Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Sosa

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Couldn't believe my warm-up on the track in Waterford before the half marathon. It was like running on squishy marshmallows. Will have to try some more of this track stuff.

Our track is very soft alright,not the best for racing on apparently as it slows you down but it is a feeling all the same.
As soon as im back running intervals i will be heading down there again,only 2m form the house...ideal
I ran yesteray btw and only slight discomfort towards the end of the run so i'll be grand.

Krusty_Clown

Lunch: 7 mile easy/recovery run
Horrendous run. Not enjoyable at all. Devoid of energy, I just felt crap. Parked up in Adamstown and ran around the area for a bit of investigating, before heading to Griffeen Valley Park for a final few miles. Even the radio was crap today. Need to catch up on some overdue sleep, which is probably not helping things. Everything's crap. /grumpy. :mad:
Summary: 7 miles in 56 mins, :8 min/mile, HR=117

Abhainn

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Sure we'll have to meet-up there at some stage and run some intervals with ecoli, alongside the LUAS!

and I vote him to lead out all the intervals

ecoli wrote: »

Its not every road that comes with a Sub 4 min mile pacer:D.

@ Abhainn: Apologies for never getting around to meet ups for them runs had a 10 day "break" only getting back to myself this week. When are you heading off to China?

No problem Ecoli. Been mad at work anyway and most of the lunch time runs are well past 1pm when I get out
Heading away Monday

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Lunch: 7 mile easy/recovery run
Horrendous run. Not enjoyable at all. Devoid of energy, I just felt crap. Parked up in Adamstown and ran around the area for a bit of investigating, before heading to Griffeen Valley Park for a final few miles. Even the radio was crap today. Need to catch up on some overdue sleep, which is probably not helping things. Everything's crap. /grumpy. :mad:
Summary: 7 miles in 56 mins, :8 min/mile, HR=117

Don't ignore the signs. You had a tough 2 weeks. And Sat outing would have taken something out of you also. Frig me everytime I seen you before that race you were yawning:)

Krusty_Clown

Abhainn wrote: »

Don't ignore the signs. You had a tough 2 weeks. And Sat outing would have taken something out of you also. Frig me everytime I seen you before that race you were yawning:)

Yeah, absolutely. Jetlag + high mileage + racing + long working hours = cream crackered. Will try and be sensible with my sleeping hours over the next few weeks. You're not 10k'ing this weekend, I take it?

Krusty_Clown

Today: 6 miles with 7 x strides
Still very tired (so tomorrow's race may be a bit of a right-off), but giving myself the best chance by doing this run nice and early, so I'll have a good few hours break before tomorrow's 10k. Had to interrupt the run for a dash back to the house, but headed back out for the remaining three miles, and got 7 strides done too. Just checked and my stride-outs tend to be 160m long (a tenth of a mile). Not sure if that's too long, but they're easy to count off, and it's good that the distance seems to be consistent each time.

Summary: 6 miles in 47 mins, @7:43/mile.

Krusty_Clown

Unfortunately I was absolutely spot-on with my weather predicition for Blessington for 11am this morning. yr.no predicted a tail-wind for the first 5k, and a head-wind for the remaining 5k (which also has a nice hill climb, just to put the boot in).

Preparation was less than ideal, with a busy mileage week, and a very busy work week (arriving home last night at 9:30pm, after another 12+ hour day) and the tiredness that has plagued me since my return to California has not yet shifted. Still, I was hoping for a PB, as I've been running consistently well over the last couple of months. My PB was 36:32. My plan was to try and average 5:4x/mile which would give me a 35:xx time. Based on the weather, I figured I'd better aim for faster in the first half to compensate for the wind in the second half. That was the plan. Things didn't go to plan.

The reality: Easy warm-up, then I headed towards the start. Nice as always to chat to the few boards runners who showed up for the race, and Mr RacePix himself, who was returning after a long injury lay-off. Funny to see a few runners tucking into the free ice-creams before the start of the race. True athletes!

