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26.2, Part two
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Great race report- well done0
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Well done T! Great race and great report, that's savage progress over the last year - just reward for some great training. I've a similar aim for DCM in terms of running a race I'm happy with, not blowing up, etc.0
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Smashing race and a super analysis of the prep and build up. I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from the fact that you did less mileage in the build up than for DCM last year. You had another years worth of miles in the legs and that brings its own benefits. Similarly where you are now gives you a new and higher starting point for whatever turns out to be your next target. Hopefully you'll keep the log alive to document it.0
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Dublin Marathon 2019
Preamble
I think I managed the recovery after Berlin pretty well, I did a total of 97.6 miles in the 27 days between them, with 8.3 the first week then 36.8 and 40.2. The longest run was 14 and overall the paces were easy. I did 2 mini sessions and the legs felt good. I felt confident enough that I could get around in one piece.
The week leading up to the race I was very relaxed about the whole thing, I decided to try go out a bit slower, keep the 3:30s in sight and if possible push on from halfway. In my mind it was going to be sub 3:30 or bust.
Race Day
We travelled up on the Saturday, went to the expo where I met the clubmates doing the run. It was all very relaxed, so much so that my OH was a bit concerned. I was happy with my plan of around 51mins for the first 10K and taking it from there. I got a decent night’s sleep, up at 6:30 and strolled over to baggage area. I had loads of layers as I found it pretty cold. I met the lads in wave 2, had a quick chat as they changed their plans and decided to go out faster than originally planned. I had always intended to run my own race so said my goodbyes and moved up just in front of the 3:40 pacers. As we all waited for the start, I was frozen and regretted throwing away my layers too early. You could sense the anticipation building and I was really looking forward to the run.
Start
(08:09, 7:46, 08:09, 8:46, 7:55 & 7:53)
I made a liar out of myself from the start, the intention was to run 8:15s but it was very hard to hold back. I was feeling really good and enjoying the crowd and the whole atmosphere. The only saving grace was that I had to make an emergency pit stop in the park which slowed me down a bit. I was trying to rein it in going up Chesterfield Ave but I felt ok so kept it steady. I was checking my HR and it was in the low 150s. Everything felt great and I was enjoying myself.
Getting Faster
(07:50, 07:33, 07:37, 07:39, 7:59, 7:48)
Out of the park and heading towards Castleknock, great support again. Passed the 10k mark in 50:45, a little bit quick. One of my abiding memories from last years race was the support in Castleknock and it was as good this year. I knew there were a couple of downhill miles here, so I could speed up a bit, hopefully without maxing the effort levels. I took my second gel at mile 7 (took one at the start). Miles 8 & 9 were quick, I didn’t realise how quick until checking the data afterwards. It’s no surprise that I found myself at the back of the 3:30 group fair quicker than I’d thought. I pulled back a small bit going up St Laurence’s (?), still a 7:59 though. The road narrowed a bit here and the crowd bunched, I decided to hold back a small bit and continued to run off the back of the pace group. I passed the 20k mark in around 1:39 and according to the results passed 700 runners in that 10K block.
Warning Signs
(7:49, 8:08, 8:05, 08:04, 8:26 & 8:25)
I passed my wife around Dolphins Bar, grabbed a gel and gave the thumbs up saying I was feeling brilliant, which at the time I was. I thought I was perfectly placed, right behind the pace group, slightly ahead of pace. I started to think about the possibility of maybe 3:28 or something like that and was trying to gauge when to pass the group. I passed through the half way in 1:44:30, some great local support up along here. I was trying to be really positive and telling myself that I was much stronger than in 2018 etc.
Miles 14-16 were a bit tough with the slight uphill, pacers were still in sight, but the HR was increasing. Suddenly I’m not as confident as I had been 15 mins previously. Little niggles are starting to pop up in my calf and quads. I’m also starting to get thirsty for some reason. I try and distract myself with high fiving as many kids as possible. Things deteriorated during 17 & 18, I’m starting to properly labour here. The balloons are out of sight and I’m getting flashbacks of the 2018 death march to the finish.
Not to Be
(08:47, 08:30, 8:41, 10:05, 9:21, 9:48, 9:54, 9:34)
I had made a mess of my watch laps earlier by pressing the lap button and my timings were all out of sync coming up to mile markers etc. I went through the 30K mat in 2:30 which was still 8:05 pace but I felt like I was really slowing. Then things went bang on Orwell road when I got a sharp stabbing pain in my calf. I stopped and tried to stretch it out but mentally I was gone at this stage, I didn’t have it in me to fight for the time. I tried to steady the ship a bit through Milltown, I passed the Mr G says relax sign but couldn’t articulate the words quickly enough to give a shout. Clonskeagh was a dose and the stretch before Nutley lane was the real low point when the 3:40 pacers passed me. That was almost therapeutic as the pressure to stay ahead of them was gone. Merrion road was long and straight, however the support was brilliant. It was great to see so many people finishing strong and I tried to give a shout when I saw a local singlet. I enjoyed the final stretch down mount street and the announcer called out my name and club and I was on the big screen. I gave it a bit of a sprint finish to the end in 3:41:42.
Immediate Aftermath
After collecting the medal etc and walking up to the bag area, everything hurt. My stomach was a bit ropey, but I managed to avoid the vomiting from last year. I met one of the lads who ran a PB of 3:09 and checked the tracker to see how the rest of the gang were doing along with the boards gang. As always it was a day of mixed results for people. All our first timers from home ran absolutely brilliant races which was great and really picked me up. However, some of the lads also suffered, for which I was disappointed for them, knowing how hard they had trained. Sometimes you just don’t get out of the marathon what you put in.
On Mature reflection
I purposefully didn’t look at my splits etc until today. I wanted to take some time to process it all. It was great however looking at the brilliant runs by those on this forum and reading the reports and well done to everyone. There was some truly fantastic running.
