Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Krusty_Clown

belcarra wrote: »

Anything to do with the Lecarrow 10km which was on yesterday afternoon too? Perhaps he thought you were the race?

It's just as well I only noticed the posters when I was in the middle of my long run, or I might have had dirty thoughts about back to back 10ks. The Lecarrow 10k seemed to be off the main road and down the back-roads (very hilly, if I remember correctly). There was a strong Garda presense for the London/Leitrim match in Dr Hyde Park, so I'd say he was around for that, and just doing a good deed for the day. Possibly a runner too.. There are some pretty sharpish Garda runners.

aero2k

dna_leri wrote: »

Jerry said afterwards that you should move up a distance and that you are really an ultra-marathon runner !

He thinks you should train harder too - I'm sure I heard the word "dilettante".:rolleyes:

Krusty_Clown

Monday: 8 Miles + 5.3 miles easy
Nice hilly loop at lunch-time which was a little easier than expected after the previous day's 21 mile run, with the only discomfort coming from the previous day's chaffing, after spending 2+ hours in the soggy wet suburbs of Roscommon. Followed up with an easy 5 mile run home.
Summary: 13.3 miles @7:16/mile

Tuesday: 5.5 + 6.5 miles easy
Recovery paced run to work. Still not entirely enjoying my early runs, as I'm feeling a little wrecked and tender, but hopefully that'll improve over time. Followed up with 6.5 miles at lunch time, which I took pretty handy, so I'd be fresh for the following day's session. Followed up with an hour of top-rope climbing with the boss.
Summary: 12 miles @~7:36/mile

Wednesday: 5 x 1 mile @tempo/1 min recovery / 1 hour easy
Three mile warm-up down to the national beer mile stadium, followed by 5 x 1 mile @threshold with 1 minute recovery and followed by one hour easy. Once again, it had slipped my mind just what a cruel bastid Jack Daniels can be. Even though I targeted a relatively 'comfortable' pace for the repeats, in the day's heat they were still bloody tough, and the one minute recovery passed in the blink of an eyelid. The one hour of easy running immediately afterwards rapidly moved from steady, to easy to recovery pace as I got hotter and hotter and more dehydrated. Could have done with a bit of sun-cream on this one, as the red back and shoulders will testify, but applying sun-cream for a lunch-time run just seems so... wrong..

Rep target pace: 5:48
Actual pace: 5:42/5:47/5:47/5:47/5:48
1 hour easy pace: 7:50/mile

Summary: 16 miles in 120 mins, @7:10/mile

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: 15 miles very easy
A work lunch put paid to any lunch-time running plans, and with some post session residual soreness, I set off after work with the back-pack with the plan of an easy 5.5 mile run home. Unfortunately I turned left instead of right on exiting the building, so figured I'd get 7 miles done instead, and it would reduce the mileage requirement for a second run later that evening. Running round Sandyford I looped around the resevoir and some estates before hitting the N11 in the direction of home. Only it didn't last, as I diverted again through Foxrock, tagging on a couple more miles. I hit Kilbogget Park, with the thoughts of completing 11 miles and not having to emerge for a second time that evening. Then as I neared Shankill, I took another diversion down to the sea and ran along the coast to Shangannagh Park. All in all, I managed 15 miles - a much better outcome than the original run home. Longest run with the backpack, which because it was light, was chafing quite a bit, until I realized that I had Bodyglide in one of the pockets. First time I've ever lubed up, on the run! Gotta get back into the routine of wearing sun-glasses, as for the second day in a row, I got a fly in my eye (my eyes are like shining homing beacons to the suicidal flies and midgets).

I'm flying to Minneapolis tomorrow for a few days of work, so the mileage will take a bit of a beating. Trying my best to hit 90 miles for this week, but with a couple of flights tomorrow (16 hours of travel), work and jet-lag, it's going to be a struggle, but I'll give it my best shot. I'll take next week as it comes, as the primary focus will be work. Hopefully I'll get a few jet-lag related 5am runs before work.
Summary: 15 miles in 1:53, @7:32

Today: Recovery run to work
Not enthusiastic, but these runs always seem a little easier once I get the first mile out of the way. Not fast but done. Will try and get another 5.5 miles done with strides at lunch-time.
Summary:5.5 miles @7:52

ecoli

Mod: As per request separate thread has been created for JD talk (the coach not the whiskey for all the alcohol aficionado's who frequent this log for that purpose)

Krusty_Clown

Friday (afternoon): 7 Miles easy
The weather was too nice for strides, so I just stayed out for a plod around Leopardstown. The weather was so damn good, I was very reluctant to go back to work.