First Half: Lined-up in the top-20, among a bunch of very reluctant runners (once again, nobody wanted to toe the line!) and before long, the race was kicked off by last year's winner of the Amateur Apprentice (I only know that because it was announced at the end). Across the bridge anf turn right, the pace was probably a little quick, so I settled back a bit, in around 20th pace. First mile was 5:39, which was about where I wanted to be, given the tail wind. Mile 2 was again a nice easy slightly down-hill mile, and I started picking off a couple of runners who had gone out a little quick. 5:42 for this mile which was a little slower than planned. By the 3k mark, I was probably in around 12th place, and everyone had either pushed on, or dropped off, so there was just me and a heavy breather running in my shadow. The problem with somebody tailing you in a tail wind, is they get the wind advantage, while neutralizing yours. So in effect, they gain nothing extra and only succeed in removing your advantage. Pointless. Didn't stop him though. A couple of minutes later, he clipped my heel. Grrr. I can't complain too loudly, as I did something similar myself in the FD10, but it all seemed a little pointless. He soon dropped off the pace. On my own, I struggled to keep up the planned early pace, and began to struggle a little on the slightly uphill mile: 5:53. Hit the half way mark in around 17:47, with all the hard work to do.

Second Half: Things didn't improve! I knew that the 5:40 pace-goal was out the window, but a 35:xx time was still within reach. The runners ahead of me were coming back a little, but always at least 100m ahead. I knew if I could just pick up the pace, we could share the burden of the nasty head-wind, and I'd be up for a decent time, but I was finding it really tough, with the hill still to come. Mile 4: 5:53.

The Hill: 31 Metres/100 feet over the course of a half a mile. Nothing. These hills normally serve as stretch of the legs. Today, it was different. With a strong wind blowing, running at 10k pace, it felt like trying to push my way through sticky toffee. Over the course of the next half mile, my mind went through various strategies, from dropping out, to hiding in the bushes until everyone had gone home. I felt like I was crawling. Like all nightmares, this one ultimately came to and end, leaving in it's wake a fast beating heart, a taste of blood, and a desire to curl up and go to sleep. Mile 5: 6:09.

Eventually I recovered from the hill and managed to pick up the pace once more, but much of the damage was done. Mile 6 was thankfully a lot easier, with the markers counting down the distance to the finish (5:46). Eventually I saw the clock, a couple of hundred metres before the finish line (nice touch) which read 35:38. I picked up the pace, but I was dreaming. The finish line was just too far away, but the clock helped ensure a solid race finish (@5:31/mile pace).

Result: 36:16 for 8th place. A whopping 16 second PB, from this day last year! 2,500 miles, countless pairs of shoes, blood sweat and tears, all for 16 seconds (about as long as it takes to read this sentence!).

I'm actually very happy with the outcome. I'm faster than last year. 3 PBs in as many weeks. Very tough conditions. I know I can break 36 minutes given a decent opportunity. A great workout and I managed to get the heart rate up, so that it's working properly. If I can find another 10k in two weeks time, I'll give it another pop (it's in the plan after all). So, not a great result, but a good result.

A wonderful race (heartily recommended), with superb value for money (ice-cream, muffin, goody bag full of choccie and other rubbish) and I managed to scab a RacePix running top from stupid_private, so I got a whole lot more than 16 seconds for my €20.

Summary: 6.23 miles in 36:16 (official) for 8th place, @5:49/mile, HR=172

ecoli

Great running definitely think you can take huge chunks off your shorter times over the next while. Great to see you running the times you are well able of hitting over the shorter to match up with your longer PBs

Well done on today sounds like a tough one

Slogger Jogger

Wow. Great performance to PB under those conditions. I for one was happy to wuss out. Very bad form by that runner behind you drafting in the 1st half and good thing he fell away or you might have smacked him one lol at the hide in the bushes comment

smmoore79

That hill sounded like a nightmare!! Ya did well to keep any sort of pace goin up it. Congats on the pb, though Id say that will be gone as soon as ya tackle a flat course!

