Finding Shotgun

shotgunmcos

Wednesday 6 June

Easy Aerobic Run
14.24km (8.8m) in 1:12:54 pace 5:07/km (8:14/mi)
I had a dilemma this morning. I had the swim bag ready and running gear ready. I like to swim on Wednesday mornings as the sets are usually CSS (Critical Swim Capacity - akin to LT in Running). Also I'm only getting 1 or 2 swims a week. If I missed this morning then Friday morning is my only window left to swim. Then I thought that the midweek MLR will be a feature of the Marathon plan. In order to get prepared for running MLRs during the dark cold wet winter days I'd want to start loving running with the dawn chorus on Wednesdays. So decision made, I laced up and headed out the door to see an orange ball popping up over the city line. Its going to be warm again.

The first 2km were horrible. I was still half asleep and my legs felt like they were trailing behind me. After that shuffle the chilly calm air woke me up and I headed a few km out of my usual route. I did a loop of the Playground at Mungret and its a nice 1.25km undulating smooth track. I noted it as a nice alternative to intervals in the Industrial Estate. I kept the effort reigned in back through suburbia and enjoyed it. The average HR was 136 and max 152 (The flyover hill by my house and for once ran over it without crossing 155). I was home in time to sit outside with the kids for breakfast. Even better I made a Monkey Business smoothie last night and forgot I had left half of it in the fridge. A post run treat with my boiled egg and coffee. Good start to a day!

shotgunmcos

Thursday 7 June
Aerobic Fartlek Run

Milestone day today. Yes its the wedding anniversary for Caz and I but no, that's not it. I've switched back to the dark side, yep, MILES!!

8.28 miles tonight as 4x easy mile/MP tempo mile. MP tempo being effort, NOT pace. The target marathon pace is 6:40 in a bit over 10 months. I couldn't hit that for a single rep yet. Not worried, I still have 3 ,more weeks to go in the "get fit to train" block.

The MP Tempo is based off P&D (I'm reading Hanson but will likely go with P&D 55-70 tweaked a bit) 150-160bpm. Its just a tad over the base aerobic cap I'm training at now. The reps tonight were 6:58, 6:57, 7:21, 7:40. Even though I encountered hills for the last 2 reps I was slowing down anyway. Just not fit. On the hills of course my MP tempo pace was 8mins+

The significance of the switch to miles.
Why? Well the marathon markers are miles and marathon speak seems still rooted to miles. I also can't be arsed converting km to miles on an app after every run!
Well? The decision is the easy bit. I now have to add all new markers, relearn all my local routes that have been kms for the last decade, change the watch and diary plans, convert the marathon plan back to miles and all added to the existing list of

Change my body shape
Change my metabolism
Lose weight
Improve core strength
Get running fit
Do some races.

I started out running in 2007 with the Connemara Half and DCM and recorded Miles. Continued to use miles in 2008 for 2 marathons. From 2009 on I took up triathlon, then adventure racing and every single thing was metric. First thing I noticed tonight... Miles are so long!

RayCun

Since you are training by heart rate, not pace, it's just the distances in the plan that are in miles, right? It's easy enough to convert those as you go. Then get a pace band in miles for the marathon to check against the mile markers.

All the marathon plans I've followed have been in miles, but I run in kms, no problem.

shotgunmcos

Training purely by heart rate for now RayCun. Simply to regain the fitness. Once the pace comes down into the right zones I'll focus on both. Yep distances in the plan and I could convert easily enough to train in kms.

My main problem with running is I've just never really given it priority, with the exception of spring 2012 where I bagged a half marathon pb. For triathlon swim technique and bike power took the main stage. Half my runs in training were off the bike. For the next few years it was mountains, map and compass and paddling that were priority.

