My Turn ... Running Down A Dream
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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 fücktonne 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!
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@rancid-schnitzel said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
@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!
I'm not really a massive eater, but I do find since WFH I do tend to snack a lot. But August problem was the beer. I had two 3-day holidays with far too much boozing going on to reverse any gains.
Having said that, I've weighed in this week consistently around 0.7kg lower than my first one. So I'm more like 2kg lost, which seems about right to me. Ran 34k this morning (went ok, bit slower than wanted, but only had mini wall at the 30k mark) and ditched another 2kg doing that, so I could cheat and argue I lost 4kg ...
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Phew. Glad that's fucking over.
I’d been a bit ill (thanks Autumn, kids back to school) in the week leading up, so had taken it easy and missed out my last 10 days training. I woke up on Sunday though feeling not too bad, although I had pre-race anxiety as bad as I’d ever experienced. At the start-line I saw a few people going through worse (2 pukes, one trouser incident), so maybe I did ok …
I started off slow, aiming for a 4:15 (the 4 hours target was toast due to ill health) and my Garmin immediately decided to go and shit the bed. GPS was fine, but the health / hr stats were a mess (HR at 180 after 2 mins ... then down to 75. WTF?) , so I just played what was in front of me. Could feel I was not quite 100% through the first 5k so kept around a 5:45 p/km pace. No idea what happened but at the 20k mark I suddenly felt amazing! Not sure why, but the next hour was brilliant. But yeah, then along came “The Wall” at 34k & that was that. I was toast. Managed to “jalk” the last 8k though, and then my right calf finally gave up the ghost with about 1k to go. Ended up crossing the line at 4:23. Was I disappointed? Absolutely not. I gave it everything, absolutely everything, and that’s all I had that day. No regrets.
I actually think if I hadn't been ill, I wouldn't have broken 4 hours. I suspect around 4:05-4:10. I could have run the first 30 odd km at perhaps 15-20 secs faster then slowed down similar rate to 34k, but after that I could feel was fitness/weight related fail.
As for the day … What. A. Day. My relationship with London has been a bit fractious since we moved here in 2017, but yesterday it shone like only it can. 42km of utterly relentless cheering, support, celebrations, noise, music – across all cultures and all walks of life. It is indescribable what it feels like to run through this. Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and all the way down embankment was just a cacophony of noise. 100% of it positive. I must have run past 50 different musical events from all walks of life. Even the crowds outside the dodgy pubs on Isle of Dogs were full of unwavering support! Seriously unreal. I recorded a video message for friends / sponsors as I turned onto the the Mall, and properly choked up. Incredibly emotional moment.
Very stiff this morning, but also very satisfied. Cannot see me running another one unless I lose at least 10-15 pounds. Extra ballast you carry just kills you. I really enjoy the half distance, think that's more for me. And I cannot see how any other marathon, anywhere in the world, could get even close to what I experienced yesterday. I honestly feel emotional thinking about it right now.
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@majorrage said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
Phew. Glad that's fucking over.
I’d been a bit ill (thanks Autumn, kids back to school) in the week leading up, so had taken it easy and missed out my last 10 days training. I woke up on Sunday though feeling not too bad, although I had pre-race anxiety as bad as I’d ever experienced. At the start-line I saw a few people going through worse (2 pukes, one trouser incident), so maybe I did ok …
I started off slow, aiming for a 4:15 (the 4 hours target was toast due to ill health) and my Garmin immediately decided to go and shit the bed. GPS was fine, but the health / hr stats were a mess (HR at 180 after 2 mins ... then down to 75. WTF?) , so I just played what was in front of me. Could feel I was not quite 100% through the first 5k so kept around a 5:45 p/km pace. No idea what happened but at the 20k mark I suddenly felt amazing! Not sure why, but the next hour was brilliant. But yeah, then along came “The Wall” at 34k & that was that. I was toast. Managed to “jalk” the last 8k though, and then my right calf finally gave up the ghost with about 1k to go. Ended up crossing the line at 4:23. Was I disappointed? Absolutely not. I gave it everything, absolutely everything, and that’s all I had that day. No regrets.
I actually think if I hadn't been ill, I wouldn't have broken 4 hours. I suspect around 4:05-4:10. I could have run the first 30 odd km at perhaps 15-20 secs faster then slowed down similar rate to 34k, but after that I could feel was fitness/weight related fail.
As for the day … What. A. Day. My relationship with London has been a bit fractious since we moved here in 2017, but yesterday it shone like only it can. 42km of utterly relentless cheering, support, celebrations, noise, music – across all cultures and all walks of life. It is indescribable what it feels like to run through this. Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and all the way down embankment was just a cacophony of noise. 100% of it positive. I must have run past 50 different musical events from all walks of life. Even the crowds outside the dodgy pubs on Isle of Dogs were full of unwavering support! Seriously unreal. I recorded a video message for friends / sponsors as I turned onto the the Mall, and properly choked up. Incredibly emotional moment.
Very stiff this morning, but also very satisfied. Cannot see me running another one unless I lose at least 10-15 pounds. Extra ballast you carry just kills you. I really enjoy the half distance, think that's more for me. And I cannot see how any other marathon, anywhere in the world, could get even close to what I experienced yesterday. I honestly feel emotional thinking about it right now.
That's awesome Mate, especially with the illness and the Garmin conking out (that must have sucked).
Marathons are a strange beast. There are times that you feel great and totally comfortable and then completely hit the wall. The quads and hammies just "locking up" is not something to recommend.
Bask in the glory and I'll bet you go at it next year as well 😉
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Through 2000k running for the year yesterday! Beat my target by 2 months.
Body has really welcomed the break since the marathon though - 2 full weeks off, then only light runs since. Just the one 10k (which oddly, was my best run by a mile) since.
Not sure what revised target will be. 2,500 is certainly out of reach as is 2,400 I think. Will just plod a long and see how we go.
Commence the 4 hour body diet today too, so lack of carbs will likely deplete running energy somewhat too. Time will tell.
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@majorrage Well done mate , keep up the good work!
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We're back. Not 100% confirmed yet, but I think 2023 New York Marathon is a go.
I'm aiming to be at 85 kg when I START the training for that. The last few marathons I've been too heavy for a good time, basically have started training around 92-95kg. Have run them between sort of 85-88, so I'm hoping to start train at 85, and run at 80-81 which gives me a much better chance of smashing the 4 hour barrier.
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@voodoo said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
In case you need further inspiration, check out this dude, he's due to finish a 3,800 trot on Day 46 this evening at Bondi
23 ? He looks about 63 !
Long distance running is not good for you. Makes one look too old and gaunt.
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@MajorRage said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
New York marathon confirmed.
93.4 kg currently. 4 months out need to be 85. So that gives me 5 months to lose 8.5 kg.
Time for some serious graft. Will be 46 by then, so will be tough to improve times.
That's great news, mate. Hope it all goes well.
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@MajorRage said in My Turn ... Running Down A Dream:
New York marathon confirmed.
93.4 kg currently. 4 months out need to be 85. So that gives me 5 months to lose 8.5 kg.
Time for some serious graft. Will be 46 by then, so will be tough to improve times.
Damn I wish I was 93.4kg…
I might start one of these threads of my own - I have entered the Port Mac Ironman this May - just over 3 months to get into some sort of shape to get through it