Krusty_Clown

Today: Long easy run - 21 Miles
Body felt good after yesterday's race, just a little tired. Yesterday's limiting factor was definitely the lungs/cardio system, rather than the legs/body. So after a lazy rugby morning, I headed out in early afternoon, towards Bray. Nice run along by the cliffs to Greystones, and then onwards to Charlesland Golf Course. Turned back and instead of hugging the coast, I headed up towards Windgates, stopping for a bottle of water and some of the OH'es jelly beans (not a euphemism!)... and took the wrong turn off for Bray Head. My Cliff run turned into a cliff walk, into a cliff scramble and eventually a cliff climb.

Eventually I hit the Bray Head trail, and was rewarded for my climb with wonderful panoramic views of the Irish Sea. Such a wonderful place to run, despite the hefty climb to get up there. Still feeling great after dropping down off the of Bray Head, I headed off to my new club's stomping grounds (Ballywaltrim Park) for a bit of a look around, instead of heading home. Grabbed another bottle of water, and headed homewards. Realizing that I had run for two hours and 15 mins and still had a few miles to get home, I figured I might as well extend the run to my marathon goal time, and do a 'time on my feet' type run. I got a little hungry for the last couple of miles, but that's to be expected. A very enjoyable run and good to get a chunk of miles/time on the feet. I'll be sore tomorrow, but it's a rest day, so well timed. Another solid week of training ticked off with a 10k PB, and a mileage high (73+ miles).

Summary: 21 miles in 2:42:10 (cough), no HR monitor (got covered in paint!).

Mr Slow

Great report and well done on the pb!

Krusty_Clown

Today: 6 + 4 Mile recovery run
Another double. Now I've really hit the big time! First 6 miles at lunch time in Corkagh with the work buddy, so a nice comfortable pace. Nice sunny warm day, until we stepped through the wardrobe into the depths Narnia, on the West-side of the park. We got hit by sleet and 30mph winds. Freezing and quite horrid and no sign of Mr Tumnus. Back onto the east side of the park, sunshine, thaw, and no winds. Definitely a park with a split personality.

Another 4 miles after work, from the office, quick loop around the near-side of Corkagh and order was restored. Back to crappy Irish September weather.

Summary: 6 miles + 4 miles, all very easy.

Krusty_Clown

Today: Chasing the LUAS at ecoli's Hideout - 11 miles with 6 x 1k @5k pace
Great name for a book. 3.5 mile warm-up to take me from the office, to what I thought would be a wind-less area, and onto the nice new stretch of tarmac alongside the LUAS. The stretch is still closed to traffic, so I had the road largely to myself, except for a couple of teenage schoolkids, wolf-whistling at me (they grow up strange in them there parts). The odd numbered intervals were into a medium strength wind that made the going pretty tough and it wasn't long before I could feel the previous weekend's mileage and race in the legs. I died a death on the 5th interval and was slowing dramatically, but managed to recover towards the end of the rep, finishing around 6/7 seconds off pace. It's a great straight road, which works out really well for intervals, as a quick glance at the watch will tell you whether you need to speed up or slow down, and at just over a kilometer long, ideal for this kind of work.

Intervals: 3:22/3:22/3:24/3:21/3:28/3:21
Rest period: 2:30
Average HR for intervals: 163

I couldn't see myself running a 5k race at this pace so I am trying to push the boundaries a little (which comes at a risk/cost), but it's a training approach that has worked for me in the past. But today was tough..

Summary: 11 miles with 6x1k @5k pace.

ecoli

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Today: Chasing the LUAS at ecoli's Hideout - 11 miles with 6 x 1k @5k pace
Great name for a book. 3.5 mile warm-up to take me from the office, to what I thought would be a wind-less area, and onto the nice new stretch of tarmac alongside the LUAS. The stretch is still closed to traffic, so I had the road largely to myself, except for a couple of teenage schoolkids, wolf-whistling at me (they grow up strange in them there parts). The odd numbered intervals were into a medium strength wind that made the going pretty tough and it wasn't long before I could feel the previous weekend's mileage and race in the legs. I died a death on the 5th interval and was slowing dramatically, but managed to recover towards the end of the rep, finishing around 6/7 seconds off pace. It's a great straight road, which works out really well for intervals, as a quick glance at the watch will tell you whether you need to speed up or slow down, and at just over a kilometer long, ideal for this kind of work.

