Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

jfh

yes krusty, was thinking along those lines about cherry picking some of those JD sessions.might be asking for trouble.
i do like that HMP session that Tergat supplied, forgot he had some gems.
that link is very useful, hadn't seen them all in one place before.
thanks again, great resource.

shels4ever

menoscemo wrote: »

Just wanted to say thanks Krusty for posting that My Fitnesspal thing. I have heard about it and long thought about using it but never was bothered until I saw your post.
Anyway It really makes me take responsibilty for what i am eating as I know I will have to log it later. Can still have treats but it certainly has made me cut down. Dropped from 76.4kg two weeks ago to 74kg this morning. I'd like to get below 73 before London. I think I will actually keep using it after London.

+1
Its actually very good was using it last year and have started again. Just make sure you put in your bad days, its funny when you have a huge fry and a load of beers/kebab at night.:eek:

Krusty_Clown

shels4ever wrote: »

when you have a huge fry and a load of beers/kebab at night.:eek:

What is this beer and kebabs, of which you speak?
In 22 days, there will be a wreckening reckoning.


Yesterday: 7 + 5 miles easy
Picked up a pair of racing shoes (Saucony Type A5) for shorter races, which arrived in the post, so decided to give 'em a try, during a lunch-time run, taking in a trip to ALDI to stock up on some healthy carbs (rice cakes, crackers, nuts). Shoes are good. Wasn't watching the watch, and my easy/recovery miles were around 7 min/mile, which is a positive sign. Racked up another 5 miles that evening, just to tick off some weekly mileage, so I'd have less miles to do either side of tomorrow's session.

Today: 5 lunch-time recovery miles
Another of those poor souls working on this most-holy of days (Elle McPherson's birthday), but broke the long afternoon up with an easy 5 miles on the grass of the nearby park. The country must have been over-indulging in beer last night, as there isn't a sinner to be found on the roads or the parks. Hoping to get a couple of hours of bouldering in this evening, so that'll be this week's core workouts done.

Dory Dory

As always, nothing but top notch work being done 'round these parts.

opus

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Yes indeed. In fact, the approaching three week taper is exactly why I started using the app. As the mileage drops, I want to make sure that I'm not over-eating and gaining the weight back before the goal race. Currently weight is around 155 pounds (70.3kms), so around half a stone lighter than when I started the experiment two months ago. Hoping I'll stay within a pound or two of my current weight until race day. Can't see myself using the app after London, though it might be a handy way of avoiding post marathon blimping!

As a vegetarian, have you ever used it from a detailed nutrition perspective? e.g. vitamins, iron etc?

Nope haven't gone that far into it. I had a full health check a few years back (courtesy of the US multinational where I used to work) which gave me a clean bill so hopefully still the case.

Will certainly be saying bye-bye to it for my two weeks holiday in South Africa after Comrades as don't want its signs of disapproval! Yes I suspect there will be some blimping on my part

Krusty_Clown

opus wrote: »

Will certainly be saying bye-bye to it for my two weeks holiday in South Africa after Comrades as don't want its signs of disapproval! Yes I suspect there will be some blimping on my part

Good luck with finding vegetarian food in South Africa (and good luck in South Africa!).

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday (evening): 75 mins of bouldering
The family were distributed throughout the country so headed off for a bit of bouldering on my toblerone. A nice chilled climbing pace, as I worked my way through a number of competition problems. They were coloured green (for easy) but some of them were quite challenging, and required several attempts and some resting, between climbs. After getting through 13 of them, I had no strength left in my arms to finish the last two (11 and 15). Will go back and finish them off the next time. Loving the core sessions!