Switching to miles for the plan and training centers me on running, and running a marathon at that. The last time I did that was my first marathon (DCM) with a rowing mate of mine. We both wore rolled down rowing suits and had mars bars tucked into the rolls. Th eplan was to eat one at mile 5, 10, 15 and 20 (How little we knew and how simple life was then!) The bars naturally all melted by the time we hit the Phoenix Park and we thus had no fuel!

shotgunmcos

Friday 8 June

Easy Aerobic Run 5.9 miles at 8.08/mi
Its still warm and muggy out there. I forgot my hrm so ran this on feel keeping myself in check. I varied the loop slightly to take in some of the nicest and rougher parts of town. The lunchtime buzz was palpable with exam student chatter, exchange student chatter and tourists walking 2-4 abreast on the quays and horses loose on Hyde Road. I didn't mind threading my way through the city life. Lots of people just chilling and enjoying the sunshine. According to our resident Weatherman MT Cranium however, it looks due to cool and get wet.

shotgunmcos

Saturday 9 June

Row Progression 30mins as 20@Z1, 5@Z2, 5@Z3 and 25min Yoga
7,269m. Avg hr 133, max 160
The purpose of the short row late this evening was to
1. Warm up for some Yoga stretches (hardly needed as I was sweating before starting!)
2. Get the metabolism going for a late snack
3. Wake up the legs so they are not fully fresh for the long run

Need to be up with the birds or I miss my only window.

shotgunmcos

Sunday 10 June

Long Run 16.18 miles @7.50/mi
Good 2hr+ run over the first half of the GLR route. Same route as last week. Same heart rate 145avg/155max. However the pace a little better. I was up at 4:30 for coffee, water and bathroom. Out the door for 5am. Cool calm cloudy dawn. The first mile as usual felt ropey but the second mile felt fresh, 7:30. Too quick, had to dial it back and get back to base aerobic effort. The next 10 miles were steady and enjoyable. It was only the last half hour I felt I had to work and my right hamstring and hip flexor started to tighten. Got to my house at 15.9 miles so naturally ran to the next lamp post for 16. Solid run.

shotgunmcos

Week 5 of 52 Summary

Run 6x - 6hrs35 and 50.01 miles
Row 2x - 1hr39 and 23,893m
Yoga 2x - 1hr30
Total 9hrs44

Good
Hit 50 miles so that's another milestone this week and the most running I've done in a week since spring 2012. Body adapting OK and feels good just need to focus on hamstring and hip flexibility (or lack of). Weigh in at 81.2kg.

Not Good
No swimming. Said to myself I'll swim at least once a week at least

Objectives this week
More of the same in terms of running
Aerobic recovery test row tomorrow
Dig out the foam roller and kettlebells
Take the bike out for a short spin as I have a work cycle thing coming up soon.
Earlier to bed

runrun2

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Week 5 of 52 Summary

Run 6x - 6hrs35 and 50.01 miles
Row 2x - 1hr39 and 23,893m
Yoga 2x - 1hr30
Total 9hrs44

Good
Hit 50 miles so that's another milestone this week and the most running I've done in a week since spring 2012. Body adapting OK and feels good just need to focus on hamstring and hip flexibility (or lack of). Weigh in at 81.2kg.

Not Good
No swimming. Said to myself I'll swim at least once a week at least

Objectives this week
More of the same in terms of running
Aerobic recovery test row tomorrow
Dig out the foam roller and kettlebells
Take the bike out for a short spin as I have a work cycle thing coming up soon.
Earlier to bed

I've been following your log Shotgun, improving no end.
Is this because of a change in attitude, body healing or change in routine at home?

shotgunmcos

runrun2 wrote: »

I've been following your log Shotgun, improving no end.
Is this because of a change in attitude, body healing or change in routine at home?

Hi runrun2 thank for stopping by and for your observation. Routine at home is the same as needs to be with 2 tiny kids, for sanity. So not that! Its more about Finding Shotgun as the log title says. Its a slight change in attitude (a bit more than your January motivation thing) and a bit more of the mind & body healing.

After a few years of messing around with triathlon and adventure racing (with some success) 2 things happened in 2016 that slowed me down. I fell off my bike and my youngest was born. The former just put the bike in the shed (where it has been since) but the latter sat me up. He had a rough start to life and we came very close to losing him at just 5 weeks old. He is 1.5yrs and perfect now but nothing else mattered for months. I decided to start back slowly in 2017 and aimed for DCM but was blindsided by an illness in the summer that knocked me for six. It left me with stuff to manage and I sort of slipped into darker place (everything was fine to the all the world on the outside). Luckily for me I have great friends, a wonderful family and other hobbies to distract me, just not ones that help you lose weight!

