"If I'm not out there training, someone else is."

ecoli · 23-01-2011 1:15am

cwgatling wrote: »

Great spot for a run. Seriously hilly! Think I will try a similar session myself soon.

Yeah i used to do my long runs continuing on up that way taking a left at the fork and looping round for a nice 14-15 miler. Its a run that put hair on my chest and turned me from a boy to a man:p

seanynova · 23-01-2011 12:50pm

hey ecoli, i have scanned over your log over the past few days from the start up until around the half marathon, you seam to get the odd injury every now and again...and you have recently come back from another one right?

im going through a frustrating time these days, my body has hit me with a three pronged attack! and only one of them running related....finding it had to get out and run consistantly, so stopping all running now for a week of so....

how much do you think these injuries set you back?
is it hard for you to get back into the awing of things again, i see you give yourself a nice bit of time before pushing it on the quality sessions though, something ill have to try and do also!

what are the goals this year anyway?

ecoli · 23-01-2011 6:28pm

seanynova wrote: »

hey ecoli, i have scanned over your log over the past few days from the start up until around the half marathon, you seam to get the odd injury every now and again...and you have recently come back from another one right?

im going through a frustrating time these days, my body has hit me with a three pronged attack! and only one of them running related....finding it had to get out and run consistantly, so stopping all running now for a week of so....

how much do you think these injuries set you back?
is it hard for you to get back into the awing of things again, i see you give yourself a nice bit of time before pushing it on the quality sessions though, something ill have to try and do also!

what are the goals this year anyway?

Most of my injuries that I had up until recently have been down to lack of flexibilty (especially on my left side which seems to be where all my injuries occur) My physio wanted me to tackle this big time as i shouldnt have this poor flexibilty as a runner.

Recently i bought the p90x which is an intense plan though i mainly use the X stretch and Yoga X workouts and i feel they have helped alot so i plan on keeping them incorporated through my training plan year round. Also recently i have tried to cut out rest days and replace them with very slow recovery days. I feel i recover from these really well and they take mileage pressure off the weekly targets by adding an extra day so most of my runs these days are around 7 where before would have been eight or nine with one rest day so i am keeping the mileage lower on easy days mostly while still attaining the same mileage

Regarding slow come backs I was always cautious of racing and almost under raced the start of the log i was coming off my first major injury since i started running which had me off for four months. Since my recent injury I have taken a good build up but this was not just down to the injury but rather I have started with a new coach since the start of December and he wanted to start me off in base phase which is why i have been slowly building miles and not doing too many sessions as of yet. The new coach is a fan of races bringing an athlete on even when in heavy training which is why I am running Raheny next weekend just to see where I am even though will be training through.

My main targets this year are 5k and 10k. I have a goal 10k on track in April and then July/ August 5k on track. Both are championship races. After that I am leaving my race choice to my coach. I also have time goals of sub 35 and sub 16 by the end of the year which I would be happy with and am fairly confident of getting provided I can stay on my feet and injury free

Best of luck in the recovery hope this post gives some insights.

ecoli · 23-01-2011 9:51pm

seanynova · 23-01-2011 11:07pm

ecoli wrote: »

Most of my injuries that I had up until recently have been down to lack of flexibilty (especially on my left side which seems to be where all my injuries occur) My physio wanted me to tackle this big time as i shouldnt have this poor flexibilty as a runner.

Recently i bought the p90x which is an intense plan though i mainly use the X stretch and Yoga X workouts and i feel they have helped alot so i plan on keeping them incorporated through my training plan year round. Also recently i have tried to cut out rest days and replace them with very slow recovery days. I feel i recover from these really well and they take mileage pressure off the weekly targets by adding an extra day so most of my runs these days are around 7 where before would have been eight or nine with one rest day so i am keeping the mileage lower on easy days mostly while still attaining the same mileage

Regarding slow come backs I was always cautious of racing and almost under raced the start of the log i was coming off my first major injury since i started running which had me off for four months. Since my recent injury I have taken a good build up but this was not just down to the injury but rather I have started with a new coach since the start of December and he wanted to start me off in base phase which is why i have been slowly building miles and not doing too many sessions as of yet. The new coach is a fan of races bringing an athlete on even when in heavy training which is why I am running Raheny next weekend just to see where I am even though will be training through.

