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

Paulo - If you check out the official KT site there are instructional videos on how to apply for various injuries/support, I have been using KT tape for a while for my calf which has caused me problems in the past.  It was doing the job until Wokingham HM a couple of weeks ago, during the race it was OK but ever since it's been giving me problems and has curtailed my running temporarily just x training.  Now invested in some 2XU compression calf guards.

Hi Ady

Glad to hear that your injury free now and over the niggles. Well done on the continued weight loss. 

I just thought that a 20 week plan would allow for any missed sessions if illness or injury strikes. It also gives me more room to play around with different sessions I want to incoporate. 

Thanks Sam. A quick question, as I am going to start my training sooner what would you recommend the first weekly long run be at?

Hi Ksizzlepod, it totally depends on what your customary run distance is. I normally take someone's current 'long' run (even if it isn't very long!) and add around 10-15 minutes to it. So for eg. if you were doing 7 miles, you might end up doing 8 or 8.5. 

Your 'start point' depends on where you are when you embark on your training and should never be arbitary. Hope that helps.

Ady, look forward to catching up on Saturday!

For the first time in living memory, I actually managed to escape from work early (well before 7pm!). Hopefully now I'll have time to catch up on messages and training reports from the past few days. I'll stay clear of any animal references this time around! 

Calorie Watch! Food & Drink Diary – Tuesday 26th February 2013

6:50am - Breakfast - Fruit & Fibre Cereal w/ Semi-Skimmed Milk.

8:45am - Cup of tea, bottle of water

10:45am - Banana, bottle of water

12:00pm - 5.28 mile run in 40:19 @ 7:38m/m (see earlier for full description)

1:15pm - Lunch - Couscous with cucumber, radish, tomato, mange tout, roast pork and Italian dressing. Bottle of water

3:30pm - Clementine, cup of tea, bottle of water

5:30pm - Cup of tea, apple

8:00pm - Dinner - Bean soup with grilled cheese sandwich, leftover taco shell while I was waiting for the soup to warm up. Pint of squash.

8:30pm - Pint of squash, yoghurt, 1x Lindt Lindor chocolate

10:00pm - 20 mins of stretching.

11:00pm - Glass of water.

yes definitely thanks Sam

Calorie Watch! Food & Drink Diary – Wednesday 27th February 2013

If you put all my food diaries next to each other, I think 99% of people will have fallen asleep by the third page...........there's a lot of similarities day by day. At least today's had a few extra's in thanks to my company darts tournament. In good old Andy Fordham style, you can't play darts without enjoying one or two bottles of illicit brew!

6:50am - Breakfast - Fruit & Fibre Cereal w/ Semi-Skimmed Milk.

9:00am - Cup of tea, bottle of water

11:15am - Banana, bottle of water

12:00pm - 6.21 mile run in 47:24 @ 7:38m/m (see separate post for full description)

1:15pm - Lunch - Couscous with cucumber, radish, tomato, mange tout and Italian dressing. Bottle of water. Definitely not enough substance after today's run!

2:30pm - Clementine, cup of tea, bottle of water

3:30pm - Packet of Quavers (took the healthy option after putting down the McCoys!), Medium Costa Hot chocolate

7:30pm - Dinner - Chicken curry with rice, mango chutney, naan bread, poppadom, 2 bottles of Old Speckled Hen ale (all part of the free spread put on by my company at our darts tournament).

9:00pm - Pint of squash, yoghurt, 1x Lindt Lindor chocolate

10:30pm - Pint of water

Day 73 - Asics Target 26.2 Paris Marathon Training (27/02/13)

Target: 6 miles progressive around marathon pace (8:10m/m-7:20m/m)

Actual: 6.21 miles in 47:24 @ 7:38m/m (exactly the same as yesterday's pace!)

Mile Splits: 1st @ 8:04m/m. 2nd @ 7:53m/m. 3rd @ 7:49m/m. 4th @ 7:33m/m. 5th @ 7:24m/m. 6th @ 7:16m/m. Last 0.21 @ 6:44m/m

It's nice to be running again without too many niggles. After my runs last weekend I was worried that it might take a while to build back up my speed - not only from missing some of my speed sessions, but also expecting my injured quad to still be too tight for fast runs for at least another week. But after today, I'm surprised how quickly I've fallen back into the normal rhythm of training.

