Sub 20, Sub 35, Sub 45

spurscormac

To take a leaf from Hype's book on the title, I've decided to aim for the above times in the 5k 8k and 10k distances.

As I've already posted in the 2009 goals thread...
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055529189

My goals for the year are as follows:
5k - pb 22:10 Goal sub 21.
8k - pb 38:54 Goal sub 36
10k - pb 51:37 Goal sub 47

Been training with GCH for the past couple of months, and ran Ballinasloe last weekend. Looked like I was touch and go for a sub 47, but the course was short so I'll never know.
Starting this training log with a more longterm goal of going sub 20, 35 & 45, if not this year then maybe in the next year or two.

Current training consists of:
Tuesday 5-6 miles
Wednesday Track intervals session
Thursday 5-6 miles or a speed session

Weekends - if I'm free and there's a race within driving distance, then I'll try to make it.
Some weekends, like this one, I'm working 5am-5pm Sat & Sun, so very little chance to get out.

Also have to try to fit in quality g/f time, so 3 nights a week is about all I can manage for the moment.

Hoping the Galway 5k series towards the end of this month & through May will give me a good chance to improve my 5k and push that 21 mins.

Will keep a log of things here and see how I go.

spurscormac

Decided yesterday to start the dog on a run - he's one later this month and was wondering if he'd be able to come with me at the weekends etc. He's always full of beans so would be great to kill 2 birds with the one run so to speak.

Anyway, couldn't go far as I could get paged from work at any stage, so settled for 2.5ks out & back again.
Started at an easy pace, but quickly found my back & left knee hurting. Should never have started this training log - gone and jinxed myself.
As for the puppy, he was a bit tired at the end - mission accomplished.

Anyway, nothing today - gonna try and let the back settle a little, and hope to do the club session on Tuesday.
Might be going surfing tomorrow so that'll be enough exercise if I do. If not, I might go and test the back and knee.

spurscormac

Disastrous start to my log...

Didn't train on Monday, back was still a little sore. Went on the club run last night, had to ease off due to pain in my knee.
Am worried its the dreaded runners knee, and looks like I'm out of the magic mile on Thursday night. Got some advice on stretches to help and to ice it. Went home, stretched it, iced it, but today I can still feel it sore at times.

Would go to a physio today, but have to head home for a funeral when I finish work at lunchtime. Might look into going tomorrow afternoon.

This is a real annoyance cos I have the Galway 5k series starting on the 28th, and this was the main goal of my training. Also, I'm going to miss out on the last race due to being away for a long bank hol weekend, so missing any more of them is gonna be a killer.

spurscormac

Went to the physio this afternoon, confirmed my worst fears...
I'll be out of all running for 4-6 weeks.:mad:

Knee problem diagnosed as my kneecap being pulled off centre, causing inflammation, and later pain, when running.
Cause is due to tight muscles on the outside of my leg pulling the kneecap out, exacerbated by the fact that the muscles on the inside of the leg being weak an unable to fight back so to speak. Only in the left knee, right knee is fine.

Been given stretches to do for a week to loosen up the tight muscles, and from there will see how it responds and after about 3 weeks, will hopefully be able to start on strengthening the inner muscles.

If all goes good, I could be back running in 4 weeks, but could be up to 6 weeks out.
So I'm now going to miss at least the first 2, if not 3 of the Galway 5k series, and as I'm already going to be out of the country for the last race, I'll only have 2 possibly 3 races after a long layoff to try and get a decent time.

There goes my hopes of posting a decent time

spurscormac

Injury update...

No bad reaction to 36 holes of golf on Monday & Tuesday (had 2 days off work & have to submit cards to gain handicap, so completed 18 holes both days).

Been stretching as advised & had a physio appt this morning.
Progress in a week is good - kneecap is returning to its correct location, and I've now been given some strengthening exercises to build up the muscles to keep it in place.
Two weeks of this, then back for another appointment to establish how much further work is required and when I can get back running.

Have the bike in getting serviced, and hope to get out on it and into the pool as well over the next 2 weeks.