I started 2018 with the usual big ambitions but less that half hearted and unrealistic goals. It took a few months of reading over old diaries, chatting with people etc. to take stock. Everything around me was fine, gave myself a kick in the arse to accept the hand I was dealt last summer and went out to watch the Limerick Marathon. It brought me back to how simple life was when you could either shake the world off or fix the world with a simple run. I also felt shame that even though I've done a hatful of marathons, my only DNF to date is Limerick 2011. The goal became simple and that was the first thing I needed. The next bit was a dose of reality. I had let myself slide a bit so there would be some rebuilding to be done before I could even train for the marathon. A plan!

Its amazing what a clear goal, a realistic (Life balanced) plan and just getting on with it can do for motivation. I drew a line and put pen to a new diary. Consistency breeds consistency is my current mantra.

shotgunmcos

Monday 11 June

Yoga & Swim.
28mins Yoga with Adriene focus on abs this morning pre swim.
56mins in the pool, which is back to 50m and 3,000m total. It was quiet and after a long warm up a small group of us gone on with the main set. 4x (200m, 150m, 100m, 50m) all done at steady effort and 10 sec breather between reps. I lead out 2 sets. No idea of times and the Garmin died during the night and I was too Zen this morning to notice. Good swim and I could feel the stretch in my shoulder on a backstroke cool down. Planned row later so interested to see how the body is after the long run yesterday.

Neady83

Once you set your mind on something M, you're focus and drive is commendable. I'm delighted that it's all clicking into place for you

shotgunmcos

Monday 11 June Session 2

Aerobic Z2 Row & Recovery check
I set the session for 21,097m (half marathon) and a 90min pace boat. The idea is keep up with the pace boat for as long as I can until the cardiac drift hits the Z2 cap. I stop on the first stroke after the hr touches 156. The session tells me in numbers what I should know about my condition and aerobic recovery from last weeks load ending with the Long Run. It won't generally seek out running niggles but is a good barometer for the week ahead

• Complete the half marathon and I'm fresh
• 60min good and 70+ very good
• 40-50mins and 10-12,000m is normal
• <40mins is not good and I'm still feeling the long run or something else
• <30mins and I'm pretty fatigued, Ill or injured and not ready for the plan

I was tired and not really in the mood so surprised to get to 15,982m or 1:06:15. It was tougher mentally than physically but good physical session nonetheless. The objective is 55 miles this week

joey100

Great bit of consistency going, good to see.

You mentioned changing your metabolism in a post earlier, just wondering what's your approach to this going to be??

shotgunmcos

joey100 wrote: »

Great bit of consistency going, good to see.

You mentioned changing your metabolism in a post earlier, just wondering what's your approach to this going to be??

Cheers joey100. I had a DXA scan done a few years ago as part of a Fitness Study Group in UL and found out that I have a high % of lean weight. Undoubtedly from my days in the gym as a Rower. Particularly my arms and shoulders. This doesn't help endurance running, especially in heat. I sweat a lot, chew through calories and lose electrolytes (I've ended up in an ambulance with electrolyte imbalance twice after races). Now, I don't want to lose the lean weight just cut the body fat down. To this end its not just the running (which is already having an effect) but nutrition. I eat generally well but I will reduce sugar, increase protein. Simple things like having a salty egg every morning, a spoon of hemp or algea in the smoothie, greens, recovery shakes, curtail the biscuits and stick to dark chocolate (that I prefer anyway).

More low GI carbs and capped aerobic running for slow metabolism and slow twitch muscles firing longer etc..

Basically become a lean fat burning sub 3 machine!

shotgunmcos

Tuesday 12 June

AM: Easy Run 6.34 miles @7:51/mi in and out of a quiet town and 18mins Yoga
PM: Easy Run 5.37 miles @7:47/mi around suburbia

Similar hr for both 143/154 and 144/155 but this evenings run was different on 2 counts. It had some hills and I focused on cadence. 83.5 vs 81.5 this morning. The am runs usually start with a sleepy plodding first mile. A tad more pep this evening. It's still so humid but a little cooler and I don't have to slow to walking pace on little hills.

shotgunmcos

Wednesday 13 June

Medium Long Run & Yoga
11.04 miles @7:53/mi
1:26:58, hr 145/155 and cadence 83
18mins Yoga with Adriene runners cool down

The run included the last 8 miles of the GLR route. Its quite undulating and I can only imagine how tough it was this year with 20+ degrees sunshine! The heart rate and cadence are the same as the weekend's long run but tonight felt like more work. Maybe because it was windy. Maybe because it was late after a long day. I would much prefer to have this done in the morning. Its usually calmer, no traffic and I'd get to bed earlier. Still, since I was reluctant to head out into the cool wind I'm glad its done. Keeping up the momentum. The yoga stretch was good and needed too

healy1835

shotgunmcos wrote: »

The run included the last 8 miles of the GLR route. Its quite undulating and I can only imagine how tough it was this year with 20+ degrees sunshine!

