Eye of the Tiger Beer.

hot buttered scones

Looks good to me. If you are hell bent in doing a marathon in the second half of this year (and I have no doubt that's where your mind will go once June is here!), then I would be spending the first half of the year doing 10k specific stuff. Lowering your 10k time will definitely help your marathon time.
You could always do DCM as a pacer if you weren't to keen on racing it.

tang1

Have similar thoughts myself B, if I go well in Barcelona I'm thinking of targeting a sub 3 in the autumn. But only if I'm in 2.5x shape, zero point I feel in going for it if your borderline either side of 3hrs. Will chat with coach after Barcelona and see what he reckons, if he feels it's a non goer I'll go with his opinion. But it is a thought I'm flirting with at the minute also.

Singer

Annie get your Run wrote: »

I know I'm wasting my breath entirely but how about concentrating on the shorter stuff this year, give your body a bit of a break from marathon training and then return to it fresh next year?

Marathon training's easier than the shorter stuff, all that fast running looks tough

I guess I benefitted a lot from my last two marathon training cycles, they both improved me massively as a runner, so why not do it again? It's about 6 months away from when I'd be doing marathon specific stuff anyway, plenty of time to be messing around with shorter distance racing and training in the meantime.

hot buttered scones wrote: »

You could always do DCM as a pacer if you weren't to keen on racing it.

I think I don't meet the basic matriculation requirements for a DCM pacer, though it'd be amazing to do it at some stage.

tang1 wrote: »

Have similar thoughts myself B, if I go well in Barcelona I'm thinking of targeting a sub 3 in the autumn. But only if I'm in 2.5x shape, zero point I feel in going for it if your borderline either side of 3hrs. Will chat with coach after Barcelona and see what he reckons, if he feels it's a non goer I'll go with his opinion. But it is a thought I'm flirting with at the minute also.

This is a good reality check, I'm miles behind you!

PaulieYifter

Everyone has a sub 3 in them - you just need to pull it out

I go from marathon cycle to marathon cycle so may not be the best to advise but if the marathon is the goal....

As soon as you feel sub 3 is possible then train for it and give it a shot - you can learn from failed attempts but a poxy hard 3:06 would probably be better than nailing a 3:04 if you get me. On a given day you never know.

(Did I say cycle ?)

Singer

A slightly dramatic and bad week I guess.

Wednesday's session went spectacularly wrong. I was doing 12+10+10@LT off 4 recovery (another Faster Road Running session), and it was going well, a little faster than last week's. However my tummy was a git icky during the day, and I'd wolfed down a dinner not too long before heading out. After the first rep I had a retch or two, but still felt strong so did the second rep. This also went well, other than not long after finishing I threw up! Ok, that's out of my system now, time to get back into it... and then I threw up again. I took it as a sign that maybe I should not do the third rep and sulk-jogged home.

Yesterday I decided to give Rivervalley parkrun a good go, targetting sub-20. I'd only actually run the course hard once before, back in late August. I had picked up a bit of a cold over the course of the week, but it wasn't making me feel particularly weak or anything, just coughing a lot, so I wasn't allowing myself to sandbag. I did err in not doing a proper warm-up. I jogged the 15 minutes or so to the start-line from my gaff, but didn't do any strides or anything. Once the timed run got started, I got an off-putting burning feeling going down both my quads. It cleared up just in time for the steepest part of the first downhill, and once we were back on the flat again I slotted into 4th where I ended up staying, increasingly out of touch from both 3rd and 5th. Still I was happy enough, as I had torn off down the hill at the start last time 'round and ended up suffering as a result. I took it a bit easier going up the hill too, though it seemed to take me forever to recover after the damn thing. The second lap was the pretty much the same, except a bit slower. I reckoned that sub-20 was gone as I made it up the hill the second time around, but tried to keep the effort respectable anyway but not exactly trying to kill myself for the finish. I ended up over the line in 20:09, one second worse than back in August. I guess that's a sign that I'm going in the right direction back towards the form I was in last summer. It's also now a major life goal to get under 20 minutes at this damn parkrun!

