My Turn ... Running Down A Dream
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Saw update on the other running thread so I thought I'd put an update here ...
I decided to sign up for the Virtual London Marathon. Even though I ran it on the original date, I need to do it on the 4th October to get all the finishers stuff. So there we go I'm doing it.
Problem. I lost 5 weeks of training (weeks 5-10) of the 16 week plan due to my calf. It resolved itself in two weeks, but then flared up again a week later, so I had to rest for two weeks. Subsequently, I'm in a pretty shitty shape to try and do it. Especially when you also add that I had a decent summer of bbs and boozing, so I'm a few kg above my running weight. Longest run I've done in training is just over a half. Which is a fair way down on the 35k I did in the original lead up. One small plus is that I'm back up to a level of running a 10k with ease with so I'm not completely out of it.
Upshot is that my aim for this one is pretty lame. A massive 5 hours. A whole hour above my original target (which I missed by between 5-10 mins depending on how much you trust the Garmin). That's 7 minutes km's which is a long way above my usual training pace. I think I can run 30k before I will start getting into trouble at my usual pace of 5:25-5:35 p/km pace. So I'm planning on reducing that pace down to 6 min/km. Aim to get to 30k in 3 hours then see how it goes. Will definitely be some walking, and maybe even need a few stretch / breathing stops. Aim is to run 42.2km, not put myself in hospital.
On another note, the Garmin is now somewhere between fucking useless and broken. I ran 20k a couple of weeks back. Ran out 10, then turned around and ran back, exact same route. Total distance when home? 19.4k. 6% error! Looking at the map, at one section, the route out is identical to the route in, and the km back is easily 10% longer. Fucking useless.
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@MajorRage Good luck hope it goes well for you!
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Slow and steady wins the race .... 5:03. Terrible time in essence, but actually one I'm pretty proud of.
UK had some serious shitty weather over the weekend, which meant by the time Sunday came about, the local canals had in places overflowed the paths beside them .... which put paid to all the running routes I had been planning and knew so well and had to improvise and run along roads instead. So I figured out a route and toddled off in the wet. By 10 minutes in I was completely soaked, however I had been extremely liberal with the Vaseline so managed to avoid any serious chaffing etc. Did a 21k loop then swung by home to put on a fresh shirt / over layer which was magnificent. Keeping warm had proved to the main obstacle ( on top of slippery footpaths, poor visibility and having to continually run in the middle of the road to avoid huge puddles), so the change was brilliant. I got through the first half in about 2:10 so I was feeling pretty comfortable for a 4:40 ish. Anyway, next 8-9k was pretty solid, just keeping my pace and soaking it all in - was a good atmosphere amongst my fellow runners.
So toddling along and then at 32k, I hit the runners wall. I had suspected that losing 6 weeks training and inability to keep all the weight off was going to hurt me above 32k and I was spot on right. I've hit many a runners wall before, but not like this. I flat out couldn't run - was completely toast. So I did what I'd been reading to do ... take in water, drop a running gel, walk at a fast pace for a few mins then ease back into it. Remember I mentioned the cold earlier? 10 mins of walking just fucked me completely. Muscles had cooled off and were starting to tighten. I was now about 1k from home, so I swung by home, put on a fresh jacket and succumbed myself to mainly walking the now last 7k. I did manage to jog some of it (including the last 500m) but the energy was gone. Crossed over at 5:03 and took immense satisfaction in completing it. Although I still don't think I can say that I RAN the London Marathon. But I certainly completed it.
Was a funny old day, the atmosphere on the roads was great. Cars tooting you, saw at least a couple of hundred fellow runners. People were in really good spirits, which was fantastic. Given the current UK state and the weather being what it was, it was really uplifting.
Really glad I did it, and it only took me 5 minutes to get down the stairs this morning. Raised around 2k for my charity, UK Guide Dogs as well.
The best part ... they've agreed to defer my place to one of the upcoming ones too ... so I get to do it all again!
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@MajorRage Awesome effort mate, a marathon is a marathon at the end of the day
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Talk about having everything against you and every excuse not to go ahead. Much respect!
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So, set myself a target of 150km through UK lockdown 2 and completed 153.5km so happy with that.
My target of 2,000 km for the year though was dealt a terminal blow with the 5 week injury lay off and then 2 weeks recovery from each marathon. With those 9 weeks off, it meant I needed to average 46k per week. Not a freaking chance of that! So anyway, I sit here with 28 days of the month left on 1445 for the year. So the new target is 1,000 miles or 1609km. Without injury this should be possible.
