Here we go again...!

belcarra

Well that's Connemara out of the way now at least!
Great weather for it and managed to get to Leenane full of beans but with the impact of the hill and the next few miles I was into the run/walk phase by about mile 19 .

However, I knew I could still beat last years time and so I did coming home in 4hrs 34mins XXsecs. Betterer last year by 1 or 2 mins!

So now, what's next...?

Dist: 26.2 miles
Time: 4hrs 34mins ++secs
Weight: 13st 00lbs (And that was after eating loads of junk afterwards!!)

belcarra

As my next event is going to be the BUPA 10km run in the Phoenix Park I need to pretty drastically change my training. Instead of any long run for the next 2 weeks I'll instead focus on short, quick runs.
Therefore, I've decided to do 0.8mile of a warm-up followed by 2 miles as quickly as possible. The main reasons for this are the loops available near my apt! Plus, I think it'll be a good way to get a bit of pace into me in a short space of time. I reckon after completing 26.2 miles on Sun I should have enough legs for the 6.2 on Sunday week!
So, tonight was my first attempt at this training and also my first run back out since the finish line in Maam Cross.
This is how I did:
Wed 25th Mar
Miles (Tot) -2.38
Time - 20mins 33secs
Tempo - 7:35m/mile
Dist (Miles) - 1.84 miles

The tempo pace and dist (Last two rows) are the important details. I'll be hoping to either get the pace quicker or the distance further over the next ten days.

Let's see how that goes...!

belcarra

I got a new pair of Asics Kayano in Champions Sports today. They were on sale from €150 down to €120. So, as you do, I threw them on for my run today. They felt great so I think they'll be a good purchase!

Did the same run as Wed night and these are the details:
Fri 27th Mar
Miles (Tot) -2.80
Time - 21mins 23secs
Tempo - 7:19m/mile
Dist (Miles) - 2.04 miles

Nice improvement on Wed in terms of both pace and distance...I ran faster for longer! Hopefully the next week will be just as successful!

Football match tomorrow and beer in Cork tomorrow evening...don't think I'll even manage to fit a quick two-miler into my schedule!!

belcarra

Football match today. We won 5-0 which was nice! I played the full match just behind the main striker. Straight after, home for a shower and off to Cork for a night out! As a result, no specific running today.

belcarra

Another match today. Played the full game again and was up front for the first half but came back into midfield for the second half. We were 4-1 up with a few mins to go but let them back into it as far as 4-3 but we managed to close the game out at that! I was feeling stiff and a little tired in the first half but in the second I felt a lot livelier.
Again, as a result no specific running today.

I really wish there was a default distance for each match that I could claim for in the 1000 mile challenge!!:rolleyes:

belcarra

So, footie out of the way until Sat and back to running this evening.
I wore my Kayanos out today to get a few more miles into them. They seem pretty good so far! I was still feeling the effects of last nights game for the first mile or so but then I began to loosen out. I started to push it more and more so by the end of the run I had...

Tue 31st Mar
Miles (Tot) -7.2
Time - 1hr 01min 31secs
Tempo - 7:54m/mile
Dist (Miles) - 5.2 miles

All in all I was very pleased by these details:).
I'm still a little concerned that due to a match on Sat I'll be feeling effects on Sun for the 10km but I'll be hoping to get around in 50' at least and maybe even break under 49'. We shall see!

belcarra

Back to my warm-up loop of 0.8 miles with a quick 2 mile loop. Lovely evening for it. The run felt tough but I think it was simply because I was pushing myself that bit extra. Not quite sure about my calculations below as Garmin took an age to register the satellites.

Thurs 2nd Apr
Miles (Tot) -2.80
Time - 20mins 43secs
Tempo - 7:18m/mile
Dist (Miles) - 2.1 miles

I felt like I may have been a bit quicker today and from constant looking at my instantaneous pace (Once it did register!) it seemed like it should have been lower than 7:18m/mile. Still though, not a bad pace for me.

belcarra

Took Fri as a rest day as had a match today. We won 3-1 in what was a tough enough game. Pretty tired after the match.

belcarra

Ran the Great Ireland Run today with 11,000 others. The course was fairly packed all the way around and it was difficult to avoid other runners heels at times! The course was challenging enough also in that there was one extra stretch of hill that I hadn't realised was there! Overall though I was well happy with my time and am now looking for more 10kms to bring the time down lower. I reckon if I hadn't yesterday's match I'd have gone close to a minute quicker!
Sun 5th Apr
Miles (Tot) - 6.2
Time - 48mins 48secs
Tempo - 7:52m/mile

belcarra

First practice session for our Tag rugby season today. We will be playing at C Level which is mixed gender.
Most hadn't played before so it was a case of teaching the basics with a bit of a game afterwards. Pretty low-intensity stuff but at least it was an enjoyable way of spending an hour!

belcarra

Football match again tonight but unfortunately we were 2-0 losers. Missing a couple of players so that made a big difference.
I've really noticed myself getting better in the Second Half in relation to keep going as others seem to be tiring. Suppose that's a positive anyways!

belcarra

Took a rest day yesterday and went for a few drinks in town last night so this morning I went for a 4 mile run to collect my car which I'd left at a friends house. Nice run as it was mainly downhill for most with a short section of uphill. Another match beckons tomorrow with about 15 players unavailable! Beat that for an injury crisis Fergie!!
Fri 10th Apr
Miles (Tot) -3.80
Time - 28mins 55secs
Tempo - 7:36m/mile