here goes nothing...

SUNGOD

great result asimonov well done

Abhainn

good result asimonov.
I expect there will be more good results to come from you

Krusty_Clown

Nice meeting you on the day, and congrats again on the great result. I decided to give it a go in the end, and was on pace until around mile 6 or 7, then pulled up when the hill started to hurt the knee. I didn't see you during this section so you must have been ahead of me. I think I saw all of the km marker signs (in fact they were still up today when I was leaving Wexford!).

The cups are definitely problematic. Better to have just two water stations, with bottles, instead of four with cups.

ike

Great result even better considering you put in a fast 2 miles during the week.

asimonov

thanks for the encouragement lads. I have had a few days to reflect on the run.

My official time was 1:27:37 and i came 26th. TBH - i'm pretty delighted with that.

My splits were really consistent: 6:25, 6:34, 6:39, 6:48, 7:18, 6:16, 6:52, 6:58, 6:26, 6:45, 6:34, 6:36 and 6:43. The only 7 minute mile combined the big hill on mile 5 with the water stop. I'm thinking the consistency in the splits is reflecting the marathon training i did over the winter.

I've been feeling sick since, so i now know i must have carried a bug into the race and the gel i took only aggravated it - causing the stitch and general feeling of being "off" for the entire run. This might have coloured my perception of the event as a whole and left me feeling pretty down afterwards - even though i had knocked 18 minutes off my previous half marathon in '08 and equaled my time for a 10 mile run last october - it makes no sense at all.

That said, there is still work to do on improving the event next year - but i am sure the organisers are aware of that. But overall, the feedback from others here has been pretty positive.

For the next time i race this distance i am just gonna try and take more control and make sure i have access to proper water and fuel during the run if i need it by carrying or leaving bottles out - and not rely on others to provide it.

My next run is the 4 miler in Kilkenny wed evening, and after that its time to set some new goals and focus on dublin '09.

Krusty_Clown

asimonov wrote: »

My splits were really consistent: 6:25, 6:34, 6:39, 6:48, 7:18, 6:16, 6:52, 6:58, 6:26, 6:45, 6:34, 6:36 and 6:43. The only 7 minute mile combined the big hill on mile 5 with the water stop.

Those are a very fast first couple of miles. It's no wonder I didn't see you over the first few miles. Your plan was to try to stick to 7 minute miles? But given the hills, you definitely needed to have a couple of faster miles before you hit them. You've a big chunk to take off of that marathon time!

asimonov

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Those are a very fast first couple of miles. It's no wonder I didn't see you over the first few miles. Your plan was to try to stick to 7 minute miles? But given the hills, you definitely needed to have a couple of faster miles before you hit them. You've a big chunk to take off of that marathon time!

yeah, at the start the legs engaged and my brain went into neutral .

asimonov

Tonights 4 mile road league was my first run since Wexford. In the last seven days I've done 3 miles of training and 19.1 miles of competitive running. Tonights run was clocked at 23:19, i didn't think i was running that quick, someone gps'd it .1 short, but even with that factored in I'm happy with it. Like last week I didn't wear a watch, I'm thinking thats a good thing, it's nice just to run without the distraction. Next weeks league run is a 5 mile race, then a 6 mile and finishes with a 3 mile. I've never ran any of these distances before. Warmed up and cooled down with ike and a few of his mates.

MCOS

Excellent result on the recent halfM! Well done, and keepup the good work!

asimonov

no more running since wednesday. But i did play my last game of indoor football (ever), i may be fitter now than before but last night i felt slow, sore and a little "shy" of hard physical contact! I have also joined my local athletics club, gowran ac. I have planned some nice easy runs over the weekend.

lecheile

asimonov wrote: »

no more running since wednesday. But i did play my last game of indoor football (ever), i may be fitter now than before but last night i felt slow, sore and a little "shy" of hard physical contact! I have also joined my local athletics club, gowran ac. I have planned some nice easy runs over the weekend.

Good call on joining the club and giving up the indoor soccer. I tried to fool myself for years that playing 5-a-side was good for me (cos I loved it!) but it does nothing to add to your ability to run faster or longer, and significantly enhanced my exposure to injury (I was never able to shy away from the physical contact ;-) )
Look forward to seeing more improvement once club involvement kicks in.

asimonov

lecheile wrote: »

Good call on joining the club and giving up the indoor soccer. I tried to fool myself for years that playing 5-a-side was good for me (cos I loved it!) but it does nothing to add to your ability to run faster or longer, and significantly enhanced my exposure to injury (I was never able to shy away from the physical contact ;-) )
Look forward to seeing more improvement once club involvement kicks in.

For years my once a week game of indoor football was all the exercise i did. But at *this age* indoor football tends to finish with an injury of one type or another . And its never a good sign when you are the oldest one playing, its just means you're next to go! So i think i'll jump rather than be pushed. I trust your marathon training is going well...3:15 still a possible target?

asimonov

Monday: day 1 of dcm training, I've done so little over the past few weeks it was good to get up early a go for a run. 7 miles without a watch, no idea of time, just nice and easy. My plan is to do a month (may) of easy runs only, weekly mileage about the 35 mark, with a weekly race thrown in. More structure to follow in June.

asimonov

Tuesday: nothing, over in brussels for the day, blown away by the atomium, pure design classic.
Wednesday. 5 mile road race. Finished 6th (same as last week) in 30:35. I stuck with a guy I know is fast for about 2 miles, he then upped the pace and left me for dead, within a mile or so he was 300m a head of me, so I ran the rest on my own, without much pressure from behind. Again I didn't bring a watch so I had no idea of my pace as I ran. I will break 30 minutes next time. Ike and I had our usual mid week catchup, he's building his mileage nicely for berlin at the moment and only has about 5 months to go!

