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Run for your life!!!!
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Tuesday 20th August - 40 mins tempo. 5.35m @ 7:29 (warm up & cool down either side)
The slinking-out-of-the-hotel-room manoeuvre was perfected further this morning. Not a soul stirred.
Decided against returning to the previous day's location as the GPS signal was a little iffy due to the amount of tree coverage so worked out a 7 mile loop of the wider area and started off with a 1 mile warm up.
Took a few seconds to myself before starting the tempo run and off I went. Instantly regretted the route I had chosen as I had to navigate my way around approx a mile of uneven and broken footpath. Still, the pace was good and eventually the surface levelled out.
Found it easy enough to maintain the pace of about 7:30-ish but 4 miles in, out of nowhere, a torrential downpour came bucketing down and within about 10 seconds I was drenched from head to toe. No way was I stopping for this so sloshed my way through it. Thankfully, the pace didn't suffer and hit the 40 mins mark after about 5.3 miles.
Really enjoyed that.
Wednesday 21st August - 60 mins easy. 6.17m @ 9.45
Heading back to Dublin on the evening ferry so had to make it another early run. Made my way back to Fletcher Moss, this time taking in more of the banks of the Mersey and went very much off the beaten track before making my way out of the park and into the lovely Didsbury village.
The sailing back to Dublin later that night was absolute pants so treated myself to an entry to the Ratoath Half........:cool:
Thursday 22nd August - 60 mins easy. 6.27m @ 9.36
A nice easy 60 minutes to cap off the week until Frank Duffy on Saturday. For some reason the Garmin wouldn't upload to Strava so had to do it manually. I've tried everything but it's still acting up. At least it's recording the runs/pace/mileage......definitely time for a new watch!!!
So, Frank Duffy 10 mile tomorrow. Feeling nervous but also looking forward to it. The plan is to be sensible from the off and see how the planned pace suits me. I feel like I dodged a bullet with that knee trouble earlier in the month so am glad just to be able to make it to the start line. What it all comes down to really - regardless of the outcome - is that it's another race under my belt. The plan is to keep chipping away and hopefully in time, I will start to see gradual improvements!!0 -
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Frank Duffy 10 mile
Woke up about an hour earlier than planned but used it to my advantage by ensuring that I would finally arrive on time for something.
Was in the Park for 8:45am and enjoyed a nice relaxing stroll up to the bag drop.
Went off on an easy jog up Chesterfield Ave before bumping into Wubble Wubble who was on volunteering duties. Ran up to Castleknock gate, back down Chesterfield and onto North Road (I think I passed Sheep here), past the Aras and back around to the start line.
I was feeling good and the conditions felt like they would be just right. Said a quick hello to Murph_D who was starting a little further back and then Skyblue who was there to cheer on the troops.
I told Skyblue that I'd already decided 70 mins might be a step too far but some gentle nudging made me think that it may just be worth a shot.
Miles 1-3
As expected, there was quite a bit of congestion from the off but nowhere near as bad as I thought. Once we came off Chesterfield and onto OS Rd, I nearly had a tumble as I mounted the grass verge to overtake another runner. The left ankle rolled over in a pothole and was lucky it didn't send me flying.
Made sure I kept the pace between 7:00/7:20 for the first couple of miles, especially on the downhill stretch towards the Chapelizod Gate. I just about managed this for mile 2, coming in just under 7 mins for that mile.
The first test came along the uphill S-bends along Military Rd but still kept the pace as I wanted it. The first water station was a disaster and ended up with virtually no water intake.The downhill trundle towards the foot of the Kyhber pass was a welcome respite before another climb up towards the monument. "Can I really do this?" was a question that introduced itself at the worst possible time.
Splits: 7:12/6:59/7:10
Miles 4-6
Once past the monument, it was back around onto Chesterfield Ave where there was some good support by the side of the road and gave Skyblue a shout just before turning onto Lord's Walk. Strangely, and out of nowhere, I suddenly felt completely wiped of all energy and tried my best to ignore thoughts of stopping. My breathing became erratic, my legs were starting to ache and I desperately needed water. I was finding it hard to process the desire to throw in the towel right there and then, only 4 miles in. First things first - SLOW. DOWN.
I figured there might be a chance to salvage something if I just take it easy for a couple of miles, so brought the pace back to around 7:30-7:45. The stretch along the North Road seemed to last an eternity but we eventually hit the halfway mark just before the next water station in the triangle before rejoining the North Rd. This one went a bit more smoothly and poured the contents of two plastics cups down my back and drank what was left of the third cup.
