The Road to Paris - On a Plateau - Asics Target 26.2 Training

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Comments

  • Hi Ruth,

    You could just be my knight in shining armour. If I was ever in need of nutritional information, it's probably now.

    I do think my cramps I experienced during my Parkrun were a result of the intensity I was running at (well, an intensity higher than what my body has been accustomed to!). I hope that by doing more sessions at these speeds, these symptoms will start to disappear.

    When you talk about training low in carbs, what sessions would you recommend trying this in? Is there a mileage or time limit you would recommend in trying this under. For example, I ran 'on empty' on my long run in week 1, and would like to try it again on another long run. Do you think trying it on a 14 or 15 mile run is too much?

    I'm not sure you have dealt with an 'athlete' who has a diet like me before! Up until the start of this training, I would run so I could eat whatever I wanted to. Running was a means to over-indulge in things I shouldn't and not have the normal feelings of guilt. Saying this though, in recent months, my muffin-top has expanded to just shy of disgraceful proportions. This was really brought home to me during the photo shoot at the Asics store where I tried on lycra for the first time. Honestly, if I had to where lycra every day, I'd still be a virgin and still waiting to hold a girl's hand!

    Since training has started though, I have cut out all processed food (apart from the odd pork pie had around Xmas and the 12 cocktail sausage rolls devoured on New Year's Eve - that's what happens when you choose to sit next to the buffet table!). I have cut out crisps and other unhealthy snacks. I am also planning on cutting almost completely down on alcohol consumption as well. I will still enjoy the odd drink here or there, but much more rarely compared to recent weeks.

    Alongside this, I am also cutting down on my bread consumption and desserts (which formed the basis of every lunch and the ending of every dinner) and trying to increase the amount of times I eat during the day, while cutting down on the quantity as well.

    Today I'm hoping will be the average day of eating for the duration of my training. Please feel free to offer brutally honest advice if you see any problems or issues that can be improved!

    Here it is............................

  • ......................

    6:45am. Breakfast - Fruit and Fibre cereal w/ semi-skimmed milk (the same breakfast every day!)

    9:30am. Cup of tea - first drink of the day as I'm normally overwhelmed with meetings once I arrive at work, and never get up early enough to fit one in before I leave for work.

    10:45am. Banana & water

    11:45pm. Training session run.

    1:15pm: Lunch - Salad (spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, radish w/ homemade honey-mustard dressing) and smoked salmon. Copious amounts of water.

    2.30pm. Orange & cup of tea (s/ skimmed milk, no sugar)

    4.00pm. Apple & water

    7:30pm. Dinner - Pasta and Chicken (Jamie Oliver's finest recipe?) - wholemeal pasta, carrot, courgette, red onion & leek, tomato sauce, herbs, spices, bacon and chicken breast - supposedly 620 calories. More water.

    8:30pm. More tea

    9:30pm. Glass of milk (or chocolate milk if I feel I've had a good workout!).

    Looking forward to seeing what you think of my eating habits and any way I can improve! image

  • Your diet today looks really healthy image

    Hows your training going? What distance are you up to on your long run now?

  • Catching up with your thread, you look like you have had some good runs, a great park run and weight loss......(over christmas image), well done.

    Well if our paths cross and you want to try acupuncture, im always looking for victims!

  • Hey Barry........Christmas must well and truly be over as I've been so use to seeing Baubles in your name the past few weeks!

    It sounds like a solid plan you're following. I don't know how I've managed to run for so long up until this point with so little variety. It's brought a whole new interest to running for me as I have new motivation and enthusiasm knowing that every day is different.

    It'll be interesting to see how different it would feel to do the LSR's on tired legs after a Parkrun. I've seen this recommended in Ultra training plans, but not really thought about it for marathons before.

    BR.......thanks for the encouragement. It's very nice to see that my plan is being adapted and changed depending on my feedback and the performances I'm putting in. It makes me more focused on hitting my goals each time, knowing that good performances will bring about a more tailored schedule. I'm realising quite quickly some of the benefits of having a coach!