Definitely going to miss the first 2 races of the Galway 5k series - will see what the physio advice is on next visit, and then establish how many more of them I'll miss - hopefully get at least one in.

Will have to look at the rest of the summer's events and set my goals based on that.

spurscormac

Decided to jog the first of the Galway 5k, to test out the knee and see how it's coping.
Started from the back of the field to prevent a rush of blood to the head & keep me going slow, but felt fine & gradually pushed my way through the field.
All was good up to about the last km, when I could feel my knee a little, not sore, but just a bit weak.
Took it easy and came home in an estimated 23min (forgot to stop the watch on the finish line, and official time will be way slower due to the length of time to cross the start line).

Felt it afterwards at home though, pain going up and down stairs, so I definitely shouldn't have pushed it like that, or should have skipped it completely.
Going to concentrate on building up the strength on the bike & in the pool over the next couple of weeks and see how I am from there - looks like training/racing runs are a no go area for me for the time being.

MoonDancer

Aww no! Sorry to hear about your knee. It's typical something like this happens when you have plans!!
My brother had something like that with his knee last year & he's made a full recovery through physio so there is hope
Good luck with the training

spurscormac

Cheers MoonDancer - I ain't given up yet though...

Looks like I'm back in action. Spent the past week concentrating on the muscle building exercises for my bad knee.
Decided to give the second Galway 5k race a go to see where I was with it.
Felt strong at the start, handy first k (4:27), then I pushed it, fast 2nd k (4:08), a little slower on the 3rd (4:17), and quite a bit slower on the 4th(4:32).
Around the 4k was where I felt my knee last week, this time I had no such problems, felt great, so really pushed the last km (3:58), to finish with a PB of 21:27 according to my watch !!!!!!!:D:p:)

The missing seconds for those wondering are those waiting to cross the start line (5 or so).

Better than all that was being able to push it and feeling no ill effects on my knee. Going to keep up the exercises & stretches, and get back into training and hopefully be able to even out that pace to go sub 21 by the end of the year.

kennyb3

fair play good to see you back. you ll go sub 21 long before the year is out, you just need to get your pacing right - ie be consistent, the 4:27 and 4:32 killed you!! you ll prob find it much easier to run 4:15 (later 4:10) for the first 4kms and then a quick 4min or just sub on the last km.

alternatively as i think racing flat has pointed out before for stuff shorter than 10km there is a school of thought that going out fast and hanging on is the best way to do it!

spurscormac

kennyb3 wrote: »

fair play good to see you back. you ll go sub 21 long before the year is out, you just need to get your pacing right - ie be consistent, the 4:27 and 4:32 killed you!! you ll prob find it much easier to run 4:15 (later 4:10) for the first 4kms and then a quick 4min or just sub on the last km.

alternatively as i think racing flat has pointed out before for stuff shorter than 10km there is a school of thought that going out fast and hanging on is the best way to do it!

I don't think a fast start & hold-on approach will work for me - find that I can suffer from going too fast, and really fade.
I think I need to even out the pace more & finish fast - feels much better too, sprinting instead of barely making it home.

The 4:27 first km was due to being a bit too far back from the line, and having to weave through slower runners. Mind you, that was deliberately done to avoid going out too fast at first.

The 4:32 was on an incline and into a strong headwind, I was beginning to hurt a little after the previous 2 fast kms, so that's where I lost the time.

As you say, if I can even my pace to around 4:15, then push for a 4min last km, there's my sub 21.

For now its back to the training, but I definitely think the speed training prior to my injury lay-off stood to me last night.

spurscormac

Back to training last night, club session.
Ran for 47 mins, not sure of the distance, Westside to Dangan, a few laps of the trails round the pitches there, and back to Dangan.
Tried out my new DSTrainers, and while they were good on the road, there is less cushioning for the ball of you foot.
Not an issue on the roads, footpaths, but the trails round the Dangan pitches have been dug up recently, and been replaced with wery rough stone.

I noticed the gap in training halfway through, as it was an effort to keep up and I started to get a little stitch. Stuck with it though and felt fine at the end.

Went home and a few hours later could feel my knee a little - stretched it out & its gone again this morning - I assume it was due to the longer distance compared to Tuesdays 5k.