Splits: 7:24/7:31/7:48
Miles 7-9
As we made our way back up towards Chesterfield Ave, I felt a second wind come on and the legs started moving a bit more freely, minus the ache I'd experienced the in the previous mile. Caught up with Damo2k9 and was effortlessly passed out by Rossi7 who looked very composed. Once onto Chesterfield Ave, I felt like I was clawing back a few valuable seconds and when we hit Acres Road, I noticed my pace had steadied out but by this stage I had decided to readjust my target time to 75 mins, knowing that the legs just didn't have what it would take to finish and better than that.
Caught up with Damo again as we hit the beginning of the climb along the Upper Glenn Road.I was feeling good as I clocked there was only a mile and a half to go. Rossi was making great progress up ahead and showed no signs of fatigue. Then Damo put the foot down and gradually drifted ahead.
About half way up this stretch, it was as if the entire field of runners who had been behind me had been suddenly unleashed from their shackles and I was overtaken by a serious amount of runners in the space of about a minute. Obviously they had run a far more sensible race and were reaping the benefits of their fresher legs. That was a little demoralising and did nothing for my physical state which again was staring to wane.
Splits: 7:47/7:45/7:38
Mile 10
The less said about this mile the better. There were a good few walkers by this stage and I have to say, even with less than half a mile to go, I was sorely tempted to join them as I was utterly spent. I knew even at the start of this mile that I wouldn't have enough in the tank even to attempt a final sprint towards the finish line.
I tried anyway but it was no use. Out of gas.
Split: 8:08
Crossed the finish line in a heap time of 1:16:37. A PB of 1 min, 34 secs, not the 2 mins I had figured earlier on. Still .......a PB is a PB is a PB. I guess.
The warm weather was clearly a factor and I learned from Skyblue afterwards that a few other Boardsies were some way behind their target times too. I think it's also safe to say that the chunk of training I missed earlier in the month will have had some bearing on my performance.
That being said, I am happy with my time and I'm also relieved that I didn't bow out during mile 4 when I felt it was all over.
Next up is the Ratoath Half where I'll be aiming for a 1:35. Onwards and upwards.0 -
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You know where you are. You can probably deduct 2 mins for the conditions. Good race, well done, K. “More to give”, as the age old saying says. I would take that performance.
I sure do D. Knowing where I am is more than half the battle. Finally getting the hang of setting myself realistic goals too!Bluesquare wrote: »Well done on the pb - and pushing until the end . It was a bit warm all right . I enjoyed those hills last year during the half . Yesterday they were mountains !! Ratoath will be nicer - a little bit sneakier but nicer !
Thanks for that! Are you doing Ratoath this year. It was one of my favourite races last year.Maybe not quite the time you hoped for, but I think perhaps the knee trouble came at the wrong time for this race and the conditions yesterday made it tough for many. You're still chipping away and the improvements are there to be seen. Congrats on the PB.
Well put E. I figured as much about half way through the race on Saturday. Aside from the heat factor, I definitely felt there was something missing, as if it wasn't really me that was running.........if that makes any sense?
Wubble Wubble wrote: »Congrats again on the PB. The fact that you kept going, even when it would have been "easy" to chuck it in early on, has got to be a positive. Like I say, sometimes you've just got to revise your targets mid race, know what's realistic on the day, and also (more importantly in this case) what isn't. Couple of good weeks training, and you'll be all set for a PB attempt in Ratoath. Look forward to it!
Cheers J. Looking back, the fact that I felt such an urge to stop has me really scratching my head. Last time I felt like that was during the last mile of my first ever Parkrun!
As far as my training during 2019 goes, I've definitely had more "life getting in the way" moments to contend with compared to last year which at times has me wondering "am I doing enough??"
Anyway, I'm not going to tackle that particular Hornet's nest right now. :rolleyes:
Just keep following the plan and don't do anything silly, I guess......0 -
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Sunday 25th August. 5 mile recovery run - 48:03 @9.36
Spent the bulk of the day doing some interior decorating - a job I used to enjoy.......:rolleyes: so it was around 10:30pm by the time I got out the door.
Have reverted back to using the phone during runs, as the watch has officially had its day and manually uploading runs to Strava is a pain in the backside.
This run went ok but I started wondering to myself if I should consider readjusting my targets and training paces for DCM following last Saturday's FD10. I know there were factors at play which had me finishing short of my target time but I don't know if I should just park it there, put it behind me and move on.
The training paces I have been working from up till now are from this year's Dunboyne 5 miler which, according to the various pace calculators, are giving me marathon times of approx 3:20. The prospect of running a 3:20 marathon quite honestly frightens me, even though that is a good 15 mins outside of my actual goal time.