Saturday: 5 miles recovery
I don't really have much to recover from, but for some reason the legs were in bits. Really sore stiff achilles and calf muscles. Shouldn't have bothered with the run, particularly as it was just before heading off to the airport, but stubborn is, as stubborn does. Followed by a day of hell as I joined 2,999 other passengers in Dublin airport heading to the US. Queued from 8am to 12am and the standing around was killing my legs. 7.5 hours later, more queueing, more delays, more sore legs. Finally got to the hotel at 3am (GMT) and sure I had to have a few pints, for acclimatization purposes and to numb the pain in the legs. Barman gave me some helpful tips about running/trail routes in the area, so I knew it was a good idea.

Sunday: 15.5 miles slow
Despite the beers and a late bed-time was still up at 6am, so after a bottle of Dragonfruit vitamin water (sounds so healthy, but is basically syrup and water, made by coca-cola), it was enough to get me going. It's very hot over here (22'C at 7am, rising to 30'C at 4pm) so figured I'd be best off getting out as early as possible. Headed to the local trail, and managed 6 miles, looping around over-grown trails. Stayed away from the heavily over-grown trails as I have no idea what poison-ivy looks like, and despite the barmans urgings that there were no poisonous snakes, the warnings about disease carrying ticks put me off hitting the densely packed foliage. Lots of wildlife to see (deer (those that managed to avoid the hunting season), squirrels, trout in the river, very nice, but after a couple of miles I had exhausted the trails and moved further afield. Dropped back to the hotel for a quick toilet stop, then headed out following one of the highways to a local beer brewer, called Rush River. Nothing really to see, just a point on a map (there aren't too many points on the map, where I am at the moment). Temperature was hitting around 28'C so stopped for another vitamin water (love that stuff!), before completing a few more miles around the University of Wisconsin.

Didn't manage to do a second session this week (though I did complete the tough one), but given travel and heat, just glad to have hit the planned 90 miles. Not sure how I am going to fare next week with the mileage (work day will start at 6am and will be time-zone knackered by the end of the working day (7pm) so won't leave much time for running. Based on how slow I'm running at the moment and the pain in the achilles, an easy week is probably a good thing.

Summary: 15.5 miles (with two pit-stops) in 1:53, @8:00/mile

Krusty_Clown

Bloody, bloody...What use is it travelling to a really hot part of the world, and doing some easy runs in scorching hot sun, when you have no-one to complain to, as it's just as hot back home? Stoopid Irish heat-wave.

Monday: Anyway, despite work and the heat (and some beers), I'm glad to report that I'm still getting the miles in. Monday I got up at 6am and did 5k on the hotel treadmill before work (24 mins, @1.5 gradient). Realized that I might as well be doing my runs outside as there was little difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, but on this occasion the treadmill made more sense as I had to be on time for an on-site visit at 7:30am. After work, I headed back out for another 7 miles at 30'C. Rather enjoyed it, but with the humidity, every time I stopped I leaked from every pore, like a colander. Nice to get away from the concrete and fast food chains and see how suburban small-town Americans live their lives. It turns out the live their lives exactly as we do, just hotter.. All the runners wave to each other. Neighbours say hello. Kids kick a football around on the street. Cars slow down and let you cross the road. Kind of like home.. Just hotter.. Way hotter..

Tuesday: Another 6am start (21'C) and again, just an easy 5k around the University of Wisconsin, before a 7:30am start at work. Found some nice (but short) trails, and it was good to get off the concrete for a stretch. For the first mile of these runs, I'm crippled with something like arthritis. Second mile it eases out and by the third mile, I'm running comfortably. I'm usually fine for the second run of the day. Which today, was another 7 mile run in the 30'C really hot heat (grumble, grumble). Similar loop to yesterday, just hotter. Nasty mozzie bite on my ankle made it uncomfortable (lots of Mozzies around here, because of all of the lakes), but at least easy pace this week is a lot fast than last week, with the evening runs at around 7:05/mile, which is pretty good considering the heat. Too much?!

