This is getting addictive

HigginsJ

6th of April

6.01 miles in 57 minutes 38 seconds (9:48 average)

7th of April

6.09 miles in 52 minutes 16 seconds (8:34 average)

8th of April

4.76 miles in 47 minutes 7 seconds (9:53 average)

9th of April

19.03 miles in 3 hours 2 minutes 54 seconds (9:35 average)

Had a kids b'day party that we had to attend in the afternoon so was out at about 7.30am, the run went really well. Have been focusing a little on carb loading the day before the long runs for the last 2 weeks and it has been a positive. Took the 1st 5 miles fairly handy to warm up and upped the effort a bit then. The last 4.03 miles have some serious climbs so the effort was good there too.

Miles 1 - 5: 10:48 average
Miles 6 - 10: 8:41 average
Miles 11 - 15: 9:04 average
Miles 16 - 19.03: 9:56 average.

MTD: 59.82 miles
YTD: 349.34 miles

gramar

That looks a very good weeks work J. Well done.

HigginsJ

gramar wrote: »

That looks a very good weeks work J. Well done.

Thanks G, really pleased with it, considering I had run Thursday, Friday and Saturday, yesterday was great.

Also the slightly higher paced alleviated the boredom I have been feeling a bit on these longer runs.

Kennyg71

Nice LR, how did MP miles feel, getting 10 done is good going, and should really fill you with confidence.

HigginsJ

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Nice LR, how did MP miles feel, getting 10 done is good going, and should really fill you with confidence.

They were pretty comfortable to be honest, it was about 11.5 miles at MP (worked out slighty under MP I think but either way). The increased pace in the last couple of miles was to do with a couple of tough climbs and not wanting to do anything stupid.

I actually feel that the run Saturday evening helped a bit as I felt good heading out, I thought I would feel it more in the legs with 17 mile the 3 days previous but it seemed good.

Hindsight is great but if I do a marathon again (Dublin 2018) then I think a shorter run the evening before the long run might form part of the plan.

HigginsJ

12th of April

4.65 miles in 45 minutes 12 seconds (9:42 average)

14th of April

6.40 miles in 1 hour 4 minutes 16 seconds (10:02 average)

16th of April

11.70 miles in 2 hours 1 minute 13 seconds (10:21 average)

17th of April

6.40 miles in 1 hour 4 minutes 31 seconds (10:04 average)

Tired running this week, think the previous week took it out of me. Have a slight tightness on the inside of my right upper leg (abductor muscle I think) but it seems to go away once I warm up and start running. Would hate to pick up any strain/injury at this stage so focusing a bit extra on foam rolling the last couple of evenings.

Less than 2 weeks to go, yeh

MTD: 88.97 miles
YTD: 378.49 miles

Kennyg71

How's tapper going, very quiet hope all well.

HigginsJ

Kennyg71 wrote: »

How's tapper going, very quiet hope all well.

Just coming on to post, last week was not good. Not sure why but got a bit of a bug on Tuesday, was not feeling great, sick Wednesday night and off from work with it Thursday. Not 100% on Friday and still wasn't great the weekend but had to get out. The only blessing is that I got it last week and not this week!!

22nd of April

4.10 miles in 39 minutes 35 seconds (9:39 average)

23rd of April

9.32 miles in 1 hour 31 minutes 7 seconds (9:47 average)

Was a bit tough going for the 1st few miles, felt drained but to be expected with the week. Will get out twice this week and need to spend a bit of time foam rolling.

MTD: 102.39 miles
YTD: 391.91 miles

Kennyg71

All the work is done, so take easy rest and recover this week, plenty of carbs and water.

adrian522

Best of luck on Sunday, stick to your race plan.

Don't go off too fast...and most of all get to bed early the next few nights :rolleyes:

tailgunner

All the best for Sunday!

HigginsJ

Thanks guys.

25th of April

4.83 miles in 47 minutes 37 seconds (9:51 average)

Just keeping fresh this week, will get out again in the morning. Been foam rolling a little but feel much better after last week.

Will aim for a small bit of carb loading and make sure plenty of fluid between now and Saturday evening.

MTD: 107.22 miles
YTD: 396.74 miles

gypsylee

Good luck on Sunday. Hope it all goes well for you.

kerrylad1

Best of luck Sunday man.Enjoy.

HigginsJ

Thanks all.

28th of April

3.38 miles in 35 minutes 7 seconds (10:23 average)

Out this evening for last run. All good, kit all ready for Sunday. Know my plan for hydration & fueling, know my strategy for the race. Pick up number in the morning & just wait impatiently for 9am Sunday. It was hard to focus on Sunday duringit was cold, windy & wet mornings in January but I gave the training a good go. Learnt plenty for whenI pluck up the courage to give the marathon another go but really happy with 400 miles, some good runs, some that were beyond a struggle.

