Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose

diego_b

So based on the advice in the DCM 2015 Novices thread from Dubgal72 to start a log....here it goes...

My background,
I am a 33 year old Irish male, originally from the midlands who lived and worked in the Dublin area for the last 10 years. Recently moved with my wife and daughter to County Kerry where we will hopefully stay forever more.
I work at home but travel to Dublin every four weeks to catch up with my office based colleagues. On those trips this I try to rope in some other sporting venture in the city either playing soccer with mates, a training run in the Phoenix Park or a race.

My health background is that 3 years ago I weighed 21 and a half stone (at 5ft 10in in height with a BMI of 42.8). Back then I was often breathless with minor exercise such as a short walk, suffered back pain and didn't sleep well and my little baby girl was just starting to walk so keeping up with her was going to be even more of a challenge. Critically my outlook for a long and healthy life was significantly reducing with every passing year I did nothing about my weight.
I had seen family and friends with similar challenges to what I faced address them in recent years so I used that as further inspiration that it could be done and made to last. I took some advice from my brother who is a gym instructor and a fitness enthusiast. I started to reduce my calorie intake, changed my diet, kept a food diary and started some regular exercise (a couch to 5k). I set myself a target of 3 stone lost before my next birthday. I achieved that target in half time I had set out so I knew the plan would work. The weight loss kept up over that year and I kept up the running and completed a number of 5 and 10k races in same time period.
After 1 year I had got my weight down to 14st and generally speaking it's held pretty steady since then, I could lose a bit more weight but have been advised to hold steady for now and just focus on my fitness which I enjoy maintaining whilst still enjoying my food!

In that time I really fell in love with running and I wished that I had taken it up years earlier. All going well I hope I have many good years of running left in me.

My current PBs are:
5K - 22:50 (29/03/2015)
5mile - 39:36 (27/05/2014)
10K - 47:15 (04/04/2015)
10mile - 1:26:20 (17/05/2015)
Half - 1:56:56 (03/05/2015)

My goal for this year is to complete the Dublin City Marathon and at the moment I am running 20 miles a week and completing the 30 day challenge. Marathon training due to start in two weeks and can't wait.

yaboya1

Hi diego,

Congratulations with what you've done to date. A lot of your pbs are eerily close to my early goes at each distance. I'll follow your progress with great interest.

Best of luck.

Dubgal72

Hey well done on starting a log and huge congratulations on what you have achieved so far. You have yeeeeeears of good running ahead of you and for curiosity's sake, check out yaboya's log to see where you may end up (do NOT do everything he has done though:D )

FBOT01

Best of luck with the log and training for DCM. Look forward to seeing your progress.

tang1

As a fellow Midlands man will be following with interest, best of luck with it.

diego_b

yaboya1 wrote: »

Hi diego,

Congratulations with what you've done to date. A lot of your pbs are eerily close to my early goes at each distance. I'll follow your progress with great interest.

Best of luck.

Thanks, just saved a link to your log there....I've plenty of reading to catch up on with it! I am interested to see where with a bit of proper focused training I can go with things. Just the small matter of the marathon to focus on this year and then will go back and work on my other distances!

diego_b

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Hey well done on starting a log and huge congratulations on what you have achieved so far. You have yeeeeeears of good running ahead of you and for curiosity's sake, check out yaboya's log to see where you may end up (do NOT do everything he has done though:D )

Thanks, I think all going well on the injury front I have a bit of improvement in me yet. Funny one recently down here in Kerry was the masters championship with my club I was too young to compete so maybe when I'm eligible in two years I might be a bit quicker than I currently am!
Will def have a look at that log, nice to have points of reference with these things and there's a wealth of information in the AR forum and some very helpful people

diego_b

So my first training update....
The short term goal of the last few weeks and the next few weeks has been 20 miles a week.
Here is how that's broken down so far

Week starting 25th May
Day/Goal/Actual/Pace/Notes
Mon, 4m easy, 4m in 41:32min @ 9:32min/mi
Tue, Rest
Wed, 4m tempo, 4.14m in 36:34min @ 8:49min/mi (ran this with a group, took the first two miles easy and the last two miles fast)
Thur, Rest
Fri, Rest
Sat, Parkrun, 3m (the one in Tralee isn't 3.1 ever for me!), 23:32 @ 7:54min/mi
Sun, 5m easy, 5.2m in 49:36 @ 9:31min/mi

