So that's "your thing" now is it?

Unthought Known

Thursday 3rd:
3.5 miles at avg 9:36. Should have been a recivery run. I really need to slow these down to 10:00+

Saturday 5th:
5.65 miles at avg 9:05. Turned out to be a MP+20 run rather than easy. Again, not the brightest thing to do as i had the 18m to look forward to next day. Strange thing though, I ran this with a friend in nearly 80 degree heat and we literally chatted the whole way. Very surprised how easy the run felt, but still I should have kept an eye on the watch more.

Sunday 6th:
18 miles at avg 9:54. Hydrated well in the build up, in bed by 10:30, up just after 5am for porridge and coffee, followed by a liberal application of bodyglide, then out just after 6am with a 2L backpack.
Still dark when I started, but the humidity was unreal. I was sweating in the first 200m! Got into a nice steady pace, but after 2 of the 4 laps of the resort i had to stop for a toilet break. Still feeling good at 12 miles despite the heat (around 75) and the rapidly rising sun when i glanced down and noticed the first signs of blood on my top! No choice now, but to take my top off for the last 6 miles (first ever semi-naked run!) and risk ripping my shoulders to bits on the backpack straps. I managed to finish the last 6 pretty comfortably, but did slow down for the last mile because of the heat (legs were ok though).
A couple of marathon vets round the pool reckoned the 18m was probably worth more because of the conditions so im a happy man. In hindsight though I should have really dialled back the pace more or reduced the distance. I think that's something I'll do this week.

45 miles for the week.

Unthought Known

Week 2 of warm weather training......

Tuesday 8th: 3.9m easy at 9:48 pace

Wednesday 9th: 5.1m at avg 8:51 pace. The plan was for 2x4m at MP, but I decided to shorten some runs this week as it was just too hot. Ran this as 1m warm-up followed by 4m at MP.
Splits: 9:32, 8:47, 8:39, 9:12, 8:41

Thursday 10th: 3.5m recovery at 9:57

Saturday 12th: 5.7m at avg 9:17. Again, maybe a little fast. Ran with a friend and once again was too busy talking to check pace. Felt easy though.

Sunday 13th: 16.6m at avg 9:38 pace. Slightly cooler morning, but had made my mind up not to do the full 18m. Pace was spot on, hovering around 9:45 for the first 12 miles so I decided to increase it a bit for the last 3rd as I felt strong. Paces for last 4.5 miles were 9:36, 9:35, 9:18, 9:14, 9:04.

35 miles for the week and I've passed 900 miles for the year (914).
Currently reading My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso. That's one guy who doesn't know the meaning of giving up!

Unthought Known

Tuesday 15th: 5.7 mm at avg 9:13 pace. Ran with friend again and as expected it was faster than planned. Avg HR 132 and a mere 3% in zone 3, on the climb near the end, suggest this was in fact an easy run.

Wednesday 16th: Last run in Spain....
Plan was for 10m with 4 x (alternate 1m MP+25 and 1m MP-25). Reduced distance and pace, due to heat, to 8m with 3 x (alternate 1m MP+25 and 1m MP).
Pace splits: 9:14, 8:40, 9:11, 8:41, 9:06, 8:38

Thursday 17th: Back in Dublin. Warmer than I expected. 4.7m at avg 9:36.
HR on watch went crazy, at least I hope it went crazy, like it was tracking 50bpm too high. Had a hard time connecting to GPS and when I got home I saw avg HR 178 and max 199. This was on an easy run! I'll put it down to an issue with the watch as I felt fine, but the graph is impressive.

Unthought Known

Saturday 19th:
5 miles at 9:26 avg. Avg HR 128 so at least the watch issue was a one-off.

Sunday 20th:
20 miles at 9:36 avg. Ran down to and then along the canal, picking up the DCM route at Dolphins Barn and followed that to Roebuck Rd, then back up to Sandyford. No gels, just water, and I felt really strong. Important to me to finish strong so I made sure I held the same pace for the last 40 minutes uphill.
Nearly went flat on my face at mile 19, tripping on a raised bit of paving. I'm sure the cars at the traffic light had a nice laugh as I struggled to stay upright!

43.5 miles for the week. Easier week coming as I save a bit for FD10, which will be my last race-race of this cycle. Planning to run the Dublin HM as a training run rather than going all out.