Krusty_Clown

Today: Jack Daniels Plan A - 20 miles with 15 @Marathon pace
Hands were completely raw from yesterday's climbing, but legs were in pretty good shape from the reduced mileage this week (70 mile target), though still a bit tired. I managed to cajole Pronator into joining me for this session (I had to lure him with the promise of soft tarmac, no hills and no wind (a white lie!)) and was well-happy when Neil decided to join us to a stretch too. I had mapped out a nice flat loop of 5.33 miles, which worked out nicely for this kind of session, and at 8 in the morning I headed off to meet the lads. Pronator had already done 4 miles at this stage (you're right Kurt, there's always somebody crazier than you!) so together, we ran an easy two miles to the start of the loop. It was cold but sunny and having learnt from my previous lesson, I shed a layer of clothing and felt immediately better in t-shirt and my prospective race shorts.

The first half of each loop is an uphill drag, but we had a slight wind behind us, so it wasn't too tough. Hitting the back-leg, we ran into the head-wind, so we lost the few seconds we had gained over the first half of the course. Surprisingly at close to 6 min/mile, we still had oxygen enough to chat as we made our way around the loops, but at times, the chatter died down over some of the tougher sections. Neil (who is focussing on shorter distances) dropped off after his planned two laps, and Pronator and I headed off on the last lap. I found it a little tougher, but still manageable and it was great to see the miles ticking off on the watch. Towards the end, Pronator had to pay for all of his cheeky short-cuts and sped off into the distance to run an additional few hundred metres, at what looked like 5k pace. Finished up with an easy couple of miles to return to base.

PMP section: 15 miles in 91 mins @6:04/mile, HR=154

Really happy with how that went. As always, it's tough to conceptualize running another 11 miles at that pace, but throwing in the added benefits of water (I lost 3-4 pounds of water during the run), sports drinks, gels, other runners, crowds cheering, I'm hoping I'll have enough in the tank to see me through, in three weeks time.

I'm once again reminded of just how much better these group sessions are, than trying to hit them on your own. You can kind of understand how runners 20 years ago performed to such a high standard, when they invariably battled out really solid group sessions a couple of times a week. Well, it's kind of officially taper time, though next weeks mileage is the same as this week's. 21 Days to go.

Summary: 20.65 miles in 2:11, @6:23/mile, HR=150

Pronator

You nailed it this morning. Well done. That's a real shot in the arm for London;) T - mins 21 days and counting.

KielyUnusual

That's some going today. At least you managed to hit the pace without this slowpoke slowing you down;). Only three weeks left now. I'm slightly incredulous that it's so close. It seems like only a few weeks ago when there was five weeks still left to go.

Out of interest, for someone who relies on MapMyRun for calculating the distance of nearly all my training runs. How did you find that the MapMyRun distance for this loop tallied up with your GPS? The average distance of the three loops with the standard deviation will suffice. No need to bother with any trend graphs, histograms or boxplots.......although I do like the visuals.

Krusty_Clown

KielyUnusual wrote: »

That's some going today. At least you managed to hit the pace without this slowpoke slowing you down;). Only three weeks left now. I'm slightly incredulous that it's so close. It seems like only a few weeks ago when there was five weeks still left to go.

Out of interest, for someone who relies on MapMyRun for calculating the distance of nearly all my training runs. How did you find that the MapMyRun distance for this loop tallied up with your GPS? The average distance of the three loops with the standard deviation will suffice. No need to bother with any trend graphs, histograms or boxplots.......although I do like the visuals.

Funny guy.

I don't have my software measuring tools with me in the wesht,but I'd imagine they tally pretty closely. The key differences are that map my run will follow a predetermined path, laid out by someone a couple of years ago, who only had access to a slightly inaccurate GPS device, while my recorded tracklog captured the actual route (including shortcuts and longcuts) on a slightly inaccurate GPS device. For instance at one point we had to run an extra hundred metres around some moving traffic. That's the convenience of the watch, that you don't have to stick exactly to the original plan. Should be able to measure something that approximates the loop though, and imagine it will be within 100-200m.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 9 Mile easy/recovery run
After uploading yesterday's run, I checked and found that I'd run 999.6 miles for the year. Tempted to hop out for another half mile, but I haven't run any extra mileage outside of the marathon plan so far, so I wasn't going to start now. Instead, I passed the 1,000 mile mark as I ran past the castle in Roscommon, on a nice easy 5 mile recovery run, that became a 9 mile easy run (must pay more attention to Google maps). A nice run, but for the freezing cold strong gusts of wind that threaten to peel the skin 'a ye, in this flat, open, tree-less bog landscape. Funny to see the curious new-born spring lambs in the nearby fields taking a few tentative steps towards me, before natural instinct kicks in, or protective mother's shepherd them away. A fitting way to celebrate a milestone that marks the passing of another couple of pairs of running shoes, more than anything else.

