Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Krusty_Clown

Today: 5 mile recovery run
Just the regular 5 mile recovery run on the grass in Corkagh Park. Felt particularly sluggish though, so an indicator that I may have overdone it last week on the mileage and the strength stuff (and possibly also the beer stuff). No marathon this week though, so will distribute the running, strength and beer a little more evenly across the week.
Summary: 5 miles in 40 mins, @8:06/mile, HR=132

Krusty_Clown

Today: 10 mile steady lunch afternoon run
Had planned to get out for a lunch run, but 12pm became 1pm, which became 2pm, and then 3pm when I finally managed to extricate myself from my desk. A bit of a gap from brekkie, but I had porridge and that usually keeps me going for hours. Headed out towards Tallaght, but turned right for a change to do some exploring. I thought it was a dead-end, but it brought me out towards City West, following the LUAS line. I was enjoying the run, and with a few late evening conference calls this evening I won't be leaving the office early, so my 8 miles became 10 miles, as I followed the LUAS line to it's final stop. Some good roads (and some concrete paths) but definitely some areas worth further exploration for future runs. Picked up the pace a little on the way back, until I was running at marathon pace as I arrived back at my work-place. A good run of a Tuesday.

Summary: 10.1 miles in 70 mins, @6:59/mile, HR=143

*Edit*:
14 x 2 sets of 4 Weights
5 Minutes of Plank Exercises

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: Recovery run in Corkagh Park
Stuck on the spikes again (still with 12mm spikes) and took to Corkagh for 5 easy recovery miles after yesterday's solid 10 miler. The 12mm were definitely overkill after a couple of dry days, and made crossing the paths uncomfortable, so I'll go back to the 6mm. Nice comfortable run, with a final sprint down the last straight, just for the craic. I'm enjoying running in the spikes, as it's as close as I'll get to barefoot running, but I feel a little better afterwards for the experience and I'm getting well used to them, which will stand to me for the XC race in a couple of weeks time.

Summary: 5 miles in 39:20, @7:46/mile, HR=134

RayCun

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

which will stand to me for the XC race in a couple of weeks time.

are you doing the Intermediates in Tymon?

Krusty_Clown

RayCun wrote: »

are you doing the Intermediates in Tymon?

No, I'm plying my trade in Wicklaw these days. Renegade mercenary for hire with no scruples.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 4.4 x 1 Mile @5 Mile pace
I was all ready to trot around the Aware 5 mile route in a nice comfortable sub 30 mins, to claim another notch in the 'big-8 challenge', but I think over a pint I may have inadvertently mentioned a ridiculous target of trying to go sub 28. Threw the figure into MacMillan, to look at the average pace required. 5:35/mile. :eek: It's ok, no-one will remember. Then the mail came. A pint (a shandy to add insult to injury) if you can go sub 28. Well the gauntlet had been thrown done (in my mind anyway; the lengths I'll go to for a free beer).

So, as luck would have it (sick child at home (luck? what kind of parent am I?!)) I found myself working from home for the first part of the day, so I headed to the local park with the racing shoes and a lump in my stomach, with the plan to run a modified MacMillan 10k session, more suited to my target. 5 x 1 Mile at 5:35/mile. Sure hadn't I done three mile repeats just 4.5 weeks ago at 5:20/mile. This will be ok, I promised myself, knowing that it wouldn't be.

2 Mile warm-up and then I launched into the first interval. Way too quick, but it felt nice and comfortable, so what the hell. I ran most of it at 5:20 and slowed at the finish to complete the mile in 5:27. Four minutes rest dragged on for ages. Should have gone with three minutes recovery.

Next one was better paced, but felt a lot harder. 5:34 for the mile. Recovery didn't seem to last as long. Next one: 5:32. Wow, that one felt tough, but I'm getting through it. Next one: 5:34. I'm in bits. Instead of recovery, I want to go home and climb under my bed-sheets. I'm starting to feel quite ill. Maybe I should stop now?

Launched into the last one. Got through .4 of a mile before I had to stop. Legs were shaking. I had to focus to stop myself from throwing up. I was all over the shop and pissed off at myself for having to stop, but to be fair, I don't think I could've gotten much further. I took a break for a minute, and as punishment, made myself finish off the interval once I'd recovered, and got close to the target average pace, finishing in 5:40 (not including the break).

So right now, the idea of stringing 5 of these together in a row, is just horrendous. I know where my mistake lies. In my head, It thought I had previously done a tempo session in around 28:30 (albeit slightly downhill with a favourable wind). Looking back, I see it was actually 29:06 in very favourable conditions, so 29:30 would be a fairer reflection of my tempo session. So my goal to hit sub 28 (and get the free shandy) is very much at risk. Damn you foul memory! I'll stick with it for the time being, as despite the failure in the last interval, it was a damn fine workout and can only help me in my upcoming XC race (if it doesn't kill me in the mean-time).

