Week 11, 2011

11
14 Mar - 20 Mar		 This week's totals: 4x, 5:51, 59km [6:06]
Next week's plans: 4x, 5:24, 59km
1:241:351:161:36
13.5 km14.0 km13.5 km17.7 km
ER 13kmRS 60' [TM]ER 13kmFR 10x1km/4'
138 hrm146 hrm138 hrm161 hrm
5:52 min/km#115:27 min/km4:04
abs (0:15)

The beginning of the week was tough. To begin with on Sunday last week I had an appointment at the gym with my personal trainer, who did a weight training plan for me and walked me through the exercises. It was tough. I didn't realize how tough until Monday and Tuesday when I could hardly move! And I mean it! Especially my back and triceps were on fire. I could not straighten my arms (at least not without it taking a full minute and causing me a lot of pain) and rotating my torso was very painful. I don't remember hurting that much. Ever. While for some this could be a discouragement, personally I think this just proves that the exercises I was told to do rock! :). So I'm certainly going to try to do them, but it will have to wait for after-the-marathon time.

Anyhow, this did not help with the running this week. Neither did the fact that I was in Paris the first 3 days. I was hoping that I could still train there, but of course it didn't work out. I only did one training on Tuesday, along the Seine, with a round around the Eiffel tower. So as a result I again missed a training, doing only 4 this week.

The highlight of the week was the Sunday training targeted for the half-marathon that I will run next Sunday. It was a speed training, well, at least as much of a speed training as a runner at my level, running long distances will ever do. It consisted of 1km fast intervals with 4 minutes of rest (jogging) in between. I did 10 such intervals, averaging 4:04 min/km during them. Not bad although the realization that next week I'll have to do 21, not 10 such stretches, without the recovery periods in between them and only slightly slower (target: 4:15 min/km), does sound scary. But running during an event is a completely different thing that running alone on a training, so who knows, maybe I can pull it off.

Next week only 4 trainings planned. One or two medium intensity trainings at the beginning of the week, then some easy runs and on Sunday the half-marathon. First serous test that should give me an indication of what I can hope for in the marathon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budapest, marathon

Image
2/10/2011 marathon Budapest, Hungary 3:25:51 4:53 min/km 165 hrm 256/2990 (8.6%) That was supposed to be my 10th marathon. And my hopes (as usually) were high :). I wouldn't settle for anything less than a new PB... It didn't start so well. I arrived to Budapest on Friday and it was really hot. I mean, like summer hot. And when I arrived to the hotel it only got worse -- the room was sooo bloody hot; it was like an oven! Now that I think about it I should have tried to change rooms. I didn't. And I payed for it dearly as I hardly got any sleep that night. Next day -- business as usual, picking up the starting number, working out the logistics, stuffing oneself with pasta... and trying to go to bed early. Thankfully it kinda worked and I even managed to get a decent night of sleep. The race was starting at 10 so I woke up, ate breakfast and got myself to the starting line without too much hurry. The starting sections were for the grabs, that is one
Read more

My goals for... the lifetime.

Image
The other day I was thinking about my running goals for the next year (completing a milestone event such as the Lakeland 50 often does that to me ;) and then I though that it would actually be nice to put it in the perspective and first come up with goals for the lifetime. Things I would like to achieve sport-wise before my expiration date. Quite a biggie. So without further ado, let me outline them and then I'll talk a bit more about each one of them. Qualify for and run in the Boston marathon . Complete in a good time a demanding trail ultramarathon. Complete an Ironman Triathlon (for those in the dark: 3.86km swim + 180km bike ride + 42.2km run) I have no illusion, those are all grand goals and each one of them would require total dedication and a lot of training (possibly over some years) to complete; and even then there is no guarantee of success. But, hey, as they say: Better shoot for the sky... . Anyway. Let me elaborate on those goals. Qualify for and run in the
Read more

Marathon, Paris, 2012

15/04/2012 marathon Paris, France 3:17:55 4:41 min/km 171 hrm So. Paris. Would I finally break my PB? I certainly hoped so as I was sick of not being able to do that for such a long time. I certainly worked hard for that. Since the beginning of 2011 not only did I run a lot, but, perhaps more importantly, I run as systematically as never before. That surely had to count for something, right? RIGHT? I thought my preparations were fairly decent. I may have overdid it a bit with the 40K run just 3 weeks before the marathon. I may... They were decent all right. The week leading to the marathon I decided to take it very easy. On Tuesday I did easy 6K followed by strides (10x100m). And then I did a sport massage. With a follow-up on Wednesday. That was another first. The masseuse claimed that this should make a huge difference. I wasn't so sure but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Then on Thursday I did 5 1K intervals. While doing them I was thinking. Talking about t
Read more