Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

donothoponpop

Captain has already told certain wine drinkers that they can imbibe a little, so have a proper beer and stop teasing yourself, it'll help you sleep better.

But no nookie. Save that for the race.

Sosa

donothoponpop wrote: »

Captain has already told certain wine drinkers that they can imbibe a little, so have a proper beer and stop teasing yourself, it'll help you sleep better.

But no nookie. Save that for the race.

What kind of races do ye have up there ?
This is like ultraman all over again....

Krusty_Clown

donothoponpop wrote: »

Captain has already told certain wine drinkers that they can imbibe a little, so have a proper beer and stop teasing yourself, it'll help you sleep better.

But no nookie. Save that for the race.

Nah. The idea of a real beer at the end of the race will make me run faster. :cool:

RacoonQueen

donothoponpop wrote: »

But no nookie. Save that for the race.

Resisting temptation to check team sheet to see who'll be coming up behind Krusty...

Emer911

donothoponpop wrote: »

Captain has already told certain wine drinkers that they can imbibe a little, so have a proper beer and stop teasing yourself, it'll help you sleep better.

But no nookie. Save that for the race.

That's a VERY strange thing to save for a race! :eek:
I thought ye were just hill running?

donothoponpop

Sosa wrote: »

What kind of races do ye have up there ?
This is like ultraman all over again....

It's a well known factoid that sex has a debilitating effect on males, ask any red top sub-editor during the World Cup build up.

"NO NOOKIE DRIVE-A ITALY PLAYERS KOOKIE"

Blah blah stern team manager blah all sex verbotten blah blah missus seen leaping from hotel balcony.

A boffin will now mention testoserone and the pansy-fying effect lack of same has on male sports stars. Follow up with mention of how the ladies can be at it like cats though, sex is good for them before competition. Slap in a huge picture of Blanka Vlasic looking surly, and there's your science.

Right, I'm off to look at photo's of Blanka Vlasic, this Captain gig never ends. Best of luck in the relay lad, give it 110%.

donothoponpop

Emer911 wrote: »

That's a VERY strange thing to save for a race! :eek:
I thought ye were just hill running?

I'll stop digging this hole now.

Krusty_Clown

Right, I'd better power down this training log until after the race. :P

Krusty_Clown

Preamble: Four weeks ago I was a shoe-in for Leg 7 of the Boards B team, and was looking forward to the opportunity of taking on Simon on the A team, as we're fairly closely matched. Where I give up ground in raw leg speed, he feels that I'm slightly stronger on the hills, but a leg like this would suit someone like Simon down to the ground as he is a very strong Half marathon runner, so I relished the challenge of nipping at his heels trying to get one over on him. Unfortunately it wasn't to be, and I took the news that I was to run on the A team with no uncertain amount of trepidation. There were vastly superior hill runners on the B team, but on a longer road-biased leg and having done the 'recce homework, the dice landed on my side. I felt a little out of place among such a prodigious crew, but determined to run to my limits on the day.

Pre-race:
For the fourth time in as many weeks, I was up early to make the 100 mile round trip down to Tinahely after a hefty breakfast. 8:15am seemed very early to be hitting the road for an estimated 12:30pm start, but as always, Paul Joyce was spot-on with his time predictions and schedule, and left to my own devices, I'd probably be another unfortunate tale of another missing runner at the start of their leg. Met up with the team boss and Paul Nolan, and we headed for Glenmalure, stopping briefly to stash a drink half way down the route, and enjoy the brief view of a local farmer's daughter whipping her cattle into stampeding frenzy. Hmmm. That could be an formidable obstacle during the race.

