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| 5:17:54 |
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| happy and very tired finisher |
This Week In Running: February 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Vienna City Marathon 2012 - DONE!
I will add race report soon, meanwhile I have two pictures to share :)
Week 13 | 9.4 - 15.4
Mon - Rest
Tue - 4.82k ; 29:19 ; 6:05k/min
Wanted to test the legs (and knees) with upbeat yet short effort to see if they will be affected the next day. Felt good, asthma has subsided and I could move at faster pace.
Wed - Rest
Knees were sore so I decided not to do any more runs before Sunday.
Thu - Rest
Fri - Rest
Sat - Rest
Sunday - Vienna City Marathon 2012 [race report to come soon]
Tue - 4.82k ; 29:19 ; 6:05k/min
Wanted to test the legs (and knees) with upbeat yet short effort to see if they will be affected the next day. Felt good, asthma has subsided and I could move at faster pace.
Wed - Rest
Knees were sore so I decided not to do any more runs before Sunday.
Thu - Rest
Fri - Rest
Sat - Rest
Sunday - Vienna City Marathon 2012 [race report to come soon]
Week 12 | 2.4 - 8.4
Mon - Rest
Legs needed rest and I wanted to be careful with the knees.
Tue - cca 4k ;
Don't have any further readings as my Garmin was unable to pick up satellites.
Tried to do a bit of speed work but my pollen season asthma kicked in so I had real trouble breathing.
I was a bit concerned as to get reduced breathing during marathon won't help, at all.
Normally this is a problem for few weeks when the pollen levels are at highest, unfortunately it just falls into the week before race.
Wed - 4.78k ; 30:36 ; 6:24min/k
Unbelievable how much speed I lost during the past 10 weeks. I can't completely blame my asthma, it is just that the top end of cardio performance is not there anymore. Need to work on that after the race.
Not to mention that any speed work puts more stress on my knees, they get really sore afterwards.
Thu - Rest
Knees needed it.
Fri - Rest
Sat - Rest
Sun - 6.22k ; 40:16 ; 6:29min/k
Wanted to do easy run before the week of the race. Weather had turned really cold, it was snowing!
Can't believe that two weeks ago I got overheated and sunburned.
Still a nice run, only not the best idea to go running after a big Easter Sunday lunch, stomach wasn't really happy.
Total running distance: 15 km
Easy week with a lot of rest during Easter weekend, and man did I need that!
I could even feel that the knees got better, with the increased amount of sleep.
Speed is definitely not on my agenda at the moment, I am hoping to keep a bit of pep in the legs next week with one or two easy runs before the big day. Will see.
have a good week
Legs needed rest and I wanted to be careful with the knees.
Tue - cca 4k ;
Don't have any further readings as my Garmin was unable to pick up satellites.
Tried to do a bit of speed work but my pollen season asthma kicked in so I had real trouble breathing.
I was a bit concerned as to get reduced breathing during marathon won't help, at all.
Normally this is a problem for few weeks when the pollen levels are at highest, unfortunately it just falls into the week before race.
Wed - 4.78k ; 30:36 ; 6:24min/k
Unbelievable how much speed I lost during the past 10 weeks. I can't completely blame my asthma, it is just that the top end of cardio performance is not there anymore. Need to work on that after the race.
Not to mention that any speed work puts more stress on my knees, they get really sore afterwards.
Thu - Rest
Knees needed it.
Fri - Rest
Sat - Rest
Sun - 6.22k ; 40:16 ; 6:29min/k
Wanted to do easy run before the week of the race. Weather had turned really cold, it was snowing!
Can't believe that two weeks ago I got overheated and sunburned.
Still a nice run, only not the best idea to go running after a big Easter Sunday lunch, stomach wasn't really happy.
Total running distance: 15 km
Easy week with a lot of rest during Easter weekend, and man did I need that!
I could even feel that the knees got better, with the increased amount of sleep.
Speed is definitely not on my agenda at the moment, I am hoping to keep a bit of pep in the legs next week with one or two easy runs before the big day. Will see.
have a good week
Week 11 | 26.3 - 1.4
Mon - Rest
Legs very tired after the long run.
Tue - 5.02km ; 31:19 ; 6:15min/k
I tried to inject some speed but the legs just wouldn't move. It was impossible to speed up, even moderate pace felt way too fast.
Wed - Rest
Decided to give me legs extended rest before any other runs.
Thu - Rest
Didn't want to do anything to let the knees rest.
