Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Sosa

Would you say that your fully recovered from Berlin ?
I have a half marathon 7 weeks after dublin and i want to have a right cut of it,but dont really know how to approach it,i suppose i wont know until after Dublin.

osnola ibax

Sosa wrote: »

Would you say that your fully recovered from Berlin ?
I have a half marathon 7 weeks after dublin and i want to have a right cut of it,but dont really know how to approach it,i suppose i wont know until after Dublin.

A home town half Sosa? I can understand u wanting to do well in that alright.

You looking forward to dcm krusty? Do you think it will be tough to slow down by that much?

Krusty_Clown

Rusty Cogs 08 wrote: »

Sounds good KC, more fun than the turbo trainer. I raise my 27.5cl bottle of Grolsch and salute you.

I'll see your 27.5cl bottle of Grolsch, and raise you a 500ml can of Newcastle Brown Ale (I'm a cheap date).

Sosa wrote:

Would you say that your fully recovered from Berlin ?
I have a half marathon 7 weeks after dublin and i want to have a right cut of it,but dont really know how to approach it,i suppose i wont know until after Dublin.

Yes, definitely. From my limited experience, 2 or 3 weeks is good, as long as you avoid very physically challenging sessions (speed-work, racing etc. Cost me a month or two after my last marathon). Concentrate on slowly building up the mileage for the first two or three weeks, or follow the P&D multi-marathon strategy, which is pretty aggressive.

OI wrote:

You looking forward to dcm krusty? Do you think it will be tough to slow down by that much?

Definitely looking forward to it. I love marathons! Nah, I don't think it'll be too hard, but I am practicing just in case!

Krusty_Clown

Marathon breakfast of champions. Getting a bit of training in, a week before the race.

BeepBeep67

A little healthier than the post run breakfast fry up myself and Slogger had this morning

Krusty_Clown

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

A little healthier than the post run breakfast fry up myself and Slogger had this morning

Mmmm... Haven't had a fry-up, for many moons. Way too much healthy living going on (except for all the beer).

Today:7 Miles at comfortable pace (7:35/mile), followed by 5 miles at pacing pace (8:35/mile). Not sure what my pacing target is yet (could be 3:30, 3:45, 4:00) so just covering all the bases (Practicing 3:45 pace today).
Followed a nice potential new route around Bayside, onto Killiney.

Summary: 12 miles (7miles easy, 5 miles @8:35/mile), HR=135.

asimonov

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Mmmm... Haven't had a fry-up, for many moons. Way too much healthy living going on (except for all the beer).

Today:7 Miles at comfortable pace (7:35/mile), followed by 5 miles at pacing pace (8:35/mile). Not sure what my pacing target is yet (could be 3:30, 3:45, 4:00) so just covering all the bases (Practicing 3:45 pace today).
Followed a nice potential new route around Bayside, onto Killiney.

Summary: 12 miles (7miles easy, 5 miles @8:35/mile), HR=135.

Good going krusty, what would your preferred pacing target be?

Krusty_Clown

asimonov wrote: »

Good going krusty, what would your preferred pacing target be?

3:15. Don't think it's an option though! After that, 3:30, then 4:00, then 3:45. But I'll just do what I'm told.

asimonov

But think how much your pacee's will thank you for getting them home in 3:15...from what I remember of your Connemara report this year you'll be well suited to the job no matter what the pace.

Krusty_Clown

asimonov wrote: »

But think how much your pacee's will thank you for getting them home in 3:15...from what I remember of your Connemara report this year you'll be well suited to the job no matter what the pace.

LOL. I was going to see if I could get the group to hit sub-3. <joke>

Looks like sub-4 it is. Got the pacer's shorts and singlet in the post yesterday, so will have to give the gear a run out this evening. They're very light though, so may need to wear a running top that I can discard along the way.

Last night: 1 hour of swim lessons. Really felt like I made progress in the session. After 20 minutes everything seemed to click, and I really felt like I was gliding through the water, with a lot less effort. Hopefully I can re-produce this feeling again (and again!).

Seres

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

LOL. I was going to see if I could get the group to hit sub-3. <joke>

Looks like sub-4 it is. Got the pacer's shorts and singlet in the post yesterday, so will have to give the gear a run out this evening. They're very light though, so may need to wear a running top that I can discard along the way.

Last night: 1 hour of swim lessons. Really felt like I made progress in the session. After 20 minutes everything seemed to click, and I really felt like I was gliding through the water, with a lot less effort. Hopefully I can re-produce this feeling again (and again!).

it definitely happens like that , you crossed the threshold , onwards and upwards

Krusty_Clown

Seres wrote: »

it definitely happens like that , you crossed the threshold , onwards and upwards

Thanks. I won't hold my breath.

Tonight: 6 Miles easy, to try out the Dublin pacers uniform. Very light gear, still a little bit chaffey, so will definitely to grease up with the body-glide before the run. I had all of Shanganagh Park to myself, apart from the odd ghostly Dart shrieking through the mist. Great fun!

Summary: 6 miles in 44 mins, @7:27/mile.