I can’t really be happy with an almost 13 min positive split (1:44/1:57) however it didn’t feel that pronounced out on the course. I didn’t feel like I pushed the pace too early, I do the 2nd 10K was fast but there are some decent downhill miles there. I’ve no doubt that if I’d thought about it logically at about mile 22, I could have gotten in for a sub 3:40 but mentally I just didn’t have the hunger. Berlin had been the target and I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm for the fight on the day. I won’t be back to Dublin in 2020 but I definitely have some unfinished business with this course. The support was truly superb the whole way around and miles better IMHO than Berlin.
What’s next?
I have my home club 10K race in two weeks which will be a jog around job, I’ve entered the WAC half in December which I always enjoy. Depending on how the recovery goes I would like to go for a PB attempt of 1:35 but that is all dependent on how the body feels. At the moment it is considerably more painful than after Berlin.
The next main target is the Donadea 50K in February, which is 101 days away. I’m not sure how to train for it, the consensus seems to be normal marathon training with a medium run the day before/after the main LSR. I need to be a bit of research on it. At the moment I’m not going to do a road marathon next year (maybe a trail one) and concentrate on getting the PBs from 5K to 10M down. I’ve been very fortunate injury wise so I hope to build on a good base for 2020.0 -
Great race report T
I think you make a very good point, on 26.2miles, you don't always get what you put in, you had a fantastic Berlin, hope recovery goes well.0 -
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Shame it didn't work out as you hoped, but in fairness 2 marathons so close together was always going to be insanely tough, no matter how good you feel starting out. You hung on well all things considered. I was going to say pity we didn't spot you in Milltown but then again it's always hard spotting people from the internet you've never actually met
Recover well... Donadea 50k though! Are you mad!0 -
I've no idea how you faced into another marathon so soon after Berlin. It was totally understandable that you couldn't muster the enthusiasm late in this one.
My OH is running the Thomas Kent and the WAC half, so I may be at either on supporting duty. Best of luck with the goals for next year, I had considered Donadea for a while, maybe another year!0 -
Well done T, not easy doing another marathon so soon after Berlin. With that in mind, I wouldn't be too upset about a 13 minute positive split. Hope the recovery is going well.0
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2019 Recap
Very briefly, it was another good year, I feel I made a lot of progress for most of the year before petering out in November/December. I was very fortunate with no injuries, I think I was sensible in how I built up the volume and incorporated a lot of easy miles both on the road and the trails. I feel that my body can handle 50 + mile weeks handily enough. I did 30 races for the year which I think is the most I’ve done, and I actually tried to cut back at times. I continue to enjoy racing and I’m convinced that it brings me on. My best results for the year were achieved during blocks of races.
I made a couple of nice jumps in PBs especially for the marathon and 5K, going sub 20 minutes for the 5K for a great feeling especially as my family were there. The kids didn’t really have any interest but knew that they’d get a McDonalds if I broke 20 so were shouting mad at the end. The marathon distance was both brilliant and frustrating. I was delighted with the PB in Berlin but disappointed in not breaking 3:30. Dublin was a tough run but a great experience. I really wanted to take a break from the Marathons, but I really feel like it’s the benchmark at the moment that I really want to judge my progression on. I missed out on my 10-mile target of Sub 70 which was disappointing, I think mainly due to a lack of specific training which is something I want to address this year.
I was delighted with the trail races I did, the half’s in Ballyhoura and Galtymor were unbelievable experiences and a great break from the roads. I consistently managed to get out for most of the year but after Dublin in October, all enthusiasm waned with only 98 & 102 miles in November & December. I’m hoping the bit of a break will mean I’ll be refreshed starting the year. 2019 was my third full year running and I feel I got stronger, I had some good results but also enough tough days to spur me on.
2020 Hopes
I included a few goals for the year in the Goals for 2020 Thread and they are pretty straightforward. What I want to try and put in place over the next couple of weeks is the process for how I can achieve them. I’ve only ever trained specifically for the marathons and any improvements in other distances have been ancillary to that target. I will change that this year and specifically train for a small number of target races. I won’t necessarily reduce the number of races I do but might try and incorporate them into sessions etc. I also want to train smarter, I think I’ve made improvements due to volume but maybe reached the limits of that approach and now need to include more quality focused sessions. I also need to organise myself better to maximise my time and not impinge on family time as the kids are getting older. I’m really looking forward to the year ahead and plotting out the target races etc
Finally, Weekly training update w/e 5th January 2020
Monday 30th – 6 miles – Corrin (988 ft elevation, 10:30 avg) – Training for Ballyhoura with the headtorches, nice to have company for these runs as I find the woods in the dark a bit eerie.
Tuesday 31st – 10 Miles – Last run of 2019 and I want a bit of a blow out after the disappointing Togher 5K run. I did 6 miles at 7:30 avg (paces from 7:39-7:14) and then 4 miles easy cool down. A really nice way to end the year as light was fading.
Wednesday 1st - 3.6 miles – Corrin (581 ft, 8:47 avg) – started this one in the dark and it was cool to see the sun rising on the first day of the year. I went out with one of the stronger runners for this and it was a good challenge to try and keep up with him.
Thursday 2nd – 6 miles – Corrin (978 ft, 9:23) – there was a good crowd of us out getting in some prep for Ballyhoura, good craic.
Saturday 4th – 10.6 miles – Tempo Intervals – First session of the year 3 x 2 miles to see where I am fitness wise. Goal pace was 7:20 and it was ok for the first set, felt the pinch in the second set and the third was just try finish as pace was gone. (7:19,7:19 – 7:19, 7:29 – 7:35, 7:42). I’ll try this again in 5 or 6 weeks and see what the progression is like.
Sunday 5th – 15 miles – LSR with hills (2,445 ft, 10:41) – This was both difficult and relaxing. The pace was comfortable, but the accumulation of elevation change was tough on the legs. It was four loops with a few bits added on to get the 15. I’m hoping that it will be of benefit for both Donadea and Ballyhoura. Time on legs, 2:41, for Donadea and the elevation for Ballyhoura. I know Ballyhoura isn’t really a race but having done the course last year I know you need to have some work done. I’m really not sure if I’ll be able to finish Donadea as I haven’t done the miles. I’m clinging to the hope that I can just keep trundling around the loops and finish in the 5 hours.
51.6 miles for the week.