Week starting 1st Jun
Day/Goal/Actual/Pace/Notes
Mon, 3m easy, 3.13m in 29:49 @ 9:30min/mi
Tue, 75min circuits, 4.43m (incl 4x hill repeats) in 43:02 @ 9:42min/mi
Wed, Rest
Thur, 3m easy, 3m in 28:25 @ 9:24min/mi
Fri, Rest
Sat, Parkrun, 3m in 23:16min @ 7:49min/mi (equaled my parkrun PB, I was happy of course as I ran on feeling without focusing too much on time, felt a lot better than previous week)
Sun, 6.5m easy on the cards

I'm up to day 14 of the 30 day challenge tomorrow so that's been keeping me busy in rest days also. That pigeon pose is something else for the gluts and hips which is a problem area for me so hopefully will help.

diego_b

Just to add my run from yesterday
Day/Goal/Actual/Pace/Notes
Sun, 6.5m easy, 6.5m in 1:03:53 @ 9:48min/mi (really enjoyed this run and felt I could have sustained that pace to run a lot longer also, helped that it was a stunning day out and I had a nice view of the atlantic whilst running a good bit of it.)

Completed day 14 of the 30 day challenge yesterday also, the pigeon pose is working well for me I think. Finding the Lateral Hip Stretches hard to do but will keep plugging away at them.

diego_b

This week so far...week starting 8th June

Day/Goal/Actual/Pace/Notes
Mon, Rest, Rest
Tue, 75min circuits, 75min circuits (included some sprint work with 100m sprint, 100m jog x 6)
Wed, 5m, 5m tempo in 44:31 @ 9:08min/mi
Thur, 3m easy, 3m in 30:51m @ 10:17min/mi
Fri, Rest
Sat, Half on the Head half marathon on the cards
Sun, Rest

Have completed to the end of stage 3 of the 30 day challenge as well. Will start stage 4 today maybe (day 19) but I have noted it has some squats in it so might hold back for a day with the race coming up tomorrow. Sometimes I find squats/lunges can take a bit too much out of my legs if I do too many.

Dubgal72

Hope that tempo on Wednesday had a warm up and cool down

diego_b

It didn't have a warm up but started slow and built up throughout, finished with a 3/4 min walk. Am I in trouble? Was running with a running group as opposed to on my own.

Dubgal72

diego_b wrote: »

It didn't have a warm up but started slow and built up throughout, finished with a 3/4 min walk. Am I in trouble? Was running with a running group as opposed to on my own.

Hehe, I'll let that pass for now . A slow start with a progression into a tempo sounds ok. Personally, I'd prefer a .5mi jog to finish off and then some walking if you still need. The important thing is that your muscles have a chance to acclimatise to the stress that you're about to inflict on them and then after, to destress

diego_b

Grand job, will note that for the future with those!

diego_b

To add today's run...

Half on the Head half marathon, was aiming to do it sub 2 hour and ran with the 2 hour pacer for the first 1.5 miles. Was feeling I could push it a bit more than that, it's a very hilly course up to the 9 mile mark when you get 2 miles downhill then the last 2 mile or so flat.
Came home in a new PB of 1:55:45, ran at avg speed of 8:43 a mile.
Really delighted with that as it's the toughest course I've ever ran but I felt I ran about as well as I ever did. It was very warm and the race started at 11am to catch the warmest part of the day. Have a small blister just under my toes which is a new one for me, aside for that I feel great with that PB buzz!
Split times....
8:53
8:53
8:48
9:13
8:43
8:41
9:36
8:58
9:29
7:50
8:05
8:01
8:25

Dubgal72

Well done, delighted for you! Looks like you had plenty in the tank to push on the last few miles, shows you paced it very sensibly. What did you do for hydrating and fuelling, if anything? Now get on over to the novices thread and tell us all about it

diego_b

Will do!

JohnDozer

Very well done! Super time. I was there myself today... between the hilly route, the heat and the extra wind to come so far under your target is serious running. Might see you at one of the Tralee parkruns! Well done again

diego_b

Thanks very much, indeed if you spot me or anyone in a St Brendan's AC say hello, we're a friendly bunch!
Genuinely surprised but said I'd run on feeling and not overdo it, the last mile I found hard as I started to think about the PB then of course but I couldn't push it anymore. I like to walk away from races, so I think I have a good barometer to know when I had done my best.