Intervals: 5:27/5:34/5:32/5:34/Fail
Heart rate: 157/163/166/168/Epic Fail

Summary: 9.45 miles in 1:12, @7:07/mile, HR=153

Mr Slow

Tough session!

I'm looking forward to something similar next month, albeit at walking pace for you!

Krusty_Clown

Mr Slow wrote: »

Tough session!

I'm looking forward to something similar next month, albeit at walking pace for you!

Hey, it's all relative. It's about improvement by degrees. A year or two from now, you'll be lashing out mile intervals at 5:30/mile, while I'll be back to 8 minute miles, getting teary-eyed about the days when I used to be able to run fast.

Mr Slow

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Hey, it's all relative. It's about improvement by degrees. A year or two from now, you'll be lashing out mile intervals at 5:30/mile, while I'll be back to 8 minute miles, getting teary-eyed about the days when I used to be able to run fast.

Planning on aging by a few decades in the next while?

Krusty_Clown

Mr Slow wrote: »

Planning on aging by a few decades in the next while?

I aged a lot during today's run.

Sosa

Sub 28 is some running Gary.....My official PB is 28:24 but would have ran at the slowest 28:13 at the Portlaw 5m in May...the course was short and i finished in 27:47 and worked it out to be 28:13 if it went to 5...nearly killed me but i did the last 0.92 at 5:19p...i was flying and then it was all robbed by a short course.....only i couldnt talk for a minute i would have killed someone !
Anyway...if you break 28...hats off to you !
Give me something to aim for in Feb ( Kilmac5...really fast course )

TheRoadRunner

Ha Ha. I see the shandy bet has been accepted. Maybe I should give you some real incentive. If you break 28 I'll buy you a beer of your choice. Failure to break 28 and you have to drink a heineken shandy. Deal?

smmoore79

At least ya got 4 solid mile splits together. The next pace session should be easier. Its tougher gettin race pace splits in trainin, come race day the adrenalin will flow and you'll be grand. Last May at the docklands 5 miles i was bang on target come the halfway point and assumed that id wilt in the last mile. It felt like torture and i thought that i might be slippin but i managed to get a negative split and get 27 53. The only advice id give is try tacking on to people in front of you and closing the gap. and try to race the guy next to ya towards the end!

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Ha Ha. I see the shandy bet has been accepted. Maybe I should give you some real incentive. If you break 28 I'll buy you a beer of your choice. Failure to break 28 and you have to drink a heineken shandy. Deal?

Wait.. So I should kill myself for the next 5 weeks, for..... a beer? Maybe I'll just take the next 5 weeks easy, and buy myself a beer.

Bet accepted, under these terms: I break 28 (no hope in hell, I might add!) you buy me a beer of my choosing (it'll be an O'Hara's IPA in Doyles). I fail, I buy you an O'Hara's IPA, and I buy myself a Heineken shandy. Deal?

Krusty_Clown

Sosa wrote: »

Sub 28 is some running Gary.....My official PB is 28:24 but would have ran at the slowest 28:13 at the Portlaw 5m in May...the course was short and i finished in 27:47 and worked it out to be 28:13 if it went to 5...nearly killed me but i did the last 0.92 at 5:19p...i was flying and then it was all robbed by a short course.....only i couldnt talk for a minute i would have killed someone !
Anyway...if you break 28...hats off to you !
Give me something to aim for in Feb ( Kilmac5...really fast course )

I said it before, but you've got a real talent for the short stuff. You should knock all this long stuff on the head and give the 1,500m - 5,000m a good pop.

smmoore wrote:

It felt like torture and i thought that i might be slippin but i managed to get a negative split and get 27 53.

You're just too bloody fast at every distance these days!

TheRoadRunner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Wait.. So I should kill myself for the next 5 weeks, for..... a beer? Maybe I'll just take the next 5 weeks easy, and buy myself a beer.

Bet accepted, under these terms: I break 28 (no hope in hell, I might add!) you buy me a beer of my choosing (it'll be an O'Hara's IPA in Doyles). I fail, I buy you an O'Hara's IPA, and I buy myself a Heineken shandy. Deal?

Ok to make bet achievable how about we say 28.30. That's a tough course. You win I'll treat you to 2 pints. You loose you buy yourself a shandy and me whatever arty fatty beer you want me to sample.

village runner

And I will throw in a hand shandy
You get two blowouts in 40 minutes.:D:D

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Ok to make bet achievable how about we say 28.30. That's a tough course. You win I'll treat you to 2 pints. You loose you buy yourself a shandy and me whatever arty fatty beer you want me to sample.

Dealio.

Village hoor wrote:

And I will throw in a hand shandy
You get two blowouts in 40 minutes.

