Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
FLM Training: Wardi
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Steve.. I have just enjoyed reading your end of term reports on the Dreamteam, even though I do feel a bit like the slightly mischevious pupil. Your observation '..Wardi has been flirting from a distance with the schedule' made me smile. Allow me to explain from my side of the goldfish bowl.
I have trained for my last two marathons using the popular schedules in the Pfitzinger & Douglas book 'Advanced Marathoning'. Getting up to an average of 65-70mpw has borne fruit. Their schedules tend to emphasise tempo runs rather than speedwork in the early weeks, introducing the fast interval stuff later in the schedule. The last time I tried a reduced mileage/more quality approach was the Berlin marathon in 2005. My average was about 50-55mpw. It was a warm day similar to FLM 2007 but it still felt like a battle just to finish in a modest 3:13. I went back to the higher volume approach for FLM 2006 (3:08) and FLM 2007 (3:06). I hope this goes some way to explain why I am reluctant to entirely cast aside an approach which has given me tangible rewards. Generally speaking the more miles I have done, the better my marathon time.
Having said all of that, it still hasn't got me a sub 3. One of the reasons I was delighted to get this Dreamteam opportunity was to get an alternative approach from someone who has been there and done it. With the withering of age I thought that a slight drop in average mileage this time would help my legs recover sufficiently to take on the faster stuff in the schedule. In other words I am combining the two approaches wherever possible & by 'feel'. My last 2 weeks have totalled 54 & 56 miles which is positively lazy by my normal standards!
Next weeks schedule from P&D 70mpw+.. read it & weep!
Mon.. 6 + 4m recovery
Tues. 6 + 4m recovery
Weds. 15m medium long run.
Thurs. 6 + 4m recovery
Fri. 12m inc 6m @ tempo pace
Sat. 8m recovery
Sun. 22m long run
I did manage something like this on a couple of weeks in Feb/March 2007 but there is no way I could sustain this sort of thing long term.
I have the Dewsbury 10k coming up on Sunday, it looks like another windy forecast up here so I'm not sure if it will tell me much. I see it as a good opportunity for an all out fast run so I will go along and give it my best shot. Early 9am start though, I will have to be up by about 7am to get there!
5 miles easy tonight with a few 100-200m strides.
Nice to see Rich, Sezz & Granny progressing well - good luck to you all & stay injury free.
Wardi
it would be boring if everyone followed the schedule exactly.
What you have done has worked pretty well before so i don't blame for you for wanting to at least retain part of what has worked before.
The schedule Garmin's recommend looks sound but isn't what I would do myself and I probably also would try and augment it with extra training.
Sometimes difficult to judge a schedule's worth by one run as maybe if you'd even done 100mpw, you may have had a bad run at that Berlin, because of the heat.
Dewsbury 10k won't be a fast time then but the important thing is to come out of with a good even paced run (depending on wind) and feel you would have run a good time if the conditions were better.
Good luck.
An easy 4 miles before work this morning. Lifted my sprits no end - light winds, blue & red sky, frosty. Mind you it was snowing 5 minutes after I got back!
Thanks for the good wishes Steve.
Hiya Wardi!
just dropped in to wish you the very best in this adventure, haven't been around much, missed the Brass Monkey and I'm on a real downer, struggling with tendonitis at the moment.
Anyway this is about you, keep yourself fit and we're all behind you, you hope! All the best.
Dewsbury 10k for me today, a 9am start meant a 6:30 alarm call at which point I was questioning the wisdom of it all!
Still, a healthy field of 1000+, the only downer was a strong gusty SW wind which unfortunately we would be running straight into from the turn around point at 5k. A very similar out and back (two opposite carriageways) course to the Leeds Abbey Dash. I decided not to go like hell in the wind assisted first 5k in order to preserve energy for the wind blighted 2nd half ( forecast 25mph with 50-60 mph gusts). Based on recent races and the wind I decided to aim for as close to 40mins as I could get. It went like this..
1k.. 3:55 flat
2k.. 3:56 ditto
3k.. 3:57 a very slight incline to 5k from here
4k.. 4:03
5k.. 4:03 half way in 19:54, around the bollards we went..
6k.. 3:55 the slight downhill compensates for the wind
7k.. 3:59
8k.. 4:01 very pleased to be hanging onto the pace
9k.. 4:09 the wind really picks up here & I lose a bit of time
10k. 3:55 the wind still a problem but I can still sniff a sub 40.
A sprint up the 40 metre rise to the finish and I am home in 39:53.
Delighted with that, I felt more 'in control' than other recent races. Most of the guys I spoke to after the race were about a minute outside their expected time so this maybe hints at 39:00-ish on a calm day.
Positives.. a decent confidence booster and a fast even paced run in difficult conditions. I did feel that the recent intervals and sustained pace club sessions really helped today, progress made perhaps.
Still some work to do but at least I seem to be heading in the right direction.
Had a brief snack and rest at home after the race then ran 11 miles at an easy 8:22 pace. I haven't done a proper long run since 13th Jan so I thought this would add a bit to my endurance. No races or interruptions next week so a long run is definitely on the cards.
Dominic Bannister won today's race in 31:02.
Great run Wardi. I agree this was definitely progress
Good, controlled effort in the conditions and shows your speed endurance and pacing are improving.
Well done - it was a hard day for a sub-40. It also takes a strong will to get out and do an 11 later in the day, with the race still in your legs.
[as for the 6:30 alarm call- at that time I was already over an hour into my long run]
5 miles easy/recovery run tonight.