Krusty_Clown

Tonight: After another late evening in work, another cold wet 7 mile run. Probably good preparation for the marathon on Monday, but miserable all the same.

Summary: 7 Miles in 51 mins, @7:16 min/mile, HR=144.

Krusty_Clown

5 Miles Easy(?) run today: After-work clear the mind run, with miles @6:52, 6:35, 6:20 before I calmed down, and brought it back to 7:04 and 7:25. Just as well I'm not running at pace on Monday. It's been just over a month since Berlin, and I've put on around 6 lbs. :eek: Amazing what a few beers and a few snack will do (and my diet is mostly healthy!). Good to have an idea what my race weight is though.

Summary: 5 Miles in 34 minutes, @6:51/mile (freaky, how this number keeps popping up!), HR=151.

Slogger Jogger

Good luck with the pacing duties KC. Be nice to your troops, and troops be nice to KC

Krusty_Clown

Grumble, grumble... Was going to ride the bike in the trainer for half an hour.. Sun comes out.. Yippee! Will hit the roads for an hour. 2.5 miles later, simultaneous front and rear punctures. No spare tube, no phone, no puncture repair kit, and no pump. Only slightly comforted by the fact that if I had brought these things, I would still be walking the 2.5 miles home in cleated shoes anyway, as the OH is away, and I only have one spare tube. Some higher power is telling me I should be resting today. Somebody should have told the higher power that a 2.5 mile uphill walk in cleated shoes is far more strenuous than a quick cycle. Should've stuck to the trainer. One of those days.

woundedknee

Good luck with the Pacing.

Krusty_Clown

woundedknee wrote: »

Good luck with the Pacing.

Thanks Woundedknee. Would I be right in saying that you paced London Marathon before?
Any last-minute tips?

woundedknee

Hi Krusty,
yes have paced it 3 or 4 times.

Krusty_Clown

Today: 4 Mile easy run, just to stretch the legs before tomorrow's race. I also took a stop-watch with me, that I picked up in LIDL yesterday, that I hoped to use as a backup for the Garmin. After 4 miles (30 mins), it was out by over 10 seconds, from the Garmin's recorded time:eek:. May not sound like much, but over the course of a 4 hour marathon, that's 80 seconds. Wouldn't like to have others miss their target because of a dodgy stop-watch.

Summary: 4 miles in the park, @7:46/mile in 31 mins.

woundedknee

Slower is better than faster than pace for first few miles. Any time you might lose at the start you should try to make it back gradually over a few miles. If 30secs behind time I'd try to make that up over 6 miles which isn't that much of a speed increase but would not try to make up time on a hill. You know the course so you know where you can and can't make up time. I'd pre warn the group where they might lose time and that way you remain in control. Stick with the race line and maybe get one of your group to get your drinks at aid station if required.
I always focus on the mile I'm in using the lap function on my stopwatch and check my total time at various points such as half way. Ask your group to also keep a check on the lap times.
I can go the distance without a toilet break and that can be a problemif you need to stop.
Running slower than your normal pace can cause your legs to tighten up so I would suggest that you try loosen the legs as you run. Maybe lengthen your stride but stay at same pace or lift the legs higher for a few steps.

rigal

Good luck tomorrow KC!

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: Dublin city Marathon - Pacing 3:30 group
Well, I suppose this is a training log, and I suppose I did run a marathon yesterday (even though it feels a little bit like I cheated), so I suppose it deserves a write-up, if not necessarily a race report. My preparation for the race was less than ideal. I decided to forgo the beer for an entire 24 hours, instead of the increasingly more common 2-4 weeks. Waking up at 6am having slept pretty well, I felt in good shape, so there were some mixed emotions that I wasn't making a more educated stab at a sub-3 attempt, particularly as the weather in Dublin looked ideal, but I certainly didn't feel like I was chomping at the bit, like I was before Berlin, so it's probably a good thing.

My OH kindly drove myself and two friends into the Conrad Hotel and we arrived in so early that we had 30 minutes to kill, so we just lounged around in the luxury and splendour of the hotel (ahem: top tip for next year!). Among the paper-thin elite athletes in the lobby, I spied some more human-looking individuals gathering together which I assumed must be the Boards AC pacing group, so I went over and joined them, and what a nice bunch of people they turned out to be too. I had carefully prepared pace bands for 3:30/3:45 and 4:00, as I wasn't entirely sure which group I would be running with, and eventually attached the four hour band to my wrist, before we headed for the race.

We were led into the Elite paddock, where, for the first (and hopefully only!) time in my life, I felt fat and awkward, in comparison to those machine-like mile munchers. It was a great opportunity to share a space with these guys, if only for a few minutes. We got changed, and were led out in front of the start line. Wow! What an experience. To stand and face a crowd of 12,000 people staring back at you is a humbling but wonderful experience. It took all of my resolve to restrain myself from shouting out a Braveheart speech, before charging at the crowd in a frenzy.

