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

ecoli · 07-11-2012 9:21pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Wednesday|Easy Run|6 miles|N/A mile pace| N/A

As I was finishing up my run session last night I saw the Garmin flash with the battery low warning sign so this morning packed the watch and the charger to bring into work today however between one thing and another I got side tracked and completely forgot about it till the fog lifted about 10 min from home this evening. Too late to do anything about it just went off feel and did a loop I know to be just over the 6 mile mark from running it so often.

All in all felt good though mind you I probably was a little quicker than usual but nothing major maybe 7 min flatish pace definitely not pushing it anyway. Not a bad idea to get away from the watch and run off feel every now and then I suppose to stop our feet from becoming an extension of our watch

ecoli · 08-11-2012 11:21pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Thursday|Session|10 miles|N/A mile pace| N/A

Session:
3 miles easy,
1 mile jog bends/stride straights,
7 x 1km w/ 2.30 walk/jog rec
1.5 miles easy

Splits: 3.18, 3.17, 3.14, 3.16, 3.16, 3.16, 3.14

First time back on the track in a while and I was looking forward to this one to be honest. Said to myself that if I could manage sub 3.20 I would be doing well but to be honest that wasn't too much of a problem.

There was a few of these where I was able to run a bit with one of the lads who trains down on the track. Normally I wouldnt be in the same league as him but he was doing mile reps cruise intervals and his pace was around 5.10ish (scary to thing that is supposed to be his half marathon pace)

I was wondering the idea of 7 reps as opposed to 6 or eight and then as I finished the sixth one I realised that my legs were swimming. The last rep was going to simulate a race perfectly as the legs were hurting so dug in to maintain the pace.

All in all a very solid session and a week all round. Training has just come easy for some reason this week and I havent had to force the mileage or indeed the pace on session so happy little camper as long as I can string a few weeks like this together over the next while

dna_leri · 09-11-2012 2:32pm

Good session there ecoli. Lots of us doing 1Ks yesterday, not many as good as that though. The break does not seem to have done you any harm.

ecoli · 09-11-2012 3:10pm

dna_leri wrote: »

Good session there ecoli. Lots of us doing 1Ks yesterday, not many as good as that though. The break does not seem to have done you any harm.

Looks like was just the day for them. Fair play on your session to man very solid running as no doubt you would have hit your target times on the track.

Yeah this is something I have noticed over the last year or so. I think the higher mileage year around has made an impact on how long it takes me to get back into shape. Similarly during the summer I had a very bad patch over training but in the space of 5 weeks was able to get myself in track PB shape.

In that incidence however I think I came back too quick too soon and ended up with a few niggles so slightly more controlled approach this time. The sessions have gone well but was never really breaking my back on them so hopefully over the next few weeks I can keep that controlled mind state as the times improve

ecoli · 09-11-2012 7:09pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Friday|Recovery Run|7.5 miles|8.19 mile pace| 1.02.24

Massage this morning with Vinny as well as him getting a bit of practice myself (great to get feedback on my own technique where I can) so spent the guts of the morning at that and then a recovery run with DJS. Legs felt grand after the session yesterday but still good to get the recovery run and massage in today just to keep on top of things as I always find maintenance work can make the difference in stringing together a few months of uninterrupted training and often works out cheaper than acts of desperation when you are injured (every fad technique that comes along or any "miracle cure" that you will buy into just to get back running).

Run itself was enjoyable and good to talk and catch up between his new job in Runworx and my sports therapy and how its going. Great chatting with runners and talk of the sport and how it helps create more enthusiasm and motivation. Training on my own alot of the time it can be one of the aspects I miss out on.

The old saying of surrounding yourself with good influences could not be more applicable than in running and would encourage people to not be afraid to meet up and training with other people as often as they can (mainly directed at the new DCM graduates and best of luck to them as they continue the training)

Oregano_State · 22-11-2012 2:22pm

Just wondering how you're getting on Ecoli, I haven't seen any updates here for a while.. Did you pick up an injury??

ecoli · 23-11-2012 10:02pm

Oregano_State wrote: »

Just wondering how you're getting on Ecoli, I haven't seen any updates here for a while.. Did you pick up an injury??

