Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

theboyblunder

Just catching up now. Sorry to hear about the shin KC, hope it clears up. With the very impressive mileage you are doing you must be burning through shoes pretty quickly - I wear similar (some the same) shoes as yourself, and I fing that after 350-400 miles I usually start to get some mild shin pain, which eases after I get new ones (usually I buy in bulk now if I find a shoe I like, so batches come to the end of their lives together)

Just a thought...might be an issue, especially with more minimal shoes like kinvaras?

Hope ballycotton goes well!

Pronator

This is were you need to keep the cool! Your in better shape than you have ever been, an easier few days prior to a goal race in a marathon schedule is no bad thing.

Hopefully Ballycotton will confirm your shape and the shin clear's up. I've noticed you have been wearing flats on the LSR's I've been with you. This could be the root of the problem. Perhaps a supportive runner for the long ones is the way to go?

TRR

Pronator wrote: »

This is were you need to keep the cool! Your in better shape than you have ever been, an easier few days prior to a goal race in a marathon schedule is no bad thing.

+1 Let me tell you a story about the first time I ran London in 2009. I've recounted this many times so apologies if you've heard it before but there are a couple of morals you need to take from it.

Like you I was feeling some mild shin pain in the week leading up to a goal race (half marathon) 7 weeks out from the marathon, exact same time point with you I think. Anyway instead of easing off I headed up to the half marathon and blitzed out an absolute beauty on a tough course. Now if I had any sense I would have put the beaks on and taken a few days off as the shin pain was a little worse but was still nothing nothing major, it wasn't getting better though. I was a greedy git though and for the next 4 days rode my luck, I ran on the grass in Corkagh park until mid way through the Thursday run I literally felt something twinge in the shin and it was game over. I managed to make it to the start line of London but was basically doing 1 day on, 1 day off until then. If I was lucky I'd get 2 consecutive days but the following day I'd find it hard to walk. The runs all had to be easy paced absolutely nothing faster than 7.15 minute mile pace. The way the leg felt on the Saturday before the marathon I didn't think I'd be bale to run but by some miracle it calmed down on the Sunday and I ran a semi respectable marathon. I know if I had of eased off in March for an measly week I would have ran 8-10 minutes quicker though as that was the projection I was on. For the sake of a few days you are going to have to KOP on. I've highlighted that, I'm being a dick but if somebody else was recounting your tale to them you'd tell them something similar. You're in the shape of your life so don't fcuk it up, it's not as if you're getting any younger And by the way I didn't run for 3 months after that London marathon either.

You said before your OCD is one of your strongest assets but also one of your weak points. Well as somebody looking in, it's wrecking your chances of running a PB let alone the time I think you are capable of which is significantly faster than your PB. I was going to be discrete and put this into an email but decided I'd let rip instead :cool:

PS whatever about continuing to run on grass with the sore shin, why twice a day? You do realise it's most probably inflamed fascia and you are stressing it twice a day. WOuld be better doing one longer run if you are really insisting on running. AT least you are giving the body 24 hours recovery but that's just my own opinion.

Krusty_Clown

Cheers guys. Thanks for the sound advice and wake-up call, particularly the bold bits! Results from the visit to CF were good news. A knot in the upper shin. Prognosis is a couple of easy days on the grass and should be good to race on Sunday. Painful session on the couch, particularly the fascia release (hate that one!), but nothing serious injury-wise. Will skip the doubles for the next few days and run 6 miles tomorrow (if I am 100% pain free) and 5 miles on Saturday, under the same conditions. Might give the Kinvaras a rest too (I actually only wear them for sessions or long fast runs). It's all about London. The rest is all just details.

TRR

That's good news. If it's just the fascia, it's just inflammation (in my experience). Yes that fascia release is painful. The names I called that poor man the last time he did it to me. I think his mother had to head off to confession after listening to me roar for 30 minutes

Krusty_Clown

Today: 6 miles easy/recovery on the grass

If I really focus, I can just about make out that there was ever a problem with my shin, so happy with progress. Should be a non-event by Sunday. Headed to the park once more for some easy miles, cheered only by the fact that today is Fallafel Friday, so I had something to look forward to after the run.