We hit Glenmalure and had time for a chat and a bit of slagging, before the formidable Rathfarnham Team came in on schedule and departed in an equally proficient manner. Even at this early stage of the race it was evident that nothing short of a 30 minute detour would allow any other team a look-in. At this stage Boards A were in 5th and Paul confessed quietly that he thought were were good for second place. I laughed his comment off, and looked forward to the developing battle between the Boards A and B teams that were now in consecutive places. Unbeknownst to us both, Colm Hill was running an absolute blinder of a leg, moving the Boards team from 5th place to 3rd, and putting us back in contention for a podium spot. We heard a scream from somewhere high up over the hills, which reached us like a a celtic battle cry, and was soon followed by a ferocious hurtling celt, complete with headband, adrenaline rage, and fight in his eyes. So this was Colm Hill. A fitting introduction to the bundling raw energy and determination that is Colm. So this is what it takes to be a winner in the hills.

Paul Nolan set off at a cracking pace, and based on previous reccies we knew we had less than an hour before he would hit the start of Leg 7, so unfortunately we couldn't await the arrival of Angus on the B Team, before heading for our leg. I was no longer running for honour or repuation, now every second counted, and letting the team down became a realistic prospect. Nerves entered the fray.

The Race:
We arrived 30 minutes before Paul Nolan's expected arrival, and I used the opprtunity to go for a short 1/2 mile warm-up, unfortunately missing the kick-off of Rathfarnham's record breaking leg. A couple of minutes faster than Paul's recce he arrived and tapped me on the shoulder and I was off. Full of adrenaline and gusto I started off at a sprint and in the excitement forgot to start my watch until I was a couple of hundred metres away. Clicking start, I could see I was running at 5:45/mile pace up the hill. Oops. Not going to last a mile at this pace uphill. Slow.. Slow. Slow-down.

My target was to try to run at least as quick as previous Boards runners (1:32, 1:35, 1:37) over this leg and hopefully get as close to 1:30 as I could. I know the route, knew the terrain, I just didn't know how well I could perform at race pace. So I slowed down and left the road up the initial climb, re-emerging on the road after a mile in 6:42. In the second mile the real climb begins, so I determined to maintain a steady pace up the climb. I knew the climb lasted to the 2.5 mile marker, so maintained a steady pace, glad to hit the peak and get the first climb over with and hit level ground (8:30 and 7:31 for miles 2 and 3) then the bit I was most looking forward to, the donwhill and straight, where the plan was to cruise at 6 minute mile and conserve some energy for the later climb (5:59, 6:03 and 6:55 (small climb and friendly shout and drink of water), before another 6:22 to take me across the bridge to where I had stashed my sports drink).

Miles 7-8 are a bit of a trudge, as they include an uphill climb before suddenly plunging you into a steep downhill, where you don't really get to take advantage of the previous climb. Team mates shout some encouragement and inform me that I'm still 6.5 minutes behind Crusader's Rene Borg and that I'll need to work a lot harder if I'm to have any hope of making ground. I know Rene by reputation only, but he's a strong hill runner, so I reckon gains at this stage are unlikely. I pose for a few photos (thanks Dave!) before commencing the uphill slog. The hill is killing me. Mile 9: 8:45. I'm losing hope, worried about walking. Then in the distance Simon appears, shouting encouragement, handing over much needed water and most important, forcing me to keep moving one foot in front of the other, without slowing to a walk (8:11 - much better). We crest the hill and Simon drops off having successfully coerced me into continuing the push, and after scaling some stiles and gates, I'm back on the downhill. The speed of grassy downhill stretches are broken by the incessant gates that need to be clambered, opened or side-stepped making it difficult to keep up a consistent pace (6:41 and 6:19). Back out on the road, I run passed the old leg 7 finish, silently cursing those who forced the extra extension onto this already challenging leg. Encouraged by a warming-down runner, I'm told the previous runner is only a few minutes ahead. Could I have stolen some precious minutes from the team ahead?

Back onto the main-road, dreading the final climb, the final sting. I know it will be nasty. It's nasty even during recces at a comfortable pace, arriving when all you want is a downhill or a flat. It is cruel and unusual punishment. I persevere, running that mile in 6:46, before handing over to Ian who looks up for the challenge of chasing down the previous team (and went on to run the fastest Leg 8 of the day, missing out on second place by a mere 9 seconds).