Dory Dory

I laugh in the face of Wisconsin. Come to Virginia and experience real colander leaking sweating and dried up daisy wilting from our heat and humidity. And it's only July - August is what separates the men from the boys 'round here.

Krusty_Clown

Dory Dory wrote: »

I laugh in the face of Wisconsin. Come to Virginia and experience real colander leaking sweating and dried up daisy wilting from our heat and humidity. And it's only July - August is what separates the men from the boys 'round here.

You're ruining my buzz Dory Dory! What about Mozzies? They're big as my fist down here. Some of the bigger ones would swallow you whole and the buggers are fast!

Dory Dory

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You're ruining my buzz Dory Dory! What about Mozzies? They're big as my fist down here. Some of the bigger ones would swallow you whole and the buggers are fast!

OH Krusty! I'd never want to ruin your buzz.

Mozzies?? I have no idea what a Mozzie is....but we do have lovely lightning bugs that dot the air with their quiet and graceful twinkle. However, we also have blood sucking ticks that spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Sotted Fever. I think half of our human and canine community is on doxycyline because of them to the total delight of the drug companies who have taken the opportunity to jack up the price tag and line the pockets of the stockholders!

Krusty_Clown

Mozzies

Krusty_Clown

Ok, I may have been a little over-optimistic about keeping up the mileage on my work trip to the US. Having averaged around 12 miles per day for the first three days, I didn't get to run again for the remaining two days. On Wednesday I had lots of meetings and then dinner after work. After getting an e-mail notification that my flights home had been cancelled, I felt it was a fitting occasion to chill-out and enjoy a few de-stressing beers. Thursday I set off to the airport early, and after 60 minutes of heated debate, I managed to secure flights home via Paris. A six hour wait in the airport later (I'd have had tonnes of time for a run) and I was off, arriving back this afternoon at around 12pm. It's been a couple of months since I took a rest day, so having two back to back is unprecedented. Unfortunately it was anything but restive/restorative, as I got f**k all sleep and my achilles are far worse having spent numerous hours packed into a very confined space.

Arriving back, I was really struggling to stay awake, so nothing for it but to hit the road. The plan was an easy 10 miles to scrape away the remaining vestiges of transatlantic tiredness, but when I got out there, the weather was just too damn nice to leave it at just 10 miles. I headed to Bray seafront (which was jammed) and then hit the Bray to Greystones lower cliff walk. Eventually I looped back via Windygates and climbed to the upper cliff walk. Particularly incredible views in this beautiful weather. The resemblance to the California coast-line on a sunny day is uncanny. It really is some of the most spectacular running I've done in this country. If the achilles play ball, I may even manage to cover this week's mileage, which would be a solid outcome.

Summary: 15 miles in an estimated 1:55 mins (Garmin deleted my activity when uploading).

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: 13 miles (+2), including 7x1k @I pace

Riddled with jet-lag, I had to load up on coffee before I could even contemplate getting up. So it was the hottest part of the day, before I managed to extricate myself from the sofa. Not Wisconsin hot, but still plenty hot enough to make considering an interval session a little half-witted. Grabbed a large bottle of water and headed to the cinder track. Despite the multiple doses of caffeine, I was still feeling a little wiped, so opted for 1k intervals (instead of the alternative 1,200 or 1,600m options). I felt that 1k repeats would be just about manageable given the conditions. 6% of weekly mileage (an optimistic 70 miles) is 6.4k, so I figured 7 reps would do it. By the time I got to the cinder track I was thinking four reps might be a little more achievable. After the first rep, I figured I might stop after 3. I actually felt ok during the reps; it was as soon as I finished the reps that I suffered. I figured I'd be better off stretching out the recoveries, rather than messing up the reps, so instead of sticking to three minutes, I jogged an easy 600m on the track to bring me back to the start, which turned out to be 3:00 - 3:44).