    I'm already feeling a difference in my leg muscle, just from the last two and half weeks of training, so I hope to continue making improvements. Even though my target at present has been re-adjusted to 3:36, I still have my heart set on sub 3:30 and will be trying my hardest to get this.

    Hilly....thanks also for the encouragement. If I manage my goal of a sub 3:30, I've already decided that I'll be treating myself to 2 of those ice-cream sundaes in the photo you posted!

    I'm not complaining about the 'additional' mileage. image I think it felt more of a session being 6.5 miles and allowed for a better w/up and c/down as well. I realised beforehand that it was going to end up being more than 4 miles and  decided there would be no positives from attempting to cut it down. 

    Sarah....Lovely to hear from you. I've been meaning to catch up reading your forum page as well to see how your training is going, but I've struggled to keep up to speed with other people's training and keep up to date with this forum page as well.

    My training is going remarkably well so far. I'm actually surprised by how well I seem to be dealing with it so far. I'm hoping the diet will give my training a whole new dimension and cut down on the dead-weight I'm pounding the streets with at the moment. image

    I will do 14 miles this coming weekend (10 @ 8:30m/m and 4 @ 8:00m/m). What are you doing at the moment (I'll check you forum page over this weekend to find out more about your schedule).

    I'll happily give acupuncture a go if our paths do cross. I'm sure we will be running in the same race at some point in the future. Good luck with your training, and sorry again I haven't had the chance to catch up with what you've been doing.

  • Hi, I've been reading your posts with interest as I'm hoping to pb with a sub 3:30 marathon at London this year. My best is 3:36 in 2011 at the Boston Marathon, which I read you've also done (cool race isn't it?), but i've been parked on 3:45ish time since. I'm coming to training a stone over my optimum running weight and with annoying shin splints which I've hardly ever had in 8 years of running. I'll be reading your posts and hoping you stay on track. I'm impressed with your food diary above...I'm trying to cut down on junk, but can't eliminate it entirely. Good luck with your training. I hope we both get our sub 3:30 times!
  • Hey Nattynatster..........thanks for the message. It sounds as though we are very similar in our goals and current position. image

    Boston was amazing. I'd love to go there as an actual 'quaifier' though, rather than through a Sports Tour. Maybe that can be my next goal after Paris! It's interesting we both have our fastest times here, as it's not the easiest of courses. How did you find Heartbreak Hill? I didn't think it was that bad considering all you read about it. It did slow me down though.

    I'm also hoping to lose a stoe or so before Paris. Now that the Xmas leftovers have gone, it should be much easier to drop weight now.

    It's strange that you have shin splints now and not before. Whereabouts on your shin is the pain? I had them a few years ago, back in 2007 or 2008. I think it was the trainers I was wearing that didn't help with it. I haven't really suffered from this since changing my trainers. When I did have it though, I wore a compression sleeve, which helped with the pain and allowed me to continue running. I had the pain on the inside of my right shin about halfway up. I have been told since that such a pain can develop into a stress fracture.

    There's no way that I'll elminiate junk and alcohol completely either, but if I can do it for 5 days a week out of the 7, I'll be happy and then anything over that will be a bonus. You've got to have some treats to reward yourself!

    Good luck in your goals. It'll be nice to hear how you get on.Are you following a specific training plan for London?

  • Hi Ady, dont worry about it....I really do understand, its so hard to keep a thread going and go on others peoples threads

    Sounds like you have a good training run planned this weekend. I did 15 miles today I did the first 5 at 8:49, the next 9 at 8:41 and then the last one at 8:33. I was supposed to be aiming for 8:50-9:40 but the paces I actually did where just over 1 MPH slower than my usual pace for my LSR so it still felt very steady. My legs felt great throughout all of the run and still do.....Im starting to think people have a point with slowing down a little. I like the idea that you are going to do some miles at MP in your LSR....I might suggest this for next week!

    I will carry some needles around with me to races, just incase image

  • Day 19 - Asics Target 26.2 Paris Marathon Training (04/01/13)

    Target: Rest Day or Cross-Training

    Actual: Cross-Training - 13.5 miles on Exercise Bike on Hill Repeats in 45 mins

    My legs were feeling much tighter than I expected after yesterday's 400m reps, so with my long run coming up on Saturday, I decided to take it a little easier on the exercise bike than I have in the past two weeks.