Week ahead is mainly easy miles in advance of the moonlight challenge on Friday. I’d also like to get in a 16 mile run Sunday but I’m not sure If I’ll have time with a birthday party or if the legs will even be able.0 -
I like the sound of your plan for 2020.
Faster Road Racing talks a lot about saving the full 2-week taper for a couple of main targets each year, and outside of that a mini-taper for the odd secondary target race here and there.
Best of luck on Friday!0 -
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Mr. Guappa wrote: »
Faster Road Racing talks a lot about saving the full 2-week taper for a couple of main targets each year, and outside of that a mini-taper for the odd secondary target race here and there.
Best of luck on Friday!
That's an interesting take, I actually have the book so must re-read it again and pay attention.
Friday is a challenge not a race so we're being told, It's going to be wet & windy so I'll just try and get back in one piece. It should be an experience.0 -
Weekly training update w/e 12th January 2020
Monday 6th – 6.25 miles – Easy run around town on a nice undulating route. I was surprised how relatively fresh I felt after the long hilly run the day before. 8:58 avg and 133 HR
Tuesday 7th – 4 miles – Unintentional progression run with the headtorch around a nice quiet loop. Passed a few of the lads from a local club out so I had to up the pace for appearances, decided to try and do a progression run then, I was working nicely at the end of it (8:28, 8:18, 7:42, 7:26). 7:58 avg, 145 HR
Wednesday 7th -7.6 miles – The weather was absolutely filthy for this one, glad to have some company and threw in a few decent hill sprints, really pushed for the last one. Really nice run and highly enjoyable 9:33 avg, 133 HR.
Friday – 9th Ballyhoura Moonlight Half Marathon Challenge
This was a proper experience, I really want to do some different types of runs this year and this certainly ticked the box. It was a mad combination of relaxed, slightly nervous, slightly dangerous and brilliant craic. The organisation and the time put in by the volunteers really was amazing and they should get some serious kudos for putting on this event.
There was 6 of us from the club along with some friends doing this with a wide range of experience on the trials. The weather was blustery but dry at the race HQ and it was surreal seeing hundreds of people there in an array of hi vis and torches. We arrived just as the marathon crowd were finishing their briefing and I was surprised at the numbers doing it, it was really impressive. I thought a couple of the competitors looked pretty nervous as they streamed out. Sign in was efficient as always and we hoped to get on the first bus, as there were 3 different starting waves, but it was jammed so we tried to keep warm as we waited. There was a real sense of nervous excitement building amongst the runners which transitioned into apprehension as the clouds came over.
A group of us got the second bus and after a short journey and briefing, we took off at 10:20 ish. It was a bizarre sight seeing all the head torches heading off. I’d done the course back in May, so I was reasonably confident I knew where I was going but it was really well marked out anyway. The route started in the holiday village in Ballyorgan and it was a nice easy trail section for the first mile. The field had quickly thinned out and we were taking it handy. I took off my jacket before the first climb as it was pretty mild. The first climb was steady enough on a Boreen with some mucky bits, little did we know what was to come. I got separated from some of the lads at this stage as it was impossible to see who you were running with as everyone looked the same. I ended up running with one of the lads for the duration and we didn’t even notice the time passing. We walked up Seefin and it was wild at the top. The steep downhill from the top was a bit hair-raising, it was proper boggy. I was in front of a small group and trying to pick the path of least mud. One of the stewards told me there was no avoiding it and just jump in. I took the advice and to be honest it made it more fun. The visibility from the head torch was decent enough and the pace felt a lot quicker than it actually was. Eventually we were back on fire roads and this felt like a breeze. It was cool looking behind and seeing the lights of people descending.
The miles flew by and there were a couple of really nice parts running through the woods on single track. We walked up most of the last hill and jogged back into the village to finish. The finish was nice and low key. There wasn’t any finish line as it was a challenge not a race! It took me 2:30 to complete the course, last May it took 1:58. I'm looking forward to going back in May and having a right cut off it. It was funny seeing people covering in mud back in the hall, but everyone was smiling and really seemed to enjoy it. After a quick shower in the GAA pitch, we headed in for a bite to eat and a cuppa at 1:30am. I didn’t meet one person who didn’t think that it was a great experience. There was a real mix of people who ran it, walked it and most did a bit of both. I’d recommend the experience to anyone and there are plenty of trail races during the year to whet your appetite for the hillier stuff. I find it a nice break from the roads and chasing times.
I didn’t get out either Saturday or Sunday when I had planned on doing 17 miles. Donadea is looking more unlikely at the moment but we’ll see. I might just go up anyway and see how many loops I can finish. Mileage for the week was 30 so this week will need to be an increase on that but with mainly easy miles. My next race is Dungarvan at the start of February, I won’t have the speed work done for it, so I’ll see can I knock off a 72ish effort. It’ll be all systems go then for Cork Marathon with a couple of 10 milers in March and the 25K in April as the race prep. I might try and fit in another trail half in February, but it depends on how I come out of the 50K.0 -
Weekly training update w/e 19th January 2020
Monday 13th – 5 miles – I felt the two days not running after Ballyhoura in my legs and took it very handy. Nice solitary shuffle around town. 9:49 avg & 130 HR.
Tuesday 14th – Rest – Stuck to my planned rest day despite itching to get out. Spent the evening reading Harry Potter with my eldest, she’s loving it so far.
Wednesday 15th - 22 miles (5 & 17) – I had a day’s leave booked as the kids had a day off school. The plan was to get out early and get 20 miles done. I’d neglected to check the forecast and was badly caught out then with the cold. There was patches of black ice and proper sheets of ice on the paths where I had planned on running. I tiptoed around for 5 miles before calling it off. 10:13 avg & 133 HR.
After spending the day with the family, I decided to have another cut off it. The plan was to get in 10 miles before meeting up with some of the lads for another couple at the end. I started off at a steady 8:30 pace and gradually wound it up for a 79 min 10 mile. The effort felt comfortably hard. As the lads were late I managed to get in another few miles before meeting them and got in 17 miles for the PM session. 8:41 avg & 146 HR. I’d never done a double like that before and I felt good after it. I did 16 laps of the walking track which will hopefully help with the loops in Donadea.
