The week just gone was the last week in our sales month at work, and it was pretty hectic. Nonetheless, I managed to get in 5.5 hours of training in this week which i was happy about. November in general wasnt really a great month for training, but i put that down to the winding down after the massive build up to Dublin in October.
Monday - X
Tuesday - AM Gym, weight and some light treadmill running. 2km
Wednesday - AM Gym, 6km good run with focus on midfoot striking, (new to me)
Thursday - X
Friday - had a double session day today but couldnt do the evening one, so i combined the two into the AM session. Bike, weights and then 7km as 2km warm up, 2 x 2km hard with 500 meter recoveries. This was a pretty tough session but i enjoyed it.
Saturday - caught a cold yesterday so i skipped todays swim session.
Sunday - Had a big bike session booked today but the snow came down big time this morning so i went to the gym. Done 1 hour on the bike and then 35 minute "hill run" on the treadmill. Very hard session and i was wrecked after it! 25 mins weights after too.
Total time - 5 hours 35 mins
Weigh in - 89.2 KG
Its good to be back in training mode again as the last few weekends involved big nights out and a few hangovers! Due to work commitments i cant manage any evening sessions at the moment so its up at 0530 for me and hitting the gym for early sessions.
Race wise, i now have a confirmed place for London marathon in April, and a half marathon in Germany in December. Hoping to pull a PB in the half.
Game on..........
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Week 45 - game on, kind of...
This week was the full first week back in Germany after my time in Dublin. I was given a full weeks training plan by my instructor but when i got back to work it was a hectic week so I couldn't get the sessions in early week.
I managed to get a good hour session in gym on Thursday, including a 4k run on the treadmill which was my first run since the Marathon it felt good! Also got in a 6km on Friday and 10k this Sunday morning, so all in all my legs, knees and ankles are feeling fine and I am looking forward to getting back into some proper training next week.
Here are some pics from the marathon:
Monday x
Tuesday x
Wednesday x
Thursday - 57 mins at the gym
Friday - 6km AM run. good tempo
Saturday - x
Sunday - 10km. 1hr 24 seconds.. Fast
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Dublin Marathon
So this post brings me right up to D day - the Dublin marathon! I am very happy and proud to say that I ran the race and finished in 4 hours and 39 minutes - half an hour quicker than planned!
But the few days before the marathon was nothing short of a nightmare. For reasons I still dont know, my knee swelled up again and I was unable to do any kind of training whatsoever. On the Thursday before we flew to Ireland I managed to get in a Sports massage .The massage lady suggested that i rub cheese and honey into me knee, which sounds strange but must have helped as on Friday I was feeling better and more confident that I was going to at least get to the starting line on Monday 29 October.
Then, disaster.
On Sunday we went to the Expo to collect our race numbers and soak up the atmosphere. There were some massage beds there so I got a rub down which seemed to help at the time, but an hour afterwards my knee swelled up again! It got so bad that i had to go back to our apartment and put an ice pack on my knee to bring down the swelling, I was starting to think that i wasnt going to even make the starting line, which was stressing me out big time. It didnt help that lots of "good luck" messages were being sent to me whilst I was lying on my bed with an ice pack on my knee!
I woke up on Monday morning to find my knee feeling tip top and in perfect condition. Feckin' Amazing!! If i was to find something posative in the weeks injury, it was that the injury was out of the way and i was delivered to the race day in what felt like peak condition. BOOM!
The race was fantastic; really well organized and quite flat. The so called "heartbreak hill" that is an infamous hill at mile 20, felt like only a little blip. I was expecting much much more from this hill, and so when i reached to top and was told that was the end of the hill, i was like .- "Thats it"?? !!
I have never ran more than approx 20 miles so everything after that was uncharted territory. I kept expecting something to go wrong; my achilees to give up, knee to pop or to hit "The Wall". But nope; I felt strong the whole way round. And when I started to realize i was going to finish in under 5 hours I was even more happy with myself!
Coming back into Dublin, the crowds amassed even more and the atmosphere was picking up again. I remember listening to my ipod hoping for a classic song like "eye of the tiger" or something similar to take me home, but the last song i heard was "love is all around" by Wet Wet Wet!! Didn't even know that was on my ipod!! After that i just took the earphones out and listened to the screams of the crowd...
On the final 500 meters i bumped into my cousin Sheila who was also running. Mad! 15,000 people and you bump into a family member on the last bit of the race. :)
Aftwerards we went to the Porterhouse bar for a few pints of the black stuff. I have to say, i was feeling much better than expected. We met up with our friends and supporters Jon, Racheal, Sylvia, Garret, Maike, Lisa, Ben and Michelle and had a good few beers before heading back to the apartment.
