Pushing my boundaries and making my physio rich...

tHE vAGGABOND

Joking aside, my Garmin hates Berlin!!

Last year keen readers will remember that my Garmin blew up on the start line of Berlin marathon, and I had to run the race totally blind as to my pace and progress...

Now it has somehow forgotten my long run on Sunday morning, as if it never existed

tHE vAGGABOND

Last night - short and pretty direct run home from work, so a small bit short of 5 miles overall...

Today :
Was going to head to club over lunch and do a session of yasso 800's - for no reason at all other than wanting to do a hard session after a few weeks of nothing but running slowly! But the rain scared me away as Im soft and weak

So went to gym, and did 45 mins on dreadmill, with circa 40 mins at just faster than half marathon pace, for a decent hard effort for first time in ages!

tHE vAGGABOND

Morning run into work. changed route at last second and a 10k odd run, became a 10 mile run, and did a lap of the park and then to work, via North Circular

Pace over the run was 9.27 min miles, but some miles were over 10 min miles and a few were a bit faster than that

I should really be tapering for marathon, but since Im pacing Im sorta looking beyond the marathon, at other goals. I'm thinking I will just do a very light week next week, and that will be me for Marathon.

Work always enter people in Run in the Dark 10k, and I did it last year as a sort of training run and I'm in again this year, but thinking of going for a PB this time [mid-November I think], but since I have done nothing but run very slowly for a couple of months I don't know how realistic that is, but like the idea of trying

Also, last year I set a 5k PB in Donore 5k, so also thinking of just extending the training and goal for that, and see if I can dip into the world of 20 Mins for 5k [PB 21.10 or so, and none raced a 5k in 2013 I think]

tHE vAGGABOND

Met up with the pulse gang for a final long run before DCM..

Overall did 14.5 miles odd, in 2 Hours and 7 Mins..

A bit further and faster than planned, but good fun and felt great throughout. A bit weird signing off hard training for marathon, and being in something around 3.45 marathon shape and knowing Im going to finish over an hour slower than that

tHE vAGGABOND

Went for one drink after work last night, and fell in the door at 11pm or so, somewhat the worse for wear - oops!

So today I did a slightly harder session than planned, so did not do 45 min easy run, I did 5 by 800's [at around 7.30 min mile pace for each 800] at the club track, with a total of 10.5k in 57 minutes -with one eye on punnishing myself for being bold last night, and another eye on getting "some" speed work started again before the 10k in a few weeks.

Feeling good afterwards to be honest, good to run a small bit fast afterwards

PaulieC

Penance training

tHE vAGGABOND

Easy run home from work - 45 mins in total, nice and easy pace

tHE vAGGABOND

Now pacing 4.40 tomorrow - in a late change - doing the 10.40 min mile pace suits me better tbh...hurricane winds permitting. With 3 big strapping lads as pacers there, plenty of body for folks to hide behind!

Heading out for walk now to RDS, to swap pacing flag thing, to get me out of the house for a while tbh...

My mates were on a huge night out last night - and I was going to go out and not drink. But thought better of it (as I'm
weak and clearly would have drank), so watched a couple of crappy movies instead

Brianderunner

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

My mates were on a huge night out last night - and I was going to go out and not drink. But thought better of it (as I'm
weak and clearly would have drank), so watched a couple of crappy movies instead

Sounds like the old ball and chain to me

tHE vAGGABOND

DCM Pacing..

A great day, paced 4.40's with PaulieC and Ammo [who knows basically everyone in Dublin, for the record] - had not done a massive amount of training with wedding and honeymoon etc [compared to the folks racing it], but was convinced I would be grand.

Great to meet so many new faces both among the pacers, and at the stand at the RDS. I also love the weird and wonderful requests we get on the pacers stand at the expo too, so thats all good.

My own race, well, we hit the start line plenty early, got into place and started into banter with the folks around us. It was really good craic, and we had a good gang..

Once we got going [eventually, sooo painful waiting in the cold, while the other waves head off]. I did not over dress for the cold, like MANY folks clearly did, and was glad of it - as the weather was glorious to be honest, next to no wind in large parts of course and clear blue skies...

Heading off our garmins were all over the shop, bouncing from 6 min miles, to 15 min miles and all about in between, so it was nigh impossible to have a real idea of pace bar the time when we were passing the actual markers. We were there or there about tho, which was good..

