Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

misty floyd

I'd run quite a bit up that way Krusty...from the hatch pub up towards Naas. The ground is way better from there for about 5-6m and even after that its not bad. Not that you'd get a chance to get a long run in at lunch but if you did, its a nice one.

Krusty_Clown

Nice one Misty. Where's the Hatch pub? About a mile or two further up the canal?

misty floyd

About 2m yeah. Have a look at this garmin connect link. You can see where I got on the Canal, thats where the path gets a bit better. That little loop turn off the canal is a nice section. Couple of hills (baby hills for you guys) for something different.

Krusty_Clown

misty floyd wrote: »

About 2m yeah. Have a look at this garmin connect link. You can see where I got on the Canal, thats where the path gets a bit better. That little loop turn off the canal is a nice section. Couple of hills (baby hills for you guys) for something different.

Excellent. Thanks. Looks like a nice long run route, which will suit well when in summer when my mid-week long run should be around 13-17 miles. Looks like you can run on both sides of the canal too? What's the surface like?

TheRoadRunner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Excellent. Thanks. Looks like a nice long run route, which will suit well when in summer when my mid-week long run should be around 13-17 miles. Looks like you can run on both sides of the canal too? What's the surface like?

I run that route occasionally out to Salins. Last time I did it (about 2 months ago) the canal bank was in bits. It was very muddy and a tractor must have driven down the canal as it was a mess. I'm sure it has dried out by now but may be very uneven now.

misty floyd

That section of canal I ran on during the above run, The first mile is trail like, a little uneven and can be muddy when it rains heavy. After that for a couple of miles its grand (some concrete) and then its grassy/uneven. Grand for a plod. You can't run on both sides. When you get to that junction with the hatch pub, you have to change sides over the bridge.

Krusty_Clown

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

I run that route occasionally out to Salins. Last time I did it (about 2 months ago) the canal bank was in bits. It was very muddy and a tractor must have driven down the canal as it was a mess. I'm sure it has dried out by now but may be very uneven now.

It was in pretty bad shape yesterday. Pity. such a waste of a potentially great running/walking route. Still, it's passable if you don't mind getting quite mucky. Not a great option when you don't have a shower in work though.

Krusty_Clown

This morning: 5 mile easy run around Shanganagh Park, before brekkie/work. 39 mins, @7:48, HR=131

Krusty_Clown

This evening: Had planned a nice steady early evening run bathed in the soft glow of evening sunshine, but alas, work once more thwarted my plans. Instead I got home after 9pm, and instead of sitting down in front of the footie, headed out for an easy run instead of the steady run I had planned earlier in the afternoon. As it turned out, I had a spring in my step (the easy run this morning must have really helped), so despite making a poor footwear choice (Salomon Crossmax for the park) the pace picked up, and picked up, and I ended up doing a mini tempo session. The on the spot plan was 4 miles and then a warm-down mile. But after four miles and a brief break, I finished off the last mile, before taking an easy recovery mile. So 5 miles @6:12/mile, HR=161 (with a 30 second break).

Summary: 6 miles in 39 mins, @6:32/mile, HR=158.

brownian

That sort of post shouldn't be allowed:) Five handy six-minute miles and a bit of a chillax vibe, in the dark no less, while the rest of us fidget about pace bands and running seven or seven-and-a-half minute miles.

You're going great guns.

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

That sort of post shouldn't be allowed:) Five handy six-minute miles and a bit of a chillax vibe, in the dark no less, while the rest of us fidget about pace bands and running seven or seven-and-a-half minute miles.

You're going great guns.

Thanks, but it would have come a lot easier 6 months ago. It was tough, but felt good to be running fast again and I'm now looking forward to getting this last ultra out of the way, so I can go back to some decent running and speed-work. It has taken a while for the hunger to come back, but back it came!

Paying for it a little today. Went for a lunch-time run around Corcagh Park, and by mile 4, one of my quads stiffened up and is quite sore, so I finished the 5 miles and walk/limped back to the office. Not a good result. Hoping it's just overuse tiredness.

Summary: 5 miles in 39 mins, @7:58/mile, HR=132 (or something like that).

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: Took the day off, to try and nurse my pulled quad back to health. Still feeling a dull pain (feels like internal bruising, so hoping it'll fix itself (attempts at booking physio have failed so far).