Day after, legs were v sore but i was still beaming so all was great.
We are still collecting monies but right now I think the numbers are reaching the dizzy heights of approx 3500 pounds! Thanks to all who donated; it really means a lot.
There were so many people who helped me in getting to the end that race, but special thanks goes out to the following people:
Darryl, my personal instructor, for getting me fit and keeping me mainly injury free all year
Mike Hamlin for putting me back together when i was injured!
Mum, John and James Carolan for speaheading the offline sponsorship in Cambridge
Michelle, for putting up with me through it all
In the days after the race I have been eating and drinking a bit more than usual (to say the least!). As of Monday morning though, its back in the saddle and head down for more training. Some people train for a marathon and see that as the end goal, but this is just the start for me. The London marathon is already in the calendar and looking forward to many more............
But the few days before the marathon was nothing short of a nightmare. For reasons I still dont know, my knee swelled up again and I was unable to do any kind of training whatsoever. On the Thursday before we flew to Ireland I managed to get in a Sports massage .The massage lady suggested that i rub cheese and honey into me knee, which sounds strange but must have helped as on Friday I was feeling better and more confident that I was going to at least get to the starting line on Monday 29 October.
Then, disaster.
On Sunday we went to the Expo to collect our race numbers and soak up the atmosphere. There were some massage beds there so I got a rub down which seemed to help at the time, but an hour afterwards my knee swelled up again! It got so bad that i had to go back to our apartment and put an ice pack on my knee to bring down the swelling, I was starting to think that i wasnt going to even make the starting line, which was stressing me out big time. It didnt help that lots of "good luck" messages were being sent to me whilst I was lying on my bed with an ice pack on my knee!
I woke up on Monday morning to find my knee feeling tip top and in perfect condition. Feckin' Amazing!! If i was to find something posative in the weeks injury, it was that the injury was out of the way and i was delivered to the race day in what felt like peak condition. BOOM!
The race was fantastic; really well organized and quite flat. The so called "heartbreak hill" that is an infamous hill at mile 20, felt like only a little blip. I was expecting much much more from this hill, and so when i reached to top and was told that was the end of the hill, i was like .- "Thats it"?? !!
I have never ran more than approx 20 miles so everything after that was uncharted territory. I kept expecting something to go wrong; my achilees to give up, knee to pop or to hit "The Wall". But nope; I felt strong the whole way round. And when I started to realize i was going to finish in under 5 hours I was even more happy with myself!
Coming back into Dublin, the crowds amassed even more and the atmosphere was picking up again. I remember listening to my ipod hoping for a classic song like "eye of the tiger" or something similar to take me home, but the last song i heard was "love is all around" by Wet Wet Wet!! Didn't even know that was on my ipod!! After that i just took the earphones out and listened to the screams of the crowd...
On the final 500 meters i bumped into my cousin Sheila who was also running. Mad! 15,000 people and you bump into a family member on the last bit of the race. :)
Aftwerards we went to the Porterhouse bar for a few pints of the black stuff. I have to say, i was feeling much better than expected. We met up with our friends and supporters Jon, Racheal, Sylvia, Garret, Maike, Lisa, Ben and Michelle and had a good few beers before heading back to the apartment.
Day after, legs were v sore but i was still beaming so all was great.
We are still collecting monies but right now I think the numbers are reaching the dizzy heights of approx 3500 pounds! Thanks to all who donated; it really means a lot.
There were so many people who helped me in getting to the end that race, but special thanks goes out to the following people:
Darryl, my personal instructor, for getting me fit and keeping me mainly injury free all year
Mike Hamlin for putting me back together when i was injured!
Mum, John and James Carolan for speaheading the offline sponsorship in Cambridge
Michelle, for putting up with me through it all
In the days after the race I have been eating and drinking a bit more than usual (to say the least!). As of Monday morning though, its back in the saddle and head down for more training. Some people train for a marathon and see that as the end goal, but this is just the start for me. The London marathon is already in the calendar and looking forward to many more............
Sunday, October 21, 2012
one week til race day!.... WEEK 42
WEEK 42, Oct 15-21, 8 days till race day!
What a difference a week makes. I am happy to say that my knee has made what seems a full recovery and I have been running fine this week. I managed a tad over 7.5 hours training this week; mostly in the gym/treadmill etc, with a couple of outdoor runs and a ride. The weather was very nice this week and there have been some amazing sunrises; thats one of the few perks of getting up and out early :). Here's a couple of pics I took whilst our this week. The first one was out riding from Mannheim towards Heidelberg in the week and the second one was today in the forest behind my house - lovely Autumn scenes!