Unthought Known

Tuesday 22nd: 6.8 miles run home from work at 9:39 avg. Ran the N11 route rather than through Clonskeagh. Funny how it seemed like a bigger climb.

Wednesday 23rd: 8 miles easy with a few strides thrown in. Avg pace 9:25

Thursday 24th: Skipped the planned recovery run. Too busy with DIY stuff.

Saturday 26th: 1 mile warm-up then Frank Duffy 10m (avg 7:52).
Finish time 1:18:37, a 3 minute PB. Splits: 7:53, 7:40, 7:56, 7:58, 7:54, 7:56, 7:46, 7:33, 7:41, 7:41
Lovely race with a great atmosphere, probably helped a bit by the glorious weather. Though I remember at around mile 6 wondering if I actually preferred the cooler, wetter weather from 2016.
Felt strong the whole race. My aim was to pace for sub 80 minutes and push it a bit in the last few miles if I felt I could. I knew about the tough finish from last year, but I passed loads in the last 2 miles and I'm sure I can only remember a couple of people passing me. I swear one guy who passed me was on a 4 minute mile though, very impressive.

Sunday 27th: 4 miles recovery at 9:51. Legs certainly felt a little heavy.

30 miles for the week. Next week ramps the mileage back up, but I'll follow meno's original advice and scrap the planned 14 mile 4,3,2,1 MP session on Wednesday and replace with 8-10 easy.

63 days to go........

Unthought Known

Tuesday 29th: 7 miles easy at 9:29 avg. Lunchtime run, ran the canal from Leeson St to Naas Rd and back. Not the prettiest run, need to find a nicer route.
avg/max HR 127/139

Wednesday 30th: 5.4 miles at 8:57 avg. Plan called for 8 miles easy, but I had less than an hour while my daughter was at training. Decided to run this as 1m easy, 3m MP (8:45), 1m cd.
avg/max HR 135/147. HR didn't go above zone 2 so maybe all this training is beginning to pay off??
Also passed 1000 miles for the year! Took me until the end of November for that last year.

scotindublin

Nice one on the 1000 miles Andy! A sign of plenty of training this year.

Unthought Known

scotindublin wrote: »

Nice one on the 1000 miles Andy! A sign of plenty of training this year.

Thanks Craig, hopefully I'll see the benefit in October.

To finish the month:
Thursday 31st: 4.2 miles easy at 9:42 avg. avg/max HR 127/140

170 miles for the month.

Unthought Known

Saturday 2/9: 5 miles easy at 9:24 avg. avg/max HR 127/141

Sunday 3/9: 19.2 miles at 9:26 avg. avg/max HR 141/177.
The plan called for 18 miles with 2 x 3 miles at marathon pace (8:45). Ran from Sandyford to the canal and along to pick up the DCM route at Crumlin Rd, keeping the pace between 9:30-9:40 despite the steady descent trying to push me faster.
I already had my MP sections planned and started the first at 8 miles so it included the Crumlin Rd drag. Pace for the 3 miles 8:34, 8:38, 8:41 (a little fast maybe, but once I got into my stride it felt comfortable enough).
Second MP section would start on 14 miles and would last for 2.5 miles, taking in the Milltown/Clonskeagh drag to the start of Roebuck Rd. Pace 8:41, 8:42, 8:46.
Felt pretty tired once I reached Roebuck and then realised I'd miscalculated the route and still had the guts of 4 miles home, all uphill. Slowed the pace down to around 10:00 miles, something I should really be doing at the start of these runs (to follow meno's recommended MP+15-20% guide).
Took 1 gel at MP just to test again and all ok. Also tried a bit of Hi5 energy bar and that's something I won't continue with mid-run, found it very hard to swallow and very heavy. I'll need to think about other options........any handy way to carry banana pieces?

41 miles for the week.

Unthought Known

Tuesday 5th: 6.9 mile runmute at avg 9:38 pace.

Wednesday 6th: 12.5 miles at avg 9:16 pace.
Meno plan had me in for a 2 mile warm-up, 4 x 2 miles at HMP with 2 minutes rest, 2 miles cool-down. I probably over-thought this today and ended up setting up the workout with 3 minute rests.
I was aiming for 8 minute miles for the HMP sections. Felt pretty comfortable throughout so maybe I should have stuck to the original 2 minute rest.