    I was planning on cycling for an hour, but a combination of having to meet friends later in the evening, being late home from work and someone changing the language on the cycle machine to Spanish, meant I only had time for 45 mins by the time I started.

    I really enjoy this cross-training day each week. I use this session to catch up on any TV I have missed. Today I had the pleasure of watching BBC's new 'Africa' wildlife show while cycling, having lost the battle of the house remote control the previous evening to my wife (a battle I all too often lose!).

    Watching the most epic giraffe fight ever filmed not only made the 45 mins pass in a flash, but took me back to the time I lived in Kenya, home of some of the best runners on this planet. Sadly I didn't pick up any useful running techniques while there. All I managed to do was make every single child in the village where I was working cry and scream in fear. I was one of the first white people most villagers had ever seen, and as a way of making their children behave they would tell them, "If you're bad, the white man will come and eat your brains." Not too dissimilar to being told a as youngster that the boogie man would come and get me if I too misbehaved.

    Obviously the first few times the children saw me, they thought I was hiding a spoon behind my back, ready to eat their brains out. You could tell what part of the village I was in from miles around, thanks to these screams and crying. It didn't take long though for the children to realise I wasn't a cannibal and parents frantically thought of alternative remedies to keep their children's behaviour in line!

  • Calorie Watch 2013! Food & Drink Diary - Friday 4th January 2013

    If every day could be like this, there would be no chance of failing to hit my target weight before Paris. My will power is stronger than I realised it would be. As well as shunning a fellow colleague's birthday cake at work, I also spent the whole evening in a public drinking establishment and drank only diet coke. Not a single sip of beer past my lips. I'm interested to see if I can still manage this in a few weeks, when the memories of mixing drinks on New Year's Eve has faded away!

    6:45am. Breakfast - Fruit and Fibre cereal w/ semi-skimmed milk (the same breakfast every day!)

    9:00am. Cup of tea - first drink of the day as I'm normally overwhelmed with meetings once I arrive at work, and never get up early enough to fit one in before I leave for work.

    10:45am. 500ml bottle of water and cup of tea

    12:00pm: Lunch - Pasta and Chicken leftovers from the previous evening - wholemeal pasta, carrot, courgette, red onion & leek, tomato sauce, herbs, spices, bacon and chicken breast - supposedly 620 calories (less because I ate more than half of the two portions yesterday!). More water.

    2:00pm. Orange & cup of tea (s/ skimmed milk, no sugar, one Splenda). More water!

    5:00pm. Training Session. 45 mins on Exercise Bike, covering 13.5miles.

    6:15pm. Dinner - 1 slice of toast (ok, so I haven't managed to cut bread out of my diet completely yet!), beans and two eggs. More water

    8:00-1:00am. 4 pints of diet coke!

    1:30am - 1 pint of water before retiring for the night.

  • The Africa programme was amazing wasnt it? I really enjoyed watching it...brought back some of my memories of going to Kenya last year, although I didnt get to spot a rhino (maybe we should have gone on the night drive like I wanted to) or fighting garaffes. So glad I didnt come across any of those crickets though...they were awful!

    4 pints of diet coke???? thats loads, do you normally drink that much? I always find fizzy pop especially diet coke increases my appetite and makes me feel dehydrated...and its bad for your teeth (my mum was a dental nurse so it was banned at our house) !

  • Day 20 - Asics Target 26.2 Paris Marathon Training (05/01/13)

    Target: 14 miles - 10 comfortable @ 8:30-9:20m/m, 4 steady @ 8:00-8:30m/m

    Actual: 14.02 miles in 1:56:23 - 10 comfortable @ 8:26m/m, 4 steady @ 7:59m/m

    Mile Splits: 1st: 8:23. 2nd: 8:27. 3rd: 8:20. 4th: 8:27. 5th: 8:23. 6th: 8:29. 7th: 8:25. 8th: 8:30. 9th: 8:26. 10th: 8:30. 11th: 7:58. 12th: 7:53. 13th: 8:07. 14th: 7:58

    I woke up feeling really dehydrated this morning. I was happy with myself for not drinking any alcohol while out last night, but I might have to re-evaluate my tactic of replacing beer with diet coke. The late arrival home the previous evening also meant a later than normal start to my run today.