Progressive training sessions are definitely my favourite sessions I do. It allows for a nice gentle start before cranking it up through the gears. I always like a sprint finish, and these types of runs allow you to do this without any feelings of guilt.

As per usual I tried to come in each mile at just under my prescribed pace target. The first two miles were easy, but as always the third mile was the toughest of the whole run. This is because after a small downhill section just before the 3rd mile starts, it's then predominantly uphill for the first half mile and then again for the last quarter of a mile. I always find it hard to go from a nice relaxed downhill pace, to a faster pace going uphill.

Once the third mile is over, I know the hard work is already done and I can start to stretch out, knowing that the last three miles are more downhill than uphill. I was half expecting to feel something from my knee or quad today, but both seemed to be keeping a low profile.

I always make sure I run slightly more than what I'm told to run. It's not because I'm a rebel and think I know best. I love finishing with a sprint finish. I've also read that finishing a run quickly does wonders for your metabolism and encourages your body to burn calories at a faster rate once the run is over. Plus it's a good confidence booster as well!

Today's overall average pace was exactly the same as yesterdays. Now I've managed two runs averaging under 8:00m/m, I'm not so worried at all about any loss of speed. I can't wait to see what pace I'm going to be given for Spitfire on Sunday.

Here's today's run:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/278370119

Malcs wrote (see)

Must have posted at the same time.

Definitely preparing for a bit of pain on Sunday! I'll be trying to get there early too, by 8:30 if I can. What route are you going by? If I can help with a lift let me know.

I'm trying to mix speeds a bit but nothing too fast. I reckon the midweek long run is helping a lot. In previous years I haven't done nearly enough outside the long run. My first few 18-20 milers were always a real struggle but last week (though tough at the end) wasn't nearly as bad.

I'm with you on the trainers - no way could bear forking out that often. Well I am Scottish born and raised in Yorkshire

Hey Malcs.............With your new trainers and increasing mileage, it sounds like you'll manage Sunday's 20 miles with ease. Do you know what pacing you'll be doing for this? I'm interested to see wht Sam prescribes for me at training day this Saturday.

I'll be catching the train from Woking to Godalming. Well when I say train.....I'll be catching the replacement bus service from Woking to Godalming, and then the plan is taking a taxi from there to Dunsfold airfield and the start. If your happening on passing through Godalming trian station on your way to the start and fancy picking up  a helpless runner, then your charity would be gratefully received.  Thanks very much for your offer. But if you aren't then don't worry about going out of your way. I'm sure there will be a few other runners arriving at the station so I can just catch a lift with them to the start. It might be easier to do this as I think by bus gets to Godalming about 7:30 or so.

Regarding the long run, it's definitely something I will try in future marathon training plans. During some midweek runs of this training plan I've gone up to over 9 miles, so it wouldn;t be that much difference to be honest. I presume 10 miles can be classed as a medium long run!

Brolish wrote (see)

Hi Ady

Glad to hear the knee is better and you're back to full training.

As for the shoes... I got a new pair of mizunos after christmas from a Sweatshop. They asked me all sorts of questions including what sort of mileage I'm doing. They must've saved it on the system because to my surprise I got an email yesterday telling me that my shoes need to be replaced! It really made me chuckle. I do around 60-70mpw in mara training but there is absolutely nothing wrong with those shoes! They look almost brand new. I'm sure a lot depends on what sort of runner you are/ your weight and so on but I think the whole 300m rule is nothing more than a marketing ploy to get you to part with your cash more often.

Hi Brolish.......I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks changing trainers after 250 miles seems like a waste of a good pair of trainers. My last pair got me through 3 marathons, an ultra and 5 months of training. I do think this might be taking the life of a trainer a little too far though!

Normally when I feel I've ran too many miles in a pair of trainers, they then become my gym trainers or ones I use to play squash or tennis. 

I used to wear Mizuno Wave, but then went over to New Balance. I'm not that committed when it comes to trainers!

SamMurphyRuns wrote (see)

Hi Ady

Got to rush out for coaching session in a mo, but just wanted to say how pleased I am that your knee and quad issues seem to be on their way out. Just in time, huh?!  See you Saturday bright'n'early! I bet everyone brings flasks this time, after the coffee debacle last time! I could do - am styaing in hotel the night before but could always make a fresh brew in the morning....

