Pushing my boundaries and making my physio rich...

tHE vAGGABOND

Pain in the ass of a day yesterday - was going to do a run to get day out of my system at 9.30, but went to bed instead.

Up bright and early this morning and have done 35 mins swimming. I can do all the different parts of swimming with floatation aids [breathing, kicking and the arms], but struggling to do it all at the same time without [ie: actual swimming] - but Im a happy bunny as Im making progress, so thats fine by me :cool:

digger2d2

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Pain in the ass of a day yesterday - was going to do a run to get day out of my system at 9.30, but went to bed instead.

Up bright and early this morning and have done 35 mins swimming. I can do all the different parts of swimming with floatation aids [breathing, kicking and the arms], but struggling to do it all at the same time without [ie: actual swimming] - but Im a happy bunny as Im making progress, so thats fine by me :cool:

Good man..

tHE vAGGABOND

Very much on purpose slow and easy run around town - cold and windy out there, but very enjoyable none the less..

6 miles, average pace 9.16 per mile

Anyone who saw me must have thought me barking mad, as I was talking to myself all the time. I have an interview next week, so Jimmy Rabbit style, I was interviewing myself all the way around :cool:

Im now tapering for Saturday, in preparation for kicking Woodle's behind :pac:

rainbow kirby

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Im now tapering for Saturday, in preparation for kicking Woodle's behind :pac:

That's the spirit :pac::D

tHE vAGGABOND

Dunore 5k

Not a goal race for me at all, but training has been going really well, no niggles or injuries. So no excuses on not having a good race. Goal was to finish in the 21.* area.

The pre-race went pretty perfectly. I was at the club house too early [I'm one of those who has to be everywhere dead early]. I wandered over to the park and I bumped into Digger and Clara Lara, and left my stuff in his car. So all was packed away and good.

Met RayCun and fiat cinquecento at the starting line, so it was good to chat with them while warming up.

Race started, and as always I was going too fast. I looked at watch and I was going 6.10 pace or so. So I slowed down [which was hard, when I did not feel too bad, but I knew I would later]. But near the first k mark I was still going 6.40 or so, still a bit fast. But I kept with it.

Mr garmin tells me the first mile was done in 6.37, which Im pretty sure is my fastest ever mile in a race, and maybe in a training run tbh! fiat cinquecento sailed by me at this stage as if I was walking, I said hello, but was silently pretty bitter and twisted inside :pac:.

I was still conscious I was going too fast, but stuck with it going down the avenue. We passed RQ at this point [Stewarding], who shouted some encouraging words, which are always welcome when your central Governor is asking what the hell do you think your doing.

Would have passed second mile going down the kyper at some point. I was holding back on purpose a bit, knowing there was a hill to come. So the second mile was "only" 6.52.

At 3.5k, we have done the kyper, and we go up the millitary road, and into the wind for the first time. Holy lord was that hard. If I had not run up that hill a hundred times in many different conditions I may have cracked. I knew I had slowed down, but seeing Mr Slow and his clan was a welcome surprise, so I had to get my game face on for them, so I would not get the piss taken out of me later for looking a disaster. I looked at my watch for the first time passing them, and I was doing 7.30 mile pace, while a fair slow down, still going a fair gallop, so that was a boost tbh.

As we enter the S bends I would have passed 3 miles, and did that in 7.30, which is just fine by me, up hill and into an annoying wind!

Around the top of the hill, going into the S bends I felt some fecker using me as a wind break. Of course you cant do anything but be jealous. Low and behold it was our very own Perkina, who passes me going around the final bend, and sails away from me going up the final straight. :mad:

The finishing line could not come soon enough. I saw the clock, and saw my goal was very much on. I put on a very small burst and got in. I was utterly wrecked at the end. There was not a large amount left out on the course at all.

Garmin time : 21.36

Thats a PB by a full minute [over a PB only set in March]. So I'm utterly thrilled with that.

1 00:06:37 1.00 06:37
2 00:06:52 1.00 06:52
3 00:07:31 1.00 07:31
4 00:00:45 0.12 06:20

Avg HR: 162 bpm
Max HR: 171 bpm

Met up for a few of the usual suspects for a couple of pints in Ryans afterwards. But living in town, I have come home for a couple of hours to make myself presentable and get some nosebag before heading out to meet them again to watch the two games [Messers, if anyone is at loose end].

chinguetti

Well done on the PB Vagga and you know that there's more that can come off that time in time with the speed sessions and the Ryans sessions:D

Woddle

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

There was not a large amount left out on the course at all.