My main targets this year are 5k and 10k. I have a goal 10k on track in April and then July/ August 5k on track. Both are championship races. After that I am leaving my race choice to my coach. I also have time goals of sub 35 and sub 16 by the end of the year which I would be happy with and am fairly confident of getting provided I can stay on my feet and injury free

Best of luck in the recovery hope this post gives some insights.

cheers for the feed back, flexibility is somethin id say everyone would benifit from! must get more of it done myself...but for now ill just take it handy and give myself a few weeks base building also before i start the quality sessions.

id say you will have no bother getting sub35, within a few weeks/months you will be going strong again, have no fear of that!

ecoli · 23-01-2011 11:21pm

seanynova wrote: »

cheers for the feed back, flexibility is somethin id say everyone would benifit from! must get more of it done myself...but for now ill just take it handy and give myself a few weeks base building also before i start the quality sessions.

id say you will have no bother getting sub35, within a few weeks/months you will be going strong again, have no fear of that!

The one thing the new coach had me doing is after week or two of mileage was to add bit of pace for a mile or two once a week just to keep the legs from getting stale. These were slower than tempo pace but just a slight gear change. Found it helped my easy run pace dropped while still feeling really easy. Now running at a pace i was running my easy runs at prior to the half marathon when i was in my best shape and feel really easy with it

seanynova · 24-01-2011 1:07am

ecoli wrote: »

The one thing the new coach had me doing is after week or two of mileage was to add bit of pace for a mile or two once a week just to keep the legs from getting stale. These were slower than tempo pace but just a slight gear change. Found it helped my easy run pace dropped while still feeling really easy. Now running at a pace i was running my easy runs at prior to the half marathon when i was in my best shape and feel really easy with it

thats a good idea, i might try something like that a few times before i add paced strides to the end of the easy runs.

ecoli · 24-01-2011 10:40am

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Monday|Recovery Run |3.87 miles|9.16|35.51

Was looking forward to this after the weekend. Legs felt a good bit better today when i woke up thankfully but still a bit sore. Between the recovery run this morning and the massage i have booked in for before work however i should be back in tip top shape by tomorrow ready for another solid week and hopefully a good season opener in Raheny

ecoli · 25-01-2011 1:59pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Tuesday|Easy Run |7.68 miles|7.24|56.49

Legs were back feeling normal again today. Hips were a little tender after the work i got done on them yesterday with my massage but in another day or so they should feel perfect again. Have to say the guy was very thorough and really spent a good bit of time on the areas i needed work on. Definitely something I am going to have done on a regular basis to keep me ticking over.

tunguska · 25-01-2011 8:59pm

Are you doing this cross country race next sunday? Just after getting roped into it myself. Im embarressed to admit Ive never run a cross country race before. How much for a decent set of spikes? Where can I get them?

ecoli · 26-01-2011 12:41am

tunguska wrote: »

Are you doing this cross country race next sunday? Just after getting roped into it myself. Im embarressed to admit Ive never run a cross country race before. How much for a decent set of spikes? Where can I get them?

