Valencia Marathon Week 5/12

Thankfully I appear to be feeling much better this week and happy to get another 50 mile plus week (85K) in the bag.

Monday - 8 miles easy (13k) autumn again playing the most confusing game of hide and seek, a warm one 19 C.

Tuesday - 9.5 miles easy (15k) with 4x20 second strides at the end, just stretching the legs out and using it as a primer for tomorrow's session. Legs beginning to feel alive again, maybe 7/10.

Wednesday - 10 miles (16k) with 6 miles (10k) of those at 155 to 160 heart rate (HR). No fade in power or effort pace. The faster miles were on a favourable course, practicing turnover and stride length. The picture below gives you an idea of parallel lines when you compare effort pace and power with heart rate, although it did take me some time to get heart rate up and into correct range. Needed this one to boost the confidence.

Thursday - 5.5 miles easy (8.5k). The run included 4(600 meters) + 1x400 meters at my running partner's 5k pace, off a 60 second standing recovery. Really enjoyed this, more bounce in the legs and the pace was close to my goal marathon pace.

Friday Morning - 6.66 miles (10k) at recovery effort. The devil's numbers on Friday 13th. Heart rate was nice and low, assisted by cooler temps 10 C, and the early start combined with lashing rain meant I had Marlay park mostly to myself.

Evening - 7 miles (11k) on the treadmill conducting a lactate test. Pleased with the numbers. The test confirms I'm a little ahead of last year's Valencia Marathon fitness, 3:18. I still have a lot of miles to cover if a sub 3:10 is going to be a realistic dream come true.

The test was performed in the Mizuno Rebellion Pro, a fine shoe but when I compare them to the Adidas Adizero Pro 2, which I wore the last time in identical testing conditions, I seem to get a little more power out of the latter. So that's my shoes decided upon for next week's half marathon.

Saturday - 5 miles (8k). The most enjoyable run of the week as I got to run Parkrun with my daughter, we shared an earpod each and listened to The Greatest Showman soundtrack, not my idea but lovely all the same. She ran a personal best, so the music clearly helped!

Comments

Valencia Marathon - 12 Weeks to go!

Last year's Valencia Marathon resulted in a small personal best. I ran 3 hours 18 minutes and 31 seconds, it was my first time to ever run a negative split (second half faster than the first half) and my eleventh attempt at the distance. I'm definitely a slow learner! It was very satisfying and not once did I experience any weak spots throughout the 42k. Needless to say, I was thrilled, however I left this wonderful city thinking, what if.... What if this wasn't my third marathon in eight weeks, what if I concentrated on a good diet (eat more), what if I did some strength/core work? So here we are, twelve weeks out and my motivation is sky high. I want to run another personal best, feel strong and have a smile crossing the finish line, it doesn't sound like much, but to an experienced runner, we know what's involved! Time, commitment, patience, effort, recovery, support, to name a few. I've made some rough sketches that are starting to form a plan. Some of which...

Goals

It's that time of year again when I start to reflect on the year that's been. Taking stock of what I have achieved and noting areas that were lacking. What then quickly follows are thoughts of the year to come, and how I can do better. This is where goals are important, they sound simple enough, just targets to be completed in the future and that contribute to a more improved version of oneself, but it's never that easy. A number of years ago I attended a motivational talk by double European indoor gold medallist and Olympian David Gillick. He was tasked with inspiring the younger athletes in my local athletics club where I was coaching at the time. It was a really uplifting talk but what stuck with me was something he said at the very start "a goal without a plan is just a wish". Planning or having a system is key to achieving goals. Writing down what steps are going to get you there, setting smaller and more achievable goals along the way. Creating an environ...

Valencia Marathon Week 4/12

This week didn't go particularly well, my first speed bump in the road. Some of it was from being a little tired but most of it due to humidity, I struggle a lot in these conditions. As delightful a prolonged summer is, I'm craving cooler temperatures. This will be a shorter recap than previous weeks as I don't wish to linger for too long in the negativity. Monday 8 miles (13k) easy, a lovely day for a recovery run. Tuesday 9 miles (15k) easy, into Herbert Park and back along the canal. Wednesday 8 miles (13k) with 6 miles (10k) at 160 heart rate. An extra mile added to the tempo portion. This should have felt like progress but the fade was obvious, power dropping for the same effort. Just happy to get this one done. Thursday 5.5 miles (9k) with the RCSI gang. Loved this run, felt bouncy and smooth. Definitely the outlier of the week. Friday 5 miles (8k) easy, quite the contrast to the day before, every step was a chore. However, I did finally start some strength and condi...

Dave Bradshaw Running

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