Slowly, slowly.

Weather has been crap, work has been busy, and the body is protesting!

While I am still working on getting to grips with my fancy new watch, there are some really nice features. I am enjoying the sleep monitor, which is mostly accurate but can be adjusted if not. The app is really useful and easy to keep track on what is going on.

All runs this week were fairy short for various reasons. Wind and cold were the main feature of the week. I didn't push the distance too far, still preferring to try and get the body used to running multiple days. However, my left hip firstly, then knee, then foot, then heel, all started to protest to varying degrees. As always, I just push through, and after a few miles it always seems to improve.

Monday 6.2 miles 8:07 avg
Tuesday 6.2 miles 7:13 avg
Wednesday rest
Thursday 6.15 miles 7:28avg
Friday 6:03 miles 7:34 avg
Saturday 6.2 miles 7:05 avg

Today should have been a long run, but it lashed rain and I though four days in a row might be a bit much, so with the weather forecast better for tomorrow, I will try for an 11 mile run then.

A Slow Start

Slowly I am starting to ramp up the distance, and it is not going as well as I had hoped.
The new watch is great for giving me all the information I never had before, such as heart rate, cadence, calories etc, everything most people have taken for granted from their watch for the last 5 years!

Monday I did an easy flat 6 mile loop, part of it on the track, average pace 7;32.

Tuesday I went to speed training for the first time in a long while. I thoroughly enjoyed the company as I normally tend to run on my own. I took the session very easy as I didn't want to push it too hard too soon, not that I would have much in the tank to push right now anyway! It was nice to kind of blow out some cobwebs for a change.

Wednesday was a rest day, and I really needed it after the speed training the night before, my legs were tired, but not quite sore. Thursday again was an easy 6 miles, same pace as Monday.

Friday I decided to re-introduce some hills into the training. At the off, my left hamstring was very tight, and within the first two miles I was almost heading home. I began to think that I was pushing too many miles too quickly, but I have found in the past that if I push on for a few miles the pain / injury / discomfort normally dissipates eventually. This is probably never a good idea, but seems to have worked so far. Anyway, 4 miles in and I had warmed up and the discomfort was a lot less, although the pace was very slow.  The only bonus was that the steep hills were no harder than the flat segments. 7.1 miles at 8:15 average.

Saturday I took as a rest day, the weather wasn't particularly good so I was happy to sit it out. On Sunday I wanted to test the pace a bit over a longer distance. With a potential half marathon in mid March, I needed to find out if it was worth even trying to train for it. So with a planned 11 miles, I set my watch (eventually) for a 7;25 pace. As I set out, I was a bit confused at the pace display which seemed to have me running a lot slower than I would have expected. After the first while I figured out I had set the pace at 7:25 per kilometer, and not mile! So I had to revert to a different screen and run average pace. Anyway, it took about two miles to settle into the pace which felt quite tough initially, but then I settled into a nice stride and it felt a lot easier. Finishing the 11.1 miles at 7:19 average, I was kind of glad it was finished, but pleased with the result. It's a long way off 26.2 at 6:47 I was doing just over two months ago, but as I know my body, I am confident that I can improve if I can get some consistency over a few weeks.

Today was just a recovery week of 6 miles which went well, but I was glad when it was over. It will shortly be time to re-introduce the tempo runs, and the mile repeats sessions, which usually provide the quickest improvement. That's if I can get this watch figured out!

A First in Five Years!

Today was a first for me in over five years, although in reality it was probably achieved a few days ago without me realising, such is the nature of the circumstance.

I knew I was getting close over the last week or two, solid progress towards the target evident with each passing day. Even the arrival of my shiny new Garmin, with all its fancy applications such as built in heart rate monitor, stairs counting, steps counting etc, couldn't stop the end result.

Yes, for the first time in over 5 years, I weigh more than 11 stones. 11 stone 1 pound to be exact.
An unrestricted diet of pretty much whatever I wanted got me to this point, coupled with a serious lack of training. Cake, any kind, but especially Christmas cake, chocolate, but particularly peanut M&M's and quality street, and biscuits, much mince pies and a fair few takeaways of mainly fried chicken, chips and Chinese resulted in every tightening jeans. And I enjoyed every single calorie!

The intention was to resume normal service yesterday, but wouldn't you know, I have caught an illness. A serious headache, coupled with a sore throat, and a slight temperature meant I decided that it would be unwise to further stress an already under pressure immune system. The fancy new watch showed a resting heart rate average of less than 40 go to over 50 in two days, coinciding with the onset of the adverse feelings. Not sure how that might play out in the future but it will be interesting to observe the correlation, if any.

So the new regime will begin tomorrow, refreshed and polar bear like in my new layer of natural thermal insulation, ready for winter training , although the days now are getting longer, and as we Irish like to say 'sure there's a grand stretch in the evening'. I know that I have lost a serious amount of fitness since Dublin, but in a way that motivates me afresh. Progress will be observable quite quickly, rather than if I had retained a similar level, and made little improvement, and I am hoping that it won't take too long.

Half marathon target in March, 10 mile target in April, Berlin training begins mid May. I don't expect to be over 11 stone for very long. It's quite amusing actually. Observing the weight on my body, I see it as 'something' rather than me. I know I am underneath it, I just need to shed it again. But I sure did enjoy putting it there!

December Update - I won the Lottery again

Even though I am doing very little training right now, I need to keep not of what is happening so when I look back next year, I can see what I was doing.

As per the title, I won the lottery, this time the Berlin marathon lottery. Hotel is already booked!
As I didn't get a place last year, I just bought all the options this year, logic being they might favour the higher revenue entrants. Whether that was a factor or not I will never know, but I was delighted with the place. I does put some shape on next year which is always a good thing, but it also puts some pressure on. Now that I have done the sub 3 in Dublin, it would be expected that Berlin should also be a sub 3. We will see.

As for training, pretty much not a lot right now. 2 to 3 runs per week, one long run of between 11 to 13 miles, slow pace. This week was a better week. Tuesday was 11 miles. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were all five miles. Mile 3 of the 5 mile sets was run at a tempo pace, which turned out to be 6:20 on all the 3 days. Today I went to the gym with the eldest, and as I have no hope of doing the weights session he does, I did a few light exercises, and a few miles treadmill.

My ankle was very sore after yesterday's run, to the point I had a bit of a limp in walking and trying to go up or down the stairs. I reckon it's due to going from 2 days running to 4, and it's a bit scary that my body reacted that way. The ankle was much better today on the treadmill so hopefully it was a passing thing.

The Christmas diet has started early, I have gained almost 7 pounds since Dublin. I will continue to eat what I want, which is lots of everything but mostly chocolate, biscuits and cake, and not feel guilty about it, and whatever weight I am on 2nd January, then so be it.
I have said many times before, I am a fat man in a thin body, but only because I run.

One Month on

So nothing in the way of an update for a month.

Normally in November, after the Dublin marathon, I tend to still run some fairly consistent mileage, albeit no neccisarly all that high. This time, I have been a little less focused.

The week after the marathon, my first run was an easy 6 miles on the Thursday, next run being an easy 10 miles on the Sunday. That was a good start, but it kind of fell away a bit then. I went to a speed session the next Tuesday, and we congratulated Gary on his win.

Since then nothing much really. A few easy runs is all. Last week, 26 miles, two easy 10 milers and a six mile, with a gym session and a swim thrown in. Having broken the three this year, I am not as I was other years, gunning for revenge and plotting the next opportunity for an attempt on the summit!

For 2018, I intend to take the 10 mile distance a bit more seriously. Until then, December will be as November, just getting out when the weather is good, enjoying the runs when able, and continuing most likely with the weight gains, as I do most Decembers. The wife says its nice to see some cheeks on the bones.

Having had some time to reflect on the sub 3 achievement, I am still quite proud of it, but once it has been achieved, I was left slightly wondering what the next obsession would be! Can I knock some further time off, and would that really matter, probably not. The training and effort required to lose two or three minutes, I'm not sure would be worthy of the gains, sub 3 is sub 3!

Anyway, the weather has gone cold, I'm busy at work, and Christmas is coming. Roll on 2018, and I have you in my sights mister hour!

DCM 2017

Everyone will have their own story of the Dublin Marathon 2017, some good, some maybe not so good.
The important thing that we all should remember, is how lucky each and every one of us were to be in the health to make it to the start line. I had promised myself a long time ago, no matter what the outcome of any race, I would not be disappointed as long as I kept that philosophy alive.

There is only one Dublin. No matter what other marathons are completed, Dublin will always be special. My training up to the race had been very start stop. I had some very good periods of progression, and the usual plateaus, where I felt I was going backwards. I went on holidays, I got sick, I had a very busy time at work, and I had a family, the same as every other year, and most other participants who run as a hobby.

Having run the Longford marathon two months ago, I had feared that I may have screwed up my chances of a good marathon at Dublin as it took me a longer time to recover than expected.
However, a reasonably good run at the Dublin half marathon, and a pretty solid 3/4 three weeks ago, and I was hopeful that I had some descent stamina built.

As I am sure many thousands of others were doing in the week before the event, I tapered, tried to carb load (I find Halloween brack is brilliant), and watched the weather with dread. Thankfully, on the day, the weather turned out to be pretty much perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, a light breeze, and while it was forecast to be slightly overcast, it turned out to be beautifully sunny.
As I like to be able to keep to my own schedule, I slightly anti-socially drove in on the morning with Brian, instead of getting the bus. I did miss the atmosphere of the bus though, the price to pay for the convenience of getting home slightly earlier at the end for the well earned hot bath.

Parking the car only a short walk from the start, we joined the enthusiastic crowds making their way to the baggage area, and the sense of excitement tinged with nervousness was palpable. There is no 'one size fits all' runner, we come in all shapes and sizes, and the old addage of never judge a book by its cover is certainly one which applies. When running a marathon, you will try anything which might ease your journey and help you that bit quicker towards the finish line, but it truly amazes me how many gels some people think they will need, most likely discarded somewhere as they fall out.

After losing Brian along the way to the start line, I dropped in my bag and made my way to the start for a little warmup, Nothing to much, just a few short strides to get the blood flowing and the heart rate slightly elevated, along with the last quick pee break. I tend not to drink very much on the morning of a race, other than a cup of tea and a few small sips of water. The hydration should be done over the three or four days previous.

I jumped in and positioned myself a few rows behind the 3 hour balloons. I saw a few friendly faces from the Balbriggan club, but couldn't spot any of my own club. The nervous and excited chatter between friends and acquaintances continued, and the one question I heard asked many times was, 'are you going for it?'. Never, was the 'it' articulated, as we all knew what 'it' was, and it was a question I heard repeated many times as far as 20 miles.

At the off, the usual congestion. I had read a tip to stay on the left side at the start, as the first turn is to the right, and that worked very well. Even at my relatively forward starting position, I was still amazed at the runners who were clearly running for a slower time, had started so far forward, and only served to slow the first mile down as we tried to pass. So even though the first mile was very stop start, the watched beeped at 6:53, perfect, 1 second slow.

Mile 2 was about trying to settle in and get the legs warming up properly, but the usual problem of getting dragged along by the exuberance of those around me meant a faster mile 2 at 6:40.
 The 3 hour balloons were slipping away nicely, my plan did not see me running in a large group, fighting for water at the aid stations, My training is usually pretty solitary, and I am just fine with that.
Mile 3 6:56, better, taking back some of the faster mile, very important not to go out too hard!
Mile 4 6:43, doh! A flatter section and I was getting carried away again.
Mile 5 6:50, some water and a gel taken on board. Very important to drink at every station to avoid the cramps and dehydration I had experienced in the past.
Going through the phoenix park, it was really great to see some cheering cub members, it really gave me a lift, and can be better than any sports gel!

Mile 6 6:48, steady enough, going through the 10k mark at 42:43, position 913. Mile 7, 6:59, that's ok, don't worry about a few slow miles this early on, its a long way! Keep drinking, keep steady, stay focused. Mile 8, 6:40, a downhill section, just let the legs turn over slightly faster, don't push the pace. Alot of runners passed me here, and I thought, so what?, I am running my own race. I could still see the sub 3 balloons ahead of me, though quite a bit now.

Mile 9, 6:44. I was getting a bit worried here, the pace was very comfortable, and I knew this would be the danger zone, I needed to keep things under control. Mile 10, 6:47, mile 11, 6:59. That was again a slow mile, but there was probably the steepest section of the race at this point, and I just let myself flow up the hill, not pushing the pace, keeping the head held up and the breathing steady. Plenty of water, and another gel, starting to take on the sports drink now too, although they tried to give me cups, I just grabbed the bottle anyway and carried it for a while as I drank, the only way I knew I would get enough into me.
 Mile 12, 6:43, a bit fast, but back on a flatter section of road with some great crowd support which really helps you along.

Mile 13, 6:48, and going through the half way mark in 1:30:05, position 893. That is a pretty good indication of how the marathon goes, I only passed 20 people in 10k, and all around me, still the talk of whether we were on for 'it'. The halfway point is always the first stock take for me. Comfortable or no? Today, reasonably comfortable, no great signs of trouble.. yet! The aim was for a slightly negative split, and I couldn't get much more accurate than that.

Mile 14, 6:59. That did throw me a bit. Was that a harder mile, was I starting to fade? The first doubts creep in, take a gel, keep drinking, keep running, shake it off, head up, concentrate on the breathing.
Mile 15, 6:47, better, but did I push that too hard?, am I going to regret that! Keep running, keep breathing, head up!
Mile 16, 6:43, okay, that was fast, but felt comfortable, the doubts start to ease, the rhythm is good, only 10 miles left. The talk of 'it' is less.
Mile 17, 6:42. Danger zone, running too fast, if I don't get back under control I will blow up!
Brian is in front of me. Wait! What!

Mile 18, 6:42, still fast, but comfortable. Comfortable be damned, I will be walking at 21 miles at this pace. Going through 30k 2:07:34, position 680, passed 213 runners. I start to come across the walkers now, where I have been many times, the first casualties of the war with the pace and distance, the distance winning.
Mile 19, 6:43, oh well, I guess I will just go with it! It is not as easy as it sounds just to slow down. The body has a rhythm, the stride is what it is, to slow would be to try and disrupt that, and at this point, anything that disrupts anything will be detrimental to my health!

Mile 20, 6:40. Now I am in the real danger zone. This is where I have  blown up on many a marathon, hit the wall, fallen apart, crashed and burned, whatever the term, I have walked quite a few marathons from this point, but today I was still running, and at 6:40. But for how long? It could all come to a sudden grinding halt very quickly. Stock take at 20. Comfortable or no. Well, no. Can you be comfortable at 20 miles? The best I could say was that I was still running, and running well.
A 43 minute 10k would get me home, focus on that.

Mile 21, 6:44, water, gel, breath, run.
Mile 22, 6:57. Okay, steady, that hill appeared they call heartbreak. It's not so much heartbreak, I call it the 'quite annoying' hill, as I would much rather it was not there. But it is, and to be fair, there is quite a nice downhill stretch immediately after.
Mile 23, 6:43. The downhill, and the support, again, a great lift from some clubmates, I even managed a smile and a bit more than a wave. It was like taking two gels at that point, and I knew I was on the finishing straight. 3 miles. Break it down, I can run three miles any day, thats all I need, three miles, keep running.

Mile 24, 6:39. The fastest mile of the race, the adrenaline pumping through my body was pushing me along, the finish within reach, and surely I could allow myself to push harder now, and I became even more nervous. What if I collapsed at the last mile? How slow could I run and still make 'it'? Two 7:30's would do it? No! Push, run, breath, repeat!

Mile 25, 6:40. Almost there! The crowds are cheering the atmosphere electric. Keep the head up, keep running. I want to stop! I feel as if I have made it, finished now, where's that fecking line, jesus these miles must be measured wrong, they are definitely longer than the other ones. No more water, no more gels, just me and the last mile. I catch the three hour pacers, and pass them, my heart racing, surely now! Surely I won't fall apart now, but I might! Shit, steady, steady, don't screw this up now.
I don't think I have much say in it now, my body has had enough, it wants to get off this sadistic joyride, but the brain just won't let it yet!

Mile 26, 6:44, there it is, in sight, that big beautiful gantry, and even though I have no glasses on, I can still see it says 2:xx:xx. Run! Last .2, can't trust the garmin. I have absolutely nothing left. No sprint, just keeping the same steady pace that I have done for the last 26 miles, over the line for a finish time of 2:58:54, position 462, arms raised up, running under that finish line with the clock showing a time I honestly never believed it would as I ran under it.

Like so many others on the day, each with their own personal victories, I felt a sense of pride to have finished in a 'good' time, and relief that I had achieved what it has taken me 11 attempts to do!
I had done 'it', the sub 3.

Then I was shattered! The emotions came, and I felt a little teary as I often do, and a great sense of gratitude to life for allowing me be here on such a beautiful autumnal day, collecting my medal, and meeting my friend afterwards. Off I went to change, and a nice cup of tea in some great company as we exchanged stories of our adventures on the streets of Dublin.

I felt a little awkward with the congratulations of my sub 3, although I was very grateful and humbled, but in the same vein as I will never be too disappointed with a 'bad' race time, I can't be  overly proud of a good one either. It's all relative, and both within our club, and for thousands of others, there were some great victories. A massive congratulations to Danny on his sub 3 also, and to Karen for her national medal, and to Ciaran and others on completing their first marathon.

The legs were not too stiff today, as long as I kept moving. I mowed the grass, and as tempted as I was, while I went for a walk, there was no running! I will definitely loose at least one, and probably two toenails, but 'its' worth it!

Now what?

Updates

So it's a long time since I posted, for various reasons, but if I want to have any record of what training I have done this year I figure I need to put it down.

After the long 20 miler in the previous post, training didn't really get any more consistent. I was still finding the long stuff challenging, so I decided to try and step back a bit to hopefully progress.

I concentrated on trying to get some faster miles done, weekly mileage for the next week was only 40, but there were some quality sessions. The long run the following Sunday was only 12 miles, but ran at 6:45 pace. I also did 6 days of running subsequently. Some old reliable tempo's were reintroduced, starting with 5 miles at 6:30, then 6 at 6:30.

I started to get a head cold, and it progressed slightly to my chest. Never the less, I ran the Dublin race series half marathon. Enough has been said about the organisation of the event, and although the first half of the course was 'challenging', I managed a 1:25:09. This did surprise me somewhat, as I had started out very conservatively, and found I had lots left over the last few miles, the last mile being a 6:11!

Immeadiately after the race, the chest infection took hold in earnest, and I spent two days in bed. So back to a tentative running schedule, not really getting any high mileage weeks in. My speed sessions consist of 4x2 miles, at 6:20 pace, 3 minute intervals. These are good workouts I find.

I ran the Irish 3/4 marathon on Sunday. Again I went out conservatively, planning a 7:00 minute mile pace, and ended up finishing in 2:15 for a 6:52 average. This was faster, but felt like a natural pace, so I just went with it. Surprisingly, yesterday there was very little tiredness evident, but I just did an easy 5 miles to recover.

A speed session today with the club, which I haven't done in a very long time. A mile warmup , then 7x800 at 5k pace. I did feel the effort on the last 800, but overall a very solid session, with 4 easy miles to finish.

If I can get some good quality sessions in over the next two weeks, I might have a shot at a descent marathon at Dublin. Gary's plan as always a bit unconventional when it comes to the concept of a taper, with 60 miles each week for the next two weeks.