Krusty_Clown

Lest is escape your attention, this is your best performance to date. Congrats that man. I hope you have a lofty goal for DCM!

asimonov

Thank KC.

Its way too early to be thinking of a target time for DCM . My summer is currently looking like this (with some others thrown in no doubt).

-- 4th May - Novice Leinster road race
-- 17th May - John Treacy Classic
-- 17th June- Lisburn Half Marathon
-- 10th July - GSK 5 mile
-- 15th August - Adidas 10 mile
-- 26th September - Adidas half marathon
-- 26th October - Dublin City Marathon

asimonov

7.1 miles easy this morning, off to a wedding now...4 day long weekend!!!

asimonov

Saturday: a hungover 10.5 miles in 1:26. Weekly total, 30.

Today: 6k novice road race. 22:08 on my watch. Finished in the middle of the field, woke up with a headcold and struggled with my breathing from the go. Mile splits were 5:27, 5:47 & 6:02.

asimonov

Official time from yesterday 22:05, i finished 19th, average pace, 5:50 p/m. The race was won in 19:33. Congrats to Daithi BC who came 5th and was a member of the winning county and team.

Woddle

Congrats on a great time, you appear to be in great form

Seres

well done ,especially considering you have a cold

asimonov

Thanks woddle and seres. i'm just really enjoying running in these local and regional road races at the moment. They have been a bit of a revelation to me to be honest. After spending so long training alone over the winter its nice to turn up, meet others, and run your heart out as best you can for 30 minutes or so. A quick warm down and you can go home, no palaver or razzmatazz required.

Seres

asimonov wrote: »

Thanks woddle and seres. i'm just really enjoying running in these local and regional road races at the moment. They have been a bit of a revelation to me to be honest. After spending so long training alone over the winter its nice to turn up, meet others, and run your heart out as best you can for 30 minutes or so. A quick warm down and you can go home, no palaver or razzmatazz required.

we talk the same language , i am totally with ya

showry

asimonov wrote: »

Thanks woddle and seres. i'm just really enjoying running in these local and regional road races at the moment. They have been a bit of a revelation to me to be honest. After spending so long training alone over the winter its nice to turn up, meet others, and run your heart out as best you can for 30 minutes or so. A quick warm down and you can go home, no palaver or razzmatazz required.

I love the weekly league races for exactly those reasons. They can really bring you on as well. You're running well sham.

asimonov

showry wrote: »

I love the weekly league races for exactly those reasons. They can really bring you on as well. You're running well sham.

thanks showry, i remember reading your posts over the winter on your league runs alright - before i realised you were a brack munching pedalist .

I'm hoping to run some of the waterford / west waterford races over the summer, there seems to be loads on in that area. Yourself, sosa, sungod and the others from that part of the world are lucky to have so much going on.

Did 7.1 sore, awkward slow miles today, monday's run still in the legs.

asimonov

Thursday 7th & Friday 8th: back-to-back rest days.
Saturday 9th: 16 miles - easy with no watch.

I am not going to do the John Treacy 10 mile next week. I transferred my entry to my OH, so i'll bring the kids down to cheer her on (or maybe just to whinge, moan and bicker for a few hours) - looks like a good day out. I plan to do the county novice RR on friday instead. Its a 6k race over country roads - a different route than the leinster's, but still only a couple of miles from home. I might have to miss the 10k league run on wednesday or run it easy.

24 weeks until DCM.

Krusty_Clown

asimonov wrote: »

Its way too early to be thinking of a target time for DCM

asimonov wrote: »

24 weeks until DCM.

asimonov

In fairness Krusty there was at least 3 days between those two posts .

After my long run on Saturday I suffered a bit of a scare on Sunday with what felt like a strain at the back of my knee at the top of my calf. I had planned on doing a tempo run yesterday but I wouldn't have been able to run on it at any pace. Instead, I did a bit of light exercise instead ie brought the kids to the pool and cycled down to the office afterwards (fulfilling my biketowork obligations).

Seems better today so will hope to do some light running this evening or tomorrow depending on available time, proceeding with caution.

Total mileage this week = 28 over 3 runs, had planned on 35.
This weeks mileage target 40 35.

asimonov

4.25 sunny miles after work, average pace 7:50 in the castle park. No problem with knee.

asimonov

6k County novice road race. Finished 3rd, 21:27, about 10 seconds down on 2nd, enjoyable run. Went out too quick and paid for it later. Met up with village runner for a chat after. Measured 3.7 miles on the garmin, so a little short. I went through 5k in 17:56 though so very happy with that.

I've been slacking on my training over the last few weeks, under 30 miles a week now. I feel I'm coming to the end of my post marathon fitness and need to step it up now to regain some strength and get on track for the rest of the year.