Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Krusty_Clown

This evening: 5 Mile do-over
This afternoon's run, the way it should have been run. Enjoyable easy 5 mile run, finishing up in the darkness of the park, with an amazing sky-scape of stars to admire on a really clear night. Happier now.

Summary: 5 miles in 39 mins, @7:40/mile, HR=126

osnola ibax

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

This evening: 5 Mile do-over
This afternoon's run, the way it should have been run. Enjoyable easy 5 mile run, finishing up in the darkness of the park, with an amazing sky-scape of stars to admire on a really clear night. Happier now.

Summary: 5 miles in 39 mins, @7:40/mile, HR=126

was thinking orions belt was particularly clear tonight, was too pre occupied with blowing out the lungs to really appreciate it though

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: Rest day (no XBox).

Today: 5.5 mile lunch time run in Corkagh Park at lunch time
Beautiful day for a run, but felt strangely lethargic and devoid of energy. Achilles were tight too. Maybe rest days just don't suit me! Hopefully feel better tomorrow for the race.
Summary: 5.5 miles in 42 mins, @7:38/mile, HR=134

Krusty_Clown

Distance: 31.25 miles
Time: 4:44:41
Climb: 1,663m

Training: I figured my training for this event was pretty solid. 50+ miles per week for the last 10 consecutive weeks, a 26 mile run of the Dublin Mountain Way, a 20 mile run along the Wicklow Way, a 26 mile mile road run, a 30 mile road run, a 31 mile forest ultra, lots and lots of trail runs. How wrong I was.

Registered at 9am, and had a nice chat with the Boards folks and some other folks I have met over the last couple of years of running. Took Mithril's advice, and went with my road shoes, given the dry weather over the last few weeks, and it was a very good call. The previously muddy slippy areas of the route were just soft underfoot, so no need for the trail shoes. There was a big crowd assembled in the car-park, so I figured the numbers were well up on previous years. Lots of fit looking people and lots of camelbacks, so I figured my daughter's mini rucksack wasn't quite the professional look among these long distance runners. :cool: As we set off, the pace was just over 7 minute mile, and a lead pack was forming, but it was too early to start thinking of such things so I enjoyed an easy mile or two before the climb up to Prince William's Seat. Over the course of the climb, I caught up with the tail end of the leading pack, so ran and chatted with a couple of runners on the way down to the next climb. Looking at my watch, I realized we were running approximately 7:20/mile, which was way too fast for a challenging course like this, so I reluctantly let the other runners off, hoping I'd see them later in the race.

The climb from Crone Wood went well, after I picked up my first stash of Powerade and water but we were running through mist and cloud so the normally spectacular views of Powerscourt waterfall were sadly obscured. Unfortunately I had kit failure, which resulted in the contents of a bottle of water spilled into my backpack and down my back, followed by an open zip pocket dispersing my energy gels somewhere over the previous 8 miles of mountain trails. Oops.

Climbing towards Djouce my calf muscles started to bunch up. Crap. Barely a third of the way into the race. Took some walking breaks to see if I could loosen then up, but there was nothing happening. The terrain leveled out again, so I pushed on, joined by a couple of other runners. As we hit the boardwalk the temperature had dropped, so it was actually pretty cold, but the pace picked up with a couple of downhill 6:55 miles. Hit the turnabout point after grabbing another water/Powerade and the hill climb back up towards Djouce was immediately unwelcome. Met Slogger Jogger and his young lads on the boardwalk section. At this stage my quads were burning so a fast walk was the best I could muster, despite SJ's evil (but commendable) camera work. I struggled up the climb, and was delighted to hit level ground again, and one of my favourite sections along this route - the trail around the side of Djouce. Descending back down from Djouce I had to climb over a style. Immediately both of my quads cramped up. 400m further down the hill, another style to climb over, another set of cramps/seized muscles. The next 10 miles was not going to be pretty.

Made it up over the trail over Powerscourt again, but every footfall on the downhill was like a stab in my bunched calf muscles, so now both the downhills and the uphills were unwelcome. Hit the flat fire road to Crone, and a new set of cramps. This time the muscles around my knee caps. I didn't even know I had muscles to cramp around my kneecaps?! I had to stop. I couldn't walk. Squatting for a bit I managed to loosen up the muscles again, and got back to running, but the best I could muster was 8:30 minute miles. Back around by Glencree river and the next climb was agony, soon followed by more climbing, more cramps, more agony. At least at this stage the leading trail runners were beginning to come through, so whenever I could, I'd jump into their shadows and use their momentum to motivate me forward. I was barely breaking a sweat, but my legs were hurtin' good. I ran for a bit with thepassenger, before we were both passed by an ultra runner who had definitely paced the race far better than I had.