Well done vagga, you whipped my ass today and the above is exactly how you want to finish a race.

metamorphosis

Great stuff today vagga - well done

Concerned2

Great race there , to cut a minute off your time in less than 2 months is some achievement !

RacoonQueen

See he couldn't have done it without me. You are welcome. :cool:

tHE vAGGABOND

thanks all

Who ever forced all that drink down my throat all day yesterday is a bad bad man

I feel like crap, but think I have to do the 12 miles with the lads, out of some kind of healthy penance

Chip time yesterday, 21.48 - slower than garmin - but I'll take them as the experts, still a deadly time

Perkina3

Haha...well done on your time chief though to be fair I only used you as a wind break coming around the corner...The other guy who came round after me was the the guy who just followed me as I dipped in by you! :P

We shall meet again in another race chief! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

tHE vAGGABOND

12.5 mile LSR in the Park with Mr Slow, Digger, Clara Lara and Chicharito :pac:

The company was great, but the wind and heat alternating like we were in test chambers was not and nor were my legs tbh [post race yesterday and pints last night!]. I was not feeling it at all. I think pretty much everyone was feeling the same thing.

Good to get it done, but very much filed under "meh!"

Done in a fraction under 2 hours, in 9.30 min miles

tHE vAGGABOND

Mixed day at work, and its a great night out there, so after the day off yesterday I wanted to blow some steam..

A tiny bit over 7 miles at pretty solid 9 min mile pace - over the long way to Herbert Park and around there a few times, and home via the Canal.

Random : I have been listening to Marathon Talk for ages and ages, and tonight may have been the first time I listened to it while actually running :cool:

tHE vAGGABOND

Last Night:
Planned to do some sort of speed/MM session after work, but was not feeling 100% for no particular reason. So given it was the one year anniversary to the day I first started to loose weight, and start on my happy "new life" journey I took the decision to spend the night making myself and housemate a nice dinner [fish pie with fancy [aka too expensive] fish and watching TV instead

This Morning:
Alas, all work and no play makes Joe a dull boy, so got up early and did a tempo run.

Did 6 miles, first and last mile were 9 min miles, the 4 in between were 8 min miles, so took a fraction under 50 minutes.

tHE vAGGABOND

Sitting in work and wishing I was out in the sun outside - bah

Looking forward to doing the relay down in Cork on Monday, and catching up with family down there around the mandatory eating and drinking engagements

huskerdu

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Sitting in work and wishing I was out in the sun outside - bah

I am just back from a 90 minute run ( well 86 minutes, I faded at the end).

Its beautiful out there, but I suffered a bit. Much slower than normal and I got sunburnt, despite having factor 30 on.

Great 5k time. Keep it up. Your 10k time will drop like a stone.

tHE vAGGABOND

Was exhausted after work last night, so while I had intended to do a long run, I was actually in bed by 9.30. It was just the end of a roller coaster of a week [as such, this is only my 3rd run this week], so it was one of those Fridays everyone has where I just wanted to relax - and miss out the fun and games in the sun and indeed a pre-fun and games in sun run :mad:

So up early this morning to get a run done before the day starts and before it gets too hot! I intended doing 6 or 7, with an eye on Monday. But in typical me fashion :rolleyes:, I kept going Forrest Gump style, and ended up doing almost 10. I went up into the Park, Down the avenue, out and around back by the liffey [I do love watching all the rowers].

So did just under 10 miles in pretty much dead on 90 minutes.

I am now "tapering" for Monday:pac:, and the Cork Marathon Relay. Im doing legs 2 and 3, so from miles 5.5 to 16 odd on the marathon course. You cant miss me, I will be the one out of place in the team of hot ladies :cool:

Micilin Muc

Best of luck for Monday. You look like you're in great shape, fair play!

tHE vAGGABOND

I'm writing this on my iPhone, on the train back to Dublin for stinky and nasty work tomorrow [its therefore a bit long, as I have a couple of hours to fill!]. The rest of the boards crew are drinking the night and their aching limbs away in cork. Bah, real life sucks! So literally copy and pasting into computer and the off to bed with me :cool:


The plan;
Cork marathon relay, team: Clara lara on leg 1, my good self on legs 2 and 3, RQ on leg 4 and Racheljev On the last leg!

