The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method

7:30 a.m. - 8 recovery miles. Plodded along thinking about nothing in particular. Felt tired and needed a recovery run. I'm hoping that I'll recover in time for tomorrow's long run.

When I was out doing a sluggish 6 last night I spotted a couple of runners warming up for the Tralee Summer Solstice 10k. Got the juices flowing and I had this urge to race - not there and then, but soon. I can't wait to get fit enough to give it a lash in a race. It'll be interesting to see how things go. I suspect the first race will end up being slower than what I aim for (deluded about age not mattering a jot and that my body's recovered from the years/decades of abuse).

Anyway, whatever happens I think my times will improve. 

10:00 a.m. 13 mile progression run - of sorts. I'm not a happy bunny. In fact, I'm hopping mad. I took the Garmin out for a twirl today and discovered that my 14 mile run was a paltry 13 miles. Furthermore, or I should say, shorterless, I''m not as fit as I thought I might be. Here's the mile splits:

1. 7:37  2. 7:27  3. 7:29(incl stop for jimmy riddle)  4. 7:13  5. 7:00  6. 7:02  7. 6:49  8. 6:55(brutal 84 foot climb)   9. 6:43(long pull)  10. 6:28  11. 6:12  12. 6:14  13. 8:39(cool down).

Although miles 7 through 9 were climbing, I thought miles 10 through 12 would have dipped under 6 pace; not so. And I have to admit, mile 12 was hard work - I wasn't bleeding out of my eyes but I felt like a rabbit being chased by Glenn Close. Mile 11 was downhill.

As I was building up to 100mpw I often did 5/6 mile progressions where I'd be touching 5:10ish pace towards the end of runs (probably, if I'm honest, the last half mile or so), so I'm a tad disappointed with today, even though it's a longer run. Ho hum.

So, I now have a better idea of where I am and what I have to do. First off, I've got to read my Garmin correctly when I measure runs. I must eat more carrots and I need to take 1 mile off my weekly mileage totals for the last few weeks - that hurts. Secondly, getting fit isn't about writing schedules and giving it the big chat and plodding out miles (although plodding out miles is part of it). I've got to make sure that I work hard in the workouts - I don't mean mam-be-pam-be breathing hard, I mean working gut-wrenching hard and staying focussed.

Is it possible for a 48 year-old man who abused his body for years with bad food, booze and smokes to run a 'decent' marathon off 18 months training? Time will tell... so long as some spiteful rabbit doesn't bite me and give me some rare form of human myxomatosis - because then I'd really be bleeding out of my eyes...,

6:00p.m. - 6 miles easy. First two were very sluggish but then came the strangest metamorphosis (no, I didn't suddenly turn into a fly - with apologies to Kafka). Over the final four miles I felt strong and as though I were running more economically or more efficiently. Bizarre. I thought I would have been trudging along feeling wibbly wobbly, but no. Anyway, I'll see how I go tomorrow on the back of my highest mileage day so far. An 8 and a 6 tomorrow and for Russ, I'll keep the write ups short and sweet:) but I'll be running with carrots to throw at crazy leg biting bunnies.

5:30 a.m. 8 miles easy (1:04:08; AP 8:01). Legs felt fine but I seemed to be putting in a bit too much for a recovery run - should have eased off by 10 secs a mile. Think I'll be taking a cheeky little nap today to help the recovery process:)

6:00 p.m. 6 miles easy. AP 7:20.  Took the Garmin with me on both runs today to make sure the runs were accurate. The morning 8 miler is bang on the button and the 6 is in fact 6.27 but I tend to round down the runs. Phew, at least my two main runs are not a mile short.

The kids are sick today - some sort of throat infection with a temp. Have been dishing out loads of TLC and medicine but most importantly making sure they stay in bed. I was going to do a session of 8x300m hills tomorrow but the kids being off school has scuppered that idea. So I'm going to knock out a 6 in the morning and then in the evening I'll do a decent warm up, some strides, 4x1mile off a 1 min jog recovery on a measured stretch of the marathon route and a warm down. Haven't got the foggiest how it'll go but I'm aiming at keeping all reps under 6 mins. If I do them all in 5:59 I'll be happy with that as a benchmark.

7:30 a.m. - 6 miles easy. Feel like I’ve recovered from Monday’s 19 miles and looking forward to tonight’s workout.

6:30 p.m. - 10 miles: 3 mile warm up including 6x100m strides, 4x1 mile off 90 sec jog rec, 3 mile warm down.

