Are those my feet?

Mr. Guappa

ReeReeG wrote: »

Were you just checking yours on Garmin Connect?

I also counted how many times one foot hit the ground in a minute, and multiplied that by 2 to get the cadence - this matched up with the GC figure.

coogy

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

An older guy was telling his Grange-Fermoy clubmates that once you get around the final big turn (just under a mile from the finish) to chase the runner in front like they stole your wallet :pac: I'd recce'd that section on my warm-up, so knew it was a gentle downhill all the way home.

Haha, I laughed at this.

It was while talking to skyblue right after the Docklands 5k that I used this analogy (kind of in reverse though). I told him that even if someone had stolen my wallet and I was giving chase at the pace I was running during the race, I would have probably given up and stopped........:rolleyes:

Mr. Guappa

1st July - 5th July

Monday
Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins very easy, with 4 x strides (3.80 miles @ 10:40). Cadence 160
A long day in work meant it was very late in the evening before I got out for this one. Had the metronome set at 162, but I felt my stride was a bit too choppy trying (and failing) to match that.

Wednesday: Coillte 10k Road Race (44:48 PB )
I was in a bit of a negative frame of mind heading into this one. I'd already met my 10k goal for the year so I wasn't really too pushed on a target time so found it hard to get myself too up for this, and in my mind I was already turning focus towards DCM. Sleep had also been pretty bad in the week or so beforehand. I got to Dundrum way too early on what was a really hot evening so found myself out in the sun stretching for ages and doing what was probably too long of a warm-up given the heat of the evening. There was a decent field of 236 for the 10k, which was twice around a 5k loop.

My PB was 44:50 from Clonmel back in May, so I figured I'd try and stay at around that pace (7:13/mi) for most of this and kick towards the end for a straightforward PB :rolleyes:

I really did not enjoy this race. From about 1k in I felt like I was under more pressure than I should have been and the first loop around the 5k was tough going. I briefly debated just walking off the course, but I'd told everyone in work about the race so pride forced me to carry on. Splits for the first 3 miles were 7:17, 7:10, 7:21.

At this stage I was really struggling with the heat and didn't feel like I had another gear. I grabbed a water as we passed the halfway mark and sipped away for most of the next kilometre. I also poured some over my head, something I never do, and immediately regretted it as my top was now soaking and heavier. The water seemed to do the trick though as I now felt a lot stronger. I upped the pace fractionally and I was passing people regularly enough throughout the second half of the race. At the 7k mark I told myself I'd push hard from 8k in, but the 8k marker came and went without a serious push materialising. I just didn't want it bad enough.

At around the 9k I fell into a group of 3 with 2 girls and we pushed each other on for about 500m before I pushed on again to the next girl ahead. By this stage we were back on the main street and the finish line was in sight, although a decent distance away. The clock read 44:20, then 44:30, then 44:40 and I was really pushing hard now. Crossed the line in what I thought/hoped was 44:49 for a one-second PB. Official results would put me at 44:48. I was wiped after this. Finishing miles were 7:23, 7:09, 7:13 and 6:08 for the 0.2.

My initial reaction was kind of... meh. But on reflection I'm happier. I put forth a monumental effort in Clonmel for my previous PB, and now I'd managed to beat that with a what felt like a less than stellar performance. Apologies for the general moany tone of that race report, but I'm just trying to convey how I felt about it.

After recovering a bit I did a mile of cool down before grabbing some of the food on offer inside in the hall. It was absolutely melting in there. Cadence for the race was 168 (171 or something is my best ever), and for the w/u and c/d it was 154 and 155.

Thursday
Rest

Friday: 60 mins very easy (5.59 miles @ 10:44). Cadence 160
In keeping with the rest of the week this was another late evening run, which happily meant I avoided most of Love Island. Had the metronome set at 161 for this - felt like I was forcing myself onto my toes a bit too much early on so just tried to empty my head and match the metronome. It was a really nice run after that.

