From Connemara to Galway (maybe)

littlebug

Not a great running week so far
Monday... I went out for my now customary walk/ jog and by half way it was more walk than run and I was willing someone to stop and give me a lift home. The lashing rain and terrible sleep the night before (after 13 miler) probably didn't help.
Tuesday... Headed northbound to visit the folks. 3 miles in the (lovely) forest park that evening. I was absolutely shattered, had to keep stopping to get my bearings and found it really hard to get going again. 3 miles @11min miles.
Wednesday morning. 7 miler.... thought I'd be ok after some reasonable sleep and heading out early. Again I found it tough and almost cut it short at 4.4 but forced myself to do another loop + a bit to bring it up to 7. That's 7 miles in 1:12, average pace 10:22 with the fastest miles being the 4th and 5th so it was an unplanned tempo-ish run I guess.
Thursday- Have driven back home after bugger all sleep. am due to do 4miles this evening. It'll either be 4 very very slow ( or I'll leave it til tomorrow.
Great to see the folks but man that drive takes the wind out of my sails.

meathcountysec

Sometimes you are better to just cut your losses. Get a good night's sleep (or 2) into you and the world will seem a better place. There will be better runs.

dolliemix

I feel that pain too when I don't sleep properly. I ran two miles today and to get it done I had to keep telling myself I was only going to the next lamp post. Yet on Tuesday I felt like I was running on air for 6k and could have gone further.

Well done for keeping it up. Those tough miles will stand to you!

littlebug

Cheers. Yeah I'm taking the night off (and icing my imaginary injuries :rolleyes::o). I'll aim for a slow 3 tomorrow and if that goes ok I'll add one. My lsr isn't til Sunday so I have a bit of wiggle room.

littlebug

Well I didn't exactly pick up any extra energy from anywhere :rolleyes: (completely shattered) so I decided a couple of days off would serve me better. over the course of these couple of days everything seems to be niggling.... shins, calves, hamstring, knee (that's a new one!). On advice I've (temporarily hopefully)) abondoned Hal Higdon novice in favour of a mini taper for next weeks HM which has always been the target (thus the log title:p).

Today... slow 7 in 1:15, @ 10.43 pace. Ave HR 167. The rest of the week will be short easy runs and lots of icing etc in the hope of getting to the start line and more importantly the finish line! After that I'll re-assess the situation re DCM (fingers crossed) .

Blueskye

Sounds like a tough week LB. Hopefully you get some decent sleep over the next week and kick ass at the HM.

BrokenMan

Hope its just pre race niggles LittleBug. I always seem to spend the week before a race with every kind of little injury you can name. I think its pretty normal.

Definitely take it easy this week, your training has been good and you will fly round on Suday.

littlebug

BrokenMan wrote: »

Hope its just pre race niggles LittleBug. I always seem to spend the week before a race with every kind of little injury you can name. I think its pretty normal.

Definitely take it easy this week, your training has been good and you will fly round on Suday.

Cheers BrokenMan. Hopefully it is just the pre race madness:D
Are you running the half on Sunday ? I wonder how many are running.

BrokenMan

I'm running alright, no idea how many will be doing it though. I only know of a few from around doing it, seem to be more heading for Longford.

Tipsygypsy

Hey Littlebug, good luck on Sunday, I'm massaging at the finish area in the IMTA tent, pop over and say hi if you can, Ill fix your legs up (well, probably not completely, but Ill try to help!)!! I'll be the Blondie freckly one!



edited to add: obviously any other boardsies doing it come and say hi too!

littlebug

Tipsygypsy wrote: »

Hey Littlebug, good luck on Sunday, I'm massaging at the finish area in the IMTA tent, pop over and say hi if you can, Ill fix your legs up (well, probably not completely, but Ill try to help!)!! I'll be the Blondie freckly one!



edited to add: obviously any other boardsies doing it come and say hi too!

Great! I'll look out for you (though it might seem a bit strange going up to a stranger asking "are you Typsy"):D

littlebug

Monday. 3m slow recovery.
Tuesday. 5 m treadmill, 1@11 min, 2@ 10 min, 1 @ 10.40 amd 1 walk.
easy peasy miles this week in prep for sunday. Felt good today.

littlebug

3 easy treadmill miles. Last run til Sunday

target A: 2 hrs 10 mins (very happy)
target B: 2 hrs 15 mins (happy)
target C: finish before the first full marathoner!

meathcountysec

littlebug wrote: »

target A: 2 hrs 10 mins (very happy)
target B: 2 hrs 15 mins (happy)
target C: finish before the first full marathoner!

McMillan say 2:08:24 based on your Streets of Galway time. I've never managed to live up to his standards though.

You did a half in 2:20 a short while ago so 2:15 in a race should be no bother to you.

Just remember to keep an eye on your pace at the start.

This is your current target race. You've trained hard and well for it.

The very best of luck. :cool:

littlebug

meathcountysec wrote: »

McMillan say 2:08:24 based on your Streets of Galway time. I've never managed to live up to his standards though.

You did a half in 2:20 a short while ago so 2:15 in a race should be no bother to you.

Just remember to keep an eye on your pace at the start.

This is your current target race. You've trained hard and well for it.