JohnDozer

I certainly will! Was running alongside one of your lady club mates for the second half of the race today. We yo yo'd quite a bit which was mainly my fault for pulling ahead and then falling back, while she was keeping it nice and steady. Didn't catch her name but she fits the profile of the friendly St Brendans club. Just looking at your splits there, you pulled back a bit on all the uphill miles at 1,4,7 and 9 which was clever and probably explains why you had plenty in the tank once you created the hill at the end of mile 9. If only I had been as clever :-)

diego_b

Ah very good, there was a few of us out today. Yeah I'd run the 10K out there a few months back and was bunched after about 6K (the hill marker on the t-shirt as fair daffodils did for me really) and I couldn't finish fast on the downhill 2K. Came home in 52 something that day, my 10K PB from Ballybunnion a couple of months ago was 47:15 so was annoyed with myself. Had been a bit sick that week and went out way too fast, exorcised that demon today!

diego_b

Week starting 15th Jun

An odd week to be honest as I was away on holidays with my family and also I had a small issue of a blister to allow clear up following a half marathon last Sunday. I hadn't any days planned out for the week really but had hoped to do 20 miles again this week but given I missed Tuesday and Wednesday I said I'd cut back to probably 18miles.

Day/Goal/Actual/Pace/Notes
Mon, None, Rest, Blister still being very tetchy so walking was sore even.

Tue, None, Rest but with a quick 20 mins on the exercise bike in the gym in the hotel, hadn't been on an exercise bike (despite having a nice one at home) in a few months so just did a quick cardio go before the place closed up.

Wed, get a run in, 4m in 41:38 @ 10:22 min/mi, run was grand enough now.....did most of it running around the very nice castle grounds in Kilkenny on what is the parkrun course in the town. Very nice for a short run I have to say. Blister was good throughout and had seemed to subside that day to chance it.

Thurs, get a longer run in but slower, 5m in 55:39m @ 10:39min/mi, again was in Kilkenny for the night so this time I ran down by the path down beside the river there and another lovely route I have to say and would recommend it....it basically goes outside the walls of the castle and seems to be widely used by locals....surface good underfoot for the most part. Looped around that a few times and around the castle grounds perimeter to get 5miles done.

Friday, 3m in new runners and no earphones, 3.5m in 33:17m @ 9:30min/mi (last half mile was a warm down), decided to open it up a bit last night on a run in new runners. Got fitted again in Amphibian King yesterday but ended up buying the exact same pair again. I've liked the Saucony Breakthrus a lot so far and they are serving me well. Now I have two pairs to alternate. Have to say I found the second mile tough enough last night...I think a week of being on hols and not eating great starting to catch up on me.

Saturday, rest (travelling back home)....home today and my stomach is in ribbons. I am fully motivated to start eating better to coordinate with the marathon training. The last few months I've not been good to be honest thinking I could eat what I wanted and when I wanted really as burning off so much with training.
Paying for that today with a reminder of what used to happen previously when overindulging.

Sunday, the plan is do a very easy 5.5 mile or so to bring me up to 18miles for the week.

Dubgal72

No harm at all for another quiet week after the half. Your body will have maximised the gains and adaptations made from the race.

diego_b

Good to know, I was hoping by having a few days rest I would benefit some way....generally would normally try get out for a short few very miles the day after a race if I can just to ease out the legs but not this time.

Chartsengrafs

Good luck with the log, great title. Go Panthers!!

diego_b

Thanks and Texas forever!

diego_b

Funny how it goes, after an easy enough week on the mileage and pace front following my half marathon efforts last week I did a shortish LSR of 5.5miles today to bring my total miles up to 18miles for the week. Pace was 10:25min/mi, worn my heart rate monitor and it averaged at 135bpm (my polar m400 has a running index feature and for the first time ever I got a score of elite! Normally it's good or very good the odd time)....felt I could run at that effort all day. Was out for just under the hour (57:20).

diego_b

First run last night on the boards 2015 novices training plan, took the easy 3miles from Tuesday and did it last night instead.
Tonight I'll be doing 75mins or so of field work cross training with my club.
Was a lovely evening for it, could have ran for miles (well plenty more than 3!)
Avg pace was 10:14 a mile (10:38, 10:01, 10:03) including running 1/2 mile uphill to start and 1/2 mile downhill to finish, focused on keeping my pace slow in both cases and watching my heart rate to keep the effort even throughout. I normally fly down that hill!