This week marks the end of the first half of the year. I'm really happy with how it went - some good racing at the shorter distances and 100+ miles every month. I'm looking forward to the DCM block now, should be fun! Away to Dunmore East now for the next week, so hopefully the weather plays ball!

Kellygirl

Congrats on the PB!!!

Mr. Guappa

July 6th/7th

May as well log the rest of the week while Love Island is on!

Saturday morning was spent supporting the Cahir Half Marathon. My partner and sister were running the relay together, and my other sister was also doing the relay. It was a sneaky warm day out and the effort certainly showed as a couple of people collapsed at different points. Managed to arrange it so that we popped up at 4 points on the course and I really enjoyed seeing both the leaders sailing through and the slower runners just grinding away. Gave a shout out to tbukela on a couple of occasions, he probably thinks I'm stalking him! Hit the road to Waterford then in the afternoon.

Saturday: 65 mins very easy (6.0 miles @ 11:05. Cadence 159
Once we got settled in the house I headed out the door for a run. It's a beautiful spot but you can't go very far without encountering a hill. I found a woodland trail that I'd never come across before, nice and cool in there. Ran along the pier at one stage where I had a WW-esque encounter with a seagull. He made a couple of swoops down in front of me before thankfully moving onto other business. Legs were pretty stiff throughout so got in plenty of foam rolling and stretching afterwards. Had the metronome set to 160 for this.

Sunday: 2 hours 20 mins easy (13.5 miles @ 10:24. Cadence 159
Plenty more hills today and swung through the wood trail a couple of times too. Serious motivation issues at about the 5 mile mark, basically why the hell am I training for another marathon! I suppose I ticked the "run a marathon" box on the bucket list, so "run a faster marathon" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Come the 8 mile mark though all was right with the world again.
I was really enjoying it now, out in the middle of the countryside and from there on in it was just a feeling of calm. By the end I just didn't want to stop. Didn't use the metronome for this one. Legs felt much better today.

38 miles for the week. I'll try put down two more solid weeks now before starting into the grads plan for DCM.

coogy

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

In keeping with the rest of the week this was another late evening run, which happily meant I avoided most of Love Island.

That show is pure poison.
Im sure there must be a thread elsewhere on Boards where I can go to vent my intense hatred of it.........

eyrie

Really enjoyed the race report, and congrats on the PB! Given that you felt under pressure after the first km you did amazingly well to pick it up so much for the last two miles. Well run! Enjoy the hols

Mr. Guappa

8th July - 14th July

Monday: 30 mins recovery (2.57 miles @ 11:45). Cadence 162
Just a gentle early morning trot around the village. I never usually get a chance to do a 6th run in a week, so took the opporunity when it was there. Pumped the metronome up to 164 for this, which I didn't quite hit, but progress none the less.

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.39 miles @ 11:14). Cadence 160
This was a gorgeous evening. Headed out along a cliff walk for a mile or so, which was a new route for me. Felt like Hook Head was only a stones throw away. Wish I brought the phone to grab a few photos of the great views. Kept the paces extremely easy due to the hilly terrain, and the weather. No metronome.

Wednesday: 70 mins progression (30 very easy, 20 easy, 20 moderate). Cadence 160
Due to the two half marathons I'll be running in the build up to DCM, I had to bump two runs off the plan. This was one of those. The other is a 75 min moderate, which I'll do tomorrow. There are similar sessions in the final two weeks of the grads base plan, so they fit nicely for where I'm at currently. This progression run was a touch handier than the one on the base plan, and I chose it due to my hilly surrounds.

