rmckcoaching

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 23 & Week 24 ✅

Two weeks of Tapering 📉

Just one more training run midweek to go before race day 🏁

Tapering to be honest has been a strange experience for both body and mind. The comedown from high intensity and progressive distances and major adrenaline has planted seeds of doubt 😳

The truth is that I haven’t lost fitness or developed injuries in the last few weeks but my body has been trying to heal while intensity has dropped down 🧘🏻‍♂️

Yes, I’m saying the above as much to convince myself as anyone else but it is the truth!

One run left, one week tomorrow and a big focus on recovery, good nutrition and carb loading later in the week 🍎

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 22 ✅

After 34km last weekend it was back to a long-ish easy run on Monday of 12km 🏃🏻‍♂️

Then came Thursday’s Tempo session which was a tough one with fatigue in the legs and 6 1/2 km at well above marathon pace, proved difficult 😅

Finally this morning we clocked the final run of over 30km of the block 💪🏻

Great to know that the majority of the leg work (literally) is behind me now as we begin to taper down 📉

3 weeks tomorrow 🏁🏃🏻‍♂️

Dublin City Half Marathon 🏁✅

30/03/2025 🗓️

1:39:45 ⏱️

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 21 ✅

4 Weeks to Race Day 🏁

Longest of the the whole block clocked yesterday morning early doors before we headed off to a wedding 🏃🏻‍♂️

Few tempo sessions missed in recent weeks to prioritise a mini-taper pre the Dublin Half and then for some recovery post race this week as we prepared for yesterdays long run.

Some longer midweek runs ahead in the coming weeks in order to build up weekly mileage but good to have got in the 20-26mile or 30-40km bracket 📈

Undoubtedly some nerves where the resources for the final miles come from beyond training but I’m trusting the more experienced on this one ☝️

For any of those interested, knees are holding up pretty well barring long run +1 days where stairs feel like mountains but otherwise they’re holding up 💪🏻

Who needs an ACL anyway 🤷🏻‍♂️

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 20 ✅
Dublin City Half Marathon ✅🏁

Another week of making running my whole personality 😂

Great week this week obviously culminating in the Dublin City Half Marathon today 💪🏻

Overall, very happy with the run out. Managed to run a pretty disciplined race and kept HR between 140-150bpm. Which in the grand scheme of things ie: Belfast Marathon and my training is great but leaves me wondering whether I could have pushed a little harder earlier 🤔

A world away from my one and only other race in 2023 where I scraped over the line with my HR around the 190s for the duration 😂

Delighted to get the race clocked today and even the race experience providing some great learnings 🧐

Great to, dare I say, ENJOY the run and be part of an excellent occasion and great event 🙌🏻

However, as could easily have been lost sight of today, we have merely tasted the starter with the main course really drifting into view now in 6 weeks 👀

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 19 ✅

With the Dublin City Half Marathon next week it was a balancing act of still trying to keep prep on track for Belfast while aiming to leave the body in reasonable shape for the race next week.

The big win for this week was obviously hitting that 30km mark for the first time which was great and we hope now that the body will be in reasonable shape for next weekend following a bit of taper/deload 🧘🏻‍♂️

Also went for my first full body sports massage from to boost recovery and loosen out any niggles or issues from the training load 💆🏻‍♂️

Week 20/25 incoming and on we go 🏃🏻‍♂️ 🏁

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 18 ✅

Just over the half marathon at progressive pace on Saturday preceded by a longer tempo run on Thursday. 2.5miles at 6minute mile pace was a significant challenge.

On Monday we’d also had just shy of 10km of an easy run so the miles were spread out more across the three runs.

One week closer and now only 6 weeks to Belfast. Less than a fortnight also to the Dublin City half.

Before that we’ve to hit the 30km mark next weekend so won’t get ahead of ourselves 👀🏁

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 17 ✅

Just the two runs this week with other commitments but the Recovery Run was ticked off on Monday and the new “Longest Run Ever” was completed by 9.15am on Saturday 🏃🏻‍♂️

Seriously grateful for the longer evenings and the brighter mornings after a long Winter of training ⛅️

Nervous excitement building as the Dublin City Half comes into view and just another month from that we’ll have the big one 🏁

The biggest win this week was listening to my body and not trying to be a hero to the detriment of my longer term training 💪🏻

Another week clocked and the work goes on 📈

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 16 ✅

Deload week checked off. This week was needed after a tough building block in terms of intensity and distance 😅

I may have been a little selective on my adherence to the “conversational pace” suggestion as the week progressed but as they body recovered and the energy came back I saw it as opportunity to work on my tempo running and pacing over the 10km mark ⏱️

A good week overall which hopefully sets us up for getting back into the grind this coming week 🏃🏻‍♂️

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 15 ✅

25.75km yesterday being the big one for this week. Went on a cross country tour around Ardee and the surrounding towns, counties and predominantly large hills 🗻

A very tough slog in poor conditions but felt I grew into it despite a few obstacles. It being midterm and with plans for the weekend I went out on Friday morning minus the rest of a few days after my run on Wednesday and I could feel it in the legs 🤕

Ultimately another building block laid down so I’m happy in hindsight 😅 With a deload week next week and some serious recovery on the horizon 🧘🏻‍♂️

Prior to yesterday’s ordeal, I got a sharp-ish 5k progression run in after the usual easy recovery run on Monday gone by.

Overall, we’re in a good place, taking learnings especially from each long run and moving closer and closer to the Dublin City Half at the end of March and the big one in Belfast come the May bank holiday 🏁

Belfast Marathon Prep: Week 14 ✅

Milestone week with the half marathon distance hit and exceeded for the first time in this training block 😀

Only the second time I’ve run that distance with the previous being my one and only half marathon race in 2023. Happy to say I beat that time with ease today, coming in at 1:43 for the half ⏱️💪🏻

Working backwards through this past week we also clocked a hilly repeat run along with an easy run on Monday. We also auditioned my new Adidas Adios 3 Carbons which was fun for the hilly run👀😂

Overall, happy with this week’s work, some major recovery over the remainder of the weekend and we go again ⏭️