    I used my tried and tested route from Woking to Staines along the A320. It's not the most scenic of routes, but it does have a nice variety of gradient and alongside nice flat parts, also has some tasty climbs and descents. I don't actually use many routes when running. I always thought I was in the minority, being happy running the same courses every week, but I read in the latest Runnersworld that Amby Burfoot does the same. If it's good enough for him, then it's certainly good enough for me!

    I don't normally run with music, but decided as I'd received a few new albums for Christmas, this would be as good a time as any to listen to them. I'm very against using music in races, as not only do I find myself less aware of fellow runners, it stops me soaking in the atmosphere and sights that I'm passing. But during training, I do like the opportunity to muffle out vehicle noise from time to time.

    It was nice to be running in the dry, and the first 7 miles were very comfortable. I struggled to keep my pace from creeping up towards 8m/m, rather 8:30m/m. After halfway though, I found it much harder. I think this was a combination of a late night previously, feeling slightly dehydrated before running and most importantly, I think this week's speed session exertions were finally catching up with me. The lack of a rest day the day before my long run (which is normally planned in my schedule, but was changed this week to account for a New Year's Day hangover!), more uphill than downhill, and the fact I've been cutting back on my daily carb-loading activities could also have played a role.

    My session targets were still successfully achieved. Only 1 mile (mile 13) was over the lowest speed I was asked to run at, and this was mainly because of the continuing uphill gradient. My half-marathon time during my run was 1hr 49mins 10secs, which is one of the fastest training half marathons I remember running. Overall I'm extremely happy with how this run went. As my last marathon, the Athens Marathon was only 2 months ago, I still feel that I have stamina in my legs from this, which has helped with my long run performances.

    Here's my run from today:

    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/258332180 

  • Hey Sarah...............Excellent work on your 15 mile run. That was really good pacing, especially with what pace you were aiming for. Glad your legs felt great throughout. My legs felt heavy towards the end of my long run today. I didn't have a rest day yesterday and missed it. I definitely prefer having a rest day the day before my long run.

    I enjoyed doing the last 4 miles at MP in my LSR today. It was good to try picking up the pace and trying to run at a faster pace when my body had become use to running at a slower speed. Before I started this training, I'd always do this the opposite way around. I'd start off too fast, then gradually get slower mile by mile. It's nice to be doing it a more productive way now!

    I loved the Africa programme. I have a soft spot for any program relating to travel or Africa, so this was right up my street. That's annoying that you didn't get to see any rhino's. I only got to see them from extremely far away. They were so small they could have easily been people dressed in a rhino costume, or cardboard cut outs! I did almost get trampled to death by a hippo, but that's another story. Serves me right for choosing such a poor place to pitch my tent!

    I feel almost ashamed now for drinking 4 pints of diet coke.image I promise I won't do it again.image I don't normally drink any fizzy drinks. Only extremely rarely. The reason I was drinking it last night was because I wanted something that was low in calories that could replace the real ale I'd normally be drinking. I didn't consider it would make me as dehydrated as it did. I also found it hard to slow down my drinking speed to what I would normally drink at, which is why I had 4 pints of the black stuff. I think I'll have to revert back to the drawing board and maybe throw a few pints of water in there.

    I don't expect to give up alcohol completely, but after drinking a fair bit of Xmas and New Year, I want to cut right back for a few weeks. I don't think it would have been a good idea to enjoy a pint or two before my LSR either. I've made that mistake before in the past!

    Hope you've had a good weekend. Just a 3 mile jog tomorrow, so I can rest and relax this evening. Well done on your training so far. image

  • Calorie Watch 2013! Food & Drink Diary - Saturday 5th January 2013

    Another healthy-ish day. I've decided that if there's any day I'll enjoy foods and drink I normally wouldn't, it'll be Saturday after my long run. This Saturday's long run saw me lose 1836 calories (according to my trusted Garmin!). Normally I would see this as an extra 1836 calories I would eat that day. I'd then enjoy unhealthy, calorie-ladened takeaways, crisps, deserts and alcohol guilt-free.

