Faster

tailgunner

Didn't even think of that, thanks.

tailgunner

Tuesday, 28th June 2016

6.22 miles
57:40
9:16/mi

The plan was for 5 x 1/2 miles at half marathon pace, with a 60-90 sec jog in between. Decided to split the difference for the recoveries, and went with 75 seconds.

I was aiming for around 8:00/mi, but was way off the pace for the first couple of reps; the route I chose was unusually busy, and I had to stop several times to avoid children, cars, and the odd angry goose.

Managed to resist hammering the rest of these reps to try and drag the average pace back up, and the last few were okay. I was pretty pissed off with it at the time, but it wasn't a terrible session in hindsight.

HMP splits:

4:09 (8:17/mi)
4:04 (8:09/mi)
4:00 (8:00/mi)
3:59 (7:58/mi)
3:58 (7:56/mi)

Wednesday, 29th June 2016

5 miles
50:04
10:01/mi

Went for a slightly longer recovery run than usual, purely because it wasn't raining and that was enormously exciting.

Today is a rest day, so that's it for June.

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
Aug|84.29
Sep|106.61
Oct|56.17
Nov|81.45
Dec|55.33
Total|574.64|675.59

tailgunner

Friday, 1st July 2016

9 miles
1:22:43
9:11/mi

The plan was straightforward - 6 miles at marathon pace with the usual warm-up and cool-down.

I felt a bit off for the first couple of miles of the MP section - almost like I wasn't fully in control of the pace or something. Eventually settled into a decent rhythm, and closed out the last few miles fairly comfortably. Was absolutely knackered after it, but I'm putting that down to a long week at work as much as anything else.

MP splits:

8:51
8:48
8:45
8:49
8:41
8:42

Saturday, 2nd July 2016

3.11 miles
31:47
10:14/mi

Had about 10 hours sleep last night, and was feeling very fresh heading off for this. Ran most of it on grass and trails which helped keep the pace in check. Legs felt great after.

tailgunner

Sunday, 3rd July 2016

13.11 miles
2:12:03
10:04/mi

Another monster sleep last night, which is unusual for me. Not that I usually have trouble sleeping, but I normally wake up quite early. Probably nothing to worry about, but I'm making a note of it just in case. Anyway, it was late morning by the time I got out, and it was already quite warm.

The run went fine anyway. Had a bit of a mental dip after 8 or 9 miles, but I'm getting better at dealing with these. I find myself waiting to come out of the dip, rather than waiting for the run to be over, and all was well again after another mile. I was quite thirsty by the end, and the legs were tired, but all good apart from that.

Just over 36 miles for the week again, and it's uncharted territory from here on in. There are 12 weeks to go till Berlin, which means that even the most seasoned runners will be kicking off their marathon-specific training this week. That feels very significant. Suddenly the race has gone from being something I might want to worry about in the distant future, to something that's happening quite soon.

Bluesquare

12 weeks still ! Phew !still way off in the distance !! When injecting hmp into runs are you using current hmp or projected one - same with mp? I have been using a fantasy marathon pace and naughtily haven't stuck to hmp yet when it's called for by schedule . I am asking because a buddy is being coached by an elite runner trainer ( she currently exact same level as me). She is doing Dublin which is only a month from Berlin and he has her running mp runs at 8:20 min miles (projected finish of 3:40). Now 6 miles at that pace is a proper tempo for me pure and simple ! Long runs are 35 secs slower than MP which is still faster than my fantasy MP!!

Anyways just curious what your taking your paces from?

tailgunner

McMillan gave me 7:55/mi as a projected HMP when I started the plan. I was a long way off that at the time, but I've been gradually working towards it. The HMP sessions are a decent work-out, but I don't feel like I'm killing myself with them at the same time, so I think I have the effort right.

I'm being a lot more conservative about MP. I'm planning on 9 minute miles on the day, or maybe a touch faster, but I'm training around 10-15 seconds per mile ahead of that. The idea being that it'll feel easy on the day - at least for a few miles!