Finally stopping my watch, I see a time of 1:31:58, but I forgot to start the watch for 150m at the start, so probably a 1:32:xx. Not bad, but not quite the target I had hoped to achieve. Immediately I think back to try and find a minute or two somewhere in my run, but based on my current level of fitness, there are no obvious answers. I got close to David Walsh Kemmis' time of 2009, which provides a small level of consolation.

Post Race: Back in Shillelagh, the team is reunited, and we get to reflect on the days key performances and tales. A great wrap-up to what has become my favourite race of the year. I hope next year we'll continue the tradition of putting together some fine performing teams under the glaring grumpy tutelage of Paul Joyce. Two podiums in two years against such fine competition twinned with superb second team performances are no small feat. I would love to see Joe Cawley take on Leg 7 next year. A solid marathon performer could put in a fantastic performance on a leg like this and potentially shave a good 10 minutes off of the team's overall time, perhaps offering the enigmatic Colm Hill an opprtunity to challenge the largely uphill leg 2 record. Whatever happens, an exciting future awaits.

Summary: 13.1 miles in 1:32:xx, @7 min/mile, HR=163

Abhainn

No indication of a hangover there KC;) What was that beer called again.

Ok deal done, swap agreed. For 2012 you master leg 2 and I'll give 7 a right go. Start reccing now:D

Krusty_Clown

Abhainn wrote: »

No indication of a hangover there KC;) What was that beer called again.

Ok deal done, swap agreed. For 2012 you master leg 2 and I'll give 7 a right go. Start reccing now:D

Hi Abhainn, very little hangover today. I was too tired post-race to give it a decent go! Still managed a couple of pints of Brewdog 5am Saint. Amazing beer. Worth the trip to Hollands in Bray if you're nearby for a pint.

So the gauntlet has been thrown down and accepted. 1:22 or better on leg 7 next year.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 10k recovery run
As we peered out of the drawn curtains after a lazy morning of couch surfing, looking glumly at the vertical sheets of rain on a horrendous winter's morning, the OH asked me once again why we do this running malarky. The best answer I could muster was that we run so that we can drink beer and eat biscuits. So I headed out into the pi$$ing rain to earn some beer and biscuits. A horrible afternoon, with smoke emanating from the chimney of every second house, I was glad when I was finally soaked through (aided by some passing buses and cars) and couldn't possibly get any wetter, so I could relax into the run. Tight quads, stiff achiles, sore knees, a veritable shopping list of post-race ills couldn't stop me from enjoying this rain-laden run. Still, I was glad to get back inside and jump into the shower. 10k very easy, now back to the sofa, beer and biscuits.

Summary: 10k in 47 mins, @7:46/mile, HR=129

asimonov

Great report and running KC (i think i dodged a bullet there ) - to be honest after reading the nookie comment I was kinda glad that all you needed was encouragement.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 7.2 mile very easy trail run

Body was still stiff and sore, so I figured treat fire with fire, and I headed for the hills. Missed out on my lunch-time run as the boss is in town and probably wouldn't look too favourably at the new lunch-time running tradition, so instead I waited until after work, and with the sun still beaming over the hills, I threw on my Salomon crossmax shoes and headed up the Dublin Mountain Way to enjoy the last of the evenings light.

I kept the pace very slow as it was supposed to be a recovery session, and eased my way up past the smelting tower, before looping around the forest and up to the top of Carrigologan to enjoy the view before heading on. Back at the smelting tower I found an old trail I hadn't been on before, that follows the path of the old chimney linking the lead mine and the tower. Another couple of miles around the trails before heading back to sea level. Legs feel a little better, so hopefully I'll be able for my interval session on Wednesday. Otherwise i may have to knock it on the head if I head to the race on Sunday.

