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Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »That's the plan anyway. I'm not seeing any strong indicators of a significant improvement so far, but I still have 600 miles to go between now and race day!
Well you ran sub 2:40 earlier in the year so I reckon you could at least produce a repeat of that and as you said, plenty of more miles to go! Best of luck with it anyway
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Well, to the first point, I wouldn't say that there is a very significant increase in miles. I mean on occasion, I'll do something stupid like go from 60mpw to 90mpw after falling behind due to illness, but I'd suggest that if you look at my mileage from a macro perspective, my mileage is pretty consistent and increases are subtle:...on the back of very significant increase in your training miles and intensity and consistency. You don't seem to take many step back periods but yet your log very rarely reveals any of the classic signs of over training or staleness. Am I missing something, or how do you manage to put yourself through such relentless punishment and stay so bullet proof?
I've had about 6 to 8 months of a step up in my mileage this year, nothing near your levels, but quite frankly I feel shagged and sore and in need of a break. I'm currently weighing up whether to just train through this or take a month with a big step back. Any thoughts?
After a long hard graft for London marathon, ideally what I should have done was completely disregard any thoughts of marathons and focussed on something completely different, like 800m, or 5k, but I got a little caught up in the enthusiasm of tackling Dublin again this year, and perhaps a little greedy (hoping to replicate some of the improvements I made in London marathon). I knew in the back of my mind that going into another marathon plan so soon was a bad idea, but once I pop, I can't stop... I find it very hard to quit anything, and will see things through to the end, even if it has a negative outcome. So onwards I trudge towards Dublin marathon, not certain if I will get any return at all for my hard work (which will be close to 1800 miles, by the time the race comes around).
Shagged and sore? (I predict a Digger'ism!). I'm permanently wrecked, and often feel like I'm held together with sticky tape. I don't walk down a stairs any more; I lower myself down a stairs. Watching me walk across the floor in my workplace after sitting for a while, would remind you of the days when a hatch became free when the pension was still handed out in the post office. Getting out of bed in the morning, I totter and sway, like those extremely tall buildings caught in strong winds.
The reality is that everything comes at a price. It's very easy to look at the results/improvements in isolation of the miles and the sacrifice, but you can't really do that. Right now I'm struggling with the investment versus gain ratio and thinking that regardless of the outcome, it's unlikely that I'll be in a position to go through this again. Sure, there'll be other marathons, but I doubt I'll be in a position to apply the same level of commitment. Maybe there will still be some more seconds for the taking on lower mileage plans, or maybe I'll just start playing the masters game. They do say that most runners improve for seven years and record their final PBs in their seventh year, so I still have one more spin of the wheel remaining.
<Guess who didn't get much sleep last night and is feeling particularly tired, sore and full of self-pity?!>0 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Actually, looks like I may have to take the bike to the race, so if anyone has some boot space where I can stash some bike gear, I'd be very greatful!
Ill be down in the car so you can stash whatever you want in there. I still have that bottle of DEUS Belgian beer I promised you the night of the beer mile but you sneaked off without
Lets make it interesting, a little wager. You beat me on saturday you get the beer no strings attached. I beat you, you still get the beer but you have to drink it within the week and have two cans of coors light beforehand Deal?
Ps you will notice there is no forfeit for me and I'd like to keep it that way 0 -
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You fecker... I mentioned a few posts back that I was giving up beer on Sunday and you use this information against me?!I beat you, you still get the beer but you have to drink it within the week and have two cans of coors light beforehand Deal?
Deal! Though after being beaten by a cripple, I may just have to shut down my training log for a few months.0 -
thewolf_ie wrote: »I'll get you into a Pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room after the race on Saturday if you run a few easy ones after the race! You can be Yoda and i'll be Luke and share your wisdom!
:eek:
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BeepBeep67 wrote: »:eek:
The resemblance to Krusty is uncanny, but the wolf looks nothing like Mark Hamill :P0 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Well, to the first point, I wouldn't say that there is a very significant increase in miles. I mean on occasion, I'll do something stupid like go from 60mpw to 90mpw after falling behind due to illness, but I'd suggest that if you look at my mileage from a macro perspective, my mileage is pretty consistent and increases are subtle:
After a long hard graft for London marathon, ideally what I should have done was completely disregard any thoughts of marathons and focussed on something completely different, like 800m, or 5k, but I got a little caught up in the enthusiasm of tackling Dublin again this year, and perhaps a little greedy (hoping to replicate some of the improvements I made in London marathon). I knew in the back of my mind that going into another marathon plan so soon was a bad idea, but once I pop, I can't stop... I find it very hard to quit anything, and will see things through to the end, even if it has a negative outcome. So onwards I trudge towards Dublin marathon, not certain if I will get any return at all for my hard work (which will be close to 1800 miles, by the time the race comes around).