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday as well Sam. I'm far more stingy than what's good for me and will be getting up well before the crack of dawn to catch a train to Birmingham. I'll make sure to stock up on coffee on the way up! 

I'm looking forward to the training session as well.....half the run with a Garmin, half without one. It'll be fun to see how well I can keep to my marathon pace without looking at my wrist every few minutes. It'll be good practice if the worst happens and my Garmin dies on the streets of Paris!

sarah osborne wrote (see)

Thankyou Ady. I have been doing my long runs between 30-50 min/ml slower than my MP. I will probably try to keep it at the slower end on fri to allow my legs to recover better for the race on Sunday.

Belvoir is in Leicestershire. Took us 90 mins to get there from Maltby. I do tend to travel a distance to my races from York, but there normally closer to my parents in Sheffield. The running club im in have a few favourites which involve a weekend away e.g isle of skye in June which I like to do.

Glad that your knee and quad is better and that your back on form. Good luck for sunday.

Nice pic Paulo...keep them coming!

Hey Sarah.......I think we do our long runs at more or less then same pace then. My last long run was about 50 secs/ mile slower than my MP pace. 

The Isle of Skye run sounds like fun. I imagine it's a windy run as well for some reason? 

The majority of the runs I do are in maybe an hour of where I live maximum. But I always try and go somewhere new each year to run. I think Mrs. Shady Ady gets sick of having holidays away that include running a marathon. I've promised her though that after South Africa this summer, the new few holidays will revolve around what she wants to do and where she wants to go. I can see some beach holidays on the horizon! 

Paulo83 wrote (see)

Glad to hear ur on the mend. I was given the all clear to get back out there on Monday. Iv just done a 2, 4 and 6 miler this week. All very slow. The calf is feeling ok but not good so think I will just keep going with these short slow runs for now and forget about doing anymore speed work before the big day! Think I'm likey to to more damage than improve if I do any more fast sessions.

I asked a physio friend of mine about KT tape and she said it should be applied by someone that's had training in it as it should be applied at the correct tension and in the correct position. Has anyone tried applying it themselves and had any results?

Nice to see you back running as well Paulo. I'm hoping your calf will be like my quad. I found it tough running with it at the weekend and couldn't go fast at all. But then by the middle of this week I was having no complaints at all and it weas business as normal!

I've heard mixed results about KT Tape. I know the official KT Tape website has videos showing how to apply it. If I was injured and was struggling to get fit before race day, I'd definitely consider using it. I'd just be worried that by using it, I'd end up running through an injury when really I should be resting instead.

Will you be doing  along run this weekend? Are you just going to wait and see how the calf is?

Barry B wrote (see)

Paulo - If you check out the official KT site there are instructional videos on how to apply for various injuries/support, I have been using KT tape for a while for my calf which has caused me problems in the past.  It was doing the job until Wokingham HM a couple of weeks ago, during the race it was OK but ever since it's been giving me problems and has curtailed my running temporarily just x training.  Now invested in some 2XU compression calf guards.

Hey Barry...........I'm sorry to hear your calf has been causing you problems. Will you continue to try and use the KT tape, or will you wait now until you can run without it and your calf stops giving you trouble? What cross-training are you doing? Normally when I cross train I focus on cycling as at least then I think my legs are still getting some kind of workout. Plus I've heard that cycling can be beneficial to running (but not the opposite way around?).

What are 2XU compression calf guards? I've nver heard of these before? I wear compression socks, but that's more out of superstition than anything else. 

I hope the recovery is speedy.

Ksizzlepod wrote (see)

Hi Ady

Glad to hear that your injury free now and over the niggles. Well done on the continued weight loss. 

I just thought that a 20 week plan would allow for any missed sessions if illness or injury strikes. It also gives me more room to play around with different sessions I want to incoporate. 

Thanks Sam. A quick question, as I am going to start my training sooner what would you recommend the first weekly long run be at?

I think you are doing the right thing in using a 20 week plan instead of 16 weeks. Up until this Paris marathon I've never religiously followed a plan before. I know now this has been a huge mistake. As I've sufffered from a few niggles here and there and missed a few days of training because of it, there's less pressure doing 20 weeks if this happens. Plus if it's your first marathon it means you manage to get a few more long runs in before the big day as well.

