Taper Time, well kind of

So in to the home straight now at last. I know there's often a lot of debate about how long the marathon taper should be, with 2 to 3 weeks often considered the optimum duration. As my training had been disrupted I feel that my situation is slightly different. Traditionally one should begin the taper after coming off the hardest training in terms of intensity and mileage & while I got some good quality workouts in, my weekly mileage had been hit or miss. Since Ballycotton (i.e. the recovery week of 57 miles) I had mileage of 77, 67, 23, 41, 57, 77. While I'm hopeful the lack of mileage won't come against me Sunday week, it means at the moment I feel quite fresh, whereas I should be on my hands & knees by this stage.
With this in mind even though I had always planned on doing my last 20 miler 2 weeks out I postponed it by a day as there was no way I was doing it the day after the 10K race. It turned out to be my hardest long run so far, not because of the intensity - it was my slowest one and on dead flat roads, as I've moved to Palma for the last few days. The hangover from the Easter celebrations meant it was mentally tough to keep going. Maybe subconsciously having the few beers was a good idea as I hadn't really suffered mentally on any of the long runs so far, so I needed a bit of "wanting to throw in the towel and just keep the head down". Even after 19 miles I wanted to call it quits but I'm glad I stuck it out. The pace was slow, but that's perfect as it was all about getting time on my feet. I think anyone that knows me well can well understand how I could fully integrate a night on the lash as an essential component of my training plan!
Did a 30 minute recovery run tuesday morning & felt a little stiff. Did another hour in the PM and felt a bit better but still not fully recovered.
Got up this morning with an easy hour in mind but it felt anything but easy. The old familiar big race coming up feeling of lethargy is starting to creep in but I kept the head down in the knowledge I could just relax for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow is 10 days out which means last session and then the taper proper can begin.
Monday: 20 miles @6.58 HR141
Tuesday:AM 4miles @ 7.47
PM 8miles @7.02 HR132
Wednesday: 8miles @ 7.23 HR125

Mind over matter

Took Monday and Tuesday off completely, in order to give my various ailments time to recover. I was starting to worry that the wheels had come off my marathon hopes as this is the crucial time for getting in the mileage/quality really before the taper starts. On Wednesday I did 30 minutes easy and while the tendon was grand during, it was a little sore after. As a result I took Thursday off and had a physio appointment Friday morning. By now I had pretty much said to myself the marathon was a non runner. I even started planning my track season (well googling race dates so I could plan my trips) to take my mind off it.
But towards the end of the massage the physio said something that surprised me - "Are you sure it's as bad as you say it is?" The reason she asked was, because she was able to work on it without causing too much discomfort. Hmm, could she have had a point? I remembered reading another runners blog who developed a problem at a similar point in training for a marathon (I won't mention his ailment in case he ever happened upon this blog, as it was quite a specific and unusual problem) and my immediate thought was that it was at least partly psychological. You get so far in training and everything is looking good, but the fear of failure makes you subconsciously seek an out.
As if by chance I was listening to a marathon talk podcast that afternoon and an interview with a runner who was racing across America. He mentioned how he'd go from one injury to the next and that one of the other competitors told him that running is able to fix most of the problems it causes (a bit like alcohol!) I took this as a sign & also remember that my Achilles managed to right itself not through rest, but by running sensibly (i.e. no killer sessions) and it'll go away of it's own accord.
So with that in mind I decided to HTFU and went out for 5 miles friday evening. I had bought a support but after a mile I realised it was the wrong size and was aggravating the problem but once I took it off I was fine. Managed 8 miles on Saturday, after about 5 felt a pinch in the tendon but once I slowed down it was ok again, it came at me again towards the end so slowed to a crawl.
So with today being 4 weeks to Limerick I had a decision to make, was I going to keep the dream alive? If so there was no doubt in my mind that I simply had to do a long run. I would prefer to quit here than hit the wall at mile 20 due to lack of preparation.
So I got up early and hit the road, into the unknown. I consoled myself in that if I had to turn back I'd be able to see Bekele's marathon debut in Paris.
Of course when I say unknown I'm talking about my body, I had driven a route near my house during the week (just in case) A hillyish 8.5mile loop http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/385461518 with 95m of ascent. This would give me an out if required. The forecast had been for about 3 degrees and light wind but it was foggy, wet and a bit breezy. It was strange but I wasn't overly concerned with would I survive the distance from a stamina point of view and was totally focused on the legs. First few miles went grand, pace was quite fast, around 6.45min/mile but had the breeze with me and a lot of downhill. HR was low 140's which was grand. Typically the hilliest part was directly into the wind but just went steady up it, leg was fine thankfully. On the road back in I started motoring for a bit and the pace dropped as low as 6.41 but was back to 6.46 by the time I was back at the house. Everything was still hunky dory, passed 10miles not a bother with pace still at 6.46. Breeze had picked up a bit. When I got to 15 feeling fine I was thinking how far should I go. As my longest run in time was 2.30 I decided I would do whichever came first of the following:
1. Exhaustion
2. 2hrs45min
3. 24 miles
Still felt grand as the miles passed on, although my HR was creeping up to high 140's with the odd foray into the 150's. Got to 20 miles , pace hovering between 6.46,6.47, still grand. Around 22 miles it finally started to get tough and my pace dropped to 6.48. I decided to increase the effort ever so slightly just to know I could stay strong until the end. Finished off with the pace back at 6.47. Delighted to get through it and satisfied with how it went but won't get too carried away as I've almost had a 2 week taper leading into it. Still it was nice to get it in. The next thing is to see how I recover. I know I'm far from out of the woods, but at least I know I'm still in the game.
Weds: 4.2miles @ 7.39min/mile
Friday: 5miles @ 7.27min/mile
Saturday:8miles @ 7.18min/mile
Sunday: 24miles @ 6.47min/mile HR146bpm

