Tired But Happy

Last Sunday I went out for my long run.  This according to the ever changing marathon training plan would be my last long, long run before the marathon.  I arrive up at the clubhouse and the lovely 1km track and started of with 25km in mind and a bit hopeful that my legs would last the distance considering the difficulties they have been having recently.

The first 5km went off well and I stopped for a water stop and a quick stretch.  5km more and it was a water and energy gel stop with a quick stretch.  Another 5km, another water stop and 5km more with a stop for a gel and water.  20km done and I was still felling good.

First Tempo Run

7th October
I bought a book called Run Less Run Faster.  It has been a great read so far.  It put forward plans for running 3 times a week with 2 cross training activities also and states that this will improve you overall fitness and in turn you finish times, while reducing the risk of injury.

This seemed like the book for me given my injuries lately.  I'm just going to use some of it now but will put it completely into practice after the marathon and see where it gets me.  I decided to go on a tempo run and as I didn't have any 5km race to inform the pace I should run at I assume my 5km pace would be at around 24 minutes and ran my tempo according to that pace.  2km slow warm up, 5km tempo and a 1km slow cool down.  All in all it was a lovely run and even better was that my legs are still responding well.  Not long to go now.  2 more runs to fill you in on but I'll do that tomorrow.

Yep, I'm Injured

I've been icing my Achilles as much as I can and putting Arnica Gel on the tendon in the hope that I would get better.  So far there has not been that much of a recovery.  Today, a little annoyed and probably not to clever I went out for a run in my new Brooks Ghost 4.  They felt great but I only got to 4km when I thought that I may stop before I do damage.  Back home and out with the ice again.

My new Brooks just before their inaugural run

This has really put my marathon training in disarray.  With only 6 and a half weeks or so to the marathon I'm not sure I'll be in the right condition.  There is a half marathon on this weekend and I just may have to miss it in the hopes of getting some recovery in.  Any tips on how to quicken recovery?

DCM Week 9: Long Run

Long run of 22km done and I struggled a little getting it done.  My legs are fairly sore today.  With just over 8 weeks to go I'm wondering how I will be during and after the marathon as I'm still finding the half a little tough.  Missing that week of running two weeks or so ago has set me back but I'll see how I get on next week.  Long run of 28km planned for next week.  That should let me know how ready I am for the marathon.  Hopefully I'll be feeling more confident at the end of next week than I am today.  Maybe it is just a slight fear of the unknown.

DCM Week 9: 8km Regular Part 2

Yesterday's run was a strange one.  Although the speed was similar to Tuesday's run my heart rate was higher and funnily enough I actually felt better running it than Tuesday's one, go figure.

I cancelled today's run because my legs were a little sore and I'm trying to ease myself back after the break due to illness.  My next run will be a nice 21km on Saturday morning and then I think it will be off to visit a sports store and maybe a new pair of runners.  My current two pairs have clocked up 600km (Asics GT 2150) and 447km (New Balance 1064) respectively.

I was thinking of going for the Saucony Mirage.  Anyone tried these, run in these or have any experience of these I would appreciate any comments.

On a happy note even with the 10 day absence from running due to illness I ran further than ever before in the month of August, 129km.  I guess holidays and running appeal to me.  Now to beat that distance in September.

DCM Week 9: 8km Regular Part 1

Up at 6:30 this morning and out the door before 7am for a nice 8km run, well it wasn't as nice as I would have liked.  I found it a little tough.  I'm not sure if it is down to that week and a half of no training due to illness or if it is due to being really tired and not fully awake or functioning at that hour of the morning.  Maybe it was a combination of the both.

Any way the weeks to my first marathon is not in the single digits and I'm starting to get a little worried.  I'm not in the shape I would like to be at this moment in time or covering the distances I would hope to cover.  I'm still going to plod along and if I have to walk the last few km's I will.  This is all about finishing, I can always try to be better prepared next time. 9 weeks to go and I aim to finish my training schedule and hope that will be enough to get me to the finish line, one step at a time.

Week 18 & 17 Roundup

I've been away for a while and have not really had a chance to blog so I'm throwing all my latest runs into this post to catch up rather than create an individual post for each one, not that there are many runs since my last blog.

I've had a poor start to my marathon training.  I'm on a schedule which is 4 runs per week.  I'm looking at getting in a speed workout, a regular run, a long run and a recovery run.  Two weeks in and I've managed 5 runs out of 8, not great.  With only 16 weeks remaining to the run I have to become a lot more disciplined or I won't be at the place I need to be for the marathon.

One of my runs was in Geneva, a little outside of my usual routes, working trip.  It is a beautiful place to run.  Geneva is situated on a lake and this really makes the run enjoyable.  I wish I had more time to run there but the day I did run was beautiful, sunny, warm, clear blue sky and had a snow capped Mount Blanc in the background.