I wish it was was an injury but unfortunately it was a case of long days with work and the sports massage stuff getting on top of me so didnt end up getting around to anything meaningful (today was first proper day back out). Thought I was on top of things but went sober to a gig last monday and never really caught up with myself between 10+ hour days with work/course etc before I start study. Had a day off yesterday so hopefully that will have helped me catch up and ghet back on track and just have to keep motivated and disciplined over the next while if I want to get running in around the course/ work.

Normally I would say you make time but I dont want to approach the sports therapy half assed and I know its a case of the more I put in the more I will get out of it so I have been spending every spare min I can in the books or working on people

ecoli · 02-12-2012 9:08pm

ecoli · 03-12-2012 11:32pm

Day|Training|Distance|Pace|Time
Monday|Easy Run|8 miles|7.12 mile pace| 57.40

A little later than normal start meant I got a slight lie in and also meant that I was not my groggy morning self so was able to put a bit of planning into action so packed everything needed for the next two days into the car so I could leave it in work and ran home. This means no morning rush hour traffic tomorrow morning and I will get two proper runs in (tonight and tomorrow)
Run was grand legs still getting used to being back in full use but nothing drastic. Threw in a couple of strides after also for good measure

thirstywork2 · 04-12-2012 1:48am

Threw in a couple of strides after also for good measure[/QUOTE]

Must start throwing in some strides myself

ecoli · 04-12-2012 1:23pm

thirstywork2 wrote: »

Must start throwing in some strides myself

After going from not being allowed to run at the start of September to a Marathon in Oct I am expecting your strides to be something like mile reps after a long run

ecoli · 04-12-2012 1:27pm

jfh · 12-12-2012 12:34pm

hi ecoli, notice that you run a lot of easy miles eventhough your a speedster.
how long do you do the base work for?
reason i'm asking is i've started up a log & will be starting back running after a few weeks off due to injury,
would 3 weeks easy running be long enough? want to start into the daniels 5 -10km plan.

Krusty_Clown · 12-12-2012 1:27pm

jfh wrote: »

hi ecoli, notice that you run a lot of easy miles eventhough your a speedster.
how long do you do the base work for?
reason i'm asking is i've started up a log & will be starting back running after a few weeks off due to injury,
would 3 weeks easy running be long enough? want to start into the daniels 5 -10km plan.

Sorry to jump in, but I've been looking at Daniels 5k-15k plan a lot recently. The start of the plan includes:
Weeks 1-3: 7 days each week at E pace (+3 to 4 days supplemental training).
Weeks 4-6: 7 Days at E pace, including one long run, and include 6-8 strides for four of the E runs.

The Daniels 5k plan is very demanding, so I reckon the longer the base phase the better, particularly if just returning from injury. If you're not up to running 7 days per week, then maybe your base building phase should be about getting you up to a point where you can run 7 days a week, and then start the plan.

jfh · 12-12-2012 4:59pm

yeah that's the one i was basing my thoughts on too, but for you would there be much point stepping back to easy running? 6 weeks off easy running sounds a lot. apologies ecoli for mini discussion.

Oregano_State · 12-12-2012 5:24pm

jfh wrote: »

yeah that's the one i was basing my thoughts on too, but for you would there be much point stepping back to easy running? 6 weeks off easy running sounds a lot. apologies ecoli for mini discussion.

If I could add my 2c: I'm in general agreement with Krusty, if you want to start a (by all accounts tough) program that requires running 7 days a week you should be doing close to that before you begin. Admittedly I'm not familiar with the Daniels plan, but the main essence of what I'm saying is that if the first week of the plan is much different to what you are doing now, then it would be a good idea to tweak your training so it is heading in that direction.

It doesn't have to be all 'easy' miles, you should throw in a bit of fartlek and strides to keep it interesting, as long as you're ramping up the volume gradually overall.

I started this Summer from a very low base, to running/training 5-6 days a week and I ended up getting a few niggly problems as a result. It does take patience. The 10% rule is a good'un.

sorry Ecoli

Krusty_Clown · 12-12-2012 6:17pm

jfh wrote: »

yeah that's the one i was basing my thoughts on too, but for you would there be much point stepping back to easy running? 6 weeks off easy running sounds a lot. apologies ecoli for mini discussion.