I'll be keeping a close eye on it though, its good to be back & I don't fancy another few weeks off.

spurscormac

Weekend report:

Got some cross training in - if you count getting bashed by waves & failing to properly surf in Lahinch.
Sunday was a recovery day (from quite a few beers on Sat night).

Today is probably a rest day, with another Galway 5k race tomorrow, but will continue to keep up the ITB stretches & knee strengthening exercises.

spurscormac

Race Report:

Galways 5k Series: Craughwell

It was warm last night, too warm. Added to the fact I'd just put in 10 hours in the office, and not slept well since last week and it all resulted in a worse time than last week.

Got out and warmed up, but just felt it wasn't gonna be a good race.
As usual, plenty of muppets went to the front of the pack, and it took 9 seconds to cross the start line alone. Then weaved my way through the pack and felt good up to 2k, between 2 & 3 though, I just felt bad, like I was lacking in energy or something.

Splits were ok, more even than in Tuam, but unlike last week, I just didnt have a kick at all in the last km, and finished in a disappointing 21:48, 20 seconds down on last week, which funnily enough was the difference in time between my final km this week & last.

Standstill - Startline 00:09
0-1k 04:20
1-2k 04:16
2-3k 04:22
3-4k 04:24
4-5k 04:17
Finish Time 21:48


No knee reaction at all, so time to put in some serious training in time for the last two 5k races, then it will be on to longer distances over the summer.

Ponderism for today: Why do people who know they are slower, go to the front of the pack at all races?
I know I won't win, so go down the group a little, but the amount of walkers or 30min paced people towards the front of the 5k last night was pretty damn annoying.

kennyb3

spurscormac wrote: »

Race Report:


Ponderism for today: Why do people who know they are slower, go to the front of the pack at all races?
I know I won't win, so go down the group a little, but the amount of walkers or 30min paced people towards the front of the 5k last night was pretty damn annoying.

I say get up ahead of them, so long as you are not ahead of the 17min guys.

spurscormac

Weird - I thought I'd replied to your post kennyb3.

Anyway, I would do that, but don't want to be guilty of hypocrisy or burn myself out at the start with the fast paced folks.

Anyway, training is suffering due to work commitments.
Worked til 6 last night, when I was supposed to be at a track session @ 5:45.
Then I had to work some more from home to setup stuff needed to be complete this morning.

I go home early today, have a funeral & training @ 7. Problem with training tonight, is that I have to work @ 1am tomorrow morning, so doubt if I can make training & get enough sleep in.

We'll see, but this damn job & its crazy hours is having a serious impact on my training & sleep patterns.
I suppose in the current climate I shouldn't complain, but its exhausting - without getting much running in :mad:

kennyb3

spurscormac wrote: »

Weird - I thought I'd replied to your post kennyb3.

Anyway, I would do that, but don't want to be guilty of hypocrisy or burn myself out at the start with the fast paced folks.

I think you have to look after yourself, ie get further up go fast enough for the first 300m, then step out bit wide and drop back steadily without impeding to a group or person you feel is at the sort of pace you want to run at and tuck back in. Thats exactly what i did for the le cheile 5k race and i didnt impede or slow anyone up.

At least that way its in your own hands to get it right rather than weaving through others

spurscormac

Claregalway 5k last night, and I took the advice offered to get in up near the front.
Car was parked across the main road from the start line, so I just waited there, and made my move into the pack, about 3 rows from the front.

Passed the 1k marker in a ridiculous 3:54, felt strong and was tempted to keep pushing it, but I knew the long cruel hills that lay ahead in the 3rd & 4th kms, so I eased back.
Had a 4:22 second km, then came the dreaded hil for the 3rd which gave me a horrible 4:42 split, a little bit of downhill compensated for the next hill in the 4th km and I got back to a 4:21, finishing with a strong 4:06 to give myself a PB by 2 seconds, with a 21:26.

Not bad considering the hills involved and the fact that I really didnt think I'd finished as strongly as I did - most of the last k was downhill, so that helped I suppose.