Summary: 1,008.61 miles, in 154 hours, @7:19/mile, HR=~138

Krusty_Clown

Today: 15 mile LMR (Long meandering run)

With lots of quality planned for this week, I figured I'd get some mileage out of the way today (which would also offset the chocolate footprint), so figured an easy morning 10 miles + 5 mile evening recovery would suit my purposes. It was damn cold out, so I figured heading out for a further 5 miles later would be a challenge, so I decided to get the lot out of the way. Headed up Puck's Castle around the base of my hill for the first time in ages, and was rewarded with great views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains. A sudden urge to hit Bray Head meant lots and lots of up, and after enjoying a couple of miles of top notch running on the tops of the headland, I took the tricky descent down towards the promenade, which meant a very slow slippy descent.
Summary: 15.4 miles in 2:92, @7:58/mile

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: 6 miles easy
After a day or two of easy running, I start to get a little nervous that I'm taking things too easy, but with a 5k race planned for today was happy enough to just plod around a hilly loop. Followed up with core and weights.
Summary: 6 miles in 44 mins, @7:25/mile


Today: Wicklow 5k road race Championships
My last 5k race was a sneaky 16:58, in Kinnegad almost a year ago, after a couple of tough marathons (Boston and Kildare), when my diet had gone completely to pot (pun not intended!), but it was also on the back of lots of 5k paced running. This time around, very little running at 5k or faster (apart from a recent mile race) so I was quite unsure of how I could perform. PBs in other distances have suggested that I've made gains, so I was hoping for a PB. I figured 16:45-16:50 would be a reasonable goal, but had set no expectations about pacing for the race.

Bray had a good team out, with Neal (back from his recent sub 16 5k), Abhainn, still plagued by groin problems but showing great recent form, Beepbeep just 2.5 weeks from his goal marathon, and wrstan, who seems to be improving at a faster rate than anyone else. No Fin (unwell) or Pronator (racing at the weekend), but a pretty solid team nonetheless. I went for an easy warm-up with wrstan, following most of the course, which left me re-thinking ideas of a PB. The first 1.5 miles of the course are up a gentle drag (20m), but today we had the added burden of a moderate head-wind. For my last 5k, I went out hard (5:20/mile) and just held on until the finish, so I had planned a similar strategy for this race, but with the challenging first half of the race, I figured there was a good chance that I'd blow my race by the half-way mark. The runners assembled for the start rather suddenly, so I barely had time to pin the number to the singlet and forgot my HR monitor in the rush.

Lined up around 2-3 rows back from the start-line, beside Abhainn and behind a slew of Kilcoole youngsters and other club runners. Starting pistol was fired and we headed off out of Ashford. About 100m into the race, Neal opened a gap at the front, and took off like he was being chased by the hounds from hell. I was delighted to see someone really taking on the race. A couple of the lads around me chuckled, but in reality, he had won the race as soon as he opened up the gap, as he killed off any potential challenges right in that one confident moment. By contrast, I settled into around 4th place taking shelter behind a couple of Kilcoole lads, and got ready to bed-in to the half-way mark. Abhainn was beside me, but I got a sense that he was getting a little frustrated at being boxed in and no sooner than we had passed the 1km marker, he pushed on and started to open a gap on the rest of us. This was exactly the kick I needed. I didn't have the confidence to take on the race on my own, but with Abhainn leading a charge, I was happy to leave the pack and go chasing him, even if it meant leaving the shelter of the group.