I think my name down for that alright however I doubt I will do it unless i roped in as part of a team. What size shoe are you? have a good pair of proper XC spikes if you want a lend they a nine? Can bring them to training thurs give you a chance to get a feel for them

tunguska · 26-01-2011 5:41pm

ecoli wrote: »

I think my name down for that alright however I doubt I will do it unless i roped in as part of a team. What size shoe are you? have a good pair of proper XC spikes if you want a lend they a nine? Can bring them to training thurs give you a chance to get a feel for them

Ah cheers man but Im a 10. Gonna head down to base2race and get a pair next week.

ecoli · 26-01-2011 9:42pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Wednesday|Track Session |10.55 miles||
Wednesday|Flexibility |||40 min

3.09 miles warm up ( 7.54 mile pace)

14x400m w/100m jog recovery (45 secs)

3.09 miles cool down (7.55 mile pace)

Splits: 83, 82, 82, 83, 81, 81, 80, 81, 81, 80, 82, 82, 83, 82

First track session of the year and I have to say that i was happy with it given its the first time this year that i have ran anything quicker than HMP. My targets were around eighty but i had to make allowances for the wind as this was not meant to be a super hero workout but rather nice and controlled to get the legs used to running at a bit of a quicker pace for the race on Sunday and given the times and the wind I am pleasantly pleased to see that i was not too far off the times despite the wind which shows that 80s was a conservative target given my shape. Despite this I am not gonna get carried away about the race on Sunday as it is a season opener and given first proper session i know that I am a long way off race fitness but still on track for my target of high 28s on sunday

ecoli · 27-01-2011 9:44pm

ecoli · 28-01-2011 3:02pm

ecoli · 29-01-2011 1:34pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Saturday|Recovery Run |4.53 miles|8.56|40.31

Thought I was doing this with a few of the boardsies but due to my own stupidity of not checking dates properly ended up standing around for 20 min before i realised no one was coming :rolleyes:. On the bright side meant this run was done on grass (first run in a long while) so kept the pace slow and just got legs ticking over till race tomorrow

ecoli · 30-01-2011 6:51pm

First race in over 4 months and first race since i started with the new coach. The fact that this month has been base building mainly and only recently started with sessions meant PB chasing was still a month or two away atleast (that and the fact i have been working the last eleven days in a row:() The plan was anything around 28.30-29 min would be a good run given where I am in training.

The new coach had me under strict instructions "don't worry about time and run competitively". Wasn't quite sure what that meant given the fact he was in the race as well as a good few top quality runners meant wouldn't exactly be challenging for top honours still i set a target for myself in terms of a race plan. Aimed to beat one of my training partners. The guy usually ahead of me in races and has been running some decent high intensity workouts of late but i know his training was not as consistent as mine so I thought i would have him for strength. The plan then was simple i knew he was gonna go out too hard at the start and suffer as long as i stayed within distance of him for first mile or two i would have him.

The race went off pretty quick and being true to the plan team mate went out guns blazing. There was a group beginning to form just in front of me and normally i would let them go because the pace was faster than i planned but decided to tag on to the group and work hard. If I was gonna blow up in this race so be it i was not in my best shape but i was gonna be competitive. Came to the first mile in 5.15 way too fast but was sticking to my game plan and was about 20m off team mate. Was going according to plan. Was hoping to catch him around mile three but i was feeling good and the pack i was with were working well together. Next mile marker came 5.29 i thought this was still quick but was probably a bit of a down hill i didn't notice so i put it down to that. Was expecting any min to start to die and in fact started to fall off the groups i was with every now and then but was surging and actually passing a few still.

Next mile came; 5.28. Kept waiting to die a death but it wasn't coming I was still feeling relatively strong. Hit the four mile mark (5.34) and at this stage the group had broke and a few of us that were trying to push on were left running on our own, not what you want working up the last mile which is up hill. Though i felt fairly spent the pace effort didn't seem to really drop though was probably a bit slower given the hill. came around to the last five hundred and i had about 30m on my team mate who surprisingly had battled on. Heard a guy call out "400 to go" looked at my watch I was just outside PB territory (not anywhere near where i was expecting to be before the race). Pushed on but maybe not as hard as I could have given the fact it was gonna be great performance but not quite PB. 100m to go and was caught off guard to see someone sprint by me, who is it but none other than my team mate, made a dash to try and hold him off but for the first time in a long while he had me for speed yet as i closed on the finish line i saw the clock ticking away. I was still on for a PB!!!!!!! Pushed on and crossed the line and stopped my watch at 27.40. Unofficially a 1 second PB so will just have to wait and see the chip time and hopefully can claim it.