Trip down:
A fun filled trip down courtesy of meno, with rk and RQ also in tow. I was dropped in glanmire, at my sisters and the others continued on into cork.

Night before:
We went out to an Italian recommended by someone in cork marathon thread. There was 15 odd of us there. Food was excellent, the Craic was 91 (we were that kind of loud crowd no one wanted to sit near). Several of us drank far too much, i was tipsy leaving, not a long way from drunk at all. Not ideal preparation, but I was relaxed if nothing else

Race:
Morning of race sister dropped me to outskirts of cork and I strolled to starting line to say hello to those running. As the race was getting set to start I took off to my start point about 2 miles from city centre (but 5 miles into race itself).

After a few mins at my starting point folks started to come by. Eventually I saw digger and mr slow, either side of the 3.45 pace group. Both looking in fine fettle (as they seemingly did for entire race, two great times).

I was planning 8 minute miles for my 11 miles, giving us a small chance at a team time of 3.30. Tbh I thought it was a very small chance.

So I was standing there, still as a statue, minding my own business, and out of nowhere Clara lara literally launches herself at me, like Something out of a hong kong Kung Fu movie :eek:! Luckily I survived and managed to wrestle the arm band from her and having subdued her, and leaving her in a heap on the floor I was off...

I made a burst to catch digger and then later mr slow (they were near each other, but not together). I ran with each of them for half a mile or so. But I wanted to do 8 min miles and they very much did not at this point, so I said good bye and good luck and ran away from them.

As I was running with Mr Slow, just about to enter the Jack Lynch Tunnel, I saw my sister and her family. She took about 8 or 9 good shots of me, and by some work of magic not a single one has so much as an elbow of Mr Slow [despite us being side by side]! Poor fella, he has to pay race pix millions for a shot!

I was comfortable running at that pace. I won't say it was easy at all, as I was having to really work hard to maintain that effort, I hardly said two words on the whole course [and those words were to abuse Chinquetti!] (where I would normally chat with some random folks).

Due to the nature of the race i was basically passing people all day. It's odd, as you clearly have people of different speeds and abilities on each relay team. So while the first guy may be dead fast and way ahead of me, the second may be slow and thus I would catch and pass him.

Passing through the relay change overs and the half marathon starting area was utterly brilliant, as the large crowds were crazy and genuinely enthusiastic. It really does give you a boost. I'm Therefore addicted to the city marathon experience, before I have actually ran a city marathon yet!

I saw woodle and chinquetti around the half marathon area and was feeling really good at that point (6 or 7 into my run). They later said I looked as I was really cruising, and very comfortable. At the end of that road I looked at my watch and I was doing 7 min mile pace, and slowed down, but a few hundred metres later checked again but was still doing 7,20! A big lesson I have to learn is not doing that (as i always do it). as in a marathon that fast mile too early will be a killer later! (maybe following meno, doing 1.45 in clontarf half will help there?). Not followed a pacer yet in any race..

The rest of run was pretty uneventful, I was doing 7.50 min miles odd, loved the sea road we ran on and indeed the Forrest we ran thru after that. Given I was giving it loads to keep pace (even speed up a bit) I got into no adventures, (getting assaulted at first change over apart!!)

When I saw the marquee beside paric ui caoimh <sp?>I knew I was almost done. I was hurting a bit here to be honest, but I was literally going faster for longer than ever before. I'm pretty sure that run would have been a 10k pb, a 10 mile pb and a very short distance from a half marathon pb! (if I include the slow run down to start area!).

I got the bracelet to racoon queen in a orderly fashion and she was gone.

Rainbow Kirby had drop out of team with illness last week, but came down for the fun and games, but was at my finish area with my bag, which was brilliant as I had all manner of goodies inside. We them made our way to finish area to see the leaders finish.

Overall, everyone ran brilliantly, and our team came in with pretty damn good 3.31! Very happy indeed all round.