    Of course, this isn't the best mentality to use if wanting to lose any weight. I'm trying to change this mentality of thinking calories burned are extra calories in the bank for eating or drinking things I shouldn't. 

    9:30am. Breakfast - Fruit and Fibre cereal w/ semi-skimmed milk. I added extra raisins, dates, apricots and chia seeds (as used by the running legends that are the Tarahumara) to the cereal. Cup of tea.

    11:00am. 2 pints of water

    12:15pm. Running session - 14 miles (see above for full details) w/ 250ml of water and Hi5 Isotonic tablet.

    2:30pm. Glass of chocolate milk. 1 sachet of SIS Rego Recovery Drink.

    3:00pm. Late lunch - Spicy parsnip and apple soup. Cup of tea. Water.

    5:00pm. Handful of pistachio nuts, a few leftover Jacobs cream crackers (minus the cheese) from Christmas.

    6:30pm. Dinner - 1/2 10" peperroni pizza, 1/2 10" mushroom, cheese and olive pizza. (Looking at calories, both these halves together worked out to be 700 calories).

    7:30-10:30pm - regular cups of tea and water.

    Not a single desert in sight. Also the first time that I've refrained from alcohol on a Saturday night in a long, long time!

  • Ady -  Good effort on your long run, especially after your late night.  Impressive diet, you'll be running forever with those chia seeds.  I usually just have chocolate milk after my long runs, it has everything you need for recovery and a bit cheaper than the branded recovery drinks.  14 miles for me this morning 7 miles out and back with the back 7 quicker than the first. The more you go without alcohol the easier it gets, but I treat myself to the odd pint of guiness after a race or a long run.

  • Ady- well done on your training and diet. The determination and commitment are definitely there. I'm a bit surprised they you say you burnt over 1800 calories on a 14m run. I thought its around 100 calories/m. I understand it will depend on your weight but still think 1800 is a bit optimistic. I mighy be wrong however, wonder what Ruth would think.

    I'm with Barry on recovery drinks. You need to be careful with them if you're trying to lose weight, they're full of calories. I wouldn't personally have one unless I've done 20+ miles. A glass of chocolate milk and a proper meal should normally suffice. I think we all tend to underestimate how many calories we put in and overestimate what we burn!image
  • Would you guys have a chocolate milk after every run, or is it only needed after a certain distance/effort?

     

  • Xyloid -  Every run apart from short recovery runs.

  • After every hard run here - 15 miles plus or effort sessions.

    If you're worried about weight, try the Slimfast ones.  They do the job just as well in my experience.

  • Oh Ady.... you need to try curly Kale crisps.....I have just very sceptically made a batch...they are amazing......taste scrummy.....healthy, low calories and very snackable!!!!.....image

  • Hi Ady, sounds like you had a good run yesterday, its a good sign if you have the energy to speed up towards the end, and from what I gather from the threads adding in MP in your LSR at this stage is tough work so no wonder your legs felt it a little. I was eager to do a few of my miles at MP but Minni has advised me to wait as im still only in week one of training....just!



    I always try to have a rest day before my long run. Ive only once ran the night before (interval training) and I could really feel it.



    I didnt like the hippos much...they were so big and scary and that was even when I saw them behind a fence at the sanctuary we went too. I always imagined hippos to be small and cute like in hungry hippos, but they are massive!



    I feel like ive told you off with the coke now...sorry. When im not drinking alcohol I just ask for water in the pub as I dont want to fill up on loads of coke...my OH calls me some names for it though...think i embarrass him! Ive only had two alcoholic drinks since NYE.....think thats what I will try to stick to weekly now. MY OH has banned himself from drinking completely for a month...its driving him mad, as you always want what you cant have...thats why ive decided just to have a couple!