I'd struggle doing my MP sessions at 8:20/mi, and I'd be finished altogether if I tried doing my long runs 35 seconds slower than that!

tailgunner

Monday, 4th July 2016

4 miles
41:03
10:15/mi

It was meant to be a rest day, but next Sunday is looking like it will be a write-off, so I'm bringing each of this week's runs forward a day. I'll still get a rest day on Wednesday, so shouldn't do any harm.

But in the interests of not breaking my legs in the meantime, I opted for a recovery run last night instead of the scheduled session. No harm to do this after a long run in any case - I find the long ones are taking more out of my legs than the sessions anyway.

Had no problems keeping this one slow - I was very weary and my legs felt lifeless. I finished off with a long hill-sprint to try and wake them up a bit. Not sure about the legs, but it certainly woke me up.

tailgunner

Tuesday, 5th July 2016

6 miles
57:07
9:31/mi

Underestimated this one a bit. The plan was for 8 x 400 reps at 10k pace, which sounded easy, but I sort of ignored the fact that the recoveries were only 60 seconds. I was heaving and blowing by the end. On the upside, despite feeling a bit sluggish at the start of the warm-up, I was raring to go once I hit the reps, and my legs held up well.

Was aiming for a 1:53 split for these (7:30/mi pace), and apart from messing up the second rep, and hammering the last one a little too hard, they were nice and consistent.

Splits:

1:53
1:55
1:52
1:53
1:52
1:52
1:53
1:48

I have to admit, I don't fully understand the purpose of this session in the context of marathon training, but it's nice to have a bit of variety.

tailgunner

Thursday, 7th July 2016

9.4 miles
1:27:30
9:19/mi

The plan was for 3 x 2 miles at marathon pace, with a 2 min jog in between. My legs didn't feel great during the 2 mile warm-up - my calves in particular were very tight and even a little sore when I started into the first of the MP miles. I was well into the second MP block before they loosened out.

After half an hour or so, I started getting pins and needles in my feet. I sometimes get this if I lace my shoes too tightly, but it's been happening no matter what I do with this particular pair recently (Asics DS Trainer 20). I have a bit of soreness on the outside of my left foot today too, which is the first niggle I've had in ages. I've done 360 miles in these shoes, and was hoping to get another 100 out of them, but I'll definitely avoid using them for longer runs in future.

On the upside, the weather was quite warm and very humid, but I hardly noticed it. It's been like this for a lot of my running lately, and I seem to be adapting to it - or else I was distracted trying to wriggle my feet to get the blood flowing. It wasn't my most graceful run.

MP splits:

8:49
8:43
8:39
8:40
8:48
8:42

Maximus Alexander

I've found the DS Trainers fit small and they're quite a narrow shoe too. I love them, but I ordered a half size bigger for my second pair! I also found they wore out pretty quickly. I've about 450km on mine and they're already approaching the end of their life.

tailgunner

Yeah I find them very narrow as well - and mine are already a half size bigger! I really like them as well, and had no problems with them until recently.

I have a new pair waiting to go anyway, so hopefully they'll be fine.

Maximus Alexander

Same, my new ones arrived yesterday. Looking forward to taking them for a spin. I think I've a sickness; I got paid today and now I want to order more runners.

Firedance

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Same, my new ones arrived yesterday. Looking forward to taking them for a spin. I think I've a sickness; I got paid today and now I want to order more runners.

I had to log out of boards the other day when you were all talking about discounts on the novices thread :D:D welcome to the runners shopaholic club!!

Hope the new runners solve the issue TG..

tailgunner

Friday, 8th July 2016

3.11 miles
31:03
10:00/mi

Very warm again, and my calves were still quite sore. I think I made things worse by trying to adjust my footstrike on Thursday's run to try and get rid of the pins and needles. Things improved gradually anyway, so I was confident it was nothing serious.

