo, but seen as you back really should only run recovery runs
could be as slow as 12 min miles, should not feel like your working at all
in a week or two you'll be raring to go, enjoy the recovery time, before the
madness comes backs to your head and your into a new cycle:)

annapr

late catching up here, but really enjoyed your Berlin report... great racing and even better report and ouch, ouch, ouch... that fall. Your poor toes. Congrats on the sub-4... really well done.

Firedance

I turned onto Unter den Linden, looked up ahead, and audibly gasped. The Brandenburg Gate was glinting in the sunlight. I'd seen it before, but nothing could have prepared me for how wonderful it looked that morning. I felt like I was floating towards it. I couldn't even see the other runners around me, or the spectators lining both sides of the street. I was a moth to that big, beautiful flame.
One thing I am sure about though, is that I fell in love with the marathon last Sunday, and I'll be racing the distance for a long, long time to come.

What a fantastic report, and perfectly well executed debut marathon, really delighted for you TG, you were sensible in your training and it paid off on the day. +1 to the comments about taking it easy for another while! The more you rest up and heal now the better your comeback will be in the coming weeks. Hope the toes are on the mend :eek:

tailgunner

Tuesday, 11th October 2016

4 miles
40:28
10:06/mi

Between the toe injury and a head cold, I ended up taking last weekend off. Felt much better by Monday, but gave it one more day, and was raring to go by Tuesday.

Had no real plan for this run - just said I'd go out and see how I felt. The first two miles were great, but I started to flag a bit then and decided to turn for home. Very tired by the end, but an enjoyable run all the same. Lovely crisp weather for it too.

Wednesday, 12th October 2016

3.11 miles
31:22
10:06/mi

Get me, running two days in a row. Pretty tired at the outset, but things gradually improved and I felt nice and refreshed by the end. Felt like a 10 minute mile was about as fast as my legs wanted to go, but the effort was way easier than the previous day. Happy out.

Friday, 14th October 2016

4 miles
40:07
10:01/mi

Felt that bit better again. I'd have gone a bit farther, but was a bit stuck for time. No harm anyway, I'm in no rush getting back into things.

Sunday, 16th October 2016

4.1 miles
38:11
9:19/mi

I was in two minds about doing something a bit longer or a bit faster than the last few days. The pace started creeping up in the second mile, so I went with the faster option. That mile ended up a touch slower than MP, with the third mile a touch faster. Finished off with an easy(ish) mile. Felt great throughout.

No major plans for next week - a few short, easy runs with something like today's one thrown in mid-week, followed by something a bit longer next weekend. I can start building the mileage and introducing sessions again after that.

tailgunner

Monday, 17th October 2016

3.11 miles
30:54
9:56/mi

The plan was to run for an hour, but I cut it well short of that. No real reason - legs were fine etc. Just wasn't really in the mood for it.

Wednesday, 19th October 2016

6 miles
56:05
9:21/mi

I wanted to do some faster running, and came up with a plan for three miles of alternating hard/easy half-mile reps. The aim was to run the first hard rep at half marathon pace, the next at 10k pace and the final one at 5k pace. I feel like I'm fully recovered from the marathon now, and was genuinely expecting to knock this one out quite easily, but it turned out to be a bit of a wake-up call!

The first rep wasn't too bad - averaged 7:59/mi, which is fairly spot on for half marathon pace.

Upped the effort for the next one at 10k pace and managed... 8:01/mi. I gave myself a pass, as this section had a lot of tree cover, and was very twisty and turny. And I had to dodge pedestrians. And... eh... maybe it was windy?

Okay. I'd redeem myself for the one at 5k pace, which I'd like to think is somewhere around a 7 minute mile. Couldn't get near it. The effort was fairly okay; I just couldn't get the legs to turn over any faster. Kept it going for a full mile this time in an attempt to redeem myself, and averaged 7:28/mi.

I was thinking of signing up to a 5k race this weekend to see where I'm at, but I'll knock that on the head now. Last night's run has provided the answer there!

I'm a long way off where I want to be, but the reality is that I've done next to no running over the last few weeks, and I've probably put on half a stone, so I shouldn't be a bit surprised.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable session of sorts, and I felt great after it. I'll leave off any racing for another few weeks - I'll be in much better shape once I get a bit of consistency going again.

tailgunner

Thursday, 20th October 2016

4 miles
38:05
9:31/mi

Most of this was a little quick for a recovery run, but the legs felt good so I went with it. Threw in some strides as well - really need to get back into the habit of doing these after neglecting them entirely for marathon training.