Fri - Rest
Sat - 12.43k ; 1:17:14 ; 6:13min/k + biking cca 20km
I wanted to do a tempo run longer than 10km but not too long.
It turned out to be very good, I really enjoyed pushing faster than usual and got nicely tired legs.
In the afternoon I rode to BBQ party on the bike, which was also a nice workout.
Really pleased with the day from training perspective.
Sun - Rest
Legs felt tired but not too bad.
Total running distance: 17.45km
Last week of 'real' training, the legs were very tired at the beginning but held up pretty well during the 12k of tempo effort on Saturday. Coupled with the bike ride, it felt like a proper workout day, shame I couldn't have more days like this in the last 10 weeks.
Nevertheless, even a little bit is good and I am hoping the knees will hold up until the race day.
Next week is easy, as I will be in Bratislava for Easter and therefore plan to rest and (of course) do some easy running.
have a good week
Legs very tired after the long run.
Tue - 5.02km ; 31:19 ; 6:15min/k
I tried to inject some speed but the legs just wouldn't move. It was impossible to speed up, even moderate pace felt way too fast.
Wed - Rest
Decided to give me legs extended rest before any other runs.
Thu - Rest
Didn't want to do anything to let the knees rest.
Fri - Rest
Sat - 12.43k ; 1:17:14 ; 6:13min/k + biking cca 20km
I wanted to do a tempo run longer than 10km but not too long.
It turned out to be very good, I really enjoyed pushing faster than usual and got nicely tired legs.
In the afternoon I rode to BBQ party on the bike, which was also a nice workout.
Really pleased with the day from training perspective.
Sun - Rest
Legs felt tired but not too bad.
Total running distance: 17.45km
Last week of 'real' training, the legs were very tired at the beginning but held up pretty well during the 12k of tempo effort on Saturday. Coupled with the bike ride, it felt like a proper workout day, shame I couldn't have more days like this in the last 10 weeks.
Nevertheless, even a little bit is good and I am hoping the knees will hold up until the race day.
Next week is easy, as I will be in Bratislava for Easter and therefore plan to rest and (of course) do some easy running.
have a good week
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Week 10 | 19.3 - 25.3
Mon - Rest
Could still feel my legs from Saturday hard biking.
Tue - 5.77k ; 33:04 ; 5.44min/k
Seriously good and enjoyable(!) run. I was able to keep up with me colleagues without pushing too much and even had something at the very end. This was the best run I had had in a long time.
Man, did I need that!
Wed - 7.45k ; 47:15 ; 6:21min/k
Took it easy on this one and really enjoyed it. Finally I was reunited with my love of running, which felt as an effortless forward flowing motion. Very happy with this run, indeed.
Thu - Rest
Wanted to rest as much as possible before the long run.
Fri - Rest
Met up with a friend and took great care with food, making sure to be loaded on carbs and protein.
Sat - 29.41k ; 3:44:11 ; 7:37min/k
I woke up covered in sweat and knew that didn't bide very well for the longest run of my life. Hell, I HAD to do it, there was no other way. So I went.
My body felt weak but legs felt quite ok which was positive. I started quite slow, with averaging around 6:20min per km, but decided to ignore the pace as I could feel my body wasn't able to go faster.
This was also my first real test of all my gear with just shorts and t-shirt, basically what I will be running the marathon in.
The bad news is, it was supposed to be hot. Well not really hot, but definitely around 20oC, which was about 10oC warmer than during my last long run. I took two handhelds with weak Nuun hoping it would be enough. It wasn't. I felt ok around 15k point, getting a bit hot but not too bad, even if my pace was dropping. Around 23k mark I felt a jolt of positive energy telling me I will be able to run until the very end without problems. It wasn't to be, the heat got the better of me. Or rather, lack of water. Just into the last loop I was forced to walk as had no energy. Legs felt ok considering having done 25k but my body was fading fast. I walked a bit more, trying to gather myself and couldn't. So I decided to walk for couple of km, where I was hoping to get some more water (had ran out by that point). Also I noticed that I stopped sweating, which was not good. I was managing the temperature ok, had no cramping issues but was getting more and more thirsty. So I stopped at a pub for some water, of which I drank almost half of the bottle immediately and put some on my head and neck. Damn, that felt good. I tried to pick up the pace, but had full stomach of water, which wasn't very running friendly, either. So I walked more. Only in the last km I went into 'shuffle' mode, by that point my legs had stiffened up considerably, but I was surprised they were able to get going anyway. Finished completely spent and out of it. Phew. As a bonus I got sunburned on my neck, next time I should put suncream on when I am about to spend 4 hours in direct sunlight, duh...