New developments in the park:
1 x 500ml bottle of Bulmers Berry - empty
1 x Small rooster potato (approximately 1.5 inches)
1 x Folded piece of paper; was tempted to unfold it, but may save this until next week
1 x LUAS ticket (departure and destination unknown)
1 x Cadburys Dairymilk outer wrapper (inner silver foil missing, presumed eaten)
1 x Directional road sign, pointing in a South-Easterly direction (may investigate, but feel that placement may have been random, rather than a clue).

Summary: Still bored

KielyUnusual

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

1 x Directional road sign, pointing in a South-Easterly direction (may investigate, but feel that placement may have been random, rather than a clue).

If it was pointing South West, I might have said it was pointing towards your PB Destiny down in Ballycotton but South East just points towards London. It's not as if you're going to be running any event there any time soon. Good to hear you're back to full fitness. Best of luck at the weekend.

ultraman1

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

today is Fallafel Friday,

we have that in work on friday also,,though its usually after prune juice thursday...

ronnie085

Just enjoying my last day on top of the 10 mile "best of" table, good luck tomorrow

Dory Dory

Krusty....best to you tomorrow. I want to say more, but you already know the rest. :):D

Krusty_Clown

ronnie085 wrote: »

Just enjoying my last day on top of the 10 mile "best of" table, good luck tomorrow

Sorry man. Nipped in with a cheeky little 57:19 or so. Waiting on the official chip times, but happy to take a good chunk off the pb on a tough windy day.

Krusty_Clown

Saturday: 5 mile recovery run + core and weights
Another attack of the arthritic kind, as my legs and body were sending protest messages to the brain. It's funny when you have a race the following day where you plan to run at 5:45/mile, only to struggle to put together 8 min/miles on the preceding day. At times you have to have a thick skin, as if you listened to the body alone, you'd never make it to most start lines. Thankfully the core and weights loosened up the joints a little, just in time for four hours of sitting around on hard benches, watching my little one competing in the gymnastics nationals, followed by three hours of driving to Cork.

Sunday: Ballycotton 10 Mile - 46th place - 57:20
I was less than satisfied with my result from Dungarvan 10 mile race, just 5 weeks earlier, having only managed to equal my previous PB (58:37), so I really wanted needed a good result, to reinforce that I was on the right track and continuing to make progress. The long road to a marathon is challenging enough, without having to entertain doubts about your progress, which is why build-up races are so important. They send the right signals that the 10-15 hours of training every week in the worst conditions that this country of ours has to offer, are not in vain. The result from Donadea was a positive one, but because I did not compete in race conditions, it just doesn't provide a suitable reference point. Ballycotton was important. A passing comment by Tunguska had left me wondering whether i should be aiming for a 56:xx time, however a training session of 8 x 1 mile at that target pace just a few days before the race suggested that it might be just a bridge too far. So I reset my expectations to my original Dungarvan target of 57:30. My clubmate was targeting 57:00, so if I could still see him at the finish line, I'd be well happy.

After the traditional Ballycotton song, we were off on the first mile, which has a significant drop. In a foolish bid to get a good starting position, I hadn't warmed up properly, so as we headed down the first mile my Achilles were screaming at me, and my initial concern was that I was going to have to drop out, but as we hit the flat the pain eased and I settled into a rhythm. Between the downhill and tail-wind, I really should have hit a first split of around 5:20, but between the Achilles pain, lack of confidence and having to bob and weave around slower runners, my first mile was a disappointing 5:39. Second mile was better, as I managed to work my way into some open space and took advantage of the wind and the downhill, hitting the split in 5:30. I continued working from group to group, having to push through some occasional wind, until I found a group that seemed to be moving well and I settled into the back of the pack for a rest (mile 3: 5:35).