I kind of surprised myself by getting all the reps done. So much so, that I gave myself a little hand-shake, following the final rep (literally). So, for future reference, hot day = 1k reps / ease back on the recovery.

Target time: 3:20/km (5:20/mile pace)
Actual times: 3:12 / 3:15 / 3:20 / 3:19 / 3:19 / 3:19 / 3:20
Recoveries: 3:00 / 3:01 / 3:06 / 3:26 / 3:33 / 3:44

Just shy of three miles back to home. After some food/rest, went for a quick dip (9 minutes) in the sea down at the 40 foot with the lady-bosses, before adding an additional 2 easy miles back to the car to try and loosen up the calf muscles. Strangely, the Garmin has been acting up a little, and has me starting my run just south of Ghana (near Cameroon) and finishing up in Sandycove (covering a total of 0 miles). Too weird!

Today, I'm facing into a 20 mile run, but again I've been struck by jet-lag related lethargy, which will, no doubt, mean heading out just as the sun is at it's highest. Still, my tan is coming on a treat.
Summary: 15 miles.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 20.5 miles easy run

Wasn't the most pleasant of runs, given the heat and a little residual soreness from yesterday'd session, but was glad to hit all the targets for the week, even if it meant running 51 out of this week's 71 miles over the weekend. Headed out just after 2pm, up to Stepaside, on to Marley Park and back via Sandyford. Grabbed a couple of bottles of water, as I was still pretty dehydrated from the previous day's running and not hydrating properly afterwards (in other words enjoying a few beers). Glad to arrive back home, as another 30 minutes in the sun and I'd be glowing tomorrow.
Summary: 20.5 miles in 2:32, @7:24/mile

digger2d2

So, having moved away from where The Boy Blunder lives, myself and The Foot have taken to randomly driving around looking for Boardsies on their long runs, cue the back of the Beacon yesterday and we spot you, nice calf guards by the way! We did beep but that was after we planted a tracker and took some photos :D

Krusty_Clown

digger2d2 wrote: »

So, having moved away from where The Boy Blunder lives, myself and The Foot have taken to randomly driving around looking for Boardsies on their long runs, cue the back of the Beacon yesterday and we spot you, nice calf guards by the way! We did beep but that was after we planted a tracker and took some photos :D

Ha! That's funny. I must chat to theboyblunder, to see what lengths he had to go to, to shake you off his trail. Calf guards are unfortunately a necessary evil at the moment (can you imagine what it's doing to my tan lines :eek: ), as my achilles and calfs are like rocks. I probably looked pretty desperate at that stage of my run (mile 14). I remember standing outside a shop, wondering where I was; eventually realizing that I was 2 miles from where I was supposed to be. That was the point when I stopped rationing the water and sank a full bottle before moving on.

Krusty_Clown

Monday: 6 + 5 miles easy
Still very much jet-lag riddled, I was wide awake at 4am. There's no reason for me to be awake at this time of the morning, as on either continent I should have been fast asleep, but in any case, I stared at the ceiling until 6am, before heading out for 6 easy recovery miles. I knew it would be a crazy week in work between catching up on work from last week's travel, and getting ready for next week's travels, but have still been surprised by the volume of work this week, so as far as I'm concerned, all bets are off from a serious training perspective. Managed to sneak out for an additional 5 miles at lunch-time between meetings, which thankfully was a more comfortable 7:07/mile.

Tuesday: 10.7 miles easy
The madness continues.. Insomnia + long work work hours = tough to find the time and motivation to run. We had friends over to the house for dinner, and unfortunately, I arrived home from work just as they were leaving. They were heading back to the Glenview Hotel, so I accompanied them which gave me a nice opportunity to run somewhere else for a change. I had planned 10 miles, but of course as soon as I turned on my watch at the Glenview, I realized the battery was dead. Bit of a blessing in disguise, as I had a fantastic run, which was just about the running. I headed over the N11, up the hill by the Glen of the Downs Golf Course and down to Greystones via WindGates. While I have little idea about pace or distance I figured heading straight home wouldn't provide the necessary distance, so I headed down to Greystones Harbour and followed the cliff walk back to Bray, just as the sun was setting. Amazing run. The sea was spectacularly calm, and the peace and quiet was broken only by the squawking sea-birds nesting in the cliffs. Medicine for the soul. I arrived home at 10:30pm for a late dinner, just as the darkness had taken over. Google Map Pedometer tells me I had covered around 10.7 miles and the route was largely downhill, which helps to explain why it was so enjoyable.