Splits:
w/u: 9:43, 10:04
HMP1: 7:48, 7:48
HMP2: 7:54, 7:53
HMP3: 7:53, 7:59
HMP4: 7:55,7:57
c/d: 9:50, 9:59

Unthought Known

Thursday 7th: 3 miles very easy at 9:45 avg.

Saturday 9th: 5 miles easy at 9:38 avg.

Sunday 10th: 20 miles at 9:24 avg.
Meno' plan called for 10 miles easy followed by 10 miles steady. Steady was explained as 4-5% slower than MP which for me would be 9:05-9:10.
This was also my first test using Tailwind. The literature says to sip little and often so I wanted to see how my stomach handled it over a 3 hour run. Added 2 Berry stickpacks to a 2 litre hydration pack and off I went.
Same as last week, I ran down to the canal, along to Crumlin, then followed the DCM route to Roebuck Rd then back up to Sandyford. I kept the first 10 miles nice and easy, pacing around the 9:45-9:50 mark. The second 10 miles was way more comfortable than I expected, even the last 5 miles which has around a 280ft climb. Big confidence boost.
Splits for 2nd 10: 9:07, 9:07, 9:03, 9:02, 8:59, 9:06, 9:03, 8:58, 8:57, 8:52.

First impression of Tailwind was very impressive. Nice taste, like drinking flavoured water, and not too sweet at all. I certainly didn't get that sickly feeling I've had in the two marathons I've run when I just couldn't face another gel. I also felt really strong at the end, no weakness, no slow-down.
Placebo or just a positive sign that training is working? I don't know, but I think this could be my fueling source for DCM. Just need to find containers to carry measures that can be emptied straight into the 250ml bottles without spilling all the powder. Hopefully I find something that works, not sure I want to run DCM with a backpack/vest.

47.6 miles for the week

Unthought Known

Tuesday 12th: 6.8 mile run-mute at 9:38 avg. Got soaked, but enjoyed it. A few teenagers shouted abuse at me near home, didn't enjoy that.

Wednesday 13th: 14 miles (2 miles w/u, 10 miles MP, 2 miles c/d). Avg pace 8:58
Splits for MP: 8:39, 8:38, 8:44, 8:40, 8:40, 8:36, 8:40, 8:46, 8:40, 8:44
Av HR for MP: 145, 141, 141, 138, 140, 144, 138, 145, 140, 146

Interestingly, my avg HR for the first 10 miles of both DCM and the London marathon, at a slower pace, was 160+. The increased mileage this cycle seems to be working.

Unthought Known

Thursday 14th: 3.2 mile shuffle at 9:50

Saturday 16th: 5 miles at 9:23. A little faster than I planned.

Sunday 17th: 18 miles, alternating 2m easy with 2m MP (8m total MP).
Avg pace 9:12
MP splits: 8:39/8:35, 8:41/8:34, 8:37/8:36, 8:36/8:41

47 miles for the week. Next week steps back for the Dublin half, but still not sure how I'll run it. Definitely not racing, maybe just run as a MP session.

Unthought Known

Tuesday 19th: 5.1 miles at avg 9:03 pace. Lunchtime run along the canal and back. Lovely weather and loads of other lunchtime runners. You can tell it's marathon time.

Wednesday 20th: 6.5 miles at avg 9:37 pace. Meant to be 10 miles easy with strides, but I had to fit this one in during a spare hour.

Thursday 21st: 3.7 miles at avg 9:35 pace. DCM runners arrived today so I tested them out.

Unthought Known wrote: »

47 miles for the week. Next week steps back for the Dublin half, but still not sure how I'll run it. Definitely not racing, maybe just run as a MP session.

Didn't take long to change my mind. Now planning to start with the 1:50 pacers and see how I feel after a few miles.

Unthought Known

Saturday 23rd: Dublin Half Marathon.

Usual morning routine. Porridge and banana with a coffee and a glass of water, followed by multiple toilet trips. The traffic was a pain, but I had no idea until I got home that others hadn't even made it to the start line.

