The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method

April 26, 2024

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Location:

Tralee,Ireland

Member Since:

Oct 01, 2011

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I've never worn compression socks.

Short-Term Running Goals:

To do a race.

Long-Term Running Goals:

1. Break the world record for the marathon in the 50+ age group, when I'm 50 in 2015.

2. Never wear compression socks.

Personal:

Married with two girls (6 and 10).

The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method is a four year experiment.

The first year (2012) was about getting back into running, staying off the smokes and booze, while sticking to a healthy eating plan and shedding mountains of lard. All boxes ticked.

Year two (2013 - age: 48) Injured Jan through March. Build back up and work on my 5k speed. Goal 15:45.

Year three (2014) will be about doing my first marathon in the spring. (Just for the experience and on a tough course - maybe Tralee; goal time, 2:30ish.) Then begins the prep work for Berlin 2015

Year four (2015) is all about breaking the world record for the marathon in the 50+ age group - it's only 2:19 :).

The above might sound nuts; it is, but then I'm nuts. Please do not copy any of the training I do: if you do, you are likely to end up running like me - not a good idea.

The idea is to have a laugh along the way. If I fail, I don't know what I'll do - my whole belief system will crumble and I suspect that this little rock might just stop spinning for a couple of seconds. Jakers, I better not fail for all our sakes. That's some burden, even for SuperBam.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Mon, Jan 07, 2013

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
14.00	0.00	0.00	1.00	15.00

a.m. 8 miles. 3 miles w/u; 3x5x22-24secs @ 3kish pace with jog back rec and 5 mins job (Freudian slip there - meant jog) between sets; 2.5 miles w/d. Nailed it. Got the session bang-on and kept it aerobic while managing to feel relaxed and strong.

Did the session on a quiet boreen near the estuary. Beautiful spot. White horses out on the water. Waves swooshing against the rocks. A lone seagull frolicking. Bam - gazelle-like - striding out in tights, wooly hat and gloves - two culchies spectating from a field. Real deal muck-savages in wellies and bog hats. I think they took a fancy to me. Mustn't wear Nike tights down quiet boreens frequented by culchies - could be dangerous.

Searched the house. No sign of an iPad. But then I gave up material things long ago - apart from the computer and a few other things. Ok, I chose to reject many of life's material things and not allow myself to be subjected to the platitudes of consumerism etc. But today of all days, I just wanted an iPad: a little biddy-widdy white iPad, but not a mini iPad.

I'm over it. Happiness fecundates from within. Yes, the external world may trigger those moments of pure bliss, but the ovewhelming joy of being in touch with what it means to be truly aware of your existence on a daily basis outweighs the transcient joys of materialism - although an iPad would be nice.

Actually, I don't even know why I want an iPad. I don't even know what they do.

Enjoy this fantastic day...

p.m. 7 miles easy in the new trainers that I got today, for my 48th birthday. I suppose you can't run in an all singing and all dancing iPad - or can you?

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00	Weight: 132.00

Comments

From Jake K on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 09:31:14 from 155.100.226.191

iPads do EVERYTHING. Haven't you ever listened to an apple fanatic talk about them? :-)

I actually really like mine

From Bret on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 12:53:27 from 216.234.133.229

Learned a new word today from Bam...Culchies (they have them in the US too. Mostly they are best known to play banjo music.

Ipads do everything and thank yourself for not having one, because the screen is also quite fragile and is known to break when dropped...up a third of the cost of one of them (personal experience of course - results may vary).

From Rachelle on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 12:54:20 from 199.190.170.30

I do not have an ipad or even a computer at home that works and I seem to be surviving just fine. :) Nice running this morning, 3k pace sounds intimidating!

From Chad Robinson on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 13:04:53 from 50.73.39.89

You honestly can't justify buying an IPad but once purchased you can't justify not having one. I love mine.

From Bam on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 15:20:52 from 89.126.28.24

Jake - Grace has been giving me gyp about iPads for donks (that means donkeys' years - a long time).

We got both her and Olivia multipads for xmas and they haven't been off them. I just want an iPad so that when I'm cooking and ironing I can get on the internet without Majella giving out to me.

Bret - my brother said the same thing. He's broken his a couple of times.

Rachelle - the 3k pace is a doddle - at the moment, it's only for 20ish seconds. It's a good way, along with high-end aerobic work, of transitioning from slow/junk mileage to quicker stuff. I think I remember reading your blog recently and you saying that you were struggling to find a way of doing some faster work. Same here. Check Kellogg out on LetsRun. His base training is perfect for what you want.

Chad - I think you've got it in a nutshell. I'm trying to justify getting one but I suspect, like you said, once I get one, I wouldn't be able to justify not having one.

Are you the now famous Chad - the one who took the bullet?

From Chad Robinson on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 15:31:59 from 50.73.39.89

That would be me. I'm about as gangster as they come (it was actually a sober hunting accident). I do now know that I am not faster than a speeding bullet - we will leave that to Jake.

As far as the IPad goes, it is like the Mini Cooper, there are a lot a cars a lot cheaper that can do what it does, but the Cooper is a whole lot cooler.

From Bam on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 15:39:07 from 89.126.28.24

Chad - you've given me something to think about. I think I'm too old to worry about cool:)

I suspect that if I get one, my daughters will take it and tell me that it's uncool for somebody my age to have an iPad and that I'd be better off with their multipads:)

From Russ on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 16:43:14 from 24.72.194.70

iPads are great for lying in bed all day while sick & commenting on blogs. Otherwise I'd be really bored right now. Thank you Steve Jobs. And to my wife for letting me borrow her iPad...

From Matt Poulsen on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 19:32:51 from 98.202.242.213

You are hilarious Bam. Nice running today. I've been wanting an iPad for some time also. You are making my craving worse :)

From Jason D on Mon, Jan 07, 2013 at 19:46:23 from 24.1.80.94

Bret: Thanks for translating; saved me from looking it up.

Bam: Is today the actual day? Happy birthday in any event. January birthday folks are good people :)

From Bam on Tue, Jan 08, 2013 at 06:10:13 from 89.126.28.24

Thanks Jason.

You see that Matt? We're the best looking dudes on this site and we don't have iPads. Russ is just trying to be cool and say he's like us, that he doesn't have one, that he's borrowing his wife's - but we know the truth. Coolness is something you're born with, you can't work at it. You can't be cool and be into IT. Seriously, a cool IT person - that's an oxymoron:)

From Matt Poulsen on Tue, Jan 08, 2013 at 07:05:25 from 98.202.242.213

Good point Bam: coolness cannot be taught -- it's something you're born with. Either you have it or you don't :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

From ACorn on Tue, Jan 08, 2013 at 07:53:59 from 24.2.76.146

Happy belated birthday wishes Bam! Congrats on the new gear minus the iron.

From Jake K on Tue, Jan 08, 2013 at 08:53:43 from 155.100.226.191

Andrea doesn't have one either... she just uses mine and drives me insane by tapping the screen too hard! :-)

Happy B-Day old man!

From Bam on Tue, Jan 08, 2013 at 13:59:08 from 89.126.28.24

ACorn and Jake, thanks for the b'day wishes. ACorn, send over your ironing - you're old dad's a master crease removerist!

From bdase on Wed, Jan 09, 2013 at 07:29:16 from 67.214.231.170

Although a bit late, I sure hope you had a great birthday. Enjoy that new iron!

From Bam on Wed, Jan 09, 2013 at 07:31:16 from 89.126.28.24

Thanks Brandon. Once I finished ironing, I had a great day. Great that you're back out there.

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