I can't remember exactly where I saw the above quote recently but when I did it certainly resonated with me and stuck in my head. I'm hoping it will bear fruit for me and you over the coming months.
The festive season is now in full swing and this time next week it will all be over as our thoughts turn to the New Year and I'm sure for a lot of us it will be a time of resolutions to stop doing something, or to take up something new, a new challenge or a new goal for the year ahead.
It doesn't mean we should do nothing until then and for me training has been continuing pretty well for the last couple of weeks. Fitting in the key sessions, a couple of decent long runs with friends. Just trotting along worrying more about dogs than paces, embracing the hills and recovering on the downhills. Being lucky enough with the mild weather we have been having mostly, the rain only serving to dampen the brow and not the spirits.
December has brought about 19 days training out of 22 so far. 6 days a week has become a ritual at this stage, some days are easier than others. Planning around other things, moving days around but generally there is always room at least somewhere for a short run. It's all adding up to the point where I'm now at just over 40 miles a week. For me this is a good place to be as I look towards starting Marathon training in early January.
I have taken the time for the last 3 months to first getting back into running regularly, then slowly building the mileage and re-introducing some sessions to the point where the body and mind hopefully will be able to handle the further demands of marathon training. Marathon training through the winter at that. All of this is aimed to lining up at the start line in London on April 26th 2015. I won't win that race, the time I hopefully run won't be impressive to a lot of people. That doesn't matter to me, I'm not running to impress anyone else, just to do the best that I can on that day. If I do that I will be more than happy.
To everyone that reads my ramblings thank you very much. I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and look forward to running with some of you during the holidays and a lot of you in 2015.
Monday 22 December 2014
Friday 12 December 2014
Juggling Everything
December is a busy month isn't it, a lot going on, catching up with people, preparing for Christmas, extra nights out and all that that brings with it. It's a time where normal routine stuff can fall by the wayside if you let it.
With me it takes a lot of planning to keep everything on track and having to be flexible with others time as well. Training has been continuing as planned with just one missed day this month caused by a stomach bug. We had our work Xmas night out last Thursday which led to a very early morning run. The hardest part is getting out the door but it can be done. I had planned the same this morning for a short run, but when I saw the frost I decided otherwise. As Emma has her work night out tonight I got into work early so hopefully I will get the run done on my lunch break. All about planning, preparing and adapting if needs be.
It feels like so long since I had a race and it has been but I hope to sort this out over Xmas with either a Parkrun or one of the other options available. Will be interested to see how the legs get on.
Last weekend was the last weekend for my Nutrition course before Xmas as well but there are a couple of assignments due early in January so it's not time to down tools just yet. Below are some pointers which may help you. They do not require massive effort or changes, which most people are not going to make at this time of year anyway.
With me it takes a lot of planning to keep everything on track and having to be flexible with others time as well. Training has been continuing as planned with just one missed day this month caused by a stomach bug. We had our work Xmas night out last Thursday which led to a very early morning run. The hardest part is getting out the door but it can be done. I had planned the same this morning for a short run, but when I saw the frost I decided otherwise. As Emma has her work night out tonight I got into work early so hopefully I will get the run done on my lunch break. All about planning, preparing and adapting if needs be.
It feels like so long since I had a race and it has been but I hope to sort this out over Xmas with either a Parkrun or one of the other options available. Will be interested to see how the legs get on.
Last weekend was the last weekend for my Nutrition course before Xmas as well but there are a couple of assignments due early in January so it's not time to down tools just yet. Below are some pointers which may help you. They do not require massive effort or changes, which most people are not going to make at this time of year anyway.
- Water: This makes up around 70% of the human body. Even while you are sleeping your kidneys are still working away so you will most likely wake up with some type of dehydration. If you drink a pint of water first thing in the morning this will re-hydrate your kidneys and also signal the body to kick-off the digestive processes again. Again this can be repeated with a glass of water 15-20 mins before each meal to trigger the body to release the digestive juices needed to handle the food it is about to receive.
- Chewing: This really is a common problem, but a simple one to fix. Your teeth are very important in the digestive process to break food down to it's smallest form before swallowing. It takes a lot of pressure off the rest of your digestive system. Remember your stomach doesn't have teeth, so you need to help it. So slow down, enjoy your food and at the same time you will probably feel less bloated after a big meal.
- Vitamins & Minerals: There are a lot of essential vitamins & minerals that the body needs to function at an optimum level and all of these can be found in a range of whole foods. A lot of health problems can be down to a deficiency in some these so it is important to try and get them from your food. This is why you will always hear people telling you to eat plenty of fruit & veg etc. You are really not getting a whole lot from processed foods other than empty calories but that's for another day. At this time of year if I was recommending to take one Vitamin that we do not get enough of it would be Vitamin C. This is a great way of keeping colds and Flu's at bay. Personally I dissolve a capsule in a pint of water each morning and take it that way. If you are feeling a bit run down or something coming on then double the dose.
Nothing too ground breaking in the above but just a few simple pointers that might help. I'm still looking for a couple of volunteers for the new year so if your interested give me a shout for more information.
Monday 1 December 2014
Do you have Nutrition problems? Can I help?
November was a good month for me with just under 150 miles clocked up, good consistent training with only one planned days training missed. Hopefully December can go as well with all the distractions it can bring ;-)
I have just finished my current block of training and started again at the weekend on the next block of training, this 10 day cycle repeats itself 4 times over the next 40 days with the 3 sessions in each cycle becoming more progressive. An example of this is the long run which yesterday was 90 minutes. This will be 120 minutes by the end of this block of training. The long run has now been adapted to include a few strides (6x45 seconds) in the 2nd half of the run to get the legs turning over and working the muscles differently.
For the end of November we had a lovely morning yesterday to run in shorts and tee-shirts, taking in all the challenging hills around the back of Stamullen & Balscadden.
The 10 day cycle works well for me at the moment as well because I am in college some weekends. I started a course in Nutrition & Health Coaching a few months back and am really enjoying it so far. It has given me an eye opener as if we didn't know already how important what we put into our body is to our overall health, and how it can lead to lots of digestive problems and diseases.
Maybe in future blogs I can put in some advice or relevant information if people are interested in that.
As part of the course we have to work on some case studies in the New Year. That's maybe where maybe some of you can help me to help you. I'm looking for 4-5 volunteers to begin working with in the middle of January.
I know most people that read this are probably healthy & fit individuals but if you suffer from any digestive or food related problems, or general health problems that you think can be improved by better Nutrition then maybe I can help you. Please send me a PM on Facebook or e-mail to pete.slevin@gmail.com if you are interested in discussing further.
I have just finished my current block of training and started again at the weekend on the next block of training, this 10 day cycle repeats itself 4 times over the next 40 days with the 3 sessions in each cycle becoming more progressive. An example of this is the long run which yesterday was 90 minutes. This will be 120 minutes by the end of this block of training. The long run has now been adapted to include a few strides (6x45 seconds) in the 2nd half of the run to get the legs turning over and working the muscles differently.
For the end of November we had a lovely morning yesterday to run in shorts and tee-shirts, taking in all the challenging hills around the back of Stamullen & Balscadden.
The 10 day cycle works well for me at the moment as well because I am in college some weekends. I started a course in Nutrition & Health Coaching a few months back and am really enjoying it so far. It has given me an eye opener as if we didn't know already how important what we put into our body is to our overall health, and how it can lead to lots of digestive problems and diseases.
Maybe in future blogs I can put in some advice or relevant information if people are interested in that.
As part of the course we have to work on some case studies in the New Year. That's maybe where maybe some of you can help me to help you. I'm looking for 4-5 volunteers to begin working with in the middle of January.
I know most people that read this are probably healthy & fit individuals but if you suffer from any digestive or food related problems, or general health problems that you think can be improved by better Nutrition then maybe I can help you. Please send me a PM on Facebook or e-mail to pete.slevin@gmail.com if you are interested in discussing further.
Friday 21 November 2014
Here we go again
It's been a while hasn't it? Mid June to be precise. I had kind of given up on the blog but a few people have mentioned it to me recently so I decided to start posting again.
The summer months didn't go to well and all the time it seemed like 1 step forward 2 steps back. I was training away for the marathon, but finding the training a lot harder than previously. I had my first ever DNF in the Dublin Marathon where it was remarked that I looked terrible before the race. I pulled in after 8 miles or so with no energy. Around this time I was also dropping off the pace in our weekly tempo runs, unable to hold a pace after a couple of miles that should be no problem normally. To cut a long story short I had a blood test and it came back with low Iron, common enough for runners and fitting the symptoms I was having. I also discovered my immune system was pretty low so have been on a course of Iron and a B complex Vitamin for the last while building back up.
Once the closing date for Marathon entries came and went I took some advice on board and went back to basics, building up a base again by just running easy and shorter to begin with. I started running 6 days a week, which I have never really done before, but just 35 mins a day to begin with and a longer run of 45 minutes.
The body seemed to be able to handle this as there wasn't too much stress being put on it to recover from. At the end of the 2nd week I did a Parkrun in Malahide just to get an idea where I was. I finished in 21:43 which is around 30 seconds off my best time on that course. Not bad all things considered. The initial cycle consisted of 5 weeks where I ran 6 days a week, with the longer run increasing by 5 mins a week and one of the midweek runs getting longer as well and incorporating a few strides.
Again I took some guidance on what to do next and step things up a bit again. I'm now working off a 10 day cycle which includes 3 sessions with 2 easy days between the sessions and then a rest day after 9 days. I completed the first cycle ok with the sessions being a long run, a short interval session (18x30 seconds) and a short tempo run (15 mins). I'm starting to feel strong again and recovering properly between sessions again.
All of this is aimed towards getting ready to tackle Marathon training full on in the New Year. Yes we are London bound again and this time it's all about getting to the start line first and foremost. The mind is willing and I'm trying to do things right so the body will be as well.
It was strange watching the marathon this year for the first time rather than running it, but being positioned about 500 metres from the finish gave me a new found respect for the event when you say how people were finishing the race. It was great to see see so many friends and clubmates in action and special mention must go to my training buddies Rosemary & Susan showing that hard work and dedication to training gets you the results you deserve. They have certainly put it up to me for London but at the same time shown me what is possible.
Anyway that's enough rambling for the moment. I'll catch up again in a few weeks.
The summer months didn't go to well and all the time it seemed like 1 step forward 2 steps back. I was training away for the marathon, but finding the training a lot harder than previously. I had my first ever DNF in the Dublin Marathon where it was remarked that I looked terrible before the race. I pulled in after 8 miles or so with no energy. Around this time I was also dropping off the pace in our weekly tempo runs, unable to hold a pace after a couple of miles that should be no problem normally. To cut a long story short I had a blood test and it came back with low Iron, common enough for runners and fitting the symptoms I was having. I also discovered my immune system was pretty low so have been on a course of Iron and a B complex Vitamin for the last while building back up.
Once the closing date for Marathon entries came and went I took some advice on board and went back to basics, building up a base again by just running easy and shorter to begin with. I started running 6 days a week, which I have never really done before, but just 35 mins a day to begin with and a longer run of 45 minutes.
The body seemed to be able to handle this as there wasn't too much stress being put on it to recover from. At the end of the 2nd week I did a Parkrun in Malahide just to get an idea where I was. I finished in 21:43 which is around 30 seconds off my best time on that course. Not bad all things considered. The initial cycle consisted of 5 weeks where I ran 6 days a week, with the longer run increasing by 5 mins a week and one of the midweek runs getting longer as well and incorporating a few strides.
Again I took some guidance on what to do next and step things up a bit again. I'm now working off a 10 day cycle which includes 3 sessions with 2 easy days between the sessions and then a rest day after 9 days. I completed the first cycle ok with the sessions being a long run, a short interval session (18x30 seconds) and a short tempo run (15 mins). I'm starting to feel strong again and recovering properly between sessions again.
All of this is aimed towards getting ready to tackle Marathon training full on in the New Year. Yes we are London bound again and this time it's all about getting to the start line first and foremost. The mind is willing and I'm trying to do things right so the body will be as well.
It was strange watching the marathon this year for the first time rather than running it, but being positioned about 500 metres from the finish gave me a new found respect for the event when you say how people were finishing the race. It was great to see see so many friends and clubmates in action and special mention must go to my training buddies Rosemary & Susan showing that hard work and dedication to training gets you the results you deserve. They have certainly put it up to me for London but at the same time shown me what is possible.
Anyway that's enough rambling for the moment. I'll catch up again in a few weeks.
Tuesday 10 June 2014
Training again
Glad to be able to get a decent week's training in this week. For those of you thinking about Dublin this year there's 20 weeks to go now so make sure your getting a good base level of fitness in before starting into your Marathon plan.
Tuesday 3rd June
The session this week was 4 set's of:
5 mins @ 10K pace,
1 min jog recovery,
2 mins @ 5K pace,
3 mins recovery.
Numbers were pretty low this week with people recovering from various races and ailments meaning I had nobody really to pace off this week. Conditions were a bit dreary as well but fine once we got going.
Paces were (6:58, 6:45; 6:55, 6:47; 6:55, 6:42; 6:53, 6:40)
Happy enough to keep them consistent and a good workout was had.
Just over 6 miles in total for the night.
Wednesday 4th June
S&C Class + 5.45 miles easy (9:16 pace)
Trying to combine everything can be difficult but I have managed to get a few easy miles in the last couple of times after my Strength & Conditioning class. Given that I'm not to wag after it sometimes it is an achievement to get going a couple of hours later for an easy run.