This was also my first race-test using tailwind so I prepared a 250ml bottle with 1 scoop (100 calories) to sip on before the race (Tailwind recommend sipping "little and often").
For the race itself I planned to mix a scoop with the water handed out at the 3 and 9 mile water stations. I'd worked out that 2 wide straws held 1 scoop and that, taped together, they fit perfectly in the in the bottle. Anyway, this race was the test. Could I manage to mix it on the run without looking like an escaped drug dealer?

Plan for the race was to start with the 1:50 pacers and move on from them around the 3 mile mark. I have Kennyg71 to thank for suggesting this.

Mile 1 and 2 ticked over nicely. Quite a large group was sticking to the pacers and I did think that we were literally a rolling roadblock. I decided to move ahead around 2.5 miles as there was some nice space in front.
Once ahead of the pacer I didn't really look back. Although we were climbing it was more of a rolling climb so very comfortable. Kept it pretty steady at a bit slower than 1:45 pace with the intention of picking it up in the last 6 miles.

First water station with the tailwind worked perfectly. I sipped this slowly until around the 5.5 mile mark. The first steep climb was just before the 5 mile marker. I naturally slowed down a bit here, but kept a decent enough pace.

Second water station. Missing? I expected a water stop (cups) somewhere around the 6 mile mark. Didn't need it, but I'm sure a lot of people were looking forward to some hydration after that last hill.

The second (and last) steep hill was at Man O' War. Not really sure this was any worse than the hill at 5 miles. Slowed down a bit and there were more walkers on this hill, but I must say there was a massive sense of relief when I reached the top.

With the last 6 miles being pretty much all downhill it was really about controlling my pace. The second tailwind test worked again around the 9 mile mark so that's a definite plan for DCM.
Mile 12 was a bit slower, but I've just seen there was a slight climb there. Can't say I noticed it at the time, I thought at the time I was saving myself for a strong finish.

The finish on this course was nice, but a little narrow. There's obviously quite a bit of passing in the last 500m and this was quite difficult in places.

1:43:36 chip time, a PB of 3:17. Very happy with the race and how I paced it.

Pace: 7:59, 8:12, 8:12, 7:56, 8:12, 8:11, 8:08, 7:29, 7:43, 7:42, 7:46, 7:54, 7:39, last bit at 6:29

Wubble Wubble

Great race A, congrats on the PB, super race management.

Annie get your Run

That's a big chunk of your PB! Well done!!

Kennyg71

Great racing and nice PB, a great confidence boost, l'd say lot's more there as well.

scotindublin

Great stuff Andy looking strong going into DCM a couple of more tough weeks and you are there.

Unthought Known

scotindublin wrote: »

Great stuff Andy looking strong going into DCM a couple of more tough weeks and you are there.

Thanks C, 2 more 20+ runs and some MP stuff left before the taper. I'm enjoying the tougher plan this time.

Unthought Known

Sunday 24th: To finish off the week, 3.4 miles recovery at 9:53 avg.

31 miles for the week. 2 weeks (plus meno's "sting in the tail") until taper time.

Unthought Known

Tuesday 26th: 6.7 mile run-mute at 9:26 avg. Lovely weather, quite warm. Felt good.

Wednesday 27th: 8.4 mile run-mute with 7 miles at MP. Avg pace 8:38.
Meetings, kid's training and Champions League meant I had to run this morning. Downhill run to work, but I took a detour via Milltown/Rathmines to lengthen it a little. In fairness, the downhill nature meant it wasn't quite the workout it may have looked on paper, but that suits me after DCHM.

MP splits: 8:31, 8:31, 8:29, 8:34, 8:25, 8:27, 8:13

Unthought Known

To close off the month.......

Thursday 28th: 5.3 miles easy at 9:23 avg. Late windy loops around Sandyford industrial estate. Caught up a little with the tail-end of the 5k "Twilight" team event. One positive was the lack of traffic.

Saturday 30th: 20 miles at 9:18 avg.
Planned the route last night to take in all the "bad" stuff DCM can throw at you. Got the Luas into town and ran the DCM route from Stephens Green to the bottom of Fosters Avenue, cutting off Castleknock and turning left in PP at Ordinance Survey Rd to join up with DCM at Upper Glen.