Roll on Sunday.

MTD: 110.6 miles
YTD: 400.12 miles

JohnDozer

Best of luck Sunday. Hope it goes well for you!
Hope the stretch in the Ennis Road and over Sarsfield Bridge is an enjoyable one

gramar

The hard work is done J. Enjoy the race and I hope it goes really well.

Kennyg71

Have a great race, and enjoy.

jake1970

Best of luck tomorrow J, have a great debut marathon. Enjoy!!

HigginsJ

Great Limerick Run - 30th of April

Not too sure what to write, things didnt go well & I DNF

Had good breakfast after an okish nights sleep & did a very light 2/3 minutes of jogging to warm up followed by plenty of stretches.

Started off behind the 4 hour pacer as per the plan, had a banana & 3 gels with me & would avail of water/lucozaðe sport along the way. Things were going ok but by mile 6 I was getting very hot, breathing was ok & I didnt feel as though I was over exerting myself. Poured water over my head & neck at this point & it helped briefly but after about another mile I was very hot again. Bearing in mind by this time there was no real sun out & a relatively cool breeze at a pace I was comfortable at I dont know.

By mile 10 I was about 20 metres off the 4 hour pacers & said to myself to pick them up but I didnt have anything in the legs to close the gap. Was within that 20-30 metre window up to half way, we crossed it in just over 2 hours.

I started to lose touch with the by mile 14. At every water station I was pouring water over my head but by the time we got up past the rugby club to do the loop past Collins bar I was really struggling. Took a walk/run approach over the next 10/15 minutes but whenever I started to run I would get very hot again. Struggled on down Henry Street but as I passed St. Michaels Rowing Club I was back walking.

At this point those in the 6 mile race started to come past. This was not a good feeling (aside from nearly being runover by hundreds of people!!) I started to jog a bit again but after about another 1/2 mile I felt faint so I stepped aside onthe North Circular Road & had sit down for 10 minutes.

And so ends the story of my marathon debut. Physically I feel ok, quads & ankles a bit sore & have picked up my kids cold since Sunday.

Time to move on to other goals now for the summer before the Charleville Half in September.

I ran 21.75 miles in 3 hours 42 minutes & 57 seconds.

YTD: 421.87 miles

JohnDozer

Sorry to hear that. You've probably seen it written by various people who ran on Sunday. The word tough. It wasn't an easy day out there. You've saved the body an extra 5 miles of pounding which will stand to you when you get back out there. Never nice to DNF but there are positives to take from it. You'll come back stronger!

adrian522

Sorry to hear that. The marathon is a tough distance no doubt. It comes with experience but if you are not feeling good early in the race it would make sense to lower your expectations due to conditions etc. and may have been better just letting the pacers go earlier.

Rest up and recover for a few weeks as this will have a taken a fair but out of you and as you say dust yourself off for a good half in Charleville. I'm entered into that race myself so might catch up afterwards,

ariana`

Ahhhh i'm so sorry to read this, I imagine you're feeling pretty crap with the DNF but you will have learnt loads from both the training and the day itself which you will bring forward next time. It's great you have a goal set for September already but don't rush it, now is the time for r&r. Mind yourself

Cartman78

Hard luck J - better to DNF than end up injured or sick if you're not feeling right.

Take a few days rest and recuperate, and then recalibrate - I think you're based in Limerick (?)....there's loads of races on in the coming weeks to get your groove back.

all the best cm

tailgunner

Very sorry to hear this. The training will stand to you hugely for Charleville though. Maybe pick a few shorter races in the meantime to get your sharpness back, and you'll be raring to go come September.

HigginsJ

Cartman78 wrote: »

Hard luck J - better to DNF than end up injured or sick if you're not feeling right.

Take a few days rest and recuperate, and then recalibrate - I think you're based in Limerick (?)....there's loads of races on in the coming weeks to get your groove back.

all the best cm

Yea there are plenty coming up, May will be a handy month & plenty of races then.

HigginsJ

tailgunner wrote: »

Very sorry to hear this. The training will stand to you hugely for Charleville though. Maybe pick a few shorter races in the meantime to get your sharpness back, and you'll be raring to go come September.

Yea want to hit my 5k & 10k goals betwen now & then. My next race will be a 5k in Doneraile park at the start of June, it was my 1st race after completing couch to 5k last year so want to have a good crack off it.

gypsylee

Sorry to hear things did not go well for you on Sunday.

Hope you are feeling better now and focusing on your next goal.