The body normally comes around though when it gets going. Did the Silverstream loop with Rosemary. This in itself poses it's own challenges with plenty of climbing early on, but the effort levels were kept easy throughout.
Thursday 5th June
2 miles warm up
2x2 miles @ 10K pace (7:10, 7:04; 7:06, 7:05)
1.5 miles cool down
The actual plan was slightly different (1 x 3 miles + 1 x 2.5 miles) but we made an executive decision to change it slightly. That suited me as these have been building over the last few weeks and it probably would have killed me to jump in at this point. There was also a lot of tiredness and some DOM's from the previous day setting into the legs.
We did this on the track so it worked as 8 laps and I tried to just get into a rhythm with the others and the pace gradually came down to 10K pace. With the first one out of the way we did a lap recovery before taking off again. It was just a case of keeping going and counting the laps off one by one.
This was a real toughie and I don't think there was anyway I would have managed the longer session. Something to build on though over the coming weeks. A rest day was planned for Friday and needed.
Saturday 7th June
Bohermeen 5K in 21:41 (6:49, 6:57, 7:21, 6:34*)
For some reason I felt the need to do another race this week. It's a nice location and not too far away and a good few from the club were doing it so why not. The route changed at the last minute due to a local funeral so it turned out I had no real idea of the route.
After registration we did a couple of laps of the track before making our way down to the start. It was a lovely warm evening and to be honest the legs were feeling very heavy as expected.
Got going ok and kept the pace honest. There seemed to be a bit of an incline early on but the pace should have been ok. As we progressed though the warning signs were gradually coming. Felt like I was plodding along and I probably was. Started to get passed by a few people coming up to 2 miles and didn't really have the desire to dig in too hard. There was just nothing left in the legs. It was just a case of seeing it out from here which I did.
This was just a race too far at the moment but no harm was done.
Sunday 8th June
8.75 miles @ 9:14
The instructions were for a very easy run and that's exactly what is was. Wouldn't have been able for much more anyway. Was great to have company as I'm sure it would have been a whole lot tougher without and Karen treated me to a flora & fauna lesson on the way round. It's amazing what you can see out running when you open your eyes and look around you.
Monday 9th June
S&C class & 5.5 miles easy (9:29)
Another class and another Silverstream loop. Have figured out that it's 3 miles to the highest point so you feel like once you reach that point you can coast home a bit from there. All about building strength in the legs again and getting the aerobic fitness back. Hopefully in a few weeks it will get easier.
Summary: Hope to be able to knock out a few more consistent weeks training like this over the coming weeks. Not sure about a target race at the moment but the date of the Fingal 10K fits in nicely with giving a few weeks to get decent training done and is the day before my holidays. Who knows though I might change my mind, it wouldn't be unlike me.
Tuesday 3rd June
The session this week was 4 set's of:
5 mins @ 10K pace,
1 min jog recovery,
2 mins @ 5K pace,
3 mins recovery.
Numbers were pretty low this week with people recovering from various races and ailments meaning I had nobody really to pace off this week. Conditions were a bit dreary as well but fine once we got going.
Paces were (6:58, 6:45; 6:55, 6:47; 6:55, 6:42; 6:53, 6:40)
Happy enough to keep them consistent and a good workout was had.
Just over 6 miles in total for the night.
Wednesday 4th June
S&C Class + 5.45 miles easy (9:16 pace)
Trying to combine everything can be difficult but I have managed to get a few easy miles in the last couple of times after my Strength & Conditioning class. Given that I'm not to wag after it sometimes it is an achievement to get going a couple of hours later for an easy run.
The body normally comes around though when it gets going. Did the Silverstream loop with Rosemary. This in itself poses it's own challenges with plenty of climbing early on, but the effort levels were kept easy throughout.
Thursday 5th June
2 miles warm up
2x2 miles @ 10K pace (7:10, 7:04; 7:06, 7:05)
1.5 miles cool down
The actual plan was slightly different (1 x 3 miles + 1 x 2.5 miles) but we made an executive decision to change it slightly. That suited me as these have been building over the last few weeks and it probably would have killed me to jump in at this point. There was also a lot of tiredness and some DOM's from the previous day setting into the legs.
We did this on the track so it worked as 8 laps and I tried to just get into a rhythm with the others and the pace gradually came down to 10K pace. With the first one out of the way we did a lap recovery before taking off again. It was just a case of keeping going and counting the laps off one by one.
This was a real toughie and I don't think there was anyway I would have managed the longer session. Something to build on though over the coming weeks. A rest day was planned for Friday and needed.
Saturday 7th June
Bohermeen 5K in 21:41 (6:49, 6:57, 7:21, 6:34*)
For some reason I felt the need to do another race this week. It's a nice location and not too far away and a good few from the club were doing it so why not. The route changed at the last minute due to a local funeral so it turned out I had no real idea of the route.
After registration we did a couple of laps of the track before making our way down to the start. It was a lovely warm evening and to be honest the legs were feeling very heavy as expected.
Got going ok and kept the pace honest. There seemed to be a bit of an incline early on but the pace should have been ok. As we progressed though the warning signs were gradually coming. Felt like I was plodding along and I probably was. Started to get passed by a few people coming up to 2 miles and didn't really have the desire to dig in too hard. There was just nothing left in the legs. It was just a case of seeing it out from here which I did.
This was just a race too far at the moment but no harm was done.
Sunday 8th June
8.75 miles @ 9:14
The instructions were for a very easy run and that's exactly what is was. Wouldn't have been able for much more anyway. Was great to have company as I'm sure it would have been a whole lot tougher without and Karen treated me to a flora & fauna lesson on the way round. It's amazing what you can see out running when you open your eyes and look around you.
Monday 9th June
S&C class & 5.5 miles easy (9:29)
Another class and another Silverstream loop. Have figured out that it's 3 miles to the highest point so you feel like once you reach that point you can coast home a bit from there. All about building strength in the legs again and getting the aerobic fitness back. Hopefully in a few weeks it will get easier.
Summary: Hope to be able to knock out a few more consistent weeks training like this over the coming weeks. Not sure about a target race at the moment but the date of the Fingal 10K fits in nicely with giving a few weeks to get decent training done and is the day before my holidays. Who knows though I might change my mind, it wouldn't be unlike me.
Tuesday 3 June 2014
Blisters and races but not blistering times
Since my last update any progress back to a reasonable level of training has been hampered somewhat by a blister on the sole of my foot which got worse before it got better. All a bit frustrating as it seemed to be caused by wearing socks that had worn a bit during a tempo run and ended up with losing quite a bit of skin off the sole of my foot. Despite not having any real structure or consistency to training I have taken on a couple of races in the past couple of weeks just to get back racing again. Here's how they went:
Na Fianna 5K in 21:00 (6:37, 6:54, 6:51, 6:37*)
Headed into this not knowing what to expect or aim for having done one speed session in the last couple of months and generally been recovering from injury during that time.
After a jog down to the start we hung around for a bit before a couple of strides closer to the off.
Before long we set off and it struck me the quality of the field how many that were in front of us compared to normal.
Passed the 1K mark in around 4:10 I think and if anything the pace picked up a bit around the first corner and first mile was clocked at 6:37. Rosemary was beside me but she gradually opened up a bit of a gap and I was already feeling it having probably made the mistake of going out too fast. I wasn't sure if it was time to knuckle down and run my own race. Thoughts turned to pulling up but I copped on and thought of all the days I wasn't able to run. Legs were feeling every little bump in the road I was keeping an eye on the average pace and it was slowing slightly but felt like I was moving a lot slower.
Second mile clocked off in 6:54 and was I trying to convince myself it would be over soon enough. As we turned again I tried to pick it up a small bit and was happy to see the 4K mark on the road soon after. Legs were pretty fooked at this stage but still moving. Got passed by a couple of people in the last 400 and wasn't able to put up much of a fight. This wasn't a day for any sort of sprint finish.
Crossed the line in 21:07 gun time and 21:03 by my watch.
This is 32 seconds off my PB from last December which is not bad I suppose as comebacks go. Given fitness where it's at and also carrying a few extra KG I'm happy enough with the time. It was also a reminder of how much you have to push yourself in a 5K from the start right until the finish.
Navan 6K in 25:12 (6:50, 6:48, 6:39, 6:43*)
The afore mentioned blister had gotten worse they day after the previous race to the point where I ran on the Wednesday but then not again until the next Wednesday. This went ok so at late notice on Friday I decided to head to Navan to do their 6K race as a speed session. Sure who needs training when you have races :-) As this was a last minute decision having had a few pints the previous night with a friend home from Dubai was sure to be of assistance wasn't it?
Susan who was also doing the race was trying to convince me to set off at a certain pace but I wasn't being too responsive to the thoughts of it. In the end I figured maybe trying 6:50-7 pace to begin with and try to hang on. After a couple of laps of the track and a jog down to the start we were ready to go.
When we got going I was trying to keep it steady for the first 1/2 mile as everyone found their position. Susan was just ahead and I latched onto her tail as the pace seemed to settle around 6:50ish. It didn't feel too bad but then it shouldn't for that early in a race. Michelle & Maurice were also in close proximity as we completed the first mile in 6:50. I fell behind by a couple of metres after around 2K and had a decision to make as to whether to run my own race or tuck in with the others. I decided the company was decent so bridged the gap. Maurice had picked up at this stage as I hung on to Michelle & Susan somewhat. We were gradually passing people though so that was a good sign.
The second mile passed in 6:48 a slight increase in pace but we were now working pretty hard for it. There wasn't much let up as we all took turns at the front driving the pace. My only thoughts at the time were to try and stick with them until we got back to the track if I could. The pace and effort kept ramping up in the 3rd mile and at this point the legs were screaming out for some relief, but that would have to wait. Mile 3 completed in 6:39. The markers were in KM's and for once they counted down to the finish rather than up. With 1K to go I tried to put in a bit of a spurt and bridged a gap to a small group in front of us which I passed, we were then hit with an incline to the finish and my legs felt like I was running in treacle. The field was really strung out and I was closing slightly on a couple in front of me. I didn't hear anyone behind me but with a quick glance I noticed Michelle was right on my shoulder and Susan just behind. I was pretty sure they were going to come past me given how I felt but I thought if I could get to the track and the final 100 metres still ahead I might hold them off. This I did and although I spent the last 50 metres trying to get sick I crossed the line in 59th place with the others just behind me. Finally I could stop and I ended up bent over in two on the infield losing my pre race snack.
Michelle said afterwards that we dragged her around but I think it was the other way round. She ran a great race to pick up 2nd in her category. All that running in Ardgillan is paying off in spades.
Despite the extra distance this evening the pace was quicker than the 5K from the week before. Really happy with that.
I celebrated by doing the Ardgillan Parkrun on Saturday morning. The legs were tired to this was just an easy run on a glorious morning. A change to take in the scenery.
So that is it for the moment. A lot going on at the moment but hoping for no more setbacks and to get back to some structured training this month. Hopefully will be able to do Bohermeen 5K this week and Dunshaughlin 10K towards the end of the month.
The silly season is almost upon us where the race series kicks off and people's thoughts turn to Bank Holiday Monday in October. If I can get back to decent training this month sure you never know...
Na Fianna 5K in 21:00 (6:37, 6:54, 6:51, 6:37*)
Headed into this not knowing what to expect or aim for having done one speed session in the last couple of months and generally been recovering from injury during that time.
After a jog down to the start we hung around for a bit before a couple of strides closer to the off.
Before long we set off and it struck me the quality of the field how many that were in front of us compared to normal.
Passed the 1K mark in around 4:10 I think and if anything the pace picked up a bit around the first corner and first mile was clocked at 6:37. Rosemary was beside me but she gradually opened up a bit of a gap and I was already feeling it having probably made the mistake of going out too fast. I wasn't sure if it was time to knuckle down and run my own race. Thoughts turned to pulling up but I copped on and thought of all the days I wasn't able to run. Legs were feeling every little bump in the road I was keeping an eye on the average pace and it was slowing slightly but felt like I was moving a lot slower.
Second mile clocked off in 6:54 and was I trying to convince myself it would be over soon enough. As we turned again I tried to pick it up a small bit and was happy to see the 4K mark on the road soon after. Legs were pretty fooked at this stage but still moving. Got passed by a couple of people in the last 400 and wasn't able to put up much of a fight. This wasn't a day for any sort of sprint finish.
Crossed the line in 21:07 gun time and 21:03 by my watch.
This is 32 seconds off my PB from last December which is not bad I suppose as comebacks go. Given fitness where it's at and also carrying a few extra KG I'm happy enough with the time. It was also a reminder of how much you have to push yourself in a 5K from the start right until the finish.
Navan 6K in 25:12 (6:50, 6:48, 6:39, 6:43*)
The afore mentioned blister had gotten worse they day after the previous race to the point where I ran on the Wednesday but then not again until the next Wednesday. This went ok so at late notice on Friday I decided to head to Navan to do their 6K race as a speed session. Sure who needs training when you have races :-) As this was a last minute decision having had a few pints the previous night with a friend home from Dubai was sure to be of assistance wasn't it?
Susan who was also doing the race was trying to convince me to set off at a certain pace but I wasn't being too responsive to the thoughts of it. In the end I figured maybe trying 6:50-7 pace to begin with and try to hang on. After a couple of laps of the track and a jog down to the start we were ready to go.