Summary: 7.2 hilly miles in 65 mins, @9min/mile, HR=132

Krusty_Clown

Tonight: Crap 8 mile run
One of those 'soonest forgotten' runs. Didn't enjoy it, probably shouldn't have done it. But it's done. With some residual stiffness in the legs from Saturday's race, I'm considering dropping the Mcmillan interval session this week, and instead running a tempo session, which would be more compatible with Sunday's upcoming race. Sandwiched between two races, I'm not sure if even the tempo session is really necessary, but I've gotten into the routine of doing a mid-week session, so will try and keep it going.

Summary: 8 crappy miles in 61 mins, @7:36/mile, HR=135

Krusty_Clown

Today: 6 mile lunch time run with 3 miles @Tempo
First time trying to do a short session at lunch-time as opposed to an easy/recovery/steady run. Plan was 4 miles @6 min/mile, but I was just too knackered, so called a halt after the first three miles of the tempo section. Definitely not recovered from Saturday, so I'm not doing myself any favours by pushing too hard at the moment. Feeling really lethargic. I need rest and sleep. Will take the bike out this evening for a short spin to try and encourage some recovery in the muscles, then just easy runs for the rest of the week until the race on Sunday. If I'm still wrecked at the weekend, I'll drop the race too. It's only a 'for fun' race anyway so no big issue.

Summary: 6.1 miles in 41 mins, @6:48/mile, HR=145

aigster

Now considering your relaxing runs are quicker than my fast runs....I'm cautiously offering advice!...
Have a night off.... Serious work done... Put feet up and relax..
As I say cautious advice !!

Krusty_Clown

aigster wrote: »

Now considering your relaxing runs are quicker than my fast runs....I'm cautiously offering advice!...
Have a night off.... Serious work done... Put feet up and relax..
As I say cautious advice !!

Fair point. Maybe a walk to the pub would be a better idea.

aigster

Ha, well once it's not for that non alcoholic beer !!!....
Enjoying the log mate.

ManFromAtlantis

hey krusty youre getting damn near the 10k post .
better be a good one.
no pressure.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 5 lunch-time recovery miles
The perfect antidote to two days of bad running: 5 very easy lunchtime miles on the grass, surrounded by frolicking rabbits, and swooping swallows. All the badness is forgotten, and the legs are feeling better. Another day or two of this, and all will be right with the world once again.

10,000 posts?! Feck.. Spending way too much time on my computer spouting bullshoite, and not nearly enough time out running!

Summary: 5 miles in 41 mins, :8:14/mile, HR=125

Krusty_Clown

I'm not unaccustomed to winning prizes. I have an impressive collection of Heineken keyrings, Budweiser T-shirts and even a Carlsberg Zippo lighter, that made me the envy of my friends for many a year. 'There's no point in entering the competition, Gary's here', they would joke. Despite the awesome display of beer memorabilia, I couldn't help but feel a little empty inside (but quite toasty on the outside, in my collection of Bud T-shirts). All my prizes had come at the cost of drinking an extra few pints, and choosing the right scratch card (indeed an important pairing of life skills). Sure, I could look back on the prizes with a sense of accomplishment, but I hadn't had to work hard for them. Last year I took home a gold medal as part of the Boards Wickow Way relay team, but I still felt as if I had cheated, as I had only come 7th on my leg. last week, I took home a bronze, but again I had not come first in my leg, improving by one position to 6th place, and beaten on the day by far better runners than I.

And so, I found myself in Roscommon town for the weekend, for my daughter's birthday party, and having read a poster outside a pub the previous week, and needing a 10k race I figured I might as well enter the inaugural Battle of the Curlews 10k road race. Not a big field race by any means but a challenging one, with a 500-600 foot climb over the first 5k. I figured based on my current level of fitness, and based on four weeks of recce'ing 21k hilly trails for the Wickow Way relay race, I'd certainly be in the mix for this one, and could get a taste of what it really feels like to be vying for the top few spots. Registration was painless, and was a good opportunity to size up the competition and chat to the organizers about the course. Thankfully the organizers and marshalls put me greatly at ease. This was not to be like other Roscommon races where the the greatest challenge would be trying to determine what direction you should be running in. An easy mile to warm-up and I headed to the start of the race, which was part way up a steep hill! There was no race-start gantry, a smart decision, as it clearly would have rolled down the hill to the finish line.