Pace|Range|Actual
very easy|10:56-10:12|10:52, 10:23, 10:30
easy|10:09-9:48|10:03, 9:57
moderate|8:53-8:38|8:50, 8:43, 8:33


I picked out a reasonably flat route for this, in the countryside. Required a bit of a climb to get there, and then it was to be 4 loops of a 1.5 mile triangle, plus a return journey. On the first loop of said triangle there was regular gunshots - it was most likely some automated nosie to scare off birds (although the pattern was pretty random). Anyway, I wasn't going to chance it, so most of this run was just going up and down random roads, and turning around when I encountered too much of a hill. The moderate rep felt like a decent effort. Didn't have the metronome for this one. 9.06 miles including 20 minute cool down.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.67 miles @ 1:39). Cadence 164
A trip to Splashworld in the morning can count as my cross-training for the week. Headed out in the afternoon for an hour, the final 20 minutes of which were on the beach. Lovely evening for it. I was super pleased to hit the metronome target of 164.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 2 hours 30 mins easy (14:69 miles @ 10:15). Cadence 161
We hit the road early enough Saturday morning, and I got dropped off along the way and ran the rest. I'd ran the bulk of this route during a 16 miler last year. It got pretty warm as the afternoon progressed, but I really enjoyed this run. You can't beat a good long run for a great headspace and sense of accomplishment. My HR stayed locked on 159 for pretty much all of this - locked onto cadence I guess. I tried everything to jump the watch out of whatever funk it was in (stopped, switched hands, switched them back, went to shop) but it just kept reverting to 159. No metronome for this one. Longest run since DCM.

Sunday: 60 mins very easy (5.72 miles @ 10:31). Cadence 162
Went back to one of my relatively flat, regular routes after the hills of the week. Legs felt really good after the big week and long run on the Saturday. Effort was probably a bit too high for this one, given the roaring hot day. Metronome set at 164 for this one.

43.1 miles for the week, which I think is my highest ever total. Got in a good weeks worth of foam rolling and stretching and felt all the better for it. Sleep and diet took a backseat, although that's to be expected on holidays! I'll step the mileage back a touch this week ahead of the plan kicking off next week. I'm happy with how Operation Cadence is progressing too. My floor seems to have risen to 160, and it goes a bit higher when I have the metronome. Steady improvement on where I was at.

Monday: 60 mins very easy (5.68 miles @ 10:35). Cadence 163
May as well throw in todays run while I'm here. We went for a picnic and hike in a local wood and I ran part of the way home. My very easy pace seems to have picked up a notch from before the break. No metronome for this one, so was thrilled to see cadence at 163 - I did conciously make a sustained 15-minute effort to keep the rate up.

ReeReeG

When you say you have a metronome...is it something extra you're carrying or something on your phone?! Have visions of one of those things people have on desks

Mr. Guappa

ReeReeG wrote: »

When you say you have a metronome...is it something extra you're carrying or something on your phone?! Have visions of one of those things people have on desks

Yeah it's just an app on the phone. I only usually bring the phone with me on longer runs, but now I'm having to bring it more often. I've gotten some puzzled looks off people as I pass by with a ticking sound.

eyrie

Gunshots! :eek:
Great week there, fair play for getting in all the foam rolling and stretching along with it too. Something I need to be better at!
Hope you enjoyed the hols

Mr. Guappa

eyrie wrote: »

Gunshots! :eek:
Great week there, fair play for getting in all the foam rolling and stretching along with it too. Something I need to be better at!
Hope you enjoyed the hols

I reckoned it was a farmer shooting rabbits or something, but I made sure to put some distance between myself and that area pretty sharpish!

Mr. Guappa

15th July - 21st July

Monday: 60 mins very easy (5.68 miles @ 10:35). Cadence 163
Covered this one previously.

Tuesday: 75 mins moderate. Cadence 164
Moderate range is 8:53-8:38.
Paces came in at 8:50, 51, 41, 50, 47, 40, 54, 54, 55.
This was a good workout. Legs were reasonably tired following the previous week. The pace was achievable but by no means completely comfortable. Plenty of this type of run coming over the next few months, and I'm looking forwad to them. No metronome. Warm-up and cool down took me to 10.51 miles for the day.