When we got going I was trying to keep it steady for the first 1/2 mile as everyone found their position. Susan was just ahead and I latched onto her tail as the pace seemed to settle around 6:50ish. It didn't feel too bad but then it shouldn't for that early in a race. Michelle & Maurice were also in close proximity as we completed the first mile in 6:50. I fell behind by a couple of metres after around 2K and had a decision to make as to whether to run my own race or tuck in with the others. I decided the company was decent so bridged the gap. Maurice had picked up at this stage as I hung on to Michelle & Susan somewhat. We were gradually passing people though so that was a good sign.
The second mile passed in 6:48 a slight increase in pace but we were now working pretty hard for it. There wasn't much let up as we all took turns at the front driving the pace. My only thoughts at the time were to try and stick with them until we got back to the track if I could. The pace and effort kept ramping up in the 3rd mile and at this point the legs were screaming out for some relief, but that would have to wait. Mile 3 completed in 6:39. The markers were in KM's and for once they counted down to the finish rather than up. With 1K to go I tried to put in a bit of a spurt and bridged a gap to a small group in front of us which I passed, we were then hit with an incline to the finish and my legs felt like I was running in treacle. The field was really strung out and I was closing slightly on a couple in front of me. I didn't hear anyone behind me but with a quick glance I noticed Michelle was right on my shoulder and Susan just behind. I was pretty sure they were going to come past me given how I felt but I thought if I could get to the track and the final 100 metres still ahead I might hold them off. This I did and although I spent the last 50 metres trying to get sick I crossed the line in 59th place with the others just behind me. Finally I could stop and I ended up bent over in two on the infield losing my pre race snack.
Michelle said afterwards that we dragged her around but I think it was the other way round. She ran a great race to pick up 2nd in her category. All that running in Ardgillan is paying off in spades.
Despite the extra distance this evening the pace was quicker than the 5K from the week before. Really happy with that.
I celebrated by doing the Ardgillan Parkrun on Saturday morning. The legs were tired to this was just an easy run on a glorious morning. A change to take in the scenery.
So that is it for the moment. A lot going on at the moment but hoping for no more setbacks and to get back to some structured training this month. Hopefully will be able to do Bohermeen 5K this week and Dunshaughlin 10K towards the end of the month.
The silly season is almost upon us where the race series kicks off and people's thoughts turn to Bank Holiday Monday in October. If I can get back to decent training this month sure you never know...
Monday 12 May 2014
We're not there yet but we're getting there
So this week was to be an attempt at getting back to full training, following Gary's plan as best I could and not falling apart in the process. Here's how it went:
Monday 5th May
4.68 miles @ 9:46 pace
Just a nice leisurely few miles to keep the legs ticking over and freshen them up for Tuesday's speed session. Had no strength & conditioning class with the bank holiday.
Tuesday 6th May
2 miles warm up
5 x 1K w/90 sec recovery
.6 mile cool down
Second week back at speed training and with my usual pacing partners not there, coupled with a stiff wind this was going to be a toughie. This distance was approx 1K with Gary moving the finish after the first one. The Garmin showed the distance approx 950 metres for the first one and 1050 for the rest. The paces for the 5 reps was (6:38, 6:38, 6:42, 6:44, 6:42). This was a toughie as there was nobody really to pace off and required a lot of digging in at times to try and hold it together. Got through it in the end and pace wise held it together pretty good.
Wednesday 7th May
30 mins strength & conditioning. As with everything else I'm getting back into this gradually as well. It certainly gives you a shock to the system and by the time it's finished I feel like crawling home. No DOM's as such to speak of this week :-)
Thursday 8th May
5.44 miles @ 8:50 pace
Again just an easy paced run with Rosemary over the Silverstream loop which contains a couple of hills that you only want to be running easy anyway. Lovely to have the option of different routes again with the bright evenings.
Friday 9th May
1 mile warm up
6 mile tempo (7:51, 7:16, 7:57, 7:18, 7:51, 7:27)
1 mile cool down
The dreaded tempo. Spent most of Friday afternoon thinking about this having forgotten how tough they were. This one looked horrible on paper alternating between just faster than marathon pace and 10K pace every second mile.
The trusty tempo crew (Rosemary & Susan) were in tow for this one. The first mile was fine and the pick up in pace for the first mile wasn't too bad. During the 3rd mile it got tough as the legs felt like they were easing up but the head knew what was coming next. I felt like stopping on jogging back to where we started but I hung onto the coat tails of the others convincing myself I'd stop after 4 miles. Legs were in a mess at this stage but hung on again for the 5th mile. The last mile was a toughie and I lost track a bit when I got a fly in the eye but got back going quickly trying to not let the gap increase any further. It did by a few seconds as I finished with nothing left. A great session to get out of the way and one I would never have gotten near finishing without company.
Saturday 10th May
4.6 miles @ 9:26 pace
Legs were pretty wrecked after the previous day so just ticked off a few miles on grass around Gormanston College and the pitches across the road.
Sunday 11th May
60 minutes easy + 25 mins @ MP
6.68 miles @ 8:59
3.16 miles @ 7:55
1 mile cool down
This was a long run with a bit of a change up at the end. Headed from Stamullen towards Balbriggan where some of the group turned back after 4 miles. I headed into Balbriggan and back the old N1 with Rosemary & Colin. We hit the 60 minute mark close to the Delvin bridge and after a quick reset of the watches we set off on the 25 minutes at marathon pace back towards Stamullen. This was testing as it was mainly into a pretty stiff breeze the whole way back to Stamullen and it felt like we were working a bit harder. Still the miles were clocked off and luckily enough we finished pretty close to the cars after negotiating that last hill up to the school. We all agreed the legs would benefit from a bit of a cool down so we did a slow 1/2 mile up the road and back.
Summary: So there you have it, I only realised writing the above that I ran 6 days out of 7. Maybe not recommended just yet but a couple of the days were very easy running. Just under 40 miles for the week as well including 2 tough sessions and a pick up at the end of the long run. Happy with that. A few more weeks like that and I might have a bit of fitness back.
Monday 5th May
4.68 miles @ 9:46 pace
Just a nice leisurely few miles to keep the legs ticking over and freshen them up for Tuesday's speed session. Had no strength & conditioning class with the bank holiday.
Tuesday 6th May
2 miles warm up
5 x 1K w/90 sec recovery
.6 mile cool down
Second week back at speed training and with my usual pacing partners not there, coupled with a stiff wind this was going to be a toughie. This distance was approx 1K with Gary moving the finish after the first one. The Garmin showed the distance approx 950 metres for the first one and 1050 for the rest. The paces for the 5 reps was (6:38, 6:38, 6:42, 6:44, 6:42). This was a toughie as there was nobody really to pace off and required a lot of digging in at times to try and hold it together. Got through it in the end and pace wise held it together pretty good.
Wednesday 7th May
30 mins strength & conditioning. As with everything else I'm getting back into this gradually as well. It certainly gives you a shock to the system and by the time it's finished I feel like crawling home. No DOM's as such to speak of this week :-)
Thursday 8th May
5.44 miles @ 8:50 pace
Again just an easy paced run with Rosemary over the Silverstream loop which contains a couple of hills that you only want to be running easy anyway. Lovely to have the option of different routes again with the bright evenings.
Friday 9th May
1 mile warm up
6 mile tempo (7:51, 7:16, 7:57, 7:18, 7:51, 7:27)
1 mile cool down
The dreaded tempo. Spent most of Friday afternoon thinking about this having forgotten how tough they were. This one looked horrible on paper alternating between just faster than marathon pace and 10K pace every second mile.
The trusty tempo crew (Rosemary & Susan) were in tow for this one. The first mile was fine and the pick up in pace for the first mile wasn't too bad. During the 3rd mile it got tough as the legs felt like they were easing up but the head knew what was coming next. I felt like stopping on jogging back to where we started but I hung onto the coat tails of the others convincing myself I'd stop after 4 miles. Legs were in a mess at this stage but hung on again for the 5th mile. The last mile was a toughie and I lost track a bit when I got a fly in the eye but got back going quickly trying to not let the gap increase any further. It did by a few seconds as I finished with nothing left. A great session to get out of the way and one I would never have gotten near finishing without company.
Saturday 10th May
4.6 miles @ 9:26 pace
Legs were pretty wrecked after the previous day so just ticked off a few miles on grass around Gormanston College and the pitches across the road.
Sunday 11th May
60 minutes easy + 25 mins @ MP
6.68 miles @ 8:59
3.16 miles @ 7:55
1 mile cool down
This was a long run with a bit of a change up at the end. Headed from Stamullen towards Balbriggan where some of the group turned back after 4 miles. I headed into Balbriggan and back the old N1 with Rosemary & Colin. We hit the 60 minute mark close to the Delvin bridge and after a quick reset of the watches we set off on the 25 minutes at marathon pace back towards Stamullen. This was testing as it was mainly into a pretty stiff breeze the whole way back to Stamullen and it felt like we were working a bit harder. Still the miles were clocked off and luckily enough we finished pretty close to the cars after negotiating that last hill up to the school. We all agreed the legs would benefit from a bit of a cool down so we did a slow 1/2 mile up the road and back.
Summary: So there you have it, I only realised writing the above that I ran 6 days out of 7. Maybe not recommended just yet but a couple of the days were very easy running. Just under 40 miles for the week as well including 2 tough sessions and a pick up at the end of the long run. Happy with that. A few more weeks like that and I might have a bit of fitness back.
Wednesday 7 May 2014
A Quick Update
Having not given an update recently I suppose now is as good a time as any. As most of you know I pulled out of the marathon with just over a week to go. While it was a difficult decision is was definitely the right decision. Given how I felt around that time I might have gotten round the course somehow but it would most likely have been a horrific experience.
I looked on with a bit of envy at the race and couldn't help feeling a bit down in the dumps about the whole thing. It was like a sense of failure and letting various people down. I came round to myself pretty quickly though and realised how lucky I was that I was able to run and train like this and that this should be treated like what it was, just a small speed bump in the greater scheme of things. My problem was not a real problem in the greater scheme of things.
The week after the marathon I did 3 shortish runs but there was still a nagging pain there and a bit of soreness afterwards. The following week I got 4 runs in including two hilly runs. These were a big improvement but I did feel a bit of soreness after the last run. It was great however to be back out running with friends and enjoying it again.
Last week was just 3 runs again but this included a club session which I managed to get through unscathed. I also took in Ardgillan Parkrun for the fun of it as well. There is nothing fun though about that last mile. My time was 23:49. Slow for a 5K but I'm not sure how much that course is slower than a normal 5K. I also started back doing a couple of strength & conditioning classes last week and they brought the expected DOM's with them. Will keep them going as I felt great benefit to them before Christmas.
I almost forgot to mention the last week was completed without any pain from the injury. It has been a longer road than expected. I'll take another couple of weeks to decide race wise what I want to target over the summer months. Slowly but surely I'll get there. In the meantime I'll start posting weekly updates again now that I'm doing something meaningful again.
I looked on with a bit of envy at the race and couldn't help feeling a bit down in the dumps about the whole thing. It was like a sense of failure and letting various people down. I came round to myself pretty quickly though and realised how lucky I was that I was able to run and train like this and that this should be treated like what it was, just a small speed bump in the greater scheme of things. My problem was not a real problem in the greater scheme of things.
The week after the marathon I did 3 shortish runs but there was still a nagging pain there and a bit of soreness afterwards. The following week I got 4 runs in including two hilly runs. These were a big improvement but I did feel a bit of soreness after the last run. It was great however to be back out running with friends and enjoying it again.
Last week was just 3 runs again but this included a club session which I managed to get through unscathed. I also took in Ardgillan Parkrun for the fun of it as well. There is nothing fun though about that last mile. My time was 23:49. Slow for a 5K but I'm not sure how much that course is slower than a normal 5K. I also started back doing a couple of strength & conditioning classes last week and they brought the expected DOM's with them. Will keep them going as I felt great benefit to them before Christmas.
I almost forgot to mention the last week was completed without any pain from the injury. It has been a longer road than expected. I'll take another couple of weeks to decide race wise what I want to target over the summer months. Slowly but surely I'll get there. In the meantime I'll start posting weekly updates again now that I'm doing something meaningful again.
Tuesday 25 March 2014
Whatever will be, will be
The above pretty much sums everything up for me at the moment. In summary following on from last week I was anxious to try and get rid of the niggle or whatever was going on with my Achilles. I visited Mark last Tuesday night and got some dry needling on the Achilles which involved 6 needles being stuck in my Achilles at various points. Luckily I couldn't see it going on.
Mark also commented how it seemed inflamed compared to the other one. I did around 45 mins or so on Thursday & Friday but there was no real improvement, no better but not any worse either. I took Saturday off to give myself the best chance at running on Sunday. Again there was no real difference so I called it quits after 4 miles rather than risk doing something silly for the sake of it. I visited Mark again on Sunday evening and following consultation with another physio who had suffered the same injury himself the area was strapped up with Kinesio tape to try and help a bit and some self massage was recommended around the area to try and get the excess fluid away from the area.
I will try a few miles this evening to see if there is any improvement but from reading about it achille's tendinitis does not necessarily heal in a hurry.
With 19 days to go to the Marathon I feel everything is in the lap of the gods to be honest. Never mind the important sessions or training I'm missing on what should be a peak week there is nothing I can do about that now. It's no longer about worrying about goal times or paces but more trying to get to the start line in a condition that I can finish the race.
I would prefer to be out running miles than constantly icing the area or taking anti-inflammatory's to try and reduce the inflammation. That is the annoying part. It wouldn't be so bad if this was just another race but this is 'The Race', the one I have always wanted to do. The race that has driven me to get out the door and complete sessions on the most horrible winter nights we had this past few months.