Back to some regular training now hopefully, starting tonight.
I've really missed out & I think my pacing has suffered because of it. I've just got Loughrea left in the Galway series, but the Salthill 5k is tempting, as the flat course should do wonders for the time.

pgibbo

Congrats on a PB last night. It was a perfect evening for running - except that damn hill! It was a nice downhill finish though. Great buzz about the place again last night. These races are very sociable and enjoyable.

spurscormac

pgibbo wrote: »

Congrats on a PB last night. It was a perfect evening for running - except that damn hill! It was a nice downhill finish though. Great buzz about the place again last night. These races are very sociable and enjoyable.

Cheers - yeah it was a good night - they're great races, well organised & they've so far managed to keep off the rain every Tues in May (and the odd one in April & June) for 3 years, thats some achievement

I'm almost wishing I pushed it harder up the hill, but I suppose I have Loughrea to do that

spurscormac

Getting back in the swing of things...

Did 10k run last night, unsure of the time as I forgot to start the watch. It was hot and I got a bit of a stitch half way through, but kept going through it.
Also felt my knees a little after about 7k, but considering this was my longest run since the injury, it doesn't surprise me.
I'll just have to keep working on the strengthening & stretching exercises.

Training again tonight - good to get back to some sort of a routine.

ManFromAtlantis

do you know if the loughrea 5km is relatively hilly or flat ? ie is a pb possible. apparently they are taking entries on the night here !

pgibbo

I haven't run the course but I hear there is a tough enough hill in the last 1k or 2k. A lot of people I know PB'ed out there last year. Not sure if that's down to the previous 4 races standing to them or the course but a few have said it's a good course for a PB. And yes, it is open for registration next week.

spurscormac

Loughrea has a couple of hills, but its not been my favourite course previously - though if you've enough left in the tank, there's a lovely long downhill final K to the finish.
The hills are not as long and gruelling as that 3rd K drag in Claregalway, so its not too bad.

Hopefully, due to the more structured club training this year (I wasn't with a club the past 2 years), I can get a fast race in next week.

Hoping to break the 21 min barrier this year, so need to up my speed in the middle kms to have any hope of doing that. If I can keep going and get to 4k in around 17 mins, then I should have the incentive of really pushing it down that hill to make it.

spurscormac

Haven't updated in a while.

Did Loughrea a couple of weeks ago - 21:48 I think it was, wasn't particularly happy with it, but considering the inconsistent training, wasn't surprised.

Was in Paris for bank hol weekend, so missed Dangan 5k and training sessions.
Got back out last Sunday, here's the report from then to now...

Sun - aimed for a solo 10k, felt sore, was going slow, so shortened it and ended up with about 4.3 miles.

Tue - ran the charity 5k in Salthill, as it was charity, no km markers, hard to judge pace & the hill up threadneedle road took a lot out of me. Finished in 21:38, which, considering the heat and lack of pace measurements, I was happy with.

Wed - Speed session on the track in Dangan. warm-up, 5 x 800 at 3:20-3:30 pace, with 90 second rest, all within the given time, so happy with it.

Hope to keep some more regular training now the injury has cleared up, and have Annaghdown 10k & Ballyhaunis 8k to aim for in a few weeks.

spurscormac

Took a look at the McMillan Calculator this morning, as thats what the club speed sessions are done from.

Interesting reading, hadn't paid a huge amount of attention to the detail, but hope to tailor my runs to the paces listed ther & hopefully it will result in quicker times.

How it all matches up to my 5, 8 & 10k goals is as encouraging...

5k - 21:26
8k - 35:20
10k - 44:31

So based on my 5k pb from a few weeks ago, I have a 44:31 10k hiding somewhere, that will knock off the sub 45 goal.
From there, I'd hope that my training would then bring me a faster 8k, bringing me closer to the sub 35.
I think the sub 20 5k is one for the future, maybe next year in the Galway series, its a very optimistic goal, but with the correct training, its possible.

spurscormac

Update:

Thursday - rest day as I was knackered.

Friday - another rest day as after I go home from work all I could do was eat & get some sleep ahead of a 5am satrt.

Saturday - worked solid for 13 hours with barely enough time to stop & get food. Was barely capable of walking the dog, never mind get a run in.

