This was the last week of meaningful training before Dublin and a good week was hoped for.
Tuesday 16th October - Session
Our speed sessions have moved to St Pat's GAA in Stamullen for the winter as it has a more all weather surface and is floodlight. The track we use is somewhere between 500 & 600 metres with 2 long straights and sharp bends. As a result most of our sessions now will be timed rather than distance based.
After just over a mile warm up and some drills we started off with an 11 minute Tempo session which was to be run at 15 seconds faster than Marathon pace. I managed to keep the pace steady with a nice group together and the pace worked out at 7:44 for the 11 minutes.
When we got back to the start we had a few minutes recovery as Gary explained the 2nd part of the session. This was to be 2 mins @ 10K pace, straight into 90 secs at Marathon pace and we had to do this 6 times straight off, no recoveries.
Pace for 2 min @ 10K pace (7:21, 7:12, 7:13, 7:01, 6:58, 6:46)
Pace for 90 sec @ MP were (8:04, 7:59, 7:54, 7:51, 7:47, 7:45)
This was a toughie no doubt but again we got working as a group and ticked them off gradually picking up the pace as we went along. We definitely got a good confidence boost from this.
Gary explained the purpose of a session like this was to enable you if you hit a bad spot in a race and had to ease off for a few minutes to get over it a session like this would help you pick up the pace again.
A short cool down brought it up to 5.87 miles for the session.
Thursday 17th October - Tempo Run
7 mile tempo @ 7:49 pace
Our last tempo run (I think) before the big day. This week called for 7 miles @ 10 - 15 secs quicker than marathon pace. After a mile warm up and plenty of chat and excitement we got down to business. The chat stopped pretty much straight away as we were faced with a nice hill at the Delvin and the gradual rise for the next mile or so. After we swung off the main road we were on a nice back road where I think we know every hump and hollow of at this stage. The pace was nice and steady without much fluctuation and with a couple of miles to go our only danger was the lack of light and coming back over a few hundred metres of dodgy underfoot conditions. Last thing we needed was someone going over on an ankle. This was safely negotiated and we were all glad when we reached the end. A cool down followed back to the cars for just under 9 miles for the night.
Friday 18th October - Easy Run
5.02 miles @ 9:10 pace
Having escaped the rain on Wednesday there was no escaping it on Friday night. Just an easy loop around Balbriggan. Pretty windy as well into the bargain. The weather seems to be taking a turn for the worse at the wrong time :-(
Sunday 20th October - Long Run ;-)
8 miles @ 8:25 pace
Big reduction in long run distance this week. Gary does have a heart after all ;-) Met Rosemary at the college and set out from there. Met Stuey, Glenn, David & John along the route and everyone seemed in good form. This was a grand relaxing run and if anything we were holding back to keep the pace in check. We noticed on the way back we were running into a decent head wind but didn't really feel it. Most of our thoughts and conversation seemed to be taken up with only one subject...
So the mileage dropped off again last week to 28 for the week but keeping the intensity with 2 good sessions and a bit of a long run. This week I'll probably run every second day with a light session on Tuesday, nice club run on Thursday and a couple of miles either Saturday or Sunday depending how things work out.
There is nothing more to be done now other than wait and see how things pan out on the day. There are so many factors to take into account with a marathon compared to shorter races and you just have to hope things you have no control over like weather etc. turn out to be ok. Training has gone well with the exception of a couple of long runs which of course leaves doubts in the mind. Previous to this I would have done 2/3 20 mile long runs, in this cycle I didn't really manage one properly. The counter to that though are the tempo sessions we did every Thursday. There were 13 in total and I managed to knock these out week after week meeting the required challenge of distance and pace. I had never done pace runs like this before and am hopeful these will stand to us.
Nearly all of these runs were done as a group with Rosemary & Susan. We worked off each other well and enjoyed each others company for the runs. On Monday we will line up together at the start line and take it from there. We have a plan and the most important part of it is to get the pace right from the start of the race, resist the urge to take off too quickly in the early miles. After that it's just a case of taking it mile by mile.
Good luck to everyone else doing on the marathon on bank holiday Monday, especially the first timers. Most of all enjoy it, savour the atmosphere, there is something really special abour running through the streets of Dublin being cheered on by thousands of people regardless of your ability.