At least I didn't go shirtless as Tony Krupicka, that would have been some serious damage :)
Conclusion:
Fuelling was I think ok, as my legs were able to move until the very end but body was spent. I will need to drink much more during the race, luckily the aid stations are every 5km so I should be ok with one handheld bottle in between. Other than that, the rest of the gear worked great, no chaffing issues thanks to Bodyglide, running belt stayed in place and I had no problems with carrying two bottles for 4 hours. Feet held up remarkably well, no blisters and no sore spots in the metatarsal area.
Sun - Rest
Definitely sore legs but nothing too bad, even the knee is only ok painful. Let's see how it feels tomorrow thanks to DOMS :)
Total running distance: 42.63 km
Much better week than the previous few. Both short runs felt great, the long run was a valuable experience. This is the last high mileage week, the taper starts now. I definitely need to get back some speed into the legs, and try to loose a bit more weight. Apart from that, keeping healthy and the legs in shape for the big day is the main mission.
have a good week
Could still feel my legs from Saturday hard biking.
Tue - 5.77k ; 33:04 ; 5.44min/k
Seriously good and enjoyable(!) run. I was able to keep up with me colleagues without pushing too much and even had something at the very end. This was the best run I had had in a long time.
Man, did I need that!
Wed - 7.45k ; 47:15 ; 6:21min/k
Took it easy on this one and really enjoyed it. Finally I was reunited with my love of running, which felt as an effortless forward flowing motion. Very happy with this run, indeed.
Thu - Rest
Wanted to rest as much as possible before the long run.
Fri - Rest
Met up with a friend and took great care with food, making sure to be loaded on carbs and protein.
Sat - 29.41k ; 3:44:11 ; 7:37min/k
I woke up covered in sweat and knew that didn't bide very well for the longest run of my life. Hell, I HAD to do it, there was no other way. So I went.
My body felt weak but legs felt quite ok which was positive. I started quite slow, with averaging around 6:20min per km, but decided to ignore the pace as I could feel my body wasn't able to go faster.
This was also my first real test of all my gear with just shorts and t-shirt, basically what I will be running the marathon in.
The bad news is, it was supposed to be hot. Well not really hot, but definitely around 20oC, which was about 10oC warmer than during my last long run. I took two handhelds with weak Nuun hoping it would be enough. It wasn't. I felt ok around 15k point, getting a bit hot but not too bad, even if my pace was dropping. Around 23k mark I felt a jolt of positive energy telling me I will be able to run until the very end without problems. It wasn't to be, the heat got the better of me. Or rather, lack of water. Just into the last loop I was forced to walk as had no energy. Legs felt ok considering having done 25k but my body was fading fast. I walked a bit more, trying to gather myself and couldn't. So I decided to walk for couple of km, where I was hoping to get some more water (had ran out by that point). Also I noticed that I stopped sweating, which was not good. I was managing the temperature ok, had no cramping issues but was getting more and more thirsty. So I stopped at a pub for some water, of which I drank almost half of the bottle immediately and put some on my head and neck. Damn, that felt good. I tried to pick up the pace, but had full stomach of water, which wasn't very running friendly, either. So I walked more. Only in the last km I went into 'shuffle' mode, by that point my legs had stiffened up considerably, but I was surprised they were able to get going anyway. Finished completely spent and out of it. Phew. As a bonus I got sunburned on my neck, next time I should put suncream on when I am about to spend 4 hours in direct sunlight, duh...
At least I didn't go shirtless as Tony Krupicka, that would have been some serious damage :)
Conclusion:
Fuelling was I think ok, as my legs were able to move until the very end but body was spent. I will need to drink much more during the race, luckily the aid stations are every 5km so I should be ok with one handheld bottle in between. Other than that, the rest of the gear worked great, no chaffing issues thanks to Bodyglide, running belt stayed in place and I had no problems with carrying two bottles for 4 hours. Feet held up remarkably well, no blisters and no sore spots in the metatarsal area.
Sun - Rest
Definitely sore legs but nothing too bad, even the knee is only ok painful. Let's see how it feels tomorrow thanks to DOMS :)
Total running distance: 42.63 km
Much better week than the previous few. Both short runs felt great, the long run was a valuable experience. This is the last high mileage week, the taper starts now. I definitely need to get back some speed into the legs, and try to loose a bit more weight. Apart from that, keeping healthy and the legs in shape for the big day is the main mission.
have a good week
Week 9 | 12.3 - 18.3
Mon - Rest
Legs definitely tired.