The group split-up as a couple of runners surged forwards, but I was happy with the pace of the remaining runners, so dug in (mile 4 a slightly uphill 5:48). Heading to the half-way mark (mile 5: 5:40), I felt like I was cruising very comfortably and a half-way split of 28:19 confirmed that I was on track, however the head-wind and uphill climbs lay ahead of us. At this stage, I felt extremely comfortable, so had the option of pushing on, or staying with the group. The heart said push on, but the head was telling me to 'hold fast'. Mile 6: 5:42. We were now pushing into the head-wind and the group had fallen into line, thankfully taking turns into the head-wind (except for the third-place female, who, to her credit, wouldn't have offered much by way of wind shelter)).

The wind was had a definite impact, with the next few miles miles ticked off in 5:51, 5:48 and 5:54, but I was still feeling really good and after staying at the front of the group for a long stretch (passing a few other isolated runners in the process) I figured it was time to start pushing on. I could see the hills ahead, but I was feeling so damn good, that it was time to start winding up the pace. With 1.5 miles to go, I could see my club-mate ahead, but with every twist and turn in the road, he was getting closer and closer. Beating him had never been a goal, as he would ordinarily be a good 60 seconds ahead of me over a 10 mile race, but he was having a bad day and was slowing, while I was accelerating. A twinge of guilt as I passed him on the climb, but there was nothing for it, as at this stage, despite the hills, I was accelerating hard towards the finish line, picking up a couple more places as I hurtled under the finishing gantry. My final mile was one of my fastest of the race, in 5:39, and my Garmin tells me I crossed the finish line at a heart-defying 4:04/mile, beating my goal by 10 seconds, finishing in 46th place in 57:20.

How do I feel about the race? Well, it's great to have a race go exactly to plan. When it does, you can't help but have a fantastic race experience. This was the vindication I needed that I was still moving in the right direction, still making progress. But... at the same time, there was a little unease. I feel like it was also a missed opportunity. Before the race, I had opted to maximize my chances of hitting my target, rather than maximizing my potential and that's exactly what I accomplished. But at the same time, I reckon a 56:xx time was there for the taking. No regrets though. It's a positive step in the right direction and if I can replicate that success in London in 6 weeks time, I'll be over the moon. I hope to return to Ballycotton for a fourth time next year, so hopefully there will still be a T-shirt with my name on it (if my name were John Buckley, and I happened to be a 'Large'!) and another handful of seconds to be erased from my record.

Summary: 10 miles in 57:20, @5:44 (actual), HR=164

Krusty_Clown

Sunday afternoon: 4 miles warm-down and core
Didn't get a chance to warm-down after the race, and the legs were stiffening up badly, so hit the treadmill for an easy four miles. I hate treadmills (have I mentioned that before) but if you have to run on one, this was the way to do it. On the second level of the hotel, overlooking the colour-shifting swimming pool and incredible gardens of the Castlemartyr Hotel, with cable TV built into each treadmill and a fan to keep you cool. Still didn't enjoy it (ended up finishing at close to marathon pace just to get it over with), but made slightly more bearable by the majestic views. Finished up with a core session, which was particularly tough given the post-race stiffness.

Monday: 9 miles + 7 miles steady
Decided to get a run done before driving back to Dublin, but made the mistake of finding a hill. I had only planned 6 or 7 miles, but once I set foot on a hill I feel duty-bound to keep going until I hit the top (which in this case happened to be 4.5 miles away). Still, a nice run and the legs must have benefited from the post-race treadmill run as they didn't feel too bad.

Following the three hour drive home, I needed another leg stretcher, so headed out to Bray and along part of the Bray-Greystones path (keeping an eye out for flashers and thieves in the rapidly darkening evening (there have been stories!)). Legs felt better than I deserved.
Daily summary: 16 miles @~7:23/mile, HR=~130

Tuesday: 5.5 + 8 + 5.5
Back to the grind, with some work commutes and a very easy lunch-time 8 miles, visiting all of the local parks and fields, taking the pace very handy to prepare for Wednesday's session. Further self-punishment with a core and weights session afterwards.
Daily summary: 19 miles @~7:48/mile