Monday 21 October 2013
Monday 14 October 2013
14 days to go - Let the taper madness begin
The picture accompanying my last post caused a bit of a stir. On Monday I wasn't able to walk properly on my right foot and was expecting it to take a good while to heal. I was lucky enough that Tracy & Deborah who are also training for the marathon were able to provide me with a duoderm plaster to try. Apparently it's used to treat bad blisters & burns in hospitals. I covered the area with this which was like a thick layer of skin and was told to leave it on until it healed fully.
Tuesday 8th October
Paid a visit to Amphibian King Ashtown to get Kevin to check out my runners and suggest an alternative. It turns out I had worn out the insole around where I got the blister and also did a good bit of damage to the cushioning around the same area. This made sense as I had no problem with these runners when I got them initially back in July and this problem had been caused by wear and tear over time. I picked up a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 9 which are a similar type of runner from a support point of view but are slightly wider around the top of the foot.
I took the opportunity to head down to training to see how the foot was and to break them in slightly. Could still feel a bit of discomfort when I was running for a prolonged time but managed around 2.5 miles at an easy pace.
Wednesday 9th October - Easy Run
5.87 miles @ 8:51
This is normally a rest day but wasn't necessary for me this week. I wanted to be able to do our Tempo run on Thursday so I got out for a loop of Balbriggan to break the runners in a bit more. The pace was easy so no major pressure on my foot. Either way there was no discomfort at all during the run which gave me the green light for Tempo Thursday in my own head.
Thursday 10th October - Progression Tempo Run
8 mile progression tempo (8:10, 8:05, 3 @ 7:59, 7:55, 7:45, 7:32)
There was a couple of miles knocked off the Tempo run this week but it was changed to a progression type run starting off 10 seconds slower than MP for a mile, then 5 secs quicker, 3 miles at MP and then picking up the pace by 5 secs a mile for each of the last 3 miles.
I did this run with Rosemary & Susan as usual. The first mile and a bit was fine but then we met around 2 miles with a good drag and into the wind which took a bit more effort to dig in and maintain our required pace. After 3 miles we turned onto the mosney road which offered some shelter. The miles were ticking off nicely and if anything we had to be restrained slightly to keep to pace. Although the legs were quite sore in spots there was no problem picking up the pace as we needed. The 2nd last mile was a bit quick but it just got quicker again in the last mile for some reason. I suppose that's a good sign and what you want to start seeing now. A good confidence booster.
Finished up with a warm down back to the cars for 10.21 miles in total for the session.
Saturday 12th October - Easy Run
5.03 miles @ 9:13 pace
Was late enough getting out for this one on Saturday evening but it was a lovely run once out there. Just my usual loop around Balbriggan that is ideal for the dark winter weather that we are now back to. Took the pace handy with the final long run the following morning.
Sunday 13th October - Long Run
17 miles @ 8:33 pace
Phew!!!! After a few pretty bad long runs recently I really needed this one to go well more from a confidence point of view than anything else. Thank God it did. That's not to say it was easy but it went as well as could be expected.
Met Rosemary at 8am in Stamullen and we agreed on a loop from Stamullen - Julianstown - Mosney Road - Gormanston and back to the cars which brought us to just around 8.75 miles and back to the cars where we set out for the same loop again. It was a cool morning but nice running weather with a mixture of hills, inclines, downhills and undulating road providing a good test for the legs. We maintained a good steady pace for the whole run with no drop off in pace. Apart from feeling the urge to vomit with 1/2 mile to go I really enjoyed the run. What a difference a week makes.
When we reached the 17 mile point we walked the last 1/2 mile or so back to the school to loosen out the legs a bit.
Summary: So from the start of the week where things were bleak and unsure of what running I would get in I still managed to get in 40 miles mostly from Wednesday to Sunday. This was around 20% less than last week and the mileage will reduce further this week. The last of the longish runs are out of the way and while time mileage will be reducing I'm sure there are still a few intensive sessions planned.
Tuesday 8th October
Paid a visit to Amphibian King Ashtown to get Kevin to check out my runners and suggest an alternative. It turns out I had worn out the insole around where I got the blister and also did a good bit of damage to the cushioning around the same area. This made sense as I had no problem with these runners when I got them initially back in July and this problem had been caused by wear and tear over time. I picked up a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 9 which are a similar type of runner from a support point of view but are slightly wider around the top of the foot.
