Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Sosa

Best of luck at the sub 60 attempt the w/e Krusty....

Slogger Jogger

+1 to that. Good luck man.

Krusty_Clown

Thanks guys. Not feeling particularly confident about this anymore. For most races (my last 10k, last couple of marathons) I've been pretty confident (probably because they have been the goal of my training), but this one... Not so sure..

Tonight: 6 mile recovery run
This one was awful. I was running at 8:30/mile and it felt really tough, so I'm just a little worried that I have over-cooked it this week (and I would deserve it too, for not listening to advice from far better runners than me). My HR of 122 suggests quite the opposite, so I'm not sure what it is. The niggles are ok, and obviously the cardio system is in good shape, just a general weariness. So I'll take it handy tomorrow (4 miles with strides), then see how I feel at the start line on Saturday. Thankfully next week is a holiday break, during which I'm bringing my running shoes and hope to get out a few times (I love running in foreign places!), but no hard effort marathon training for a week and I plan to enjoy some nice frosty beers (the thoughts of which might keep me going during the race!).

Listening to MarathonTalk has really made these recovery runs so much more pleasant. Can't believe it took me so long to hook in to the shows.

Summary: 6 Miles in 51 mins, @8:30/mile, HR=122

Sosa

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks guys. Not feeling particularly confident about this anymore. For most races (my last 10k, last couple of marathons) I've been pretty confident (probably because they have been the goal of my training), but this one... Not so sure..

10*sub 6 min miles is no joke...much tougher than a sub 3 marathon,
I missed out by 36 secs in Jan and have not raced one since unfortunately,thing was that day i was going for sub 62 and passed through 5m in 30:24 (lost 18 secs in first 2m being cautious)...only lost 12 more secs on the last 5m...if only i was more confident starting out.

mithril

Sosa wrote: »

10*sub 6 min miles is no joke...much tougher than a sub 3 marathon,
I missed out by 36 secs in Jan and have not raced one since unfortunately,thing was that day i was going for sub 62 and passed through 5m in 30:24 (lost 18 secs in first 2m being cautious)...only lost 12 more secs on the last 5m...if only i was more confident starting out.

And I don't think you need to do it to achieve your marathon goal. You won't achieve the same level of performance in this as you will with a targeted race with a full taper i.e. your marathon run. Also from what I can see you are relatively stronger in the longer races so if you are setting your 10 mile target off- McMillan, it is likely to be over aggressive.
On the other hand, if you do break the hour ...

aero2k

I've finally managed to make time to have a think about what we're attempting. Sosa and others are right, it is a big challenge. We'd have needed a top 50 finish last year, though there might be more going sub 60 this year with only one round of the hills.
Based on your training you should be well up for it. You're doing more, and faster tempo miles than me. You may be thinking, as I was a while back, that the time of huge leaps in performance was over, and it's all incremental stuff from now on, but here's what I discovered from looking back at my notes.

'08 race series 5m 32:11 10 mile 66:28 1/2m 1:28:48
'09 race series 5m 31:18 10 mile 64:51 1/2m 1:25:00 (easier course than '08)
'10 race series 5m 29:22 (as calculated based on 5m course)
Based on the Liberties race 5 days after the 5m, I should have been around 28:30 for the 5. That would be almost 3 min improvement in a year, so looking for 5min off the 10 mile time on an easier course is reasonable.

We'll be around the S-bends this time tomorrow!

Krusty_Clown

I have to say, I'm getting excited about the prospect of giving it a lash, now. Particularly when words like 'hard' and 'challenge' get bandied about. A year ago I wouldn't have dreamed of running a single 6 minute mile, yet over the course of training for this marathon, I've been running faster than that for LT sessions every second week. But you know what? I like the feeling of running six minute miles. It feels good. It feels right. Before I hang up my marathon boots, I'd like to run an entire race at this pace.

But Mithril speaks great wisdom. Tomorrow, it's just a 'nice to have'. It's not a 'must have'. So maybe not tomorrow, but some day....

Sosa

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Tomorrow, it's just a 'nice to have'. It's not a 'must have'. So maybe not tomorrow, but some day....