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.39 miles @ 11:10). Cadence 164
After a particularly late day at work it was late in the evening by the time I got out. Pretty tired heading out, but enjoyed the run. Metronome set at 166.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 50 min mix (9 easy/1 hard). Cadence 162
I saw eyrie did this one last week and having really enjoyed it earlier in the year I vowed to squeeze it in myself before the DCM plan starts. I did this on grass which is a rare enough occurrence for me these days. Really fun session - the hard reps ranged from 7:15-6:24/mi, which is 10k pace and faster. Average cadence for the hard reps was ~174, no metronome. 7.06 miles for the session.

Sunday: 2 hours easy (12.03 miles @ 10:00). Cadence 164
This was a touch faster than my usual long run pace. Effort was slightly higher than normal, but nothing too mad. Bit of wind about at times but I missed the rain thankfully. No metronome.

40.6 miles for the week and I feel well placed now heading into the marathon plan. Got a promotion in work a while back which means I'll be switching off the shift work at some stage in the next month or two, which will have positive and negatives for my running. My sleep pattern will be more normal coming away from the shift, but working Mon-Fri with a one hour commute will mean I'll be under more pressure to find midweek running windows. I'm sure I'll adjust but it might take a bit of getting used to.

Really looking forward to officially kicking off DCM training now. Aside from hoping that sub 4 should be achievable, I'm not worrying about specific target times until I'm deep into the plan.

Kellygirl

Just saw you’d started your DCM training on Strava. Best of luck with it. Congrats on the promotion too.

juke

No more 24/7 support on the novices thread?

Wubble Wubble

Nice week's activity under your belt there A. Congrats on the promotion!

Mr. Guappa

juke wrote: »

No more 24/7 support on the novices thread?

Haha.... we may have to impose a curfew

eyrie

Congrats on the promotion! Hope that makes training easier (the most important factor when it comes to work schedules, obvs )

Mr. Guappa

Kellygirl wrote: »

Just saw you’d started your DCM training on Strava. Best of luck with it. Congrats on the promotion too.

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Nice week's activity under your belt there A. Congrats on the promotion!

Cheers guys!

eyrie wrote: »

Congrats on the promotion! Hope that makes training easier (the most important factor when it comes to work schedules, obvs )

Thanks C - how the new role might impact my running was a bigger consideration than any sane person should be comfortable with :eek:

Mr. Guappa

22nd July - 28th July DCM Training Week 1

Monday: 20 mins recovery (2.15 miles @ 10:54). Cadence 166
I've usually been a five runs a week man, so just dipping my toe in the six days per week pool a little bit recently. Won't be a regular thing, but I'll dot a few of these in through the marathon training. This was the only run this week where I used the metronome app (set at 166).

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.65 miles @ 10:46). Cadence 160
Don't remember too much about this one, except that it was hot so I tried to stick to the shade where possible.

Wednesday: 10 x 2 min CV, 2 min recoveries. Cadence 166
CV range: 7:13-7:04
Actual paces: 7:22, 07, 10, 14, 20, 07, 16, 18, 16, 14.
I really liked this session. Worked in a bit of a motorway-adjacent road that I'd never tried before and it's a keeper, although it felt like I managed to find an incline for each of the CV reps. I liked how having the 10 short reps gave you the chance to think your way through the session, figuring out what worked (or didn't) on the previous rep and trying to correct that for the next one. Didn't quite hit the paces, but a solid outing nonetheless. Cadence for the CV reps was around 177. Chunky enough warm-up and cool down gave a total of 8.52 miles for the morning.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.72 miles @ 10:31). Cadence 161
Another new route for me. Ventured over to Clerihan to run around the park there. It was pouring rain for the majority of this - and not the "I love running in the rain" rain, this was horrible rain. Did a few laps of the perimeter and mixed in some laps around the pitches too. Bit wet for too much running on the grass though.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 2 hours easy (12.15 miles @ 10:18). Cadence 159
Switched the weekend runs around to accommodate the hurling on Sunday. Got a few hours sleep after a night shift, did the run, then back to bed for another 3 hours . I loved this run - it was the most enjoyable run I can remember. I did two laps of a loop near the house - hilly and sunny so kept the paces in check, but it just felt so controlled, I was just cruising along. Slightly annoyed at the end when I saw cadence had dipped below 160 for the first time in a while.

