Berlin or bust...

Emer911

Thursday 22nd Dec
After spending the last week feeling generally under the weather and totally lacking in desire to run, I got home today feeling well up for a few miles. I was wondering if the lungs were going to hold up but I was pleasantly surprised... no problems at all (bar the nose dripping like a leaky tap :rolleyes:)

So 3 miles later I was feeling much better with myself. I've tomorrow off, so I'm really looking forward to a nice run in the hills in the morning.

Summary 3.1 miles in 28:45
Avg Pace: 9:17 min/mi

Emer911

Friday 23rd
4 miles - no hills. Didn't feel as up for the hill this morning, so just ran an out and back 4 mile route. Nothing to write home about, but good to get a run in during daylight, for a change.

The traffic was starting to build for the pre-christmas shoppers, so I was glad I wasn't sitting in the car Sailed past the stationary vehicles, which were mostly still there when I ran back again 15 minutes later... lovely!

Summary 4 miles in 37:24
Avg Pace: 9:21 min/mi

Emer911

2012 - Jan 3rd

I haven't disappeared... just went on holidays for a bit. Back now.

Went skiing last week and fell (once or twice) so I'm bruised to bits with a sore shoulder (possibly a pulled muscle / strained ligaments). Loved it though

Back to work today and it was a late one, so no running. I have a plan ready for the Ballycotton 10 & Connemara Half that kicks off next Monday, so I'll have to get my a$$ in gear and get out there. No plan for this week. I'll get a few miles under the belt where I can and get myself in the mood for the main game next week.

Roll on 2012.

runrabbit

Welcome home, I'll hopefully see you around for some Ballycotton LSRs!

Emer911

runrabbit wrote: »

Welcome home, I'll hopefully see you around for some Ballycotton LSRs!

Yeah, we'll definitely have to hook up for a run in Jan, now that you're back at it. I'll have to get back into the swing before I commit to anything though... I'm feeling like I'd die at 5 miles at this point:o

Emer911

Saturday 7th Jan
3.5 miles on a gentle re-introductory run with my sister in law around the 'auld sod'. Nice run, I really enjoyed it. She's a good running companion, keeps a good pace and would probably have been going faster if on her own .

Summary 3.5 miles in 32:14
Avg Pace: 9:13 min/mi

Emer911

Ballycotton / Connemara Half Plan
Going to follow a modified HH 12 week plan to the Half. Ballcotton 10 falls at week 8 so there was a bit of messing about to fit everything around that.
I don't really have any time goals for these 2 races. I'd like to beat my 10 mile PB, but I'm not making any commitments just yet. I know the Half in Conn is a tuffy but my previous time there should be well beatable (PG!)

Week 1

Mon|Pilates
Tue|3
Wed| 5 x 400 5-K pace
Thur|4
Fri|rest
Sat| 3.5
Sun| 6

Emer911

Monday
Pilates - back to it after the break and she eased us into it - sort of :rolleyes: The sore arm/shoulder didn't let me do the push-ups so I got to the the superman move instead (hurray!:p)
Feeling it all today too

Tuesday
Plan: 3 miles
Actual: 4 miles
Dropped off the wee one at Kung Fu and did a new circular route which took me to 4 miles. Good run. More ups and downs than I expected but there's street lights and pavements the whole way around and I passed lots of runners and walkers on the route so it's well used and definitely one I'll do again.
There are a few inconvenient traffic light crossings, but you can't have it all :rolleyes:

Summary 4 miles in 36:27
Avg Pace: 9:06 min/mi

shazkea

Just catching up Emer - seems like a good time was had on holliers. Best of luck with the Conn/Ballycotton training

Emer911

Wednesday 11th Jan
Plan: 5x400 mt intervals at 5k pace (about 7:50 min/mi)

Again, this session was planned around a Mom's Taxi run. Parked the car at the gym club and ran up and down the Ballyogan Road <groan> 1 mile warmup and a bit more than that to cooldown to take me to 5 miles.

I did 5 x 400 with 400 recoveries. The first 2 sets I just couldn't get the pace up and they felt so much harder than they should have. Then I turned around and realised that I'd been running (slightly) uphill and into a headwind... that explains it . Did the next 3 in the same (other) direction with the recovery 400 back up the incline and into the wind. Much much easier! Phew - I though I'd lost it there for a minute.

Intervals were: 2:02 / 2:02 / 1:54 / 1:51 / 1:54
Pace per interval: 8:10 / 8:09 / 7:39 / 7:26 / 7:36

Hard session (especially those 1st two intervals!)