On the scales today for first time in a month, disappointing to see nothing being shedded through lockdown. Didn't think I was that bad, but does prove how had it is to shift fat at my age, especially with no commute.
Marathon news. I'm in for the 2021, October 4th. Vaccine looks like being in play, so this should definitely happen. So I'll be back on the 4 hour target. I think I'm 10kg too heavy at current weight, and with 10 months to go .... 1kg per month. A long as I can run, this should be possible. December will be tricky, but with limited xmas parties should be easier than other years. So here we go again.
@mooshld said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
My only comment is that your warmup seems quite short. I can't say I would have broken much of a sweat after 800m. I normally go for 20 to 30 minutes before upping the pace. But sounds like you are in amongst it and have a plan. So stick with it and good luck.
I think of this comment a lot when running. I was confused when it was written but I get it now. Especially with winter upon us, it's at least 15 minutes to get proper warmth / fluidity in my run. Yesterday was a classic example. Went out for an hour, and at 15 minutes I was proper struggling. Old injuries hurting, breathing tough and a real desire to walk. Yet, come 20 minutes I was off. Really nice smooth rhythmical motion and was comfortable upping the pace. 30 minute runs seem pointless now, as i'm essentially stopping just after I start feeling good!
@mooshld said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
Its running when it sucks, when it hurts, and when you don't want to. You will need that mental strength during the marathon because the wall is fucking real.
Exactly. And yes. Yes it fucking is.
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Boom. Got through my 1000 miles target for the year. Had to do 180k in December to achieve that and it ended up being no problems.
2021 targets
- 2000k for the year
- Sub 4 hour London marathon
Going to go hard early, as I expect another 4 months of lockdowns (at least). Easy enough to find the hours to exercise without the commute to London. Following the program I did last year for it but tacking on an extra k or 2 on the runs. This was 754 km in total last time, so should be punching to be north of 800k this time by end of April. Will then look at 40k weeks through May before the program starts again mid June for October 4 marathon. So hopefully will be well north of 1000k come end of June already & then 1700k or so come October 2nd. Leaving 3 nice easy 100k months for October.
Injury / health / sickness are going to be the main blockers in this achievement for sure. Motivation still seems to be strong, but that will go through peaks and troughs as always.
Wish me luck!
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Interesting few months. Gave up the marathon program pretty early doors as I was finding it far too easy. Also gave up getting on the scales as weight was proving very hard to shift.
So put together my own program of what I wanted to achieve and so far, so good. I'm still having a bit of trouble with my achilles area the morning after runs, but it's much better than it was. Consistent stretching has been good and I've now got a much better roller too which helps out.
My Q1 program reaches it's peak on Friday morning with a 20 mile run. The weather here now is absolutely superb for running. Been relatively clear mornings with some sunshine and around 8-10 degrees. Perfect. At 520k year to date now, am tracking well ahead of where I should be for a 2000k year. Ran a half marathon every Saturday in Feb & my overall fitness seems to be not far off where I was this time last year (training for non-existent end April sub 4 marathon). My weight I think a bit up though, so I expect I'll struggle a bit on Friday. Have been keeping my pace a bit slower in order to reduce injury likelihood. So at this time last year Id' been doing a lot of trainings at sub 5 min pace & also the half at 1:48, whereas now I've been much more steady training at between 5:20-5:35 pace.
Undoubtedly peak run this year was a Friday evening half-marathon. Was supposed to be on Saturday, but after getting kids from school, daughter doing ballet, son busy & wife zoom-boozing I had a 2 hour window so just threw on the trainers and out I went. Run at 1:57. Not an amazing run, but amazing that it's not that long ago I trained for 3 months to run a 1:59 and then was out for the count for 2 days after. To be able to run that on a whim now, is incredibly satisfying.
Injuries still the fear (and hopefully this mail won't ge the injury jinx I fear) but outside that, all seems to be tracking nicely.
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Changed it up in the last 3 weeks with some pretty good results.
Doing a fair bit of interval training, with looking to increase my overall pace and man is it working. My favourite interval is 20 mins warm up at about 5:30 pace than 0.5km fast, 0.5 km slow x6 ... then 20 mins jog home. I Have been doing that fast at between 4:20-4:50 pace and then the slow at 5:45 ish ... so a huge differential and the results have been phenomenal. First time I did it, HR was 50% in top zone, last two times it was 15% ish.