Wednesday: Jack Daniels Plan A - 4 x 2 miles @tempo
Back to the cinder track in pretty horrible conditions. Legs a little tired, but psychologically, 4 x 2 miles at tempo pace should be a damn site easier than running 10 miles a good-chunk quicker, just three days earlier. So a manageable session, though the final few laps on the cinder track were tough.
Rounded the day off with a sneaky 5 miles that evening, them left me running on fumes, but it was one of the most enjoyable runs of the week, at a lumbering 9 minute mile.
Daily Summary: 19.37 miles

Thursday: 6 + 4.5 + 5.5
Mileage finally catching up with me and all of the runs were a horrible rainy wet slog. Got soaked three times, and had two showers, and by the end of it I couldn't look at a glass of water.
Daily summary: 16 miles @~8 minute mile

Friday: 6 recovery miles + Saturday: 5 recovery miles
Having gotten most of the heavy mileage out of they way earlier in the week, it was good to ease back for a couple of days, with a view to being more rested for Sunday's session. A bit of life returning to the legs at last. Hoping for a solid PMP run tomorrow, which will round off the last of the hundred mile weeks of this program (yay!). The plan is to drop the mileage gradually and focus more on quality rather than mileage for the remainder of the program. 6 week taper anyone?!

Tomorrow: Heading to Pheonix Park with KielyUnusual for 15 miles at marathon pace, if anyone fancies some of that?

smmoore79

What time will ya be at the park at tomorrow? I might join yiz if early.. Legs are a bit tired after todays race but want to get some mileage tomorrow

Krusty_Clown

smmoore79 wrote: »

What time will ya be at the park at tomorrow? I might join yiz if early.. Legs are a bit tired after todays race but want to get some mileage tomorrow

9 Bells at the Papal Cross car-park. 2 miles easy, then 15 miles at 6:05/miles.
Just saw your result from the race. Congrats on the win! Sounded like a great buzz!

Killerz

Congrats on Ballycotton KC - great result and nice that the race plan worked out for you too!

smmoore79

Had a belly full of guinness so mite give the mp run a miss. enjoy anyway guys!!!

Krusty_Clown

Today: JD Plan A - 19 miles w/15 miles @marathon pace
I was kind of nervous about doing this session, but then I read that smmoore79 wasn't going to show up, and was much relieved. We'd be knocking out 5:30s and be half dead after 20 minutes. Met up with KielyUnusual on a very blustery, freezing cold day in Pheonix Park and after an easy 2 mile warm-up, we kicked off the 15 marathon pace miles.... straight into a strong head-wind up the North Road. I think both of us felt like we were struggling over the initial miles into that wind and that getting 15 miles chalked off seemed like a stupendous task. Eventually though we turned off the road, and had a brief respite from the wind. I had set a narrow pace alert band on the watch, and it was getting quite annoying with its incessant reminders that we were just outside of target pace. I could really feel the week's 100 miles in the legs, as we tackled the hills along Military Road and the Upper Glen, but we soldiered on at around 6:12/mile, chatting when we had the breath available.

A session like this is best shared, as with company and a bit of chat, the miles literally slip by. After 5 miles we decided to head back to the car and drop off jackets, so we arrived back in the car-park having done 7 miles. A quick gel, a slug of water and 30 seconds to figure out how to turn off the incessant beeping on the watch and we were back on the road again and soon headed for the tough wind along the North Road again. We'd decided to take turns into the wind this time around and I think it made a really positive difference, as we even managed to pick up the average pace on the second loop of the Park. The last mile was tough, but as we passed a seasoned runner, he hurled some encouragement at us, which gave me a nice boost and despite the strong wind, we picked up the pace for the last half mile. The final two mile warm-down was as tough as the marathon pace segment, so was well happy to finally hit the stop button on the watch. KielyUnusual is in some shape for a man who hammered out a half marathon just a few days previous to today's session, so may the the first man in the pub on April 21st! Cheers man; a very enjoyable run, made a damn sight easier by the company! Last 100 mile week completed. Happy days!