Used the facilities in the phoenix park to have a pee, and made the mistake of stopping my watch [a bad habit I have when doing said thing on training runs] so my watch was a minute out for rest of the race - oops

Run was good, but with 10 miles to go, or so, my left hip started to get painful, and the further the race went on, the rest of my leg was getting sore. One of these marathon things, and maybe related to being a touch under cooked on the day, but made the last few miles a bit more sore than they should be at this pace to be honest!!

Funny the nearer we came to the end, people swearing at us as we passed them, "oh bollix, not the 4.40 pacers, I thought I was doing better than that..." :P

Crossed the line in 4.38.57, a fraction early I guess, but we got a really good group over the line with it [usual story some pressed on near the end, and a couple were lost to us]

Had a great night afterwards, meeting folks from Crusaders, Pulse and the boards gang - MASSIVE hang over right now, and had to get up at 6am for a work thing, and now have to go into the office, resuming the real world.

re: Next - no idea, I have a few options and ideas, but need to think on it. Reality is I don't have a lot of time for higher milage needed for serious improvement, so its going to be about quality and not quantity. But we will see...

tHE vAGGABOND

Photo of the 4.40 gang, at grand canal, so 2 miles or so from the finish..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rorywilliams/10539059635/in/set-72157637053400996

tHE vAGGABOND

No DOM's to speak of after marathon which is nice. Left hip still a bit sore, which is not. Had to go to London for day, for work yesterday, did not help with flights, airports, crappy nights sleep either side of trip etc

Not ran yet, may wait till weekend, as Im minding sore hip, but done at least an hour walking last couple of days and we are pretty good.

No idea what Im going to do next, in terms of goals - mind is all over the place in terms of direction and what is best and also what I would enjoy AND what I have time for, to do myself justice...

tHE vAGGABOND

Right, decision made..

I'm doing Chicago or New York next year. Will try and enter Chicago "normally" when it opens. But if I need to raise 5 grand for charity [I raised almost 3 grand last year when doing Berlin, without trying all that hard, between family, friends, work etc] or if I need to go to Marathon travel so be it. I will save up, and only go on the piss twice a month, and not 3 or 4 times a month, and that pays for it right there over a year

Reality is, I bloody love big city marathons and really only want to run the best ones. I also think I have a 3.15/20 kinda time in me if I stay healthy and give myself a shot [and based on times Crusaders folks I train with did over last month]. Realistically don't have loads of marathons left in the legs [or hips or knee's ] and time to fit in training and races is getting harder, so was trying to talk myself into a European marathon but it was just not doing it for me at all. The only marathons I am really into would be Dublin or the other Marathon Majors [or the chance to do one with family would be ace, but none of them run really, so not happening any time soon]..

Was also thinking about ultra's - but mind is changed, and that now off the cards.

First half of the year will be spent :
1) Getting a few Kilo's off [*NOTE* not diet per sae, but just tighten up what I eat and cut out ****e :P going to try this, have read book a couple of times now and really like it, was playing around with the food plan in a loose fashion over last few weeks and found it pretty easy to stick to] and

2) Getting some decent speed work done, and work on 5k/10k type stuff [which is a lot of the same training, only minus the 20 mile runs anyway!!]..a lot of this will be done by simply making an effort to attend training more than 2 or 3 times a month, as I was doing this year.

Get busy livin'..

belcarra

AFAIK Chicago will be some form of lottery next year due to the huge demand this year (Active.com embarrassed themselves big time by stuffing up the reg process for both Chicago and, then a couple of weeks later, the Marine Corps Marathon which will now also go to lottery as well I understand).
Maybe just keep an eye out for that. Can't recommend it highly enough though - Great race, great city!
Same goes for NYC, only perhaps a few % better again!

tHE vAGGABOND

Yup - http://www.marinemarathon.com/ reports lottery opens in 110 days..

No interest in doing that one tbh, but good to know.

tHE vAGGABOND

After so much time focusing on running slowly, I went out for a pretty speedy run [Speedy by the standards of a 4.40 marathoner anyway!)

7.6 miles in just over an hour, featuring 2 sets of 2 miles at between 10k and half pace; with easy miles before, in-between and after..

Jesus, trying to hit 7 min miles feels like outright full on sprinting after months of trying to hit 11 min miles

But fantastic, to get a run done, a quality session done, and not have to reorganize an entire day as a result

tHE vAGGABOND

Busy in work this week, and still in a sorta Post DCM downtime...