Saturday, 9th July 2016

16.22 miles
2:37:43
9:44/mi

The plan was for 15-16 miles at aerobic pace. I'm still not entirely sure what aerobic pace is, but this seems to be what I end up with if I don't consciously try to hold back the pace, so that'll do I think. Went a bit farther than planned so I could get to within 10 miles of marathon distance. I'm not sure why I thought that would be a good idea, but there you go.

It was one of my better long runs - my calves were mostly fine again, there was no mental dip this time, and I was able to pick up the pace a bit (a very small bit) for the last couple of miles.

I felt very rough for about an hour when I got home though , which was new and interesting. My legs felt like they were about to seize up any time I stopped moving, so I pretty much had to pace my flat for 20 minutes before it dawned on me to stretch a bit. Felt okay then. I felt quite nauseous for a good while after too. I'm putting that down to my fueling strategy the night before - a dirty Chinese takeaway and a bag of Monster Munch. Perhaps I could improve on that in terms of nutrition.

I passed two kids just before I turned for home at 8 miles or so (I always tend to run out-and-back routes). One kid muttered something to the other that I didn't quite catch, but the response was "Yeah, but he's probably been running for ages". I managed a glib "Yep!" in response. Then they both stared at me with a sort of "sure god help us" expression as I plodded away.

I'm not sure I want to know what the first kid said - it probably wasn't along the lines of "That guy looks really fit and strong!".

At around 13 miles or so, when I was finally beginning to succumb to fatigue, a woman tutted at me and said "Oh come on! Walking! Waaalking!". I was about to protest that I was, in actual fact, giving my best effort to approximate "running", when I spotted the lead in her hand, and realised that she was addressing the little puppy who was sitting on the ground, refusing to budge.

One's ego takes an awful battering sometimes.

The Muppet

Oh stretching . Thanks for reminding me .

Nice run TG , isn't it crazy thinks we think about on long runs when we've no music.

tailgunner

That's only the tip of the iceberg. I'd be sectioned if I disclosed everything I think about on long runs!

The Muppet

tailgunner wrote: »

That's only the tip of the iceberg. I'd be sectioned if I disclosed everything I think about on long runs!

Ha ha I was looking longingly on the Dublin buses on mine today .

I see you had a good week you're going really well .

tailgunner

Sunday, 10th July 2016

4 miles
40:36
10:08/mi

I'll be away all next weekend and I'm bringing this week's runs forward a day (again), so it was a fairly uneventful recovery run this morning. Warm, windy and very humid. Legs felt good.

tailgunner

Monday, 11th July 2016

6 miles
55:48
9:18/mi

The plan was for 5 x 1/2 miles at half marathon pace, off 60 second recoveries, and I was in no mood for it at all. Just had no motivation, and was giving serious consideration to turning for home towards the end of the warm-up.

Coaxed myself into doing at least a couple of reps, but I couldn't hit the pace (7:55/mi) for love nor money. I felt like I was working hard, but the watch kept buzzing at me to speed up. This annoyed me enough to keep at it, but by the fourth rep I had effectively given up on the watch, the marathon, and running in general.

I was in the middle of thinking about which PlayStation game I should buy to occupy my time now that I'm not a runner anymore, when I glanced at the watch and saw I was flying along at 7:20/mi, which is near enough 5k pace for me. I can only assume the GPS was acting up for the last rep.

I think I'm just exhausted. Nearly fell asleep at a meeting in work yesterday, which should have been a hint really. I've run on 10 of the last 11 days in a row, and it's obviously catching up with me.

Anyway, today is a rest day, and I'll make a call on tomorrow's MP session then. Will run it easy if I don't feel up to it.

Splits:

4:01 (8:03/mi)
4:04 (8:08/mi)
4:04 (8:07/mi)
4:01 (8:01/mi)
3:57 (7:51/mi)

Bluesquare

Get your iron checked if the tiredness continues - it's happened to me on more than one occasion that my performance dips and low iron levels were to blame. Mind you that's s lot of runnning that your doing!!!

tailgunner

Yeah I'll definitely get checked out if it continues. I googled the symptoms of low iron there, my favourite was "strange cravings to eat items that aren’t food, such as dirt, ice, or clay". I don't have that one anyway!