Edit: for the record, I usually don't pay much heed of pace calculators, I just thought it was a bit of an eye opener that my race times would suggest a finish time that would be beyond a dream finish time!!0 -
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You're probably better off purchasing the watch from Amazon.co.uk at the Sterling price rather than a high street shop in the UK. Euro to Sterling exchange is very favourable at the moment. The Garmin Forerunner 235 was on offer recently on Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=garmin+forerunner+235&i=electronics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
SportDirect.co.uk also have the occasional deal too, remember to choose the UK website - https://www.sportsdirect.com/Garmin/Garmin-Running-Watches
Wiggle.co.uk as well, again making sure to pick Sterling as currency
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin/run/
Thanks T, very helpful!!
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Thursday 29th August. 60 mins easy. 6.24 m @ 9:39
Another late one. Legs felt shot to pieces which was probably the sleepless nights making themselves known.
Friday 30th August. Rest
Spent about 20/30 mins doing some S&C.
Saturday 31st August. 60 mins easy + Parkrun tagged on at the end. 9.47m @9:09
Had a rare early night on the Friday so was well rested and raring to go on Saturday morning. Early enough but not as early as usual.
Straight down to Griffeen Park for this, where I saw Mark Ryan (2:31 @ DCM in 2018) in action on a 20 mile training run. Timed this run so that I would make the start of the Griffeen parkrun. Just missed the start by about 30 seconds but was taking it handy anyway and caught up with a few familiar faces for a nice easy pace, before giving it some welly in the final stretch! :pac:
Lucan Harriers had taken over this particular Parkrun for the day to promote the 5 mile race next week (very tempted but will give it a miss) so there was plenty of cake and refreshments afterwards which went down a treat.
Sunday 1st September - 75 mins moderate pace (8:15-8:30). 9.27m @8:09
Busy morning planned so had to be up early for this. I spent the previous couple of days bemoaning the prospect of today's paltry 75 mins run which, compared to everyone's LSR's on Strava, looked like small fry. I needn't have worried......
Back down to Griffeen and started off at a pace of 8:15 for the first mile. Mile 2 went a little quicker and mile 3 quicker still. Brought it back to around 8:05/8:10 for the remainder of the run and felt comfortable with the pace which is giving me some much needed confidence for Ratoath in a couple of weeks where I'll be looking to run splits of between 7:10 - 7:15. Adrenaline will have a big part to play during that race, just as it did for the same event last year. I'm hoping that with the additional experience that the past year has given me, it will stand me in good stead on the day. In both of my half marathons to date, I have come away thinking "where did that come from??"
Afterwards, it was off to Catherine's Park for a Lucan Harriers training session with my son. He's still enjoying it, thankfully!!!
In other news, next month, I will be running a marathon. :eek:
Miles for the week - 39.46
Miles for the year - 10890 -
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Tuesday 3rd September. 65 mins easy - 6.75m @ 9:36
Late run tonight but a nice easy one, took a different route than usual for a change. That's about it really. *shrug*
Wednesday 4th September w/u. 7 x 4 mins @CV (6:45-6:55) w/ 3 mins rec jog - 6.14m @ 7:30
Thought this would be a great opportunity to use the Trinity grass track as I've not really done any speed work on it before now. Started with a worm up mile down Pearse Street, up Westland Row and into College through the Lincoln Gate before hitting the track. Left the phone behind as I knew it wouldn't be up to the job so went back to using the watch for what would hopefully be the last time (new watch on the way!).
The track was quiet enough with just a handful of runners doing some easy laps.
Won't go into a blow-by-blow account but I enjoyed this immensely and was really happy with the paces with were pretty consistent for each of the splits.
Thursday 5th September. 60 mins easy - 6.5m @9:33
Back to the early starts and out the door at 6am to semi-darkness. Time to get the hi-vis gear out once again!
Changed the route around a bit, finish off in Griffeen Park.
Friday 6th September - 45 mins S&C
Saturday 7th September. 60mins moderate pace - 7.47m @ 8.04
Down to Griffeen again, somewhere I never really tire of and the 'go to' place in Lucan for so many runners. Like with last week's moderate pace run, this was about 10-15 seconds a minute quicker than what the plan prescribed but felt ok. Not 100% sure the pace on the Strava app is the most reliable in the world but I reckon it's close enough.....:roll eyes:
Sunday 8th September. 2 hrs 15 mins easy (actual: 2 hrs 22 mins). 14.84mm @9:31
Went to bed on Friday not really knowing where to go for this one. I couldn't decide between Phoenix Park or Catherine's Park but woke up none the wiser. By the time I finally got my a**e in gear, it was too late to head to PP so decided to do a loop of Lucan/Celbridge/Castletown/Leixlip/Catherine's Park/Lucan. Again, the hi-vis gear was a must, particularly along the path-less road to Celbridge....not the wisest idea but thankfully given the early hour, only passed one car along that stretch.