I caught Abhainn and we ran the next kilometer side by side into the wind, opening a gap on the rest of the pack. I wasn't sure how much of a gap we had made, and didn't want to look back for fear that it would be the impetus they needed to make a surge to catch us. At this stage, my watch was showing an average pace of 5:35, and I feared that the PB was all but gone, however, I was still running relatively comfortably (all those tempo sessions on the cinder track were paying off) and was happy that we were currently holding 1-2-3 positions for the club. I noticed that Abhainn had fallen off the pace a little, but I was still feeling good so kept plugging towards the turnaround, with Neal always a couple of hundred metres ahead.

Nearing half way, Neal passed in the other direction and was looking strong. I made the turn, and couldn't believe the gap that Neal had opened. He had added another couple of hundred metres so was really pegging it to the finish line. Now that I had the wind behind me, and the slight downhill, I was feeling a lot better, so focused on picking up the pace. I might not get the PB, but I was going to do my best to hold onto second place. I knew some of the runners were very solid 55 minute 10 milers, so felt that perhaps they had been conservative over the first half of the course and would be breathing down my neck in no time. This helped to keep me focussed. I forgot about the watch and just concentrated on running as quickly as I could, without blowing up.

I couldn't believe it when I passed the 4k mark at a roundabout; it seemed to have come so soon. I wasn't suffering nearly as much as I had in my last 5k race, and only had a kilometer to go. I risked a glance back and was amazed, when I saw that there wasn't anyone closing on me, or even nearby. Was I actually going to finish in second place? I started to pick up the pace, smelling the finish line, and knowing I had enough in the tank to do a bit of hurting. Another surprise was that I was actually closing in on Neal a little. Not enough to be within a whiff of him, but it was enough to know that I was running at a very solid clip.

Arriving back into the town, I risked a quick glance at the watch, which showed an average of 5:21/mile. Wow. I was now well into PB territory and looked like I might finish on the podium. Unreal.. Eventually I saw the clock, and saw Neal pass under it, with something like 16:12 showing. I knew that every step I ran faster was potentially another second taken off my PB, so I was accelerating, and hurtling to the finish. 16:20... 16:21.... 16:22.... 16:23... and I was under. There were some problems with the chip-timing (no official results available), but it should be somewhere between 16:22 and 16:23. A really surprising result. I'm not sure which was the greater shock, finishing in second place, taking around 35 seconds off of my PB, or feeling so comfortable for the entire race. Either way, I'm delighted with the result, which has come at just the right time. Abhainn finished a handful of seconds behind me, with Beepbeep crossing the line shortly afterwards and wrstan soon after, so a solid team result too (and potentially a club win, once the results are calculated. A good day out..

Race Summary:
Mile 1: 5:32
Mile 2: 5:30
Mile 3: 5:01
Remainder: 4:28/mile

Summary: 5k in 16:23, @5:20/mile

Dory Dory

Yes, great timing to be peaking right now. Well done to you and Mrs. Clown. London has the potential to be quite epic for you.

Pisco Sour

Nice running. Would be very interesting to see you run a 5000m on the track. Definitely more time to come off that.

drquirky

Nice running KC- well deserved PB!

Peckham

Superb run that emphasises what shape you're in. Hopefully you'll feel as good coming along the Embankment in a few weeks time.

wrstan

Big kudos for you, Abhainn and BeepBeep for pulling on the club vest so close to your respective A races!

It's hugely appreciated by your fellow clubbies, especially with a few guys unavailable. :cool:

average_runner

That's great running. Well done and in great shape for the marathon.

Pronator

You looked really strong towards the finish. I'd go as far to say that if the race was another 250 meters you could have bagged yourself a gold medal. Neil was very tired towards the end.

Another positive towards London, well done.