Intervals: 3:22/3:22/3:24/3:21/3:28/3:21
Rest period: 2:30
Average HR for intervals: 163

I couldn't see myself running a 5k race at this pace so I am trying to push the boundaries a little (which comes at a risk/cost), but it's a training approach that has worked for me in the past. But today was tough..

Summary: 11 miles with 6x1k @5k pace.

Great Session another example that you can do damage at the shorter distances without a doubt. Another thing about that road is its not fully flat either there is a slight dip followed by a very gentle climb which makes you work a small bit harder than you think you are going. Also interesting that there was very little difference in your times going against the wind as there was into it (minus the second last one but this is natural as you getting tired coming the end of a session)

Krusty_Clown

ecoli wrote: »

Great Session another example that you can do damage at the shorter distances without a doubt. Another thing about that road is its not fully flat either there is a slight dip followed by a very gentle climb which makes you work a small bit harder than you think you are going. Also interesting that there was very little difference in your times going against the wind as there was into it (minus the second last one but this is natural as you getting tired coming the end of a session)

Yeah, I knew all about that dip in the middle! You get a slightly easier launch though, so it all evens out in the end (doesn't seem to be much (if any) elevation change). I worked a little harder on the intervals into the wind, though the HR didn't change much. Might be just psychological, but the southbound reps felt easier!

BeepBeep67

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Yeah, I knew all about that dip in the middle! You get a slightly easier launch though, so it all evens out in the end (doesn't seem to be much (if any) elevation change). I worked a little harder on the intervals into the wind, though the HR didn't change much. Might be just psychological, but the southbound reps felt easier!

You probably speed up naturally running away from the Northside!
Great session btw.

Krusty_Clown

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

You probably speed up naturally running away from the Northside!
Great session btw.

Lol. Now I think about it, it was actually easier going West-South-West, to East-North-East. My internal GPS sucks!

ManFromAtlantis

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Now I think about it, it was actually easier going West-South-West, to East-North-East. !

ever the diplomat ! :P

Krusty_Clown

Morning: 15 mile medium long run
My metamorphosis from man to machine is nearly complete. Work, run eat, sleep, work, run, eat, sleep. An endless cycle of converting carbs into leg rotation, to propel the central unit forward. This morning, the alarm went off at 6:15am, and I didn't really want to run. Just wanted to stay in bed and sleep. But the decision-making process doesn't seem to include free-will any more, and the legs rotated over the side of bed, and I stood up. Out the door at 6:45am, and headed for Kilternan, on a loop that took me to Stepaside, Lamb's Cross, down to Cabinteely, and back towards home. Had to stop in Cabinteely for an early morning toilet break (thankfully very few humans around at that time of the morning), but the bowel movements are one of the remaining human traits I wouldn't mind surrendering.

So this run was a bit of a chore, particularly after yesterday's intervals, but thankfully it's the last mid-week 15 mile run. This week is a peak week, but the mileage starts to turn back from the weekend... and not a moment too soon.. When the training starts to feel laborious, something's gotta give.

Summary: 15 miles in 1:53, @7:35/mile, HR=125

ManFromAtlantis

re ahem toilet break. you mention 'few humans around at that time of morning' are we right to assume you toilet-ed in teh great outdoors. fine. just tell us it was a number 1. your post is'nt that clear ! maybe i should'nt ask.;)

Krusty_Clown

ManFromAtlantis wrote: »

re ahem toilet break. you mention 'few humans around at that time of morning' are we right to assume you toilet-ed in teh great outdoors. fine. just tell us it was a number 1. your post is'nt that clear ! maybe i should'nt ask.;)

Some things, you're better off not knowing. Lets just say that there are no toilets open at that hour of the morning, and I stop for number '1's with such great frequency that I don't bother mentioning them in my training log. Make of that, what you will.

Seres

Forgot to congratulate you on another pb Robo , you just keep baggin them . Are the pbs contagious , hope so , till saturday 11.30.am anyway

Krusty_Clown

Seres wrote: »

Forgot to congratulate you on another pb Robo , you just keep baggin them . Are the pbs contagious , hope so , till saturday 10.30.am anyway

Thanks. 5k, 10k, 10M and 1/2; I've only one more to go, to complete the entire set! Sure aren't you guaranteed a PB on Saturday regardless?!