Loved everything about this race, sign me up for next year already

Note done at home : Im very impressed with my splits below here from the Garmin, I rock! [Bar crazy lap 8, where I did the 7.27, as detailed above]

4 00:07:56 1.00 07:56
5 00:07:19 1.00 07:19
6 00:08:02 1.00 08:02
7 00:07:51 1.00 07:51
8 00:07:27 1.00 07:27
9 00:07:59 1.00 07:59
10 00:07:57 1.00 07:57
11 00:07:58 1.00 07:58
12 00:07:48 1.00 07:48
13 00:07:42 1.00 07:42
14 00:07:41 1.00 07:41

tHE vAGGABOND

Swear to god, I had vivid dreams last night about all manner of batton/relay change over disasters - I wonder what my ex-house mates huge dream interpretation book would say about that :pac:

chinguetti

I'm on the hunt Vagga for the photo of you been jumped on by your team mate:D.

Good going yesterday and you'll be well sub 50 in Dunshaughlin at this rate.

racheljev

Well done Vagga, great mile splits. If I'd known you were going that fast, i could have ambled the last few miles with no worries at all 3:15 next year?

tHE vAGGABOND

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Dunore 5k [2 Weeks] - Sub 22 [so 7 min miles and then puke!]
Dunshaughlin 10k [6 weeks away] - Sub 46 [Circa 7.20 pace]
Clontarf Half [7 weeks away] - Sub 1.50 [Circa 8.20 Pace]

After looking at Woodle doing this I remembered this post of mine a while ago!

• Top one was completed last week :cool: Never running 5k again
  
  
• Dunshaughlin 10k is 3 weeks away and should be very possible.
  
  I know its stupid, but 45.35 is my "laugh out loud" goal, as its the time Paula Radcliffe ran for a 10k while 7 months pregnant
  
  
• Clontarf Half is 4 weeks away! If I had of run another few hundred meters I would have done a 1.47 odd half marathon on Monday [including two 10 min miles to get to start line]. So half goal has been redefined down to 1.45, given the progress I have made since I'm in good form of late. I'm well aware that the weather has played havoc with this race in the past, but I cant control that, can only control myself and my training and preparation
  
  
• Dublin Marathon is the main goal, and I should be well able to get under 4 hours [again, hips and knees depending!]. Anything below that is a bonus. As it will be my first marathon I want to enjoy it. I can train to kill myself for a time next April/May for London/Paris/Barcelona [insert me being a sheep and following where ever others are going!]
  

Plan for this week:
This week is a mad one, as Im out tomorrow night at a gig, Thursday is a monster drinking session for a few folks leaving work and Friday morning Im off to London for a wedding [where its free booze all weekend Im told]. So running will be few and far between to be totally honest.

tHE vAGGABOND

Over 5 and Half Miles in just over 46 mins in a morning recovery run

shazkea

Cheers again for stepping in on Mon - a job well done

tHE vAGGABOND

Thursday 9th
Work night out - drunkest man in Ireland, no running

Friday 10th
Flight to London for Wedding, long commute, once there, got into another drunkest man in world state - no running

Saturday 11th
Up early with large hangover, did 30 mins on treadmill [speed setting of 9 for most of it, whatever that means], 20 mins weights and then 10 mins on rowing machine. Treadmill facing wall [39 bricks high!] - god I hate gyms!

Then went to actual wedding and drank for about 12 hours solid [bottles, to be fair].

I did dance for well over 2 hours solid late in night, does that count toward running numbers :pac:

Sunday 12th [Today]
Reverse commute of Friday, only just in door now. Met some London mates, which involved basically walking around London for 3 hours in middle of day! That should be allowed count to something too :P

So basically Im saying I have been a very bold boy these last 5 days [drinking far too much and eating all manner of ****e]. and really need a kick in the arse with Dunshaughlin 2 weeks away. Back on the healthy living thing in the morning.

This week Im aiming for 45 miles, featuring at least one speed session, one tempo session and one LSR

menoscemo

Speed session are back in UCD on Tuesday if you're interested

tHE vAGGABOND

20 weeks to DCM - I'm officially marathon training

I lengthened the 18 week program by 2 weeks, for a couple of major intruptions. I'm basically treating my holiday at the end of July as a rest/recovery week [with a couple of short runs, so I don't loose fitness totally]. The concept of a light/recovery week mid program is something I have seen in training programs for a lot of other/similar sports, but not in any marathon training plan [for reasons Im not clear, but have not checked at all to be fair].

Im basically doing HH - Intermediate 2, but with a few changes of my own, to tailor it to me.

Mr Slow

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

• I know its stupid, but 45.35 is my "laugh out loud" goal, as its the time Paula Radcliffe ran for a 10k while 7 months pregnant

Not stupid at all, I had that in mind when trying for sub 45.:D