When does the 20 week plan start for you?

Day 74 - Asics Target 26.2 Paris Marathon Training (28/02/13)

Target: 4-5 mile jog (9:00m/m-10:00m/m)

Actual: 5.24 miles in 48:05 @ 9:11m/m

Mile Splits: 1st @ 10:09m/m. 2nd @ 9:32m/m. 3rd @ 8:51m/m. 4th @ 8:58m/m. 5th @ 8:43m/m. Last 0.24 @ 7:49m/m

Due to my recent injury, today's original interval speed session was replaced with an easier jog. For the first time in weeks I had company on my training run today. It's always nice to run with a friend and it was well worth running a little slower with them for the first lap, than being all by myself as per usual. It does make the time pass quicker as well when running with someone.

As my friend was only running two miles, I changed my normal course and made a two lap course. I enjoy my easy runs. I get the miles in and I can do it feeling relaxed. It's almost like a rest day as I never feel fatigued or tired after my recovery jogs.

Apart from nattering away for the first two miles until my friend returned back to work, there was little of interest in the run in the second half. I speeded up towards the end (faster than what I should have been running at) only because I was desperate for the toilet and needed to get back to the office before I wet myself.

Rest tomorrow and then a busy weekend of running with the Birmingham training day on Saturday and then Spitfire 20 on Sunday. With this coming up, there will be no feelings of guilt with not running tomorrow!

Here's my run from today:

 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/278704893

Shady_Ady wrote (see)

Hey Malcs.............With your new trainers and increasing mileage, it sounds like you'll manage Sunday's 20 miles with ease. Do you know what pacing you'll be doing for this? I'm interested to see wht Sam prescribes for me at training day this Saturday.

I'll be catching the train from Woking to Godalming. Well when I say train.....I'll be catching the replacement bus service from Woking to Godalming, and then the plan is taking a taxi from there to Dunsfold airfield and the start. If your happening on passing through Godalming trian station on your way to the start and fancy picking up  a helpless runner, then your charity would be gratefully received.  Thanks very much for your offer. But if you aren't then don't worry about going out of your way. I'm sure there will be a few other runners arriving at the station so I can just catch a lift with them to the start. It might be easier to do this as I think by bus gets to Godalming about 7:30 or so.

Regarding the long run, it's definitely something I will try in future marathon training plans. During some midweek runs of this training plan I've gone up to over 9 miles, so it wouldn;t be that much difference to be honest. I presume 10 miles can be classed as a medium long run!

Ah ok - I'm coming from the M23 which is the other direction. I don't think I'd get there until after 8 anyway so probably easier if you stick to plan A. If you get into trouble though I'll PM you my number.

As for pace, I'm also waiting to see what Sam has in store for you. Hopefully it will be something I can keep up with. If it was me on my own I'd probably do the first half around 9mm pace and then a progressive 2nd (are you listening to this Sam?...hint hint).

I hope this hamstring niggle of mine doesn't get in the way. I ran a little 4.5 miler on it today and it was still a bit tight so I'll be on the roller and doing plenty of stretches tomorrow and Saturday. I'm sure nothing is damaged, it's just tugging a bit at the back of the knee.

10 Miles definitely counts as an MLR in my book. 9-13 miles is what I'm going by, although I've yet to reach 13. 

Really looking forward to Sunday now. Had a chat with DS2 earlier and he should get there about the same time as me (8-8:30 ish). He's planning on going off at 7:45 pace. I told him we'd wave him off! 

Just been on google maps and seen that it's only 15 mins from Godalming to race HQ. I could get to Godalming for 8 if that's any use to you but 7:30 is going to be tight. I'll PM you and we can talk more.

Hi Guys,

I got a decent run in this morning feeling easy (9.26 miles in 7:57mm). I can tell I have had a couple of lightesh weeks because my legs have felt the benefit of the extra rest days.

Still not sure what pace to run at though. I know it will be progressive but having had this cold I don't want to run out of legs towards the end. I'm edging towards 8mm at the start and then increase pace by 15 secs per mile each 5 miles.

Lets hope the weather holds out and we have a cool but not cold morning and some sunshine and no rain!

Alex isn't there now so it is just the three of us. Look forward to seeing you both.