But the last two runs show the true gains. Ran a half on Friday in 1:52 which is 5 mins faster than m previous in Feb. But then yesterday, after quite lot of booze on Saturday, went out for 10k which I did in 55 mins .. nothing amazing, but with an average HR of 145. Thats my lowest ever for that distance. I genuinely found it really easy too.
I do wonder what sort of results I'd have if went to a zero-booze, perfect diet for a month. And as much as I'm tempted, the pubs open today for the first time in 4 months .....
Onwards!
EDIT. 678km year to date . So roughly 20 days ahead of schedule.
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Took it "easy" through May, as training for the October marathon will really start to ramp up over the next few weeks. Managed a mere 170 km with the longest run being 12k. My legs feel much better for it too, with all niggles seemingly dissipated (knock on wood).
Also managed to get through my first target for the year. 1000k run so far which is pretty cool to complete in 5 months given I struggled to do it in a year in 2017. Some fairly decent stats too compared to my 2020 numbers with a faster pace (5:29 p/km vs 5:36 p/km), lower average HR (151 vs 153), lower time in Zone 5 (12% vs 15%). What is even more amazing though is that I've managed to lose a colossal 800grams! It shows just how much diet is the key thing. I wouldn't say I've been really bad, but I've certainly been far from perfect. Not sure quite sure what I'm going to do the next 4 months, as I will need to drop at least 5kg to get sub 4 hours marathon, but it's also summer after a proper miserable winter, so there is lots going on .... guess I'll figure it out. Or I won't. Carb reduction is name of the game for a bit, but once I get back up to running 50-60k per week, then that won't work. Mind you, there are a few carbs in beers, right ... ?
Have put together my training plan, I'll be following the Runners World sub 4 hour one. Will be a few changes with holidays and I've also got my annual Surrey - Brighton dads bike ride / pub crawl on 2nd July which I need to do some training for. So everyday I either need to run or do a bike ride. Once again, remaining injury free will be the real name of the game.
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@majorrage said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
Took it "easy" through May, as training for the October marathon will really start to ramp up over the next few weeks. Managed a mere 170 km with the longest run being 12k. My legs feel much better for it too, with all niggles seemingly dissipated (knock on wood).
Also managed to get through my first target for the year. 1000k run so far which is pretty cool to complete in 5 months given I struggled to do it in a year in 2017. Some fairly decent stats too compared to my 2020 numbers with a faster pace (5:29 p/km vs 5:36 p/km), lower average HR (151 vs 153), lower time in Zone 5 (12% vs 15%). What is even more amazing though is that I've managed to lose a colossal 800grams! It shows just how much diet is the key thing. I wouldn't say I've been really bad, but I've certainly been far from perfect. Not sure quite sure what I'm going to do the next 4 months, as I will need to drop at least 5kg to get sub 4 hours marathon, but it's also summer after a proper miserable winter, so there is lots going on .... guess I'll figure it out. Or I won't. Carb reduction is name of the game for a bit, but once I get back up to running 50-60k per week, then that won't work. Mind you, there are a few carbs in beers, right ... ?
Have put together my training plan, I'll be following the Runners World sub 4 hour one. Will be a few changes with holidays and I've also got my annual Surrey - Brighton dads bike ride / pub crawl on 2nd July which I need to do some training for. So everyday I either need to run or do a bike ride. Once again, remaining injury free will be the real name of the game.
Good stuff. Very true that about diet. You generally have to run a metric fĂĽcktonne of miles to offset an eat anything diet.
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Through to end of July, 7 weeks down of 16 week marathon program, 9 weeks to go. I'm doing the runners world one this year (link below) which covers a fair bit more distance than the Kenzai one I did last year. Around 830 total in training vs 700k last year. In honesty the main difference is really that you do an extra 5k run once per week, the day before you do the long one. I've actually really enjoyed this little blowout and it's enjoyable to see how easy I find it and the week on week changes (it's the only consistent run). Saturdays I did at 5:30 /km pace (runners world suggest even slower, but I just can't see the point in that) with an average heart rate of just over 140. I.e - barely trying. In November last year I did it at 5:50 pace with an average heart rate of 159, running at 50% in maximum zone. So its a great feeling knowing that I'm so much fitter.