Then I spied the balloons. Shock Horror. These things could be clearly seen from outer space. I tethered the sub-4 balloon to my wrist, before a quick negotation saw me jumping up 30 minutes to the 3:30 pacing team. A quick play around with safety pins, a new balloon, rip off the pace band (and deeply regretting leaving my 3:30 pace band and sellotape back in my gear bag, and I was all set to pace the 3:30 group, with a fine fella by the name of Village Runner).

We were lead past the mounted Gardai (did they cover the 26.2 miles too?), over the start line, and into the crowd, where we worked our way back through the throngs until I felt the spot was about right for the 3:30 group, which was confirmed by the runners in my proximity. A small bit of alarm as I realized that the two sub 3:45 pacers were actually in front of me, but this was soon rectified, as they made their way back through the crowd.

Alarm bells! One of my pacees asked me what pace I planned to run at, and I realized at that point that having planned to pace the 4 hour group, I never checked out what pace I should be running at for sub 3:30. I mumbled some answer before Village runner came to my rescue with some spare 3:30 pacing bands. Problem was, I had to hold the pacing band in my hand for 3 and a half hours, which saw the print slowly but surely dissolve, until I could barely make out the target times.

So we set off at an easy pace, and were quickly reduced to a crawl at the first bend, before picking it up a little afterwards. First couple of mile splits were 7:57/7:52/7:57, so we may have made up for the slow start in the first mile a little too quickly, before Vilage Runner and I settled into the sub 8 min/mile pace. Before entering Phoenix Park, a lad from Donegal came up and gave out to me that we were going way too fast, and told me he felt our pace was closer to 3:20. Later on, he approached me again, and said that our pace weas actually bang on. So after the intial disagreement, we chatted for a few miles and got on great. Which brings me to the people you meet as you pace your way around a marathon. Fantastic. They make the job so much easier. From Mike the Ozzie, to Oisin, to 'London' from London, and Poole, from Poole, they make the job so much easier, and the odd bit of positive reinforcement from your pace followers works magic.

I could lie, and say that it was difficult. That the wind and sunshine really hurt, and that carrying the balloon made life incredibly difficult, but it would all be untrue. The pace was comfortable, the conditions were perfect, and the crowd was brilliant. Every once in a while, if I thought the crowds were getting too quiet, I'd let out a roar, and they were very quick to respond. As we started to climb the hill towards UCD, everyone in the group quietened down, as they all worked through their own personal demons, and I left them to their peace for a while (in case I got a punch in the nose). As we hit UCD we hit the unfortunate side of positive-splitting - All the runners who went out with the plan of putting in a good first half, and hanging on for dear life for the second half, were now beginning to suffer the ill-rewards of their strategy, and our pace group started to push through them (at our consistent pace). We were moving forwards, they were edging backwards. The benefits of a negative split (or even pacing) are never as apparent as when you are pacing a group (having seen the exact same phenomenon in Connemara earlier this year). We were able to pick up some stragglers, with 2 or 3 miles to go, and keep them in the group, but with 4 miles to go, the ask was just too great.

The last couple of miles were very hard for the pacing group (as they should be) so we worked even harder to keep them motivated and pounding towards the finish. We tried to pick up the runners who were slowing over the last two miles, cajoling them into joining the group and pushing on to the finish line. As we rounded the corner at Trinity, we picked up the pace slightly, before slowing down for the last 200 metres, so we could hurl abuse at the runners (drill-seargent style), before crossing the line with 8 seconds to go. The number of people who came up to me afterwards, and shook my hand, patted me on the back (even the occasional hug) made the whole experience worthwhile. The feeling that you might have made the slightest difference, and helped just a little was worth each one of the four blisters on my feet, the two on my hand (from holding the balloon cord away from my ears) and the slight ache in the muscles today. I really had a blast, and would love to do it again (and again, and again). Ok, I'm an attention whore. I admit it.

Summary: Marathon #5: Paced the 3:30 group to: 3:29:52
Average pace: 7:55/mile.
Average HR: 148
First Half (based on chip-time): 1:45:17
Second half (chip-time): 1:44:35
Negative split: 42 seconds.
Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17172626

Thanks to Village Runner for being a great companion on our wonderful journey.

Rusty Cogs 08

Excellent stuff, you never know, you might have that sub 3 balloon hanging out of you one day

Krusty_Clown

Rusty Cogs 08 wrote: »

Excellent stuff, you never know, you might have that sub 3 balloon hanging out of you one day

Only if I nick it before the race starts.

Peckham

Great report KC. Having read what the various pacers had to say about yesterday, I'm determind to do it myself one day....if the organisers will have me, of course! Sounds very rewarding.

rigal

Well done and great report.

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

Sounds very rewarding.

It is.. Absolutely.. Very rewarding. But at the same time, you were constantly reminded of the weight of responsibility firmly tied to your shoulders (literally and figuratively). You have to be a bit of an extrovert (which I normally wouldn't be), and pretty self-assured (or you'll be doubting your strategy, the first time someone confronts you). But rewarding, absolutely..

kennyb3

fair fcuks to you dude, you did boards and yourself proud

Slogger Jogger

Kudos KC. A great and disciplined run by yourself and the Village Runner dude.