Finally, my last tale of woe this week was a bad 2 hour run, where I ran out of energy and miserably plodded the last 4 mlles home. I have loads of excuses - out late after being out for dinner last night, up early this morning, an active enough day and maybe the cold catching up with me. Energy just drained after I was running into the wind on the coast, so I slowed down to whatever pace meant I could keep good form. When I got home I drank about a litre of milk, so maybe I was dehydrated or something too.

Date|Distance|Pace|Notes
13th February|10 miles|8:51|Recovery effort commute, generally felt really good.
14th February|10 miles|8:09|Runmute with 10 or 11 30 second strides.
15th February|9.1 miles|8:09|Abandoned LT session. 12 mins @ 6:33, 10 mins @ 6:31
16th February|3.3 miles|9:28|Recovery miles around town before heading out to a gig
17th February|8.9 miles|8:45|Slow hungover commute
18th February|7.7 miles|?|Includes 20:09 parkrun
19th February|14 miles|8:42|Crappy long run


Total: 63.3 miles

Next week: Not a repeat of this week!

snailsong

How do you determine the paces, Singer?
You describe 8:51 as recovery, 8:45 as slow and 8:42 as crappy. You might be a bit hard on yourself. I'd call those all respectable, by comparison I'd be fairly comfortable with a 20 minute parkrun.
It may be the case that I'm too easy on myself.

Singer

snailsong wrote: »

How do you determine the paces, Singer?
You describe 8:51 as recovery, 8:45 as slow and 8:42 as crappy. You might be a bit hard on yourself. I'd call those all respectable, by comparison I'd be fairly comfortable with a 20 minute parkrun.
It may be the case that I'm too easy on myself.

I guess the paces don't tell the real story...

Yesterday's 8:42 was crappy because the last few miles were 8:57, 9:30, 9:41 and 9:14! Really bad way to end a run. https://www.strava.com/activities/872883907

Monday's 8:51 was recovery level effort. My usual recovery pace is usually over 9:00, but I was feeling surprisingly fresh on Monday... that said, looks like a bit of wonky data in the first mile, so it was probably a little slower than reported: https://www.strava.com/activities/865216652

The 8:45 felt slow and like running through sludge 'cos I was hungover :rolleyes:, effort was higher than the pace suggests

My general easy pace these days is between 8:00 - 8:30, when running 6 or 7 days a week and doing sessions etc. it tends to be on the lower side, I don't go chasing paces on my commutes, just whatever feels easy. The backpack doesn't help either!

tang1

Singer wrote: »

This is a good reality check, I'm miles behind you!

Your far from miles behind me, cut that nonsense out now. I could be talking out of my rear, but mindset plays a part in the whole sub 3 debate. I feel currently I am nowhere near a sub 3 but after Barcelona I may feel completely different(in a good way hopefully). You can train to be a sub 3 runner but unless you have the mindset of one also your job will be that bit more difficult I feel.

snailsong

That makes more sense alright. I would say if you're slowing at the end of a long run then it's an indication you started too quick. I'm doing similar milage and generally happy with 8.:30-8:50 for easy runs. It's no use beating ourselves up, you can feel much different even from day to day.
I'll follow you on Strava and you can do likewise if you're interested.

hot buttered scones

Singer wrote:

Marathon training's easier than the shorter stuff, all that fast running looks tough

Too right!!

I wouldn't worry about that long run. You just had a bad day at the end of what sounds like a hectic week. I know what you mean when you call it crap though - I hate that feeling when you know it's all about to go to sh1te. Onwards and upwards!

Singer

A very compromised week as my cold moved down to my lungs, and I turned into a mucus making machine. I was feeling pretty tired so took Tuesday off, but I got the milage in for the rest of the week as my lungs started to slowly turn back to normal. I had to stop a few times earlier in the week due to coughing attacks, by the weekend I was just very chesty and have to cough a lot at the start and after running. So, very little quality but I'm on the mend. My long run was decent given the conditions today and the cold, I treated myself to a trip to the Phoenix Park as I hadn't ran there in a long time. It was great running past all the famous landmarks - the Aras, Farmleigh and of course the Ososlo Triangle

I had signed up to do 22 minute pacing at River Valley parkrun again this week, but had to pull out as my better half was running St. Annes' parkrun (she took a minute off her PB and I think she might have been chatting to Ferris afterwards) and doing a chi running class. Turns out the River Valley parkrun was cancelled anyway due to storm damage and the backup route being a swamp, so no karma lost

In other exciting running news I registered for two races this week - the MSB 5k (third year in a row, nothing too exciting there...) and the DisneyWorld Marathon next January (!!!). Not sure how I'll approach it, though an Iberian autumn marathon is now off the cards.