Friday, 21st October 2016

8 miles
1:18:09
9:46/mi

I wanted to do something slightly longer, but I managed to convince myself that this would be a struggle before I ever got going. Hard to say if it genuinely was tough, or if it was just my brain. Anyway, it was the first time I've run for more than an hour in weeks, so maybe that counts for something.

Hopefully I'll find it easier next week. I'd like to get into the habit of doing my long runs on Fridays, as I finish work a little earlier. I reckon I won't be doing more than 10 or 12 miles for the winter, so it should work out nicely in theory.

Sunday, 23rd October 2016

5.1 miles
50:23
9:53/mi

Lovely crisp afternoon for this. Really enjoyed it. The pace was slower than the last few runs, and it felt much, much easier. Maybe that's where I've been going wrong. Did a few strides in the middle again.

Quite happy with that week. Exactly 26.2 miles in total, which I found amusing. Also managed a mini-session and a mini-long run, so things are definitely moving in the right direction.

Firedance

Great to see you getting back to normal TG, easy does it on the faster stuff for a little while yet if you can. There's more to loose than to gain and while you feel good now, there's a risk of injury down the line from overdoing it now.

tailgunner

Monday, 24th October 2016

5 miles
49:05
9:48/mi

Was going to do an intervals session, but my right achilles had been acting up over the weekend, so I kept it easy. Did a few strides again, which probably wasn't the greatest idea, but I didn't aggravate anything.

Tuesday, 25th October 2016

5.01 miles
47:35
9:30/mi

The plan was for more easy miles again, but there were a couple of unintentionally faster miles in the middle. Managed to slow down towards the end for a bit of a cool-down. Achilles felt fine.

Thursday, 27th October 2016

5.01 miles
46:31
9:18/mi

Some deliberately faster running - was aiming for two miles at 10k pace. I must have hit the lap button on the watch by accident or something, as I don't seem to have the splits, but it was around 7:45/mi pace the few times I glanced at it. A little disappointed with that - the pace for my 10k PB was 7:47/mi, but that was all the way back in March!

Friday, 28th October 2016

5 miles
49:45
9:57/mi

This was an unsuccessful attempt at a long run. I realised early on that it was going to be a struggle, and I was in no mood for slogging it out for the sake of it, so I called it a day. Decent recovery run anyway.

Saturday, 29th October 2016

10 miles
1:38:49
9:53/mi

A much more successful attempt at something long, and it felt much better than last week's 8 miles. Took a while to settle into it, but it was grand after 3 or 4 miles.

Struggled a bit with motivation this week. Not sure why, but given that I wasn't really in the humour for running, 30 miles is a decent haul. On the upside, I think (hope!) my fitness is returning, and my legs are in good shape. More of the same next week, with another small increase in mileage hopefully.

Best of luck to everyone in Dublin tomorrow!

tailgunner

Monday, 31st October 2016

6.75 miles
1:06:58
9:55/mi

I'm going to try and start logging a bit more frequently again now that the marathon recovery is over. I'm happy enough with where the mileage is for now, so I'll spend the next few weeks concentrating on speedwork. I signed up for a 10k race at the end of the month to give me something to work towards.

Anyway, this was to be 8 x 400 at mile pace - plucked from one of Hal Higdon's plans. McMillan gives me 6:28/mi for this, based on my last 5k race in May. I thought 6:40/mi pace would be a conservative target, but I couldn't even manage that.

6:50/mi pace was about the best I could do, but even that was starting to slip towards the end. It dropped outside 7:00/mi during the second last rep, and I called it a day there.

Mixed feelings about it really. It was a decent effort I suppose, but the pace was a long way off what I was hoping for.

Splits:

1:42
1:42
1:43
1:47
1:43
1:44
1:49

Can't believe I forgot to do the mileage table for September - it's normally the highlight of my month! I might manage 1500 miles before the year is out if I don't get too lazy.