Sunday: 65 mins very easy (6.03 miles @ 11:00). Cadence 163
Same loop as Saturday's long run, except in reverse - which I always find tougher. HR was slightly more elevated than normal for this type of run - I'm blaming that on the hurling!

40.2 miles for the week, which is a third consecutive week above 40. Slight step-back week mileage wise now, before a renewed push forward then in the following weeks. Feeling really good at the moment, but booked a physio appointment the week after next to keep the legs happy!

Mr. Guappa

29th July - 4th August

Monday:
No running but I did do a workout DVD. Need to make this a regular thing (says he for the umpteenth time :rolleyes:). Seeing others from these parts being hit with injuries has led me to put renewed focus on the stretching and foam rolling too.

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.62 miles @ 10:55). Cadence 166
Nothing major to report. Included a section of road I'd never run before, and pondered printing off a map of the local area and seeing how much of the roads/paths I could cover during this training block. Didn't take that plan any further, yet. This was the only run this week with the metronome, set at 167.

Wednesday: 3 x 8 min Threshold, 3 min recoveries. Cadence 165
Threshold range = 7:34-7:23
Distance|Paces|Cadence
1.07|7:31, 7:11|169
1.08|7:23, 7:56|170
1.07|7:30, 7:39|173

I thought this was a decent workout. Got better at finding the right range and effort level as the session progressed. Mistook a mile beep for an end of rep beep, hence the slower finish to the second rep. Kept warm-up and cooldown relatively short, so 7.25 miles for the day. This marked the end of July - 175 miles for the month, narrowly behind last September during the peak of DCM training.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.75 miles @ 10:33). Cadence 158
A really warm afternoon so I tried to keep the majority of this in the shaded surrounds of the Suir. Felt like my cadence was ok (by my standards) so was surprised to see it so low. That would continue for the rest of the week.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 90 mins progression (12.62 miles @ 9.08). Cadence 163
Pace|Range|Distance|Actual|Cadence
Easy|10:09-9:48|3.03|10:01, 9:46, 9:54, 9:55|161
Moderate|8:53-8:38|3.45|8:49, 8:42, 8:40, 8:35|165
Tempo|7:57-7:45|3.80|8:03, 7:55, 7:49, 7:44|168
Cool Down|10:56-10:12|2.34|10:30, 11:01, 10:58|159

This went pretty well. I really enjoyed the moderate section in particular, felt tough to pick the effort up to tempo then, but managed it in the end. I did the first 35 mins and final 10 of this on grass.

Sunday: 55 mins very easy (5.23 miles @ 10:40). Cadence 160
I did most of this on grass. Got soaked.

36.5 miles for the week. Physio booked for Tuesday. Trip to Dublin midweek so may even get to check out this Phoenix Park place everyone talks so adoringly about :pac:

Mr. Guappa

5th August - 11th August

Monday: Rest
I didn't mention it last week but my ankle gave me a bit of bother during Sunday's easy miles. I probably should have knocked that run on the head after 20 minutes, but I shook the ankle out a few times and ploughed on. Anyway, it was ok straight after, but later that night it was worryingly sore. Iced and elevated it Sunday night, and took a couple of neurofen going to bed pretty worried. Thankfully it was perfect by Monday morning, but I shelved Monday's planned run anyway just to be on the safe side.