At mile 26 I run/walked up the climb to Prince William's seat, aware that the finish line was growing ever closer, but it always seemed so damn far away. Bumped into some familiar faces, including Asimonov, which helped distract from the pain. Heading down the last descent, I mustered a couple of 7:30/miles before the small climb from the valley had me limping again. Keeping an eye to the road behind me, I hit the road that would lead me to the finish line. No one else around for miles. I spied a runner in a worse situation than me up ahead with just a couple of hundred metres to the finish line. Brandishing a camelback, I figured they must have been part of the ultra race, so I picked up the pace (sneaky like!) and crossed the finish line first, at a faster pace than I deserved for that stage of the race (6:26/mile). The runner I passed didn't appear near me on the finishing list so they must have been an early starter, but at least they forced me to finish the race well! After a few minutes I had to leg it, as I was Cork-bound to celebrate a buddies impending marriage, so no rest for the very wicked.

Did I enjoy the race? Absolutely. Any time spent in these hills is really enjoyable. However, I was frustrated by how I performed. I don't think I did the race justice. I think I could have run a more more evenly paced race like the runner who passed me on the climb to Prince William's seat. I could have done more hill training, with steeper and longer climbs. The leg cramps were hugely frustrating, causing me to stop a number of times, despite the fact that the mind and body were good to push on. I finished in 7th place out of around 65 starters (I think) in a time of 4:44:41 (I should have waited the extra three seconds for a more memorable finish time!). So I'm a little disappointed. My finish position feels a little flattering, but I'll take it happily. It certainly didn't come as easy as it could have.

Summary: 31.23 hilly miles in 4:44:41 @9:07/mile, HR=147

Abhainn

Those climbs and and that 5,500ft elevation gain is scary stuff, more like torture!
You say you didn't give the race justice, seems like your already planning a return visit in 2012;)

Well done KC

Krusty_Clown

Abhainn wrote: »

Those climbs and and that 5,500ft elevation gain is scary stuff, more like torture!
You say you didn't give the race justice, seems like your already planning a return visit in 2012;)
Well done KC

Cheers Joe. Actually, what it really made me think of was running a good WW trail race in 2012. It was great seeing the leading pack of runners battling it out for the top spots. The ultra was a super race and very enjoyable despite my own muscular shortcomings (still gotta work on my nutrition plan for long races), but the trail race is where my heart lies. It's a super race and one you should think about adding to your calendar if it ever suits as you'd be very competitive with the top runners.

liamo123

Good report Krusty... 7th place on a tough course like that is something to b proud off.....Just wondering have u ever had leg/muscle cramps to that extent before and do u put them down to.....Ur training prior to this race seemed in my oponion to b spot on...

aero2k

Great report Krusty,

Don't be too hard on yourself, it sounds like you performed to your limits on the day, which isn't an easy thing to do.

What's next on your list?

Krusty_Clown

liamo123 wrote: »

Good report Krusty... 7th place on a tough course like that is something to b proud off.....Just wondering have u ever had leg/muscle cramps to that extent before and do u put them down to.....Ur training prior to this race seemed in my oponion to b spot on...

Nope. My calf muscles did lock up in a similar fashion in my 2:55 in Barcelona, but no, I'm not generally prone to cramping at all.

I think more ideal training for this race would involve increasing weekly mileage to 70-80 miles per week, and a focus on long runs with 500m climbs, instead of the 200m climbs I would typically hit.

Krusty_Clown

aero2k wrote: »

Great report Krusty,

Don't be too hard on yourself, it sounds like you performed to your limits on the day, which isn't an easy thing to do.

What's next on your list?

Hi aero2k, next on the list is the Two Oceans ultra (56k) in Cape Town in just under four weeks time, at which point I think I will have sown my wild ultra oats for this year, and can go back to shorter faster races. In terms of difficulty it should be a damn site easier than Saturday's race, as it's road based, and has only two climbs of 200m height gain.

How's the Edinburgh training going? Sub 2:45 on the cards?

aero2k

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Hi aero2k, next on the list is the Two Oceans ultra (56k) in Cape Town in just under four weeks time, at which point I think I will have sown my wild ultra oats for this year, and can go back to shorter faster races. In terms of difficulty it should be a damn site easier than Saturday's race, as it's road based, and has only two climbs of 200m height gain.

How's the Edinburgh training going? Sub 2:45 on the cards?

I love how the bits in bold give away your idea of shorter, faster races!

Best of luck in SA - I've heard it's a beautiful country. Two relatively small climbs will be no trouble for you.

Edinburgh? Well, as always at this stage, I'd love to have a few extra weeks to prepare. In theory I should be well capable of 2:45. McMillan puts that as equivalent to a 59 min 10, and while I was well off that last week I think I'd have run a lot faster in a group. The most worrying thing for me is my struggle to hit the target paces on my tempo and interval sessions - strangely though it all seems easier when I'm racing, and I'm taking heart from the fact that at least as far as 10 mile races go, each one is getting faster as well as easier. The other problem is biomechanical - my tilted/twisted pelvis has now become a limiting factor. Hopefully the osteopath will get it sorted - there's good progress so far.