Following advice in the marathon improvers thread, I cut the planned 22 miles back to 20 and ran this as a 3/1 run, first 15 miles easy and last 5 steady (somewhere around MP+5% which should be 9:00).
Felt really comfortable for the 15 easy and just took in the beautiful weather. Even car drivers seemed in a good mood today, smiling at me while stopping to let me cross various roads. I even had a big shout of "Go on my son" from a car full of women on Inchicore Rd!

Splits for the final 5 miles were 8:50, 8:50, 8:46, 8:50, 8:49. Nice steady pacing, but not sure how/why I couldn't keep any of them to the planned 9 minute miles. That worries me a little if a don't follow pacers on the day as I can't afford to get carried away.
A couple of plus points for this section though:
1. The last few miles took in the Clonskeagh drag and Roebuck Rd and I maintained pace. Last year I walked most of Clonkeagh Rd and virtually crawled up the Roebuck hill.
2. My wife phoned me half way up Clonskeagh Rd. I answered and had a conversation (to confirm when to pick me up from Fosters Ave ) without breaking pace so breathing was still under control.

191 miles for the month. My highest ever, but slightly skewed as it includes 5 long runs.

Unthought Known

And to finish the week......

Sunday 1st Oct: 3 miles easy at 9:40 avg.

43 miles for the week. Last week coming up before taper which includes some MP on Wednesday and the 3/4 marathon on Sunday.

Thinking about the profile of DCM I've been looking at negative splits rather than sticking to 8:xx every mile. I suppose confidence plays a big part here. Am I sure I'll have enough in the tank to increase the pace?
Came across https://feelrace.com/fr.pl?th=MARCO, which suggests finishing faster than your average target pace. Hmmmm, the taper madness may be starting a little early.

aquinn

Just catching up.

Great going A in the HM and you're doing super on the plan.

Nearly there but too early for taper madness so stick with the plan!

Unthought Known

Tuesday 3rd Oct: 7.4 miles easy at 9:36 avg. Avg HR 128

Wednesday 4th Oct: 14 miles session, avg pace 8:51.
Plan called for 2 miles warm up, 10 miles alternating 1 mile MP + 15sec & 1 mile MP - 15sec, 2miles cool down. Decided that MP should equal 8:35 (3:45 pace) though I'm thinking of starting out with the 3:50 pacers.....and hopefully pushing on.
Lovely evening for it. Nice and cool, maybe a bit windy, with that misty rain that kind of hung in the air. Felt comfortable throughout the whole run and it gives me some confidence that I should be in good shape at mile 14, something that wasn't the case last year.

Pace section splits: 8:49, 8:17, 8:49, 8:16, 8:46, 8:19, 8:46, 8:19, 8:50, 8:18
Pace section avg HR: 147, 146, 149, 147, 147, 126, 140, 144, 149, 148

Easy to see where I stopped to buy water. Happy with the HR, but that's probably helped by the fact that the 8:50 miles were uphill and 8:20 miles mainly downhill.

Unthought Known

Thursday 5th Oct: 3 miles easy at 9:45 avg

Saturday 7th Oct: 3.2 miles easy at 9:31 avg

Sunday 8th Oct: Irish 3/4 Marathon. 19.6 miles at 8:52 avg
First time running this race, but it definitely won't be the last. Got to the registration at around 8:45 and the DJ was already in full swing. Absolute legend.

The meno' plan called for 22 miles with some "stuff", but 19.66 miles was good enough at this stage. The "stuff" for me would be 15 miles at MP+5% (9:00) followed by 4.6 at MP (8:35). An important run for me, I wanted to be sure I felt comfortable for the first 15 miles as that was the pace I attempted on my previous 2 marathons, and around the point at which I started struggling.

Nice and packed at the start, with everyone in great spirits. I suppose the fact that most were running this as a training run added to the atmosphere.
First mile was slow, but I was fine with that. This was a training run after all and I can't say I saw anyone weaving like you see in a target race.

The first few miles ticked along nicely. At around the 7km marker I grabbed a bottle and Operation Tailwind went into action. I think I have this sussed now for the marathon:

1. Remove straws from flipbelt on approach to water station
2. Grab water bottle
3. Take a sip of water (very important. last thing you want is the straw to come into contact with water while you're emptying the contents)
4. Unscrew lid of bottle. Put lid back on loosely
5. Remove tape from top of straws
6. Remove lid from bottle
7. Empty contents of straw, making sure the end of the straw doesn't touch the water
8. Lid back on and shake. Done
9. Make all this look completely natural, even when other runners stare at you!