All in all I was flabbergasted by how much I underestimated my shape at the moment. Hopefully if i can keep this going it will be the first of many PBs to go this season

Mile splits
5.15
5.29
5.28
5.34
5.44
(0.09)

Unofficial Time: 27.40 (5.30 mile pace) PB**

donothoponpop · 30-01-2011 7:01pm

That's an unbelievable time, given (relatively) how little running you've done over the past few months. 2011 looks like being a great year for you. Kudos!

ecoli · 30-01-2011 7:54pm

Just got the chip time: 27.41

Here is my history of five milers:

27.41
27.59
27.41
27.41

This is getting to be somewhat of a monkey on my back:mad::mad::mad::mad::D

RacoonQueen · 30-01-2011 8:15pm

Provisional results. It could change. If you shaved off that monstrosity on your face you might have made up a few seconds! :pac:

Good to see you again today, sorry I was in "I hate short races mode" and not very talkative.

ecoli · 30-01-2011 8:32pm

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Provisional results. It could change. If you shaved off that monstrosity on your face you might have made up a few seconds! :pac:

Good to see you again today, sorry I was in "I hate short races mode" and not very talkative.

Been using it as extra weight training all week:D went to shave this morning before the race and no shaving gel so had to look like Rocky in Rocky 4 training in Russia:D
Ah dont worry about it its a nice change when it not me cranky after a race;). Dont worry you will make up for the shorter races still early days

seanynova · 30-01-2011 9:35pm

thats very good running considering your training of late....how long was your base building phase? a 5m PB is something you would usually be chasing after a solid phase of speed/endurance training no(?) so your off to a good start this year....keep it going!

BeepBeep67 · 30-01-2011 9:37pm

Strong running there, you should be happy based on your pre race target.

Krusty_Clown · 30-01-2011 9:52pm

ecoli wrote: »

J
This is getting to be somewhat of a monkey on my back:mad::mad::mad::mad::D

So you're running as fast as you have ever run, over 5 miles? The worls is your oyster. A great place to be!

ecoli · 30-01-2011 10:00pm

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

So you're running as fast as you have ever run, over 5 miles? The worls is your oyster. A great place to be!

That is where the smiley face came into place. Given the fact my training is still in early stage its a very optimistic and i am delighted with the performance but missing a PB by a second is just a little bitter sweet:D

ecoli · 30-01-2011 10:07pm

ecoli · 31-01-2011 2:03pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Monday|Easy Run (Hilly) |8.57 miles|7.58|1.08.19

Met up with one of the lads I was on warm weather training with last year. Plan was to run in Marley park but once we got going the mountains called so we made our way up past Columbus College and ran up around there. Will feel it in the legs tomorrow i say but good thing seeing as i missed hills this week with the race:D

ecoli · 01-02-2011 2:28pm

seanynova wrote: »

thats very good running considering your training of late....how long was your base building phase? a 5m PB is something you would usually be chasing after a solid phase of speed/endurance training no(?) so your off to a good start this year....keep it going!

Just saw i missed this post. Roughly spent 5 weeks miles 2 weeks tempo running and then started hills and first track session last week however i still in strength building phase as of yet so the coach wants me running a few races to build strength and keep progressing from here. Dont think proper speed work will come in for another few weeks though at the moment i have one track session every two weeks

Thanks for the positive words

ecoli · 01-02-2011 2:48pm

Monthly update: January

Monthly Mileage : 261.04 miles
Days running: 31/31
Average daily mileage: 8.42 miles per day
Average weekly mileage: 58.94 miles per week

tunguska · 01-02-2011 6:23pm

Whats the story with this bad boy on sunday, is it 4k, 7k or 10k? I've been hearing conflicting reports.

"If I'm not out there training, someone else is."

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