Wednesday: 10 miles easy
Had a session in the calendar, but with a 12 hour day and back to back meetings, it was never going to happen (shame, as the weather was perfect). I arrived home from work at 9pm absolutely shattered and lay on the bed feeling a little sorry for myself. Eventually I committed myself to a 6 mile recovery-paced run. Because I hadn't eaten since 12:30pm, I made the schoolboy mistake of stuffing three slices of bread and Nutella into the gob, just as I was heading out the door. Hit the park and headed down the coast towards Killiney, but my bread came back to haunt me, and had to make a mad dash for home (not before I squeezed in the 6 miles of course). After a brief break, it was easy to convince myself to get out for another 4 miles, out to Bray and back. Happy to get the 10 miles done, even if it meant finally getting home at 11pm and skipping dinner in favour of a night's sleep. 10 miles @7:34/mile.

Crazy weeks like this will happen, and will disrupt life/running, but sometimes I just have to face facts that I can't do everything, and just fit in what I can, when I can. Holidays are beckoning (and a certain Alpine marathon), so my outlook is rosy.

belcarra

Fair play KC, great focus to get those runs in during what sounds like a manic week!

statss

Hey Krusty,

I've recently started reading the log from page 1...there's great detail in your posts...I wonder how long it will take me to read your exploits in full....."the 5 year journey to becoming a 2:3X marathoner"....you should print out the entire thread, edit it, turn it into an ebook and sell it!

Krusty_Clown

statss wrote: »

I've recently started reading the log from page 1...there's great detail in your posts...I wonder how long it will take me to read your exploits in full....."the 5 year journey to becoming a 2:3X marathoner"....you should print out the entire thread, edit it, turn it into an ebook and sell it!

Cheers statss, but it's all a work of fiction! My marathon PB is actually a respectable 3:47.

Today: JD Plan A: 2 x 2 Mile @Tempo/1 Hour easy

After all my whining, I managed to sneak out for a session at lunch time, so I'm happy out and feeling a lot less miserable (running completes me!). Three miles nice and easy down to the cinder track with Keith, before some stretching and some strides and then on to the business end of things. 2 x 2 miles @ tempo, with 2 mins rest and then an hour easy. I wasn't looking forward to the tempo sections because of the heat and tiredness, but I was pleasantly surprised; they were actually pretty manageable. I'm currently working off VDOT of 61, based on my last 10k, instead of 62 (from London marathon) as I'm just not in that kind of shape, but as I hit each lap I was generally 10-15 seconds ahead of my splits (a couple of seconds per lap) and feeling comfortable.

It's a great feeling looking at the lap splits and knowing that you can slow down. You can relax and feel more comfortable and yet it doesn't seem to negatively affect the pace. I'm not sure if I'm just getting more used to the heat, but I suspect that the benefit is on the back Saturday's 1k reps at I pace (5:20/mile).

Planed pace (3,200m): 11:36 (5:50/mile)
Actual pace rep 1: 11:21 (~5:42/mile)
Actual pace rep 2: 11:25 (~5:44/mile)

I had to cut to 1 hour easy back to 50 minutes to get back to work, but I had done an extra mile during warm-up, and chose a nice constant uphill route back to work, which should provide a little bit of stimulus for the Alpine marathon, running as I did on tired legs. So good result, and I'm happier now.

Summary: 14.41 miles in ~1:35

RacoonQueen

digger2d2 wrote: »

So, having moved away from where The Boy Blunder lives, myself and The Foot have taken to randomly driving around looking for Boardsies on their long runs, cue the back of the Beacon yesterday and we spot you, nice calf guards by the way! We did beep but that was after we planted a tracker and took some photos :D

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Ha! That's funny. I must chat to theboyblunder, to see what lengths he had to go to, to shake you off his trail. Calf guards are unfortunately a necessary evil at the moment (can you imagine what it's doing to my tan lines :eek: ), as my achilles and calfs are like rocks. I probably looked pretty desperate at that stage of my run (mile 14). I remember standing outside a shop, wondering where I was; eventually realizing that I was 2 miles from where I was supposed to be. That was the point when I stopped rationing the water and sank a full bottle before moving on.