GPS acted up for a couple of miles along the road into Celbridge village and also for most of Castletown Estate (after climbing over the as-yet-unopened gates) due to the amount of tree coverage.
Wasn't too much in the way of fuelling unfortunately (just a banana before leaving the house and a gel during mile 9. Didn't feel any adverse effects though but experienced the usual second and third winds during the latter stages of the run.
Played the spectator for once at this morning's Lucan Harriers 5 mile race. Beautiful morning for it and it was no surprise to see Mick Clohisey cruise his way to another impressive win. Great event and really well organised. Will definitely do this next year.
Now officially half way though the plan and with DCM looming large, I am now consumed by all things marathon related on an almost daily basis.
I am having numerous mental images of me running certain stages of the race with varying outcomes. I really have to try and get on top of this as it's becoming a big distraction and am finding it hard to focus. One day I will be feeling all positive about it, the next, I will find myself imagining the worst possible scenarios. Being what seemed like seconds away from a DNF at Frank Duffy certainly hasn't helped.
The biggest mental challenge of them all is the question mark over whether or not I can make it through 26.2 miles at a consistent enough pace that will allow me to reach (or even come close to) my target time on the day.....whatever I decide it to be. I used to tell myself that I do have what it takes but I'm second guessing myself now and am wondering if the marathon distance is really for me. Oh the torment!!!
On the subject of stamina and staying power, I read an interesting article on Runners Connect a few days ago. It spoke of learning how to adopt certain 'tactics' when you reach that point in the race that things are starting to hurt and what you can do to keep pushing on even when the brain is urging you to stop. It listed four key tactics that can be employed when you feel like stopping is the only option:
Positive imagery and mental cues
“I am strong, I can do this” as opposed to “push through the pain, don’t give up” because the second mantra elicits negative connotations with the words “pain” and “give up”.
Surge to get back on pace
Being able to identify with your performance at specific times during previous races of the same length.
Once you’ve identified your slow spot, plan to throw in a surge at this exact moment when you’re developing your race plan.
The surge will get you back on pace and serve as a mental reminder to not let the pace slip. This doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to keep pushing the pace, but it does prevent the unintentional pace creep that often occurs.
Recommit
One way the mind tries to convince you to stop is by tricking you into thinking you’re hurting more than you actually are. Your thoughts begin to drift from race splits and good form to the searing of your lungs and the cement-like feeling in your legs.
The more you focus on these things, the more they seem to hurt and drag you down. Try to relax, calm your thoughts, and look deep inside yourself. Is there something more there? If so, recommit to your goals and return your focus to your pace.
Relax at the finish
Straining your face and flaying your arms to gain momentum wastes precious energy and distracts from the one goal – moving straight ahead as fast and efficiently as possible.
This tactic applies to any point in a race, not just the finish. Stay relaxed, focus on your form, and let your speed and power come naturally.
Most of you will probably know most of this already but it really struck a chord with me and the timing of reading it was good too. Hope I can put some of it to use at the end of October.
Really looking forward to Ratoath, hoping to put in a good performance to boost the ol' confidence!!
Miles for the week - 42.82
Miles for the year - 11320 -
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Yes, some weeks in the plan will certainly leave you asking yourself all sorts of questions but I know enough now that sticking to it will see you right. It's sometimes the bits inbetween that leave me stumped.
As for FD, I'm reluctant to keep revisiting that particular event when I know there was every chance that it could have panned out better for me than it actually did. In some ways, it answered more questions for me than I'd have expected. Line officially drawn under that one.
As for this week, with the exception of Wednesday's threshold run, it's all easy miles but may have to cut something back after midweek.0 -
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Mr. Guappa wrote: »Nice week. Has the knee been behaving itself the last while?
Thankfully yes, it has A. It's all a distant memory now I'm happy to say. 0 -
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Yeah you're probably right K. A lot of it comes from self-doubt, probably more than I actually realise. Unfortunately, it's something that seems to be in my genes! :rolleyes:
I know it's hard but maybe use the self-doubt as motivation? Use it to push yourself that little bit harder or to make you say i can do it & next time i'll try do it a bit better I have absolutely no marathon experience but i do know in almost everything we do there are doubts sure it would be no fun without them! I feel like i'm having a hell of a week so far, feel like i completely let myself down on my lsr on Sat then this stupid sickness has taken over so i've decided on 2 days rest then my focus is Sat... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger Keep going you will get past it 0 -
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