Thursday – 16th – 4 miles – Having learnt my lesson from not getting out after the long run the week before, I managed to get in a nice recovery ish run. The pace was purely by feel and I was really happy with the consistency (8:36, 8:35, 8:32 & 8:37) 8:35 avg & 137 HR.
Friday – 17th – 7.86 miles - I really enjoyed this run, the plan was for 6 x 3mins at about 5k effort. I was expecting it to be about 6:40 effort. I used the first mile as a benchmark without checking the watch and was disappointed with a 6:51. I increased the effort to hard but not flat out and was pleased with the results. The efforts felt sustainable given how little speed work I’ve done. The reps were 6:51, 6:37, 6:40, 6:29, 6:37 &6:23 with a 2 min recovery plod. I threw in a few miles cool down at the end. 8:21 avg & 138 HR
Saturday – 18th – 16 miles – Hilly Long Run – I couldn’t face the roads for this one, so I headed up to Corrin to hit the trails. It was still fairly cold at 12 ish when I started but the woods were lovely with the sun coming out and some proper icy patches. Once again, I went for effort and was really pleased with the first 11 miles of so, I added in a bit of single track to break up the monotony of the fire roads and I really enjoyed it. I think the avg for the first 11 miles was about 9:11 ish. As I wasn’t going to do the IMRA race the following day I thought I’d have a look at the course. Just before I started a lady came into the car park looking for her son, they’d gotten separated at the end when he’d taken a short cut. I told her I’d have a run up and look for him, ¾ mile later (uphill) I found him coming back down looking slightly panicked, he was about 8 or 9. I told him his mother was behind me and looking for him. I felt sorry for the lady as I know how scary it is when the kids can get out of your sight like that.
After my little detour I was wrecked so I took the 4 ish mile course fairly handily, I’d forgotten just how much scrambling there was in it. Still it was good craic, proper muddy and a good bit of climbing over trees etc. At the end I was fairly exhausted but to be fair the 16 miles flew. 10:09 avg & 142 HR & 2,680 ft elevation.
Sunday – 19th – Rest - I was volunteering at the IMRA race in the morning and it was freezing minus 4 when I got there at 9:30. The time flew and it was good craic helping out and meeting people. There was loads of people trying a trail race for the first time and I think they all enjoyed it.
Back home afterwards to watch some of the Houston marathon and Scullions excellent finish.
55 miles for the week off 5 days running which I’m happy with. I hope that I’m managing the rest and the mileage ok, legs feel good so far. This week has two more long runs and one tempo interval session. All I want to do for Donadea is finish within the 5 hours, I’m fairly confident that as long as I’m sensible, pace wise, I should be ok. I found out I won’t be able to do Mallow as the girls have something on, that was going to be my goal 10 miler so I'm a bit disappointed. I might do Duhallow 10 on the 8th March or the Knockmealdown Half on the 14th instead. I'm also serously considering trying the full for the Ballyhoura route in May, I know that this would be madness a month before Cork though so the sooner I can sign up to the half and commit myself the better before my OH has me committed.0 -
Nice week - you're selling the trail stuff very well this last while. I've no real interest at the minute, but it's great to know there's other options out there if I get fed up of the road races. Between XC, trails, sprinting and ultra's there's far more options than ever occurred to me before I started running.
I see Cobh have announced a new, flatter route for the 10 miler there. Might be too late for you, and it's probably still plenty hilly anyway. Kind of disappointed that they changed it actually - I did it a couple of years ago before I knew how to pace a race, and I really suffered, so I was looking forward to one day returning and righting that wrong.0 -
I'd recommend the trail stuff to everyone, challenging but great fun. Nice crowd of people as well.
Someone expressed the same sentiments about Cobh recently.I felt the same about Cahir half, after a horror show in 2018, I went back last year to right a wrong! It's a pity that a lot of races feel they have to be the same these days, fast, nothing wrong with a hilly course. My favourite 5K route has a beast of a climb, if I can ever break 20 on that I'll be delighted.0 -
Weekly training update w/e 26th January 2020
Monday 20th – 4 miles – It was pretty cold for this one, still some icy patches on the footpaths so I took it nice and handy, a proper recovery run. HR figure doesn’t look right. 9:50 avg & 114 HR.
Tuesday 21st – Rest – Planned rest day.
Wednesday 22nd - 10 miles – intervals - 4 x 1 mile @10k pace. I enjoyed this session a lot. The 1-mile repeats were a bit too wide in range, but they felt sustainably hard. (6:49,6:45, 6:48 & 6:57).I did them on a slightly undulating loop so that was partly to blame. I definitely needed to 3 min recovery between reps. After a mile easy to recovery, I finished with a 3-mile progression (7:54 – 7:33). The idea behind adding in the progression element was to keep the HR high enough whilst the pace felt easy compared to the mile repeats. It was a handy way to get in the miles and the time flew. 8:12 avg & 142 HR.
Thursday – 23rd – Rest – I hadn’t planned on another rest day, but I thought I’d need it with the mileage I had planned for the weekend.
Friday – 24th – 10 miles – I split this run in 2 with the first 5 being solo and then running with the lads for the finish. The first 5 ended up being a tempo effort HR running by feel without checking the watch. The second half was an easy progression enjoying the chats. Once again, I didn’t notice the miles passing. 8:29 avg & 143 HR
Saturday – 25th – 13.1 miles – I had a defined window for this run, between dropping one of the girls at drama at 10:30 and collecting the other at 12:30. I was giving myself 1:50 running time to make sure I wasn’t late. The route was a couple of loops and some out and backs so that I was never too far away from where I needed to be. The mile paces were consistent enough (8:01 – 8:22), the two outliers being against the wind. I got the half distance done in 1:47 which I was pleased with, legs felt tired at the end, but I felt I could have kept going for some more miles. 8:10 & 148 hr.