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.81 miles @ 10:22). Cadence 160
Had the physio scheduled for the afternoon, so got in a few easy miles that morning to check out the ankle. It felt 100%. The physio did a thorough check on the ankle too and confirmed that everything looked fine. Panic over! She did a good bit of work on the hamstrings and calves, and advised that I re-double efforts on the glute exercises as these will be tested with the marathon training.

Wednesday: 8 x 3 min CV, 2 min recoveries. Cadence 159
I had planned doing this in the Phoenix Park, as we had a little family break to Dublin planned for midweek, but one by one on Monday and Tuesday the whole house got sick, so those plans got scrapped. I thought I'd escaped the bug, and set off for this run. The warm-up was fine, but as soon as I got into the CV reps I knew I was in trouble. I suffered through two of them before pulling the plug and phoning the sister to collect me . The rest of the house had recovered in 24 hours or so, so I was hopeful of a similar recovery. Had a great sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

Thursday: Rest
Felt a good deal better, but still not 100%

Friday: 80 mins very easy (7.62 @ 10:37). Cadence 157
Felt pretty much fully recovered now, so decided to chance a run. The plan had 60 mins moderate but I didn't want to chance that in case it was too much effort after the bug, so felt like 80 mins very easy was a decent compromise. All went well, very happy to be back!

Saturday: 2 hours 30 mins easy (15.06 miles @ 10:04). Cadence 162
This was a lovely run. Had to wear the jacket but the worst of the rain held off and conditions were perfect for the most part. Felt really strong for 11 or so miles, before a little mental wobble which I got over quick enough. Delighted with how this went, effort felt too easy at times, but paces were spot on. I purchased a few Maurten gels recently, so tried one out on this - I like them, I think.

Sunday: 3 recovery miles (3.01 miles @ 10:57). Cadence 165
This was the only run this week with the metronome, set at 167. I think I'll wind back the focus on cadence a little bit now until after DCM. I'll still do regular drills, but I might use the metronome less regularly as I don't want to be forcing change in the middle of the plan.

35 miles for the week, which is about 10 less than planned, but if that's the worst week I'll have during this training block then I'll consider myself very lucky.

Kellygirl

Not bad mileage considering you missed some and parts of runs. I just ordered Maurten gels for myself online tonight too.

Mr. Guappa

Kellygirl wrote: »

Not bad mileage considering you missed some and parts of runs. I just ordered Maurten gels for myself online tonight too.

Yeah, I'm pretty happy with that week in the end. Could have been a lot worse, and there are no lingering issues heading into next week.

I managed to do a horrible job of opening my gel. They rip in the corner, unlike the High-5 one's which rip across the top. I ripped mine too narrow and was left with a teeny hole to try and squeeze/suck the gel out through.

Bluesquare

Nice week despite the missed runs . You were very lucky on Saturday with the weather - my 15 miles were not so pleasant !

eyrie

Nice week there A (apart from the sickness), glad the ankle issue is nothing serious!

Mr. Guappa

Bluesquare wrote: »

Nice week despite the missed runs . You were very lucky on Saturday with the weather - my 15 miles were not so pleasant !

Cheers. I must say I did enjoy your long run report :pac:

eyrie wrote: »

Nice week there A (apart from the sickness), glad the ankle issue is nothing serious!

Thanks C! I'm enjoying the plan at the moment - your log from this time last year is a great resource for me

Mr. Guappa

12th August - 18th August

Monday: 65 mins very easy (6.09 miles @ 10:46). Cadence 157
Technically this run was on Tuesday as I did it after midnight during my nightshift, but body clock wise I'm counting it as Monday. Slightly weird running around the place at this hour, but I'd do it again no problem.