Hi there, you mentioned in your previous post that you were starting back to running after a few weeks off due to injury. What does your training look like at the moment? If you are already running easy 7 days a week, then you are already fulfilling the early weeks of the plan. If you're already also doing a 90 minute long run and strides, then you're about ready to move to the next stage of the plan (week 7). But otherwise, you'd be well advised to make sure you have the base building phase completed. The purpose of this phase is to get you fit and ready for the rigours of the rest of the plan. Personally, I skipped the base building phase, as I had just completed a marathon plan, which included easy running (and sessions) 7 days a week, which I've been doing for most of the last year.

Also sorry, ecoli!

ecoli · 19-12-2012 6:16pm

Glad to see the thread has been put to some use these days. With regard to my recent training this is not quite a base phase its simply the fact I am limited in my training at the moment and have only been getting out on a few easy runs just to try keeping the fitness ticking over.

In terms of a base phase I would very rarely do just easy miles during base phase the aims of a session would differ moreso than the layoout of training.

If you look from around November '10 I was coming back off injury and was getting back and from here I did a more traditional base phase. You can have a look but the layout was few weeks easy, few weeks tempos and hills and then track work but these were high volume short reps with low recovery so never really killing myself but at the same time they act as good strength building sessions and resulted in big PBs after 2 months

ecoli · 19-12-2012 6:25pm

A small bit of training to update.

A few sporadic 6-8 milers over the last two weeks and went down to the club the last two weeks to do a session

Session 1 8*600m w/1 min rec
Average pace: 2.02

Icey conditions made the track a bit slippy and hampered the pace slightly due to lack of grip but otherwise a fairly comfortable session

Session 8*600m w/ 1 min rec
Average pace 1.56

One of the younger 800/1500m lads was doing this one so ran with him. Was happy enough with it though was shown up for my lack of fitness on the last one where the other lad went for it. at 400m he was at 71 me following behind in 73 and died off a bit finishing in 1.55. Happy enough to be doing odd session to keep me ticking over and hopefully aim to be fully back on the horse by the new year

ecoli · 31-12-2012 4:01pm

Right time to evaluate how this year has gone. Ultimately I felt this has been a pretty poor year overall. Though I managed four PBs the thing that really let me down was consistency. I was fit four roughly 4 months of year the rest of the time was spent either AWOL or regaining fitness which I had lost. This included nearly 8 weeks just before summer and then since the Dublin Half since when I have slowly but surely gotten worse with training to the point at the end of Oct where training became minimal and sporadic at best

Here is a list of the races from this year which show just how all over the place it was
Jan|Raheny 5|27.21| PB|
Feb|Garda 4 mile XC| 23.51||
Feb| Interclubs XC|41.07|Course best|
Mar|DCC 4 mile|21.40|PB|
Jun|National Leagues 3k S/C|11.12||
Jun| Midsummer 5k|17.34||
July|National Leagues|10.27|PB|
Sept|National Half|82.46||
Sept|Bhaa 10k|35.24||
Sept|Dublin Half|76.20|PB|
Sept|Liz McDonnell 5k XC|17.48||
Oct|Tallaght 5 mile|28.05||

12 races in 12 months is really not where it should be when you think I had no races in four months of this year. I needed to take a long hard look at the facts that despite the PBs this year has been a failure and I really cant afford to do the same again so new year new start and not letting any excuses get in the way from now on I am going to re focus myself and get back to enjoying running and training hard.

Over the last while I have not been myself and have not been fully happy and I firmly put this down to not running the way I used to. I have been running all my life and it is my outlet and something I love with a passion, so taking it away though at first was a bit of a break which is sometimes needed has now turned into a source of annoyance as it has been a part of me which has been lost in recent weeks and months. Also my focus on the sports massage over the last few months has made me forget that in order to be successful here not only must I be good at treatment and in my knowledge of the injury treatment also keep focused on the running scene as these will be future clients (hopefully) and no point in doing something if you cant walk the walk. Clients always are more at ease when you can relate to them especially in this sport when they mind often pushes where the body doesn't want to go

Rather than wait for the 1st I started back proper train so that I can avoid going crazy tonight and going into the new year with a clear head and a new focus. For the next while it will be the annoyance of letting last year, which started with so much promise, slip by

ecoli · 31-12-2012 4:05pm

Rather than set out my yearly goals I am going to keep the immediate focus by aiming for the short term goals within a long term plan.