Monday - AM weights and conditioning at home
Tuesday - AM - gym: weights, treadmil, cross trainer etc
Wednesday - PM gym, including 5km run
Thursday - PM 10km run after work, on the streets
Friday - gym, including 5km run
Saturday - AM - 1 hour ride
Sunday - 13.5k run in the forest
Total - 7.5 hours
Weigh in - 88.3 KG
So thats the marathon training almost done! I have a few small runs and swims in the coming week, but the aim is to keep the legs fresh, carb up a bit and dont pick up any more injuries!
Regarding my finishing time - I would love to come in under 5 hours but in all honesty i will be happy just to finish in one piece and without any permanent damage! I feel fit enough to run the race, but the only concern I have is my left Achilees. Time will tell!
DONATIONS - right now we are very close to 1900 GPB for online donations which is great. I am confident we will hit the 2000 online target by the end of the race!
What a difference a week makes. I am happy to say that my knee has made what seems a full recovery and I have been running fine this week. I managed a tad over 7.5 hours training this week; mostly in the gym/treadmill etc, with a couple of outdoor runs and a ride. The weather was very nice this week and there have been some amazing sunrises; thats one of the few perks of getting up and out early :). Here's a couple of pics I took whilst our this week. The first one was out riding from Mannheim towards Heidelberg in the week and the second one was today in the forest behind my house - lovely Autumn scenes!
Monday - AM weights and conditioning at home
Tuesday - AM - gym: weights, treadmil, cross trainer etc
Wednesday - PM gym, including 5km run
Thursday - PM 10km run after work, on the streets
Friday - gym, including 5km run
Saturday - AM - 1 hour ride
Sunday - 13.5k run in the forest
Total - 7.5 hours
Weigh in - 88.3 KG
So thats the marathon training almost done! I have a few small runs and swims in the coming week, but the aim is to keep the legs fresh, carb up a bit and dont pick up any more injuries!
Regarding my finishing time - I would love to come in under 5 hours but in all honesty i will be happy just to finish in one piece and without any permanent damage! I feel fit enough to run the race, but the only concern I have is my left Achilees. Time will tell!
DONATIONS - right now we are very close to 1900 GPB for online donations which is great. I am confident we will hit the 2000 online target by the end of the race!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
A collection of Numbers
This Tapering lark is a bit strange. I am normally outdoing some sort of training right now, but in the 2 weeks before the race you have to taper down and cut down the hours. So right now its 0615 and I am uploading CDs to iTunes to create a playlist for the marathon. Thought i would also waste some time writing down some associated numbers, just for fun:
My Race number: 12908
Number of people running this year: 14350
Number of KM in a marathon: 42
Number in miles: 26.2
Approx hours of training per month this year: 30 (ish)
Estimated number of hours for me to complete the marathon: 4.45-5.30
Fastest time ever recorded for completing Dublin Marathon: 2.09!!
Target amount to raise for charity: 2000 GBP
Estimated final amount raised for charity in total: 2500 GPB :)
Target amount of pints of Guinness to drink upon completion of race: 12
Estimated amount of pints to get langered after the race: 1!
Just found something pretty cool on the Dublin Marathon site: if you put a race number into this URL you can track that person around the race. its also available as an app for ipone and android...
http://track.rtrt.me/e/TDL-DBMAR-2012#b=RBFDL7J8~2&v=ptrack
Knee is 99% back to normal now which is a huge relief! Done 5k on the treadmill last night and felt fine, so fingers crossed all is well for race day...
My Race number: 12908
Number of people running this year: 14350
Number of KM in a marathon: 42
Number in miles: 26.2
Approx hours of training per month this year: 30 (ish)
Estimated number of hours for me to complete the marathon: 4.45-5.30
Fastest time ever recorded for completing Dublin Marathon: 2.09!!
Target amount to raise for charity: 2000 GBP
Estimated final amount raised for charity in total: 2500 GPB :)
Target amount of pints of Guinness to drink upon completion of race: 12
Estimated amount of pints to get langered after the race: 1!
Just found something pretty cool on the Dublin Marathon site: if you put a race number into this URL you can track that person around the race. its also available as an app for ipone and android...
http://track.rtrt.me/e/TDL-DBMAR-2012#b=RBFDL7J8~2&v=ptrack
Knee is 99% back to normal now which is a huge relief! Done 5k on the treadmill last night and felt fine, so fingers crossed all is well for race day...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
week 41, Oct 8-14, injured!
WEEK 41, 2 weeks to go.........