+1...most people just barely miss out on a target time before they finally reach it.
I ran 30:09 before i broke 30 for 5...i ran 29:33
I ran 24:03 before i broke 24 for 4...i ran 23:15
I ran 60:36 for 10...next time i hope to break it
I blew up in Dublin atempting sub 3 in my first marathon,8 months later i achieved that with relative ease.

Now you could do a TNO ( tisnotover ) and just go do it the first time round and avoid all that hassle...

Best of Luck

Krusty_Clown

Thanks Sosa. If I just miss it, I'll still be happy. Having said that, if I have a go, and manage 8-9 miles at pace and then blow up, I'll still be happy as I'll have given it my best shot. Like you: Sub 3 in Berlin: 3:00:50, then 2:55:15.

The 7 miles @6min/mile last Friday gives me a little confidence, as it was two days after a tough (for me!) mountain race. So I reckon I should be good to 8 miles anyway. A couple of hours later I'll be sitting under an umbrella, sipping on cocktails, too drunk to care how badly I blew up.

T runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks Sosa. If I just miss it, I'll still be happy. Having said that, if I have a go, and manage 8-9 miles at pace and then blow up, I'll still be happy as I'll have given it my best shot. Like you: Sub 3 in Berlin: 3:00:50, then 2:55:15.

The 7 miles @6min/mile last Friday gives me a little confidence, as it was two days after a tough (for me!) mountain race. So I reckon I should be good to 8 miles anyway. A couple of hours later I'll be sitting under an umbrella, sipping on cocktails, too drunk to care how badly I blew up.

If you can do 7 in training at 6 mins when tired and feeling off then you have a great chance. If things dont work out and you know for sure you wont make it with a mile to go, then I would just run evenly till the end. Dont bother with the very hard finish unless the time is on.

shels4ever

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks Sosa. If I just miss it, I'll still be happy. Having said that, if I have a go, and manage 8-9 miles at pace and then blow up, I'll still be happy as I'll have given it my best shot. Like you: Sub 3 in Berlin: 3:00:50, then 2:55:15.

The 7 miles @6min/mile last Friday gives me a little confidence, as it was two days after a tough (for me!) mountain race. So I reckon I should be good to 8 miles anyway. A couple of hours later I'll be sitting under an umbrella, sipping on cocktails, too drunk to care how badly I blew up.

I think your in shape to really push this target, the course isnt bad at all, fast first 6 miles then only a few little hills then a fast 2 miles. Get on target early then start picking people off then hammer the last 2 flat miles ... it almost sounds too easy

Gringo78

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

The 7 miles @6min/mile last Friday gives me a little confidence, as it was two days after a tough (for me!) mountain race.

Your training/racing is more suited to this distance than any other...you've got the tough tempos done. 7 miles @ 6:00 pace in training is tough and much more easily replicated in a race. The best tempo I did before running 60:11 was 6 @ 6:05. Throw in the hill running and you've got it sorted...real stamina. Don't get me wrong, its a real tough challenge to run 10 @ LT pace and it'll feel like torture from 1 mile in....but a similar torture to that which you've experienced in your tempos....thats where you have a big advantage....you've conquered that torture in training for 42min straight. A lot of people toeing the line will have broken their tempo's into 2x2 or 2x3, maybe they did them at HM pace rather than 10 mile pace....they're questioning themselves after 3 miles. The best I felt in a 10 mile race was 8 miles in when I felt awful but realised I had felt worse in a tempo training session with 2 miles to go and I had completed it....belief conquers all.

Best of luck, I've no doubt you'll do it. i think you may find 10 miles is your distance also...those 10k time trials you do in your marathon training are a true sign that Stamina, not speed or endurance is your genetic gift.

Speedy44

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks Sosa. If I just miss it, I'll still be happy. Having said that, if I have a go, and manage 8-9 miles at pace and then blow up, I'll still be happy as I'll have given it my best shot. Like you: Sub 3 in Berlin: 3:00:50, then 2:55:15.

The 7 miles @6min/mile last Friday gives me a little confidence, as it was two days after a tough (for me!) mountain race. So I reckon I should be good to 8 miles anyway. A couple of hours later I'll be sitting under an umbrella, sipping on cocktails, too drunk to care how badly I blew up.