Wednesday 19 March 2014
Not great, but it could be worse
So after an easy week of sorts last week it was all about getting back to normal this week with only a couple of peak weeks left to go before tapering/easing off for London.
As usual with me though things never do seem to go exactly to plan. On Monday I joined the Balbriggan Roadrunners group for 5.75 miles at an easy pace around Balbriggan. Achilles felt a tad tight after the long run the day before but nothing major.
Tuesday is speed night and Gary had told me in advance to get there early and start into a 50 min Tempo at 1/2 marathon pace. After a 1.5 mile warm up and some stretching I set out on laps and laps of the track, felt a bit sluggish for the first 10 minutes or so but built into it and finished with 7:26 pace for the 50 mins. Wrapped up with a mile cool down.
Wednesday was a 6 mile recovery and the Achilles was throbbing a bit and ended up getting it looked at by Mark that evening. Had a couple of days off on Thursday/Friday and didn't really want the tempo hanging over me so set out on Thursday to see could I manage it. Got going after a 1 mile warm up on my usual loop where I could stop if I needed to and not be too far from home. Once I got 5/6 miles into it I was going to finish it as I didn't want to have to do it again. Managed the 11 miles @ 7:56 pace but it wasn't pleasant. The pace wasn't an issue just the pain and picking up a nice blood blister on the other foot :-( Was pretty difficult to walk later that day but with the tempo out of the way I was happy to take a couple of days off and let things settle down a bit.
Came back at it on Sunday with 4.3 miles at an easy pace. Didn't really feel the love for this one to be honest and was still in pain but not as bad. I think the run the next day was hanging over me a bit. Spent a good bit of the evening icing the Achilles and foam rolling as well. What a wonderful way to spend your bank holiday Sunday night.
The plan for Monday was 7 miles before the Balbriggan 1/2 marathon at around 8:40 pace and then do the first 7 miles of that at 8:30 and the last 6 at 8:20. I honestly didn't know doing the warm up miles if I would even be lining up at the start. I had committed to meeting Niall Campbell though so I just got on with it and got through them ok though without much discomfort and made the start line just in time. Took off at an easy pace but the start is downhill so by the time I was joined by a friend of mine Matt towards the end of the first mile the pace was a bit fast at under 8 min miles. We toddled along and chatted and the miles ticked off and soon enough we had a loop done. The pace felt pretty easy and not pushing it, although quicker than it should have been. Legs tired a bit on the 2nd loop but not surprising with the amount of hills. Was really happy to get to the finish in one piece and think I finished in 1:46:xx without ever really forcing the pace.
I suppose the bad news again is that I haven't run since but I kind of expected that after Monday and got some dry needling (ouch) on the Achilles on Tuesday night from the ever reliable Mark. I think it's probably sensible to try and get it sorted properly now and take a couple of rest days than have it linger on closer to the marathon.
All in all still 57 odd miles over the 8 days. It could be worse.
As usual with me though things never do seem to go exactly to plan. On Monday I joined the Balbriggan Roadrunners group for 5.75 miles at an easy pace around Balbriggan. Achilles felt a tad tight after the long run the day before but nothing major.
Tuesday is speed night and Gary had told me in advance to get there early and start into a 50 min Tempo at 1/2 marathon pace. After a 1.5 mile warm up and some stretching I set out on laps and laps of the track, felt a bit sluggish for the first 10 minutes or so but built into it and finished with 7:26 pace for the 50 mins. Wrapped up with a mile cool down.
Wednesday was a 6 mile recovery and the Achilles was throbbing a bit and ended up getting it looked at by Mark that evening. Had a couple of days off on Thursday/Friday and didn't really want the tempo hanging over me so set out on Thursday to see could I manage it. Got going after a 1 mile warm up on my usual loop where I could stop if I needed to and not be too far from home. Once I got 5/6 miles into it I was going to finish it as I didn't want to have to do it again. Managed the 11 miles @ 7:56 pace but it wasn't pleasant. The pace wasn't an issue just the pain and picking up a nice blood blister on the other foot :-( Was pretty difficult to walk later that day but with the tempo out of the way I was happy to take a couple of days off and let things settle down a bit.
Came back at it on Sunday with 4.3 miles at an easy pace. Didn't really feel the love for this one to be honest and was still in pain but not as bad. I think the run the next day was hanging over me a bit. Spent a good bit of the evening icing the Achilles and foam rolling as well. What a wonderful way to spend your bank holiday Sunday night.
The plan for Monday was 7 miles before the Balbriggan 1/2 marathon at around 8:40 pace and then do the first 7 miles of that at 8:30 and the last 6 at 8:20. I honestly didn't know doing the warm up miles if I would even be lining up at the start. I had committed to meeting Niall Campbell though so I just got on with it and got through them ok though without much discomfort and made the start line just in time. Took off at an easy pace but the start is downhill so by the time I was joined by a friend of mine Matt towards the end of the first mile the pace was a bit fast at under 8 min miles. We toddled along and chatted and the miles ticked off and soon enough we had a loop done. The pace felt pretty easy and not pushing it, although quicker than it should have been. Legs tired a bit on the 2nd loop but not surprising with the amount of hills. Was really happy to get to the finish in one piece and think I finished in 1:46:xx without ever really forcing the pace.
I suppose the bad news again is that I haven't run since but I kind of expected that after Monday and got some dry needling (ouch) on the Achilles on Tuesday night from the ever reliable Mark. I think it's probably sensible to try and get it sorted properly now and take a couple of rest days than have it linger on closer to the marathon.
All in all still 57 odd miles over the 8 days. It could be worse.
Monday 10 March 2014
Letting the body recover
After the race last weekend and the effort put into it the body naturally needs some time to repair itself and recover. This doesn't mean doing nothing, but rather not trying to push the boat out again too soon afterwards.
Monday was a recovery run of just over 4 miles where the legs felt heavy and all over the place, but with the pace slow enough it helped aid recovery. This was followed up with some foam rolling on tight spots in the legs which was painful but seemed to work. Tuesday's session was shelved by Gary as he emphasised the need to recover properly before going again so there was just a 30 minute steady run which along with the warm up was just under 6 miles for the night.
Wednesday saw a return to strength & conditioning class after an easy 5 miles to warm up. The legs showed how they weren't recovered fully during the finisher but that was OK. The tempo session was replaced with a 90 minute easy run which ended up as 10 miles and there was another 6 miles easy on Friday breaking in my new Mizuno Wave Inspire 10's. Legs had been pretty tired as was 6th day in a row running but woke up a bit for the last couple of miles.
With Saturday being a planned rest day as I had to play golf I was hoping the body had recovered sufficiently for the long run on Sunday. This was to be 19 miles and I was out in Stamullen early to get some miles in before meeting with the other from the club for their long run. I got 6 in before joining them. With the early start the legs took a few miles to get going but were grand then. We set off on a 9 mile loop and with the good company before we knew it I was back at the car with just under 15 miles done. Took a drink on board here and a gel just to try it out and set off for another 4 miles. While the legs were tired at this point the pace seemed to pick up a bit which was a good sign. Maybe I just wanted to get finished.
All in all was happy with the run and the week in general. Just over 50 miles covered in what was meant to be an easy week :-)
Monday was a recovery run of just over 4 miles where the legs felt heavy and all over the place, but with the pace slow enough it helped aid recovery. This was followed up with some foam rolling on tight spots in the legs which was painful but seemed to work. Tuesday's session was shelved by Gary as he emphasised the need to recover properly before going again so there was just a 30 minute steady run which along with the warm up was just under 6 miles for the night.
Wednesday saw a return to strength & conditioning class after an easy 5 miles to warm up. The legs showed how they weren't recovered fully during the finisher but that was OK. The tempo session was replaced with a 90 minute easy run which ended up as 10 miles and there was another 6 miles easy on Friday breaking in my new Mizuno Wave Inspire 10's. Legs had been pretty tired as was 6th day in a row running but woke up a bit for the last couple of miles.
With Saturday being a planned rest day as I had to play golf I was hoping the body had recovered sufficiently for the long run on Sunday. This was to be 19 miles and I was out in Stamullen early to get some miles in before meeting with the other from the club for their long run. I got 6 in before joining them. With the early start the legs took a few miles to get going but were grand then. We set off on a 9 mile loop and with the good company before we knew it I was back at the car with just under 15 miles done. Took a drink on board here and a gel just to try it out and set off for another 4 miles. While the legs were tired at this point the pace seemed to pick up a bit which was a good sign. Maybe I just wanted to get finished.
All in all was happy with the run and the week in general. Just over 50 miles covered in what was meant to be an easy week :-)
Monday 3 March 2014
I get knocked down but I get up again...
Been a couple of weeks since I posted as suffered another bit of a setback and have only run 6 times in the past 2 weeks.
Did a good session on Tue 18th (7x4 mins) and was looking forward to 3 days off work and getting training done mostly before the weekend as there was some real life stuff planned and taking over most of the weekend.
Got up Wednesday morning and changed ready to go for a run and Boom got hit by a spasm in the back. Went ahead and met Susan and did the run but was pretty tight after it. Had hoped to do my Tempo run the next day but as I attempted the warm up I knew it wasn't going to happen and I limped around 5.5 miles at around 9:50 pace.
I had hoped it would clear up and gave it a couple of days but eventually got stretched out on Monday which seemed to help. Went along and got a good 30 min Tempo in on Tuesday night and had the quandary with the race the weekend that I couldn't start really ramping up the miles again before the race so just did a couple of days easy running.
With all the goings on I hadn't really thought too much about the 1/2 marathon or a target time and even had to check what my PB was the day before. Maybe that's the best way to be. Travelled over with Susan and as we got closer to Navan we could see the sky turning grey followed by the inevitable rain. Saw the 10K runners pass us as we headed towards the car park and even though it was early in their race there didn't seem to be much enjoyment on their faces :-(
Met Rosemary & Eamonn as we left the car park and also one of our elites Neil Callaghan for the first time. He was hoping to run around 75 mins but obviously had a great race to finish 3rd in 72:40. Got changed and after meeting Niall Campbell decided to ditch the base layer and just go with the singlet (was glad I did). After a 1.5 mile warm up with Gareth we were at the start line and I moved forward trying to find Rosemary & Susan but alas I couldn't locate them anywhere. I presumed I would see them somewhere on route but for now I was on my own. Race started fairly promptly which was just as well as the rain was pretty heavy waiting around.
Miles 1-4 (7:24, 7:30, 7:15, 7:16)
My plan for the first few miles was around 7:30 pace and see how that felt. Took it steady from the start and had settled well after the first mile was out of the way. The first couple of miles was different to last year so was content to use it to get into the race. After we came back onto the course we were used to the I spotted the others in the distance and hoped to make up ground to them in the next few miles without doing anything mad. Was a bit surprised when the 3rd mile registered as 7:15 as it didn't feel like I had picked up pace too much despite having overtaken a few. Keeping the same effort I was gradually making up ground on the others and joined then after around 4 miles.
Miles 5-8 (7:19, 7:25, 7:27, 7:22)
I tucked in with the others and everyone was in good spirits as we registered another quickish mile but I knew the mail hill on the course and gradual rise towards the end of the first lap lay in wait. We coaxed each other up the hill saying it would be over in a minute and it was. I let the legs come back to themselves a bit and set about keeping the effort consistent then. Passed the clubhouse at around 7 miles and was great to see so many familiar faces from the club that had hung around after the 10K. This definitely put a pep in the step setting out on another loop. Legs were hurting at this stage and tried to take a bit of water on but the stomach was rejecting it so just did without. We were now running into the wind mainly which seemed to have picked up and although the effort had increased a bit the pace was only holding steady at best.
Miles 9-13.1 (7:28, 7:10, 7:13, 7:18, 7:20, 6:31*)
Another mile into the wind brought us to the main road and a change of direction. Shortly after the 9 mile mark Susan told me I was looking strong and told me to head on so I decided to try and pick it up over the next couple of miles if I could. I set about just trying to pass as many as I could and working from group to group. This seemed to help as the next mile registered at 7:10, but there was still 3 miles to go. Knowing the last 1.5 miles was tough enough I was hoping the wheels wouldn't come tumbling off. A 7:13 mile brought me to the flyover and legs were pretty shot at this stage. A slight downhill and up the hill and over the flyover to be greeted with a pretty strong wind wasn't what I was hoping for. It didn't help that I felt out on my feet but knew if I just kept putting one foot in front of the other it would be over soon enough. Pulled up alongside Karen Clarke here and exchanged pleasantries as best we could. I think we helped each other a bit and with around 400 metres to go I spotted another group of maybe 4/5 runners that could be picked off so set about trying to. Got them with about 150 metres to go and amazingly some of the earlier club gang were still there. Swung onto the track and I don't think I was ever as happy to see the finish line. After hanging over the railings and getting sick a little I checked my watch so see 1:36:24 showing. Checking later this was an 88 second PB which I was thrilled with.
13.14 miles in 1:36:24
Avg Pace: 7:20
Caught up with the others as we got changed inside and there seemed to be lots of great PB's and times run by everyone on what wasn't an easy day.
Summary: A really well organised race by Bohermeen in my opinion. A bit of a confidence booster at the end of a difficult month where I didn't hit any of my goals. They were always going to be toughies and probably needed a perfect months training in reality. Sometimes we and definitely me forget that we do this for a bit of fun mainly. At least with the bits of layoffs I have had I got a chance to remind myself of that and how lucky we are to be able to run in the first place.