Sicko.

seanynova

sub28; a lofty 5m target....if mcmillan is anything to go by, i should be capable of something similar when im done with my 5k training.....i have a very long way to go, to be running figues comparable to yours......maybe i should revise!

with boston in april, you could get a solid 8weeks 10k training done, maybe more speed work/speed endurance than usual....may help in the long term goal for boston.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

The levels people go to for bragging rights and free beer:) That sounded like a toughy session alright.

Patrick_K

A hand-shandy, from a man, and this is meant as some kind of incentive? :eek:

Krusty_Clown

Patrick_K wrote: »

A hand-shandy, from a man, and this is meant as some kind of incentive? :eek:

I think the hand-shandy is if I fail to break 28:30.
Feck, I'm going training...


Just to sweep briefly onto the subject of training:
Last night:
15 x 2 x 4: Weights
15 x 15: Core strength exercises

Krusty_Clown

Today: Handy 5 mile recovery run on the sploshy grass in Corkagh, @8:05/mile, HR=130

Krusty_Clown

Today: the Krusty Hilly Loop - 14 Mile MLR

I had been plotting a winter running route for the last few days. The criteria was that it had to be hilly (100m+ climbs) with good recoveries and at least 13 miles long, with options to stretch out the distance as needed. I settled on this route, and it's a cracker. It's as scenic is it is tough. Every climb is very runnable (albeit at a gentler pace) with an easy run-off at the top, to gather your wits before starting a fast leg-pounding descent. Each climb is successively more challenging, as the distance and climb gets greater, finishing with a tough ascent to the smelting tower, where your stride is greatly shortened and the legs start to feel a bit shaky. But the climbs are not done yet. From the smelting tower, you follow a brief mountain bike trail, before climbing to the top of Carrigologan to claim your reward for all this hard work; a two minute break on the top of the hill, to enjoy the 360' vistas of the neighbouring mountains and roads that have brought you to your penultimate destination.

Another fast loop, takes you off the trail and back out onto the road, where despite the gentle uphill gradient, you're surprised to look down at your watch and see marathon pace. Even the uphills are beginning to feel like downhills after the earlier climbs. Some more trails bring you back down to earth, as the last glimpses of the of the Irish sea and Bray Head disappear under the tree line. You arrive back at base 14 miles later, exhilarated and tired. As you stretch, your muscles are shaking a little. They know they've had a good workout. It's a circuit that's good for the legs... and the soul..

Summary: 14.2 miles in 1:47, @7:33/mile, HR=145.

and sleep...

Krusty_Clown

+ 15 x 15 Core Strength exercises
+ 15 x 2 x 4 Weights
= wrecked

village runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

+ 15 x 15 Core Strength exercises
+ 15 x 2 x 4 Weights
= wrecked

What kind of core are you doing ??
You ever hear the the INSANITY Dvd ?? Might be worth looking into ??

ecoli

village runner wrote: »

What kind of core are you doing ??
You ever hear the the INSANITY Dvd ?? Might be worth looking into ??

Have the p90x myself along the same lines of insanity. They are legit they have a 10 min ab workout that I am yet to complete

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

What kind of core are you doing ??
You ever hear the the INSANITY Dvd ?? Might be worth looking into ??

Doing this one. Found it really great when I did it a couple of years ago. It's tough, but it gets easier over time. I increase the number of reps by one, each week. I'm doing it twice a week. Also doing a plank session once a week, and some simple weights.

Too much time spent in US hotel rooms, I can't even look at those P90x/Insanity/Zumba infomercials, without dying a little inside. I find if I keep it simple (no DVDs etc) then I'm more likely to do it. Going well so far.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 5 mile recovery run
Just the Monday 5 mile recovery run on the grass in Corkagh. Started out lovely, but as we were finishing up, the temperature was dropping rapidly, and it had that sleety feeling to it. Feeling yesterday's downhill exertion in the quads, but the easy run did it's job and the legs are now feeling 27.35% better.

Planning a tempo run tomorrow, so will do some stretching this evening, just to fix up the missing 62.65%. Looking at Macmillan, his calculator suggests 5:42 to 5:57/mile for a tempo run. I'm assuming that for a target 5 mile or 10k race, that a suitable tempo duration would be three or four miles (after a couple of miles warm-up and a couple of miles of warm-down afterwards?)

Summary: 5 miles in 40 mins, @8min/mile, HR=130

Peckham

Catching up on a few threads here....

I too am trying a modified Macmillan 10k plan for the Aware 5 miler. Relieved you found the 5x1 mile a struggle, because I had a similar experience! Had to abandon the 3x1 mile, 1x2 mile yesterday... being postponed to this coming weekend. 5 mile pace feels disproportionately harder than 10k pace!

What are you doing for the other sessions? My plan is:
5x1 mile
3x1 mile, 1x2 mile
2x2 mile, 1x2 mile
1x2 mile, 1x3 mile
Race

Looks overwhelming though!