OK, enough of all this confidence boosting cr*p, the time for talking is over, now is the time to just do it, or die (well, not quiet) trying
Best of luck Krusty

village runner

best of luck tomorrow. Berlin is the aim. If you break it great if you run 2.48 in berlin estatic...............

misty floyd

You're going sub 60 tomorrow. Have no doubts. Just do it.

Krusty_Clown

misty floyd wrote: »

You're going sub 60 tomorrow. Have no doubts. Just do it.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but a certainly it most certainly ain't!

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

best of luck tomorrow. Berlin is the aim. If you break it great if you run 2.48 in berlin estatic...............

Always knows the right thing to say! cheers!

village runner

2 seconds outside the hour. Cruel. Finished with catriona mckiernan and a faster chip time so happy days. Either way a great performance and I bet at 7 miles you were sorry you ran that long one monday. But on sept 26th you will be glad you ran that one. Great performance well done. I see it was a tad long.

Krusty_Clown

Well, the fear going into this race was that I wasn't capable of ducking under the hour. While I didn't hit that target, I'm very happy to say that at least now I know I'm very capable of it. I took the motorcycle into Phoenix Park, which was fab, as I parked just behind the start line, with 30 minutes to spare. A gentle trot to warm up, and a few quick chats with various people I bumped into, and I joined Robinph in the top group. A nice chat and a bit of a laugh with the various Boards runners who showed up and we got ready for the start.

I started a little further back than I should have, but generally that suits me quite well. The cost is quite a bit of dancing around the eejits in GAA jerseys, and the girls who are more interested in how they look, than how they run, for the first mile. Got into a comfortable stride, and the first mile went by in 5:59. Hmm, a bit slow. Picked it up a little for mile two as I didn't want to drop off the pace so early (5:54). Mile 3 was a bit of a struggle, as it was a gentle uphill, with a bit of a headwind, but I kept plugging on, moving from group to group, but still came in at 6:04. Mile 4 was a good mile for me, as I felt strong and was really pushing past the small groups of runners who had gone out too fast. Mile 5 was back along Chesterfield Avenue, which was absolutely roasting hot! For some reason this stretch of road, with no shelter always seems to be a couple of degrees hotter than the rest of the race, and at this stage I was beginning to hurt. Started chatting with another guy with the same time goal, and worked off each other for the next few miles. 5 Mile split: 29:46

Mile 6 was onto the path, and I made good progress with my new buddy, hitting this mile in 5:49. At around this point I bumped into aero2k, not entirely sure how I recognized him, having never set eyes on him, but it was nice to finally meet the legend, if only on the hoof. Mile 7, approaching the first real hill, things started to slow down a little, but I still felt pretty ok on the first climb (6:02). Mile 8 and 9 I was out it no man's land having left all the groups behind, and motivation was at a real low point. I was really struggling now (6:00 and 6:14 (hill climb)).

Seeing the mile 9 marker, with just a mile to go, gave me a little comfort. I was pretty sure I was a good 30 seconds off the pace at this stage, so was thinking of taking RoadRunner's advice and cruising the last mile, instead of pushing it. In the end, I just struggled on. Not knowing that I was still bang on the pace was my first mistake. My second mistake came shortly afterwards, when I mistakenly assumed that the start line was actually the finish line, and thinking the end was in sight I started to pick up the pace for the finish. Soon afterwards, I realized my mistake, and checked the watch which suggested I had another half mile to go. I was devastated. Idiot!

As I rounded the final corner, and approached to 400yards to go sign, I got an almighty stitch, which forced me to a complete stop. I stood around for around 5 or 6 seconds, while a bystander shouted at me to keep going. I realized there was little point in standing around, so started to ease back into a run. I was running alongside the third place female, not realizing it was the mighty Cathriona Makiernan (until the crowds started shoring her name). Took a look at the watch. I had 27 seconds to cross the finish line and still hit my goal. I was amazed. I had no idea. I started to pick up the pace and the stitch simply disappeared. I crossed the finish line just before Cathriona (spelling), with 60:02 showing on the watch.