The next month will hopefully all about building endurance and getting 4 decent long runs in before taper for London. It's all getting a bit too real now and I know from previous experiences there is no comparison between a 1/2 Marathon & Marathon.
I'll be doing what I can to help this transition over the next few weeks, hopefully with no more enforced breaks. For now these legs need a few days easy running to recover from yesterday...
Did a good session on Tue 18th (7x4 mins) and was looking forward to 3 days off work and getting training done mostly before the weekend as there was some real life stuff planned and taking over most of the weekend.
Got up Wednesday morning and changed ready to go for a run and Boom got hit by a spasm in the back. Went ahead and met Susan and did the run but was pretty tight after it. Had hoped to do my Tempo run the next day but as I attempted the warm up I knew it wasn't going to happen and I limped around 5.5 miles at around 9:50 pace.
I had hoped it would clear up and gave it a couple of days but eventually got stretched out on Monday which seemed to help. Went along and got a good 30 min Tempo in on Tuesday night and had the quandary with the race the weekend that I couldn't start really ramping up the miles again before the race so just did a couple of days easy running.
With all the goings on I hadn't really thought too much about the 1/2 marathon or a target time and even had to check what my PB was the day before. Maybe that's the best way to be. Travelled over with Susan and as we got closer to Navan we could see the sky turning grey followed by the inevitable rain. Saw the 10K runners pass us as we headed towards the car park and even though it was early in their race there didn't seem to be much enjoyment on their faces :-(
Met Rosemary & Eamonn as we left the car park and also one of our elites Neil Callaghan for the first time. He was hoping to run around 75 mins but obviously had a great race to finish 3rd in 72:40. Got changed and after meeting Niall Campbell decided to ditch the base layer and just go with the singlet (was glad I did). After a 1.5 mile warm up with Gareth we were at the start line and I moved forward trying to find Rosemary & Susan but alas I couldn't locate them anywhere. I presumed I would see them somewhere on route but for now I was on my own. Race started fairly promptly which was just as well as the rain was pretty heavy waiting around.
Miles 1-4 (7:24, 7:30, 7:15, 7:16)
My plan for the first few miles was around 7:30 pace and see how that felt. Took it steady from the start and had settled well after the first mile was out of the way. The first couple of miles was different to last year so was content to use it to get into the race. After we came back onto the course we were used to the I spotted the others in the distance and hoped to make up ground to them in the next few miles without doing anything mad. Was a bit surprised when the 3rd mile registered as 7:15 as it didn't feel like I had picked up pace too much despite having overtaken a few. Keeping the same effort I was gradually making up ground on the others and joined then after around 4 miles.
Miles 5-8 (7:19, 7:25, 7:27, 7:22)
I tucked in with the others and everyone was in good spirits as we registered another quickish mile but I knew the mail hill on the course and gradual rise towards the end of the first lap lay in wait. We coaxed each other up the hill saying it would be over in a minute and it was. I let the legs come back to themselves a bit and set about keeping the effort consistent then. Passed the clubhouse at around 7 miles and was great to see so many familiar faces from the club that had hung around after the 10K. This definitely put a pep in the step setting out on another loop. Legs were hurting at this stage and tried to take a bit of water on but the stomach was rejecting it so just did without. We were now running into the wind mainly which seemed to have picked up and although the effort had increased a bit the pace was only holding steady at best.
Miles 9-13.1 (7:28, 7:10, 7:13, 7:18, 7:20, 6:31*)
Another mile into the wind brought us to the main road and a change of direction. Shortly after the 9 mile mark Susan told me I was looking strong and told me to head on so I decided to try and pick it up over the next couple of miles if I could. I set about just trying to pass as many as I could and working from group to group. This seemed to help as the next mile registered at 7:10, but there was still 3 miles to go. Knowing the last 1.5 miles was tough enough I was hoping the wheels wouldn't come tumbling off. A 7:13 mile brought me to the flyover and legs were pretty shot at this stage. A slight downhill and up the hill and over the flyover to be greeted with a pretty strong wind wasn't what I was hoping for. It didn't help that I felt out on my feet but knew if I just kept putting one foot in front of the other it would be over soon enough. Pulled up alongside Karen Clarke here and exchanged pleasantries as best we could. I think we helped each other a bit and with around 400 metres to go I spotted another group of maybe 4/5 runners that could be picked off so set about trying to. Got them with about 150 metres to go and amazingly some of the earlier club gang were still there. Swung onto the track and I don't think I was ever as happy to see the finish line. After hanging over the railings and getting sick a little I checked my watch so see 1:36:24 showing. Checking later this was an 88 second PB which I was thrilled with.
13.14 miles in 1:36:24
Avg Pace: 7:20
Caught up with the others as we got changed inside and there seemed to be lots of great PB's and times run by everyone on what wasn't an easy day.
Summary: A really well organised race by Bohermeen in my opinion. A bit of a confidence booster at the end of a difficult month where I didn't hit any of my goals. They were always going to be toughies and probably needed a perfect months training in reality. Sometimes we and definitely me forget that we do this for a bit of fun mainly. At least with the bits of layoffs I have had I got a chance to remind myself of that and how lucky we are to be able to run in the first place.
The next month will hopefully all about building endurance and getting 4 decent long runs in before taper for London. It's all getting a bit too real now and I know from previous experiences there is no comparison between a 1/2 Marathon & Marathon.
I'll be doing what I can to help this transition over the next few weeks, hopefully with no more enforced breaks. For now these legs need a few days easy running to recover from yesterday...
Monday 17 February 2014
Battling the elements
The past couple of weeks have been tough mentally as well as physically with mother nature throwing everything our way. Also had a small setback of sorts the week before last but nothing major. More details below:
Monday 3rd Feb - Recovery Run
5.03 miles @ 10:08
Just a loop around the town at a very sedate pace to freshen the legs up a bit. Wasn't feeling the best in general after this so had an early night and took a couple of paracetamol hoping to stave off anything.
Tuesday 4th Feb - Session
1.78 miles w/u @ 9:09
7x2 mins w/1 min recovery (6:59, 7:28, 7:22, 7:01, 7:05, 6:54, 6:59)
0 CD
4.22 miles in total.
Hurricane like conditions greeted us along with driving rain and flooded track. Started to do a bit of a warm up to see how bad it was and was soaked after one lap so decided I might as well stay put with the rest of the lunatics. When Gary arrived I think he got a bit of a shock with how bad it was and took it easy on us this week. The paces really mean nothing as it was just a case of putting the head down and battling through the wind. Got it done eventually and for the first time ever nobody did a cool down. Fair play to all the hardy souls that turned up.
Friday 7th Feb - Tempo
1.65 miles @ 9:46
7 miles @ 7:43 (7:46, 7:46, 7:54, 7:43, 7:50, 7:30, 7:30)
1.67 miles @ 9:52
Had woken up on Wednesday with a knot between my shoulders that stayed there for a couple of days which meant no running, but had eased off enough for this session on Friday evening.
Met up with Rosemary for this and used the same 2 mile loop as last week. Was good to have the company and made it pass a bit quicker.
Even with the reduced miles this week just wasn't really feeling the love for it. Feeling pretty tired despite getting plenty of sleep. I think it was more a case of doing too much last week and also maybe some sort of viral thing going on.
Saturday 8th Feb - Ardgillan Parkrun
5K in 27:27
This was the first hosting of the Ardgillan parkrun and I decided to head up and do my easy run and support the event. Seemed to be a great turnout despite the weather. Was talking to Michelle from the club waiting for it to start and out chat continued over the first couple of miles that were mainly downhill or flat. Knowing Ardgillan all that means is while it's great to be running downhill you have to get all the way back up to where you came from. Even at an easy pace and not trying to run a time or anything I really struggled and just felt empty. Got there in the end anyway and look forward to giving it a proper go in the future.
Monday 10th Feb - Easy Run
9.5 miles @ 8:55
Pulled the plug on Sunday's long run as didn't fancy another slog and struggle. Ended up watching the Rugby on Sat afternoon and having a few drinks with the lads which I enjoyed.
With that in mind I did a longer than normal run this evening but not too long that it would impede on Tuesday's speed training.
Tuesday 11th Feb - Session
Last weeks storm was replaced with snow this week which didn't have an effect on the underfoot conditions just the back straight that was into the wind and the snow making it more difficult than normal.
Session was 3 sets of 2 mins @5K pace, 45 sec recovery, 6 mins @10K pace, 3 min recovery.
Paces were (6:54, 7:12, 6:49, 7:04, 6:52, 7:03)
Felt the effort was pretty consistent throughout and happy enough with the paces given the conditions. Was really a case of getting a breather when the wind was behind and digging in when into the wind. Finished strong which was the main thing.
Some week soon we must be due decent conditions.
6.78 miles in total incl w/u & c/d.
Monday 3rd Feb - Recovery Run
5.03 miles @ 10:08
Just a loop around the town at a very sedate pace to freshen the legs up a bit. Wasn't feeling the best in general after this so had an early night and took a couple of paracetamol hoping to stave off anything.
Tuesday 4th Feb - Session
1.78 miles w/u @ 9:09
7x2 mins w/1 min recovery (6:59, 7:28, 7:22, 7:01, 7:05, 6:54, 6:59)
0 CD
4.22 miles in total.
Hurricane like conditions greeted us along with driving rain and flooded track. Started to do a bit of a warm up to see how bad it was and was soaked after one lap so decided I might as well stay put with the rest of the lunatics. When Gary arrived I think he got a bit of a shock with how bad it was and took it easy on us this week. The paces really mean nothing as it was just a case of putting the head down and battling through the wind. Got it done eventually and for the first time ever nobody did a cool down. Fair play to all the hardy souls that turned up.
Friday 7th Feb - Tempo
1.65 miles @ 9:46
7 miles @ 7:43 (7:46, 7:46, 7:54, 7:43, 7:50, 7:30, 7:30)
1.67 miles @ 9:52
Had woken up on Wednesday with a knot between my shoulders that stayed there for a couple of days which meant no running, but had eased off enough for this session on Friday evening.
Met up with Rosemary for this and used the same 2 mile loop as last week. Was good to have the company and made it pass a bit quicker.
Even with the reduced miles this week just wasn't really feeling the love for it. Feeling pretty tired despite getting plenty of sleep. I think it was more a case of doing too much last week and also maybe some sort of viral thing going on.
Saturday 8th Feb - Ardgillan Parkrun
5K in 27:27
This was the first hosting of the Ardgillan parkrun and I decided to head up and do my easy run and support the event. Seemed to be a great turnout despite the weather. Was talking to Michelle from the club waiting for it to start and out chat continued over the first couple of miles that were mainly downhill or flat. Knowing Ardgillan all that means is while it's great to be running downhill you have to get all the way back up to where you came from. Even at an easy pace and not trying to run a time or anything I really struggled and just felt empty. Got there in the end anyway and look forward to giving it a proper go in the future.
Monday 10th Feb - Easy Run
9.5 miles @ 8:55
Pulled the plug on Sunday's long run as didn't fancy another slog and struggle. Ended up watching the Rugby on Sat afternoon and having a few drinks with the lads which I enjoyed.
With that in mind I did a longer than normal run this evening but not too long that it would impede on Tuesday's speed training.
Tuesday 11th Feb - Session
Last weeks storm was replaced with snow this week which didn't have an effect on the underfoot conditions just the back straight that was into the wind and the snow making it more difficult than normal.
Session was 3 sets of 2 mins @5K pace, 45 sec recovery, 6 mins @10K pace, 3 min recovery.
Paces were (6:54, 7:12, 6:49, 7:04, 6:52, 7:03)
Felt the effort was pretty consistent throughout and happy enough with the paces given the conditions. Was really a case of getting a breather when the wind was behind and digging in when into the wind. Finished strong which was the main thing.
Some week soon we must be due decent conditions.
6.78 miles in total incl w/u & c/d.
Thursday 13th Feb - Tempo
Plan was for 9 miles @ MP-10
9 miles @ 7:49
(7:53,7:48,7:52,7:46,7:56,7:51,7:55,7:43,7,41)
Delighted with how this went given the conditions.
11.3 miles total.
Plan was for 9 miles @ MP-10
9 miles @ 7:49
(7:53,7:48,7:52,7:46,7:56,7:51,7:55,7:43,7,41)
Delighted with how this went given the conditions.
11.3 miles total.
Friday 14th Feb - Recovery
6.05 miles @ 9:44
First early morning weekday run in a good while, but having seen the forecast for later it proved to be a wise decision. Was a lovely morning for a run but by the time I was in work the weather forecasters had gotten it right. Legs were tired from the previous evening and right knee was a bit sore.
Saturday 15th Feb - Easy Run
5.5 miles @ 8:54
A few hilly miles around the silverstream loop as it's known with a few from the club. Feeling a lot fresher this week compared to last week. Definitely think I was run down or something last week.
Sunday 16th Feb - Long Run
16 miles @ 8:32
A lot of the usual crew were heading to Bohermeen to do a trial run there but with time pressures and also a longer run to do I stayed local. Basically did the Balbriggan 1/2 marathon route with the bit to/from my house making it up to 16 miles. This had a nice blend of hills throughout but with it being a loop it all balances out in the end. After a couple of slower miles to start the pace gradually kept falling as the miles ticked by. Bit of frost in some spots but navigated these ok (apart from one spot on a hill). Toyed with the idea of tagging on a few extra miles but decided to stick to the plan in the end as had plenty of miles in the bag from this week (55). Really happy with how this went.