I'll decide the actual race target on the day, depending on how the training has gone, what shape I'm in and the weather - the course is mainly along the coast and therefore wide open to the wind. A very windy day could add 5-10min to the time. It was good last year though, so if we get it a little cooler, it's all to play for.

Krusty_Clown

aero2k wrote: »

I love how the bits in bold give away your idea of shorter, faster races!

Moi?! It's 2:42 in Chicago all the way (or die trying!).

dermCu

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Moi?! It's 2:42 in Chicago all the way (or die trying!).

How or why did you arrive at 2:42 as a target Krusty? Theres only one specific reason I can think of for that particular number.

Krusty_Clown

dermCu wrote: »

How or why did you arrive at 2:42 as a target Krusty? Theres only one specific reason I can think of for that particular number.

Hi DermCu, it just an arbitrary number. A placeholder until I start getting results from training and adjust it upwards or downwards based on race times and progress. I find it helpful to have a long term goal (Chicago is 8 months away). I've run 2:48, so 2:45 just doesn't seem aggressive enough. I couldn't mentally justify 4 months of hard training for a 3 minute gain. I know the law of diminishing returns suggests that a 6 minute improvement at this level is a pretty significant gain, but I have to aim high, if I want to achieve high.

Slogger Jogger

Great running KC and a great read. Figuring you'd done the miles is there any particular reason you think why you might have cramped so early when you did? Thats a very respectable time considering.

The trail race is getting more popular too. The winner was a class apart. I was 6st year in that, but my time wouldn't have gotten me into the top 20 this year I reckon. Hard to compare years on a route like this though as weather and underfoot conditions play a big part and the trail race was a tad shorter this year.

Krusty_Clown

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Great running KC and a great read. Figuring you'd done the miles is there any particular reason you think why you might have cramped so early when you did? Thats a very respectable time considering.

The trail race is getting more popular too. The winner was a class apart. I was 6st year in that, but my time wouldn't have gotten me into the top 20 this year I reckon. Hard to compare years on a route like this though as weather and underfoot conditions play a big part and the trail race was a tad shorter this year.

Not sure SJ. I had lots of time to think about it on the way back to Johnny Foxes! I increased my salt intake in the days leading up to the race. Started the day with porridge and banana (potassium). Hydrated well before the race began, and took on nearly 3L of water/Powerade as well as some Isotonic gels. The weather wasn't that hot (bloody cold at times up on Djouce) so I wasn't sweating excessively. So nothing obvious, just one of those things. I don't think it would have improved my time greatly anyway. A couple of minutes off maybe, that's about it. It just would've been a more pleasant experience!

Yeah, I got to see the lead runners of the trail coming through, which was cool. The winner has a good 1 minute lead just after the hostel, so he was really moving. Impressive stuff!

pgibbo

Excellent report KC. Super running too. That sounded horrid tough. Fair play on digging in and getting the most out of it.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Great racing and report KC.

shotgunmcos

Nice report there KC and good running as usual. Shaping up now for SA. 10 straight weeks of 50mpw+ :eek:

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Did I enjoy the race? Absolutely. Any time spent in these hills is really enjoyable. However, I was frustrated by how I performed. I don't think I did the race justice. I think I could have run a more more evenly paced race like the runner who passed me on the climb to Prince William's seat. I could have done more hill training, with steeper and longer climbs. The leg cramps were hugely frustrating, causing me to stop a number of times, despite the fact that the mind and body were good to push on. I finished in 7th place out of around 65 starters (I think) in a time of 4:44:41 (I should have waited the extra three seconds for a more memorable finish time!). So I'm a little disappointed. My finish position feels a little flattering, but I'll take it happily. It certainly didn't come as easy as it could have.

Summary: 31.23 hilly miles in 4:44:41 @9:07/mile, HR=147

Great recovery - for mere mortals cramps would spell the end of the road fast approaching. You said earlier that this was a tough race - at 5000ft+ elevation you are not kidding. Looking forward to reading about the SA trip.

Krusty_Clown

pgmcpq wrote: »

Great recovery - for mere mortals cramps would spell the end of the road fast approaching. You said earlier that this was a tough race - at 5000ft+ elevation you are not kidding. Looking forward to reading about the SA trip.

Even an occasional Emerald Isle tripper like yourself must know that we don't have any mountains in Ireland at 5,000ft elevation! 5,457ft is the amount of uphill during the race. There is of course a nearly identical amount of downhill in the race too!

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Even an occasional Emerald Isle tripper like yourself must know that we don't have any mountains in Ireland at 5,000ft elevation! 5,457ft is the amount of uphill during the race. There is of course a nearly identical amount of downhill in the race too!