PMP section: 15 miles in 1:32, @6:11/mile, HR=145 (positive sign, but a little off-pace because of the wind).

Summary: 19 miles in 2:01, @6:23/mile, HR=144

TRR

Super session. Was thinking of you while I was doing an easy run this morning. I was fooked and was thinking how I'd hate to have to run at pace in those icy gales. Effort easily equivalent to sub 6 pace IMO. Not a bad effort from yourself 7 days after a 10 mile PB

KielyUnusual

That was a tough one alright. It was relentless. If we weren't battling in to the wind on the North Rd and Ordinance Survey Rd, we were dealing with the hills on the far side of the Park. To be able to bring a 100 mile week to a close with that sort of session is seriously impressive. Looking forward to some friendly rivalry over in London. There'll be no holding hands going across the line with myself, yourself and Ronnie that's for sure.

ronnie085

Who said anything about friendly rivalry....:pac:

KielyUnusual

I'm just trying to lull you both in to a false sense of camaraderie. This rivalry is as bitter as any sporting rivalry that's ever existed through the ages. Coe-Ovett, Connors-McEnroe, Man Utd-Liverpool. Pah!! Just playground arguments in comparison.

Krusty_Clown

All I care about is the sub 2:40. you guys can fight for the spoils..
(and if you beat me, I'll just play the age card anyway. )

Pronator

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

All I care about is the sub 2:40. you guys can fight for the spoils..
[SIZE="1"](and if you beat me, I'll just play the age card anyway. )[/SIZE]

There is some serious competition for the cans of Dutch gold this year!!!!!!!!!

Super session by both of you yesterday. You going to race the DUNE half next week or MP it?

Abhainn

Great session in those cold and windy conditions KC. 10/10 to you

Krusty_Clown

Monday: 8 Easy + 8 easy/steady

Two fantastic runs, celebrating the best and worst of Irish weather. The first run was at lunch-time, when I headed out in beautiful sunshine, that turned into gale force winds, then into a snow-storm, before returning to the sunshine state. All that before I had left the gates of the office. For the rest of the run, the weather alternated between those three phases, but it felt great. I decided to head to higher ground to avoid the ice (more genuinely because I figured a tsunami when the next logical weather pattern), and had a lovely plod up the steep trail/valley to the Blue Light. Undisturbed snow crunched underfoot, and the peace and calm was only broken by the crashing of a disturbed fox bounding away in the distance. Legs were feeling pretty good despite the previous day's session.

After work, I headed out the gate once more in the direction of home, but the legs steered me left and away, towards Sandyford. Despite the backpack (thankfully pretty light), head-wind, blustery snow conditions and mileage in the legs, after a couple of slow stiff miles, I felt like I was flying; legs barely touching the ground as I flew home. Indeed looking at the watch stats afterwards, there were a few 6:3x and 6:4x miles in there, which is faster than my legs deserved... and also explains why I have a painful knot in my calf muscle.

Summary: 16 miles, @~7:22/mile

claralara

The smackdown; please discuss the comparable merits and de-merits of the above runners' nemises.

Extra marks will be awarded for the onomatopoeic use of words to instill the fear of God into the maddening minds of the entrants in the upcoming 117th Boston marathon.

Krusty_Clown

claralara wrote: »

The smackdown; please discuss the comparable merits and de-merits of the above runners' nemises.

Extra marks will be awarded for the onomatopoeic use of words to instill the fear of God into the maddening minds of the entrants in the upcoming 117th Boston marathon.

Hmm... How to describe roads (hills) using onomatopoeic adjectives? Let's see: we have 'crash', 'thump', 'whimper', 'squeek', and 'sploosh'.
Newtownpark Avenue is less of a 'crash' and more of a 'whimper', while Heartbreak Hill, coming quite late in the race, is a bit of a 'thump, thump' (unless it's raining, in which case it'll be more a 'squeek, squeek'. In the unlikely event that it's very hot out there, remember to grab lots of wet sponges, and 'sploosh' them on the back of your neck. I was never very good at onomatopoeic description.