    Hope youve enjoyed your recovery run today
  • Another week gone by. It's amazing how quickly training is passing. Thanks again for all your comments along the way so far.

    Barry.........thanks very much. I'm sure I'll fall off the wagon now and again with the diet, but as long as I manage at least 5 days a week of good eating, then this should definitely help. I still can't see how something as small as the chia seeds could have such an effect on stamina, but all the literature can't be wrong. image

    I'll definitely be treating myself to the odd drink, but only when I feel I deserve it. At the moment, going only 6 days off the pop I don't think is enough to have a tipple. How much quicker did you do the back 7 than the front 7 on your long run this morning? Do you do your long runs over differing courses, or do you keep roughly to the same one?

    Hi Brolish........I was just going on what my Garmin said for the run, which was 1836 calories. It does seem slightly on the high side I must admit. Looking at a calorie calculator on Runnersworld (http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/weight-loss/how-many-calories-do-you-burn/259.html), going by my weight (I'm still a little on the chubby side!) and the pace I was running, I made it around 1625 calories. It doesn't say whether this would be over a flat course or includes any undulation.

    Normally I'll only be drinking chocolate milk after my long runs. On this occasion I was running low on this magical drink, so finished the bottle off, and used a free sachet I'd received from a marathon race last year. The calories were less than 200 for the SIS Rego so thought it wouldn't be too bad. I do agree that drinking both normally after a run is too much..........and I've definitely been a culprit in the past of under-estimating calories eaten (snacks don't count towards a calories count right?!). Not this time around though!

    Xyloid........I'm a little different to Barry when it comes to chocolate milk (mainly because I run at lunch and can't buy chocolate milk at work).......I just have chocolate milk after my long slow runs at the weekend, and then probably no more than 330ml or so.

    Barnsley Runner.........maybe I should be considering chocolate milk after my midweek hard sessions as well. I'll look into the Slimfast version as well. If it does the same job, then this can only be a positive. Some people I know drink Lucozade or similar drink after a workout. Do you think this has any benefit at all?

    Mel.......I hope you have managed to stay mud free on your most recent runs! I have never, ever considered Curly Kale to make crisps before, but have now looked at some recipes for this online. They do look really nice actually. What recipe do you use for these? Do you cover in oil or parmesan at all? I'll try this next weekend and see how I get on (I'm sure they'd turn out far more edible if Mrs. Shady Ady cooked them!) image Good luck with week 4.

  • Jumping in as not posted on here.... I drink nuun after training calorie free and gives you all the benefits of a sports drink! or Aldi do a raspberry sports drink... just the same as lucozade at only £1.25 for 4 its only a fraction of the price!

     

  • maybe forward it onto Mrs Shady.....

    1bag Curly Kale

    1 tbsp lemon juice

    1 tbsp olive oil

    3/4 cup cashew nuts

    3 tbsp tamari sauce -( or soya sauce)

    splash of agarve ( not really necessary) 

    Wack it all together, grind your nuts...( or mrs shady could grind yours) any flavouring, eg salt, pepper, cayane pepper.

    Bake in a really low oven ( the lowest it will go) for a couple of hours or untill crisp....! they are yummy......!!! let me know how you get on!!.....image

    Have a good week!!!!!.....image

  • I'd stick to chocolate mile (or strawberry nesquick powder in my case) just after long runs and tough sessions like intervals. Not every run. And Tigger, Nuun is good for replacing electrolytes but it doesn't have any carbs in it - so it can be a good alternative, but not if part of your post-run recovery goal is to replenish your depleted glycogen stores.

    A good week's training, Ady.  Your weekly summaries (as well as the daily ones) are really useful. Star pupil! image 
    So next week, will you be able to find somewhere to do the 5 miles hilly (or hill reps?) on a weekday? If not let me know and I can rejig it to make that session on the Sunday. I'm also tweaking the mileage a little. We'll stick to the current paces until Parkrun and a full 4 weeks of training is in the bag and then we will re-assess.