Character building!

shotgunmcos

Thursday 14 June

Run 8.91 miles inc 10x 400m intervals with 60sec jog recovery

Again kids acting up to near 9pm so late out. Motivation wasn't great. After just a mile I looped home to use the bathroom. Felt better after that and continued a 3 mile easy warm up to the Raheen Industrial Estate to start the workout. Pushed straight into the zone and felt stronger than I did last time I did this session.

Reps: 91, 86, 89, 90, 91, 85, 88, 90, 86, 91 average 89 (5:58/mi) max hr 175
I spent just 3:31mins in Z5 (above LT)

Compared to a month ago in week 2
Reps: 94, 93, 90, 97, 91, 91, 100, 94, 94, 96 average 94 (6:21/mi) max hr 179
And I spent 7:02mins in Z5

So in a month that's real progress! I felt stronger and paced them better (though still not good). More even paced unlike too fast and fading last time. Very good session for where I'm at and the heavens opened for a downpour on the 2 mile cool down, which was glorious!

shotgunmcos

Friday 15 June

Swim Session 2,100m.

I nearly didn't get out for this. Partly because it was pretty late to bed after the run, shower, food and prep last night. Mostly though because Zoe was up and insisting I have breakfast with her. I helped to get everything ready and had to Wait for Caz to come downstairs with the little fella to go. I missed the warm up but no biggie. First thing I saw was fins on for the first 1k set. Some just use that as an excuse to swim faster. I go for distance per stroke and really work on technique so a whole 1k of this was great. As such for the 2x150m, 2x200m, 2x150m the times were irrelevant. The fins don't make me fast, just more efficient. Instead of 38-40 strokes per length, it was 32-34 spl.

The next 1k set was 2x100m hard and 50m moderate, 4x. Yuck. I lead out and hit 1:34 for the first 2. The Coach told me to go for 1:30. I didn't have the legs or arms for it. Barely held 1:34 for the remaining 3 sets. I'm not a fan of the Friday swims. Its usually faster stuff and swimming once or twice a week I feel I get more benefit from longer reps. The speedy stuff is good to place on top of consistence CSS swimming. Alas Running, for once, is my main focus so whatever I can do swimming is something.

shotgunmcos

Saturday 16 June

Run 3 miles easy @8:20/mi and 32mins Yoga
Better than nothing. Slept in until Zoe got up at 7 and made pancakes. We did some Yoga afterwards as the rest of the house snoozed. All relaxed. Caz off so plan was to watch the rugby and head out for 7 miles easy. Then Caz called into work so that went out the window. Once she got home and I got dinner up for everyone it was into kiddie bedtime routine. I had about 20mins of a window so I threw on my shiny new New Balance 880v7s in blue to start breaking them in. A couple of really easy loops of the block and that was that.

I already have the same pair of NB 880v7s in grey and the plan is to rotate. I'm lucky that I can wear neutral shoes and the bit of cushioning serves its purpose for the mileage. Last time I ran consistently I had a plethora of various runners but the current grey NB 880s only have 200 miles or so. Caz got them for my birthday and they only came out when I started this "get fit to train" block. The last shoes I bought before these were 2 pairs of NB 1080s back in 2014. A white pair retired after 800 miles and are now my shoes for commuting and rowing. The other blue pair were barely holding together after 900 miles in 4+ years. I was using them for short easy lunchtime runs until 2 weeks ago when the kicked the bucket. They just suddenly felt dead one day and the creak in the knee told me to replace them. They are in bits and don't even make it to lawn duty. Anyway I really like these 880s. First running shoes (apart from trail shoes) I've purchased in years. I got the grey pair in March as they were about the only NB in the store that didn't have memory foam! Memory foam in runners!?! The gimmicks these days...