Summary 5 miles in 49:09
Avg Pace: 9:50 min/mi

jcsmum

Well done emer, that's a pretty open, unsheltered spot for running. Good pace.

Emer911

jcsmum wrote: »

Well done emer, that's a pretty open, unsheltered spot for running. Good pace.

Yeah, thought I was going to die doing those first 2 intervals

Emer911

Thursday 13th Jan
4 miles today
Legs were a wee bit tired today. Ran the same loop as Tuesday but in reverse. It was slower than Tuesdays run - I guess those intervals yesterday were telling :rolleyes:

I actually enjoyed it though. 3 days in a row. Rest day tomorrow-yipee!!

Summary 4.1 miles in 37:41
Avg Pace: 9:12 min/mi

Emer911

Friday Rest Day (and a night out on the town )

Saturday
3.5 miles
After my night out and late to bed I did NOT get out early today, so when I dropped herself to gym I headed to Cabinteely Park for a change of scenery. I keep forgetting how hilly that place is Up, down, up, down, up, down and a bit more around the pond to take me to the desired mileage.

Had to stop for a stretch out after 2 cause I felt the hamstrings tightening a bit - a factor of the cold, the night out (a touch dehydrated maybe?), and those unremembered inclines:rolleyes:

But it was a good run. Not the fastest, but that's ok, and I did enjoy it.

Summary 3.5 miles in 33:12
Avg Pace: 9:29 min/mi

Nikki2510

Hi! I'm doing the conn half as my first! So Great to read your blog, when was last time u did conn half and your time?

Emer911

Nikki2510 wrote: »

Hi! I'm doing the conn half as my first! So Great to read your blog, when was last time u did conn half and your time?

Hi Nikki
I did the Conn Half in 2010 and finished in about 2:16 (or so, I think). It was freaky hot that year, so I'm hoping to beat that time this year <although going on recent form that might not happen >

It's a tough race though, and aside from the hills, the weather there can throw anything at you so it's never going to be a PB potential course - unless it's your first, obviously

Good luck with the training. Maybe I'll catch you around Lenane?

Emer911

Sunday 15th
6 miles in the park this morning. Met up with runrabbit and slowed her right down for a few miles (sorry about that RR) It was a bit windy but it was dry and cool. Perfect running weather. The running club were all out too so we had lots of interaction as we trotted around. Load of them are heading to Ballycotten too, so it'll nice to know a few faces.

But, I don't really know what was up with me this morning. I felt SO unfit and out of shape. It was just 6 miles, and it was slow, so what gives?
Maybe I just need to train more/ sleep more/ eat better/ drink more water...

Not the best days training, but the company was good and it's nice to run with the distraction of a chat

Summary 6.01 miles in 57:31
Avg Pace: 9:35 min/mi

Emer911

Training Plan: Week 2

Mon|Pilates
Tue|3
Wed| 35 min Tempo
Thur|4
Fri|rest
Sat| 3.5
Sun| 7

Nikki2510

Emer911 wrote: »

Nikki2510 wrote: »

Hi! I'm doing the conn half as my first! So Great to read your blog, when was last time u did conn half and your time?

Hi Nikki
I did the Conn Half in 2010 and finished in about 2:16 (or so, I think). It was freaky hot that year, so I'm hoping to beat that time this year <although going on recent form that might not happen >

It's a tough race though, and aside from the hills, the weather there can throw anything at you so it's never going to be a PB potential course - unless it's your first, obviously

Good luck with the training. Maybe I'll catch you around Lenane?

Thanks.
Yeah I'll prob be the one in the back of the ambulance!
I'm not looking for any great times, am just hoping to enjoy it and finish it and still want to run again!

Best of luck with the training

Emer911

Monday
Pilates. We were doing crunches while balancing on a foam roller - NOT EASY! There were a few wobbles, lots of rolling around, and quite a bit of laughing until we got the hang of it. But that was TOUGH and I was in bits after it.

Tuesday
Did a 4 mile route (instead of the planned 3.5) but it was SLOW. Hamstrings and calves were tight to start with and the first mile was uphill into the wind, so that was a very gentle mile. Things loosened up a bit after that, but the rest of the run was still slow:rolleyes: Oh well.

Wednesday
Supervision at one of the Kids Clubs. 2 hours sitting in the cold. Uggh. No hope of going for a run and no inclination after that.

Emer911

Thursday
Early morning run today... ugh :eek:
No running yesterday, and a late appointment today so hauled a$$ out of bed and went for my 30 minute tempo before work. Well, sort of :rolleyes:
I wasn't quite awake, the legs were heavy, the lungs were still in bed and I was just about able to keep the straight line It wasn't exactly a classic run, but I got up, I got out and I did my middle mile (a bit) faster so I can count it as a tempo.