     

  • Day 21 - Asics Target 26.2 Paris Marathon Training (06/01/13)

    Target: 3 mile jog @ 9:30-10:15m/m

    Actual: 3.16 miles in 29:42 @ 9:23

    Splits: 1st: 9:18m/m. 2nd: 9:28m/m. 3rd: 9:27m/m

    A short recovery run to end the week. It's actually a nice feeling waking up on a Sunday morning knowing that your long run for the week is already completed and you can sneak an extra few hours under the sheets.

    I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but on today's run, I had a twinge in a place I've never had any problems before - my knee. My left knee to precise, on the inside towards the top. It wasn't really a pain, but just felt slightly sore when bending it afterwards while stretching. It could be because I woke up in a strange position this morning (insert your own joke here!) and I could have possibly stretched in a way I haven't before.

    I also have also changed from using trainers for over-pronation to neutral running trainers for this training plan. But as I haven't had any issues whatsoever during this training, or before, I don't think this is associated with my footwear.

    Once the run was over, I haven't really had any trouble from the knee since. Tomorrow is my scheduled rest day, so it'll be interesting to see if I have any problems come Tuesday.

    Short, sweet and slow today. All in all, a good end to the week. image

    Here's my run from today:

    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/258920839

  • Hi Sam.........You'll make me blush with praise like that. I think I'll only be a star pupil if I make it to my final goal. Until then I'm still a work in process!

    Around where I work, there aren't many hills at all. The only one of any note only requires 20 seconds of work, and then it's over. When I did this in Week 2, I found it very easy to keep to 8m/m pace, even on the uphill sections.

    Sunday would be better, as I have a nice section of my normal route I run close to where I live. This has both a long, slowly elevating uphill section, then a much steeper hill as well. This would be much better for hill-training, as I can run backwards and forwards along this (it's about a mile in length in total). The only possible problem is that it starts 2 miles from where I live, so I could always work in a slow paced 2 mile w/up and c/down into the run if it helps?

    Is it this coming week (week 4) you are tweaking my mileage? If it is, I'll hold back on re-posting/ re-tweeting my mileage.

    No problem about re-assessing my current paces until after week 4 has finished. I thought this would happen after my Parkrun anyway, so it has been a good goal to be working towards in the week's training so far. image

  • Hey Sarah.....Thanks for your words. I'm happy from reading what you wrote that it's tough adding in MR towards the end of a LSR. I suppose it would be even more difficult for you to do this as you're 2 weeks behind where I am.

    I agree with you regarding running the day before a long run. I don't know if it's a mental thing. I did 2 miles on the Sunday before I ran the Boston Marathon on the Monday, as I'd read this was a good way of getting the nervous energy out of your system. But even though I ran my PB afterwards, I kept thinking during the race if I could maintain a faster pace if I hadn't ran the day before.

    Haha....hippo's aren't the smallest of creatures are they! Which Sanctuary did you go to? Was it Haller Park in Mombassa while you were there? They make the ground shake as well, and have such a weird cry as well. If it wasn't for the alcohol, I wouldn't have slept at all when we camping next to the lake where they lived.

    Don't worry, I didn't feel like you told me off about the diet coke! But I do think 4 pints of it were slightly over the top. I'm impressed with both you and your OH's lack of drinking. I think I'll just have one or two drinks on a Saturday after my LSR if I fancy one and feel it's deserved. During the week though I want to keep off it completely. I think it's easier to still have one or two than none at all.

    Good luck on your next week of training.

    Tigger......Thanks for the head's up that Aldi do cheaper sports drinks. Anything that saves money, and you will get my attention immediately! I also use something similar to Nuun, but by Hi5. I just add the tablet to my water when I'm running. I think this is the same as what Sam mentioned though, as it's only for caffeine and electrolytes.

    Mel.......thanks very much for the recipe. That's much healthier than the recipe I found. Much less oil, and added cashew nuts as well. Mrs. Shady Ady has already offered to cook this, so I'll let you know how it turns out (much better than if I was to do it, that's for certain!). As for grinding my nuts as well image, I've been lucky enough that she's agreed to cook the recipe....I don't want to push my luck and try and get two things accepted in one night. I'll save this 'ask' for another night! image

  • Week 3 Asics Target 26.2 Paris Marathon Training Round-up (W/ Ending 06/01/13):

    Monday:

    Target: 3x1 miles at 7:20-7:30 pace with 2.5 minute recovery plus 1 mile w-up/c-down (5 miles)

    Actual: 7.41mi @ 8:27m/m including 2 mile w-up (@ 8:32m/m)/c-down (@ 8:51m/m) & 2.5 minute recovery between 3x1 mile reps.