Shagged and sore? (I predict a Digger'ism!). I'm permanently wrecked, and often feel like I'm held together with sticky tape. I don't walk down a stairs any more; I lower myself down a stairs. Watching me walk across the floor in my workplace after sitting for a while, would remind you of the days when a hatch became free when the pension was still handed out in the post office. Getting out of bed in the morning, I totter and sway, like those extremely tall buildings caught in strong winds.
The reality is that everything comes at a price. It's very easy to look at the results/improvements in isolation of the miles and the sacrifice, but you can't really do that. Right now I'm struggling with the investment versus gain ratio and thinking that regardless of the outcome, it's unlikely that I'll be in a position to go through this again. Sure, there'll be other marathons, but I doubt I'll be in a position to apply the same level of commitment. Maybe there will still be some more seconds for the taking on lower mileage plans, or maybe I'll just start playing the masters game. They do say that most runners improve for seven years and record their final PBs in their seventh year, so I still have one more spin of the wheel remaining.
<Guess who didn't get much sleep last night and is feeling particularly tired, sore and full of self-pity?!>
I surely can't be the only person to read this and think "Thank God it's not just me who feels this way". A few days after London I came down to breakfast and told Mr Stew I was seriously concerned that if the house went on fire I wouldn't make it out on time;)
I like the idea that I've 2 more years to keep improving though (assuming your 7 year figure isn't affected by how old the person is when they start running)thewolf_ie wrote: »You could leave the bike at my house and its a mile jog to the start? I'll give the run after a bash but don't let me hold you back.
Does Kiely know about this Mr Wolf?;)0 -
Good lord, remind me to never get behind reading your log ever again!! It freakin' took me all day to get caught up, but boy howdy was it worth it.
First - congrats on the mind-blowing Alpine marathon. Second - your training is impressive, phenomenal and exhausting. Third - is there nothing you can't do or excel at? Which brings me to....Fourth - for some strange reason, at this very minute I really want to challenge you to a duel in the pool.
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Ok, but I get to choose the rules. Firstly, we drain all the water from the pool. First person to complete 50 lengths wins!At this very minute I really want to challenge you to a duel in the pool.
Wednesday: 12 miles easy + 4.5 miles recovery
Still a little dejected with Tuesday's failed session, I headed out with Keith for an easy 12 miles. He's targeting 3:30 for Dublin marathon, but based on this run, he looks like he's in good shape to run a good bit quicker, if he can get the long runs done. It was a warm one, so we stopped by my house for a drink of water, before pushing on to complete the 12 miles in 90 mins, @7:29/mile. Great to have a bit of company for a medium run. Followed up with another 4.5 mile recovery run, to chalk up some miles. Legs feeling pretty wrecked.
Thursday: 5.75 recovery + 5:25 easy/steady
Really struggled my way through 5 miles at lunch-time, with the legs feeling like they had nothing in them. Really wasn't feeling optimistic about the 10k race on Saturday. In the hope of trying to salvage some kind of optimism, I picked up the pace for the second 5 mile run after work, and managed 7:09/mile for the rolling hill route, but felt extremely sore and stiff afterwards.
Friday: 5 mile recovery run
A return trip to Cork for a funeral, necessitated an early start and it certainly ranks as one of the worst runs of the year. Emer headed out at the same time, and though she too was running at easy/recovery pace, I struggled to keep up, such was the pain and stiffness. Had planned 6 miles, but wasn't doing myself any favours, so called it quits after 5 miles. Even tried to do some strides over the last mile to loosen up the legs and managed to bring the pace up to a rather worrisome 7:42 mile. Bleak.
Summary: 5 miles in 42 mins, @8:15/mile
Saturday: Lake Striders 10k
Appalling weather as I ate my breakfast, I dejectedly put on the motorcycle gear for the trip out to Blessington, genuinely expecting the worst. When the bike didn't start with a flat battery I was half-tempted to throw in the towel, but realizing that the alternative was to do a very tough JD session, I made my way to my mum's house and nicked her car. Despite the setback, I still got to the Lake in time to see spiderman TRR making his way back from the number pick-up. We did a few warm-up miles, and I was glad that the legs/achilles felt a lot more limber than they had for the last 4/5 days, so I was ready to give the race a good go. I've ran a 10k PB on my last two visits to this race (36:18 and 34:50, finishing 8th on both occasions) so was optimistically hoping to take a few seconds off the PB on this occasion too. With TRR, Pre, Maria MacAmbridge and Neil (another very solid club-lad) the quality of the field seemed much better than previous years, so I hoped I'd have someone to run with/pace off.
After a couple of minutes in the freezing damp wintery conditions the gun went, and I was surprised to see Pre and TRR making very steady progress forging ahead, chased by Maria. Neil was slightly behind them with a couple of runners between us. I made a snap decision to focus on my own race rather than trying to catch anyone, but as we hit the other side of the bridge and started on the first downhill, I passed a couple of runners and wasn't too far off the group that had formed alongside MM. Mile 1: A slightly fast but also slightly downhill 5:24. Over the second mile (5:35), I had joined the group proper, alongside Neil, MM, and a couple of other runners. TRR was a good 100m ahead at this stage, but we seemed to be closing the distance on Pre (first race back after an 11 month injury-related layoff).