Date|Distance|Pace|Notes
20th February|10.2 miles|9:05|Very easy commute home
22nd February|7.2 miles|8:18|Very chesty run to Malahide
23rd February|10.1 miles|8:35|Chaotic run home, I was battered by wind and razor sharp hail running up Collins Avenue. I nearly pulled the plug on it! Some good mental toughness built I guess
24th February|9.9 miles|8:38|Another commute, felt a bit tired.
25th February|7.5 miles|8:18|Again felt tired, ran around most of the Fingal 10k course.
26th February|15.1 miles|7:56|First decent run of the week around the Phoenix Park.


Total: 60.2 miles
Next week: Improved lungs.

mbarr

Singer wrote: »

In other exciting running news I registered for two races this week - the MSB 5k (third year in a row, nothing too exciting there...) and the DisneyWorld Marathon next January (!!!). Not sure how I'll approach it, though an Iberian autumn marathon is now off the cards.

Ah class! Any particular reason behind that marathon choice?

tang1

mbarr wrote: »

Ah class! Any particular reason behind that marathon choice?

Cause he's a big baby and wants to go see Mickey Mouse, nice choice B. Well jel!!!!

Singer

mbarr wrote: »

Ah class! Any particular reason behind that marathon choice?

tang1 wrote: »

Cause he's a big baby and wants to go see Mickey Mouse, nice choice B. Well jel!!!!

Haha. It's a deranged effort to fit together a proper family holiday (our first!) and some running. The boys will be 4 and 7, good ages to do Disney. It's also handy as my wife is signed up to do the Disney half-marathon the day before, so we both get to run around Disney! Now all I got to do is somehow train for a marathon in the tropics in the winter in Ireland, and figure out how to pay for the trip

The marathon itself doesn't look very serious, it's all about the bling and selfies. Some folks do run good times though, Dick Hooper once won it in 2:31!

Kennyg71

Singer wrote: »

Haha. It's a deranged effort to fit together a proper family holiday (our first!) and some running. The boys will be 4 and 7, good ages to do Disney. It's also handy as my wife is signed up to do the Disney half-marathon the day before, so we both get to run around Disney! Now all I got to do is somehow train for a marathon in the tropics in the winter in Ireland, and figure out how to pay for the trip

The marathon itself doesn't look very serious, it's all about the bling and selfies. Some folks do run good times though, Dick Hooper once won it in 2:31!

Apparently wearing lots of layers simulates warm weather to some degree.
Best of luck with it.

Ferris B

Singer wrote: »

I had signed up to do 22 minute pacing at River Valley parkrun again this week, but had to pull out as my better half was running St. Annes' parkrun (she took a minute off her PB and I think she might have been chatting to Ferris afterwards)

.

She did very well.

I believe the pacers were great:D

Mrs Mc

Disney marathon like the sound of that it will be magical

Singer

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Disney marathon like the sound of that it will be magical

Presuming I don't blow up at mile 10 again, yeh should be great

adrian522

Looks like we just missed each other several times in the pp today!

http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#880162974?c=gc7rx0rt&z=D&t=1OifO3&a=njh2NNQFdzQ

annapr

Ferris B wrote: »

She did very well.

I believe the pacers were great:D

I heard the 27 min pacer came in way too fast...

Singer

Another week of mediocrity. The lungs still aren't perfect, though are slowly improving. Coughing while running has been making me feel nauseous, which means I don't feel like pushing myself at all. I've been feeling pretty tired and fatigued too, I think mostly due to getting into the bad habit of doing a bit of work or otherwise reading the Interwebs until 11.30 every night then going to bed.