Still ticking along feeling pretty easy. At around 7 miles I found myself on my own. There was a big group about 40m ahead and I was about 20m ahead of the next group. Very strange, but we all seemed to be running the same pace. I ran like this for over a mile, thinking that I wouldn't want to get isolated like this at DCM (not too much chance of that). Eventually caught up with the group ahead without increasing my pace.

Water station #2: Operation Tailwind. Check.

Around the 10 mile mark I found myself behind 3 runners from Moate Athlone Running Group. Now these were running 9:00 pace and it was definitely conversational pace for them. I ran behind them for a couple miles and only passed when their pace dropped a little off 9:00 after 12 miles. I remember thinking at one point, if they would just break a little to form an arrow I would be just like Kipchoge on his sub-2 attempt (maybe a little slower).

Water station #3: Operation Tailwind. Check.

At around 14.5 miles I started to increase the pace a bit to wind up to MP for the last 4.6 miles. Still felt strong and it was nice to get a feel for MP at this stage in a race. There were a few nice drags that really do give you an indication of how you'll cope in Dublin.

Water station #4: Operation Tailwind at MP. Check. One guy did a double-take, laughed and told me drugs weren't allowed. I suppose it does look a little strange, pouring white powder into your water.

Hitting the mile marker, I decided to see if I could wind up the pace for the last 1km. Obviously I won't be doing this at mile 19 on the 29th, but it was a good enough test to see what kind of shape I should (hopefully) be in coming up to Clonskeagh Rd. Managed to do this quite well and it felt good to open up a bit at the end.

The spread at the finish is nothing short of amazing. Water, protein drinks, fruit, tayto sandwiches, fruit cake, tea/coffee. And the DJ was still working away, calling the finishers in as they crossed the line. I think it's my new favourite race.

Pace/Avg HR splits:
1. 9:41 / 134
2. 8:58 / 140
3. 9:02 / 138
4. 8:59 / 142
5. 9:01 / 143
6. 8:57 / 143
7. 8:58 / 143
8. 8:55 / 143
9. 8:58 / 142
10. 9:03 / 142
11. 9:01 / 143
12. 9:07 / 144
13. 8:58 / 148
14. 8:56 / 148
15. 8:45 / 151
16. 8:30 / 166
17. 8:35 / 157
18. 8:31 / 157
19. 8:29 / 160
.66. 7:39 / 170

47.4 miles for the week. One more big session, 14m PMP, on Wednesday and then I can taper.

Annie get your Run

It's a super race isn't it? sounds like you nailed the DCM practice anyway!!

The Black Oil

Fortunately, this is not Youtube or people would be looking for a video of your the tailwind live action.

Unthought Known

Wednesday 11th Oct: 14 miles PMP at 8:29 avg
Well that was fun. Didn't manage to get out until around 7:30 so ran the Sandyford loop as it's pretty well lit. No gels/tailwind etc, just a quick stop at the car for some water at 5 and 10 miles.
All over the place the first 2 miles, I felt like I was pushing it too much. I don't think the wind helped. After that I got into a nice steady rhythm and felt pretty good.

Pace/Avg HR splits:
1. 8:32 / 143
2. 8:17 / 147
3. 8:28 / 142
4. 8:30 / 150
5. 8:25 / 144
6. 8:32 / 147
7. 8:31 / 140
8. 8:34 / 144
9. 8:30 / 148
10. 8:27 / 141
11. 8:30 / 147
12. 8:31 / 143
13. 8:32 / 147
14. 8:30 / 146

Taper time now.

scotindublin

That's a great run A.....really good pacing once you settled into it.

You are going to smash DCM this year....looking forward to seeing how it goes. You deserve a great time for the work you have put in.

The Muppet

Unthought Known wrote: »

Wednesday 11th Oct: 14 miles PMP at 8:29 avg
Well that was fun. Didn't manage to get out until around 7:30 so ran the Sandyford loop as it's pretty well lit. No gels/tailwind etc, just a quick stop at the car for some water at 5 and 10 miles.
All over the place the first 2 miles, I felt like I was pushing it too much. I don't think the wind helped. After that I got into a nice steady rhythm and felt pretty good.

