Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Oisin11178

Bad luck bud. i was inches away from going the wrong way at that turn myself and many others. not enough marshalls to be honest. And yes i did beat you:D

Slogger Jogger

I didn't understand your FB post. Now I do . Fair play to you for persevering when many others would have given up the ghost. Pretty appalling that a runner can inadvertently run the wrong way. Another 9 miles and you could have won the inaugural bogtrotters ultra.

BeepBeep67

Bad luck at least you weren't pacing this time!

Krusty_Clown

The leading pack all went wrong too. Sadly all the guys behind me didn't! To be fair, I think Oisin owes me four miles, and he has to do them in less than 15 minutes.

Giving up isn't really an option, when you're in the ar$ehole of nowhere!

Sosa

That sounds like an absolute nightmare to me,heads would have to roll if i was up there,jesu$ im raging here just reading that....but a handy 30.5m training run none the less.
Well done,your in great shape for Berlin...sub 2:48 all the way.

Oisin11178

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

The leading pack all went wrong too. Sadly all the guys behind me didn't! To be fair, I think Oisin owes me four miles, and he has to do them in less than 15 minutes.

Giving up isn't really an option, when you're in the ar$ehole of nowhere!

no problem what model and make of car can i do them in:D

aero2k

Krusty you mad barsteward! You're trying to outdo RQ for madness, and that can only end in tears for all involved.:D

You were probably close enough to being dug up, perfectly preserved, runners and all, in 3010 and being exhibited in a museum as an example of how well peat preserves things - or perhaps what a dangerous pastime running was.:)

Slogger Jogger

It seems a weekend can hardly pass without one race or another making a total bags of it for runners... The races that work like clockwork we've taken for granted I suppose.

seanynova

normally it would have been a very bad idea to run that, but in your case since you have endurance to burn, it was prob a good training LSR.

well done

theboyblunder

awful! not to have turns clearly marked/marshalled for tired glycogen depleted runners is insane.

On the plus side - didnt all those tough marathoners like tracey, lopez, salazar etc do a 30 miler as part of their program?

If you get 2.48 in Berlin now it'll start a trend and we'll all be at it next year .

Speedy44

Not sure whether to congratulate or commiserate with you on this one Krusty!

Bloody hell though, I'm with Sosa on this, I would have made sure that somebody paid for such a kockup. Imagine some poor folks out there who didn't have the endurance of a horse like youself, who may have gone off a bit too hard in the first half, and then hit the wall at 20.
I think there are a lot of people on there trying to capitalize on the running boom by trying to make a some 'easy' money and thrown a race together while having no idea what goes into it.

But anyway, back to you............ you are a madman! Should definitely have a 2:48 in you now, will be interested to see how you recover this week.

RacoonQueen

Speedy44 wrote: »

]
Bloody hell though, I'm with Sosa on this, I would have made sure that somebody paid for such a kockup.

Apparently the race director did a disappearing act. She was nowhere to be seen at the finish line, which, in itself is very poor form in itself. When do you not get a race director at the finish line to congratulate you?

I couldn't believe it when I saw you coming in at 3:45 KC, I was thinking 'he wouldn't do a training run THAT slow'. You didn't look like a happy bunny anyway. :pac:

Seres

hard luck there KC , 4 mile extra on top of a marathon :eek: annoyin especially cause of your position !

tisnotover

Sounds like an absolute nightmare Krusty, just goes to show what stamina (both physical and mental) you have, to run the 30.x miles, don't think less experienced runners could have handled it as well as u did!

Thats the 2nd time now, I've heard of f-ups on marathon courses, in Limerick we heard of some leading runners being directed the wrong way. It should not happen, and is damaging for the event long-term.

shels4ever

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I struggled to think of a a tag-line for this post, but the above sums it up as best I can manage. Despite plenty of sage advice, my will was crumbling by the middle of the week. When jackyback posted on the Bogtrotter's thread offering a race number, the dirty deed was done. I got in touch with the organizers, asked if I could switch his number over, made a charity contribution to Bothair, and decided that if the achilles felt alright on Saturday morning, I'd enter the race as a training run. Sure the schedule called for a 20 and a 6 this weekend. What could possibly go wrong?!

Saturday morning, everything felt fine, so headed off to Strokestown with the OH, who was going to sign up for the half marathon. €50 is a bit steep, but like me, she had a similar type of running schedule this weekend, so it fit well. Lovely location for the start of the race, and it was very well organized. I could see that some of the big guns had turned up for a shot at the prize-money, so at least I knew a podium finish was out of the question, and I could take it nice and handy and minimize the damage.

Really enjoyed the first half of the race which I ran at a very comfortable pace, hitting the half-way mark in around 1:35. There was a bog section, but it was pretty firm under foot so not too bad. Long stretch on a national road, and the marshalls at the next two junctions informed me that I was in 5th or 6th place. Nice, I thought to myself. I'll continue at an nice easy LSR pace, finish in about 3:08, and get my highest finish place ever (even if it was a small field). As I ran on alone, except for a cyclist who I kept meeting repeatedly, it started to dawn on me that I hadn't seen a mile marker or a marshall in a while. I passed some of the walkers, and they assured me that I was heading in the right direction, but I was the first runner they had seen, and I was now in the lead. Uh-oh. Something's gone badly awry here.