Month|2015|2016
Jan|7.86|103.61
Feb|14.7|116.6
Mar|23.53|127.35
Apr|32.91|73.11
May|45.88|119.75
Jun|42.65|135.17
Jul|23.26|177.09
Aug|84.29|176.47
Sep|106.61|141.79
Oct|56.17|86.18
Nov|81.45
Dec|55.33
Total|574.64|1,257.12

tailgunner

Thursday, 3rd November 2016

10 miles
1:35:54
9:35/mi

Took a rest day on Tuesday because it was dark and cold and wet and there was Champions League, and another on Wednesday because I felt like crap for some reason. Fighting fit again last night, so off I went. I hadn't really planned on going that far, but I felt great and thought I'd make the most of it. Got a bit carried away after the initial few easy miles, and there were a few near MP towards the end. A stitch took the wind out of my sails during the last mile and I had to slow down a bit, but felt good other than that.

Really enjoyed this. I think I'll stick a few faster miles into my long runs in future - with a big block of marathon training behind me, I don't think I have much to gain much from plodding through them at easy pace. Just need to make sure I don't go too mad on the distance, and keep my other easy runs nice and slow.

Friday, 4th November 2016

4 miles
40:12
10:03/mi

I wasn't sure if I'd have time to run later, so got this done before work this morning. Normally I would have just skipped it, but I didn't want to miss two runs in a week, so like an absolute psychopath, I was out running at 5:59am. That's pretty much the middle of the night as far as I'm concerned. Never again.

Maximus Alexander

Fair play. I think I've only ever seen times with 5s on them by coming to them from the other direction!

hillsiderunner

+1 to Max A, only time I ever get up that early is when I'm foolish enough to book one of those ridiculous morning flights.

Was planning on doing 25mins recovery before work this morning but didn't get up in time, have to do it at lunchtime instead .

tang1

Ah your not quiet mental asylum material yet, was a time I used to regularly run between 3-5am!!! Granted I was on night shift.

tailgunner

Saturday, 5th November 2016

6.25 miles
56:30
9:02/mi

Having done the long run on Thursday, I wasn't sure what to do for this. Did two easy miles, then decided it was too cold for any more of that and picked up the pace. I was tipping along nicely, and feeling quite smug about how comfortable the 8:34/mi pace on the watch felt, before turning around and being blasted with wind that had clearly been doing most of the work on the way out. Oh well.

Kept the pace up for another mile (8:37), though it wasn't nearly as comfortable, then pushed on a bit more for another mile (8:05) and finished up with a final easy mile or so. A bit of an aimless run really, but it was nice to get something done.

Only 27 miles for the week thanks to a missed run. This week isn't looking great either as I'm away for the weekend, but we'll see what happens.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 9th November 2016

5 miles
50:32
10:06/mi

First run since Saturday. I won't even bother inventing any excuses, it was just pure laziness. Really struggling with motivation for the last few weeks. I think knowing that I'm away this weekend and won't get much done, I mentally wrote off the week before it even started.

It was so dark I could barely where I was going (and that was with a head torch), so the half-notion of doing a tempo run went right out the window, and I stuck to some easy plodding.

More of the same this evening, and then I'm off to Vienna for a few days. I'm leaving the runners at home, in the hope that I'll come back raring to go next week. We'll call this one a "recovery" week.

ThebitterLemon

tailgunner wrote: »

Wednesday, 9th November 2016

5 miles
50:32
10:06/mi

First run since Saturday. I won't even bother inventing any excuses, it was just pure laziness. Really struggling with motivation for the last few weeks. I think knowing that I'm away this weekend and won't get much done, I mentally wrote off the week before it even started.

It was so dark I could barely where I was going (and that was with a head torch), so the half-notion of doing a tempo run went right out the window, and I stuck to some easy plodding.

More of the same this evening, and then I'm off to Vienna for a few days. I'm leaving the runners at home, in the hope that I'll come back raring to go next week. We'll call this one a "recovery" week.

I think the feelings/motivation that you are currently experiencing happen to most people in the aftermath of achieving a significant goal.

Has happened to me a few times and the way I got over it was to really and significantly slow down the pace I was running at and to try and run in different locations.

The motivational will take care of itself just don't put yourself under too much pressure. Run slow and enjoy it, you'll be experiencing the stress of sessions soon enough

TbL

tailgunner

You're spot on I'd say. The same thing happened after my half marathon last year, it's just worse this time. I'll try slowing down and changing the scenery a bit, thanks.

ariana`

tailgunner wrote: »

Wednesday, 9th November 2016

5 miles
50:32
10:06/mi

First run since Saturday. I won't even bother inventing any excuses, it was just pure laziness. Really struggling with motivation for the last few weeks. I think knowing that I'm away this weekend and won't get much done, I mentally wrote off the week before it even started.