Today: 12 mile cycle
Only had 45 minutes to spare before I had to do the soccer-mom taxi service, so went for a hilly cycle in the hope of stretching and improving the pain in my quad. Seemed to work and was feeling good afterwards. Average HR for the first 5 miles was 250 bpm (Stoopid Garmin!).
Summary: 12.3 mile cycle in 47 mins, @15.7 mph, HR=???

This afternoon: As Father Ted would say: Feckin Feck
Went our for a 5 mile recovery run, on the grass in the local park. A little bit tentative, I was worried that I might make the slight pull in my right quad worse. As the miles ticked off, I was a happy bunny. No twinges from the quad muscle, so I set my mind to running a 10-14 mile forest run tomorrow. Didn't notice a bit of a dip in the ground, but my left foot soon did, followed by a sharp pain (where I had a niggle last week). So one minor injury replaces another, and once again, it's ice, elevation, rest. No running tomorrow, unless there's a miracle recovery. Boo...

Summary: 5 very recovery miles in 42 mins, @8:17/mile, HR=125

cphowlin

Hey Krusty,

I see your doing the Two Oceans Marathon in a few weeks. Am actually signed up to it myself too. Its going to be my first ultra so both excited and nervous!

Your training seems to have gone well, hope the injury heals up quickly for you.

CPH

Krusty_Clown

cphowlin wrote: »

Hey Krusty,

I see your doing the Two Oceans Marathon in a few weeks. Am actually signed up to it myself too. Its going to be my first ultra so both excited and nervous!

Your training seems to have gone well, hope the injury heals up quickly for you.

CPH

Hi cphowlin, great to hear there's someone else doing the event too. Are you going over for a few weeks or just for the event itself?

At this stage I reckon I'm only 70% sure of making the start line. My quad muscle has a slight tear I reckon, made worse by an attempted medium-long run yesterday, that ended with a long walk/limp back to the car. Will take this week off (cycling instead of running) and have an appointment with my physio next Monday. A case of an ultra too far this year, I reckon.

Have you got a target in mind, or are you aiming to complete? What's the marathon pb like?

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: and following on from my earlier post, a bit of a disastrous run. The plan had been to head to a forest and run an easy 10-13 miles on soft trails, but my daughter had a gymnastics competition in Greystones which went on a little longer than planned and it was getting lateso I foolishly decided to run from the sport's centre in Greystones. A couple of miles around Charlesland before heading out towards kilcoole and down the the sea, on Seaview road. By the time I got to the sea (5 miles from my car) the quad started really hurting, but with no phone or money, it was a case of hobbling /walking the 5 miles back to the car. Ugh.. Bad result.

On a positive note, my other leg is fine!

Physio booked for next week, so it's all cycling this week. Sadly I also signed up for another race in South Africa (in Knyzna) for the following week, but this was before I went for my run and did the damage.

Summary: 11 miles in 1:30 @8:10/mile (with lots of limping), HR=126

cphowlin

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Hi cphowlin, great to hear there's someone else doing the event too. Are you going over for a few weeks or just for the event itself?

At this stage I reckon I'm only 70% sure of making the start line. My quad muscle has a slight tear I reckon, made worse by an attempted medium-long run yesterday, that ended with a long walk/limp back to the car. Will take this week off (cycling instead of running) and have an appointment with my physio next Monday. A case of an ultra too far this year, I reckon.

Have you got a target in mind, or are you aiming to complete? What's the marathon pb like?

Sorry to hear that about the injury, hopefully the physio will have some good news for you on Monday.

Am heading over with my gf for 9 days or so. Am flying out on Monday with Ethiad through Abu Dhabi and were stopping off there for a few days on the way back. When you heading out yourself? U been to that part of the world before?

The main aim is to just enjoy it. Marathon PB is 3:36 from early last year. Training has gone well the last few months so reckon i could take a nice bit off that if i tried now. Like to think i could just nip under the 5 hour mark but am not too pushed. I dont want to go all the way there to spend the whole time looking at the pace on my watch instead of the views! Any plan/target yourself?

Oh and any tips/advice you have for an ultra novice like myself would be more than welcome!

pgmcpq

Sorry to hear this Krusty. Hopefully it will prove to be a tweak/strain rather than a tear.

With only a week or two (?) to go you would be tapering ( I cannot really tell from you log - your tapers look like my day dreams) ? So it might still work out.