Sunday – 26th – 20 miles - I was dreading this run, I’d been putting off doing a long road run, preferring to do loops and some hillier routes. I was lucky enough that some of the lads said they’d go out with me, so I had company for all of it. There were 2 of us starting at 7:30 in the dark but the roads were quiet, and it was nice to be out when the sun came up. My legs felt heavy from the start but eventually settled into a 8:25 pace, bit quicker than I had planned. We picked up pace for the last 3 miles and I had the first half of the run done, being 9.5 miles. Then after a couple of minutes rest and a gel, I went out with the 9am gang. I was really feeling it now and the build up from 9-minute pace to 8:40 was tough. I got my breath back after a brief water stop and managed a couple of 8:40s. During mile 19 I was well and truly cooked, I stopped for a brief stretch and managed to get the 20 done with 4 laps of the field at the end. The total elapsed time was 3 hrs with moving time of 2:55. Thinking about it now, I’m happy with that, I don’t think I’ve ever done a 20 miler with that much mileage preceding it. After an Epsom salt bath and a nap on the couch I felt grand.
57.8 miles for the week with 43 miles in 72 hours. I haven’t gotten enough long runs in but I hope that the stress to the body of doing the 20 miler on fatigued legs will stand to me. I’m confident I can finish the 50K after this week.
Dungarvan 10 is on this coming Sunday which is always a good event. This will be my 3rd time doing it having gone from 77:08 to 72:53. My current 10-mile PB is 70:20 but I don’t expect to come near that. I’ll have a rattle off it, but I would imagine that I’ll be in the 72-74 range. There will be a nice reduction in mileage this week which I’m looking forward to.0 -
Weekly training update w/e 2nd February 2020
Monday 27th – 3.5 miles – I was in the big smoke for a couple of days with work so managed to get out for one short 35 mins easy paced run. I was pretty tired from the weekends running so was glad to take it easy. I like running around the city when its that post commuter rush. 10:00 avg & 123 HR.
Tuesday 28th – Rest – Planned rest day.
Wednesday 29th – rest - lazy day
Thursday – 30th – 6.25 mile – short intervals - I wanted to stretch the legs in advance of the 10-mile race but I was still feeling tired from the previous week. I decided on a 6 * 2 min hard with a generous recovery. After a 2-mile warm up where I felt very creaky, I tore into the intervals, the first couple were hard to settle but by the end I was happy with the effort (6:29, 6:25, 6:16, 6:26, 6:04 & 6:17) 9:02 avg & 138 HR
Friday – 31st – 7.25 miles – This was a nice run with some of the lads, getting the digs in before the race on Sunday. Mainly easy miles and I threw in one sub 7 effort at the end, which worryingly felt quite tough. 8:42 avg & 137 HR
That brought me to a total of 194 ish miles for the month, about 30 more than last January. I was happy with the amount of elevation I managed to get in also, especially for the first couple of weeks. Race wise it was quiet, just the Ballyhoura moonlight challenge which was a great experience. I probably didn’t get in enough quality sessions but that is something I need to work on.
Saturday – 1st Feb – Rest –Another unintended rest day, did manage to fit in a nice 4 mile walk with my girls, they were exhausted after it thought. First time in ages I didn’t do a shake out run before a race.
Sunday – 2nd – Dungarvan 10 Mile race –
This was my 3rd time doing this race and it is a quality event, very high standard field and the top is always nice. There was a really good turnout from the club so there was a nice buzz around before the start of the race. I drove some of the lads down and there was some serious banter which set the mood nicely. Personally, I didn’t know what to expect, I effectively chickened out of racing the Waterford half by running with one of the lads for most of it so I decided to race it and see where it went. I think a couple of weeks ago I mentioned a likely 72-74 range, but I was expecting to be at the lower end of that.
I lined up next to one of the lads at the start in front of the 75 balloons, but I couldn’t see the 70s anywhere. There was some unnecessary jostling as the race started, felt like a Junior B game and for whatever reason I never started my watch. I didn’t notice it until we were coming back around the looped section, I asked my buddy to let me know what the first mile was and when we passed it he said 7:11 which transpired to be way off. I’d been passed by the 75 pacers at that stage and started to pick up pace a small bit. I didn’t want to expend too much energy, but I did want to race. By the 2nd mile I was happy with my placing and could see a nice group ahead of me that I tried to bridge up to. The pace felt reasonable, I had started my watch at the 1-mile marker so at least I had some idea of what the pace was. I didn’t want to go too quickly and eased back slightly for miles 3 & 4 as there was a stiff enough breeze. (7:22, 7:09, 6:58 & 7:21)
The 5th mile was pretty tough with the headwind and I found myself in no man land. I could feel the effort, but it didn’t feel like it was going into the red yet. The turn left just after the 5-mile mark was bliss along with the slight downhill. I’d forgotten about the bit of a drag in this mile, but it was ok. I was right behind that group I’d been chasing from the 3rd mile and I passed them on the nice downhill at around 6.5. I was passing people at this stage and enjoying myself. That was until I saw the turn back onto the main road approaching in the distance (7:21, 7:18, 7:10 & 7:09).
Passing the 8-mile marker and then onto the drag, there was a lot of position changing here as there was a mix of people suffering and some people pushing on. I felt I was just maintaining, it was probably the most disappointing part of the race for me. I should have been able to attack the uphill a bit more. I was trying to do the maths in my head passing mile 9 on what I needed to finish to go sub 72, I was working off a 7:11 first mile so I thought I had a good shot at it. I took advantage of the downhill to build up momentum coming back onto the main road before the roundabout and then nothing. I just felt flat for about a minute. It was only with a couple of hundred metres to go that I copped on and pumped the arms for a decent sprint finish. The last two miles were 7:26 & 6:59. It was only when I got back to the car that I found out my time, 72:07, I thought I had just snuck under the 72 and to be honest I should have. I waited around at the finish line to cheer on some of the rest of the club mates and headed back to the car when it started threatening rain.
Immediately after the race I was very happy with the effort, albeit a bit annoyed I didn’t push on a bit more in the last 2 miles. It was a slight course PB and I think an almost even split between the first & 2nd half which is unusual for me. I reckon I could have maintained a similar enough effort for another couple of miles. It really is a good race and a credit to the organisers. The craic coming back in the car was brilliant, to be honest that’s what keeps me going to all the races.
