42 again

Week ending 19^th July

Another weeks running done and dusted. Same mileage as last week – 42 miles. I probably would need to be getting into 50 miles a week territory pretty soon. Hopefully I will manage it this week and maintain the mileage the week after. 

The time from 3^rd August to  12^th August will see less mileage but the plan from then on is start ramping it in preparation for the Frankfurt marathon which will be 10 weeks from the time I get back in time for the dreaded Clonmel half marathon.

Plenty of time between now and then of course but I have been giving my post Frankfurt marathon plans some rough thought. I have ruled out doing any ultra next year, although I do hope to return to Connemara again in 2017 or perhaps give Portuma a shot. In terms of marathons I have vague notions of doing the Sixmilebridge or Clonakilty marathons afterwards but as I came a cropper last year training for Sixmilebridge maybe not. For the moment I don’t see myself training for anymore serious marathons until next year focusing almost totally on distances between 5k and 10 miles with perhaps a 13.1 mile race thrown in.

The cornerstone of this weeks training was 2 speed sessions and one LSR. Monday was the usual 4 recovery run (9.36 pace, HR 135). Tuesday was the speed work. 2 mile warm up with 30 minutes tempo and a 1 mile cooldown. The legs were dead enough and the splits were reflective of this. The average pace was 7.09 which is a small bit slower than the last tempo run but the last mile picked up to sub 7 pace. Not a bad effort all the same but hopefully the next tempo will see some improvement.

Wednesday was a slower 80 minute run but it was a lovely day for it. I ran 9.5 miles it total at 8.25 pace around by Pikes cross and Cooleens. All flat and all slow.

Thursday a training session with Mallow AC, warm and cooldown with 6 X 0.5 mile hill repeats in Doneraile Park. I was fine for the first 3 repeats (6.40 pace) but suffered badly in the last three (7.00). Lesson learned.

No running Friday or Saturday which probably needs to be rectified in future weeks.

Sunday was a long run. I met the Mallow crew at Newtwopothouse and jogged the 6 miles to Doneraile park taking part in a 5K fundraiser on behalf of local lad, Dessie Fitzgerald. I jogged down the back at 9 minute pace and then the remaining 7 miles back to my car. That gave me 16 miles in total at a pace of 8min50sec pace or 2hrs21min on the feet. It was slow and it wasn’t always comfortable but that’s the way it was meant to be. I need to emphasis long runs over the next few weeks.

A lot of stuff to work on.

42 miles (4 mls Monday, 7 mls with 4mls tempo Tuesday, 9.5 miles Wednesday, 5.5 miles with 6 X 800 metre hill repeats Thursday, 16 miles Sunday.)