Date|Distance|Pace|Notes
27th February|9.1 miles|9:15|Recovery commute. Ran past aquinn who was bombing down the Swords Road. Still very phlegmy, had to stop a couple of times to get a good cough in.
28th February|10.2 miles|8:34|Better run, though punctuated by interruptions from alerts on my phone due to Amazon Web Services having a bad evening.
2nd March|10.1 miles|8:55|Despite taking a necessary rest day on Wednesday, Thursday's commute was like running through treacle at times.
3rd March|9.1 miles|8:29|Got a decent night's sleep and did a morning run commute, which was a lot better.
4th March|6.8 miles|8:50|Tired miles late on after a busy day. I procrastinated about this a lot, though as usual once out it wasn't too awful.
5th March|14.7 miles|8:08|Decent 2 hours, felt good throughout.


Total: 60.3 miles
February Total: 234 miles
Next week: A session of some description would be nice, the MSB 5k is looming! But mostly, a week of good sleep and less phlegm would be great.

Kennyg71

Feel you pain B, hope all settles down soon.

Murph_D

Disney Marathon? I can already imagine Disney characters in roadside cheerleading mode. A "You got this!" from Donald Duck? Worth the entry fee alone. High 5 from Mickey (cos Mickey never speaks) - priceless.

Sounds like family fun, but tough enough to train for a Florida marathon taking place in an Irish winter. Best of luck with it!

(By the way did you consider a few days off during recent chesty phlegmy cold? Just sayin'.)

hot buttered scones

If that bad chest is still hanging around next week, I'd be looking at getting something done about it. Whatever about taking a few days off, you could always try maybe just running a bit less??? Of course I'm coughing and spluttering a bit lately and have done sweet f.a. about it!! That Disney marathon sounds like great craic - there's a half in Disneyland Paris I was thinking of doing last year but the dates just didn't fit - maybe this year.....

Singer

Not a great week to report on, again. Hit desired milage, actually did a session (it wasn't terrible) but struggled for form and pace in a bunch of the slower runs. I think something's not right. Prime suspect is hyperthyroidism, I might have a few of the symptoms that I've googled but it's very hard to be sure. I got (scheduled) bloods done during the week, so my (totally legitimate! I'm not being coached by Salazar!) thyroid hormone replacement levels might well be adjusted in a few weeks anyway, and I'll have a good moan to my endocrinologist. I guess it could just be a chest infection that's slow in clearing up, or maybe overtraining (I haven't taken much rest, but it's not like my training has been mad intense). Or maybe I'm imagining it all, or it's something completely different.

Anyway, back to the running. Wednesday's session was a last ditch attempt to do something relevant before the MSB 5k. I ended up going with 5 x 1k @ 5k pace off 200m recovery... it was, unsurprisingly, quite tough by the end, so job done. Paces were slightly slower than I'd've liked (3:49, 3:52, 3:53, 3:53, 3:57), but that's ok given that I had not actually run fast in a while.

Date|Distance|Pace|Notes
6th March|9.1 miles|9:16|A recovery run commute
7th March|5.2 miles|8:29|Work to Beaumont for bloods. Effort felt higher than the pace.
7th March|6.5 miles|8:41|Despite being a little lighter thanks to the removal of blood, running home from Beaumont was even slower!
8th March|7.8 miles|?|w/u, 5x1k @5k pace off 200m recovery, c/d
9th March|9.9 miles|8:46|Another run home!
10th March|9.6 miles|8:40|Awful run home, like running through sludge. I was noticeably pouring in sweat, it looks like my heart rate was higher than it should have been too.
12th March|13.1 miles|8:27|Easy not too long Sunday run.


Total: 61.6 miles
Next week: I'll actually heed advice and run a lot less, which is probably decent prep for Sunday's race anyway Target is faster than last year's MSB 5k (19:32), the closer to 19:00 the better though that might be hopeful.

tang1

All the best tomorrow B, give it welly!!!

FBOT01

Best of luck tomorrow, B. Have a good one and ENJOY!!!

Kennyg71

Best luck B, have a good one.

denis b

Best of luck B on what is fast becoming an annual event for you.

hot buttered scones

Good luck tomorrow - enjoy!