Pace/Avg HR splits:
1. 8:32 / 143
2. 8:17 / 147
3. 8:28 / 142
4. 8:30 / 150
5. 8:25 / 144
6. 8:32 / 147
7. 8:31 / 140
8. 8:34 / 144
9. 8:30 / 148
10. 8:27 / 141
11. 8:30 / 147
12. 8:31 / 143
13. 8:32 / 147
14. 8:30 / 146

Taper time now.

Nice consistancy A . The Wind was pretty bad today . Enjoy the Taper .Looks like you're all set for a great marathon.

Unthought Known

Thanks guys. Still have that niggling doubt that I can actually run a marathon around that pace. I just need to trust the training and commit.

Wubble Wubble

Unthought Known wrote: »

Thanks guys. Still have that niggling doubt that I can actually run a marathon around that pace. I just need to trust the training and commit.

You're actually in far better shape than I am. With all those sessions and LSRs in the bag, I've no doubt you'll power through it. Third marathon in 12 months, when you get out there you should feel a lot more confident about what you're doing

Unthought Known

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

You're actually in far better shape than I am. With all those sessions and LSRs in the bag, I've no doubt you'll power through it. Third marathon in 12 months, when you get out there you should feel a lot more confident about what you're doing

Thanks J. If you fancy dropping back to 3:45 you can shout that at me for 26.2 miles

Unthought Known

Friday 13th Oct: 3 miles very easy at 9:49 avg

Saturday 14th Oct: 4.2 miles easy at 9:27 avg

Sunday 15th Oct: 13.6 miles at 9:37 avg.
Meno' plan had me down for 15 miles. I'd already decided to lower this to 12, but got the route wrong. Lovely run anyway with no pressure to hold any kind of pace.

35 miles for the week.

annapr

Unthought Known wrote: »

Thanks guys. Still have that niggling doubt that I can actually run a marathon around that pace. I just need to trust the training and commit.

As a wise follower of the Meno plan said to me 2 years ago... if you can nail that session, you can do the marathon at that pace! It's the magical session of the plan... Well done, looking good

Unthought Known

annapr wrote: »

As a wise follower of the Meno plan said to me 2 years ago... if you can nail that session, you can do the marathon at that pace! It's the magical session of the plan... Well done, looking good

Thanks, I'll tell myself that on Crumlin Rd "I ran the Meno session, I ran the Meno session"

Unthought Known

Tuesday 17th Oct: 3 miles easy at 9:31 avg. Nothing much to report, usual Stepaside loop.

Wednesday 18th Oct: 6 miles MP at 8:28 avg. Plan called for 10 miles with 8 at MP. Unfortunately I had a window of less than an hour so just ran at MP until my daughter's training finished. Asthma was playing up a bit the first mile, probably because I literally started running as I got out of the car. In hindsight I should have run at least half a mile warm-up as the whole evening was one big rush. Anyway, lesson learned and all that. The last 4 miles were enjoyable once I got into a steady stride.

Splits: 8:26, 8:24, 8:33, 8:28, 8:29, 8:27

Thursday 18th Oct: 4 miles easy at 9:29 avg. Lunchtime run, in the rain, down the canal and back. Too many people feeding the pigeons and seagulls. Pet hate of mine, flying rats blocking the whole path and it's a lottery which way they'll fly away as you run past.
While we're on the subject, another one that annoys me, the pigeon guy in Stephens Green getting tourists to let the rats land on them. I see a few people running there every day having to avoid hundreds of the little sh*ts (pigeons, not tourists). Pretty sure there's a dedicated thread for me to rant.

Off to Micky Flanagan tonight. Hopefully he can take my mind off pigeons!

aquinn

You're doing incredibly well. Don't lose confidence in yourself now. Listen to Anna and stick to the plan.

I hope you have a super DCM. Well done Andy.

scotindublin

PMA Andy!

You have got a pretty non stop quality block of training behind you for the whole of 2017 you are going to smash the marathon this year.....no doubt about that in my mind!

Also looking forward to hearing how you feel about the second tilt at Dublin.