Summary: So after a bit of a setback last week it was followed by a much better weeks training this week. Fitting everything in continues to be difficult but helped by a very understanding wife. Another busy week coming up but we'll do our best to squeeze everything in. Having 3 days off work will help ;-)
Monday 3 February 2014
10 weeks and counting...
10 weeks to go to London now which I'm trying to put to the back of my mind for the moment and just take the training as it comes. Below is the rest of my training from last week.
Tuesday 28th January - Session
2.03 miles w/u @ 9:30
3 x 400 w/90 sec recovery (88,87,88)
20 min tempo @ 7:25 pace, avg HR 141
.81 miles c/d @ 9:05
I wasn't looking forward to this one after the race and long run and to be honest legs were feeling pretty crappy as expected during the warm up. I wasn't expecting to push it too much during this session.
Started off with 3x400m that was actually .23 according to the Garmin (the track we use in the winter is not a standard athletics track and around 475 metres so hard to get exact distances).
After that there was a 20 min tempo. Then came the light at the end of the tunnel. Gary told anyone that had done Raheny to just try and aim for HMP. This seemed to help my outlook and we started ticking off the laps and minutes. It felt a lot easier suddenly than HMP normally does and picked up the pace gradually for the last few minutes.
Really happy with how this went. Few laps cool down to finish.
Wednesday 29th January - Recovery
5.05 miles @ 9:51
Recovery run this evening keeping it as easy as possible to try and flush out the legs between sessions.
Followed up with 30 mins S&C class involving some new exercises (pull ups, dips & dead lifts).
Thursday 20th January - Tempo
This one had me worried. Had a serious case of Doms developing in the upper body and arms during the day to the point where it was a struggle to change my top beforehand. Was also worried it was a bit close to race/long run/session from the days previous. Still there wasn't going to be too much time in the rest of the week to fit it in so I got on with it.
Just over a mile warm up brought me to the traffic lights on the Naul road, where I would use a mile out and back on the ring road for this session.
8.5 miles @ MP -10 secs
Split HR
7:51 138
7:46 138
7:54 141
7:49 141
7:53 138
7:44 132
7:51 138
7:26 130
7:40 133
Avg Pace: 7:46
Avg HR: 137
The odd miles were into a stiff enough breeze mostly so took a bit more effort to get close to 7:50 pace which was the target. I wasn't killing myself to hit it as I knew I could balance it out going the other way. Not sure what happened with the 7:26 mile, think I had switched off with it being the last mile and thoughts of getting finished led me to pick it up without knowing it. Strange to see a drop off in the HR as well in a couple of later miles but maybe that is just a glitch?
Glad to have this session done with the way the body was feeling.
Nice slow cool down home to finish up with over 10.5 miles.
Friday 31st January6.08 miles @ 8:57
Avg Hr:130
Easy run this evening with Ken. Didn't look at the watch once as we were just chatting our way round. Was a bit harder than it should with upper body in a bigger jocker than yesterday. Legs were ok though if a bit tired.
183 miles for the month which is probably my highest ever. Certainly not far off anyway. Happy with how most things are going at the moment.
Sunday 2nd February
Tuesday 28th January - Session
2.03 miles w/u @ 9:30
3 x 400 w/90 sec recovery (88,87,88)
20 min tempo @ 7:25 pace, avg HR 141
.81 miles c/d @ 9:05
I wasn't looking forward to this one after the race and long run and to be honest legs were feeling pretty crappy as expected during the warm up. I wasn't expecting to push it too much during this session.
Started off with 3x400m that was actually .23 according to the Garmin (the track we use in the winter is not a standard athletics track and around 475 metres so hard to get exact distances).
After that there was a 20 min tempo. Then came the light at the end of the tunnel. Gary told anyone that had done Raheny to just try and aim for HMP. This seemed to help my outlook and we started ticking off the laps and minutes. It felt a lot easier suddenly than HMP normally does and picked up the pace gradually for the last few minutes.
Really happy with how this went. Few laps cool down to finish.
Wednesday 29th January - Recovery
5.05 miles @ 9:51
Recovery run this evening keeping it effortless basically. Followed up with 30 mins S&C class. Main set was below 7 times Pull ups x 5 Dips x 5 Deadlift x 5 Hopefully the feeling in my arms comes back soon. |
  |
5.05 miles @ 9:51
Recovery run this evening keeping it as easy as possible to try and flush out the legs between sessions.
Followed up with 30 mins S&C class involving some new exercises (pull ups, dips & dead lifts).
Thursday 20th January - Tempo
This one had me worried. Had a serious case of Doms developing in the upper body and arms during the day to the point where it was a struggle to change my top beforehand. Was also worried it was a bit close to race/long run/session from the days previous. Still there wasn't going to be too much time in the rest of the week to fit it in so I got on with it.
Just over a mile warm up brought me to the traffic lights on the Naul road, where I would use a mile out and back on the ring road for this session.
8.5 miles @ MP -10 secs
Split HR
7:51 138
7:46 138
7:54 141
7:49 141
7:53 138
7:44 132
7:51 138
7:26 130
7:40 133
Avg Pace: 7:46
Avg HR: 137
The odd miles were into a stiff enough breeze mostly so took a bit more effort to get close to 7:50 pace which was the target. I wasn't killing myself to hit it as I knew I could balance it out going the other way. Not sure what happened with the 7:26 mile, think I had switched off with it being the last mile and thoughts of getting finished led me to pick it up without knowing it. Strange to see a drop off in the HR as well in a couple of later miles but maybe that is just a glitch?
Glad to have this session done with the way the body was feeling.
Nice slow cool down home to finish up with over 10.5 miles.
Friday 31st January6.08 miles @ 8:57
Avg Hr:130
Easy run this evening with Ken. Didn't look at the watch once as we were just chatting our way round. Was a bit harder than it should with upper body in a bigger jocker than yesterday. Legs were ok though if a bit tired.
183 miles for the month which is probably my highest ever. Certainly not far off anyway. Happy with how most things are going at the moment.
Sunday 2nd February
18.2 Miles
Avg Pace: 8:50
They say there is a benefit to doing your long runs on tired legs right? Well I hope so. Got an early start to get 4 miles done before meeting the usual crew at 8:30. Legs and body were just generally feeling tired but the miles ticked off harmlessly enough. On one of the country roads a dog came to greet us and then 30 secs later we heard this thud. The poor dog got a belt of a car. It sounded pretty bad but the dog was moving around when we left it back into it's owners house. The driver of course hadn't stopped.
Had to make a pit stop after around 14/15 miles so ended running the last bit of the run solo. This was tough with the wind and terrain including a few nice hills. As bad as I felt though and as slow as I thought I was going the mile splits were ok, despite the mental anguish.
Glad to get sight of the cars in the end but need to make sure in future I at least have a drink with me it we're not going to be passing the cars. We didn't expect the loop to be 14 miles though!!!
Just over 60 miles in the last 7 days which is a lot for me and too big of a jump but in my defence the long run last Monday really belonged to the previous week so it is more a case of 84 miles over the last 2 weeks.
Avg Pace: 8:50
They say there is a benefit to doing your long runs on tired legs right? Well I hope so. Got an early start to get 4 miles done before meeting the usual crew at 8:30. Legs and body were just generally feeling tired but the miles ticked off harmlessly enough. On one of the country roads a dog came to greet us and then 30 secs later we heard this thud. The poor dog got a belt of a car. It sounded pretty bad but the dog was moving around when we left it back into it's owners house. The driver of course hadn't stopped.
Had to make a pit stop after around 14/15 miles so ended running the last bit of the run solo. This was tough with the wind and terrain including a few nice hills. As bad as I felt though and as slow as I thought I was going the mile splits were ok, despite the mental anguish.
Glad to get sight of the cars in the end but need to make sure in future I at least have a drink with me it we're not going to be passing the cars. We didn't expect the loop to be 14 miles though!!!
Just over 60 miles in the last 7 days which is a lot for me and too big of a jump but in my defence the long run last Monday really belonged to the previous week so it is more a case of 84 miles over the last 2 weeks.
Hopefully another good week's training lies ahead and the weather doesn't turn out to be as bad as they say :-(
Friday 31 January 2014
It's all about goal's
Within my first blog of the year I noted the following:
A couple of goals for January are to run 160 training miles, get the long run up to 16 miles and get under 35 Min's in Raheny 5 mile race.
Just a couple of lines towards the end of a blog, some might have noticed, some might not. That is irrelevant. What I was doing was writing them down as a reminder to me of what they were. Wisdom says if you write down/share your goal's you have a better chance of achieving them.
At the end of January it's time to reflect on them now and set new ones.
Training Miles: 183 approx
Long Run 16 Miles: 19th Jan
Raheny 5 Mile: 34:21
The above might not seem earth shattering to some while maybe it does to a few, but the main thing is it was all relevant to me. The miles was about consistency, something I struggle with at times. The long run distance was about building endurance again, starting from a low base. The Raheny 5 Mile goal was a test of speed & to a lesser extent endurance I suppose, maybe a way of gauging progress overall.
In coming up with new goals for February I don't plan to do a race so there will be goal around a race. This will be replaced by a more nutrition focused goal which I think is a big weakness of mine (or certainly could be improved on)
So with that the goals for this month are:
190 Miles
Long Run 20 Miles
Lose 8lbs
The miles is all about consistency again and represents 47.5 miles a week on average. The long run is again about building on endurance and one of the long runs this week will be 20 miles. The 8lbs is a 2lb loss a week. No radical diets or anything planned here. Just eating properly to supplement the training being carried out will hopefully lead to this loss.
So there you have it. They are my running related goals written down. Have you set yours? and recorded them somewhere?
Good Luck with them if you have.
A couple of goals for January are to run 160 training miles, get the long run up to 16 miles and get under 35 Min's in Raheny 5 mile race.
Just a couple of lines towards the end of a blog, some might have noticed, some might not. That is irrelevant. What I was doing was writing them down as a reminder to me of what they were. Wisdom says if you write down/share your goal's you have a better chance of achieving them.
At the end of January it's time to reflect on them now and set new ones.
Training Miles: 183 approx
Long Run 16 Miles: 19th Jan
Raheny 5 Mile: 34:21
The above might not seem earth shattering to some while maybe it does to a few, but the main thing is it was all relevant to me. The miles was about consistency, something I struggle with at times. The long run distance was about building endurance again, starting from a low base. The Raheny 5 Mile goal was a test of speed & to a lesser extent endurance I suppose, maybe a way of gauging progress overall.
In coming up with new goals for February I don't plan to do a race so there will be goal around a race. This will be replaced by a more nutrition focused goal which I think is a big weakness of mine (or certainly could be improved on)
So with that the goals for this month are:
190 Miles
Long Run 20 Miles
Lose 8lbs
The miles is all about consistency again and represents 47.5 miles a week on average. The long run is again about building on endurance and one of the long runs this week will be 20 miles. The 8lbs is a 2lb loss a week. No radical diets or anything planned here. Just eating properly to supplement the training being carried out will hopefully lead to this loss.
So there you have it. They are my running related goals written down. Have you set yours? and recorded them somewhere?
Good Luck with them if you have.
Monday 27 January 2014
Raheny 5 Mile Race
This week was to be a bit of a step back after 3 weeks of increased mileage and with the Raheny 5 mile race on Sunday. It's important during blocks of training to give your body a chance to recover a bit before adding to the workload again.
Monday 20th Jan - Strength & Conditioning
Weekly strength & conditioning session with some tough core exercises to finish it off. Paid a visit later on to Mark to get him to check out my calf and work on a bit of tightness which he did and released the pain.
Tuesday 21st Jan - Session
This weeks session was a ladder session with 1,2,3,4 mins with 75 sec jog recovery between each one, then 3 mins recovery before the climb back down 4,3,2,1.
Gary told us to try and run the first couple slightly quicker than 5K pace and then try to hold 5K pace for the rest. Pace splits were (6:28, 6:41, 6:47, 6:44, 6:44, 6:40, 6:28, 5:54).
Again there was a nice group of us working off each other, was conscious that it was a long enough session so needed to be paced right. The 4 mins back to back were tough trying to get the legs going again after the 3 min recovery but finished the session strongly which is always a good sign I suppose.
6.86 miles in total for the day.
Wednesday 22nd Jan - Easy Run
5.79 miles @ 8:46
Met up with Mo for this (Hackett not Farah) and we made our way around Stamullen and Gormanston chewing the fat as we went. Nice to see some of the backways of Stamullen. Legs feeling ok.
Thursday 23rd Jan - Easy Run
5.67 miles @ 8:55
Avg HR: 131
There was talk of a tempo run but with the race on Sunday we opted for an easier run on the night. Just a few loops of the college with the usual gang and we were joined by Helen White who lives local but is a member of Sportsworld. got chatting to her about London as she has done the race previously so that helped pass the time.
Friday 24th/Saturday 25th Jan - Rest
Friday was a planned rest day, the first day with no running or S&C since New year's day and Saturday also became a rest day running wise as I had to play golf so my easy 30 min run became 4 hours of golf which was't ideal with a race the next day I didn't expect it to have any real impact.
Monday 20th Jan - Strength & Conditioning
Weekly strength & conditioning session with some tough core exercises to finish it off. Paid a visit later on to Mark to get him to check out my calf and work on a bit of tightness which he did and released the pain.
Tuesday 21st Jan - Session
This weeks session was a ladder session with 1,2,3,4 mins with 75 sec jog recovery between each one, then 3 mins recovery before the climb back down 4,3,2,1.
Gary told us to try and run the first couple slightly quicker than 5K pace and then try to hold 5K pace for the rest. Pace splits were (6:28, 6:41, 6:47, 6:44, 6:44, 6:40, 6:28, 5:54).