BTW:

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

.....the new Marina development in Greystones which resembles some kind of nod towards ancient greek-style architecture, with amphitheatre type steps, and greek columns

Wow, I ran there post Barcelona - they must have put in some kind of shift since. The whole development seems very Tiger-era.

Krusty_Clown

cphowlin wrote: »

Sorry to hear that about the injury, hopefully the physio will have some good news for you on Monday.

Am heading over with my gf for 9 days or so. Am flying out on Monday with Ethiad through Abu Dhabi and were stopping off there for a few days on the way back. When you heading out yourself? U been to that part of the world before?

The main aim is to just enjoy it. Marathon PB is 3:36 from early last year. Training has gone well the last few months so reckon i could take a nice bit off that if i tried now. Like to think i could just nip under the 5 hour mark but am not too pushed. I dont want to go all the way there to spend the whole time looking at the pace on my watch instead of the views! Any plan/target yourself?

Oh and any tips/advice you have for an ultra novice like myself would be more than welcome!

Nope, never seen this part of the world, so really looking forward to it. We're flying out on Wednesday week, directly to Cape Town (via Amsterdam) and staying on for an extra spell, travelling along the Garden route. Staying in V&A for the few days around the race, so if you're staying in the area, might see you for a pint on one of the local V&A pubs (didn't we meet for about 10 seconds in Barcelona?!).

Only advice I can give you, is don't run three ultra-marathons in three months! Also, If the weather is as hot as it is now in CapeTown (20-25'C), some kind of salt sticks or salt replacement mechanism would be a good idea, though the race starts nice and early, so the heat may not be an issue.

My target was originally to try and run 6:50/mile, which would have me finish just shy of 4 hours (silver medal?), but that target has been and gone. I'd be happy to run a nice even 7:20/mile, and like you, enjoy the run. Right now, I'd settle for some certainty that I can make the start line!

Krusty_Clown

pgmcpq wrote: »

With only a week or two (?) to go you would be tapering ( I cannot really tell from you log - your tapers look like my day dreams) ? So it might still work out.

I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so it may not be as bad as it feels right now (all doom and gloom!). I did kind of have a strategy with regard to taper. The plan was to keep up the 50+ miles per week, but change the emphasis, so it was more short easy runs, and less long runs. But now I'm broken, so it's less of everything! More cycling!

Wow, I ran there post Barcelona - they must have put in some kind of shift since. The whole development seems very Tiger-era.

Yes, it still does. Greek-style, as in a derelict monument to the past! Will take a photo next time I'm passing, but it looks a little more advanced than it did here:

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so it may not be as bad as it feels right now (all doom and gloom!). I did kind of have a strategy with regard to taper. The plan was to keep up the 50+ miles per week, but change the emphasis, so it was more short easy runs, and less long runs. But now I'm broken, so it's less of everything! More cycling!

Just playing devil's advocate ... but at this stage (given the SA trip) is this (the gain in fitness from more cycling) worth the risk ? Maybe it will not stress the quad but my impression is that that's exactly where I tend to feel the effect from cycling ... just saying ...

I see from the Greystones photo they seem to have moved the town to the Caribbean . Might have been after the DCM I was passing there and the gates where open so I nipped in to take a look. There was a apartment development associated with it that I assume is not going to happen now. My folks live down there now - so I hope the project gets finished.

aero2k

Krusty,

Sorry to hear about your injury woes - I had a similar incident while watching the Garmin instead of the trail last Monday and got the kind of jerk you get when you miss a step. I felt it in the lower back, but not too much harm done, I think.

I'm also sorry to hear about the revised target - I've watched your steady progress and I can appreciate how much you want to keep getting faster, while going further. You know your body well at this stage though, so you should be able to set the most sensible target for the day.

Good luck with the physio in the meantime.

brownian

Jeepers, KC,

that's a serious bummer. Hope it gets better in a hurry for you. I'm sure you've your own medicine men, but I was pretty impressed with Ciaran Fitz when I met up with him early last week.

Best of luck with the recovery!

Krusty_Clown

pgmcpq wrote: »

Just playing devil's advocate ... but at this stage (given the SA trip) is this (the gain in fitness from more cycling) worth the risk ?

Well you see the cycling isn't for the gain in fitness, it's so I can keep my suntan topped up. Definitely taking this week nice and easy. Not much to gain this week, and plenty to lose, if I don't recover.

No, I don't think those apartments will ever get built. Best they can hope for is to try and get the marina finished to some sort of semi-appealing state.