I flagged down a passing car, and asked them had they seen any runners. Nope! Sh1t. Middle of no-where, 19 miles done, not a clue where I am, finish line getting further away. I ran on for a mile, before doubting myself and turning back. I found some discarded bottles at a cross-roads and figures some form of competitors had been through this direction, so I followed the trail of bottles until I met some of the walker-marshalls who directed me a couple of miles back onto the course.

Eventually I saw runners again, at which point I had a quick chat with a marshall who told me she has seen me missing the all-important right turn. Damn blast woman, this isn't an orienteering course. Why didn't you let me know?!

I hit the next mile marker. My watch said 22 miles, the signpost read 18 miles. Groan. Utter dejection. I decided to make the most of it and just keep going at a nice comfortable pace. Ran a stretch with Aimman, before pushing on. Chatted with most of the other runners as I passed, trying to make the most out of a bad day. The second bog section was a dreadful surface, and I really felt for the front runners who must have been wondering what the hell they got themselves into. Saw the watch tick off 26.2 miles, in a time of around 3:10, which gave me some comfort, as it's nice to be able to hit that kind of time at a very relaxed pace. A few more hills and a few more runners, and I was on the home stretch. Muscles were a little tired at this stage, but still the effort levels were very comfortable.

The finish line announcer must have seen the look on my face, as he didn't come across to me for a 'chat'. Still, it was nice to hook up with the other boards guys afterwards, and have a bit of a laugh over it. I finished the 30.54 miles (behind Oisin!) in a time of 3:45:01. Bogtrotters, it was kind of fun, but I won't be back! I'm trying to find a positive note, from this whole experience, but I'm struggling. Two things come to mind: I've unintentionally hit my highest ever mileage, at 61 miles for the week, and my ultra-training seems to be going well.

Summary: 30.54 miles, @7:22 pace, HR=146

I don't know if I should say hard luck or well done. Must havebeena hard thing to take knowing thatyou had an extra 4 miles to do, even if you were not racing full out. Not a nice things to happen in a marathon ...

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: Easy swim to aid the recovery. Mostly just faffing around, but a few lengths too, and got some tips from a proper swimmer.

Today: 20 miles on the bike at a nice comfortable pace. Cycling is so much easier when you avoid the hills, but still, a large number of traffic lights and cross-roads really slows the pace. Recovery's going well though, so will try an easy run tomorrow.

Summary: 20 miles in 1:15, @25.5km/hour, HR=115

village runner

ha ha ha

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I finished the 30.54 miles (behind Oisin!) in a time of 3:45:01. Bogtrotters, it was kind of fun, but I won't be back! I'm trying to find a positive note, from this whole experience, but I'm struggling. Two things come to mind: I've unintentionally hit my highest ever mileage, at 61 miles for the week, and my ultra-training seems to be going well.

Summary: 30.54 miles, @7:22 pace, HR=146

Truly don't know what to say. You've just hit one of my re occurring nightmares that wakes me up in a cold sweat - along with the naked in a crowded room, chip fails on a PB, theme. Very reluctant to criticize race organizers ... but here I think this might be an exception.

But the positive is that that is a savage, savage run - you pulled it out when the easier thing would have been to pack it in. You sub three guys are a breed apart - for the hackers like myself the notion of an easy 3:10 is unimaginable.

30 mile PB by any chance ?

Mrs P ran a HM two years ago (which is flat and fast so a lot of guys use a NYM qualifier). The face starts with an out and back loop. On the outbound leg a lead motor cycle got called away to deal with a traffic issue. He swing around onto the back loop. The entire race followed. So the race ended about a mile short - a lot of guys realised something was not quite right but in the race you figure you might have missed a small course change.

Krusty_Clown

pgmcpq wrote: »

On the outbound leg a lead motor cycle got called away to deal with a traffic issue. He swing around onto the back loop. The entire race followed.

Lol. That's brilliant!
Yep, a 5 minute 30 mile PB.

Us sub-3 guys are yesterday's 3:30 guys, and the 4:00 guys from the day before yesterday.

Abhainn

I don't know what to say really. :rolleyes::)
Nice pace for 30+ miles though

Woundedknee.

Yeah thats a good run and nice to know you can do it. Wouldn't mind one of those myself.

Krusty_Clown

Woundedknee. wrote: »

Yeah thats a good run and nice to know you can do it. Wouldn't mind one of those myself.

Sure that's just the first 20% of your normal run. You wouldn't even have warmed up after the first 30 miles. I see you guys are organizing raiding parties into Dublin these days over the mountains. How did the run go? By the looks of the photos you were on top of Three Rock, so slightly off the Plod route.

Tonight: 8 mile recovery run with strides
A bit stiff, but loosened up as time went on and eventually surprised myself by getting the strides in too (that I had earlier decided to skip). Going to be very watchful this week, but so far so good.