I think it's mainly the running that's tiring me out. I have two days off in a row lined up this weekend, so hopefully that'll sort me out.

Firedance

tailgunner wrote: »

I've run on 10 of the last 11 days in a row, and it's obviously catching up with me.

Is that part of the plan TG or did you miss a rest day? I see MurphD commenting similarly on the novices thread - rest days are extremely important...

Bluesquare

tailgunner wrote: »

Yeah I'll definitely get checked out if it continues. I googled the symptoms of low iron there, my favourite was "strange cravings to eat items that aren’t food, such as dirt, ice, or clay". I don't have that one anyway!

I think it's mainly the running that's tiring me out. I have two days off in a row lined up this weekend, so hopefully that'll sort me out.

Ha ha - that's always one of my main symptoms I start chewing on material - like the pulls on a hoody or hair bands or sponges !!! I don't actually eat them mind.

tailgunner

Firedance wrote: »

Is that part of the plan TG or did you miss a rest day? I see MurphD commenting similarly on the novices thread - rest days are extremely important...

Yeah I definitely missed a rest day, possibly two now that I think about it. That must be it - I'll be more careful in future.

The Muppet

I think the LSR on Saturday really only hits me on monday, I was tired yesterday too TG.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 13th July 2016

9 miles
1:22:40
9:11/mi

I had my new shoes ready to go for this, but when putting them on I noticed that the left one is slightly torn, so I'll have to return them. Threw on the old pair, lacing them as loosely as possible, and said a prayer to the gods of pins and needles.

I was planning on taking this one a bit easier than recent sessions, and to be fair the first mile at MP was about right, but I couldn't help speeding up after that. Unfortunately I felt the familiar numbness building in my feet after a few miles, and stopped a couple of times to try and loosen my shoes. Eventually untied the left one completely, which made things somewhat bearable. Very frustrating.

My legs felt a bit stiff for the evening, but I didn't feel as fatigued as I have done recently, so that's good.

Splits:

8:56
8:47
8:41
8:45
8:45
8:43

The Muppet

Nice run TG .Good to see the tiredneas situation improving.

tailgunner

Thursday, 14th July 2016

3 miles
30:19
10:05/mi

The most forgettable run ever. Every time I think I remember something about it, I realise it was either from the run the day before or this morning.

That said, there's a record of it on Garmin Connect, and my blue New Balance t-shirt is in the washing machine. I only ever wear that on short runs because it chafes like you wouldn't believe if I attempt anything too long. Based on that flimsy evidence, I'm going to assume I did actually go for a run yesterday.

Friday, 15th July 2016

13 miles
2:09:51
9:59/mi

I'm off work today, so managed to get this done this morning. The plan was for 12-13 miles easy, and I really had to concentrate to keep the pace down. I can manage it no bother on recovery runs, but after a few miles at this pace, it's like my legs naturally start turning over faster, and it feels really awkward to keep it slow.

It felt like a bit of a slog towards the end, but I often confuse tiredness with boredom on long runs - at least ones where I've covered the distance before.

I'm away now for the weekend, so no running till Monday evening. That feels like a lifetime away, but I could definitely do with a break. I'll get plenty of cross-training anyway. Drinking beer is cross-training, right?

Maximus Alexander

Cross-eyed training maybe.

tailgunner

Sunday, 17th July 2016

6.22 miles
1:02:35
10:04/mi

I spent the bones of two weeks trying to construct a scenario where I could take two rest days in a row this weekend, but by Sunday all I could think about was running. Got back earlier than expected, and was straight out the door.

I guess I could have attempted a session or something, but it was very warm, I was full of roast pork, so I kept it nice and easy. I totally switched off and the hour flew by. Haven't enjoyed a run this much in ages.

It looks like my evenings will be fairly tied up this week, so it's probably as well that I got something done anyway. I'll play the rest of the week by ear, but should be able to hit my mileage target.