Upset? No. I was very happy. I proved that I can do it. Much like my sub-3 marathon goal, this will give me the confidence to move forward and really crack the 60 minutes the next time, with a few minutes to spare. It has also given me the confidence that my marathon goal is achievable (McMillan says 2:48:08!).

Place Overall: 68
Place in category (M35): 12
Chip time: 60:02
Finish time: 60:15
Average HR=172
Garmin Link

village runner

Great report. I have no doubt you will run 2.48 as it seems the longer the run the better you get. Enjoy the hols and go easy on the beers although they are allowed tonight.

smmoore79

Great run Krusty. That was me that was talkin with ya for a bit. I think you were helping me more with the windy conditions than I was helping you :rolleyes: I think they call it drafting in triathalon circles! I tanked out at mile 7 and struggled to the end. The conditions today werent ideal for pb's with the sun and wind.. Same as yourself, i definitely know that I have a sub 60 in me... Whats next? Sub 1 20 half marathon next month?

Krusty_Clown

smmoore79 wrote: »

Great run Krusty. That was me that was talkin with ya for a bit. I think you were helping me more with the windy conditions than I was helping you :rolleyes: I think they call it drafting in triathalon circles! I tanked out at mile 7 and struggled to the end. The conditions today werent ideal for pb's with the sun and wind.. Same as yourself, i definitely know that I have a sub 60 in me... Whats next? Sub 1 20 half marathon next month?

That was you? Luminous yellow top? That's gas! Small world. Well done on a great time. I hope you'll revise your marathon time based on today's finish time. Next is Berlin. It's all about Berlin for the next 5 weeks (with a small interlude for the BHAA 10k in early September).

tisnotover

Great report and great running Krusty, ya know yourself next time round you'll fly the sub-60, but its Berlin is the goal !! Enjoy the hol :-)

Sosa

Well done Krusty,great effort.
What was i said about near misses ?
Its all good though...keep you hungry for the next one.

enjoy the hols

TheRoadRunner

Good running today. You can have no complaints with that time after not really easing back this week and the course was a tough cookie. As you say you will run sub 60 soon. You're like the great Sergey Bubka taking seconds (versus centimeters) off your PBs slowly instead of one big chunk. That's a huge PB anyway isn't it ?

smmoore79

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

That was you? Luminous yellow top? That's gas! Small world. Well done on a great time. I hope you'll revise your marathon time based on today's finish time. Next is Berlin. It's all about Berlin for the next 5 weeks (with a small interlude for the BHAA 10k in early September).

Cheers for the vote of confidence Krusty. Im gona stick to sub 3 for now, no point in over stretching to 2 55 or anything like that. Yeah, got that yellow top recently and love it! Wont get lost in it anyway Should have asked ya were ya a boardsie, just never thought of it. Good luck with training for Berlin, heard its nice and flat. Might be doin that BHAA 10km aswell (in luminous yellow)! Enjoy Spain aswell, a very deserved break..

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Good running today. You can have no complaints with that time after not really easing back this week and the course was a tough cookie. As you say you will run sub 60 soon. You're like the great Sergey Bubka taking seconds (versus centimeters) off your PBs slowly instead of one big chunk. That's a huge PB anyway isn't it ?

Yeah, that was a 6 minute pb on the same race, last year. Funnily enough I ran a faster paced marathon in March this year than my 10 mile race last year, so hopefully I can repeat the feat next March. :cool:

misty floyd

Great job Krusty, what a pity about the cramps but the key thing is you know you can do it. Congratulations.

claralara

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I bumped into aero2k, not entirely sure how I recognized him, having never set eyes on him, but it was nice to finally meet the legend, if only on the hoof.

Haha I love this, I have yet to put a face to a name. I'm becoming paranoid that I'm running beside one of you unbeknownst to me or sitting beside someone on a bus. I had a look around after the race but I wouldn't have known where to start...

Well done today, congratulations C

Macanri

+1 to all the above. A well run race - I never had any doubts that you would go sub 60. I would consider that as good as sub 60, due to stitch and stopping and easing off the pace for the last mile. Enjoy the hols and all the best for the rest of your savage traing for Berlin. Legend!