Sunday - feel a bit better today, but on the 12 hour 5am to 5pm shift. Dog is walked already, so if I have a light day of work, hopefully I'll get a run in later tonight.

spurscormac

Update:

Been doing a bit better with the training lately, hope I can keep it that way.

Sunday:
I did manage to get out, did 5 miles on reasonably hilly roads.

Monday:
Rest Day

Tuesday:
Club run, 41 mins, not sure of distance.

Wednesday:
Club Track session intervals.
warm up, 800, 400, 400, 800, slow lap, 800, 400, 400 800, warm down.
Even pace of 3:20 & 1:36, with 90sec rest after 800 & 60sec rest after the 400s.

ecoli

spurscormac wrote: »

Update:

Been doing a bit better with the training lately, hope I can keep it that way.

Sunday:
I did manage to get out, did 5 miles on reasonably hilly roads.

Monday:
Rest Day

Tuesday:
Club run, 41 mins, not sure of distance.

Wednesday:
Club Track session intervals.
warm up, 800, 400, 400, 800, slow lap, 800, 400, 400 800, warm down.
Even pace of 3:20 & 1:36, with 90sec rest after 800 & 60sec rest after the 400s.

well done on the session that good goin and fair play on the pace that is the key to sessions is consistency keep it up

spurscormac

ecoli wrote: »

well done on the session that good goin and fair play on the pace that is the key to sessions is consistency keep it up

Cheers - yeah consistency is what I'm lacking in my races, start & finish fine, its the middle sections that kill me, I tend to slow right down, need to get more miles in the legs and try and get used to what specific paces are like.

Yeah, its easier on the track, you can break it down to 100m splits and quickly tell if you're too fast or slow.

Road runs are far tougher, you run 10 times that before knowing you're pace.
Only other option would be a Garmin, but I got other stuff to spend my money on first, Tv license, management fees, car tax - why do they all come in the one month ?

To keep up with the updates, Thursday was a rest day.

Beering tonight, might get a run in before going out, 10k race Sunday, so may just veg in front of the Lions game and the GAA tomorrow.

spurscormac

Friday:
Rest day, on the beer

Saturday:
Rest day, hungover :mad:

Sunday:
Annaghdown 10k, pb of 46:24.
Happy with this considering the heat, but can definitely get under the 46 mins this year as I had a few tough slow kms in the second half of the race.

Unsure of training plan for the week, track session Wednesday, trying to figure out whether or not to go on a long run tomorrow, or take a break, hmmmm....will see how I feel after a nights sleep.

spurscormac

Update...

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Club 5mile run, tough in the heat, but well needed to stretch the legs after Sundays 10k. I could really feel the stiffness while warming up & stretching, but loosened up while on the run.

spurscormac

Wednesday:
Club Track session, intervals - 1200, 800, 400, 400, 800, 1200.

Tough session with the heat, and given that their was a low turnout, I was trying to stay with someone about 10 secs faster than me.
Aim was 5:00-5:10, 3:20, 1:36 & back up again.
Did them in:
4:48, 3:17, 1:28, 1:28, 3:24, 5:17.

As can be seen, first 4 were too fast, so I suffered on the last 800 & 1200 runs. Hopefully this will all pay off though, but I seriously think I need to switch at least one of my runs to be an 8/9 miler so I have the miles in the legs for the 8/10k races.

spurscormac

Thursday:
Rest day, decided not to run track 5k race after Wed night session, saving myself for 8k in hometown on Sat.

Friday:
Another rest day ahead of race on Sat.

Saturday:
Ballyhaunis 8k. Was scorching hot, route was a tough one on roads I knew as a kid. Raced off to a fast 3:52 opening km, then eased of to a couple of 4:30s as I knew the tough hills that lay ahead between 3 & 5k.
Managed to survive through those hills and felt strong on the long downhill towards the finish from about 5.5 km on.
Turned for the last 400 metres but back was aching, finished in 36:04 on my watch, though I heard the folks on the line say 36:01, whatever it was, if I knew I was that close to 36 mins, I'd have tried to find something more.