Kennyg71

Sorry to hear didn't go to plan, maybe your sickness the week before took more out of you than you realised. I had a complete collapse back of ambulance job in Cork last year, so I know how it feels, it can go wrong quickly if your not 100%. You would be suprised how many it has happened to. That was a tough course and weather was warm and windy add in sickness and maybe pace little hot.
Struggled home myself in the half. Onwards and upwards to next target. Recover well.

Annie get your Run

Really really sorry to read that. +1 to what everyone else has already said, some wise words there. Recover well and focus on your next goals when you're ready to do that.

HigginsJ

Thanks all

Wubble Wubble

Just catching up with this now. Sorry to read of the DNF. Take your time with the rest and recovery, and in the meantime you can analyse what worked for you this time around (and what didn't) when you're putting your next training cycle together. Best of luck.

jake1970

Sorry to hear about your DNF.
Rest up and recover well and give that 5k in June a good lash.

kerrylad1

Sorry to hear the outcome J.Sounds like you made the right choice,to pull the plug and live to fight another day.

ger664

HigginsJ wrote: »

& have picked up my kids cold since Sunday.

Saw you struggling alright at 12 so there is a good chance you picked this up before the race. DNF while hard was the correct choice, do not forget you still have the training done so that will stand to you going forward.

Sunny Dayz

Sorry to hear that your run didn't go to plan. I would imagine it takes quite a lot to pull out of a race and DNF. Take it easy for the next few days and hopefully you will be on the mend.

HigginsJ

Month | 2016 (miles) | 2017 (miles)
January | - | 82.37
February | - | 92.12
March | - | 115.03
April | 31.45 | 132.35
May | 53.43 | -
June | 62.58 | -
July | 75.71 | -
August | 53.16 | -
September | 47.46 | -
October | 61.87 | -
November | 53.29 | -
December | 26.21 | -

Hoping to get out for my 1st run tonight or in the morning, lack of sleep this week as still have cold's in the house (honestly not slacking off or wallowing over Sunday!! )

adrian522

Don't be afraid to take a few days off. Don't go back until you are ready.

HigginsJ

5th of May

3.01 miles in 26 minutes 26 seconds (8:47 average)

I went for a run.

MTD: 3.01 miles
YTD: 424.88 miles

HigginsJ

6th of May

1.32 miles in 13 minutes 13 seconds (10:01 average)

followed by 3 sets of (with 2 minutes rest between)

10 reps box jumps
10 reps clean & jerk 21kg

followed by

1.60 miles in 15 minutes 55 seconds (9:56 average)

Just trying to mix in 1 different type of session per week. A speed or strength session will be the idea. Open to any comments on the above or how I would look to tweak it. Definitely feeling this in the hamstrings and walking around Galway on Sunday with my daughter on my shoulders probably counts as a work out as well

MTD: 5.93 miles
YTD: 427.8 miles

HigginsJ

8th of May

4.75 miles in 49 minutes 27 seconds (10:25 average)

Took it handy enough as my hamstrings still felt a bit tight after Saturdays work out, feel better today as also foam rolled when I got finished last night. Will do another 5 miles tomorrow (easy enough) and then aim to do my 1st "speed" session on Thursday evening.

The plan is

1.5 mile warm up

200 metres x 8

1.5 mile cool down

Now I have no idea what I should be looking to see on the 200 metre runs, what sort of time should I be aiming to run? Was thinking something like 50 seconds for 200 metres which is about 4:10 5km pace. Would that be right or should I aim lower/higher? If I am aiming to go under 22 minutes for 5km it is an average of 4:24 per KM, should I be looking at that time?

Will take any and all advice here.

MTD: 10.68 miles
YTD: 432.55 miles

ariana`

HigginsJ wrote: »

The plan is

1.5 mile warm up

200 metres x 8

1.5 mile cool down

Now I have no idea what I should be looking to see on the 200 metre runs, what sort of time should I be aiming to run? Was thinking something like 50 seconds for 200 metres which is about 4:10 5km pace. Would that be right or should I aim lower/higher? If I am aiming to go under 22 minutes for 5km it is an average of 4:24 per KM, should I be looking at that time?

Will take any and all advice here.

MTD: 10.68 miles
YTD: 432.55 miles

What is your current 5km pace? I would aim for that pace rather than what you'd like your 5k pace to be! The goal should be to do them all at the target pace or as close as possible rather than going super fast for the first couple and struggling with the last couple (which is what regularly happens me :rolleyes:).

adrian522

My first piece of advice would be to not jump into speed work until your hamstrings feel like they are ok. Do some strides as part of your warmup.

As for the 200's, are they from a plan you are following? I'd guess they should be at about 3-5k pace. I wouldn't worry too much about the pace, just run them hard but not flat out.

HigginsJ

ariana` wrote: »

What is your current 5km pace? I would aim for that pace rather than what you'd like your 5k pace to be! The goal should be to do them all at the target pace or as close as possible rather than going super fast for the first couple and struggling with the last couple (which is what regularly happens me :rolleyes:).

I did the 1st 5km of the SMRC 10k in 22 something late last year so a sub 22 while a goal is realistic. I just don't know where I stand speed wise at the moment with the slower miles so far this year.

I would love to say the times will be consistent....... :P

adrian522 wrote: »

My first piece of advice would be to not jump into speed work until your hamstrings feel like they are ok. Do some strides as part of your warmup.

As for the 200's, are they from a plan you are following? I'd guess they should be at about 3-5k pace. I wouldn't worry too much about the pace, just run them hard but not flat out.

Perfect on the 1st part, as I say feel a lot better today so will roll tonight, another easy run in the morning and should be fine by Thursday then.

I want to incorporate speed work into my running and 200's seem less daunting than 400's as an intro to this.

The plan is I want one quality session per week going forward (speed or strength), 2 normal runs with strides (5 or 6 miles) and then 1 long run.

Now I won't get out for a long run until the weekend after next as have a wedding this weekend. The long runs will be between 9-13 miles as I don't want to lose the base that I have built up with the HM's on the horizon later in the summer.

HigginsJ

I was wrecked last Thursday so the planned speed session went out the window, I was on my way into town for a pre work run friday morning when I had to swerve on a back road to avoid someone driving down the middle of the road, swerved to avoid him and blew out my front tyre on a rock. €90 call out and new tyre and I missed my run, not sure which I was more angry about :mad:

Went to a wedding Saturday, not home till after 2 and our son was up and full of beans at 6am :eek:

Couldn't let Sunday pass without some form of exercise.

14th of May

2 miles in 18 minutes 34 seconds (9:19 average)

3 sets by 10 reps

Box Jumps
Clean & Jerk 21kg

2 miles in 19 minutes 40 seconds (9:50 average)

15th of May

3.15 miles in 27 minutes 35 seconds (8:46 average)

Just a bit of a recovery run this morning as the last time I did the above strength session my hamstrings were tight 2 days later.

Plan for this week is a couple of 5 mile runs with strides followed by a long slow run at the weekeng, long being a relative term, between 8 - 10 miles.

MTD: 17.83 miles
YTD: 439.7 miles

HigginsJ

16th of May

4.75 miles in 38 minutes 30 seconds (8:07 average)

1st mile was about 8:50 and pushed on a bit after that, will put up the splits once I get my watch synced up later. Good run, effort levels were ok for the pace, took it handy on a couple of hills.

MTD: 22.58 miles
YTD: 444.45 miles

ariana`

Any thoughts on what's up next for you, will you attempt another 26.2 this year do you think?

HigginsJ

ariana` wrote: »

Any thoughts on what's up next for you, will you attempt another 26.2 this year do you think?

God no!! :P I might do Limerick or Dublin in 2018 but I'll see, overall didn't hugely enjoy the whole marathon training, will def look to make some changes and look for a plan that offers a bit more fun next time I decide to give it a go, if I do so.

The plan for the summer will culminate in either a sub 1"45 or 1"40 attempt for the HM in Charleville, all going well.

My next race will be a 5k in Doneraile Park on the 2nd of June, it was my 1st race when I finished C25K last year so have to do it!! Going to do the Achill HM on the 1st of July, have accommodation booked so going to take kids up and we are staying Friday night and Saturday night. The race itself is just to do something nice, it will be little more than a training run as the 1st 4-5 miles looks exceptionally tough which will keep me nicely in check.

Assuming all of that goes well, a 10k race some point between July & September with an attempt to go sub 44 for 10k in the St. Michaels Rowing Club race in October. Will look to do one more half then before the end of the year, not Birdhill, that course was hell last year.

I have a good base of training done and will start back to "long runs" this weekend to keep me ticking over endurance wise and will build to Charleville then from July.

So yea, no real plans!!

ariana`

HigginsJ wrote: »

So yea, no real plans!!

Just a lot of sitting around i see

I'm looking forward to following your progress. No doubt you will bag a few PBs before the year is out. You've a solid base under you

HigginsJ

18th of May

2 miles in 19 minutes 44 seconds (9:53 average)

Followed by 3 sets with 90 seconds rest

12 box jumps
10 thrusters @ 21kg

2 miles in 20 minutes 55 seconds (10:28 average)

Both 2-mile runs had 2 sets of strides. Very little sleep last night so took the extra 20 minutes in bed and will get out for a 5 mile run tonight.

MTD: 26.58 miles
YTD: 448.45 miles