This month will be a base building phase to get back the fitness that i have lost. Over the last few weeks I have been doing a bit to keep ticking over but given the low mileage I was able to bluff my way through runs and sessions somewhat so I need to accept that I am no where near as fit as the odd session might indicate

I am setting myself a few targets for the month which will drive me:

January Targets
300 miles minimum
Sub 28 Raheny
Run every day

Obviously some of these targets I must approach with sensibility I will not run injured but at the same time if I look after myself there is no reason why I should do off base training

ecoli · 31-12-2012 4:12pm

jfh · 31-12-2012 4:16pm

ecoli don't be too hard on yourself,things happen , main thing is to stay at it, i also ran out of steam towards the end of the year & am eager to start anew with base building in jan,so will be keeping an eye on this log.
4 pb's is a great year, you've got the years of running behind you to getaway with it, you'll regain fitness fast.
best of luck with goals in 2013

tisnotover · 31-12-2012 4:37pm

jfh wrote: »

ecoli don't be too hard on yourself,things happen , main thing is to stay at it, i also ran out of steam towards the end of the year & am eager to start anew with base building in jan,so will be keeping an eye on this log.
4 pb's is a great year, you've got the years of running behind you to getaway with it, you'll regain fitness fast.
best of luck with goals in 2013

+1 to this, 4 pb's is really good going, not a bad year at all when you just think of it like that.

I think you've a solid approach with building on the base and not worrying about races in short-term. Its something I'm adopting as well for next few months and we'll see where it goes.

Will follow with interest in new year, enjoy a few drinks tonite!

Kurt Godel · 31-12-2012 4:55pm

I'd nearly suggest this introspection is teenage agnst, you'll grow out of it, but reckon you're bang on the money. A bright start last year, and it became obvious you ran out of steam. Monthly targets look like a good idea, the great thing about this time of year is the fresh slate it offers. Best of luck in 2013, you'll get what you deserve from it. Always enjoyed reading this log.

ELFOYZER · 31-12-2012 5:59pm

Very honest analysis of what was a very decent year for you, even if it felt below par. Hope you rediscover your mojo and kick ass in 2013. Keep logging, always a very interesting read.

Dory Dory · 31-12-2012 6:05pm

Thank you, Ecoli, for all the help and inspiration you've given me. You have a gift, a talent, and thank you for sharing that with us all.

Happy New Year to you, and all the best for you in 2013.

TRR · 31-12-2012 9:52pm

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I'd nearly suggest this introspection is teenage agnst, you'll grow out of it, but reckon you're bang on the money. A bright start last year, and it became obvious you ran out of steam. Monthly targets look like a good idea, the great thing about this time of year is the fresh slate it offers. Best of luck in 2013, you'll get what you deserve from it. Always enjoyed reading this log.

+1 In fairness to you, you are a lazy git. New working hours/setup and start of physical therapy course came together to mess up the last 3 months of the year. Once you get a routine and serious mojo you'll be laughing.

No more excuses in 2013 though, if you're not hitting a marathon in April a PB of 45 seconds is the minimum goal in the national 10k on the road.

Happy new year and hopefully your mammy and daddy will let you stay up to ring in the new year this year

Younganne · 31-12-2012 11:03pm

I hope 2013 goes to plan for you, and thanks for all the support you have given to all of us on the logs over the year especially the DCM 2011 class and now me for London. Thank you and Happy New Year:D

ecoli · 01-01-2013 7:39pm

TRR wrote: »

+1 In fairness to you, you are a lazy git. New working hours/setup and start of physical therapy course came together to mess up the last 3 months of the year. Once you get a routine and serious mojo you'll be laughing.

No more excuses in 2013 though, if you're not hitting a marathon in April a PB of 45 seconds is the minimum goal in the national 10k on the road.

Happy new year and hopefully your mammy and daddy will let you stay up to ring in the new year this year

Thats the plan 4 months not enough time to prep properly for a decent marathon attempt so just gonna focus on national 10ks hunting down you and the other lads cant be beaten by an old foogie like yourself. After today's results looks like age is catching up on ya old man:D

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

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