Abhainn

KC an inspiring performance by you last night, you really kicked on in that last mile. Just shows how strong you have become.
I assume London can’t come quick enough for you now.
Pity Pronator or a fit Pre wasn't there, you would have bagged a few more secs and made for a very interesting race among club mates
It was thoroughly deserved. Well done mate.

For me the race was a big disappointment, empty legs after 2k is not something I am very familiar with. However I can’t wait to line up beside you again soon.

theboyblunder

Super performance KC. The log is still inspiring. I want to go out and run after reading that.

There must be a full size portait of you getting slower hidden in your attic

TRR

Great stuff KC. Looking at how well your training has gone I was going to get onto you about running a load of 5ks after London and try to go sub 16.30. Well you've blown that one out of the water and looks like you're in super shape. Make sure you hit the Tallaght 5k or the Bob Heffernan in Johnstown bridge in May they are fast courses and will have lots of guys in or around your target time and as Joe pointed out will drag you to an even faster times.

antomagoo

Well done Krusty, you looked very comfortable coming back in the road as I was still struggling against the head wind

Felt like billy-no-mates at the end and you were the only face I recognised. Good to meet yourself, Emer911 & BeepBeep

wideball

Savage run Krusty, hope you get the run you deserve in London.

Krusty_Clown

Pronator wrote: »

You looked really strong towards the finish. I'd go as far to say that if the race was another 250 meters you could have bagged yourself a gold medal. Neil was very tired towards the end.

Another positive towards London, well done.

Cheers, but I wouldn't stretch it that far! I was definitely narrowing the gap, but it was very gradual. I'd have needed another 2kms, and by that time, we'd both have collapsed in a heap! Neal is just at the top of his game at the moment, and after seeing him finish in the MSB 5k, I reckon he has more on tap.

Abhainn wrote:

For me the race was a big disappointment, empty legs after 2k is not something I am very familiar with.

Cheers Joe. Don't be beating yourself up about the race. The goal is a marathon and not a 5k race, and your training has been focused on maximizing your performance over the marathon distance. I'll be lucky to get within a couple of minutes of your time in Boston and if I do, I'll be well chuffed. It was your decision to push on at the end of the first kilometer that made my race and my time, so I owe it to you.

theboyblunder wrote:

There must be a full size portait of you getting slower hidden in your attic

Haha. Have you seen the chaos that is my attic? There could be a portrait of everyone on Boards in that attic, and you would never know. But yes, that is my secret. That and the turtle-blood from China, that I take intravenously, before every race (but I reckon it's the portrait that provides the chief benefit).

TRR wrote:

...running a load of 5ks after London and try to go sub 16.30.

I have a suspicion that the course may have been 50m short (thought we started a good bit behind the measured starting line). Hard to know as the Garmin reception is not great out the course. Still that'd put me at around the 16:30-16:32 mark, which I'd still be very happy with and well beyond pre-race expectations. But yeah, would like to give some more 5ks a pop, particularly as I enjoyed this one so much more than the 'hurty' experience in Kinnegad. Will keep an eye out for those races.

antomagoo wrote:

Good to meet yourself, Emer911 & BeepBeep

Good to meet you again, and well done on the run. Nice to see the raiding parties from Blessington descending on the Wicklow Riviera. I tend to forget that Blessington is in Wicklow too, as it's the other side of the great mountain passes (and Tallaght!).

jcsmum

I love reading this log, eventhough the training paces and race times are leagues away from my own. Amazing 5k time and entertaining report as always.

Krusty_Clown

jcsmum wrote: »

I love reading this log, eventhough the training paces and race times are leagues away from my own. Amazing 5k time and entertaining report as always.

Thanks for the kind words jcsmum, but we're only a couple of training cycles apart. My first 10k was 51:45 (for which McMillan would give me a 25 minute 5k equivalent time). You're years ahead of that now (well done in the Killarney 5 mile, by the way) and you'll be snapping on the heels of my current times real soon, while I'm still trying to shave a second from my marathon time.

pgibbo

Cracking report and result KC. Fair play. That's some chunk of time off your old PB. :cool: