Challenging Times

joey100

How the recovery go after the half marathon?? Any tri's lined up yet for next year?

rooneyjm

joey100 wrote: »

How the recovery go after the half marathon?? Any tri's lined up yet for next year?

Not too bad, bit tired last week alright but no serious ill effects. Fresher this week, had to pull back Monday and today 3x2 mile I was moving well.

No concrete plans yet, maybe spring marathon (London possibly) and then a few tri's in the summer

rooneyjm

Week Prescribed Completed
---1. ........43...........32
---2. ........59...........62
---3. ........77...........74
---4. .........75...........48
---5. .........80...........86.5
---6. .........78...........65
---7. .........88...........76
---8. ..........82...........65
---9. ..........94...........86
---10...........84...........83
---11..........103........100
---12...........89...........80
---13..........101..........92
---14...........92..........76.5
---15..........103.........101

---

Total(km) 1348.........1227



Monday - 8 miles easy 63mins. Had to hold back a bit, kept speeding up.

Tuesday - Strenght Session
3 x 2 miles @ MP minus 10 sec with 800m easy in between. Did this too fast according to the plan, did it at 6.50 mile or 4.15 per km. Felt good

Wednesday- rest planned

Thursday- 15k easy - 77 mins

Friday- 7 mile easy

Saturday- 10 mile tempo, 22k total 103 mins

Sunday - 26k 132mins easy pace

101 km total for week

rooneyjm

Week Prescribed Completed
---1. ........43...........32
---2. ........59...........62
---3. ........77...........74
---4. .........75...........48
---5. .........80...........86.5
---6. .........78...........65
---7. .........88...........76
---8. ..........82...........65
---9. ..........94...........86
---10...........84...........83
---11..........103........100
---12...........89...........80
---13..........101..........92
---14...........92..........76.5
---15..........103.........101
---16..........91...........100

---

Total(km) 1437.........1327



Monday - Off

Tuesday - 9 miles easy 80mins

Wednesday- 9 miles easy 76mins

Thursday- 15.5kmeasy - 73 min
3x 2 miles with 600 m recovery.

1) 6.53........3) 6.44......5) 6.45
2) 6.45........4) 6.49......6) 6.23

Ran this with a friend who is a bit faster than me so the pace was a little faster than perscribed.

Friday- 6 mile /10.5k easy 58mins

Saturday 17k easy 88mins
Had planned to do the tempo today but legs felt heavy. Opted for easy run instead. Did just over 10 mile felt like 20.

Sunday - 9 mile tempo, 18k total 86 mins

Left this late on Sunday. Hard to hold a solid pace in the dark, traffic. Should have been a 10miler but I was conscious of being well over the miles for the week and pushing my luck.

---pace....HR
1) 7.25....149
2) 7.20....148
3) 7.18....150
4) 7.19....148
5) 7.20....148
6) 7.25....161
7) 7.22....158
8) 7.21....160
9) 7.13....156

Finally got a new battery for my HR monitor after about 8 weeks so it was interesting to see if my HR had lowered for my MP runs. Looking back I'd say only very slightly but there seems like there is less fluctuation. When I hit ManorSt my heart rate jumped up but did seem to recover.

My easy run HR on Saturday stayed low despite feeling tired, stayed below 140 throughout which is an improvement

100 km total for week

rooneyjm

Week Prescribed Completed
---1. ........43...........32
---2. ........59...........62
---3. ........77...........74
---4. .........75...........48
---5. .........80...........86.5
---6. .........78...........65
---7. .........88...........76
---8. ..........82...........65
---9. ..........94...........86
---10...........84...........83
---11..........103........100
---12...........89...........80
---13..........101..........92
---14...........92..........76.5
---15..........103.........101
---16..........91...........100
—17..........92...........42

---

Total(km) 1529.........1369

Short version. I was never going to do the 92k either way but we were going to Paris for the weekend so that knocked 2 x 8mile out from the weekend. My 10mile tempo got cut to 6 as I got drowned on the Thursday during the run and I pulled the last 4 as I was afraid of catching something. Did 8 mile early Friday morning before the flight.

42km total for week

rooneyjm

Did a small bit this week

Monday 11.6k easy, bit sluggish as I was full of cheese and wine

Tuesday 1.5k swim. Back swimming as of last week, good to be back at it.

Wednesday 7k easy

Thursday 8.2k easy

Feel ok heading into tomorrow, not amazing by any means but no injuries. I’ll go out with the 3.10 pacer as planned and see how I fair. I’ve left a fair few miles behind in the plan. Could that be key, we’ll find out soon enough. No. 4744 if your are really bored.

gerfmurphy

Best of luck today

pgibbo

Best of luck today. Hope it goes well

gerfmurphy

Perfect call there. Well done today

pgibbo

Nicely paced today. Solid running. Congrats.

rooneyjm

DCM 2017

Wasn’t feeling too confident of hitting my goal going into the last week. Doubts about the lack of long runs etc. Took Friday and Saturday off, hit the EXPO very early Saturday to get it out of the way. Saturday was fairly wild and I was hoping Sunday would be better. Peeled back the curtains at 06.00, it was. Gentle breeze and clear skies. Got the breakfast into me and did a bit of light stretching. Hoped to have a movement before I left but it wasn’t forthcoming so headed to town with the gang. After a bit I broke off to get myself prepared, but of a jog and chat with a few people. After finally going to the toilet I jumped in between a couple of 3.10 balloons. Watch was taking for ever to pick up the satellites, I was getting worried. With about 30 sec to spare it synced. Bang we’re off.

Usuall jostling going on, I had to stay wide around the 1st island. Tried to stay calm and loose and let my pace settle. Twinge in my side early on, god no. Travelled on to Manor St (mile 2), the first little tester for a mile, just kept her steady. 3.10 pacers were close tgh and I was on their shoulder although I felt they were traveling a tad quick. Into the Phoenix Park and up Chesterfield, a nice drag for 3 miles. Still on pace I felt good, bit of a wave to the family exiting the park. Good to see them but now I could fully focus on the race. Great atmosphere in Castleknock, up past Myos and another twinge in the stomach, balls.

2 miles downhill now to Chapelizod, it’s a quiet section of the course and a chance to catch your breath. I’m traveling well, we are under pace and I’m with the pacer but another stomach cramp so I decide to pull in a the next toilet just before Island Bridge. Worried about not getting my pace back once I stop but this isn’t going away. Lost an about 60-90 sec here and when I come out I’m in now mans land. Get back going as quick as I can but can’t see the pacer.

Back on pace and keep plugging away past Kilmanham and on to Dolphins Barn. Great crowd here again, over the canal and onto the half way point, clock reads 1.35.30. At this stage I think I’m still on and can see the green balloon in the distance.

Just before Walkinstown roundabout I get a shout from a few Activ Members which is a nice lift. Big crowds at Walkinstown and then a few steady miles to Bushy Park. This half is definitely easier and down to Terenure has a gentle decline, still on pace I’m passing people and feeling strong.

Miles 20-22 have a incline which I totally forgot about not to mention the hill just before Fosters Ave. Get to Fosters but starting to feel it now. Pass an old neighbor or mine who looked very strong earlier. Passing RTE I’m still on pace before the final two miles, pacer is within my sights. Course flattens out for the last two miles and for the first time my pace slips outside PMP, not by much but I’m looking for the finish now. Crowds building I see the finish and finish as strong as I can, 3.10.30 on the clock and unsure if I’ve gone under 3.10.

I find out in The Gingerman afterwards that I haven’t but I’m happy with the result, the performance and the fact I got my pace back after the pit stop. Moving time on my watch was 3.08.58 and the is nothing you can do if have to go. The Hanson Method was a success. It delivered me to the start line and despite my concerns I felt strong in the second half and paces were solid.

1. 7.11
2. 6.58
3. 7.11
4. 7.07
5. 7.19
6. 7.05
7. 7.13
8. 6.57
9. 7.06
10. 7.01
11. 7.06
12. 7.05
13. 7.07
14. 7.21
15. 7.11
16. 7.13
17. 7.11
18. 7.12
19. 7.06
20. 7.06
21. 7.10
22. 7.18
23. 7.07
24. 7.16
25. 7.22
26. 7.23
+ 2.22. @ 6.58

rooneyjm

Week Prescribed Completed
---1. ........43...........32
---2. ........59...........62
---3. ........77...........74
---4. .........75...........48
---5. .........80...........86.5
---6. .........78...........65
---7. .........88...........76
---8. ..........82...........65
---9. ..........94...........86
---10...........84...........83
---11..........103........100
---12...........89..........80
---13..........101.........92
---14...........92..........76.5
---15..........103.........101
---16..........91...........100
—17..........92............42
—18..........88............69

---

Total(km) 1617......1438

Final weeks prescribed mileage was 88k including the marathon. I didn’t bother with the 6miles on Friday or the 3 miles on Saturday but to me less is more in the last week or so.

CRITIQUING THE PLAN
Mon 6-8miles easy
Tues Speed or Strenght
Wed Off
Thurs MP Session
Fri. 6-7 miles
Sat. 8-10 miles
Sun. 10-16 miles

PROS: The plan is Simple to follow, work out from the table your training paces for your marathon target. I never got injured during the 18 weeks bar tight calf’s for a couple of weeks early on. This could be coincidence or the fact that there are no 20plus miler training runs. I like that about the plan as I always though those last few miles were doing me more harm than good. Despite not feeling great at the start, the more the race went on the more confident I felt, especially after I stopped and then got back to MP quickly. I was waiting for the wall at 20miles mainly because I didn’t do any 20’s but it never came. Last two miles I was starting to go but who doesn’t. The weekly mileage at marathon pace (up to 10m) plus the strength sessions at MP -10/15 sec( eg 3x2 miles) could have been key to the improvement. I didn’t complete nearly 200k of the 18week plan but it still delivered a 13 minute pb. Previous pb 3.23.

CONS: For me no races is a negative, even a bad race can motivate you to focus your efforts. 18 weeks is a long time with no races. I threw in a couple instead of a speed session or MP session in the case of a half marathon.
One minor thing that bugged me a bit is the conversions to km to miles isn’t accurate in the book. Eg the day before the marathon it says to do 3miles easy / 8km. Another would be 6x1 miles/ 2k.

What Next I hear you say. Well this cycle has at least given me the inkling that Sub 3.00 might be possible. It could take a year but a worthwhile accomplishment on the CV if I could do it. Legs only really coming around today so I’ll take it handy next week and make a plan.

rooneyjm

A few weeks of easy running since the marathon. Pacing job at Clontarf Half last week and Waterford Half yesterday.

Week Starting
30 Oct 6.5k Easy
06 Nov 28k All Easy
13 Nov 45 All Easy
20 Nov 55 All Easy with Clontarf Half paced @ 1.40 (1.39.30)
27 Nov. 51 All easy up to race.

Waterford Half Marathon 1.27.46

Decided to try go under 1.30 to finish the year off. Have done zero speed or tempo work since the marathon so going into it not knowing what to expect. Race preparation included a beer, popcorn, crisps and the toy show. Thought crossed my mind to pull the plug on it when I worke at 6.30 but managed to get my sh1t tgh.

To cut a long story short the pacers went off a bit hot for the first 6miles. Then they backed off but I decided to hold the pace as I felt reasonably good. One serious hill at 10 mile but other than that I enjoyed the course.

Crossed the line bang on 1.28 so I knew I was in the 1.27’s. Delighted with the result and that I did bother to go. Almost 2min pb. Excellently organized race from parking, showers after race, tea and blas (a Waterford bap), nice hat. Couldn’t fault anything really.