Un jour sans et un jour avec

My plan for wednesday was a 10 mile steady state run @ 6min/miling based on the 8 miles I did at similar pace about a week and a half before Ballycotton. I felt it would set me up nicely for the half marathon next weekend. Unfortunately it just didn't come off. I managed the first mile in around 5.56 before turning into a 19mph wind. I tried to comfort myself in that it would be at my back for the last few miles, but to no avail. Added to the wind my stomach was a little dicky so in the space of about 3 metres I abandoned.
This gave me a conundrum, do I attempt it again on Thursday or do I do a long run instead? Now I had to get a long run in anyway before Saturday (as I'm heading home) so could attempt the steady state and risk not managing a decent long run Friday either because of my leg and/or excess fatigue. I decided to go for the long run as I know on Sunday evening I will have some time to kill as I'm not flying until 10pm so all going well will get to the track. So even if it went ok by leaving the long run until Friday the chances are it would have lessened the quality of the session. Or maybe I just over plan things!
So onto the long run. As I got my gear on I prayed to the leg gods that my calf would hold up and got going. The plan was to go for at least 20 miles and a little more all going well. It was the warmest day of the year (around 13deg C) so far but due to a wardrobe malfunction I had to wear my jacket so I was a little hot under the collar. Yet again I had neglected bring liquids which to be honest is just plain stupid when going out for 2.5hours plus. None the less I was quickly down to 7min/miling and even though I felt the effort was slightly higher than usual, still felt comfortable. The wind had abated somewhat so it was all quite pleasant. Felt the miles passed quickly and my pace had quickened to about 6:52per mile. Still felt very comfortable. My HR was a little higher, stuck in the mid 140's but I didn't really see too much harm in that. It was only when I got to a hill at mile 17 that my legs felt a little tired but they recovered again on the downhill. Going by my pace, which I was maintaining at 6.52 I would need to run 22 miles to go over 2.5 hours so said sher why not? Stupid Garmin acted up just before hitting 21miles so it said I had passed a mile when I had only covered about 0.75 & it repeated this on the next mile before seeming to settle back. Other than this minor inconvenience a very satisfying run. Well my hip/calf leg in general started to hurt after about 15 miles but hopefully it'll loosen out with an easy run this evening. Went to the physio this morning & whilst it felt great after, it has stiffened up again during the day. Weight back to 62kg this morning after last weekends excesses!
Wednesday: 6.3 miles (abandoned steady state run)
Thursday: 22.2miles @ 6.54 HR145
  

Snow let up

Finished off the week with some easy runs and a hill session. The hill session was the first in a long time out in Welshtown. I had forgotton how tough it is out there. Felt like I was going badly but looking at my times compared to previous sessions it was n't so bad at all. Just need to get out there more often!
Thurs: 10.7miles @ 7.37 HR134
Fri: 8.5miles @7.21 HR140
Sat: Hills
Weekly total: 75.5miles
Long run yesterday, back in Welshtown. With the munster XC (weather permitting) next sunday, did 12miles although the last few miles got a bit hot dipping below 7min/miling for the last few which is brisk on that terrain. Ground is covered in snow today so getting out this evening may be difficult...
Sun:12.2 @ 7.15 HR148

Back in business

My running has been almost as irregular as my posting lately so i unintentially took a few easyish weeks.I did manage to squeeze a few races in since churchtown south and not surprisingly there were no Pb's. Ran 4.47 in a track mile at CIT for second place during rising sun AC's open sports day. Managed a 16.42 for 3rd place in the Shanagarry festival 5k. Think I got myself someway back on track this weekend as I managed to do 6x1000's yesterday at the Cbs, all in around 3.23 although the first one was lunacy at 3.13 but I had a 3.29 to compensate for it. Did 14 today at the farm so am quite tired now as a result.
Saturday: 2mile 6x1000m with 400 recovery. Cooldown:3miles
Total for week:38.7miles
Sunday:14miles @ 6.56 HR147