Gotta say, I'm a happy bunny. I'm hopping with excitement. This morning, during my 6 miler I measured out a mile (using my Garmin) on the canal towpath. I re-measured it to make sure it was accurate and then tonight, during my warm up and cool down, I measured it 4 more times. I decided to do the workout on the towpath because I realised the road would be busy with traffic. The towpath isn't ideal: it's gravel and bumpy and plagued with dog walkers but flat.

So the session. Mile 1 - 5:33 (slight breeze behind me) too fast. 2. 5:42 (back into the breeze - oh no, Ithought, the session'sgoing downhill - I can't hold this pace). 3. 5:38 (with the breeze - hold on this is starting to look decent. Felt sick at the 0.75 mark but held on). 4. 5:42 (back into the breeze - worked like a Trojan from 0.25 onwards, but held form).Average mile rep = 5:39 on a slow track equates to a sub 17 5k = 35 mins 10k. Not too bad at all. I know I haven't run these times, but this session, in the past, always worked as a yardstick for predictions for me.

I know it's not earth shattering but I'm really pleased. I know soon enough these will be down around the 5:00 mark and, if I stay healthy, I'll be back in the game...

8:00 a.m. 8 mile recovery run. Could feel last night's workout in the the legs, but after 3 miles or so, everything felt tickety-boo.

After the euphoria of last night I have to tell you that I feel a complete plonker. Of course 4x1 mile in 5:39 off 90 secs doesn't equate to a sub 17 5k and, by extension, a sub 35 10k. The session suggests a sub 17:30 5k and a sub 36 10k. Gutted. But, if I'm honest, still pleased.

I'm re-visiting the training schedules now that I have a better idea of where I'm at etc. I might focus more on VO2 Max sessions (2 per week) and move the threshold stuff into the second half of my long runs. This way I'll have the necessary marathon speed by the end of the summer and then can work on extending marathon race pace over the winter months. But We'll see.

5:30 a.m. - 8 miles easy. Just pootled along, like a somnambulant in high heels.

Going on holiday on Monday (two weeks in Portugal) and I'm dreading running in the heat. I'm dreading traipsing around shops. I'm dreading sitting in restaurants late at night, working out how many hours sleep I'll be missing. I'm dreading the food: having to eat junk. I'm dreading the search for an internet cafe so that I can keep y'all up to date with the things I'm dreading and how I'm suffering in the heat from the things I dread.

On a lighter note - I'm looking forward to whipping off  my top (apologies to aleph and allie and Fiddy) and getting a year's dosage of Vitamin D in two weeks. Must remember the sun cream. I suppose I'll come back looking like a skinny, bronzed Adonis - albeit, a rather decrpit God.

I'm hoping to find a running shop with decent priced trainers. 145 Euros (that's like a thousand U.S. Buck-a-rooneys:)) they want in Tralee for a pair of Asics Nimbus 13. 160 Euros for the Nimbus 14. On yer bike. They only last me four - five weeks. Granted the Nimbus is a cracking shoe for the neutral machine of perfection that I am, but they're having a giraffe at thoses prices. I bought two pair of Nimbus 13's from the same place, about 9 weeks back, and paid 200 Euros for the pair of them -100 Euros each pair; expensive, but they are so comfortable and there's only one way to get injured in the Nimbus: you'd have to trip over a dead cow festering in a field. The manager of the shop said that it's the cost of materials and other nonsense. Materials smearials. I'll wear my wife's high heels before I pay those prices - better go try them on:)

6:00 p.m. 6 miles including 8x8 sec hill sprints off 2 min rec. Great little session. Favourite of the week. Gets the C.P. juices fizzing, recruits fibres, improves economy and best of all, it’s over quickly and is relatively painless. But I wouldn’t recommend doing it in your old lady’s high heels.

7:30 a.m. 6 miles easy in the rain. Beautiful. What a joy to run in soft rain. The scent of wet grass. Through the mist, the pulchritudinous mosaic of Tralee’s majestic landscape. The splish and splosh of puddles as the sprightly Bam zings along sodden paths in stilettos with the zeal of a teenager. Now there’s a secret you’d like to know all about: Bam’s teenage zeal. But sure as cows in the far corner of any given field mean rain’s coming in, you’d only mock me if I were to share my little thing with yee. Perhaps ‘tis better I keep it to myself until I know yee a little bit better.

To round the week off, I’ve a nasty session of 300m hill reps, at mile effort with a jog back rec. Looking forward to doing those tonight. Deep joy. Last time I did this session – the first time – I managed 6 reps averaging about 1.09-1.10. I am hoping that tonight I’ll manage 8 in about 1.10…