I took the opportunity to head down to training to see how the foot was and to break them in slightly. Could still feel a bit of discomfort when I was running for a prolonged time but managed around 2.5 miles at an easy pace.
Wednesday 9th October - Easy Run
5.87 miles @ 8:51
This is normally a rest day but wasn't necessary for me this week. I wanted to be able to do our Tempo run on Thursday so I got out for a loop of Balbriggan to break the runners in a bit more. The pace was easy so no major pressure on my foot. Either way there was no discomfort at all during the run which gave me the green light for Tempo Thursday in my own head.
Thursday 10th October - Progression Tempo Run
8 mile progression tempo (8:10, 8:05, 3 @ 7:59, 7:55, 7:45, 7:32)
There was a couple of miles knocked off the Tempo run this week but it was changed to a progression type run starting off 10 seconds slower than MP for a mile, then 5 secs quicker, 3 miles at MP and then picking up the pace by 5 secs a mile for each of the last 3 miles.
I did this run with Rosemary & Susan as usual. The first mile and a bit was fine but then we met around 2 miles with a good drag and into the wind which took a bit more effort to dig in and maintain our required pace. After 3 miles we turned onto the mosney road which offered some shelter. The miles were ticking off nicely and if anything we had to be restrained slightly to keep to pace. Although the legs were quite sore in spots there was no problem picking up the pace as we needed. The 2nd last mile was a bit quick but it just got quicker again in the last mile for some reason. I suppose that's a good sign and what you want to start seeing now. A good confidence booster.
Finished up with a warm down back to the cars for 10.21 miles in total for the session.
Saturday 12th October - Easy Run
5.03 miles @ 9:13 pace
Was late enough getting out for this one on Saturday evening but it was a lovely run once out there. Just my usual loop around Balbriggan that is ideal for the dark winter weather that we are now back to. Took the pace handy with the final long run the following morning.
Sunday 13th October - Long Run
17 miles @ 8:33 pace
Phew!!!! After a few pretty bad long runs recently I really needed this one to go well more from a confidence point of view than anything else. Thank God it did. That's not to say it was easy but it went as well as could be expected.
Met Rosemary at 8am in Stamullen and we agreed on a loop from Stamullen - Julianstown - Mosney Road - Gormanston and back to the cars which brought us to just around 8.75 miles and back to the cars where we set out for the same loop again. It was a cool morning but nice running weather with a mixture of hills, inclines, downhills and undulating road providing a good test for the legs. We maintained a good steady pace for the whole run with no drop off in pace. Apart from feeling the urge to vomit with 1/2 mile to go I really enjoyed the run. What a difference a week makes.
When we reached the 17 mile point we walked the last 1/2 mile or so back to the school to loosen out the legs a bit.
Summary: So from the start of the week where things were bleak and unsure of what running I would get in I still managed to get in 40 miles mostly from Wednesday to Sunday. This was around 20% less than last week and the mileage will reduce further this week. The last of the longish runs are out of the way and while time mileage will be reducing I'm sure there are still a few intensive sessions planned.
Monday 7 October 2013
21 days to go. Nearly time to taper...
After what must seem like nothing but doom and gloom in recent posts I'll try and be a bit more positive in this one.
Thursday 3rd October - Tempo Run
Another Thursday, another Tempo run this time in the rain. Met with Rosemary & Susan and got a mile warm up done before setting out on the same route as last week. First few miles felt like it was going to be a bit of a struggle but everyone was in good spirits and the miles were ticking off ok. I even picked up a new tip for recovery from long runs during the course of the run. Not sure it's for me though ;-)
Before long we were into the last mile and everyone finished strong. Average pace was 7:48 which was 12 seconds better than the previous week. Finished with a cool down back to the cars and 11.62 miles in total.
Friday 4th October - Easy Run
9 miles @ 9:05 pace
I noticed after the run on Thursday I had a pretty big blister on the sole of my right foot and also that my left knee was quite sore. More a stiffness thing when I was sitting down for a while and a bit of a dull pain.
With that in mind I headed out with the plan not to go too far from home in case I needed to stop. The masking tape over the blister seemed to be keeping that in check and the knee wasn't any more painful running so I ventured further from home after a couple of miles. Met Wayne Cawley running in the opposite direction and we joined up for a few miles. Made it home in one piece and did some stretching & foam rolling.
Saturday 5th October - Easy Run
4 miles @ 9:51 pace
We were out in town on Friday night and although not having much to drink it was a late night getting home. When you combine this with a 2 year old alarm clock it results in not a lot of sleep. The body was feeling tired and unresponsive when I headed out. Did this run around the pitches and college grounds. Knee was quite sore from what I remember and I was wondering how the long run would go the next day.
Sunday 6th October - Long Run
20ish miles
Met Rosemary at the school and we headed off towards Skerries via, Gormanston, Flemington lane, Bath road route. Legs and body were quite tired as expected but knee was behaving itself. I had the sole of my foot covered but I felt after 6 miles that the tape had shifted. I kept going as I knew we would be stopping in Skerries to get some water and I would check it out then. I had to stop after 9 miles to re-position the tape and that seemed to help a bit.
After some water and taking my 2nd Powerbar gel we were on our way back to Balbriggan. The wind had been against us on the way over and it seemed to be mostly against us on the way back :-(
Each mile was now becoming a bit of a chore but we were maintaining a steady pace. On the way back up Flemington lane I started to experience some stomach issues and knew I wouldn't make it back to Stamullen so I let Rosemary head on and I popped home for a quick pit stop. Took the chance to put on a fresh top as well and set off for the last 4 miles. Although my legs in general were tired they were feeling ok. My foot was getting worse though with each stride. With a mile to go I adopted a walk/jog strategy but had to just walk the last 1/2 mile. I was a bit disappointed with this but when I saw the below I was surprised I had been able to run that far.
I know for sure now my current runners are not the ones for me for the Marathon. A visit to Amphibian King is in order to see what Kevin suggests. I also know Powerbar gels are not the best for me. That is the last of the long, long runs done I suppose. The last few could have gone better, a lot better in fact but not much I can do about it now. I just have to trust that the bulk of the work is done. What result that produces we'll find out in a few weeks. I need to be careful this week that the above gets a chance to heal properly so will just take it day by day.
Thursday 3rd October - Tempo Run
Another Thursday, another Tempo run this time in the rain. Met with Rosemary & Susan and got a mile warm up done before setting out on the same route as last week. First few miles felt like it was going to be a bit of a struggle but everyone was in good spirits and the miles were ticking off ok. I even picked up a new tip for recovery from long runs during the course of the run. Not sure it's for me though ;-)
Before long we were into the last mile and everyone finished strong. Average pace was 7:48 which was 12 seconds better than the previous week. Finished with a cool down back to the cars and 11.62 miles in total.
Friday 4th October - Easy Run
9 miles @ 9:05 pace
I noticed after the run on Thursday I had a pretty big blister on the sole of my right foot and also that my left knee was quite sore. More a stiffness thing when I was sitting down for a while and a bit of a dull pain.
With that in mind I headed out with the plan not to go too far from home in case I needed to stop. The masking tape over the blister seemed to be keeping that in check and the knee wasn't any more painful running so I ventured further from home after a couple of miles. Met Wayne Cawley running in the opposite direction and we joined up for a few miles. Made it home in one piece and did some stretching & foam rolling.
Saturday 5th October - Easy Run
4 miles @ 9:51 pace
We were out in town on Friday night and although not having much to drink it was a late night getting home. When you combine this with a 2 year old alarm clock it results in not a lot of sleep. The body was feeling tired and unresponsive when I headed out. Did this run around the pitches and college grounds. Knee was quite sore from what I remember and I was wondering how the long run would go the next day.
Sunday 6th October - Long Run
20ish miles
Met Rosemary at the school and we headed off towards Skerries via, Gormanston, Flemington lane, Bath road route. Legs and body were quite tired as expected but knee was behaving itself. I had the sole of my foot covered but I felt after 6 miles that the tape had shifted. I kept going as I knew we would be stopping in Skerries to get some water and I would check it out then. I had to stop after 9 miles to re-position the tape and that seemed to help a bit.