I found it fascinating to be running alongside a runner as good as MM. She was breathing pretty heavy for the second mile of a 10k (certainly suffering far more than I was at that stage of the race), and it really struck me that what makes a really good runner is the ability to push beyond the pain and tiredness barrier. The other interesting thing is that she was running at sub 35 pace, yet could have run a couple of minutes slower to take the win. So she was willing to push herself out of her comfort zone to compete on equal footing with the men-folk and hit her training goals. Well, enough of the veneration... As we worked out way along the third mile, there was me, Neil, Pre, MM and a civil service guy, running shoulder to shoulder. Gradually we were closing the gap on TRR (mile 3: 5:39). On a different day, I'd take great joy in catching TRR, but the reality is I need to be at the top of my game, while he needs to be recovering from the bottom of his, in order for us to be on a level playing field. We drew level around the 5k mark (around 17:18).
Soon afterwards, we took the sharp right turn which signaled that we were on the homeward stretch and that the single noteworthy climb was on the way (mile 4: 5:35). It's really a small climb in the grand scheme of things (30m), but at 10k pace, it can really knock the socks off of you (which are this stage were pretty squelchy). I lost a bit of ground on the climb (a couple of metres), but the top came sooner than I remembered. At this stage, I could feel lactic acid coursing through the legs, so I eased back the effort a tiny bit. TRR urged me to push on, so as the two lads opened a small gap, I stayed with them on the gentle drop after the hill (mile 5: 5:40). Almost immediately I regretted the decision, as I started to feel a little nauseous with the effort, but we were on a gentle decline so I reckoned I'd survive until the finish. Finally the 9k marker passed and we were still on a slight downhill (I wish I'd remembered all of the downhill from last year). With 500m to go, I glanced back and saw that MM was closing fast. I could see the finish line ahead in the distance, so I urged Neil to push on, as he was still looking pretty comfortable. As he accelerated I stuck to him and was surprised when the civil service lad dropped slightly off the pace. And so I crossed the finish line, chasing in Neil's wake, with MM and TRR and the Civil Service lads all within a second or two.
Antomagoo seemed to have MC duties for the day, and announced that I'd finished in 7th place. I checked the watch a few seconds later, to see 34:40, so an 8 second PB. Nothing to get terribly excited about, but I was happy to have run well, in such esteemed company; a decent note on what was otherwise panning out to be a pretty shoddy week of training. Hard to take this is an indication of progress towards DCM though, as I didn't run any 10ks in the build-up to London, but a PB is a PB, and I have a nice PB beer to celebrate it (cheers buddy!).
Summary: 10 miles, including 10k in 34:40.6, @5:34/mile1 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »
On a different day, I'd take great joy in catching TRR, but the reality is I need to be at the top of my game, while he needs to be recovering from the bottom of his, in order for us to be on a level playing field.
your modesty sickens me I have run faster than I did today but I've also ran slower many many many times. That's the beauty of a race you get yourself into the best nick you can and once you toe the line all excuses go out the window. If you are afraid to get beaten don't race. You beat me fair and square, I'm just disgusted I couldn't get in front of you so you'd have to drink those couple of cans of coors light See you in Moone 0 -
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Everything falling apart for Dublin! Nah, just kiddin'. There always seems to be a tough patch around 7/8 weeks out from the goal, where the body doesn't seem to be responding well, and it affects the mind too. But yesterday's 10k helped, as did today's follow-up long run, so I'm feeling a lot better about this week's training.BeepBeep67 wrote: »Nice run - everything falling into place for Dublin?
It's just a phase I'm going through! Growing pains. :rolleyes:pconn062 wrote:It reads like you're finding it a real slog this time round. As I said I have no advice for you (apart from wanting to tell you to take a few days off!),
A few days off? Are you mad?! :eek: I'll take the 29th, 30th and 31st October off.
That's just my public facade. As soon as I got home, I shook up the bottle of beer and sprayed it around the house, much to the consternation of the wife and kids. After all, it's not every day you beat someone who took part in the world championships.TRR wrote:your modesty sickens me
Today: 20 mile easy run
After yesterday's race, made a plan to meet up with Neil from the club, as long runs the day after races are always a bit of a suffer-fest. I made a plea for something flat, but it must have fallen on deaf ears, as he led me up to Windgate and onwards on a rolling hilly route. Chatted our way around the loop, and didn't notice the miles ticking off, so by the time we got back to Bray, I was happy enough to jog the remaining miles home to top up the run to 20 miles. It was a bit wasteful running more miles than my 90 mile week target, but I couldn't help but round it up. Thankfully a low mileage week next week (70 miles), before my final high mileage week.
Summary: 20 miles in 2:22:22 (?), @7:06/mile0 -
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