Injuries still the worry although I have invested in some calf socks whilst running. I look like an absolute berk, but they really do the trick. My biggest fear is another calf injury like I had last year & I feel much more confidence with them.
Weight is still the biggest issue & I've got to figure out my head space here. I think my cardio vas fitness is absolutely on point and doesn't need much pick up in the next 9 weeks. But I need to figure out how desperate I am for the sub 4 hour time. I need to lose at least 5kg for that, no question & that is a serious commitment. As Rancid said above, you can't outrun an anything diet. My diet isn't that bad, I just have a few mini blowouts. But I need these blowouts at the moment, with all thats going on. However, the failure to do sub 4 will be a colossal disappointment that I didn't do enough to reach my goal. Any TSF advice on figuring this one out is greatly appreciated. My current plan is to go through August being completely on point when I can and then try and be much stronger on the weak days (Camping trips, family staycation etc). And then a picture perfect spot on September. No booze, no sugar, nothing. We shall see.
I get a lot of advice from people who recommend fasting, but I'm just not sure that's for me & at this point is not the time to try something new.
Couple of numbers on how I'm tracking so far YTD. 2,000 km is my goal for 2021 and honestly, I'm going to destroy that. I'm over 1400 already and will probably be through 2000 when I'm running the marathon on the 2nd Rocktober. Some YoY comparisons:
Pace: 5:36/km (2020), 5:29/km (2021 so far)
Avg HR: 153 (2020), 150 (2021 so far)
Time in Zone 5: 15% (2020), 11% (2021 so far)So at the moment I'm tracking at about 50% more running, at a faster pace, at a lower HR with less time in max zone. So I'm doing something right.
Looking to run a sub-4 marathon? This 16-week plan will get you there
Looking to run a sub-4:00 marathon? This 16-week plan will get you across the line.
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@majorrage I found fasting a great way to drop some weight quickly, but not really something I could do for a long period.
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@majorrage said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
Through to end of July, 7 weeks down of 16 week marathon program, 9 weeks to go. I'm doing the runners world one this year (link below) which covers a fair bit more distance than the Kenzai one I did last year. Around 830 total in training vs 700k last year. In honesty the main difference is really that you do an extra 5k run once per week, the day before you do the long one. I've actually really enjoyed this little blowout and it's enjoyable to see how easy I find it and the week on week changes (it's the only consistent run). Saturdays I did at 5:30 /km pace (runners world suggest even slower, but I just can't see the point in that) with an average heart rate of just over 140. I.e - barely trying. In November last year I did it at 5:50 pace with an average heart rate of 159, running at 50% in maximum zone. So its a great feeling knowing that I'm so much fitter.
Injuries still the worry although I have invested in some calf socks whilst running. I look like an absolute berk, but they really do the trick. My biggest fear is another calf injury like I had last year & I feel much more confidence with them.
Weight is still the biggest issue & I've got to figure out my head space here. I think my cardio vas fitness is absolutely on point and doesn't need much pick up in the next 9 weeks. But I need to figure out how desperate I am for the sub 4 hour time. I need to lose at least 5kg for that, no question & that is a serious commitment. As Rancid said above, you can't outrun an anything diet. My diet isn't that bad, I just have a few mini blowouts. But I need these blowouts at the moment, with all thats going on. However, the failure to do sub 4 will be a colossal disappointment that I didn't do enough to reach my goal. Any TSF advice on figuring this one out is greatly appreciated. My current plan is to go through August being completely on point when I can and then try and be much stronger on the weak days (Camping trips, family staycation etc). And then a picture perfect spot on September. No booze, no sugar, nothing. We shall see.
I get a lot of advice from people who recommend fasting, but I'm just not sure that's for me & at this point is not the time to try something new.
Couple of numbers on how I'm tracking so far YTD. 2,000 km is my goal for 2021 and honestly, I'm going to destroy that. I'm over 1400 already and will probably be through 2000 when I'm running the marathon on the 2nd Rocktober. Some YoY comparisons:
Pace: 5:36/km (2020), 5:29/km (2021 so far)
Avg HR: 153 (2020), 150 (2021 so far)
Time in Zone 5: 15% (2020), 11% (2021 so far)So at the moment I'm tracking at about 50% more running, at a faster pace, at a lower HR with less time in max zone. So I'm doing something right.
Looking to run a sub-4:00 marathon? This 16-week plan will get you across the line.