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in London for work, a late night working and drinking meant I was not in the mood to run Thursday morning at all, but I awoke at 6.30am and really was either going to sit in bed reading or go out and run, and the book I had was crap so I went out.

I was staying near Hamstead Heath, so I did 45 odd mins around there, nice a hillly, but really was not feeling it at all, really was the most "reluctant" run I have done in ages, almost turned back at end of the street, after only a mile..

This morning I was going to meet club folks at 10am, but was early and kept going on my own. In the end I did 10 miles around the park at around an average of 8.30 min/miles, with several 8 min miles and nothing slower than 9 min miles - again not setting world on fire, but happy with a slow transition back to running at a decent speed...

Plans for next year changing all the time in my head, wondering about getting a charity place for London now

tHE vAGGABOND

Hurt my back at home, so no run in the dark for me, and an enforced week or so off....

seamus

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Hurt my back at home

TMI, TMI...

tHE vAGGABOND

Seamus, I told yer ma it would not work, but she would not take no for an answer

tHE vAGGABOND

Hips and Back still not right at all, going to physio later - but expect a bit of a layoff..

Time to get a hobby which shall aid in my not putting several stone on over next few weeks

tHE vAGGABOND

Been doing two or three runs a week, but totally lost mojo, really could not be arsed...

Had a whole day on my own today, so normally could have gone off for a 2 hour run at least, had to force myself to do 10k and that really was a struggle..

I guess I need to find me a new goal or challenge, I dunno. Wont bother updating this again until I have something positive to say

tHE vAGGABOND

Ran home from work tonight on a whim and it did not feel like **** at all, physically or mentally, so maybe were turning a corner - progress of sorts

Been eating properly and also doing a fair bit of swimming, cycling and walking while off, so I should not have ballooned in weight or anything, but just to be safe, you wont get me near a weighing scales for weeks, if not months

tHE vAGGABOND

Been doing a few runs since last post, nothing too hectic and a few of them with no GPS or anything, but just doing a route in region of 5 miles or so..

Did 9 miles this morning around the park, harder work than it should have been, but pace was averaged out at just under 9 min miles which is grand. Did *a lot* of eating and drinking over Christmas, and thus getting out to work off some of that is all the motivation I need for now..

Still no idea what goal to have, totally lost. May enter a half [Bothermeen or Kildare, or both?], and thus give me some focus and excuse to join in the club sessions with folks training for April Marathons, and thus maybe get a bright idea..as otherwise I will sit back on my arse and do nothing

tHE vAGGABOND

Woke [or was awoken!] at 6.20am, so was wide awake and therefore went for a run...

Did around 5.5 miles in the rain around town, and felt great - forgot how good it felt to run early morning.

Lets tired from yesterday - but I know with a few weeks of regular runs will bring back fitness and getting to a few club sessions will [later] bring some speed, so not a single worry about speed or pace now tbh

tHE vAGGABOND

Ran home from work, just short of 5 miles..

Have entered Botharmeen, but as much to keep me honest and have some sort of direction to my running as much as anything. My half PB from Kildare last year is prolly my best PB, so getting anywhere near that from where I am now is unlikely. But working toward it is grand for now

Will likely also do Kildare Half again, and a few Parkruns [only done 1 Parkrun, ever, so need to correct that], and can work it into bike stuff..

Main target for the first half of the year is going to be a first triathlon, and the sprint distance in Athy in May ["only" a 10k cycle and a 5k run, but its the 750m swim is the thing I need to work on right now!]

tHE vAGGABOND

Yesterday - gym, 30 mins cross training and 40 mins core weights work!

This morning - not a lot of time, so just short of 7 miles at an easy pace (when I pushed pace or went up a hill I was in bits and breathing fell apart, either still really unfit or coming down with a chest thing....

tHE vAGGABOND

Away for a few days cheapo (kids gone back to school, folks at work again) holidays...

5 mile progression run, ending with a 7.45 mile I think - feeling pretty good...

Micilin Muc

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Away for a few days cheapo (kids gone back to school, folks at work again) holidays...

You may as well stay there, Ireland's nearly washed away!

tHE vAGGABOND

35 mins of utter hell in hotel basement treadmill....grey, windowless, airless, no music, no other people, no tv...

Why did I bother? I guess the masses of bread eaten on holidays is one big reason (the beer I'm about to drink in London is another!!)