shotgunmcos

Sunday 17 June Father's Day

Long Run 16.17 miles @7:42/mi
Same run as last week. Up at 5 and out for 6 for another 2hrs+ in the bank. It was dull and drizzling heavily. Both shoes and self were soaked by the time I hit UL. I had to check my pace a couple of times in the first few miles. Definitely feeling fitter as the first 8 miles were more about holding back than holding up. By 9m I was working and by 13m it was a bit laboured and I had to focus on form (posture and mid foot strike).
The heart rate 144/154 was similar to usual but the pace was a shade quicker. What I'm more happy about is an average cadence of 84. That's good for me over 2hrs.

When I got home I was greeted by smiling faces, kiddie crayon cards and a full Irish for breakfast! Boom! 1,600Kcals replaced in 15 minutes! That's the morning over. Off to the pool now with the same smiling faces. Great to get up and get the LR done and dusted first thing.

shotgunmcos

Sunday 17 June Yoga and Week 6 Wash Up

20mins stretchy yoga. New Yoga mat ordered. My cheap one annoys me as it bunches up and moves around.

Weekly Numbers
Run 6x, 6hrs34 and 50.83 miles
Yoga 5x, 1hr46
Swim 2x, 1hr43 and 5,100m
Row 1x, 1hr06 and 15,982m
Total 11hrs09 and weigh in at 80.6kg. -3.5kg since I started week 1

Happy to hit the run volume and include an interval session and good LR.
Overall feeling good.
Corporate Charity thing this week involving Cycling day 1 and a half marathon day 2. Plan is to do the 50k cycle (options are 160,100 or 50) and the run the HM at marathon tempo (heart rate 150-160) and see what pace that yields

shotgunmcos

Monday 18 June

Easy Run 6.32 miles @8:02 pace and 20 mins Yoga with Adriene
Out the door before the kids awoke for a short out and back through town. I felt sleepy and the legs would not cooperate for the first mile but picked it up. It was cool and calm and 2 other runners popped out after 6. Wore the new NB 880v7 shoes and surprised that they feel ready to go already. That's good but also means they will likely wear away quickly. 20 mins yoga sharing the mat with Zoe afterwards. She was more interested in playing and either crawled under my legs or jumped on my back, making the holds a bit tougher than usual. First time running on Monday but had to be done with work getting in the way this week. HR was 136/147 and in the very easy range. That's good as I could barely keep my hr under 150 a few weeks ago

shotgunmcos

Tuesday 19 June

Easy Run 8.62 miles @7:27/mi
1:04:15 and hr 145/157
Busy logs! I had to collect this from page 2. Early upper end of aerobic run this morning before a commute to the big smoke. Pushed the cadence and effort to just below Marathon effort for 5 miles and the pace was close to what it will need to be for long runs during the program (7:18/mi). I couldn't hold it for any longer without crossing properly into Marathon effort and the fitness isn't there either. Happy enough that I'm getting close to "fit to train". The cadence was 85 average which was good. I need it to be 86-88 really to have that pep in the step.

Cycle tomorrow and a Half Marathon Thursday. Nowhere near fit enough to give a HM a go so the plan will be to try and keep it between 150-160hr and see what the pace is and how far from target LR and MP pace that is.

shotgunmcos

Wednesday 20 July

Bike 116km in about 4.5hrs or 5hrs Inc stops.
Corporate Charity event with 450 riders supporting Africa Lessons for Life. Included 2 Checkpoints to stock up. Missed the Sean Kelly group so made up time on a tough first leg. Met the man and had a small chat at the stop which was cool. Put a group together then for the rest which really helped it fly by. It's a year to the day that my bike has seen tarmac so just happy to get through it. Got a massage after some stoneoven baked pizza and porterhouse beer. Quads and calves. She found a knot in the left calf that nearly brought tears to my eyes but had mercy since I have a half marathon to run tomorrow.