As we lined-up, I positioned myself in the third row, just behind the 'lads' who fancied themselves for the win. A couple of nice speeched from the organizer and mayor, a bell, and we were off. The 'lads' broke off at a good pace, but you could tell they wouldn't last too long up the first hill at that pace. I was in about 15th place easing myself into the hill climb, and one by one the 'lads' dropped off, leaving about five of us, and looking around you could tell that these five runners would likely take the top 5 places, unless something went drastically wrong. I figure dna_leri would be among this group but hadn't met him, so enquired as to whether any of my fellow runners were boards posters. The guy who had pulled up alongside me confirmed that he was none other than the man himself, and the two of us pushed to the front of the group, with only the Garda car ahead of us. We enjoyed some small talk about hills, short-cuts and PBs and by this stage we had crept away from the rest of the group. I confided that I reckoned whoever crested the hill first would win the race. Soon afterwards I noticed he was dropping behind just a little, while with all the recent hill climbing I was maintaining my pace, so the gap began to widen. At this stage I reckoned dna_leri was probably the biggest challenger in the race, as he was in solid form, following the same McMillan 10k program as I am, and with some good recent results, but as the gap widened, I started to focus on my onw run. If I could maintain a solid pace up the rest of the hill climb, took advantage of the descents, and kept plugging away, I was in with a chance of my first ever win. The first mile went by in a rather unimpressive 7:03, with 214 feet of climb. I had optimistically planned on climbing at 6:30/mile, but that plan went out the window within the first couple of hundred yards. The next mile went by in 7:04 with 216 feet of climb, so I maintained a steady pace, with the Garda car always 100m ahead of me, and dna_leri's blue top never far behind.

After mile 2, things levelled out a bit and I picked up the pace a little, hoping to widen the gap with the ensuing group as much as I could. Every turn in the road was marshalled by the army, by volunteers, and even drummers littered the course beating a rhythm to try and coax us up the hills. At the top of the climb I managed to snag a cup of water and threw it over the back of my neck to try and get a little more focus. I had never led the field in any race in my life (all four years of running) and wanted to make sure I stayed alert to avoid over-cooking my race and faltering. I'm used to having other runners ahead in the field to target, and to use as pace-break, to slow my progress momentarily, before pushing on after a short recovery. No such luxury at the front of the field, with just the Garda car 100m ahead, matching my pace. So once or twice a mile, I forced myself to slow the pace a little, stretch and lower the heart rate slightly, before my sub-conscious took over and normal service resumed. Mile 3 (50 feet of climb) passed in 6:22, before the Gardai and I turned down the hill, having finally reached the highest point in the race.

The down-hill was covered in loose gravel, but I knew that if I was to hold onto my lead, I would need to take advantage of the down-hills, so I lengthened my stride pushed on down the descent always wondering how close dna_leri was to me. We (the Garda car and I!) rounded another corner and were on a national road. Downhill on a fast surface, it was time to make haste. Mile 4 passed in 5:31, with a 275 foot descent! Mile 5 was still downhill, but with lots of twists and turns. Thankfully the Garda car was always 100-150m ahead, and gave me something to aim for, as despute the 90 feet of descent over the course of this mile, it felt like I was working really hard, and I was getting concerned that I could maintain the pace. Mile 5 passed in 5:53. Mile 6 is a nasty one, as despite the ever-approaching finish line, it has more climb than descent, with three nasty rolling hills. None of them are more than fourty foot climbs, but at this stage of the race, they are a killer. at the top of the last climb, I look back and I see dna_leri a couple of hundred metres behind, but I realize that he has to climb the hill too, so as long as I can maintain the pace I should be good for the win. The win! It dawns on me at that stage that I could actually...win....a......race....