diego_b

Training for the last week, first week of the 2015 boards plan

Day/Goal/Actual/Pace/Notes

Monday, 3 miles, 3 miles in 30:50 @ 10:14min/mi.
Knowing I was doing a session with my club on Tuesday I took the 3 miles from the plan and did them on Monday and it was grandest. Ran in my new runners which seem the finest now and broken in as I think I wouldn't pass a Pepsi challenge with them and my old runners (exact same runners give or take 300KM).

Tuesday, circuits, 75 minute session with my club.
Good session, few easy laps of the training field to start with some strengthening and condition (including some running) work then and a warm down lap to finish.

Wednesday, 4m with 5x100 strides, 4m with strides (think I did 6 looking at my HRM stats afterwards) in 42:38 @ 10:32min/mi
Nice evening for the session, got out soon after 5 as I finished work and it went well. Strides needs a bit of work in regards correct effort as I was going too hard really. Also I did them in the middle of the run but will do them at the end of the run with cool down in future.

Thursday, 3m easy, 3m in 39:48 @ 11:56min/mi
Took my missus to a club session at a local beach, first half was on the beach (where we got engaged nearly 7 years ago now!) and then the second half was running back on top of the sand dunes. Took it nice and handy as first time running on the dunes so watching my footing.

Friday, rest, rest

Saturday, 8m LSR, 8m in 1:26:51 @ 10:50min/mi
First long slow run of the plan so took a different route than normal down some country byroads, I hadn't used earphones all week (don't miss them) but I did have them in one ear for the run. I wanted to listen to Mark Kermode's film reviews! I've done up to half marathons (albeit races) without earphones and my plan is to not wear them for the marathon. I might alternate the odd run with them for the training but one ear and keeping a good eye on my form and breathing still.
First time running in a singlet top, it was pretty warm so thought it would be nice to try it out and it was. I should have put sun cream on my pasty white shoulders though. They got a small bit burnt but nothing bad at all.

Sunday, 2m recovery, 3.1m in 35:03 @ 11:14min/mi
Local 5K race being held to raise money for the tidy towns there that my wife was running, so I ran it as well with my little one in her buggy.
First time running with the buggy (bought it second hand off adverts.ie over a year ago so long over due). My little one was grand up till 3K and then she wanted out, a package of jelly tots were dispatched and then covered me for the last 2K. I was jogging alongside my wife so it was a nice and handy pace for me. I worn my HRM to make sure I was keeping it easy even with the buggy and I was apart from one hill that took a bit of effort but it was short.

First week of the plan done and enjoyed it, feeling good today and it's a rest/cross day on the cards. Thinking of doing a bit on the exercise bike and stretching, foam rolling later.

diego_b

Training update so far this week.....

Monday, I did 25mins on the exercise bike and then half an hour with a mix of core exercises and some stretching.

Tuesday, on the plan was for 3m easy but I went with club and it became 3.75 hard trail running.
It my first experience of proper trail running up the hills/mountains outside of Tralee. Covered 3.75 miles according to my watch, my average pace was 14min but the effort was high to be honest to even get that. For the last mile or so we did I did a bit of walking as I was tiring and I was wary of a misstep due to that. Very enjoyable session though. We'll be doing some in woods as well so nice to mix up the surfaces I run on, I just need to be mindful to scale back on effort maybe to not overdue it to not impact on my other training that week.

Wednesday, I did 3 easy miles at lunchtime
Kept the effort low at 10:32 avg mile.

Thursday, took the 1m w/u 3m pace and 1m c/d from the Wednesday off the boards plan.

Ran from the corner of Abbey and O'Connell St all the way down and into the Phoenix Park, with the pace park starting around the Croppy Acre at Collins Barracks.
Splits were as follows.

