After last weeks meeting with the wall, I was not particularly inspired with the thoughts of the remaining training.
Monday was an easy 6 miles, Tuesday was to be tempo run day. With the usual 1 mile warmup, I set off with 7 planned at 6:35. The going felt pretty good, so I changed the plan to make it 9 at tempo pace. Finishing easily, I would have kept going to 11 but I had to head home to go to work. The 9 were at 6:31 avg.
Wednesday was rest day which usually ties in well with a long day in the office at the wife's Pilates.
Thursday was a glorious day of sunshine, and with no work for the day, I was under no time pressure with 10 miles planned. I headed out with the 'easy' pace planned of 7:20. At about mile 8 I decided to extend the run a bit as the day was so nice and the pace felt so easy. I figured 12 might be nicer. At 11 miles, I had the option to head for home or keep going for a few more, so keep going I did, all the way to 18 miles. No water, no sports drink, ending the run on a 7:16 avg.
I was really pleased with this, it gave me a bit of confidence back. Obviously I am better off without the sports drink, up to a point I believe.
Friday was 6 easy, and Saturday was an unplanned rest day ( largely, but not confirmed, that I may have had been feeling some ill effects of one or two alcoholic beverages the night before ).
Again today was a beautiful day, and make miles while the sun smiles was again the order of the day.
I headed out for a long run planned, but at an easier pace. 7:30 was the target, the distance a bit uncertain,but hoping 20 miles might be achievable. I had put a drink of water at 6 miles, which would also be 12 miles on the lap, and at 14 miles a bottle with water and a drop off cordial.
The pace felt very nice early on, a gentle amble, which I knew would be torturous by 18 miles. I met a clubmate out at 9 miles who joined me for 6 which was really great. I had forgotten how nice and how much easier it is to have some company. When he left me at 15, I feared I would find the pace hard going, but thankfully it would never arrive. Mile 17 and 18 were amongst the fastest, probably due to the cordial effect. Finishing the 20 strongly with an average of 7:28, I felt I could have easily kept going to finish another 6, which would have been somewhere around a 3:15 marathon, although I do realise that actually running another 6 miles might tell a very different story!
5 weeks today, another 4 weeks of hard training ahead hopefully, the roller coaster continues.
Sunday 22 March 2015
Sunday 15 March 2015
A stupid place for a wall.
After the good run in Bohermeen, I had hoped to build on it.
Monday was a recovery day, heard somewhere that running an easy five miles usually works for a recovery run, so I did 6 on grass.
It worked well and I felt comfortable after with no soreness. Tuesday was rest day, Wednesday was 10 miles at what was to be an easy pace, and without paying attention to the watch averaged at exactly 7min miles. This was faster than expected, and if put it down to the legs still in faster mode from the Sunday run.
Work commitments meant I didn't get out for my planned 9 mile tempo, so I decided to bite the bullet and set out for 20 miles on Friday on what was a beautiful day. The plan was 7:25 miles, and the first 10 went very easy. I had positioned some drinks out on my route, water first, then some sports drink, with water towards the end. Owing to an enroute phonecall, i misplaced the sports drink bottle at 11 instead of 15 miles. The going got very tough after consuming the sports drink. I found it difficult to get a rhythm going, my breathing was slightly laboured and I felt the energy being sapped from me. At 16 miles I slammed into the wall and had to just stop and walk for a half mile. I got going again, did 1 mile at 8:10 and walked the last half mile home having cut the route short.
The 16 miles were exactly on pace. So was it the sports drink, or did I push too far too soon too hard after Bohermeen? Whatever it was, it has hit the confidence big time. Saturday was 6 easy, and today was 10 at 7:25 again, which felt decidedly slow and very easy to finish.
With not long left to London, it is a bit late to be establishing the formula for success! The next few weeks will be crucial. However it goes, I won't be pushing it for any PB's.
Monday was a recovery day, heard somewhere that running an easy five miles usually works for a recovery run, so I did 6 on grass.
It worked well and I felt comfortable after with no soreness. Tuesday was rest day, Wednesday was 10 miles at what was to be an easy pace, and without paying attention to the watch averaged at exactly 7min miles. This was faster than expected, and if put it down to the legs still in faster mode from the Sunday run.
Work commitments meant I didn't get out for my planned 9 mile tempo, so I decided to bite the bullet and set out for 20 miles on Friday on what was a beautiful day. The plan was 7:25 miles, and the first 10 went very easy. I had positioned some drinks out on my route, water first, then some sports drink, with water towards the end. Owing to an enroute phonecall, i misplaced the sports drink bottle at 11 instead of 15 miles. The going got very tough after consuming the sports drink. I found it difficult to get a rhythm going, my breathing was slightly laboured and I felt the energy being sapped from me. At 16 miles I slammed into the wall and had to just stop and walk for a half mile. I got going again, did 1 mile at 8:10 and walked the last half mile home having cut the route short.
The 16 miles were exactly on pace. So was it the sports drink, or did I push too far too soon too hard after Bohermeen? Whatever it was, it has hit the confidence big time. Saturday was 6 easy, and today was 10 at 7:25 again, which felt decidedly slow and very easy to finish.
With not long left to London, it is a bit late to be establishing the formula for success! The next few weeks will be crucial. However it goes, I won't be pushing it for any PB's.
Sunday 8 March 2015
Race Report
Training had again been slightly disjointed recently with a trip to the USA with work thrown in. I brought the gear and did a 10k at 5am on the treadmill while there, but I hate the treadmill. I tend to sweat buckets, and not getting anywhere is a tad frustrating. The effort always seems far harder on the treadmill too.
Mileage for last week was only 30, but I did get a quality session of 8 miles at race pace for the half marathon, with 11 miles for the session.
The weather forecast was pretty much ideal today, and it didn't disappoint. It was a bit breezy, but compared to the last few day, and what it was at Bohermeen last year, it was quite acceptable.
The whole family came with me today, as Navan is only 30 minutes from the house.
Over 1000 participants ran today, and it was busy. I did only a relatively small warm up of 10 minutes easy enough, and got a place pretty close to the start with some fellow club mates whom I hadn't really seen in quite some time due to the solitary nature of my training of late.
At the off, as anticipated, the pace was too fast. I had set the garmin at. 6:29 pace for a target 1:25, and the first mile was 6:05, and even then I was making a conscious effort to hold back. Mile two was a bit more honest at 6:23. People seemed to find their place, and one thing I noted after the finish was how little passing was done. Only one or two passed me for the entire race and the same for me. That was a good indication that the people around me at least, paced it well.
At 4 miles a runner came along side and asked what my target was. His PB had been 1:29, so he said he would tag along with me. From there, all the miles were pretty accurate at about 6:25 pace, and the going felt good. I was running well within myself, holding back at times when the wind was on my back to conserve energy. In my mind the test would come from 10 miles, as that had been the longest tempo I had done. 10 came, and I still felt good, the temptation was to push the pace, but the last 3 were crucial, with the last almost two up a pretty long drag right into the wind.
As we turned into the wind, my fellow runner who had been with me all along decided to push on and I let him go. In my mind, with the hardest 1.5 miles left, I didn't want to screw it up now. I felt the effort really increase as I pushed into the wind, but I overtook 2 runners who had been ahead of me all race. The pace dropped to 6:35, but i had enough time banked I felt, to tolerate it. As I came around the final turn I could see the clock at 1:24 something ( no glasses on) and I quickly realised it might not make it. I pushed it out for a sprint finish, but ended up with 1:25:03 at the end.
I was pretty happy with this, the important thing for me on this race was to see where I was, and to pace it right. I probably should have programmed the garmin at 6:25 as it read 13.22 distance and I should have allowed for that.
Overall a good race, our club came fourth, and my club mates had some fantastic times. It gives me a good barometer for London. The year I ran 3:09, my half marathon time was 1:26 and a bit, so I am least there I hope.
The mileage will increase substantially from this week with only 7 weeks to go.
Mileage for last week was only 30, but I did get a quality session of 8 miles at race pace for the half marathon, with 11 miles for the session.
The weather forecast was pretty much ideal today, and it didn't disappoint. It was a bit breezy, but compared to the last few day, and what it was at Bohermeen last year, it was quite acceptable.
The whole family came with me today, as Navan is only 30 minutes from the house.
Over 1000 participants ran today, and it was busy. I did only a relatively small warm up of 10 minutes easy enough, and got a place pretty close to the start with some fellow club mates whom I hadn't really seen in quite some time due to the solitary nature of my training of late.
At the off, as anticipated, the pace was too fast. I had set the garmin at. 6:29 pace for a target 1:25, and the first mile was 6:05, and even then I was making a conscious effort to hold back. Mile two was a bit more honest at 6:23. People seemed to find their place, and one thing I noted after the finish was how little passing was done. Only one or two passed me for the entire race and the same for me. That was a good indication that the people around me at least, paced it well.
At 4 miles a runner came along side and asked what my target was. His PB had been 1:29, so he said he would tag along with me. From there, all the miles were pretty accurate at about 6:25 pace, and the going felt good. I was running well within myself, holding back at times when the wind was on my back to conserve energy. In my mind the test would come from 10 miles, as that had been the longest tempo I had done. 10 came, and I still felt good, the temptation was to push the pace, but the last 3 were crucial, with the last almost two up a pretty long drag right into the wind.
As we turned into the wind, my fellow runner who had been with me all along decided to push on and I let him go. In my mind, with the hardest 1.5 miles left, I didn't want to screw it up now. I felt the effort really increase as I pushed into the wind, but I overtook 2 runners who had been ahead of me all race. The pace dropped to 6:35, but i had enough time banked I felt, to tolerate it. As I came around the final turn I could see the clock at 1:24 something ( no glasses on) and I quickly realised it might not make it. I pushed it out for a sprint finish, but ended up with 1:25:03 at the end.
I was pretty happy with this, the important thing for me on this race was to see where I was, and to pace it right. I probably should have programmed the garmin at 6:25 as it read 13.22 distance and I should have allowed for that.
Overall a good race, our club came fourth, and my club mates had some fantastic times. It gives me a good barometer for London. The year I ran 3:09, my half marathon time was 1:26 and a bit, so I am least there I hope.
The mileage will increase substantially from this week with only 7 weeks to go.
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