After some water and taking my 2nd Powerbar gel we were on our way back to Balbriggan. The wind had been against us on the way over and it seemed to be mostly against us on the way back :-(
Each mile was now becoming a bit of a chore but we were maintaining a steady pace. On the way back up Flemington lane I started to experience some stomach issues and knew I wouldn't make it back to Stamullen so I let Rosemary head on and I popped home for a quick pit stop. Took the chance to put on a fresh top as well and set off for the last 4 miles. Although my legs in general were tired they were feeling ok. My foot was getting worse though with each stride. With a mile to go I adopted a walk/jog strategy but had to just walk the last 1/2 mile. I was a bit disappointed with this but when I saw the below I was surprised I had been able to run that far.
Ouch!!!
I know for sure now my current runners are not the ones for me for the Marathon. A visit to Amphibian King is in order to see what Kevin suggests. I also know Powerbar gels are not the best for me. That is the last of the long, long runs done I suppose. The last few could have gone better, a lot better in fact but not much I can do about it now. I just have to trust that the bulk of the work is done. What result that produces we'll find out in a few weeks. I need to be careful this week that the above gets a chance to heal properly so will just take it day by day.
Wednesday 2 October 2013
26 Days to go
Saturday 28th September - Moone Kilomarathon
26.2K in 2:20:06
Avg Pace: 8:39
This is a race I had done a couple of years ago and as it is close to my inlaws we are able to kill 2 birds with one stone by combining a visit as well. We headed down on Friday night and I picked up my number on Saturday morning before heading home to get ready. I got dropped off a little bit away from the start and took a very easy jog to the start to warm up.
It was only just over 36 hours since we had finished a tough tempo session and the legs were tired as you would expect but the quads also had a lot of DOM's which was strange. As we lined up at the start it was also clear it was going to be a warm one. The local rector said a prayer and we were quickly away.
The field wasn't that big and a good few people streamed past me at the start. My plan was to run somewhere between Tempo pace and long run pace. The first few miles after the initial hill were mostly flat or slightly downhill and my pace seemed to gravitate towards just over marathon pace for the first 4/5 miles. I had settled into a nice rhythm and took a gel after around 7K more to get used to taking them again.
I was taking on water at every station but maybe not enough for the heat. Between miles 6 & 11 the pace was where I wanted it to be but it was getting tougher to maintain.
Conscious that this was not a race in that I wasn't chasing a time I eased off the pace towards the end and even walked through the water stations to make sure to take on plenty of fluids. Everyone seemed to be in the same boat in that nobody was coming past me and the gap to the group ahead wasn't really changing. The last K was a toughie as part of a steep incline back to the village of Moone and I was glad to finish.
Plenty of refreshments at the finish and I took on plenty of fluids again.
Things I will take from the race:
- I had hydrated well the day before the race and I felt during the race but I still seemed to suffer towards the end more than I would expect. I took 2 gels but these did not seem to have any impact.
- It was 22 degrees when I finished. I would not be a lover of running at any sort of effort in the heat so no doubt this was a factor.
- This was at the end of a week with 2 tough sessions and not much recovery from the tempo session. I probably should have just run at long run pace.
- Am going to try a different type of gel on long run this week just to see if it gives and better impact, and also take on more fluids just to see.
- I'm sick of running on tired legs ;-) and cannot wait for taper to come.
Sunday 29th September - Recovery
2.5 miles @ 10:14 pace
After travelling back home I headed down to Gormanston and shuffled around for a little while. This is all I was fit for. Legs were wrecked but nice to stretch them somewhat. Could have done more but left knee was starting to give me bother so I called it a day. I had a massage booked for Monday anyway which was badly needed.
Tuesday 30th September - Session
The session was moved to St Pats GAA this week with the bad weather as they have an All-Weather type track around their pitches that we used. Did a few laps warm-up and then into the session. The session was 7x3 mins @5K pace with 90 second steady recovery. We got a 2 min recovery after 4 sets which helped a bit. I wasn't able to maintain 5K pace throughout but dug in as best I could and as the saying goes 'I got by with a little help from my friends'
Paces for the 3 min segments were (7:03, 7:15, 7:29, 7:37, 7:04, 7:10, 7:07)
Finished off with a few laps cool down to bring it up to 6.07 miles for the night.
Summary: So 26 days to go to Dublin with this probably being the peak week of mileage. Sunday will be the longest run but not before another 10 mile tempo tomorrow evening and a few easy runs. Wish me luck.
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