A couple of positives from it:
• Faster than last year with no specific speed work done
• Paced it very well
• Felt I had more left at the end
Things to work on:
• Could have raced the last mile better and used people as targets
• Switched off momentarily in the last mile
It was also an eye opener when I see a lot of people getting their sub 70s who I was either in front of or very close to over the last 2 years. I really need to do more race specific sessions and speed work. I used Donadea as an excuse for not attacking the sub 70 for this one which is grand, but I’ll really need to train smarter in the future.
So, I’m heading off to Kildare next Saturday pretty much into the unknown. I’m really looking forward to it in one way and sick at the thought of it in another. I’m pretty much undercooked for it but I think I’ll be able to muddle my way through it. I have no expectation of time other than under 5 hours as stipulated by the RD. This week will be relatively easy with maybe one medium run early in the week.0 -
Nice running in Dungarvan... sub 70 is well within range I'd say, with a small bit of 10 mile specific focus as you mention.
Best of luck tomorrow!0 -
Best of luck tomorrow T!0
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Weekly training update w/e 9th February 2020
Monday 3rd – 3.1 miles – After the 10 miler the day before and a late night watching the Superbowl, I was fairly tired. I was fortunate to be working from home so managed to sneak out for a quick 5K before school collection. I’d intended on doing an easy run but the slight frustrations from the day before caused me to keep the pace moving. Felt good after it. 7:45 avg & 168 HR.
Tuesday 4th – 7 miles – I felt really confident for the weekend after this very steady controlled jaunt around town. 8:31 avg & 136 HR
Wednesday 5th & Thursday 6th– rest – I picked up a really heavy cold and just felt miserable. I was dosing myself with everything possible, including a horrible ginger and lemon concoction.
Friday – 7th – 2.3 miles - I needed to see if I could run before the race so did a few laps of the field. The legs felt good, but my HR was high, and I found it hard to breathe steadily. Alarm bells were ringing. 9:02 avg & 146 HR.
We headed up to Dublin that evening to stay in one of the hotels along the M50 belt. It turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. The noise in the corridors all night was ridiculous, the sound proofing between the rooms was non existent with the sounds of people vomiting reverberating for hours. Suffice to say I was very grumpy Saturday morning.
Saturday– 8th – Donadea 50K – Despite the lack of sleep and overall grumpiness I felt good Saturday morning. I was able to breathe almost normally which was a big relief. We headed over to Donadea and found the place easily enough with a steady stream of cars heading in the same direction. We parked at around 8:20 and I was immediately surprised by how busy it was. There was loads of activity. As soon as I got out of the car I jumped back in for more layers as it was biting cold. My wife and I strolled down towards HQ and there was a nice buzz around the place. Loads of people who obviously knew each other were catching up and chatting but there were a few other first timers noticeable by their glancing around trying to figure out what was going on.
After a very straightforward collection of t-shirt and hat and a longer queue to use the facilities, it was back to the car to get ready. At this stage I had changed my mind about my clothing. I had intended on just wearing the singlet, but it was too cold. I also decided to wear my warmer hat and gloves. As my OH was packing a backpack with the few drinks etc I’d brought she asked me if I thought I’d brought enough stuff. I didn’t really know what she meant until I looked out the window and saw the giant bags of stuff, tables and coolers people were bringing down to the start. Despite the more than slight panic setting in, I said I’d be grand. I didn’t feel it, at all.
With 10am fast approaching we headed down to the start line and the buzz of people. I couldn’t get over the amount of gear people had laid out and how organised they were. There were tables upon tables of stuff and tents set up. I was actually quite nervous, so I did a few strides by the lake to try and relax. Just as the briefing was about to start, I changed my mind about my clothes again and changed layers. Quick goodbye to herself and off to the start line, I didn’t know where to line up so went pretty close to the back which turned out to be correct.
Lap 1 (27:38) & Lap 2 (25:44)
It was only as the race started that I realised I had no idea of the course. I decided to just fall in with a group and see how it goes. It was fairly congested at the start, but it soon cleared out after 10 mins. I found myself at the back of the 4:30 pacers around halfway through the first lap which I was very happy with. I was slightly surprised that there was a little bit of elevation which I knew was going to be a problem. The first lap seemed to finish pretty quickly, and I felt great passing the finish line. I took off my long sleeve top and made the decision to pass the group to get some more space as I felt a bit hemmed in. Immediately I felt a lot better and started looking around me trying to take in the course without the crush of bodies. I didn’t notice the 2nd loop passing except for GOH flying by when I was at mile 5, serious running from him all day. At the end of lap 2 my wife cautioned on going out too quickly, but I said I felt great.
Lap 3 (25:52) Lap 4 (26:10) & Lap 5 (26:44)
I had gotten my bearing at this stage and to be fair it is a lovely park. The footpaths were nice and wide with a good surface. The bits on the rougher paths were also fine, there were one or two bits where the surface was getting a bit muddy due to the runners but there couldn’t be any complaints. Most of the pack had fallen into a pattern during these laps, every now and again I’d be passed by one of the leaders and they were very impressive to watch. Mentally I had broken the course into 3 parts: the first part immediately after the finish line was a dose, it had a bit of a headwind and the only real elevation (more of that to come). The second third was where I recovered, it was nice and sheltered and the last third, initially at least, was the bit to attack. I only saw the one KM marker, 4, so I had that well marked in my mind. I was running by feel during these bits and feeling ok. I stopped after every lap for a drink and either a gel or some coke. I was very happy to get through halfway in 2:12 with the body feeling ok.
Lap 6 (27:49) Lap 7 (30:01) & Lap 8 (32:17)
Its funny how in these longer distances, I feel fine until I don’t. I started to feel the strain a bit during lap 6 and couldn’t figure out how I was going to do another 20K. A bit of a pep talk when refuelling and I felt a bit better but I’m pretty sure I stopped for the first-time during lap 7. My posture had been gradually deteriorating and my back was starting to ache, so I stopped to stretch it and managed to finish the lap relatively strongly. However, when I stopped to get some water, I found it very hard to get moving again. I was having difficulties doing the maths at this stage and getting confused between Kms & miles. This was probably the hardest lap mentally, I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish. I was lucky enough that the 4:30s passed me and whilst I couldn’t keep me it gave me something to try and keep in view. New mantra was just finish.