Jesus, so you're all stalking me then? Weirdoes!!!

Krusty_Clown

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Jesus, so you're all stalking me then? Weirdoes!!!

You know, some of us have been visiting these parts long before you decided to become a plastic-southsider.

jfh

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Cheers statss, but it's all a work of fiction! My marathon PB is actually a respectable 3:47.

Today: JD Plan A: 2 x 2 Mile @Tempo/1 Hour easy

After all my whining, I managed to sneak out for a session at lunch time, so I'm happy out and feeling a lot less miserable (running completes me!). Three miles nice and easy down to the cinder track with Keith, before some stretching and some strides and then on to the business end of things. 2 x 2 miles @ tempo, with 2 mins rest and then an hour easy. I wasn't looking forward to the tempo sections because of the heat and tiredness, but I was pleasantly surprised; they were actually pretty manageable. I'm currently working off VDOT of 61, based on my last 10k, instead of 62 (from London marathon) as I'm just not in that kind of shape, but as I hit each lap I was generally 10-15 seconds ahead of my splits (a couple of seconds per lap) and feeling comfortable.

It's a great feeling looking at the lap splits and knowing that you can slow down. You can relax and feel more comfortable and yet it doesn't seem to negatively affect the pace. I'm not sure if I'm just getting more used to the heat, but I suspect that the benefit is on the back Saturday's 1k reps at I pace (5:20/mile).

Planed pace (3,200m): 11:36 (5:50/mile)
Actual pace rep 1: 11:21 (~5:42/mile)
Actual pace rep 2: 11:25 (~5:44/mile)

I had to cut to 1 hour easy back to 50 minutes to get back to work, but I had done an extra mile during warm-up, and chose a nice constant uphill route back to work, which should provide a little bit of stimulus for the Alpine marathon, running as I did on tired legs. So good result, and I'm happier now.

Summary: 14.41 miles in ~1:35

Jaysus, your one tough clown!
damn you for your dogged determination, it's making me feel weak for cancelling runs when i'm not feeling up for it, why i'm motivated by someones log i'm following is another story..

average_runner

Has the heat here affected your pace much?

Krusty_Clown

jfh wrote: »

Jaysus, your one tough clown!
damn you for your dogged determination, it's making me feel weak for cancelling runs when i'm not feeling up for it, why i'm motivated by someones log i'm following is another story..

I dunno... Sometimes the mojo's just not there, but as soon as you start tucking into the hard stuff, it just happens. I remember following a 10k plan at one stage (pretty much at the start of this log) and every time I went out to do a session feeling crap, I'd knock it out of the park. Every time I went to do a session feeling great, I struggled. I've kind of learned the hard way, that how you feel before a session has little to do with how you perform. Same with marathons. I don't know if I ever toed the start line feeling fresh. My legs always felt a little dead, but by mile three, that's all but forgotten.

average_runner wrote:

Has the heat here affected your pace much?

Most of my runs this week have been at 10pm+ (by virtue of long working hours). Was a little surprised that yesterday's session felt so comfortable. But yeah, in the grand scheme of things, the heat does have an impact on my general easy runs. I'm not that pushed about pace (I only show distance on my watch), so in the heat of mid-day, my easy runs are pushing out towards 7:30/mile, instead of the usual 7:15/mile. When you think about it, easy runs are largely about improving your aerobic base. On hotter days, you have to work a bit harder, so at a slightly slower pace you're getting a similar workout. That's my excuse for being lazy, and I'm sticking with it!

ultrapercy

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I dunno... Sometimes the mojo's just not there, but as soon as you start tucking into the hard stuff, it just happens. I remember following a 10k plan at one stage (pretty much at the start of this log) and every time I went out to do a session feeling crap, I'd knock it out of the park. Every time I went to do a session feeling great, I struggled. I've kind of learned the hard way, that how you feel before a session has little to do with how you perform. Same with marathons. I don't know if I ever toed the start line feeling fresh. My legs always felt a little dead, but by mile three, that's all but forgotten.