I am NOT a fan of early morning running.

Summary 3 miles at 9:23/ 8:53/ 10:03

runrabbit

Emer911 wrote: »

Met up with runrabbit and slowed her right down for a few miles (sorry about that RR)

Not at all - it was great to have the company and my legs weren't up to the planned pace run! My calf was in rag order the next day anyway!

Emer911

runrabbit wrote: »

Not at all - it was great to have the company and my legs weren't up to the planned pace run! My calf was in rag order the next day anyway!

Promise I'll go faster next time
Hope the calf is a bit better by now. Lots of foam rolling and stretching going on? Make sure you take care of it!

runrabbit

Calf is perfect now thanks! Didn't make it to training on Tuesday night as I was stuck in work but I hope all went well at the club!

Emer911

runrabbit wrote: »

Calf is perfect now thanks! Didn't make it to training on Tuesday night as I was stuck in work but I hope all went well at the club!

Yeah, she loved it. Has a conflict next week, but will definitely be back the week after. I can't believe how many kids were there though! And all enjoying themselves. Great going.

Emer911

Friday
Planned rest day. Used the time to go get my poor injured shoulder looked at by Ciaran Fitz - the man with magic (painful) fingers. Hurt like hell, but it did free it up a bit. He gave me some stretches to do and confirmed that the tendons are all fine, so phew! Muscles are all tight and strained, but nothing that isn't sortable.

Saturday
Plan 3.5, actual 5 miles.
Seeing as I missed out on one run this week I kept going to 5 today. It was slow and the wind was brutal, but I got around. Ran the local park, so loads of people out and about (some new year resolutions are still being maintained I guess).

Summary 5 miles in 47:40 (like I said - slow)

Emer911

Sunday 22nd Jan 2012
Plan: 7 miles
Actual: 7.6 miles
Was planning on doing 8, but the wind and the hilly route I chose meant the run was slower than expected. Seeing as I had a Mom's Taxi run I had a time curfew so cut things a bit short.Finished up back at the house, jumped in the car and went. Mad morning!

So the run? Well, I deliberately picked a hilly one to try to prepare me for the Connemara challenge, but I wasn't expecting that wind. Uphill against the wind was not fun :eek:, but uphill with the wind at my back I felt like I was going downhill - wheee!

A hard run, but I'll hopefully feel the better for it. Nice to get it done good and early too.

Summary 7.6 mi in 1:15:57
Avg Pace: 10:00 min/mi

Emer911

Monday
Pilates was cancelled due to work commitments, but I'll do a catch up session on Thursday.

Tuesday
Plan 3 miles
Actual...
Well I met a friend who wants to start the C25K, but needs to work up to it. So we went for a walk. I kept the pace up - but made sure she was able to manage it. We did almost 2 miles in about 25 minutes, which I think was OK for her 1st outing. Then I continued on to take it to 4 miles in total.

So a bit of a dual day. Enjoyable though.

Summary 4 miles in 43:30
or 1.88 miles in 24:50 and 2.12 miles in 18:40

Emer911

OK
Not a good week

Wednesday I woke up with an immovable neck. Seriously sore and stiff, but I made it through work and got to the end of the day in bits. No running, and very little movement for the evening. Massaged and rubbed and kneaded, took an anti-inflammatory and slumped off to bed early.

Thursday I briefly toyed with the idea of going for a short run, but the neck was still aching a bit, so I thought it more prudent to take the day off.

Friday Ate something at lunch that didn't agree with me and felt rotten for the rest of the day. Could NOT face going for a run.

Saturday Busy busy. Christmas party night with work (or rather, the Winter Ball - it being January, don't ya know ) and preparation for the young ones Gynmastics competition (rushing off to buy a tracksuit bottoms that fit - she's growing like a weed lately:rolleyes:) So I just couldn't seem to fit anything in...

Sunday Home from the party night and in bed well late, but up again at 7:20 to get ready for the competition. At the Gym for 5 hours, so (again) got home wrecked and just wrote this one off as a bad week.

Next week starts tomorrow. New leaf to be turned over, me-thinks.:D

Emer911

OK - back to serious stuff.
Monday
Pilates was postponed - not my idea, the instructor was sick

Tuesday
4 miles in and around the Bray seafront.
Kept it easy and just let the body catch up on itself (after not running for a week). Strangely felt OK, which I wasn't expecting. Shins didn't much like all the concrete though.

Summary 4.10 mi in 39:27
Avg Pace: 9:38 min/mi