Tue - Rest
I felt really weak and a lot of people being ill at work, am sure my body was fighting off some virus.
There was no point in doing anything with zero energy levels so I tried to max out on the sleep and hope for improvement.
Wed - Rest
Still useless with no energy.
Thu - Rest
Clearly this was going to be a week of no running, even though I couldn't really afford the luxury.
Fri - Rest
I decided not to do the long run and instead go for a longer biking trip into the nearby hills to get some energy from the nature, as the weather forecast looked promising.
If running felt like boring, tedious, unwanted activity, then I was much better off doing something different.
Sat
Biking - cca 20km ; avg speed 10km/h
Felt like crap in the morning but went on the bike trip anyway. Took the regional train to the nearby village and went off into the woods for around 10km uphill (and downhill) and about 700m vertical gain. That was a hell of a workout, I have to admit, but definitely worth it! My bike isn't really trail compatible but it was ok. Took one gel midway and tried to drink as much as I could. It was quite chilly on the wind swept summit so I didn't linger, but at least snapped a picture.
Very hazy so no views to speak of. The downhill was a lot of (shaking) fun, took me 30 minutes instead of more than one hour uphill. All in all, glorious day outside, hard workout for legs and butt, will definitely do it again.
Sun - Rest
Legs definitely tired, and I was glad for that, as I worked the muscles in different way.
Total running distance: 0 km
Very bad week. Yet again, I seem to be getting progressively worse instead of better. No idea what am I doing wrong but shall stick to the routine and try to remain positive, even if it's very hard to stay motivated right now. Going for a half day trip up the hills was a great idea, took my mind of things and I saw some new, unexplored areas. Other than that, knee is still sore, and the race day is nearing closer and closer. Next week will be the last 'monster' 30k long run, which should be the final test. We shall see.
have a good week
Legs definitely tired.
Tue - Rest
I felt really weak and a lot of people being ill at work, am sure my body was fighting off some virus.
There was no point in doing anything with zero energy levels so I tried to max out on the sleep and hope for improvement.
Wed - Rest
Still useless with no energy.
Thu - Rest
Clearly this was going to be a week of no running, even though I couldn't really afford the luxury.
Fri - Rest
I decided not to do the long run and instead go for a longer biking trip into the nearby hills to get some energy from the nature, as the weather forecast looked promising.
If running felt like boring, tedious, unwanted activity, then I was much better off doing something different.
Sat
Biking - cca 20km ; avg speed 10km/h
Felt like crap in the morning but went on the bike trip anyway. Took the regional train to the nearby village and went off into the woods for around 10km uphill (and downhill) and about 700m vertical gain. That was a hell of a workout, I have to admit, but definitely worth it! My bike isn't really trail compatible but it was ok. Took one gel midway and tried to drink as much as I could. It was quite chilly on the wind swept summit so I didn't linger, but at least snapped a picture.
Very hazy so no views to speak of. The downhill was a lot of (shaking) fun, took me 30 minutes instead of more than one hour uphill. All in all, glorious day outside, hard workout for legs and butt, will definitely do it again.
Sun - Rest
Legs definitely tired, and I was glad for that, as I worked the muscles in different way.
Total running distance: 0 km
Very bad week. Yet again, I seem to be getting progressively worse instead of better. No idea what am I doing wrong but shall stick to the routine and try to remain positive, even if it's very hard to stay motivated right now. Going for a half day trip up the hills was a great idea, took my mind of things and I saw some new, unexplored areas. Other than that, knee is still sore, and the race day is nearing closer and closer. Next week will be the last 'monster' 30k long run, which should be the final test. We shall see.
have a good week
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Week 8 | 5.3 - 11.3
Mon - Rest
Legs still very tired, so no running.
Tue
5.76k ; 34:16 ; 5:57min/k
Legs were still not fully recovered but I wanted to give them a little shake out.
Ended up pushing more than normal, especially on the downhill, which is clearly visible on the average pace. Bad news is that it didn't help my knees the slightest.
Wed - Rest
Thu - Rest
Fri - Rest
Sat
26.01k ; 3:08:16 ; 7:14min/k
For some reason I hadn't been sleeping properly this week and so I woke up quite tired. Almost didn't go out but then forced myself to go as I figured it would be a good training for race day when I usually can't sleep much.