Lap 9 (31:27) & Lap 10 (33:22)
I got a serious ass kicking from my OH at the start of lap 9 which brought me out of the pity party. Just get to marathon distance, I thought that I’d leaked so much time that a sub 4 was off the cards but I still tried to keep moving. It was around here that the GPS went nuts and I lost about 1.75 miles. During the race I thought I did the marathon in around 4:03 but looking back at the lap splits and my moving time in those laps, I think I did it in around 3:56 ish. I was really getting confused with KMs & miles at this stage. Which means the 8k took me around 53 mins. It was tough going, mentally I was shot. I was so relieved to get lap 9 done I almost started crying. Any semblance of chasing a time was gone. I knew I’d finish but it was a plod. I composed myself with about 2k to go and started thinking about what I’d done, and I was happy enough to jog to the finish. There was a great buzz coming up to the line and I felt pretty zen like going over the finish line. I got a big hug from my OH and a lovely plant/medal and a can of coke. I saw that I’d done 4:47 ish but it didn’t really mean anything.
I did a bit of stretching and tried to get changed as quickly as possible as I was frozen. I was fairly ropey for an hour after the finish, but my stomach settled and by the time we got home, facing into Storm Ciara I felt pretty decent. Even now four days later I feel pretty good and looking forward to going out for an easy run tomorrow. On Saturday I was never going to do a Marathon again never mind an Ultra, now after thinking about it I reckon I’ll have another rattle off it and just train a little bit more. I’m pretty chuffed with myself for doing it and it’s definitely something I will remember for a long time.0 -
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Brilliant and tough race report T- fair play0
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Well done on sticking it out. It could have been very easy to step off, passing the start/finish every 5k. Nice report. Shame about the hotel though :eek:0
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Loved that report, well done on getting through it! Also love how you went from never doing another marathon to wanting another go at an Ultra
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Great report. well done on your run, and you summed up the joys and the pain as each laps is completed. I think you have hit the nail on the head about the mental toughness to get through the laps. Sometimes its hard to remember that each lap is 5km.
I had to bail at 35K, end of lap 7 due to hamstring injury and as I was leaving the tent after getting strapped up I was thinking of trying another lap, but after lying on the bed for about 8 mins the legs seized up as I got off the bed. My 11 year old daughter asked me if I was sure I couldn't go on. She said she'd run a lap with me and asked me how far I had left. When I said 3 parkruns she said oh no you're all right. She loves her parkrun but 3 off them was too much to comprehend. my first even DNF:(
There's something about Donadea and it draws you back. It first came to my notice in about 2012/2013 and it was a bucket list item. I did it in 2017 and loved it, entered in 2018 & 2019 but was injured and unable to run and now that it didn't go to plan in 2020, I'm hoping to return in 2021 to give it a good lash again. as I said theres something about it
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Well done in Donadea. A great report which helps cement that race firmly on my bucket list. Every report or strava upload I've looked at for that race seems to show a drop off on the 7th or 8th lap - cracking determination just to finish it out. Crazy to read how confused the mind gets when under pressure!0
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Cheers F, I think that you'd enjoy it.Dealerz2.0 wrote: »Brilliant and tough race report T- fair play
Thanks J, I don't think I could have stepped off, I find when people are tracking these types of races it makes me more accountable if that makes sense. The hotel was a horror show. Lesson learned for next year.Wubble Wubble wrote: »Well done on sticking it out. It could have been very easy to step off, passing the start/finish every 5k. Nice report. Shame about the hotel though :eek:Loved that report, well done on getting through it! Also love how you went from never doing another marathon to wanting another go at an Ultra
Thanks folks, the more time that passes I think I was probably being over dramatic as my OH would testify to but I genuinely considered taking up cycling for most of a lap!Well done, what an amazing achievement. All the reports i've read sound very similar, around lap 6-7 it seems to have gotten tough for a lot of people.There's something about Donadea and it draws you back. It first came to my notice in about 2012/2013 and it was a bucket list item. I did it in 2017 and loved it, entered in 2018 & 2019 but was injured and unable to run and now that it didn't go to plan in 2020, I'm hoping to return in 2021 to give it a good lash again. as I said theres something about it
Thanks a mil, It is definitely the type of event that draws you back again. Sorry to hear you didn't get the result you were hoping for, fingers crossed for 2021.Mr. Guappa wrote: »Well done in Donadea. A great report which helps cement that race firmly on my bucket list. Every report or strava upload I've looked at for that race seems to show a drop off on the 7th or 8th lap - cracking determination just to finish it out. Crazy to read how confused the mind gets when under pressure!
I'd recommend it to everyone, the 50K distance is a reasonable way to dip your toe in the Ultra world I'd think.0 -
Weekly training update w/e 16th February 2020
Monday 10th – Wednesday 12th - Nada – I had no inclination to get out for a run. This wasn’t helped by the weather and the fact I was in Dublin for two days with work. I did manage to get a lot of stretching and foam rolling in and there wasn’t that much residual badness in the legs.
Thursday 13th – 5 miles – I met the lads for a handy couple of laps of town. The pace was fine, and the banter was good. I felt a bit stiff at the start but nothing too bad. Glad to get back out on the road, HR was a bit high though. 8:57 avg & 144 HR
Friday 14th– 4 miles – This was a quick solo run after work and before the OH headed out with the girls to the cinema, the romance is strong in my house. I wanted to push the pace a little bit more than the day before and it felt ok except my quads were sore. More foam rolling when I got home. 8:18 avg & 140 HR.
Saturday – 15th – Rest – Ultimate lazy day, didn’t even leave the house. I ended up watching most of the indoor athletics on BBC, some good events.
Sunday – 16th – 7miles including Cloyne Commons 4K – I took a bit of a notion that I didn’t fancy the usual MLR and managed to convince one of the lads to accompany me to a local 4K race which had avoided cancellation. I had done one of the series back in 2018 and enjoyed it.