Patrick_K

Hello Krustation,

I'm planning to run in your slipstream tomorrow in the park and in 6 weeks time too all going well so thanks in advance for your pacing efforts ...

Was wondering what your approach to pacing in general is.
Will you try to hit each mile in ~6:50 or concentrate more on an average pace of ~6:50 over the whole thing?
E.g if we hit a hilly mile into the wind will you power on through or keep an even effort knowing that what goes up must come down etc ....

Cheers
PK

Krusty_Clown

Patrick_K wrote: »

Hello Krustation,

I'm planning to run in your slipstream tomorrow in the park and in 6 weeks time too all going well so thanks in advance for your pacing efforts ...

Was wondering what your approach to pacing in general is.
Will you try to hit each mile in ~6:50 or concentrate more on an average pace of ~6:50 over the whole thing?
E.g if we hit a hilly mile into the wind will you power on through or keep an even effort knowing that what goes up must come down etc ....

Cheers
PK

Hi PK, good to have you along. It's not so much my approach as the approach dictated by the race organizers, which in this case, is consistent pacing throughout the course. Which means that in effect we will be trying to run 6:50 up the hill, and 6:50 back down again. The pace bands are printed for 1:29:40, so we'll try to hit each mile as close as possible.

When I paced the 90 minute group in the Kildare half, it generally meant that some of the pace group went slightly ahead on down-hills but order was restored on the uphills. So it's really up to you. Stick with us on even pace, or just use us as a marker. I don't think we will hit any hilly sections into the wind (if anything the wind will be behind us), but if we do, just tuck in behind some larger runners, and plough onwards. There are no rules of etiquette in road racing! Talk to you tomorrow morning.

Patrick_K

Cheers Krusty, good to know. Will see what the morning brings, probably use you as a marker. Thanks again and see you in the morning.
PK

aigster

Patrick_K wrote: »

Hello Krustation,

I'm planning to run in your slipstream tomorrow in the park and in 6 weeks time too all going well so thanks in advance for your pacing efforts ...

Was wondering what your approach to pacing in general is.
Will you try to hit each mile in ~6:50 or concentrate more on an average pace of ~6:50 over the whole thing?
E.g if we hit a hilly mile into the wind will you power on through or keep an even effort knowing that what goes up must come down etc ....

Cheers
PK

krusty doesn't slow for hills, he's a machine!!!...

I've had two weeks with no running since dingle full ,no idea what my pace is , somewhere between 1.45 and 1.35...next year I'll aim for the 1.30...dingle was a pb at 3.43 so I'm now having to revise my tines and stop hiding!!

Krusty_Clown

Today: 6 Mile recovery run

How a runners mind works: Right, the plan calls for a General Aerobic 8 mile run today, but I have an obligation to pace the half marathon tomorrow, and I'll complete out my long run at the same time too. So I'll just do 6 miles easy today. [Start Run]. I feel really tired. I'm not doing myself any favours. I'll just do 5 miles today. Wait, I can do five miles now, and then just finish off the other 3 miles later! Hardly any point in putting on the gear a second time for just 3 miles. Might as well make it 4 miles. Hmm.. Might as well do all 9 miles now, so I don't need to run again this afternoon. Hang on a minute, I've gone from 6 miles, to 5 miles, to 5+3, to 5+4, to 9? Maybe I should just stick with the 6 miles.

Summary: 6 miles in 49 minutes, @8:07/mile, HR=120

Krusty_Clown

aigster wrote: »

krusty doesn't slow for hills, he's a machine!!!...

You didn't see my post about the Lakes10k then! That was one hill that chewed me up and spat me out!
So you've done the Dingle full two weeks ago, and now you're going for the Dublin Half? That sounds like a potential injury waiting to happen. How are you feeling?

dare2be

Hello Krusty

I'll be another loyal follower of fashion tomorrow. I have pb'd my last 3 races but this is the big one so hopefully i can stay on the shoulder and we can all get around.

I'll say hello tomorrow if i can get through the thronges lining up behind you. Don't let go a them balloons too early!!

Thanks in advance

dare2be