It was so dark I could barely where I was going (and that was with a head torch), so the half-notion of doing a tempo run went right out the window, and I stuck to some easy plodding.

More of the same this evening, and then I'm off to Vienna for a few days. I'm leaving the runners at home, in the hope that I'll come back raring to go next week. We'll call this one a "recovery" week.

Enjoy the days away and the mental break. You sound like you need it. I got an email this morning from McMillian about the importance of taking a break between training cycles, not sure i can add a link, i'll try

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/give-it-a-rest/?utm_source=activecampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TuesdayTip110816

tailgunner

Very interesting article, thanks. I remember reading that after running Berlin last year, Lizzie Lee took three or four weeks off completely - no exercise whatsoever. Don't know why I didn't do that myself!

Maximus Alexander

ariana` wrote: »

Enjoy the days away and the mental break. You sound like you need it. I got an email this morning from McMillian about the importance of taking a break between training cycles, not sure i can add a link, i'll try

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/give-it-a-rest/?utm_source=activecampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TuesdayTip110816

That's deadly. Makes me feel better about only having done one 5k job since DCM!

Younganne

ariana` wrote: »

Enjoy the days away and the mental break. You sound like you need it. I got an email this morning from McMillian about the importance of taking a break between training cycles, not sure i can add a link, i'll try

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/give-it-a-rest/?utm_source=activecampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TuesdayTip110816

Its worth signing up to the Mcmillian website to get their newsletter and every week you get Tuesday tips. They are always very useful reading.

Enjoy the break tailgunner and you'll come back refreshed and ready to go again.

tailgunner

Tentatively climbing back on the wagon...

Vienna was lovely. Great spot for running. At least that's what it looked like from inside the various coffee houses that I spent most of my time.

Thursday, 10th November 2016

3 miles
30:31
10:10/mi

A short trot before heading to Heathrow. Ages ago now, and I can't remember any of it.

Wednesday, 16th November 2016

4 miles
39:28
9:51/mi

I got back from Vienna on Monday and decided I wouldn't run again until I definitely, positively wanted to. Only had to wait a couple of days, so that wasn't too bad. Kept it very easy, apart from a few strides that dragged the average pace up. Really enjoyed it.

Friday, 18th November 2016

10 miles
1:40:29
10:03/mi

The plan for this was to run for as long as I felt like, hopefully 6 miles or so, but I'd have been fine with cutting it short too. So I was pretty surprised with this. I wouldn't say it was the most comfortable run physically, but it was just what I needed mentally. Loved it.

Saturday, 19th November 2016

3 miles
30:17
10:05/mi

The legs felt very creaky heading off for this. 10 miles the previous evening might have been a bit much in hindsight. Kept it short anyway, and took a rest day yesterday.

tailgunner

Monday, 21st November 2016

4.5 miles
44:43
9:56/mi

Does it count as a run-commute if you're running home from someone else's place of work? Who knows? That's what I did anyway. Horrible, manky weather for it, but at least it wasn't too cold.

I invested in a new head torch last week, as it's only a matter of time before I end up in the River Thames if I keep using the old one. This one is much brighter, but the beam is at a bit of an awkward angle. Had to point my head at the ground if I wanted to see where I was going...

The run was good anyway. It's a rubbish route for anything other than easy running, but the change of scenery was very nice.

Tuesday, 22nd November 2016

4.5 miles
43:28
9:39/mi

Same again. Embarrassingly, I discovered that the new head torch is adjustable, and I can point the beam wherever I want. This is life-changing stuff.

Great run again. My legs felt a lot more zippy than the previous evening, so I threw in some strides and faster sections where I could.

mbarr

Sounds like the mojo is coming back, good going!

The Muppet

tailgunner wrote: »

Monday, 21st November 2016


I invested in a new head torch last week, as it's only a matter of time before I end up in the River Thames if I keep using the old one. This one is much brighter, but the beam is at a bit of an awkward angle. Had to point my head at the ground if I wanted to see where I was going...


Tuesday, 22nd November 2016

I discovered that the new head torch is adjustable, and I can point the beam wherever I want. This is life-changing stuff.

This gave me a chuckle this morning.



Getting back into it is tough enough ?