    Splits of 3x1 mile reps as follows: 1st mile: 7:06m/m. 2nd mile: 7:12m/m. 3rd mile: 7:04m/m

    Tuesday:

    Target: Rest Day. Actual: Rest Day

    Wednesday:

    Target: 5 miles comfortable @ 8:30-9:20m/m

    Actual: 5.11 miles @ 8:21m/m

    Mile Splits: 1st mile: 8:26m/m. 2nd mile: 8:26m/m. 3rd mile: 8:19m/m. 4th mile: 8:21m/m. 5th mile: 8:26m/m

    Thursday:

    Target: 1.5 MILE COMFORTABLE then 3 x acceleration strides then 8 x 400m (or 90 seconds) at 6.20-6.40 pace with 2 min jogs in between each. 1.5 MILE COMFORTABLE (4 MILES)

    Actual: 1.5 MILE COMFORTABLE w/up (@ 8:24m/m), 3 x acceleration strides then 8 x 400m (shunned the metric system and did 1/4 miles instead!) @ 6:08-6:21m/m pace with 2 min jogs in between each. 1.5 MILE COMFORTABLE c/down (@ 8:20m/m)

    Total mileage in today's run: 6.56mi

    1/4 Mile Splits: 1st: 6:08m/m. 2nd: 6:11m/m. 3rd: 6:21m/m. 4th: 6:20m/m. 5th: 6:20m/m. 6th: 6:18m/m. 7th: 6:18m/m. 8th: 6:21m/m

    Friday:

    Target: Rest Day or Cross-Training.

    Actual: Cross-Training - 13.5 miles on Exercise Bike on Hill Repeats in 45 mins

    Saturday:

    Target: 14 miles - 10 comfortable @ 8:30-9:20m/m, 4 steady @ 8:00-8:30m/m

    Actual: 14.02 miles in 1:56:23 - 10 comfortable @ 8:26m/m, 4 steady @ 7:59m/m

    Mile Splits: 1st: 8:23. 2nd: 8:27. 3rd: 8:20. 4th: 8:27. 5th: 8:23. 6th: 8:29. 7th: 8:25. 8th: 8:30. 9th: 8:26. 10th: 8:30. 11th: 7:58. 12th: 7:53. 13th: 8:07. 14th: 7:58

    Sunday:

    Target: 3 mile jog @ 9:30-10:15m/m

    Actual: 3.16 miles in 29:42 @ 9:23

    Splits: 1st: 9:18m/m. 2nd: 9:28m/m. 3rd: 9:27m/m

    MILEAGE: Target: 31mi Actual: 36.26mi

    Another confident week of training finished and another week I feel happy with the targets I've met.

    It might seem like I've ignored my training plan and ran extra miles. I think this might have been a genuine error with total target miles on Thursday's session as when broken down by activity, this adds up to more than what the total mileage is. Also as agreed with Sam earlier on this thread, I will be doing 2 miles w/up and c/down instead of 1 mile, which immediately adds extra to my weekly total.

    I've thoroughly enjoyed the variety this week and the speed sessions. Although I accomplished my weekly target's, I found Saturday's long run the most difficult run so far. I think tired legs from other training sessions this week finally caught up with me, along with a late (alcohol free I might add! image) night beforehand.

    The only issue that I currently have is a sore knee (on the inside of my left knee). I've never had knee pain before, so I'm hoping this is nothing. I only felt it on today's recovery run and didn't feel anything wrong during my LSR the day before, or afterwards.

    Bring on Week 4, and hopefully a new 5km PB! image

  • Ady -  I have a few routes for my long runs and vary them according to what length I am doing. The out 7 were about MP plus 40 seconds and the in 7 round about MP.

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