Mile 1 - 9:58
Mile 2 - 9:36
Mile 3 - 9:14 (turned 0.7 into this mile to run back down the avenue)
Mile 4 - 8:48
Mile 5 - 10:06

I ran right up through the middle of the park so found it tough going to be honest as I generally always do running up Chesterfield Avenue...the little oul incline there is pretty tiring.
My warm up pace was a bit quicker than I would have liked on the first mile and then my second mile was a bit slower than I would have liked. I'm hoping to do the marathon in and around the 4 hour mark.
I started to enjoy the run a lot more when I turned on Chesterfield avenue around 2.7 miles into the pace section and ran back including cool down as far as the corner of Abbey St and Jervis....walked back to my hotel then afterwards.
Focused again a lot on form and trying to keep tension out of my shoulders....and even the odd dopey smile Dubgal!
I had my earphones on walking down to where my starting point was but took them off then.

Friday, rest day

Tomorrow I will doing the 10mile LSR in the Phoenix Park in the afternoon all going well. Can't get to it in the morning unfortunately so hopefully it's not too warm.

diego_b

I've been neglecting my log a bit so will catch up a bit now......good spiel on my LSRs today anyways!

Last weeks LSR:
That 10 mile in the Phoenix Park went great, really enjoyed it despite the savage heat and used the trails (inside the pedestrian path in the park).
The run went great up till about 8/9 miles and I felt I started to tire a bit but I really enjoyed the run.

Avg pace was 10:20min/mi, splits as follows

10:21
10:00
09:32
10:51
10:17
10:46
11:11
10:09
10:21
09:54

Followed the Frank Duffy 10 Mile route for the most part.

Sunday was a 2mile recovery run, avg 11:06min/mi
Tuesday, 3 miles easy 10:10min/mi
Wednesday, 5.4 miles 9:56min/mi plus 8x 10second hill sprints
Thursday, 4.4 miles 10:26min/mi

Today

Did my LSR run at 9:45 this morning, earliest training run I've ever done but it was good to get out at that time and plan to get out earlier in future. Was messing around with a water belt before going out as haven't used it ages so getting the sizing right takes time and even still had to adjust it once I started. Ran the reverse of the Kerryhead Half on the Head route so two-three miles flat then climb for another mile or so and then generally downhill or flat for the rest of the route with some small climbs (definitely had a perspective shift in the last few months as to what I class as a serious climb so I must be adapting to hills okay). Found the pacing grand throughout, set my watch in an easy pace heart rate so was running anywhere between 130-150 bpm....only time I breeched the upper limit was a few times going up on hills when I really couldn't slow it down anymore so just kept going knowing it would stop beeping in a min. Found it helpful as an additional cue because I do find on the LSRs that after maybe 5-6 miles when I well warmed up and feeling pretty good that I can start to increase pace if I'm not being mindful.
All in all I was out running for 2hr 24mins which by just over 24 mins is the longest I have ever spent running.
Was thinking when running would I break 2hrs 30min and then thinking that if I'm able for the pace it's only another 1hr and a half running to do my marathon on the day.
I have an odd logic with running that no matter the distance or time ran I always think I could go back and run that again if I had to. That kind of thinking started with me when I was doing my couch to 5K just over 2 years ago. So coming back into Ballyheigue today at the end of my run I was thinking you know you could just do that same again now and you'd have your marathon done just like that!! Anyways what would be the fun in that with what is to come yet in training!

Start time 9:44am
Duration 2:24:12
Distance 13.1 miles (If I run 13 miles I am always gonna run the 0.1!)
Avg Pace 11:00min/mi
Splits
10:37
11:07
11:54
12:16
11:08
11:00
10:57
10:35
10:39
10:42
10:36
10:54
10:32

And of course no earphones, it's been two weeks since I last worn then running I think.

Carried a water belt with two small bottles on it, one with water and one with high 5 stuff. Also had two fig rolls chopped in half, a pack of jelly babies and two standard high 5 gels (not ISO ones).
Took first sip of water at 3 miles and one half a fig roll, gel then at 5 miles plus more water and probably a slug of high 5 drink soon after, another piece of fig roll at 6 miles and some water, same again at 9 miles.....10 mile mark I took my other gel and some water, noted the water was starting to taste a bit manky (guessing I didn't rinse the washing liquid out very well so ditched the rest of the water then). Took the last piece of fig roll at 12 miles and a small bit of high 5 plus two (red) mini jelly babies. More food than I ever had on a run before but I was not hungry when I finished nor did I have any real muscles soreness during the run or afterwards.....would know I was out running but I am grand out.

Also I only do Jacobs fig rolls, I detest all other sham brands!!