I hope to blog on a regular basis again now that life has slowed down again.

Double Milestone

Today marked a double milestone for me.

The first one is my inaugural run in my first ever marathon training schedule.  I've set up an 18 week training schedule that has just started and will end with the Dublin City Marathon in the end of October this year.  Although a bit nervous of the time commitment and the training involved I am looking forward to it.  I'm also going to try to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society while doing it so if you would like to support me please click on the mycharity.ie link on the right hand side of this page.  All support is very much appreciated.

The second milestone I've reached is that with this run, run number 57 of the year, I have equalled the total number of runs for 2010.  So in 6 months I've managed to get my legs out the door the same number of times as the full 12 months of 2010, a great improvement for me.  Now I have a nice target to beat, more than 57 runs in the final 6 months of this year.

Here is a comparison of both 57 runs a slightly longer distance in a slightly faster time.

Juneathon - Day 15: Exercises

Today I was pretty tired after work and left the little bit of exercise I had planned to do today until late. I did manage to get in 34 minutes of sit-ups, push-up parallel stretches and balance exercises. I feel really tired now and am off to bed. A 6 to 8km run planned for tomorrow.

I also got my sponsorship pack today from the Irish Cancer Society. I'm running the Dublin City Marathon on October 31st, my first marathon, and am fundraising for them while doing it. If you wish to donate to this cause please click on the mycharity.ie button on the column on the right. The marathon training schedule starts in July and I'm not sure what to expect but I am looking forward to it. But before all that starts I have a half marathon on Sunday week. I better get in a good long run this weekend to make sure I can still do it.

Juneathon - Day 6: Running

6km was the plan for today as I was feeling a bit tired and my calf muscles were a bit sore.  I had planned to run in the morning but the few drinks last night stopped that.  I woke up this morning and decided that more sleep was needed and rolled over to sleep for another 2 hours.

It was after 8pm when I did get out and I didn't want to go.  If it wasn't for Juneathon I may have stayed at home.  It looked like rain as I left the house but thankfully it held off for the run.  My legs were very sluggish, I guess exercising everyday has left them a little tired.  The first km was in 5.51 and I was tired.  I stopped to stretch out and then continued. The next two km were 5.58 and 5.59.  I can't remember the last time I went out on my own and ran this slow.  The next two km were 5.52 and 5.56 with the 6th km a 6.02.  The legs were tired and it showed.  

At least one positive of the run was that my average heart rate was 150bpm.  I read somewhere that the if you can maintain a heart rate of 150 the pace that you run is a good pace for completing a marathon.  Of course you still need to train the legs to run long distances but this would be a good gauge of pace.  If that is the case them my goal time at this stage for a marathon would be 4 hours 11 minutes.  I'd be very happy with that time, a good goal to aim for.  I'm going to use Juneathon to build up a base fitness and marathon training will begin in July.

February 2011 Round Up

My final run for February was a 3km recovery run after the long 18km yesterday.  The calf muscles were very tender and it wasn't the easiest 3km I've ever run but at a slow pace I got through it and tomorrow is a much needed rest day.

So to my goal of running 1,500km in 2011, how is that going?  At this stage, two months in, I should have notched up a nice 250km to be on target.  What do I have at the moment, 121.81km, I'm already a month behind.  I knew when I set this target it would be a tough one for me.  Having run 58 times last year covering 431km I knew I would have to get out more and add another 1,000km to my 2010 distance to meet the goal.  Starting the year injured meant January was a tough month where I reached 40km and in February I had the flu which cut running out for a week.  There are positives though.  In both months the number of runs are in double digits, something I never managed once last year and this month the 81.23km is the furthest I ever run in a month, definite progress being made here.

I'm still debating about signing up for the Dublin marathon in October but I know if I do, the training will give me back the month I'm down on my 2011 goal which I'm still confident of achieving.  Roll on March.

1,500 Kilometres in 2011

So my last bit of constructive running was in September, since then I've been pretty lazy.  I've decided that needs to change and I'm setting a target for 2011.

So this is my target, to run 1,500 kilometres in 2011. This is a big goal for me as I usually lose motivation and take weeks, if not months, off at a time.  I can't do that and complete this goal.  Over the year I hope to enter a few races and complete the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October 2011, which will be my first ever marathon.

I'm going to post all runs, training and races, on the blog and with a bit of luck and hard work I'll meet my target and complete my first ever marathon running 1,500 kilometres in one year in the process.

My first race will be the Lisbon Half Marathon in March but before that I need to get rid of this flu and start running again.  Chirstmas is only days away so after the party season is over the training will start.  I think I'm looking forward to 2011 already.  Happy running.