I turn a corner, and there's another drummer, who picks up the beat as I pass, and then stops as I move further down the field. I wait expectantly for the next drum-beat that will signal a final challenge. Was that a drum? I think so. I'm not sure. I keep pushing the pace, just to be sure. Now I'm heading down the hill to what must be the finish line. There are cameras, and a handful of people clapping. I smile, and make an 'L' shape with my hands, as I hurtle towards the finish line. This race, as with every other race is for my twin-brother Liam, who died of a raging cancer a couple of years ago. Since then he has been my inspiration and my greatest critic. I run that last 387 yards at 5:05/mile and run out of race, crossing the finish line happy, at last.

Not the greatest field in the world. Apart from dna_leri one of his Sligo club-mates (4th?) and the third place runner, there weren't too many other challengers. I had hoped to enjoy the experience of competing in a group of four or five people challenging for the win, but instead found a very challenging course (worth a couple of minutes on a flat course), and the best thing of all... a win.. For so many runners like myself, who don't have a history of running, and are relatively new to the sport, the idea of winning a race is such an alien concept. No longer. I have won.. Just once..

Summary: 10k in 39:17 (39:18 official), at 6:17/mile, HR=168

trats

Nice way to mark 10,000 posts, well done

TheRoadRunner

Wel done KC, good running and super progress in 4 years. I have a few friends who have ran from an early age who would love your PBs and race history. The worst thing leading out a race is the fear of being caught. Were you very nervous when you took the lead so early or could you enjoy running from the front knowing you wouldn't be caught?

Macanri

Nice one Krusty.

I'm sure Liam was happy too.

Patrick_K

Go on the Clown!
Well done, you're the Rory McIlroy of hilly Roscommon 10Ks.

PK

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Wel done KC, good running and super progress in 4 years. I have a few friends who have ran from an early age who would love your PBs and race history. The worst thing leading out a race is the fear of being caught. Were you very nervous when you took the lead so early or could you enjoy running from the front knowing you wouldn't be caught?

I took the lead from about 1.5kms, not as a direct challenge, but more because myself and dna_leri were stronger than the rest of the field, and then dna_leri dropped off the pace slightly on the uphill climb, so it was less of a conscious effort, and more because I had the uphill climbing in the legs. Having never been in this situation before, I imagined a challenge at every twist and turn in the road, but I only looked back a couple of times. I really didn't want to see any other runners breathing down my neck, having opened a gap so early. In the end I finished well, with about 20-30 seconds on dna_leri and the next couple of runners were within a minute. Still buzzing!

T runner

Great run Krusty, congratulations. Its your intelligent consistant training that has rewarded you with this position. The first of many times you'll be in with a shout in years to come. A different type of focus and more acute awareness when youre in this position in a race.

Krusty_Clown

T runner wrote: »

Great run Krusty, congratulations. Its your intelligent consistant training that has rewarded you with this position. The first of many times you'll be in with a shout in years to come. A different type of focus and more acute awareness when youre in this position in a race.

You should have a pop at this race in the future if you're around the area. They're positioning it as a tune-up race for the Sligo Warriors and apart from the road-bias it'd be a good warm-up race. There's also a pretty soft course-record to snatch.

Apart from the really nice trophy I took home, they also have a commemorative trophy, where they engrave previous winners names and times. A nice touch.

T runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You should have a pop at this race in the future if you're around the area. They're positioning it as a tune-up race for the Sligo Warriors and apart from the road-bias it'd be a good warm-up race. There's also a pretty soft course-record to snatch.

Apart from the really nice trophy I took home, they also have a commemorative trophy, where they engrave previous winners names and times. A nice touch.

Thats not a soft time given those hills. Averaging that on the road on the warriors run would give you a good shot at everyone bar the 2 or 3 greyhounds at the very front.

Youll be a year meaner, leaner and keener next year and the great thing about a win means your attitude to winning next year will be positive and all out for a win.

This will be a great boost for the training in the coming weeks too.
Its easy to see how the lads and lassies who win nearly every race they enter can fire out the 100+ mile weeks (psychologically speaking).