Good thing is that on a cooler day, I definitely think there's a sub 35 in the legs.

ManFromAtlantis

good time there . sub 35 for galway streets !!! ?? ?:)

spurscormac

ManFromAtlantis wrote: »

good time there . sub 35 for galway streets !!! ?? ?:)

Thanks - yeah, a sub 35 in the Streets would be good.

Off on vacation for a couple of weeks in mid to late July. Will have to bring the gear to Croatia and get a few runs in - don't want to waste the good training by missing some weeks in the run up to the big local race.

shels4ever

spurscormac wrote: »

Thanks - yeah, a sub 35 in the Streets would be good.

Off on vacation for a couple of weeks in mid to late July. Will have to bring the gear to Croatia and get a few runs in - don't want to waste the good training by missing some weeks in the run up to the big local race.

Best of luck with the sub 35 its something I'm after myself in a while... actually so is the sub 20...

spurscormac

shels4ever wrote: »

Best of luck with the sub 35 its something I'm after myself in a while... actually so is the sub 20...

Cheers.

The goals on this training log were a more long term thing, this years goals were sub 21 5k, sub 36 8k & sub 47 10k.

So far, I've reached the 10k goal, with a 46:24, getting closer to the 5k with a 21:24 pb, and almost hit the sub 36 for the 8k.
If I can reach all three some time this year it would be fantastic, if I can get any of the long term goals on the tile of this log, I'd be over the moon.

Just goes to show what a bit of serious training can do for you.
Need to focus on when & where I can race each of those distances as I think they can all be done.

spurscormac

Update...

Sunday was also a rest day, so decided to up my mileage and go on the club Monday run.
This was 8.76 miles (according to the guys with Garmins) in 71 minutes, add in the warm up and I'm saying 9 miles.

Was hot, and hard to stay with the serious pace makers, so I trailed in a couple of minutes down. Only problem was a blister under the nail on a toe.
On inspection, I discovered that the old 2110s I've had for a couple of years, bought on a serious discount in lifestyle, are actually different sizes :eek:
Ones a US 8, no problems on that foot, the other is a US 7, hence the blister on the toe on that foot. :mad:

Doubt I'll get a refund at this point, seems like its time for new runners though, my increased mileage will make me pay in the old ones.

pgibbo

Good progress on the PBs. Given that the SoG is relatively flat, sub 35 is very realistic.

If your budget can stretch to it, get 2 pairs of runners and alternate their usage. They will last longer.

spurscormac

pgibbo wrote: »

Good progress on the PBs. Given that the SoG is relatively flat, sub 35 is very realistic.

If your budget can stretch to it, get 2 pairs of runners and alternate their usage. They will last longer.

Had bought myself a second pair a couple of months ago, so the new ones will have to do for now, and the old ones will have to be binned or just used on shorter runs until I get a replacement pair.

Having only run the SoG once, I'd like to get a training run in on the course, but seeing as I'm on hols from July 10-25, I'm guessing the club will train on it while I'm away.
I'll still run it at least once after I return, just to familiarise myself with the route some more.

spurscormac

Tuesday - Rest Day

Wednesday - Track Session
4 lap warm-up, stretches, 2 laps of strides on the straights, then 5 x 1000m with a 60 sec recovery, aiming for 4:12 pace, 5 lap warm down & stretching.

Usual stuff of far too fast first km, but got a nice even pace after that, here's the times...

3:59
4:08
4:10
4:10
4:11

If I could only string those times together without the recovery, I'd have my sub-21 goal.

I'll be organising the track session next week. :eek:
Usual others aren't around, so I volunteered - will have to be strict on the recovery times.

ecoli

spurscormac wrote: »

Tuesday - Rest Day

Wednesday - Track Session
4 lap warm-up, stretches, 2 laps of strides on the straights, then 5 x 1000m with a 60 sec recovery, aiming for 4:12 pace, 5 lap warm down & stretching.

Usual stuff of far too fast first km, but got a nice even pace after that, here's the times...

3:59
4:08
4:10
4:10
4:11

If I could only string those times together without the recovery, I'd have my sub-21 goal.