We were down in loads of time and got in a full circuit of the route before the start. The weather was dry but windy and the last 1K was going to be straight into a headwind. I knew I didn’t have any pace in the legs, so I just wanted a bit of a blow out without cramping up or injuring myself.
As it transpires, I was way too far back when the gun went and spent most of the first 1K weaving through people. Although I was expending a good bit of energy in having to do sudden bursts, I was enjoying running what felt like a decent clip again. The first mile was 6:56 but I had to run most of the mile faster than that to make up for the slow start. I had been passing people for all of the first mile and this continued into the 2nd mile. The pace has steadied at this stage and I was trying to pick people off and work my way up to a large group. I just couldn’t bridge up to them and once we turned into the headwind on the way to the finish, I was treading water badly. The second mile was 6:50. I was working hard for the last 800M or so and just about hanging on. With about 200m to go I was passed by someone I had passed earlier but I couldn’t manage a burst and crossed the line in 17:17 on the watch, with 3:29 for the last .49 mile, 7:05 pace. My official time was 17:26 which is about 40 seconds slower than 2 years ago, but I won’t worry about that.
I was very happy with the race, nice to do a slightly unusual distance and an unintended consequence of starting too far back was passing so many people. Another lap of the course for a cool down brought the daily mileage over 7 which was enough. I just got home before the worst of storm Denis landed and I didn’t feel as guilty relaxing for the rest of the day.
Only 16 miles for the week which isn’t too bad, and the body seems to be recovering well. I’ll try and build the mileage back up this week with easy runs and some strides. I might try a tempo session later in the week as I’ve a couple of days off for midterm. March is looking like a busy month as the training for Cork will start to ramp up and a couple of races planned. The training plan is a bit dauting with a lot of tempo intervals and MP miles in the long runs. I’m planning on doing Duhallow 10 mile on the 8th March and then the MMRA half marathon in the Knockmealdown’s the following week, which is a 10 on their difficulty ratings. Oh and I’ll probably have another rattle off Donadea next year.0 -
Weekly training update w/e 23rd February 2020
It’s getting easier to do these updates as I don’t seem to be doing a whole lot. I think the motivation took a hit after Donadea even if the body recovered quickly.
Monday 17th –6.5 miles – I starting off the week well with easy miles and then 4 160m hill reps. I was a couple of seconds off where I’d normally be, but it wasn’t too bad. My knee was a bit sore which is unusual. 9:19 avg & 135 HR
Tuesday 18th – Rest – I’m pretty sure the weather was terrible.
Wednesday 19th – 11 miles – Tempo intervals – this was a good session. I got into town early and did a 2-mile tempo (7:15, 7:18). I then met the lads and we did a 4*3mins with 90 second recovery. The splits were decent with the last one a bit of a hero job (6:57, 6:54, 6:41 & 6:30). A decent cool down brought me to 11 miles which was the longest run since Donadea. 8:33 avg & 147HR
Thursday 20th – 3 miles – I’d been neglecting the trails a bit and since I’ve 3 tough trail half marathons in the next 3 months I thought I’d better ease back into it. This was a lovely run, started off in dusk and switched on the headtorch for the last mile or so. A herd of deer has moved into the forest from somewhere and I’ve yet to see them so I’m looking forward to that. Even though one of the lads said the first time he saw them at night he almost had a heart attack seeing several pairs of eyes reflecting back at him! 9:40 avg, 138 HR & 446ft elevation
Friday 21st – Rest – I finally made the plunge and purchased a new pair of shoes. I’d driven myself demented for the choices out there. I went to the Edge in town and after trying out a load of pairs picked up the Hoka Rincon, very different from anything I’ve used before.
Saturday – 22nd - 13 miles – I got down early for this and did 2 miles in the new shoes, bit of a weird feeling. They are very cushioned but really lightweight, I did a total of 3 miles in them and am hopeful that they could be a good marathon option. I ended up doing a 10-mile tempo run with one of the lads, the group split early. We kept a nice consistent pace going to the end and I was happy with a 7:56 average. The effort felt tough enough, hard to think I was almost 8 mins quicker in Dungarvan only a few weeks before. 7:56 avg & 163 HR for the 10 miles
Sunday – 23rd – rest
Not a great week mileage wise (33 miles) with only 4 days running but a little bit of quality in there. I’m trying to get a lot more 7: XX pace miles in my runs. I will need to make sure I get the easy miles in as well. Time is ticking down to Cork.
I may as well add in the few bits this week as well
Monday – 24th – Rest – Stuck in work late so no run, no inclination to get out either which was troubling.
Tuesday – 25th – 3 miles – Even though the weather was shocking I knew if I didn’t get out, it would be another week written off. It was cold and pelting hailstones so instead of an easy run I ended up doing a reverse progression 5K around the track. 7:38 avg & 146 HR
Wednesday – 26th – 8.25 miles – Tempo Intervals – This was a nice run; I’m seeing a bit of a pattern developing that I’m enjoying the sessions but finding it hard to motivate myself to get out for the easy runs. I think the weather is playing its part in that. So anyway, this was a mile warm up and then 2 * 2 miles at just under 7:30 pace with a recovery mile in between. One of the lads jumped in for this and the time flew. I was happy with the effort as it was a nicely undulating loop. HR was a bit high for the interval sections, more Z4 than Z3 but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. 8:14 avg & 141HR
Thursday 27th – 6 miles – trails – I managed to get out early for this and it is noticeably brighter in the evenings, so no head torch required. I started off with a few half mile hill repeats with an average gradient of 6%, peaking at 23%. I was doing these in 4:10 last year but I was struggling to get under the 4:30. That’s ok, just shows where I am. My legs were toast after these and I jogged/walked around the 3-mile loop enjoying the trails for what they were. 9:13 avg, 139HR and 1,118 ft of elevation.
The forecast for the weekend is brutal once again, I’ll try and get out for some easy runs Friday & Saturday. A group of us are going to do a recce of the Knockmealdown’s half marathon course Sunday morning as the race is in two weeks’ time. It looks like a really challenging route with over 1,000 metres of climbing so that should be fun.0 -
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