Annie get your Run

+1 to both the above, keep the faith and most importantly don't let negativity seep in, you can do this!

Unthought Known

aquinn wrote: »

You're doing incredibly well. Don't lose confidence in yourself now. Listen to Anna and stick to the plan.

I hope you have a super DCM. Well done Andy.

scotindublin wrote: »

PMA Andy!

You have got a pretty non stop quality block of training behind you for the whole of 2017 you are going to smash the marathon this year.....no doubt about that in my mind!

Also looking forward to hearing how you feel about the second tilt at Dublin.

Annie get your Run wrote: »

+1 to both the above, keep the faith and most importantly don't let negativity seep in, you can do this!

Thanks all. Still positive about DCM and absolutely positive that I hate pigeons

The Muppet

Unthought Known wrote: »

Tuesday 17th Oct: 3 miles easy at 9:31 avg. Nothing much to report, usual Stepaside loop.

Wednesday 18th Oct: 6 miles MP at 8:28 avg. Plan called for 10 miles with 8 at MP. Unfortunately I had a window of less than an hour so just ran at MP until my daughter's training finished. Asthma was playing up a bit the first mile, probably because I literally started running as I got out of the car. In hindsight I should have run at least half a mile warm-up as the whole evening was one big rush. Anyway, lesson learned and all that. The last 4 miles were enjoyable once I got into a steady stride.

Splits: 8:26, 8:24, 8:33, 8:28, 8:29, 8:27



Off to Micky Flanagan tonight. Hopefully he can take my mind off pigeons!

Going out out so.

You've put in really consistant training A , good luck on the day .

Unthought Known

Saturday 21st Oct: 8.1 miles easy at 9:40 avg.
Meno' plan had me in for a 12 mile LSR tomorrow, but I'd already decided to cut this back to 8-10 miles and to run it today. Nice and easy, let myself slow down into the wind and overall I just felt great. The taper must be working!

21 miles for the week. Even my wife said "you've been running that in one run lately".
Rest day tomorrow, family plans. A rest day! On a Sunday!

Wubble Wubble

Beautiful stuff. I'll be anxiously looking over my shoulder next week. You've done a wonderful job on the Meno plan.

Unthought Known

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Beautiful stuff. I'll be anxiously looking over my shoulder next week. You've done a wonderful job on the Meno plan.

Thanks J. I've no doubt you'll smah it next week. If I see a sandy cap at any point I'll know I've gone out too fast!

Murph_D

I ran my second DCM off the meno plan with a similar target to yours. My report is here if you're interested. Didn't quite make it, but it was a decent run and still one of my more treasured race experiences. Best of luck - you've done well with the plan. If you spot meno in McGrattan's make sure to let him know how you got on (and buy him a pint, in the best tradition of virtual mentorship)!

Unthought Known

Murph_D wrote: »

I ran my second DCM off the meno plan with a similar target to yours. My report is here if you're interested. Didn't quite make it, but it was a decent run and still one of my more treasured race experiences. Best of luck - you've done well with the plan. If you spot meno in McGrattan's make sure to let him know how you got on (and buy him a pint, in the best tradition of virtual mentorship)!

Thanks, great race report (Boards shirt?) and a brilliant time. I'd be very happy with a 3:46.
Interesting that you paced most by effort rather than sticking to a rigid 8:32 pace. That's how I'm planning it, but to be closer to 1:53 at half way. In a way I'm glad there's no official 3:45 pacer.

I should make McGrattans, planning to anyway. I will definitely buy meno a pint if I see him. Will need some help though unless I go in with a big sign

Murph_D

Unthought Known wrote: »

Thanks, great race report (Boards shirt?) and a brilliant time. I'd be very happy with a 3:46.
Interesting that you paced most by effort rather than sticking to a rigid 8:32 pace. That's how I'm planning it, but to be closer to 1:53 at half way. In a way I'm glad there's no official 3:45 pacer.

I should make McGrattans, planning to anyway. I will definitely buy meno a pint if I see him. Will need some help though unless I go in with a big sign

Not sure that I paced by effort - keeping an eye on the watch pretty closely but just the natural variation with the up and down nature of the course. It's important not to get too focused on hitting the splits exactly.

See you in McGrattan's so. We'll point meno out to you!