Kellygirl

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Wednesday 20 July

Bike 116km in about 4.5hrs or 5hrs Inc stops.
Corporate Charity event with 450 riders supporting Africa Lessons for Life. Included 2 Checkpoints to stock up. Missed the Sean Kelly group so made up time on a tough first leg. Met the man and had a small chat at the stop which was cool. Put a group together then for the rest which really helped it fly by. It's a year to the day that my bike has seen tarmac so just happy to get through it. Got a massage after some stoneoven baked pizza and porterhouse beer. Quads and calves. She found a knot in the left calf that nearly brought tears to my eyes but had mercy since I have a half marathon to run tomorrow.

Good luck in the half marathon.

runrun2

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Wednesday 20 July

Bike 116km in about 4.5hrs or 5hrs Inc stops.
Corporate Charity event with 450 riders supporting Africa Lessons for Life. Included 2 Checkpoints to stock up. Missed the Sean Kelly group so made up time on a tough first leg. Met the man and had a small chat at the stop which was cool. Put a group together then for the rest which really helped it fly by. It's a year to the day that my bike has seen tarmac so just happy to get through it. Got a massage after some stoneoven baked pizza and porterhouse beer. Quads and calves. She found a knot in the left calf that nearly brought tears to my eyes but had mercy since I have a half marathon to run tomorrow.

Jez you must be in great shape to get that mileage in if you havnt trained for it in a year. Excellent.

shotgunmcos

Thursday 21 June

Corporate Charity Half Marathon
13.1 miles in 1:34:14
Pace 7:13/mi and hr 163/174

The event started at 1130 so a bit of hanging around. 60 or so in the half. My plan was spend most of the time at 150-160hr and limit the time out of that zone. The first 2 miles were soft grass, woodchipped trail and up and down steep river banks on Castlemartin Estate out into Kilcullen. Though it wasn't a race you can't help getting a little competitive. I was third chasing 2 lads that took off. 6:58 and 6:57 for those opening miles and my heart rate was 167! Not the plan.

Kept telling myself to back off and managed to settle between 158-162hr comfortably for the next 3 miles in 7:20, 7:10, 7:18. Before we left town and headed for a loop of the countryside I ran past a water station. It was warm and sunny so I doubled back to get some. It was off the road behind a wall though so while I grabbed a cup 2 other lads passed by. Mile 6 and 7 included mainly hills and climbing and I struggled to keep my hr in the mid 160s with a 7:35 and 7:28. I could feel the bike effort in every hill today. I caught up with the 4th place lad who was having a stitch. I advised him to pull back to settle it but he pressed on ahead, only to have to stop at the next water stop. This time I grabbed a cup and kept running. I needed to settle my effort though. Only half way.

What goes up must come down and miles 8 and 9 were mainly downhill. 6:42 and 6:58 and I lost the young lad. 3rd was nowhere to be seen so I plugged away focusing on my cadence for the next 2 miles back to Kilcullen. 7:19 and 7:15 for those 2. With 2 miles to go ascending a decent hill I reeled in 3rd. A German guy who was tying up. Greeted him as I passed but pushed on. My hr was 170 at the top of this hill but it was now flat into town. Mile 12 was 7:03. The last mile was the long driveway into the Estate and a reverse of the off road half mile around the river that we did at the start. Lovely terrain but a cruel finish. 7:36 for the last one. 3rd home and first duathlete

Overall I over egged the goal effort. 163hr avg is lower than my pb marathon hr avg (165) so while it was work, particularly after that long bike yesterday, it wasn't far off marathon effort. Overall I'm happy. 1:35 in my mind would have been best possible outcome for my current shape so good to hit that. I still obviously have so much to do to get back to my half pb, or more importantly sub 3 shape. This is why I gave it time. I'm sure the pace will come If I keep consistently working and conditioning. Cadence was 87 today which is bang on where I want to be. I got another rub on the tight left calf again to flush out the knot. No complaints today.

Kurt.Godel

Nice one Mike thats a solid time worthy of your training so far.

My plan was spend most of the time at 150-160hr and limit the time out of that zone.

I don't train by HR myself but was told once by someone who did that you either stick to a HR plan or you don't- and if you don't you're fooling yourself that you're training by HR. So if you don't mind me picking holes in your post- who decided 150-160 was the goal zone, and why didn't you stick to it? If you were to run the race again knowing what you do, would you aim for a higher HR?

This is just mainly for my own curiosity so feel free to ignore; 1:34 is a fab time a day after a long bike and you deserve to wallow in good vibes for a while!