Krusty_Clown

aero2k wrote: »

Krusty,

Sorry to hear about your injury woes - I had a similar incident while watching the Garmin instead of the trail last Monday and got the kind of jerk you get when you miss a step. I felt it in the lower back, but not too much harm done, I think.

I'm also sorry to hear about the revised target - I've watched your steady progress and I can appreciate how much you want to keep getting faster, while going further. You know your body well at this stage though, so you should be able to set the most sensible target for the day.

Good luck with the physio in the meantime.

Thanks Sean. Thankfully the leg was fine after stepping into the bog-hole. Dunno what happened. Sore one day gone the next, so hopefully t'other leg will recover as quick!

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

Jeepers, KC,

that's a serious bummer. Hope it gets better in a hurry for you. I'm sure you've your own medicine men, but I was pretty impressed with Ciaran Fitz when I met up with him early last week.

My own medicine man is the very same cfitz. Have been going to see him to iron out my 'stupidity wrinkles' for a couple of years now. He's away this week, so am booked in before I fly out for some last ditch magic healing hands!

mithril

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Well you see the cycling isn't for the gain in fitness, it's so I can keep my suntan topped up. Definitely taking this week nice and easy. Not much to gain this week, and plenty to lose, if I don't recover.

You should know yourself that cycling is madness at the moment.
The quad muscles are the very ones most used on a bike. All you are likely to do is aggravate the injury, or at the minimum, delay recovery.

Even if you were not injured, there is a very strong argument for going into the race completely rested.
What happened to the great advice you gave me previously about making sure you at least make it to the starting line? You are going to feel awful in a few weeks time heading out all that way if you are not actually able to run the race.

TheRoadRunner

mithril wrote: »

You should know yourself that cycling is madness at the moment.

Would have to agree with mithril here. Running would probably do less damage.

mithril wrote: »

What happened to the great advice you gave me previously about making sure you at least make it to the starting line? You are going to feel awful in a few weeks time heading out all that way if you are not actually able to run the race.

He's a typical runner*, great at giving out sensible advice to others but seldom heeding it himself. We all do it

Mithril is right though better doing SFA and just getting through the run than fretting about whether your quad can take the pain during the race.

*I'm the worst man for this although I do hope I'm getting more sensible with age

aero2k

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thanks Sean. Thankfully the leg was fine after stepping into the bog-hole. Dunno what happened. Sore one day gone the next, so hopefully t'other leg will recover as quick!

I've just re-read the last few pages and realised you were talking about two separate injuries - must be my ADHD....

cphowlin

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Nope, never seen this part of the world, so really looking forward to it. We're flying out on Wednesday week, directly to Cape Town (via Amsterdam) and staying on for an extra spell, travelling along the Garden route. Staying in V&A for the few days around the race, so if you're staying in the area, might see you for a pint on one of the local V&A pubs (didn't we meet for about 10 seconds in Barcelona?!).

Only advice I can give you, is don't run three ultra-marathons in three months! Also, If the weather is as hot as it is now in CapeTown (20-25'C), some kind of salt sticks or salt replacement mechanism would be a good idea, though the race starts nice and early, so the heat may not be an issue.

My target was originally to try and run 6:50/mile, which would have me finish just shy of 4 hours (silver medal?), but that target has been and gone. I'd be happy to run a nice even 7:20/mile, and like you, enjoy the run. Right now, I'd settle for some certainty that I can make the start line!

Yeah its the uncertainty that is the real killer!!

Yeah think we bumped into each other in the pub in Barca alright. Am staying down near the Waterfront too, a boutique hotel called Villa Zest.
Think ill be headin for a pint or two or three after the race alright. I think i saw a list somewhere of recommended places to go after the race. Must see if I can find it again.
Are you signed up for the International Friendship run?

Don't think i'll be trying the old three ultras trick any time soon! Any idea on Where would I could pick up some salt sticks? Tried Nuun tablets before but its a bit of pain trying to mix them with water on the run.

Krusty_Clown

Thanks for the advice folks. Doing nothing never occurred to me as an option (genuinely) but now that I consider it, it really is the most sensible plan. I'd hate not to make the race at all, after planning this trip for the last two years. Will take a break until there's no pain when walking/climbing stairs and then go for an easy run to see how I'm fixed. My only concern is taking a break for 10 days, starting the race, and then finding myself injured at mile 20, with 14 miles back to the car-park. But running this week won't do anything to fix that.