Hi Wardi - I keep popping over to your thread to see how you're doing - your running seems to be going really well! I'm well impressed with your 11 miles after the Dewsbury 10K. I was at home up in Halifax for the weekend so I know what the weather conditions were like
Hope you'll be able to make the Kingston run (Saturday night West End theatre visit perhaps as a 50th birthday treat for your partner?)
I reckoned Sunday's 10k would still be lingering in the old legs a little; so I had two reasonably easy runs today and intend to do the hill session on Thursday or Friday. I will do the scheduled midweek long run tomorrow.
am.. 4.1 miles easy
pm.. 6.6 miles steady with clubmates.
Steve.. the schedule says 20 miles in approx 2:20 on Sunday. Is that correct? My PB isn't much better than that! {O:
Keep them going in Wardi. A sub 40 10k is at least the right side of the line. Just you wait, after London, reduce the mileage and hammer out a string of short summer road race blasters.
Righty ho, weather is being English.
Once more unto the breech, dear friends, for England, King Harry and Saint George.
Was hoping for a strike a V50 sub 3 at Glos to steal your thunder pre FLM08. I was in good shape but failed to perform. Bad cramping yet again (the problem seems to be getting worse), and
a course which wasn't made for PB's were my excuses.
Finished just 4 seconds ahead of Blisters, who put up a magical performance. There was never more than 70 meters between the two of us the whole way round.
Real gloves off stuff into the finish. Never had such a tough race in my life.
The Dull roadshow moves on to Edinburgh for my next stab, so I wont see you for your big race in London. Very best wishes,
and I sincerely hope you hit your target and make the sub 3. Will give me some hope that it can be done.
Good Luck
Dull
13.2 miles run home from work tonight, steady at about 7:50 pace. The most notable element was the weather - light winds, dry, a clear starlit sky. Absolute bliss after the rubbish of the last few weeks.
To tell the truth about that 70 metre gap (if that's what it was) I knew that I was crap on the hills, so just let the engine open a little before the last set, knowing that the team would cruise it back again. It was no surprise when they did. I felt a bit guilty at the time, but knew that I was slowing, and Dull was slowing even more. I took consolation in that I would be providing him with a target.
The arrow holes are healing nicely now.
My pacing strategy for FLM is to do 6:45 per mile from the off. Permitted exceptions will be miles 3 and 4. With the over-excitement I wish to hit halfway at 1:28:00, and keep the pace going with HR at 155. The extra horizontality of London should enable the pace to be kept until 23 miles.
Therefore I need to train to be able to do 3.2 miles at 7m/m pace. What do you reckon?
One other thing. My secret weapon, which I shall share with you. Pace notes written on a strip of cloth. You've seen them before. You'll see them again. London's mile markers are accurate to within a metre. GPS is not. I have run races using Virtual Partner as pacemaker and it's simply not up to the standard we need.
Wardi The 20 in 2:20 is probably too fast at this stage of the year - pretty much your Brass Monkey half for another 7 miles.
Now the theory is, i guess, if you can run 26 miles at 6:50 pace, then you should be able to manage 20 at 7:00 but I don't think you could run that fast now without taking too much out of yourself.
I would suggest running the first 10 in 72/73 and then if you feel good you can go 7s for the second 10 and run a quicker 2nd half. If you don't feel comfortable then just do the run in 2:24/2:25 and that would still be a great run at this time of year.
I think the worst thing you could do is do the first 10 in 69 at your limits and then the second in a painful 75.
Steve.. I remember running 22 miles @ 7:12 pace with a nippier clubmate for FLM 2007 training, though this was further into the campaign - the end of March infact. The East Hull 20 in early March became academic due to 40mph winds (I clocked a modest 2:24). As you hint at, it is getting the balance right between a confidence boosting quick long run and tired creaky legs for several days. Better have a rest on Saturday then!
P.S looks like the Kingston 16m run may well be a goer.
10 x hills in 1.52-1:55. Actually there aren't any long 2 min hills around here so I added a bit of flat road at the start to make the time closer to 2 mins. Didn't have time for the 12 suggested so ran the 10 at pretty much eyeballs out pace. A nice quiet road which accesses the local sewage works. Charming!
Later on had an easy/recovery 6.5 miles with the club.
A great day's training Wardi even without the 30 miles.
It's good that you ran the hills all around the same time.
not too hard on Friday and saturday and then a good run Sunday.
4.1 miles easy before work.
On my way home dropped lucozade & water into a hedge bottom on tomorrow's intended 20m route. All is prepared and set fair then.
Time to digest then I'm off. I rather surprised myself with a steady sub 7:15 pace, speeded up a bit for 15-20 then eased off for the last mile.
21 miles in 2:30, went through 20m in 2:22.45.
Dead chuffed with that, another confidence booster. 71 miles for the week.
Laps...
1 7:12
2 7:06
3 7:07
4 7:16
5 7:04
6 7:12
7 7:11
8 7:15
9 7:04
10 7:09
11 7:07
12 7:05
13 7:07
14 7:10
15 7:14
16 7:02
17 7:07
18 7:03
19 7:05
20 7:01
21 7:24
Blinkin flip wardi! Great running!
Did you find your Lucozade?
Wow Wardi! Great running.
Fat Face and I are liking the jam doughnut idea - think we might follow you on that one!
A great week's training and a superb run today.
That's excellent and shows you are well on course.
don't overdo it for the next few days