Again there was a nice group of us working off each other, was conscious that it was a long enough session so needed to be paced right. The 4 mins back to back were tough trying to get the legs going again after the 3 min recovery but finished the session strongly which is always a good sign I suppose.
6.86 miles in total for the day.
Wednesday 22nd Jan - Easy Run
5.79 miles @ 8:46
Met up with Mo for this (Hackett not Farah) and we made our way around Stamullen and Gormanston chewing the fat as we went. Nice to see some of the backways of Stamullen. Legs feeling ok.
Thursday 23rd Jan - Easy Run
5.67 miles @ 8:55
Avg HR: 131
There was talk of a tempo run but with the race on Sunday we opted for an easier run on the night. Just a few loops of the college with the usual gang and we were joined by Helen White who lives local but is a member of Sportsworld. got chatting to her about London as she has done the race previously so that helped pass the time.
Friday 24th/Saturday 25th Jan - Rest
Friday was a planned rest day, the first day with no running or S&C since New year's day and Saturday also became a rest day running wise as I had to play golf so my easy 30 min run became 4 hours of golf which was't ideal with a race the next day I didn't expect it to have any real impact.
Sunday 26th Jan - Raheny 5 Mile
Got to Raheny in plenty of time and registered and had a chat with some of the others from the club, warmed up and took a place behind the sub 35 section and before long we were off.
The goal I had set myself at the start of the month was sub 35 (pb 35:49) but as always your not sure how the weather will be so early in the year. It had been windy all day but the rain was holding off.
The first 2 mile's were all about getting off at the right pace and I was prepared to be slightly down on goal pace as I knew the stretch along Howth road was going to be into the wind and coming so early in the race you can't push too much or run the risk of burning yourself out. Kept the pace well contained for the first mile and was into my running as we turned onto Howth Road. First mile passed in 7:01. We were now into a good breeze so I upped the effort a bit to keep the same pace, seeking shelter where I could but struggling to find a big enough group at my pace to tuck in behind. I guess I passed a few people along here and the section seemed to go on for longer than I remembered previously. As we turned off this section I was glad of a bit of relief from the wind but it had definitely taken a bit out of the legs. Shortly afterwards the second mile passed in 6:57. I knew the next couple of miles were where a bit of time could be banked possibly so just put the head down and kept trucking along. I could see the avg pace dropping slightly anytime I checked but not by too much either. Was passing people with more frequency now as we came round by St Anne's park and clocked the 3rd mile at 6:54. At this stage I was feeling pretty much flat to the boards but was hoping I could keep at it for the last 2 miles.
After a brief respite with the downhill onto the coast road I found the section along the coast road hard to pass people with the cones restricting space. I didn't want to settle in and run someone elses pace though so with a couple of glances over the shoulder I passed a few blocks of people outside the cones and soon my thoughts were turning to a tough finish. Turned off the coast road and made our way up the mail hill in the race passing the 4 mile marker. Mile 4 was covered in 6:49.
I knew at this point I should be good for a PB and sub 35 if I could keep it together but I didn't feel like I had another mile in me. Legs were screaming at me as we crested the hill and the rise up All Saints road was into the wind which wasn't helping matters. The pace had dropped a bit coming up the hill but with 1/2 mile to go I was passing people steadily again. Passed the corner of the park and I knew after the long straight there was only 2 corners to go. When I got to the second last corner the legs seemed to respond and I was able for a bit of a sprint finish. Last mile in 6:44.
Chip time was 34:25 which represents an 84 second PB. Very happy with that given the conditions, which weren't ideal but not horrific either.
Got to Raheny in plenty of time and registered and had a chat with some of the others from the club, warmed up and took a place behind the sub 35 section and before long we were off.
The goal I had set myself at the start of the month was sub 35 (pb 35:49) but as always your not sure how the weather will be so early in the year. It had been windy all day but the rain was holding off.
The first 2 mile's were all about getting off at the right pace and I was prepared to be slightly down on goal pace as I knew the stretch along Howth road was going to be into the wind and coming so early in the race you can't push too much or run the risk of burning yourself out. Kept the pace well contained for the first mile and was into my running as we turned onto Howth Road. First mile passed in 7:01. We were now into a good breeze so I upped the effort a bit to keep the same pace, seeking shelter where I could but struggling to find a big enough group at my pace to tuck in behind. I guess I passed a few people along here and the section seemed to go on for longer than I remembered previously. As we turned off this section I was glad of a bit of relief from the wind but it had definitely taken a bit out of the legs. Shortly afterwards the second mile passed in 6:57. I knew the next couple of miles were where a bit of time could be banked possibly so just put the head down and kept trucking along. I could see the avg pace dropping slightly anytime I checked but not by too much either. Was passing people with more frequency now as we came round by St Anne's park and clocked the 3rd mile at 6:54. At this stage I was feeling pretty much flat to the boards but was hoping I could keep at it for the last 2 miles.
After a brief respite with the downhill onto the coast road I found the section along the coast road hard to pass people with the cones restricting space. I didn't want to settle in and run someone elses pace though so with a couple of glances over the shoulder I passed a few blocks of people outside the cones and soon my thoughts were turning to a tough finish. Turned off the coast road and made our way up the mail hill in the race passing the 4 mile marker. Mile 4 was covered in 6:49.
I knew at this point I should be good for a PB and sub 35 if I could keep it together but I didn't feel like I had another mile in me. Legs were screaming at me as we crested the hill and the rise up All Saints road was into the wind which wasn't helping matters. The pace had dropped a bit coming up the hill but with 1/2 mile to go I was passing people steadily again. Passed the corner of the park and I knew after the long straight there was only 2 corners to go. When I got to the second last corner the legs seemed to respond and I was able for a bit of a sprint finish. Last mile in 6:44.
Chip time was 34:25 which represents an 84 second PB. Very happy with that given the conditions, which weren't ideal but not horrific either.
As always a very well organised race which had a record turnout this year. Nice cup of tea and catch up with others in the hall afterwards.
Monday 27th Jan - Long Run
13.65 miles @ 9:08 pace
Avg Hr: 131
With the race yesterday the long run was pushed to today with Gary telling me to do 2 hours and not to worry about the pace. I guess it still counts as last weeks training. Headed out in the rain which was pretty bad at the time but eased off shortly afterwards. Legs weren't feeling too bad but knew they had raced yesterday. Had planned to meet Ken for the 2nd hour which kept me going to be honest. Looped back to his house after around 7 miles and added another hour on to the run. Was great to have the company and the miles passed quickly enough. Was pretty hungry for the last couple of miles so lucky I have plenty of reserves to call on.
Delighted to get this out go the way.
Monday 20 January 2014
Laying the foundations
Following on from last week I just wanted to keep it consistent this week i.e. just run and follow the plan. Monday & Wednesday involved a strength & conditioning class of 30 Min's. In the coming weeks I will be pulling this back to 1 class a week.
Tuesday 14th Jan - Session
This weeks club session was 8x2 Min's with 1 min jog recovery between each one. This was to be done at 5K pace.
Pace for these was (7:02, 7:00, 7:01, 6:59, 6:58, 6:55, 6:49, 6:43).
There was a good group of us working together for these and the pace picked up gradually as we worked our way into the session (as we were told to do). This was a toughie but happy with the outcome. 6 miles in total with w/u & c/d.
Wednesday 15th Jan - Recovery
4.5 miles @ 10 min avg
Recovery run before my class to try and flush out the legs from the day before and in preparation for the next day. While the pace might seem very sedate it's important that you do them at the pace they are intended and for the purpose that is intended.
Thursday 16th Jan - Tempo
The plan was for a 6 mile tempo, keeping within around 15/20 secs of half marathon pace. I had estimated a loop from gate to gate and back in Gormanston to be 1.5 miles, meaning 4 loops so decided to do it there. Turned out this was only 1.25 miles which meant another loop had to be added on.
Splits were (7:34, 7:42, 7:38, 7:40, 7:36, 7:33)
I think the effort was a little quicker as a bit of time was lost each time we had to turnaround so based on that I was happy. Had some company as well which helped pass the miles and keep the effort up. Legs were hurting for the last couple of miles but I guess that's to be expected for this type of run. 7 miles in total for the day.
Friday 17th Jan - Easy Run
6 miles @ 9 min avg
Met up with Ken after doing a mile in advance and did a 5 mile loop of the town.
Saturday 18th Jan - Easy Run
6 miles @ 9:07 min avg
Got out in the rain on Sat morning for another easy run doing my town loop in reverse (how exciting). Legs a bit tired as they seem to be when I switch from running in the evening during the week to morning at the weekend. Finished like a drowned rat but running in the rain doesn't bother me really.
Sunday 19th Jan - Long Run
16 miles @ 8:38 pace
The plan was for 15 miles and I did 3 miles in advance of meeting up with the rest of the Sunday morning crew at 8:30. We headed off towards Bellewstown from Stamullen and the group split just before the road up to the racecourse with Stuey & Chris heading left and myself, Danny & Brian heading right on the road that takes you out to the Duleek - Julianstown road, from here we headed into Julianstown and down by the church and around and up the Mosney Road before heading back to Stamullen. Turned out the second part of the route was just under 13 miles so we rounded it up and I finished with 16 miles.
My right Achilles/calf has been a bit tight for the past few days and was the same during this run. It's more annoying than anything else but will get it looked at anyway. Have had it before and think it's just a tight spot. Apart from that was really happy with this run as it was pretty hilly, especially early on but we kept the pace steady throughout and wasn't in a heap finishing.
Another good week with just over 45 miles and 2 sessions completed. Hoping to race Raheny next Sunday so this week coming will be a bit of a step back week probably with regard to the overall mileage before picking back up again.
Tuesday 14th Jan - Session
This weeks club session was 8x2 Min's with 1 min jog recovery between each one. This was to be done at 5K pace.
Pace for these was (7:02, 7:00, 7:01, 6:59, 6:58, 6:55, 6:49, 6:43).
There was a good group of us working together for these and the pace picked up gradually as we worked our way into the session (as we were told to do). This was a toughie but happy with the outcome. 6 miles in total with w/u & c/d.
Wednesday 15th Jan - Recovery
4.5 miles @ 10 min avg
Recovery run before my class to try and flush out the legs from the day before and in preparation for the next day. While the pace might seem very sedate it's important that you do them at the pace they are intended and for the purpose that is intended.
Thursday 16th Jan - Tempo
The plan was for a 6 mile tempo, keeping within around 15/20 secs of half marathon pace. I had estimated a loop from gate to gate and back in Gormanston to be 1.5 miles, meaning 4 loops so decided to do it there. Turned out this was only 1.25 miles which meant another loop had to be added on.
Splits were (7:34, 7:42, 7:38, 7:40, 7:36, 7:33)
I think the effort was a little quicker as a bit of time was lost each time we had to turnaround so based on that I was happy. Had some company as well which helped pass the miles and keep the effort up. Legs were hurting for the last couple of miles but I guess that's to be expected for this type of run. 7 miles in total for the day.
Friday 17th Jan - Easy Run
6 miles @ 9 min avg
Met up with Ken after doing a mile in advance and did a 5 mile loop of the town.
Saturday 18th Jan - Easy Run
6 miles @ 9:07 min avg
Got out in the rain on Sat morning for another easy run doing my town loop in reverse (how exciting). Legs a bit tired as they seem to be when I switch from running in the evening during the week to morning at the weekend. Finished like a drowned rat but running in the rain doesn't bother me really.
Sunday 19th Jan - Long Run
16 miles @ 8:38 pace
The plan was for 15 miles and I did 3 miles in advance of meeting up with the rest of the Sunday morning crew at 8:30. We headed off towards Bellewstown from Stamullen and the group split just before the road up to the racecourse with Stuey & Chris heading left and myself, Danny & Brian heading right on the road that takes you out to the Duleek - Julianstown road, from here we headed into Julianstown and down by the church and around and up the Mosney Road before heading back to Stamullen. Turned out the second part of the route was just under 13 miles so we rounded it up and I finished with 16 miles.
My right Achilles/calf has been a bit tight for the past few days and was the same during this run. It's more annoying than anything else but will get it looked at anyway. Have had it before and think it's just a tight spot. Apart from that was really happy with this run as it was pretty hilly, especially early on but we kept the pace steady throughout and wasn't in a heap finishing.
Another good week with just over 45 miles and 2 sessions completed. Hoping to race Raheny next Sunday so this week coming will be a bit of a step back week probably with regard to the overall mileage before picking back up again.
Monday 13 January 2014
Back to normality
This was the week that was all about getting back to normality and back into routine.
Monday 6th January - Strength & Conditioning
Back to work today and back to routine. First class in a few weeks and was eased back into it with only having to do 4 sets instead of the normal 5. The body wasn't sure what was happening but got through it in the end.
Tuesday 7th January - Session
Back to speed training with the club tonight and the numbers seem to have trebled from the weeks leading up to Xmas. Good to see so many down.
Session consisted of a 12 min tempo @ 10K pace (7:22) followed by 2 Min's recovery, then into 6x200 w/45 sec recovery (32, 40, 40, 39, 38, 38).
As we weren't using a standard track the distance was approximate and it was changed after the first rep.
After 2 minutes recovery we finished up with 4 minutes @ 5K pace (7:02).
With warm up & cool down just over 5.5 miles for the night. This was a toughie being the first one back after Xmas and the strong wind on one side of the track making it hard to maintain pace.
Great to get back into it though.
