Knackered

Hi folks,  I'm training with a friend for the Belfast City Marathon May Day this year. We are currently sitting mid week WK6 of our training schedule.  Running four times a week, one LSD today 13.1 adding a mile a week now.. One speed park run and two other 10Ks Hills and easy..  Today just feeling total deflated...  Whats going on.. I did my first half marthan Sept last year 2.03.. very comfortably...  Today 2.16 and not so comfortable..Hate to mention the fact I'm getting on 48 dont tell anyone and my chums 36....  Any advice folks     Get us through thisimage

Comments

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    What time are you aiming for in the race?
  • You're doing the LSR on tired legs after a hard week. Maybe you ran it too fast ?
  • Nichola just put it down to a bad day we all get them.Your training plan seems quite sensible, if this is your first marathon and the first time you have been running these miles in a week it will take your body time to get used to them but you will,Try to eat well and drink well.

    I am pacing the sub 4hr 30mins group at Belfast again this year so by your half marathon time you could be running under it.

    Key thing I would say is keep building up your long runs as you are doing until you get up to 20 

  • Hello Nichola,

    I think you have to respect the distance.  The marathon is really long, and in training, some days you will do 13 miles and feel like hell after, others you'll do 13 and feel you can do 10 more.  For the LSRs its really important to a) make sure you recovered well from your other training, and b) make sure you're properly fuelled on the run, unless of course you want to train your body for when the glycogen stores are running low to prep for the last few miles of the marathon.

    There are a number of things that will contribute to feeling tired, some you can prevent:

    - are you properly hydrated? (the cold weather could put u off drinking as much as you need)

    -were you warm enough on the run (again this cold could make you more tired- I did 12 on sunday and it was cold wet and windy, so much harder than runnning in 10C in sunshine)

    - did you eat sufficiently beforehand?

    -do you ensure you have a protein/carb snack within 30 mins of each of your training sessions - peanut butter on toast/fruit with yoghurt.

    -Are you getting enough iron in your diet?  Us women need to be vigilent of this when running - I actually make sure I have a steak/lamb something red and meaty once a week, as well as green leafy veg.

    Hope this helps image

  • Aw you folks are great,  such a quick response!  I have to say today is a miserable wet day and cold...  Don't think I've ever run that far in such weather conditions, soaked to the bone... 

    I do drink loads of water every dayimage  I don't do shakes... I take Iron, Vit C, Cal, Vit D

    I do tend to eat well!   Although I have to time my eating for a run..  5 prunes in juice and a small bowl of Dorsets organic museli 2 hours before hand or I vomit..   I'm starving after, drink and eat asap following a run...  I dont hydrate on route as I don't like to carry anything..  Have managed so far...   During races I will take a mouthful of water when available..  Not sure if this will work as the miles increase..

    I know last year I took a week off after the Half and run my best 10k ever first run back....   With out effort... couldnt beleive it...  This makes me think about the 4 times aweek !     Should I take more rest days?

    Many thanks,  this forum is invaluable....

     

  • OOps forgot to say!  Hope for 4.30

     

    and my legs are always tired.....   Scrabo begs me most nights.... doggy walkingimage

     

    Definately don't think I'm going to fast....  timings alot slower than last year..

    was running 5.10 5.45 per km  now more like 6.30     I litteraly dropped a minute per mile todayimage

     

  • Nichola- what time are you aiming for and how fast are you running your LSRs/ easy runs? 4 days a week is fine, you shouldn't need more recovery days.

    You say you did a half marathon in 2.16 today. Was it a race or a training run?

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    It sounds like you are running your long runs at marathon pace. 2.16 half for a 4.30 full.

    You need to slow your long runs down to a very easy pace approx 60 to 90 secs per mile slower than marathon pace. So approx 11 min miling for your longer runs.



    If you are "racing" all your long runs you will quickly burn out.
  • As Millsy says you are running too fast, no wonder you are knackered.

    According to Mcmillan based on a 2h16min half you should be doing your long runs @ 6-7min/km. There's no point comparing how fast you are running now to last year.  You were not training for a marathon last year, right?  You are running more miles so it's natural to slow down, the speed will come back! It's good to have a running partner but it's also important to train at the correct pace for your level of fitness. If they are faster and you are constatnly trying to keep up you will end up knackered (if not injured).

  • Hi Brolish and Millsy,  Thanks for getting back to me..  My running partner is slower.. I'm usually holding back...  I'm usually very slow to start and after about 2 -3 Km Im warmed up and ready to go...  Shes more steady same pace throughout.. 

    Next week...  I'll aim to slow right down...  11 mm for 14miles then..

    I've also decided to skip Friday 6 mile easy run and do the 5k speed at the park on Saturday..  Just to give me the extra rest this week ... I think..

    Thanks again..  I'll keep you all updatedimage

  • I agree with the posters saying you're running too fast. If you are following a particular schedule, they usually emphasise this on the LSRs. Of course, there are also usually some long-ish runs that involve an element of race pace running or near (or even faster). I guess they're what you call tempo runs - I did 9 miles today, six of them at faster than my planned marathon pace, and yes I'm pretty cream crackered. There are ups and downs - in general I'm finding that my marathon training is going well, but I like to turn up and run at parkrun every Saturday morning and my times there have gone to hell.

  • Thanks Peter...   I don't tend to warm up on a Saturday so the first 2-3 km are warming up and wrecked for the last 2Km    But sure its all about the brownies on Saturday...    Ilike to do the neg split   nice slow 5k followed by a fast 5k since it takes me so long to warm up anyway..  I do this every other week and Stormont or Scrabo for the Hills.   Are you doing Belfast this year?

    I am def. going to slow down next week to see the difference...

  • I actually managed to get a London place through the ballot at one of my clubs.

  • Nichola- also it sounds like out of 4 runs, 3 are quality- parkrun, hills and LSR. Instead of reducing the number of runs it might be worth dropping one of them (hills or park run) and substitute with a 10k easy run. It's often the quality sessions that leave you feeling knackered. For a marathon you need to build endurance by running a lot of slow miles, especially for the first one. Speed is secondary.
  • Hi Brolish,  I think you maybe right..  Pushing too fast too often..  Taking the two day rest now..  Next week my LSR will be very slow..

    Peter,  congrats in getting  a place, an old friend of mine got one too.  He's an old Marathon Veterian..  He went AWOL from the gym last year for about three months, turned out he'd been away and run three marathons...  He only joined the gym to do BodyPump and hes in his late sixties...  Wish I'd his strength...

  • Only my third marathon. I did London in 1998 and said 'never again'. I made the mistake of becoming a parkrun regular and joining a club, and then the pressure to do a marathon gets too much - so I did Abingdon last year. I was pleased to get knocked back twice for London, but then I got a message from my other club, which went into my junk folder for some reason, so almost missed it, telling me the 'good' news that I had their London place. Bah!

  • It's great news! High profile run, I'll be watching on the TV... Funny I joined a running club last November and haven't been able to run with them this year. Simply training days clashing.... I do see some of the other members at races and park run... Good luck in Londonimage
Sign In or Register to comment.