Smashing it!
You’re a numbers man so try to use that. Figure out how many calories you need/are allowed to consume and go from there. By doing all this running you have quite a bit more leeway than most, just don’t go berserk. But I know that’s hard when your body is crying out for fuel. Having a cheat day is also great for getting it out of your system. Mine is on Saturday after a 2-3 hour session. Good for both the body and soul!
Sympathise with the calf thing. Blew out mine on Tuesday. Not too bad but very frustrating if you want to run. Even worse if lockdown means you can’t even swim.
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@rancid-schnitzel yeah good thinking. The amount I put into my running spreadsheets with numbers etc, I should simply do the same with food. Good idea!
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So August. Fucking August.
Managed to shed a lousy 1.2kg which isn't really bad considering the amount of beer / wine / meat consumed. But it still leaves me around 3.5kg short of where I want to be in 5 weeks. This will be tough, and honestly, not possible. I have to maintain a certain level of intake to cover all the running I do without losing too much energy. Although the reality is that I need to do more fat-burning in my running by slowing down. But I hate running slow (well, it's all relative). 5:41 per km is 4 hour marathon pace, and thats what I generally try and run at. Anyway, 4.5 weeks to go now so it is what it is. Diet has been commenced. No booze, no sugar (outside running gels), limited carbs, lots of eggs/egg whites and colossal levels of fruit & veg. The arse gas in the Rage household is off the scale.
Running. Hell yeah, what an August. 23 runs for a whopping 285km run. Beats my previous record mark of 234 by 51k. So that leaves me tracking at 1680k for the year (more than last years record year already) with 4 months to go. The program has me running another 240 odd km in September. Yowser. Really cautious about injuries, truly my biggest fear now. The running socks provide a good amount of support - both mentally and physically. Longest training run coming up on Friday, a mere 34km. My long runs have been really up and down.
First one of 24km went ok, perhaps a bit harder on me than I'd have liked. We then went camping the next week, so subsequently the next weekends one was awful. 27k which I really struggled with. Slow, really high HR and lots of time in training zone 5. Also took me a long time to recover. Went out that evening and was still fully exhausted. Luckily, things improved after that with the next one of 25k relatively easy, with a sub 150 HR. Then last week was 31k which I arguably found easiest of them all. So very encouraging. This Friday's 34k though will sort out the men from the boys. Thats right on the cusp, if not over, hitting the wall territory, so I do expect to struggle a bit.
Next update post marathon on October 3rd.
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@majorrage said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
So August. Fucking August.
Managed to shed a lousy 1.2kg which isn't really bad considering the amount of beer / wine / meat consumed. But it still leaves me around 3.5kg short of where I want to be in 5 weeks. This will be tough, and honestly, not possible. I have to maintain a certain level of intake to cover all the running I do without losing too much energy. Although the reality is that I need to do more fat-burning in my running by slowing down. But I hate running slow (well, it's all relative). 5:41 per km is 4 hour marathon pace, and thats what I generally try and run at. Anyway, 4.5 weeks to go now so it is what it is. Diet has been commenced. No booze, no sugar (outside running gels), limited carbs, lots of eggs/egg whites and colossal levels of fruit & veg. The arse gas in the Rage household is off the scale.
Running. Hell yeah, what an August. 23 runs for a whopping 285km run. Beats my previous record mark of 234 by 51k. So that leaves me tracking at 1680k for the year (more than last years record year already) with 4 months to go. The program has me running another 240 odd km in September. Yowser. Really cautious about injuries, truly my biggest fear now. The running socks provide a good amount of support - both mentally and physically. Longest training run coming up on Friday, a mere 34km. My long runs have been really up and down.
First one of 24km went ok, perhaps a bit harder on me than I'd have liked. We then went camping the next week, so subsequently the next weekends one was awful. 27k which I really struggled with. Slow, really high HR and lots of time in training zone 5. Also took me a long time to recover. Went out that evening and was still fully exhausted. Luckily, things improved after that with the next one of 25k relatively easy, with a sub 150 HR. Then last week was 31k which I arguably found easiest of them all. So very encouraging. This Friday's 34k though will sort out the men from the boys. Thats right on the cusp, if not over, hitting the wall territory, so I do expect to struggle a bit.
Next update post marathon on October 3rd.
You generally can't outtrain a shit diet but with those running stats you must be eating for 5!