I'll be organising the track session next week. :eek:
Usual others aren't around, so I volunteered - will have to be strict on the recovery times.

Try to take 200/400 splits during your rep for the first one and try to pull back i use to have this problem and it was something i really wanted to tackle as not only does it hurt the session but you will end up doing it in races to an extreme also.
Keep up the good work

spurscormac

ecoli wrote: »

Try to take 200/400 splits during your rep for the first one and try to pull back i use to have this problem and it was something i really wanted to tackle as not only does it hurt the session but you will end up doing it in races to an extreme also.
Keep up the good work

Been trying that - even breaking it down to 100m times, seems to work well for the rest of the runs, I just need to be more consistent on the first one.
If I go off too fast I have to really force myself to ease off dramatically.
Next week I'll hopefully get on top of it.

spurscormac

Thursday:
Thought this would be a 4/5 mile club session, nope.
Ended up jogging to the GAA pitches in Dangan, and doing laps, pushing reasonable hard for the length of a pitch & round to the goals, then jogging the same distance to start all over again. 2 pitches, end to end, 4 laps, 8 stride out runs, supposedly 2 miles, and another jog back to the car park (not Dangan).

Total time of 43:30, including jogs to and from the pitches.

Running on grass was welcome, and I didn't feel too bad afterwards - though speed sessions two nights in a row may have been pushing it a little.

Rest day today, 5k race in Salthill tomorrow evening.

spurscormac

Update:

Saturday - Unplanned Rest Day
Worked a 12 hour shift, 5am-5pm, planned on doing the 5k in Salthill but between 5.30 & 6pm realised I was knackered, so gave it a miss. Had pre-entered, so they can have my €20 towards the charity.

Sunday - Rest Day
Another 12 hour shift, still knackered & had plenty of other stuff to do to keep my free time busy, diy around the house, etc. Was a planned rest day anyway.

Monday - Rest Day
Early shift, but finished at lunchtime, had to go shopping with the g/f after she finished work to get everything we need for hols on Friday so couldn't make the 9 mile run across the city @7pm.

Tuesday - Club run.
Totaled ~5 miles in total, back to the pitches in Dangan, a few big laps and back again.

Wednesday - Club Track session.
Due to the usual suspects swanning off to a 10k somewhere in Tipp, I was in charge of my first session, simple enough one really, 800m intervals, and a reasonable turnout, including a few first timers.
1600m Warm-up, stretches, 800m Strides, 6 * 800m @ 3:10-3:15 pace with 90sec recovery, 1600m warm down.
Did better with my pacing this time, just the 5th one dipped in pace, the rest were all even.
3:13
3:13
3:14
3:14
3:19
3:14
Happy enough with that, even pace is the goal, so I'm getting there.

Plan for next two weeks...
Heading to Dublin tonight & flying to Croatia for a couple of weeks holidays. Bringing the gear, so hope to get a few early morning runs in so as not to lose the benefit of all the training ahead of the Streets of Galway.
Unlikely to be posting here until I'm back, but if I find a race out there, I'll do it.

spurscormac

Update:

Saturday - Unplanned Rest Day
Worked a 12 hour shift, 5am-5pm, planned on doing the 5k in Salthill but between 5.30 & 6pm realised I was knackered, so gave it a miss. Had pre-entered, so they can have my €20 towards the charity.

Sunday - Rest Day
Another 12 hour shift, still knackered & had plenty of other stuff to do to keep my free time busy, diy around the house, etc. Was a planned rest day anyway.

Monday - Rest Day
Early shift, but finished at lunchtime, had to go shopping with the g/f after she finished work to get everything we need for hols on Friday so couldn't make the 9 mile run across the city @7pm.

Tuesday - Club run.
Totaled ~5 miles in total, back to the pitches in Dangan, a few big laps and back again.

Wednesday - Club Track session.
Due to the usual suspects swanning off to a 10k somewhere in Tipp, I was in charge of my first session, simple enough one really, 800m intervals, and a reasonable turnout, including a few first timers.
1600m Warm-up, stretches, 800m Strides, 6 * 800m @ 3:10-3:15 pace with 90sec recovery, 1600m warm down.
Did better with my pacing this time, just the 5th one dipped in pace, the rest were all even.
3:13
3:13
3:14
3:14
3:19
3:14
Happy enough with that, even pace is the goal, so I'm getting there.