Most of my runs this week have been at 10pm+ (by virtue of long working hours). Was a little surprised that yesterday's session felt so comfortable. But yeah, in the grand scheme of things, the heat does have an impact on my general easy runs. I'm not that pushed about pace (I only show distance on my watch), so in the heat of mid-day, my easy runs are pushing out towards 7:30/mile, instead of the usual 7:15/mile. When you think about it, easy runs are largely about improving your aerobic base. On hotter days, you have to work a bit harder, so at a slightly slower pace you're getting a similar workout. That's my excuse for being lazy, and I'm sticking with it!

I couldnt agree more with the first statement. Almost all my pbs were set when I felt crap. The amount of times Ive ran good races/workouts when I felt Id be better off going to bed, Ive lost count. Then the days when I was flying in the warm feeling loose and lively Id perform under par. You just dont know how your feeling until the gun fires.

Dory Dory

Hi Krusty! I just pulled up your DCM 2012 Garmin info as I was looking for elevation information on the course...and....does it really contain an elevation gain of 1,158 feet?? I see your Garmin correction is disabled and I'm actually a little surprised at the gain tally...so, that's why I ask. If so, I'd better get back down to business and start working on those hills!!! :eek:

Krusty_Clown

Dory Dory wrote: »

Hi Krusty! I just pulled up your DCM 2012 Garmin info as I was looking for elevation information on the course...and....does it really contain an elevation gain of 1,158 feet?? I see your Garmin correction is disabled and I'm actually a little surprised at the gain tally...so, that's why I ask. If so, I'd better get back down to business and start working on those hills!!! :eek:

No, not at all! There's one long drag at mile 19, for around a mile (35m climb (114 ft), otherwise the route is very flat. Once you get over the aforementioned climb at UCD, it all feels downhill from there. Just remember to save a bit of steam for the drag, which can feel tough at that stage of the race!

theboyblunder

Saw the results of the alpine KC. Well done, well up the field. Looks like an excruciating course....

Krusty_Clown

Right, it's been three weeks since I've been around these parts, but it's time to start knuckling down again. Next few posts will be more travel-log and less training log, so maybe come back in a couple of weeks, when normal service will have resumed...

19th July: 5.8 + 5.4 miles easy
Easy lunch run in the amazing sunshine, followed by a run home from work.
Summary: 11.x miles @~7:10/mile

20th July: 10 miles easy in Cologne (Köln).
One of those horrific early morning starts (3:30am), where you begin to question why they call them holidays, when you have to get up around three hours after you went to bed. Arrived in the hotel at around lunch-time and while the family settled in and unpacked, I threw on the runners and headed out into the 28'C sunshine.

Now, I ran on 11 of my 14 days holidays (sometimes twice). I know some folks will think that holidays are all about quality family time and therefore pursuing my running hobby is a very selfish activity, but in my defence, nearly all of my runs were either early in the morning at a time when my grown-up kids wouldn't dream of getting out of bed. Also, I really enjoy running/exploring foreign places and getting the lay of the land and these are, after all, my holidays too. Running helps me get over long drives, flights, hangovers, and hotel-room cabin fever. So in essence, I'm doing everybody a favour.

Back to Cologne. My first introduction to the German observance of rules and regulations. Emerge from the hotel. Run 20 feet. Press button at traffic light. Wait. Run 60 feet. Press button... Repeat... Thankfully I found a park less than a mile from the hotel, perfectly designed for runner's needs. Great open pastures and tree covered avenues made for great views and welcome shade. The running was still occasionally broken by the odd railway track or road passing through the park, but otherwise it was a very nice introduction to Germany. After running outwards for around 5 miles, I set the watch to compass mode to point me back to the hotel and found my own way back. It's a fantastic way to see a city you are not familiar with. Just save the location of your starting point; run in any direction you like, and when you're finally ready to go back, set the watch to compass mode. You'll see more and learn more than you ever would with your map and guide book. Bliss.
Things I learnt from my run: Germans love parks. Germans only cross the road, when the green man is showing.
Summary: 10 miles in 76 mins, @7:37/mile