The last week wasn't a good one unfortunately. Not exactly sure how, but I managed to pick up a knee injury on my ride side. Maybe it was something to do with the previous weeks run whilst having a pain in my right foot (and as a result i might have been overcompensating on the ride side), but it could have been anything. What I do know is that I noted some pain on Monday evening and from Tuesday onwards i was unable to do any kind of training for the week. Devo'd! I have been very careful with the training all year and avoided injury for the most part, so was very frustrated to have picked up an injury so close to race day. As of today (Tuesday 16th) i am still icing it every night but its getting better. I asked my mate Mike the Chiropractor to take a look at it on Sunday and today had a sports massage, so things are moving in the right direction again.
I managed 1500m swim on Saturday and 1.5 hours in the gym on Sunday, so totaled 3.5 hours along with some walking in the week. Disappointingly I didnt get to do my longest run last week which was meant to take me up to the 30k mark, (would have been my longest run ever) so I will just have to do it was whatever is already in the bank now!
Last Tuesday (the 10th) was the 1 year anniversary of Tommy's death which was quite a sad day and brought a lot of memories of last year back. Also reminded me of when i decided to train for this marathon - it was the day after Tommys funeral in Cambridge. I decided I was going to lose weight, get fit and stop drinking so much beer. That idea evolved into running a marathon, which evolved into the Dublin marathon which in turn evolved into running the Dublin marathon in memory of Tommy and to raise money for a relevant charity. That was over a year ago now and although I am no saint (and doubt i ever will be!), I have lost a good bit of weight and don't party as much as i used to! We have nearly raised 2000 pounds online and more in the Rathmor and Labour club so its been good going. Now all I have to do is fix this knee. Oh, and then there's the 26.2 miles of running i have to get through in 13 days time............
The last week wasn't a good one unfortunately. Not exactly sure how, but I managed to pick up a knee injury on my ride side. Maybe it was something to do with the previous weeks run whilst having a pain in my right foot (and as a result i might have been overcompensating on the ride side), but it could have been anything. What I do know is that I noted some pain on Monday evening and from Tuesday onwards i was unable to do any kind of training for the week. Devo'd! I have been very careful with the training all year and avoided injury for the most part, so was very frustrated to have picked up an injury so close to race day. As of today (Tuesday 16th) i am still icing it every night but its getting better. I asked my mate Mike the Chiropractor to take a look at it on Sunday and today had a sports massage, so things are moving in the right direction again.
I managed 1500m swim on Saturday and 1.5 hours in the gym on Sunday, so totaled 3.5 hours along with some walking in the week. Disappointingly I didnt get to do my longest run last week which was meant to take me up to the 30k mark, (would have been my longest run ever) so I will just have to do it was whatever is already in the bank now!
Last Tuesday (the 10th) was the 1 year anniversary of Tommy's death which was quite a sad day and brought a lot of memories of last year back. Also reminded me of when i decided to train for this marathon - it was the day after Tommys funeral in Cambridge. I decided I was going to lose weight, get fit and stop drinking so much beer. That idea evolved into running a marathon, which evolved into the Dublin marathon which in turn evolved into running the Dublin marathon in memory of Tommy and to raise money for a relevant charity. That was over a year ago now and although I am no saint (and doubt i ever will be!), I have lost a good bit of weight and don't party as much as i used to! We have nearly raised 2000 pounds online and more in the Rathmor and Labour club so its been good going. Now all I have to do is fix this knee. Oh, and then there's the 26.2 miles of running i have to get through in 13 days time............
Monday, October 8, 2012
Mid week beer fest and only 3 weeks til race day - WEEK 40
Week 40, three weeks til the marathon...
So I guess its not common practice to get langered at a German Beer festival three weeks before your first marathon, but thats what I did last week. However, I always knew that the date was coming and had informed my training instructor to block 2 days out this week so it was all planned and above board. What i didn't plan for was the 3 days it took to get over the session!
Myself and my brother James took a bus full of lads down to the annual Stuttgart Beer Fest for a bit of a corporate jolly up, and the craic was brilliant. It started early on Wednesday morning with beer and bacon butties for breakfast in our showroom, and ended up around 0400 on Thursday morning! As i get older these days really take longer to get over, and the fact that I hadnt been partying much due to the training, made it hit me even more. (And I'll admit it; I am a lightweight).
Some pics of the fest:
Managed to get a bit of training in before and after the midweek hangover though, so it was a completely wasted week.
Monday - PM; 4 km run
Tuesday - AM - 1 hour 30 in the Gym, 6k run, weights and row
Wednesday - BEER
Thursday - X
Friday - X
Saturday - X
Sunday - 18.5km run. 06.30 per km pace.
Total 3 hours 29 mins.
Notes - right ankle a little sore before starting running. As i wright this on Monday eve it feels fine.
DONATIONS - we are up to 1432.60 pounds with the online donations! Thanks to Tessa for her donation this week!! The target is 2000 pounds so we are getting closer but still a ways to go!