Wednesday 8th January - Strength & Conditioning
Another strength & conditioning session lasting 30 minutes or so. A good session with a tough finisher. Finisher was a minute hitting a tyre and a minute of a wall sit for a total of 6 minutes each. The wall sit looks nothing but it takes a lot more effort that just sitting against a wall.
Thursday 9th January - Easy Run
6.34 miles @ 8:52
Was meant to be a tempo run today but I felt I needed a bit more recovery time from the previous 3 days and also I was running around all evening so wasn't really prepared for it anyway. Headed down to Gormanston and did a few miles with the club gang. Legs did feel tired as they often do during an easy run for some reason.
Friday 10th January - Tempo Run
7 miles @ 7:52
7 mile tempo was on the agenda for today and was lucky enough to have Ken for company as we set off for a hilly enough route around Balbriggan. My Garmin was acting up so Ken set the pace with me checking every so often how we were getting on. Legs were feeling it a bit as they should I suppose but finished strong enough I think.
8 miles in total including w/u & c/d
Saturday 11th January - Easy Run
6 miles @ 9:32
This was early on Saturday morning and the legs were a bit creaky from the night before. Also didn't get a chance to have breakfast beforehand or anything to eat much after the run last night which didn't help. Got it done though and hoped it would freshen the legs up for the run the next day.
Sunday 12th January - Long Run
11 miles @ 8:58 + 3 miles @ 7:48
I did a couple of miles before meeting up with the club for the long run. We clocked up another 9 miles at an easy pace, counting down the miles until the pain would hit. Worked the route so we would be starting the tempo part outside the college and would follow the SOS 5K route.
The group was down to myself and Rosemary at this stage and we set off towards Stamullen, the first mile wasn't too bad but we knew we had the rise up through Stamullen into the wind which turned out to be as tough as anticipated. Even when we turned into St Claire's we were still into the wind so no real respite. The pace had dropped a bit as expected but not the effort. As we made our way back towards St Pats we picked back a bit of time on the downhill and I was never happier when we ground to a halt after 3 miles.
I had been dreading the pick up in pace after 11 miles as last weeks 11.5 mile run was the longest I had run since Dublin and also coming at the end of a long week. In the end we got it done though although hard to hit an exact pact with the nature of the conditions yesterday.
So finished the week with 40 miles & a couple of s&c sessions thrown in for good measure. Happy with that and the aim for the moment is to just keep the consistency there as the mileage gradually rises. Another full weeks training this week and then will step back a little bit for the week of the Raheny 5.
Monday 6th January - Strength & Conditioning
Back to work today and back to routine. First class in a few weeks and was eased back into it with only having to do 4 sets instead of the normal 5. The body wasn't sure what was happening but got through it in the end.
Tuesday 7th January - Session
Back to speed training with the club tonight and the numbers seem to have trebled from the weeks leading up to Xmas. Good to see so many down.
Session consisted of a 12 min tempo @ 10K pace (7:22) followed by 2 Min's recovery, then into 6x200 w/45 sec recovery (32, 40, 40, 39, 38, 38).
As we weren't using a standard track the distance was approximate and it was changed after the first rep.
After 2 minutes recovery we finished up with 4 minutes @ 5K pace (7:02).
With warm up & cool down just over 5.5 miles for the night. This was a toughie being the first one back after Xmas and the strong wind on one side of the track making it hard to maintain pace.
Great to get back into it though.
Wednesday 8th January - Strength & Conditioning
Another strength & conditioning session lasting 30 minutes or so. A good session with a tough finisher. Finisher was a minute hitting a tyre and a minute of a wall sit for a total of 6 minutes each. The wall sit looks nothing but it takes a lot more effort that just sitting against a wall.
Thursday 9th January - Easy Run
6.34 miles @ 8:52
Was meant to be a tempo run today but I felt I needed a bit more recovery time from the previous 3 days and also I was running around all evening so wasn't really prepared for it anyway. Headed down to Gormanston and did a few miles with the club gang. Legs did feel tired as they often do during an easy run for some reason.
Friday 10th January - Tempo Run
7 miles @ 7:52
7 mile tempo was on the agenda for today and was lucky enough to have Ken for company as we set off for a hilly enough route around Balbriggan. My Garmin was acting up so Ken set the pace with me checking every so often how we were getting on. Legs were feeling it a bit as they should I suppose but finished strong enough I think.
8 miles in total including w/u & c/d
Saturday 11th January - Easy Run
6 miles @ 9:32
This was early on Saturday morning and the legs were a bit creaky from the night before. Also didn't get a chance to have breakfast beforehand or anything to eat much after the run last night which didn't help. Got it done though and hoped it would freshen the legs up for the run the next day.
Sunday 12th January - Long Run
11 miles @ 8:58 + 3 miles @ 7:48
I did a couple of miles before meeting up with the club for the long run. We clocked up another 9 miles at an easy pace, counting down the miles until the pain would hit. Worked the route so we would be starting the tempo part outside the college and would follow the SOS 5K route.
The group was down to myself and Rosemary at this stage and we set off towards Stamullen, the first mile wasn't too bad but we knew we had the rise up through Stamullen into the wind which turned out to be as tough as anticipated. Even when we turned into St Claire's we were still into the wind so no real respite. The pace had dropped a bit as expected but not the effort. As we made our way back towards St Pats we picked back a bit of time on the downhill and I was never happier when we ground to a halt after 3 miles.
I had been dreading the pick up in pace after 11 miles as last weeks 11.5 mile run was the longest I had run since Dublin and also coming at the end of a long week. In the end we got it done though although hard to hit an exact pact with the nature of the conditions yesterday.
So finished the week with 40 miles & a couple of s&c sessions thrown in for good measure. Happy with that and the aim for the moment is to just keep the consistency there as the mileage gradually rises. Another full weeks training this week and then will step back a little bit for the week of the Raheny 5.
Monday 6 January 2014
Happy New Year
It's a New Year and a New start, or in some cases a continuation on from where you already were. For me it's a case of switching back onto a disciplined routine after the festive season and shedding any excesses along with a bit more hopefully.
Here's what I've been up to since my last post:
Monday 23rd December
5.02 miles @ 9:17
Just an easy loop around Balbriggan from what I can remember. Legs probably a bit tired from the race the day before.
Wednesday 25th December
5.04 miles @ 8:38
Headed out after Mass on Xmas morning for a bit of fresh air before the 2 dinners and all that goes with that (We cook dinner for my dad & brother and then head down to the In-Laws for dinner in the evening down there). Was wondering was I mad running on Xmas morning but came across someone else doing the exact same thing within a few minutes. I did seem to get a few strange looks from cars but it was a really lovely morning for a run and I really enjoyed it.
Thursday 26th December
Tinryland 4 mile Xmas Handicap
I had spotted this the week before Xmas and being quite close to the In laws once permission was secured I decided to give it a go. Woke up with a sore toe that was difficult to bend but headed off anyway noticing a bit of frost on some of the back roads. Got there in plenty of time and signed up giving myself an overly optimistic time of 28 Min's.
Did a bit of a warm up and noticed the footing was difficult in some spots on the approach to the finish but the race seemed to be going ahead anyway. I changed from my racers into my training shoes as these have more grip at the moment and hung around as various different groups started off. Before long I set off with 3 others in the same time bracket.
4 miles in 29:33 (7:06, 7:27, 7:51, 7:07)
First mile was pretty much on pace till I cam to a ice patch on a downhill which threw me completely and I nearly went into a ditch. Lost touch a bit with the other 3 here and they gradually pulled away. Small hill in mile 2 and then a good rise in mile 3 combined with excesses from the day before were causing me to slow. Picked it up a bit for the last mile but it was a struggle.
Glad to do the race as it is not something you would do in a session by yourself on St Stephen's day.
This turned out to be my last run of the year as the sore toe made itself known later on and turned into a limp. A couple of days rest combined with a wedding on NYE put paid to any further running.
Thursday 2nd January
7 miles @ 8:57
Just the usual Thursday evening club run around Gormanston College. Everything feeling a bit sluggish between not running and excesses of Drink & Chocolate.
Friday 3rd January
9 Miles @ 8:30 - 9
Normally I'm not free to run on Friday evening but I was this week so I headed down from home to meet the Balbriggan Roadrunners and did their loop with them and the continued on home again. Around 9 miles in total and pace is an estimate as I didn't have the Garmin with me.
Lovely to meet and run with some new faces.
Saturday 4th January
Malahide Parkrun in 21:23
First visit for a while to Malahide to give the legs a good blowout. Rosemary, Eamonn & Brian were also there from Star of the Sea so we had a good catch up before the race.
Ran this completely by feel without checking my pace once. It was a little bit congested for the first mile or so but opened out after that. As we headed out onto the bigger loop I just tried to pick people off in front and passed a few along the way. Didn't have a whole lot left to give at the end but hadn't gone full tilt at it either. Was happy enough with the time for the time of year and given the course.
Sunday 5th January
11.62 miles @ 8:33
There are hills and then there are hills. Met up with the club gang for this one and the decision was taken to head for the hilly route. Started in Stamullen and headed out by Ballestran, towards Mullaghteelin before a bit of respite heading towards Clinstown and climbing again towards Greenanstown and then climbing again towards Herbestown. This one seemed to go on forever and the legs were full of lactic reaching the top.
We got a bit of respite as we headed towards Naul before tackling Snowtown hill being re-assured when we reached the top of this that it was mostly down hill from there. Running with faster runners the pace picked up gradually towards the end.
Really enjoyed this route and the challenge it provides. Hills are good right?
So that it where I'm at right now. I noticed on Facebook during the week that there was 100 days to the London Marathon. That is the main goal for the early part of the year. A couple of goals for January are to run 160 training miles, get the long run up to 16 miles and get under 35 Min's in Raheny 5 mile race.
Hopefully I can give them all a good go.
Here's what I've been up to since my last post:
Monday 23rd December
5.02 miles @ 9:17
Just an easy loop around Balbriggan from what I can remember. Legs probably a bit tired from the race the day before.
Wednesday 25th December
5.04 miles @ 8:38
Headed out after Mass on Xmas morning for a bit of fresh air before the 2 dinners and all that goes with that (We cook dinner for my dad & brother and then head down to the In-Laws for dinner in the evening down there). Was wondering was I mad running on Xmas morning but came across someone else doing the exact same thing within a few minutes. I did seem to get a few strange looks from cars but it was a really lovely morning for a run and I really enjoyed it.
Thursday 26th December
Tinryland 4 mile Xmas Handicap
I had spotted this the week before Xmas and being quite close to the In laws once permission was secured I decided to give it a go. Woke up with a sore toe that was difficult to bend but headed off anyway noticing a bit of frost on some of the back roads. Got there in plenty of time and signed up giving myself an overly optimistic time of 28 Min's.
Did a bit of a warm up and noticed the footing was difficult in some spots on the approach to the finish but the race seemed to be going ahead anyway. I changed from my racers into my training shoes as these have more grip at the moment and hung around as various different groups started off. Before long I set off with 3 others in the same time bracket.
4 miles in 29:33 (7:06, 7:27, 7:51, 7:07)
First mile was pretty much on pace till I cam to a ice patch on a downhill which threw me completely and I nearly went into a ditch. Lost touch a bit with the other 3 here and they gradually pulled away. Small hill in mile 2 and then a good rise in mile 3 combined with excesses from the day before were causing me to slow. Picked it up a bit for the last mile but it was a struggle.
Glad to do the race as it is not something you would do in a session by yourself on St Stephen's day.
This turned out to be my last run of the year as the sore toe made itself known later on and turned into a limp. A couple of days rest combined with a wedding on NYE put paid to any further running.
Thursday 2nd January
7 miles @ 8:57
Just the usual Thursday evening club run around Gormanston College. Everything feeling a bit sluggish between not running and excesses of Drink & Chocolate.
Friday 3rd January
9 Miles @ 8:30 - 9
Normally I'm not free to run on Friday evening but I was this week so I headed down from home to meet the Balbriggan Roadrunners and did their loop with them and the continued on home again. Around 9 miles in total and pace is an estimate as I didn't have the Garmin with me.
Lovely to meet and run with some new faces.
Saturday 4th January
Malahide Parkrun in 21:23
First visit for a while to Malahide to give the legs a good blowout. Rosemary, Eamonn & Brian were also there from Star of the Sea so we had a good catch up before the race.
Ran this completely by feel without checking my pace once. It was a little bit congested for the first mile or so but opened out after that. As we headed out onto the bigger loop I just tried to pick people off in front and passed a few along the way. Didn't have a whole lot left to give at the end but hadn't gone full tilt at it either. Was happy enough with the time for the time of year and given the course.
Sunday 5th January
11.62 miles @ 8:33
There are hills and then there are hills. Met up with the club gang for this one and the decision was taken to head for the hilly route. Started in Stamullen and headed out by Ballestran, towards Mullaghteelin before a bit of respite heading towards Clinstown and climbing again towards Greenanstown and then climbing again towards Herbestown. This one seemed to go on forever and the legs were full of lactic reaching the top.
We got a bit of respite as we headed towards Naul before tackling Snowtown hill being re-assured when we reached the top of this that it was mostly down hill from there. Running with faster runners the pace picked up gradually towards the end.
Really enjoyed this route and the challenge it provides. Hills are good right?
So that it where I'm at right now. I noticed on Facebook during the week that there was 100 days to the London Marathon. That is the main goal for the early part of the year. A couple of goals for January are to run 160 training miles, get the long run up to 16 miles and get under 35 Min's in Raheny 5 mile race.
Hopefully I can give them all a good go.
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