The very best of luck. :cool:

Much as I'd love to prove McMillan right I don't know if I can. Much of miles 1-4 are uphill and there's another nasty one at 8 miles. I can't see myself maintaining an average of 9.40 something over hills. The test will be whether I have enough oomph left to push it for the last 5 but i'll do my best :cool:

racheljev

Good luck on Sunday Littlebug, hope you've a good one

shazkea

LB you'll do brilliantly in the half. You've trained hard so it will pay off for you even with those hills. Best of luck and enjoy it. Oh and remember to smile for the cameras

DigiJem

Enjoy your race on Sunday, hope it goes really well for you.

catweazle

You did 2.22 in Connemara was'nt it?

A Target = 2.10 around a far easier course with 5 months good training tagged on;)

I expect to see an epic fast time on this weekends race report

Good luck

BrokenMan

2:10 is well within your grasp. Just tuck into a nice pace on the early hills, they are not all that bad anyway. Its a lovely downhill and flat run once you turn off after the hill at mile 8. Wind is forecast to at your back going along Salthill.

Best of luck

littlebug

catweazle wrote: »

I expect to see an epic fast time on this weekends race report

I think you're in the wrong log Yep 2.22 in Connemara and that was with having maintained 10 min miles and then walking the hill... so yes 2.10 should be achievable. Are you running it CW?

BrokenMan wrote: »

Wind is forecast to at your back going along Salthill.

Very happy to hear that! Best of luck to you too!

Speedy44

littlebug wrote: »

Much as I'd love to prove McMillan right I don't know if I can. Much of miles 1-4 are uphill and there's another nasty one at 8 miles. I can't see myself maintaining an average of 9.40 something over hills. The test will be whether I have enough oomph left to push it for the last 5 but i'll do my best :cool:

Best of luck LB, you'll do great. Don't worry too much about those hills, there only small things anyway .
Take it easy at the start and let the gentle breeze blow you in the prom.

catweazle

littlebug wrote: »

Are you running it CW?

No, I was late when i thought about entering and the 65 euros was too rich for my blood. I am going to have a good go at a PB in the Galway Bay half in October instead

ronanmac

Best of luck tomorrow, Littlebug. It's a gentler course than Connemara and you've put in a lot of hard work since, so I am with Catweazle on this one! You will fly it! Hope everything on the day goes well for you and here's to vindicating the good work you have put in all year!

Blueskye

Best of luck tomorrow LB!!!

claralara

Good luck tomorrow LB, Hope it goes well for you!

littlebug

:eek: well that wasn't easy! I enjoyed it in a masochistic sort of way but it certainly wasn 't easy.

Galway City Half Marathon in 2.15.47 (watch time). average pace 10.19, average hr 184.
I knew the first mile would be fast as it is flat and it's that settling in time but I had predicted 9.40 for it and so it was. After that it seemed like hill after hill after hill for the next 3 miles with little respite but I managed to keep them in the low 10s as I had hoped. Mile 5 was easier (9.36 my fastest) but I foolishly thought it would stay reasonably easy until 7. Bohermore surprised me with more uphill so the 6th mile was back into the low 10s.... as was mile 7 despite it being reasonably flat I didn't manage to pick it up much. All that said at this point I was still pretty much on target for 2.10 ish if I managed to pick it up in the last 5 (you can see where this goes ) Up to 8.5 was the last (but very long and very horrible) hill..and my pace suffered badly... down to 10.30/ 10.40 and I just wasn't able to pick it up again after that:( In miles 12 and 13 I had to stop twice to walk.. only for maybe 20 -30seconds each time but it meant those miles were over 11 mins. of course I wondered afterwards was I just being a lazy cow but I see now that my average HR at that point was well into the 190s.. if that's average with having stopped to walk then I must have been up near or at max HR... not good with still over a mile to go so I was right to slow down! I can't find my ant stick just now so I can't see the details.

legs are absolutely fine... no blisters... a bit bruised on my right foot where my car key was laced in was so I obviously tied it too tight.... other than that.. no niggles. a little bit of chafing from the hrm and that's it. Legs are fine for running it seems... lungs and heart just haven't caught up yet The massage man said I have nice loose/ soft muscles, unusually loose (or maybe he said soft (shrugs) he said it like it was a good thing so I'll take it as a compliment
I can't help but be a little disappointed at finishing at the outer edge of my prediction but hey it's a pb by 7 minutes and on a flatter course I (probably maybe ) would have been closer to 2.10.

Jebus I was close to not realising my 3rd target either as the marathon winner came flying through when I hadn't even caught my breath yet :eek: I had started near the back so his time must have been not far off my HM time :eek:

I don't know if I was just not seeing it but other than water there didn't seem to be any other refreshments... a cup of tea and a banana would have been nice. I'd had fruit and tea at races that I've paid a fiver for so a bit more effort there wouldn't go astray. Even some fruit in the goody bag would have been good. Nice t shirt though. Other than that it was enjoyable. on my way back to the car there were still some full marathoners passing through at the cathedral/ NUI, running for 4+ hours at that stage. The roads didn't bear any semblance to closed roads at that stage... felt pretty sorry for them

I nearly don't want to find my ant stick now as I think the HR will be a bit scary.

I can't help but wonder how I'd have done in Longford.....

eta.. I should add that I parked 1.2 miles away from the start line so my warmup shuffle from car to docks and my ..eh.. walk back to the car I covered 15.5 miles... I'll count it as the 15 required by hal higdon for this week. Does that mean I'm doing a marathon? I don't know... maybe...

Blueskye

Well done LB, sounds like a tough course. You're definitely on track for DCM now

rainbow kirby

Well done you! (and yes, it does mean you're doing a marathon. )

DigiJem

Great running littlebug, knocking 7 mins off a pb is brill, now feet up & start dreaming of DCM