Tuesday: 20 mins threshold. Cadence 162
Threshold range = 7:34-7:23
Actual paces (2.74 miles) = 7:43, 7:33, 7:29
Did this before midnight, so techically this was my first double day . Accidentally pressed lap during the warm-up which then meant that I had to run the threshold in the dark, so to speak, and also meant a lot more checking of the watch, which is doubly hard at night. Might remember to program a buffer warm-up into the watch in future. Tough enough going to hit the paces but got there in the end. Reasonably chunky warm-up and cooldown took me to 7.53 miles for the session. Also, passed the 1,000 mile mark for the year on this run. It was December last year when I achieved that milestone, so really pleased with that progress.

Wednesday: 65 mins very easy (6.24 miles @ 10:28). Cadence 167
Run of the mill miles, although I was pleased with the cadence which had been on the low side recently.

Thursday:
No running but I did do my workout DVD. Reasonable enough week on the stretching and foam rolling front too.

Friday: 60 mins moderate. Cadence 165
Moderate range = 8:53-8:38
Actual paces (6.85 miles) = 9:05, 8:41, 8:39, 8:39, 8:41, 8:49, 8:41
There is plenty of this type of run on the plan, and moderate range is in and around PMP for me so was interested to see how this went. I was mentally asleep for the first mile at moderate but once I realised I was supposed to be aiming for 8:45 and not 9:45 I thought this went pretty well. Bit of a grind in places but overall a pleasing effort. Warm-up and cool-down took me to 10.07 miles for the day.

Saturday: 2 hours 45 mins easy (16.62 miles @ 9:57). Cadence 163
Delighted with this. Felt absolutely rubbish for the first three miles, most likely due to the previous days exertions. Persevered anyway and got stronger as it went. I had planned a route which featured the big local hill (Halloran's) coming in the 15th mile. I found the thoughts of facing into this helped keep me focussed throughout, and although I debated abandoning that route for something flatter I knew I'd regret not following through on the planned route. Tough work towards the top of the hill where it is steepest, but I was able to slip back into 10:00 min/mile almost immediately once I got over the top, which was pleasing. It dawned on me that I'd completed the marathon distance between this run and Friday's, which was nice.

Sunday: 40 mins recovery (3.57 miles @ 11:17). Cadence 165
Out very early to squeeze this in before the fruitful trip to Croker . Had 20 minutes pencilled in, but extended it so that I'd tick over the 50 mile mark for the first week ever. 50.1 miles for the week in the end.


The Clonmel Half Marathon is on the cards now for this coming Sunday. I've been a day ahead of the plan recently to allow for a min-taper with this race in mind. I'll hopefully get the midweek session (40 mins tempo) in on Tuesday and keep the rest of the week easy ahead of Sunday. Target wise, I'm still not fully decided. I ran this last year in 1:54:00 and up until last week I had 1:45 locked in as my target, but now I'm wondering if I should aim a little higher. Looking at the HM times of some others around here who are in my 10k ballpark might suggest I should aim a little higher alright, but then maybe I don't have the endurance they do?

I checked various calculators (Tinman, McMillan and JD) and they are all in agreement regarding predictions.
- Based on my 1:18 10 miler in February - HM prediction is 1:44. Lots of miles in the legs since this though.
- Based on my July 10k PB of 44:48 - HM prediction is 1:39. Seems wildly optimistic to me.
- Based on my June 5k PB of 21:08 - HM prediction is 1:37. Yeah, not happening.
Tentative plan right now is to head out at 1:45 pace (maybe 1:44 for a nice, even 10 min PB) and pick up the pace later on if I can. The worst of the hills are in the early going too, so this seems a decent strategy.

mister paul

I've been looking at my weekend runs and counting the miles as I should be doing marathon distance over a weekend soon enough. Well done and nice mileage overall.

Presume the second Friday run was Saturday and not your second "technical" double of the week

ariana`

Nice week there A. FWIW I think you're well capable of low 1:40s, no harm in a conservative start but i think you might surprise yourself!

Nice result on Sunday. Shame it wasn't a bit more exciting for the viewers but I'm there weren't too many complaining about the result!