Little did I know what would await me.
I took four gels, one chocolate bar and two handhelds with weak Nuun.
Pretty much from the start I knew it was going to be a drag. The first 3k loop felt ok but that was it. Basically the first 10k were bearable but even if I compare it to the 23k last week I felt worse overall. The pace was dropping, in spite taking gel every 7k and drinking properly. After 20k I had to sneak in a walking break (10-20sec) every 3k basically to just be able to keep going. The last 3k loop was a real torture and I had to walk the last 700 metres or so, something I NEVER do. I felt really drained and weak. Very, very demotivating and deflating.
I almost threw in the towel there and then and said 'screw marathon, I do something else' as it was NO fun at all. ZERO. After I got home I relaxed a bit and hit a party till 3am which definitely improved my mood. But I couldn't possibly imagine having to run another 16k after those torturous 26k, no way.
Sun
Rest. Thanks to Ultragen, it wasn't too bad, just the knees.
Total running distance: 31.77 km
Very bad week. Only two runs in, it looks as my main focus remains on the long run and anything in between is just making sure my legs are recovered enough. I honestly don't know why it takes so long for me to recover and the knees are definitely sore most of the time.
I will not try to run on tired legs next week and maybe by Wednesday they will feel ok to do a little jog. As I said, I am not bothered about the week mileage as long as I manage the long runs but if I am not fully recovered for next Saturday I will skip the long run completely. I figured I need one more long run around 30km in the next two weekends and would rather do it on fresh legs. Honestly after the tough 23km I had hoped that it will get better but it was only worse. If this trend continues, it will be a seriously tough 42km, I can tell you. It definitely makes me respect the distance much more and I just hope to finish, looking at my times I think I will be lucky to finish under 5 hours.
Send me some positive vibes please as I am not in the happiest place right now and hoping the legs and knees will hold together for one more long run before the big day.
have a good week
Legs still very tired, so no running.
Tue
5.76k ; 34:16 ; 5:57min/k
Legs were still not fully recovered but I wanted to give them a little shake out.
Ended up pushing more than normal, especially on the downhill, which is clearly visible on the average pace. Bad news is that it didn't help my knees the slightest.
Wed - Rest
Thu - Rest
Fri - Rest
Sat
26.01k ; 3:08:16 ; 7:14min/k
For some reason I hadn't been sleeping properly this week and so I woke up quite tired. Almost didn't go out but then forced myself to go as I figured it would be a good training for race day when I usually can't sleep much.
Little did I know what would await me.
I took four gels, one chocolate bar and two handhelds with weak Nuun.
Pretty much from the start I knew it was going to be a drag. The first 3k loop felt ok but that was it. Basically the first 10k were bearable but even if I compare it to the 23k last week I felt worse overall. The pace was dropping, in spite taking gel every 7k and drinking properly. After 20k I had to sneak in a walking break (10-20sec) every 3k basically to just be able to keep going. The last 3k loop was a real torture and I had to walk the last 700 metres or so, something I NEVER do. I felt really drained and weak. Very, very demotivating and deflating.
I almost threw in the towel there and then and said 'screw marathon, I do something else' as it was NO fun at all. ZERO. After I got home I relaxed a bit and hit a party till 3am which definitely improved my mood. But I couldn't possibly imagine having to run another 16k after those torturous 26k, no way.
Sun
Rest. Thanks to Ultragen, it wasn't too bad, just the knees.
Total running distance: 31.77 km
Very bad week. Only two runs in, it looks as my main focus remains on the long run and anything in between is just making sure my legs are recovered enough. I honestly don't know why it takes so long for me to recover and the knees are definitely sore most of the time.
I will not try to run on tired legs next week and maybe by Wednesday they will feel ok to do a little jog. As I said, I am not bothered about the week mileage as long as I manage the long runs but if I am not fully recovered for next Saturday I will skip the long run completely. I figured I need one more long run around 30km in the next two weekends and would rather do it on fresh legs. Honestly after the tough 23km I had hoped that it will get better but it was only worse. If this trend continues, it will be a seriously tough 42km, I can tell you. It definitely makes me respect the distance much more and I just hope to finish, looking at my times I think I will be lucky to finish under 5 hours.
Send me some positive vibes please as I am not in the happiest place right now and hoping the legs and knees will hold together for one more long run before the big day.
have a good week
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