Yes, even my thick skull had that fact battered into in for the Inter Cert ! That was an "at" in the the sense of ..."at [level of effort]" and "climb" for elevation. Clearly my Inter Cert geography was better than my English. Strange, usually Mrs P is the one to dissect my sentences

Krusty_Clown

Tonight: 5 Mile recovery run
I'm feeling every single one of the years that IMRA awarded me in my new m40 category. First run back since the ultra on Saturday and it was a stiff awkward affair, with sharp pains across the muscles in the legs. I would take the entire week off, but for the ultra in a little over three weeks time. At the same time, I don't want to get injured, so it's a pretty fine line. Certainly nothing too brisk this week. Easy runs all the way. 600 miles for the year so far.

Summary: 5 miles in 43 mins, @8:37/mile, HR=125

Krusty_Clown

Today: 7 mile lunch time run
Still stiff and sore, but nice to get out for a few miles at lunch-time. Hit Corkagh Park and ran the perimeter, before having to let it back to the office.
Summary: 7 miles in 55 mins, @7:50/mile, HR=138

Tonight: After getting home from work, finished off the three missing miles. Possible hints that the body is beginning to recover?!
Summary: 3 miles in 22 mins, @7:29/mile, HR=152

Krusty_Clown

Today: 5 Brisk morning miles
The body must finally be loosening up, as the miles were going by quicker this morning. Part of that was the motivation to get done quickly, so I could head to work, but I couldn't have run at this slightly quicker pace, unless the body is on the mend. Still the effort felt a little harder than it should have. Had I realized that the watch was set to average pace rather than lap pace (initially showing 7:30/mile), I certainly wouldn't have been doing sub 7 minute miles (or maybe I am just that thick). Anyway, 5 quickish miles done, and will follow that later today with 5 recovery miles, if I can find the time.

Summary: 5 miles in 35:12, @7:02/mile, HR=148

brownian

Japers, you're cracking along. You look pretty recovered to me. Nice going.

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

Japers, you're cracking along. You look pretty recovered to me. Nice going.

Thanks. I'm still not feeling the love, but the next race is three weeks tomorrow. :eek:

Krusty_Clown

Today: 10 miles chasing streams
Wasn't really in the mood for a run, but that ceased mattering a long, long time ago. Dropped the young fella off to his fighting training, and had an hour and a half to kill, so headed off from Deansgrange for a very slow and easy 10 miles, which suited the mild hangover. Ran through the parks, sticking to grass and decided to keep following the river as long as the gated communities would allow me. Ran out of river in Ballybrack and headed back, retracing my steps, just in time to pickup the bruised and battered teenager.

Summary: 10 miles in 1:19, @7:52/mile, HR=132

Krusty_Clown

Today: 16.7 miles + 3.3 miles
Planned to head out and do an easy 20 miles, but family matters meant I didn't get out until 3pm and with other plans for 6pm, I had to cut my run short. I also had skipped lunch, planning to run earlier and hadn't eaten since brekkie, which was a bit of a school-boy error. By the time I reached Bray (2.5 miles away) I was starving and feeling wrecked (I blame the smell of popcorn, deep fried chicken, and candy-floss!). I popped an emergency gel, grapped a bottle of water and a breather and pushed on towards Bray Head. The hill climb was a very slow affair, but when I got to the top, and the trails proper, I took off at a more typical pace towards Greystones. The views are extraordinary, particularly on a sunny day like today.

I hit the road and continued on to the new Marina development in Greystones which resembles some kind of nod towards ancient greek-style architecture, with amphitheatre type steps, and greek columns. It'll either be wonderful, or a wonderful disaster when it's completed. Headed back along the cliff walk, thoroughly enjoying the run and the views from a different perspective. A cracking route, that I'll have to do more often. A bit disappointed not to hit the 20 miles, and finish just shy of the 50 miles per week that I've kept up for some months, so after a family trip to the cinema, I headed out and finished the missing 3.3 miles at a nice easy pace. Slave to the numbers? No doubt.

Summary: 16.7 miles in 2:09, @7:45/mile, HR=134, +3.3 miles, @8min/mile.

Krusty_Clown

Forced myself to take a rest day yesterday. Not sure it was such a good idea, as sometimes it feels like running keeps the niggles at bay.

Today: 7 mile lunch time run along the canal, past Adamstown. Not the nicest of runs, as a swirling wind kept made the outward journey tough and then the canal path from Adamstown onwards (Lock gate 12?) is crap. A wet muddy stony mess, where I'd be better off with trail shoes, and slipping into the canal is a genuine risk. So not the best run, but the route should improve if the weather stays dry for a few more days, and I wouldn't mind heading further up along the canal. It would make a nice 10 mile run.

Summary: 7.1 miles in 52 mins, @7:24/mile, HR=139