I'd imagine that the two hills are pretty similar. My abiding memory is one of shock, horror, denial, dejection and hopelessness, but on that day, we were all just victims of circumstance. Heartbreak Hill is no monster. It's the kind of hill we run every day and watch our heart rate rise by a couple of blips and don't give it a significant moment's thought. I reckon it has earned its moniker from all those inexperienced runners who have drifted into a false sense of invincibility, having run beyond their means over the largely downhill first 15 miles, only to come crashing back to earth on the first testing stretch. At marathon pace, it will be tough, but.... You have to keep this at the forefront of your mind: once you crest the hill, it's all downhill to the finish. A beautiful, restful, triumphant, descent to the finish line. And beer... Lashings and lashings of beer.

Krusty_Clown

Tuesday: 9.5 + 5.5 Miles easy
While the mileage is on the downward path, it's still a 90 mile week, so I can't get too excited just yet. With the reduction in mileage, the plan is to refocus the running from the '5.5 + 6 + 5.5' type routine to fewer longer runs. I was reminded that splitting a run into three short (<10k) parts is a lot easier on the body than running a 10 miler and a 5 mile run and the logic surely holds true for running the same amount of miles in a single run. I have no plans to increase the number of medium long runs, as between sessions, I'm already doing a medium long run and a long run every week.

For today's run, I had planned to head to Leopardstown Race Course and run around the tarmac path surrounding the course. Unfortunately the side gate that Pronator had pointed out to me previously was closed so headed around to the Golf Course Entrance, where I was met with a big security sign that made it clear that 'Dog Walkers, buggies and joggers will be shot on sight'. So headed down around Clonkeen instead. Followed up with a very easy-paced run home from work.
Daily total: 15 Miles

Krusty_Clown

Wednesday Lunch: JD Plan A - 2 x 20 min Tempo w/20 Min Easy

Woke up feeling really tired to the bone, so the idea of doing the Wednesday session was really bringing me down (a mood which may have crept into my post on the Spring Marathon thread). I figured I might have been suffering a little from cindertrackitis. With the wind blowing a bothersome 10mph, I was reaching for alternatives, like hitting the treadmill in the gym that evening. But I knew the mood wouldn't change by evening time, so I dropped a bottle of dutch courage (a rather disgusting warm orange Powerade) and hit the road.

Arriving at the cinder track, I still wasn't in the mood, but once I stripped off a couple of layers, it was so bloody cold, I had to get moving in a hurry. First tempo was actually comfortable enough and watching the 200m and 400m splits made the laps fly by. Last lap or two were difficult, but it's a tempo session. If the last laps are not hard, you're probably going too slow. Threw some layers back on again, and went for an easy loop around the park, before shedding the layers again for the next tempo. Probably 10% more difficult, but was very glad to hit the half way mark and start counting down the laps. Getting this session completed was a real boost, given my mood going into it. I guess sometimes the mental workouts are more important than the physical challenges.

Session:
3 Mile warm-up (7:33/mile)
20 minutes at tempo (around 5:48/mile, HR=156)
20 minutes easy (7:18/mile, HR=131)
20 minutes at tempo (around 5:47/mile, HR=159)
3 Mile warm-down (7:48/mile)

Total: 16 Miles in 1:46, @~6:37.


Wednesday night: 5 mile recovery
This is fast becoming my favourite run of the week (perhaps because it's such a contrast to the earlier tough session). Warm gear on, head-torch on, head-phones on, the yielding terrain of the park for the easiest of easy recovery runs (8:30-9:00/mile), with just the radio, the park's shadows and the stars for company. The problem with a Wednesday lunch-time session is that for the rest of the day, I'm sitting pretty motionless at a computer desk while my muscles slowly but surely tighten up like wound springs. This run (while it may seem a little crazy) seems to loosen everything up, so the following morning there's a bit of give in the muscles and movement in the joints. It also means I can take two very easy days before Saturday's long run.
Summary: 5 miles, in 42 mins, @8:33/mile