21st July: The 2,000th mile
Everyone was recovering from the previous day's early start and an ensuing late night, so I headed out while everyone slept. I know I'd pass the 2,000 mile mark at some point, so the plan was to head for the Rhine, and celebrate the inconsequential milestone, with an easy run along the river. Well it took me feckin ages to find the bloody river. I hit some canal parks which I knew would eventually lead me to the Rhine, but at some point must have been distracted by something shiny, as I headed off-course and ended up running through the sleepy streets of Cologne (an adventure in itself). Eventually I hit the river, but was too far north, in an industrial area, where there are no nice river paths. So as I passed the 2,000 mile barrier, I was greeted by views of dilapidated warehouses and a smell of poo. Still, a city deserving of a milestone run.
Summary: 12.4 miles in 92 mins, @7:30/mile

22nd July (morning): 6.63 miles recovery
Another early morning start, I headed back along the route we had walked the previous night, trying to find a local rock climbing centre. This time I found it with ease, and continued my run, taking in a loop of the outer suburbs of Cologne, before stopping off at a supermakret to grab breakfast for the family. I ran a mile back to the hotel, arms laden down with shopping bags.
Summary: 6.6 miles in 50 mins, @7:40

22nd July (afternoon): 5 Steady miles around Wiesbaden/USA.
We had opted to break-up our journey down to the Black Forest with an over-night stay in Wiesbaden. If you have never heard of it, then that's because it is largely uninteresting, but for one significant detail. As it turned out, the city seems to house one of the largest US army bases outside of the US; a fact I discovered on my run, while the family settled into the hotel. I looped out of the hotel, ran up a steep hill (which seemed the only direction I could run in), and found myself in the middle of a restricted military zone. I ran a couple of miles in the 35'C heat around the hilly army living quarters, where all the roads have names like 'CaliforniaStraße', and 'FrodiaStraße', and don't seem to appear on Google maps. Surreal..
Summary: 5 miles in 37 mins, @7:27/mile

23rd July (morning): 8 recovery miles around Wiesbaden
Another early start, this time I stayed away from the US army base, for fear of ending up in Guantanamo, and hit the city instead. An interesting route, that took me past the 'hoor-houses' and table dance clubs that service the 10,000 army personnel, before arriving at old Wiesbaden. Uncomfortable run, as I needed a loo after the previous nights beers, but frankly refused to pay the €0.50 which the train station's automated toilet demanded, so had to suck it up, until I arrived back at the hotel, 8 miles later.
Summary: 8 miles in 63 mins, @7:56/mile

23rd July (afternoon): 5 Hilly miles
After a long drive to the Black Forest village of Schiltach (really amazing place) I needed to shake off the cobwebs from the drive, and fancied getting some high altitude acclimatization in, so headed off for a second run, while the family headed off in the direction of one of the trails. I unknowingly followed a different trail, that soon transformed from prairie trail to forest single-track. Up, up, up, up, up..... The views got better and better, but the amount of 'up' didn't lessen. I had only planned a four mile run, but like a rat in a maze, once I find myself on a hill I can only travel in one direction. Eventually I hit the end of the trail which opened out into a glorious view on the other side of the valley, but in the corner of my eye, I spotted a sign, suggesting that the route continued onwards and upwards, so onwards I trundled. Eventually, I did run out of up (some 400m+ above where I started), just as the thunderstorms rolled in across the valley. This did give me a moment of concern, as te thunder and lightning was abundant, and being at the highest point in a valley is probably not such a good idea, so my pace picked up a little as I re-traced my steps back through the forest.

Exiting back at the open valley, I spotted a woman tending to her garden, oblivious of the thunder and lightning crashing and flashing overhead, so I deduced that the risks were pretty minimal, and slowed to a more reasonable level of descent. Further down the valley, family's scoffed lunch, unperturbed by the heavenly dangers, so I relaxed completely and enjoyed the views arriving back into the valley. While I could never live in a small remote town like Schiltach, I could certainly return here again and again on holidays, as the routes and trails around the various valleys have infinite possibilities. The views as impressive as any we have back home, and the beer is sweet nectar of the gods.
Summary: 5.3 miles with lots of 'up', in 49 mins, @9:04/mile.