Tired legs

Did the now almost routine 12mile long run in Welshtown woods Sunday morning. I had planned on going to 'the farm' as my body was pretty sore after last Sunday's effort in Welshtown but after the amount of rain that fell on Saturday the farm would have been sodden to say the least. We generally do 3 laps which comes to just under 12 miles & the first one was done very slowly with more energy expended in discussing the (athletic) issues of the week than actually running. About half way through the second lap the pace picked up and it continued increasing untill the finish. I felt comfortably tired & did a few strides at the end to bring me over the 12 mile mark. After the race in Churchtown South thursday week I plan to start making these runs longer as base training for the cross country season. I haven't decided whether or not to take a break first but I'm leaning towards not seeing as I only really started back in serious training at the end of May.
I went out before work this morning to save having to run this evening with the track race tomorrow night and I didn't feel great at all. The pace of the finish of yesterdays run must have taken its toll, with my legs feeling very tired. As soon as I've published this post I'm going to have an ice bath & hopefully a good nights sleep & dreams of 72seconds (or quicker) laps...
Sun: 12.1miles @ 7.16 HR141
Mon: 8.2miles @ 7.09 HR141

To Race or not to Race

After thursday night I was in two minds whether or not to do the 10K on Saturday evening in west cork. On the pro side ,there aren't too many 10k's around these parts so to get one in would be nice & the numbers would probably be small so a good result would be a possibility. On the against side a 10K two days after a tough 5 miler would be difficult and would also probably impact on my 4 mile performance next wednesday. Also it would mean not getting much training done over the weekend. Either way I decided to run early on friday to allow maximum recovery either for the race or a session on saturday. The fact that I was doing a run around 10 hours after I finished my post race cooldown meant it was going to be tough, but I didn't realise how tough! I noticed a field with a gate open close to my house so I just popped in there to save the joints and meaning I could bail out (pun intended, field was full of bales) if I was knackered. Sure enough I didn't even manage 4 miles and the pace was just under 8 minute miling so I decided there and then not to race after all!
Did go ahead with a session at the Mardyke on Saturday and even though I was n't feeling the best while warming up I managed to get 12 x 400's in an average of 71sec's. Hard going but I'm glad I got through it.
Friday:3.9miles @ 7.57 HR135
Saturday: Warmup:2.5miles 12x400m in 71 with 200 recover. Cooldown:2 miles
Total:56 miles
Did a 85 minute run today in Welshtown woods, found it tough enough after yesterday:
Sun: 12 miles @ 7.07 HR145

Heading for the Hills.

Went down to my folks place yesterday afternoon and made arrangements to run with a neighbour of theirs who I race against regularly on the local scene. He swears by a 2 to 2.5hour run he does in the Galtee Mountains most Sunday Mornings. I had joined him once before so I knew what to expect - long,long climbs and a few fairly hairy downhills. I must say I enjoyed it, we managed to stay out for just over 1Hr 50 but it seemed a lot shorter due to the variety of the route. Usually you get some panoramic views of counties Limerick, Cork and Tipperary from the highest point but today it was so foggy you could barely see 100m ahead.Needless to say the pace was pretty slow but according to the Garmin we climbed around 2800ft in total (although I find it's not very accurate at reading altitude) Felt pretty tired at the end but not exhausted, will see how the legs are tomorrow...
Sun:14.33 @ 7.51 HR139

Down on the farm

Got my longest run since I came back to Ireland in today and it felt good. Could n't decide between going to Welshtown wood which is north of Midleton or 'the Farm' out near the greyhound track. In the end I went for the farm for no particular reason. Had planned on doing 12 miles or 1.5hours, whichever came second. After the first few miles it became obvious that it was going to be the latter as the miles were flying along at sub 7min pace. It's amazing how much easier a long run is when the pace is quick at modest effort. Went through 8.7 miles in the first hour, it is a little training goal of mine to manage 9 miles in hour at a HR148 average and even though I'm still a bit off it it's nice to think I'm going in that direction hopefully.
One bad thing about today was it rained thoughout which was fine from a cooling perspective but I made the rookie mistake of not putting Vaseline on the nipples and although I didn't draw blood they're pretty red raw at the moment (TMI!)
Sunday: 13miles @ 6.54 HR148bpm

miles & miles

A pretty uneventful week really, was planning on doing some speedwork on tuesday or wednesday but it was really dust so I didn't bother. Was going to find it tough to motivate myself to run fast anyway as I still have no Garmin or any other means of measuring time accurately. Just ended up doing fairly high mileage instead: Sunday: 14 miles Monday:10miles Tuesday:13.2miles Wednesday:13.2miles Thursday:6.8miles Friday:19.6miles. Decided to do my long run friday morning, the weather forecast was for rain & a high of 20degC so I said why not get it out of the way? I also took the decision to forego food beforehand to maximise my dependence on fats as my energy source as advised by Greg McMillian in this article. Big mistake: I normally don't eat anything during my long runs but starting hungry was a bridge too far. By mile ten I was already feeling a bit woozy but still managed to get three laps of the camp which came to 19.6miles. There was no way I could do the extra 0.4 for 20 I was so wrecked. Maybe this is the purpose of the run but even now, almost 12hours later I'm still shagged!! My hip is a little sore aswell so hopefully it's not a case of history repeating. Debating runnimg 3.2miles tomorrow to break 80miles...