So with 3 weeks till race day, this is my last big training week, and boy it looks big. Lots of sessions in the week and 3+ hour run on Sunday which should be up to around 30km will be the longest ever for me so fingers crossed........
Monday, October 1, 2012
4 weeks today!
Week 39, 4 weeks til race day:
Another week of training done and dusted, and another week closer to the marathon. This last week I managed to clock up 10 hours 20 mins of training. Having to get up v early to fit everything in, but I am getting used to getting up at 0530 now. Finally got back to the swimming pool for a session and over the weekend we met some friends in the Black Forest, an area in Germany that is great for outdoor activities. The Saturday was pouring rain so we hit the swimming pool, but this wasnt a training session. It had a swim up bar and relax area so we spent the afternoon at the bar!
Sunday the weather was better so i got my bike out and hit the hills for 2.5 hours ride. We then went to the "action forest" and done 2 hours of a high ropes course which was very hard and sore.
Monday - rest
Tuesday - AM 1h 40 gym, row, bike, run, weights
Wednesday - PM - swim in Schwetzingen 50 mins
Thursday - AM 1hr 10 mins run before work, PM, 50 min run after work
Friday AM - 1 hr 30 gym, row, bike, weights, run
Saturday - X
Sunday - AM 2.hr 30 mins hill ride, PM - 2hr ropes course
Total - 10 hours 20 mins
DONATIONS - thanks to Mike and Kirsty for their "double" donations this week!
Another week of training done and dusted, and another week closer to the marathon. This last week I managed to clock up 10 hours 20 mins of training. Having to get up v early to fit everything in, but I am getting used to getting up at 0530 now. Finally got back to the swimming pool for a session and over the weekend we met some friends in the Black Forest, an area in Germany that is great for outdoor activities. The Saturday was pouring rain so we hit the swimming pool, but this wasnt a training session. It had a swim up bar and relax area so we spent the afternoon at the bar!
Sunday the weather was better so i got my bike out and hit the hills for 2.5 hours ride. We then went to the "action forest" and done 2 hours of a high ropes course which was very hard and sore.
Monday - rest
Tuesday - AM 1h 40 gym, row, bike, run, weights
Wednesday - PM - swim in Schwetzingen 50 mins
Thursday - AM 1hr 10 mins run before work, PM, 50 min run after work
Friday AM - 1 hr 30 gym, row, bike, weights, run
Saturday - X
Sunday - AM 2.hr 30 mins hill ride, PM - 2hr ropes course
Total - 10 hours 20 mins
DONATIONS - thanks to Mike and Kirsty for their "double" donations this week!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
5 weeks til race day..........
A decent week this week. 6.5 Hours of training done and dusted! The week didnt feel too hectic as I managed to stay at no more than one session on any given day. Nothing to crazy in the week but today I knocked out the longest run I have done in years - 26 km, and still in one piece! Very happy with that and it has given me more confidence in crossing the finish line in Dublin as I could have done more if need be. I did get a bit of a twinge in my left ankle but nothing too bad, so should be good for the marathon. Most training plans dont take you past 30-35k before race day, so I am nearly there. :)
DONATIONS - since the last post I have had sponsorship online donations from David Chow, Jennifer Kim, Steve and Shelley Dewar and Sean Partridge! Thanks Guys!!
Monday - rest day
Tuesday - AM 1hr 05 mins Gym session. bike, run, weights
Wednesday - AM 5km run, 32 mins
Thursday - missed the swim session AGAIN
Friday - PM bike then run, 1 hour 30
Saturday - x
Sunday - 26km run, 2 hours 55 mins
Total - 6 hours, 32 mins
Weigh in - 88.9
NOTES - High5 carb drink was very good, as were the powerbar gel shots. will use them for the marathon.
10 hour plan this coming week!
DONATIONS - since the last post I have had sponsorship online donations from David Chow, Jennifer Kim, Steve and Shelley Dewar and Sean Partridge! Thanks Guys!!
Monday - rest day
Tuesday - AM 1hr 05 mins Gym session. bike, run, weights
Wednesday - AM 5km run, 32 mins
Thursday - missed the swim session AGAIN
Friday - PM bike then run, 1 hour 30
Saturday - x
Sunday - 26km run, 2 hours 55 mins
Total - 6 hours, 32 mins
Weigh in - 88.9
NOTES - High5 carb drink was very good, as were the powerbar gel shots. will use them for the marathon.
10 hour plan this coming week!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
6 Weeks 'til Race Day!
WEEK 37, 6 weeks to go......