Summary: 8 miles in 58 mins, @7:21/mile, HR=Around 140 (maybe).

tunguska

I see youve put yourself down for a sub 60. Good man Krusty thats the spirit. Have you ever gone sub 60 before? Yourself and aero should literally be running side by side. Listen I have no doubt you'll both nail it.

Krusty_Clown

tunguska wrote: »

I see youve put yourself down for a sub 60. Good man Krusty thats the spirit. Have you ever gone sub 60 before? Yourself and aero should literally be running side by side. Listen I have no doubt you'll both nail it.

Cheers Tunguska. I have only ever run one 10 mile race before, and it was Frank Duffy last year (66 mins, but I've done a lot of hard work since). I'm definitely there, or thereabouts, and thankfully my LT sessions are all at 6min/mile, so I have some unintentional PMP sessions in the bag. The important goal is Berlin in September though. While I'd love a sub 60, it's just a step on the path to Berlin. I'm also going on holidays a couple of hours after the race, so I'll be in a hurry to cross the finish line.

Seres

sub 60min for 10mi , savage , cant believe we had the same time target at one stage !!
hope you dont mind me puttin the query on your log

not too up on the garmin really , alway use traning/workouts/intervals for speed sessions however with the tempo runs normally put in 1 interval for 25/30min but results dont give info for mile splits just the av HR/speed for the whole 25/30min , any idea how to do this correctly

also , you do alot of your running on grass , do you find that this had made a difference ? knees do be bothering me a bit lately , ive been told its down to my gait but cant help feelin the surface is contributing too

Krusty_Clown

Sub-60 is the goal! It may not be achievable, but I'll give it a lash! If we faced each other on a bike or in a body of water, there wouldn't be any competition. Horses for courses!

On the Garmin question:
What I generally do is create an advanced workout on the computer (using Garmin Training Centre) and transfer it to the watch, but to be honest, for a tempo session I'm happy enough to average it out without seeing individual mile splits. In fact I actually want to see my average pace for the whole tempo segment, because I want the uphill/downhill, with wind/into wind etc variables averaged out.

But if you want to have splits, a couple of options:
1) Create an interval session, e.g. 6 x 5mins, with no rest. Then you'd get 5 minutes (or any value you choose) splits (but they'd be time rather than mile -based).

2) Don't set-up any kind of session at all on the watch. Just do your warm-up, and when you get to the start of the tempo, reset your activity (to start a new activity), and make sure that average pace and time are displayed on the screen. When you finish the session, reset the watch before your warm-down. This way you'll have three separate activities, but you'll also have specific lap information.

On the question of surfaces/terrains:
It's really just my own opinion, but I would do all non-pace specific running on grass, or trails if I could and reserve the road for speed sessions and long runs. If you could do all your runs on softer surfaces all the better, but that wouldn't prepare you properly for a longer road race, so some road work is both necessary and practical, to prepare your limbs and muscles for the rigors of a road race. I find anything longer than 6-8 miles is just too boring to do in the local park, so i'll usually go for some kind of a wander, that typically involves mostly roads. If I lived closer to the Phoenix Park, I could see myself doing most of my running on grass, but my local convenient park has only a 2.5 mile loop (and I'm very lucky to have it!).

As I found out at the weekend, there are different grades of tarmac road. The worn tarmac roads around Strokestown are bloody hard, compared to some of the carpet-soft tarmac I have around my area!

Krusty_Clown

Today: Nice chilled run with a suntanned and lithe looking D'pop, over one of my local medium long routes. Nice and comfortable, but for a few small twinges from my achilles on the downhills. I'm beginning to associate these twinges with the recent pair of shoes I've adopted, but I know that's silly, cos the pains pre-date the shoes, but I think as a runner, you're never 100% comfortable with a new pair of shoes until they've seen you through at least 500 miles, at which point you start counting down the mileage until they're done.

Good to have some company on a mid-week run for a change, which over the course of the marathon plan can be a bit of a slog, though I did worry a little when he launched himself off the side of 'my hill' with reckless abandon.

Summary: 11.1 miles in 1:31, @8:11/mile, HR=126

Slogger Jogger

Nice work. The imra Weds races are coming to an end soon so if you want mid week company I might be able to join ye.

mithril

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Sub-60 is the goal! It may not be achievable, but I'll give it a lash!

Is going under the hour an important milestone for you or are you treating it just as a training exercise for Berlin?

Krusty_Clown

Important is such a relative word.
Is the race aligned with my Berlin goals? The answer is yes.
Is the target an emotive goal for me, that I attach huge importance to? No (or at least not at this point in time).

The Macmillan equivalent 10 mile time for my marathon goal is ironically 59:59. My training schedule calls for a 10k-15k race on that specific day, and I'm heading off on holidays for a week shortly afterwards (four hours later), so recovery isn't going to be a problem.

I'll give it a pop, without doing any specific training for it (focusing on my on-going marathon training). In my recent PMP session, I ran 10 miles in 63 mins, as part of an 18 mile run. My LT training has been at 6 min/mile, for up to 5 miles. So I'll give it a lash, and won't cry if I don't make it.