Plan for next two weeks...
Heading to Dublin tonight & flying to Croatia for a couple of weeks holidays. Bringing the gear, so hope to get a few early morning runs in so as not to lose the benefit of all the training ahead of the Streets of Galway.
Unlikely to be posting here until I'm back, but if I find a race out there, I'll do it.

pgibbo

Sounds like a well earned holiday from work if nothing else. Enjoy it. Some early morning or evening runs will definitely keep you ticking over for the SoG.

spurscormac

Oh it was well earned - though being back in the office & having to sort through ~5000 emails brings me back down to earth.

Anyway, holiday training update...

Managed to get out a good few mornings - not on the traveling days, but I probably managed every second day in total.
Oh boy was it hot, temp hit high 30s regularly and a couple of days were into the 40s - one morning it was 30 at 10am :eek:

Anyway, I did anything from 30-40 min runs & got out between 7:30 & 8am. Even at that hour it was damn hot, upper 20s, and I don't think I have ever sweated as much while running. It was a struggle just to drink enough water during the rest of the day to rehydrate.

Didn't push myself hard cos of the heat, but at least a I feel like I haven't gone backwards - though a couple of club training sessions could reveal the truth.

Ain't run since last Thursday, won't make it tonight, as its Galway races, so will only get stuck in traffic getting there. Have sessions for Tue to Thur though, then a break, will see how it goes from there.

Finally - to my disappointment, there was a mini-triathlon for guests run in the hotel one of the days I was there, but I didn't find out about it until after it had started.
Judging by the 2 other competitors, I would have been able to take them both, which made it all the more annoying to miss out on a potential first victory.

spurscormac

Update:

Tuesday - Club run of Streets of Galway route.

Started off fine, was a really slow pace through town and traffic, but a few of us pushed it a bit as we headed up Eyre Sq, out Eglinton St & past the Cathedral.
Could really feel the cold after two weeks in Croatia, but other than that, felt great.
That was until about 5k into the run. Somewhere between Pearse Stadium & Leisureland, my right knee started to complain. Straight away, I knew it was the ITB - exact same pain I had in the other knee a few months ago.:(

I eased up & stopped to stretch it. Tried to run on it again, but had to give up and walk for a bit. After walking a while & more stretching, I tried to jog, wasn't quite as bad, so managed to make it back to the finish & the car.
Did a few minutes more stretching & then a lap of the GAA pitch at South Park - didnt seem too bad at the time, so I'm hopeful.

Woke this morning and had stiffness coming down the stairs. Going to have to do some persistent stretches between now and August 8th if I'm going to be able to race.

Next up is track session tonight - gonna do a warm-up, stretches & a gentle workout to see how the knee is.
If there's any pain I'm just gonna stop running completely between now & the SoG, and do some strengthening & stretching exercises to try and clear it up.

Fingers crossed.

spurscormac

Wednesday:
Didn't make it to the track session as I was caught late at work. Probably as well off having the day off, giving me 48 hours rest before testing the knee again.

Thursday:
Club run - small crowd, warm-up, ~1 mile jog to Dangan pitches, 6x GAA pitch laps, 3/4 lap at fast pace, 1/4 warm down, ~1 mile jog back & stretching.
Probably as well off running on grass. At the start of the jog back, felt my knee a little, not sore - just being extra sensitive about any niggle. Stopped & stretched it, and joined back up to the group jogging back.

Happy enough that there wasn't pain - gonna keep up the stretches & hope its ok for August 8th.

spurscormac

Friday:
Rest day - friends arriving for weekend so didnt get out.

Saturday
Race Day - but not for me, off to Balybrit for the Galway Races. Lost loads of money, absolute disaster.
Out drinking afterwards, left the car in town with the intention of running in to collect it.

Sunday
Hungover Day, but did manage to plot an 8k route from the house to the car on google maps, and ran in to pick up the car.
Means I don't feel too bad for having a drinking session last night.