This week ended up just about getting in my allotted time of 7 hours. Due to the work commitments (and not beating myself up about missing training sessions) I didn't get in all of the weekly training, but made up for it today with a 4 hour / 82 KM bike ride from Mannheim-Schriesheim-Wilhelmsfeld-Heidelberg-Mannheim. Michelle came and met me in Heidelberg for the last 27KM home too. Lovely sunny day but loads of tourists around.
In general the week was much less stressful than previous weeks (see below post) and I am now refocused on the work ahead. For next week I have decided to limit training sessions to a maximum of one per day which will make things easier.
Flights and accommodation to Dublin are now booked! After the race on the Monday, Michelle and I will head over to Mayo on the west coast for some R&R.
DONATIONS - Thanks to Mick Cafferkey, Martin Moloney, Ade Ingrey, Pat Mcleish and Mat Knight for their donations recently! Its great to know people are still donating for the charity. We should be pretty close to the 2000 pound mark soon when putting everything together from the pubs and online. Plenty more to go though!
Monday X
Tuesday X
Wednesday - AM 50 min run
Thursday - AM 50 min run
Friday - 1 Hour run
Saturday - X
Sunday - 4 Hour /82km bike ride
Total - 6 Hours 40 Mins
Weigh in - 89KG
Already got my training plan for next week - 8 hours including 3 hour long run on Sunday. Lets get it on! :)
This week ended up just about getting in my allotted time of 7 hours. Due to the work commitments (and not beating myself up about missing training sessions) I didn't get in all of the weekly training, but made up for it today with a 4 hour / 82 KM bike ride from Mannheim-Schriesheim-Wilhelmsfeld-Heidelberg-Mannheim. Michelle came and met me in Heidelberg for the last 27KM home too. Lovely sunny day but loads of tourists around.
In general the week was much less stressful than previous weeks (see below post) and I am now refocused on the work ahead. For next week I have decided to limit training sessions to a maximum of one per day which will make things easier.
Flights and accommodation to Dublin are now booked! After the race on the Monday, Michelle and I will head over to Mayo on the west coast for some R&R.
DONATIONS - Thanks to Mick Cafferkey, Martin Moloney, Ade Ingrey, Pat Mcleish and Mat Knight for their donations recently! Its great to know people are still donating for the charity. We should be pretty close to the 2000 pound mark soon when putting everything together from the pubs and online. Plenty more to go though!
Monday X
Tuesday X
Wednesday - AM 50 min run
Thursday - AM 50 min run
Friday - 1 Hour run
Saturday - X
Sunday - 4 Hour /82km bike ride
Total - 6 Hours 40 Mins
Weigh in - 89KG
Already got my training plan for next week - 8 hours including 3 hour long run on Sunday. Lets get it on! :)
Friday, September 14, 2012
Stress
Its been a stressful couple of weeks trying to get the training and work in. Our new business is taking off nicely and is creating long hours including the commute. I am not worried about that at all as busy is good, but i have been stressing about fitting in all the training that i have to do. Came to a bit of a head last weekend where I went on a bit of a session.
So this week i decided to de-stress a bit and took the foot off the gas (training wise). Normally I would get up at 0545, walk the dog, do my hour or so training, shower, drive to work, but this morning I have decided to skip a session and have some relaxing time before I head off to work ( I am writing this before work which is unheard of!). Made myself some scrambled eggs and toast with coffee and have another 45 mins before I need to leave too, so nice and chilled.
Checked my donations page and also, and saw that 5 new people have sent money, which was awesome!
So all in all, I feel much less stressed than last week and have slapped a "no booze" ban on myself up till race day (one day in October aside) as you can kid others but you cant kid yourself...
I am sure the next few weeks will involve a lot of training but this "relaxed" (still 5 hours though!) week has motivated me to want to get stuck in again. :)
So this week i decided to de-stress a bit and took the foot off the gas (training wise). Normally I would get up at 0545, walk the dog, do my hour or so training, shower, drive to work, but this morning I have decided to skip a session and have some relaxing time before I head off to work ( I am writing this before work which is unheard of!). Made myself some scrambled eggs and toast with coffee and have another 45 mins before I need to leave too, so nice and chilled.
Checked my donations page and also, and saw that 5 new people have sent money, which was awesome!
So all in all, I feel much less stressed than last week and have slapped a "no booze" ban on myself up till race day (one day in October aside) as you can kid others but you cant kid yourself...
I am sure the next few weeks will involve a lot of training but this "relaxed" (still 5 hours though!) week has motivated me to want to get stuck in again. :)
Monday, September 3, 2012
Marathon Training and Donations for TICK TOCK -
Week 35........ 8 weeks to go.
So I managed to get in a pretty decent week, with 7 hours and 40 mins clocked up. Still, it was meant to be a 10 hour training week so I missed a few sessions, but it was crazy busy at work (which is good!) and there are only so many hours in the day. In general, things are going well and no knee or foot injuries to note.
As of today we are exactly 8 weeks away from race day! So, I have to really knuckle down and get all the sessions in that I can, keep a more strict eye on my diet and minimize alcohol consumption so that I can get down to my target weight of 87KG by Oct 29th. I sometimes think that because i have done a training session I can have an ice cream after dinner or another beer but that is not going to help get across the line in October...
DONATIONS - coming along well. We are over the 1000 pound mark online now, and thanks this week to Kevin Briggs, Paula Land and Joel Chudleigh for sending monies to the Just Giving page. I have been told that there is over 300 quid in the Labor Club too, and I am sure the Rathmore collection is also going well!
Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - AM1H 25 mins in the gym. Cross Bike, weights, cross bike
Tuesday - PM 40 minute light run
Wednesday - Missed a session due to work
Thursday - Missed the swim session - gutted!
Friday - AM 1H 5min run before work, PM 1.10 run after work
Saturday - X
Sunday - 3H 20 mins / 67KM bike ride. Mostly flat but off road.
Total - 7 hours 40 mins.
Garmin stats - http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard
NOTES - watch the calories and eating crap foods from now on in!
So I managed to get in a pretty decent week, with 7 hours and 40 mins clocked up. Still, it was meant to be a 10 hour training week so I missed a few sessions, but it was crazy busy at work (which is good!) and there are only so many hours in the day. In general, things are going well and no knee or foot injuries to note.
As of today we are exactly 8 weeks away from race day! So, I have to really knuckle down and get all the sessions in that I can, keep a more strict eye on my diet and minimize alcohol consumption so that I can get down to my target weight of 87KG by Oct 29th. I sometimes think that because i have done a training session I can have an ice cream after dinner or another beer but that is not going to help get across the line in October...
DONATIONS - coming along well. We are over the 1000 pound mark online now, and thanks this week to Kevin Briggs, Paula Land and Joel Chudleigh for sending monies to the Just Giving page. I have been told that there is over 300 quid in the Labor Club too, and I am sure the Rathmore collection is also going well!
Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - AM1H 25 mins in the gym. Cross Bike, weights, cross bike
Tuesday - PM 40 minute light run
Wednesday - Missed a session due to work
Thursday - Missed the swim session - gutted!
Friday - AM 1H 5min run before work, PM 1.10 run after work
Saturday - X
Sunday - 3H 20 mins / 67KM bike ride. Mostly flat but off road.
Total - 7 hours 40 mins.
Garmin stats - http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard
NOTES - watch the calories and eating crap foods from now on in!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Training and donations for Tick Tock - UPDATE
........ WEEK 34, 9 weeks to go!
Monday was the first day back to work after my vacation to Croatia, and it was a busy one! Busy is good though, so no complaints there. Missed Mondays session though, but got back into it on Tuesday and had a good week after that. Great swim on Thursday morning - got up at the crack of dawn and was in the pool by 0615 for 2200 meters (90 laps). Pool was empty apart from three other people which makes a big difference.
Todays run was a good one too - my brother James and I hit the hills of the Pfalz in Ramsen and some some hill trails out there. All in all a good week! With only 9 weeks to go till the marathon I am feeling good.
DONATIONS - very close to the 1000 pounds for online donations at the moment! Big thanks to our friends Mike and Nadine and Auntie Bea who donated this week! Buckets and sponsorship sheets are now in the Rathmore, Labor Club and Cafe Brazil. Will try and get an amount from there to see what the grand total is.
Monday - X
Tuesday - AM: 40 minute light run - http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=14140216
Wednesday - Dentist AM, overnight in K town eve, no training.
Thursday - AM 2200m endurance swim.
Friday - 8.4km / 50 min run, good tempo - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215332015
Saturday - AM 47 min/ 24km bike ride before work.http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215332081
Sunday - 21.67km / 2.33 hours hill run - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215332117
Total time - 6 hours 10 mins
Weigh in - 91.8KG
Monday was the first day back to work after my vacation to Croatia, and it was a busy one! Busy is good though, so no complaints there. Missed Mondays session though, but got back into it on Tuesday and had a good week after that. Great swim on Thursday morning - got up at the crack of dawn and was in the pool by 0615 for 2200 meters (90 laps). Pool was empty apart from three other people which makes a big difference.
Todays run was a good one too - my brother James and I hit the hills of the Pfalz in Ramsen and some some hill trails out there. All in all a good week! With only 9 weeks to go till the marathon I am feeling good.
DONATIONS - very close to the 1000 pounds for online donations at the moment! Big thanks to our friends Mike and Nadine and Auntie Bea who donated this week! Buckets and sponsorship sheets are now in the Rathmore, Labor Club and Cafe Brazil. Will try and get an amount from there to see what the grand total is.
Monday - X
Tuesday - AM: 40 minute light run - http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=14140216
Wednesday - Dentist AM, overnight in K town eve, no training.
Thursday - AM 2200m endurance swim.
Friday - 8.4km / 50 min run, good tempo - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215332015
Saturday - AM 47 min/ 24km bike ride before work.http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215332081
Sunday - 21.67km / 2.33 hours hill run - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215332117
Total time - 6 hours 10 mins
Weigh in - 91.8KG
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Week 32 and 33 marathon training and donations for Tick Tock - update
.......... 10 weeks to go.
I wont bother reporting full stats for that week but I still managed to squeeze in 5 hours 15 mins! Got some lovely runs in Italy done; here are some pics:
And here is a picture of Henry, me, his dad and Dave currid having a few bevvies at the wedding!
Total time 5 hours and 15 Mins.
WEEK 33 (week starting August 13th, a week in Croatia.
Monday: AM - 40 minute run, then 25 minute sea swim PM
Tuesday AM - up early, 1 hour 15 min run, lovely hills, on trails, then hired kiyaks for the day and toured some islands. very nice! (2 hour 30 mins Kiyaking)
Wednesday AM up early, 15km run out on the island. very warm, very nice.
It might sound like all i was doing was training on holiday but that wasnt the case. we were out having dinner most nights with our friends that came with us (Martin and Sylvia) and having a beer or two in the day on the beach, so it was a very nice week away. After Wednesday the training slid off the schedule anyway!
Some running pics from Croatia:
Total time for the week was 6 hours 40 - not bad for a holiday!
Weigh in - nah next week. :)
DONATIONS:
Since August 6th we have had a few donations online! Thanks to Sylvia, Margaret, Steffi and Rose Coffee! We now finally have the donation buckets and sponsor sheets in the Rathmore Club and the Labor club so should see some monies coming in from there too. Thanks to Pete Wyhnam for the donation behind the bar in the Rathmore!
We are now up to around 950 quid, so getting there!
NOTES: 10 weeks to go, time to get ramping up the miles for race day!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
training and donations update WEEK 31
....12 weeks to go
This week was a recovery week after the previous weeks high intensity training. Was "only" 5 hours 45 mins which meant I felt like I had some time in my life again! In general things are going well and there is now only 12 weeks to go till race day in Dublin on October 29th. Sometimes 12 weeks sounds like a long way away and sometimes it sounds like its only around the corner and I still have loads to do. The training will ramp up to levels I have never ran before soon enough (I have never ran over 27km in one session before) so that is scary, as the last time I ran 27 km my Achilles tore as I was out for months. I hope that the slower ramp up to long distances, the time spent in the saddle and in the pool and the lots of stretching will keep my in good stead and injury free so that I can complete the marathon in Dublin..
DONATIONS - Thanks to Martin Kennedy and Jon Rundal for their donations this week! We are now up to 786 pounds but still have a long way to go....
Monday - REST
Tuesday - PM - 50 minute run
Wednesday - AM - 25 mins on the bike, PM - 40 min run
Thursday - PM - 45 min swim in K town. Nice pool, opens early 2x per week
Friday - REST
Saturday - AM 1hr 33 min bike ride, fast
Sunday - 1hr30 light run.
TOTAL 5 hours 43 mins
Weigh in - 89.2kg :)
This week was a recovery week after the previous weeks high intensity training. Was "only" 5 hours 45 mins which meant I felt like I had some time in my life again! In general things are going well and there is now only 12 weeks to go till race day in Dublin on October 29th. Sometimes 12 weeks sounds like a long way away and sometimes it sounds like its only around the corner and I still have loads to do. The training will ramp up to levels I have never ran before soon enough (I have never ran over 27km in one session before) so that is scary, as the last time I ran 27 km my Achilles tore as I was out for months. I hope that the slower ramp up to long distances, the time spent in the saddle and in the pool and the lots of stretching will keep my in good stead and injury free so that I can complete the marathon in Dublin..
DONATIONS - Thanks to Martin Kennedy and Jon Rundal for their donations this week! We are now up to 786 pounds but still have a long way to go....
Monday - REST
Tuesday - PM - 50 minute run
Wednesday - AM - 25 mins on the bike, PM - 40 min run
Thursday - PM - 45 min swim in K town. Nice pool, opens early 2x per week
Friday - REST
Saturday - AM 1hr 33 min bike ride, fast
Sunday - 1hr30 light run.
TOTAL 5 hours 43 mins
Weigh in - 89.2kg :)
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