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140.6 deep breaths...
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Tuesday pm: Running in the rain
The plan
2*5ish mile loops with 8 mins in each at Half Marathon RPE (Garmin charging)
Actual
Executed the plan
It was a positively miserable wet and windy evening. I got the gear on straight after work and got out the door immediately or I might have bailed. I wore the w/p cycling jacket and a cap to keep the rain out of my eyes. The odd thing is that I kind of like gnarly conditions for some reason and it turned into a good session with the occasional long jump over large puddles. I didn't have the HRM so just used the old digi watch to do the 8 min pieces. I think I probably did them somewhere between 10k and HM pace. The RPE was not race pace overall but definitely not base. I pushed the hills for a change. The second lap was a bit tougher but visualising the Half Marathon on Saturday made the run fly by at a decent clip. As I came back, Caz was heading out. I thought the sight of me panting and dripping like a wet dog would deter her but fair play she ran anyway
Time 1:09
Dist 15.9km
Wednesday am: Group swim session (LC)
Not as evil as Monday morning and more people in the lane which helped.
12*50m warm up 25 b/s 25 f/s. More backstroke than I've ever done
8*50m kicking drills with fins
2 sets of (400m/4*100m) off 6:45/1:45
8*50m hard counting strokes off 1:30
Overall a good session. Its becoming more regular but I was nudged up a few spots for 2nd 400. The 3 in front vanished so it was a tough one. I really focused on long strokes overall though and hit mostly 33s on the hard 50s. Pretty pleased with this session.
Time 1:05
Dist 3,000m
edit: I knew there was something unusual to report but it deserted my mind posting initially. As the lads in the lane were ushering me forward, I protested that they all tumble turn and I had no right to be in front of anyone who tumble turns! So one of them dared me to do one, he even said he would give me space after I protested further on the liklihood of injury to someone. So heart in my mouth a did one. A tumble turn. On a 400m. In the fast lane!!!! Ok, it was far from pretty and I had a nose and brain full of water but I lived to tell the tale
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Wednesday pm: Turbo 'n' run
The plan
FTP reps + Z2/3 run
Actual
Steady base session
I had moved the FTP session forward a day but then saw that teh conditions in Waterford look to be pretty hairy this weekend and I don't fancy running into a gale force wind with tired legs. So I decided to drop any intensity this week and stick with base. I was happy with the session overall as it showed that conistency is improving my base fitness.
To illustrate simply: higher output for longer with less cardiac drift
Week 1 - 60mins, watts 235, heart rate 139
Week 10 - 70mins, watts 243, heart rate 126
The run off the bike showed similar progress:
Week 1 - 15 mins at 4:37 pace, heart rate 151
Week 10 - 30 mins at 4:35 pace, heart rate 140
This is generally good to see as I am almost halfway through base training now. Its only indicative of sessions up to 1.5 hours though so it will be interesting to calibrate longer sessions at IM kind of pace in a few weeks when I can get out on the bike more regularly. The legs did feel tired on the run but I am actually looking forward to the run on Saturday. Whatever I get I'll know that I have more in the tank by simply doing one with fresh legs My pb stand at 1:53* from Connemara a couple of years ago, thats gotta go at least!
*unless I can count a half marathon off the bike at Kenmare0 -
ok I confess I have been on the chocolate trail this week, prob 2 bars a day avg... feel crap about it. I have to be more disciplined. Pure comfort eating too to make it worse.... I need to cop on to myself. I know I'm not drinking enough water and this is one reason
Thursday's traning, pm: easy run 'n' bike
I wore a base layer and jacket as I thought it would rain and despite running easy I sweated like a good thing. 2 simple lazy 20 minute loops of suburbia at 4:44 pace. There was a throng of dog walkers out and about so I stuck to the road much to the annoyance of some drivers. I just plodded along thinking about Waterford, visualising myself pushing into the wind for the first half. Its actually been so long since I've done a road race. I've paced the last 2 DCMs so my marathon pb of 3:27 in 2008 is a distant memory at this stage. While I went after a sub40 10k in the spring of 2009 before I did my first triathlon, my only 10k last year was a dismal attempt. Hence, I'm looking for some kind of satisfying result to give me some faith in running again. 1:29 will do nicely for that. I hope that after all this base running I can push my heart rate into Z3-4 range for the distance. Half marathon is an interesting distance, you can't fire off like a 10k but don't have to have the controlled caution of a marathon
So a bit of an enigma to me, but not for long! I'm excited/nervous about it.
After the run I hopped on the turbo for an easy hour to spin the legs out.
Time: 1:40 + stretch
Dist: 8.6km/34km0 -
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I agree with KB there, half marathons are a lovely race distance especially when you hit your target pace and get in the zone/rhythm. You are going to run a great race man, a tough competitor such as yourself will prob love the windy/rainy conditions if they transpire.
Great to see the progress up there too, there is comfort in those numbers, and the numbers never lie. Also don't beat yourself up over a few bars of choc, you are burning 1,000's of cals a day so you can afford a few slips, I love my crisps and allow myself at least one bag a day, bad boy that I am!
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Friday am: Group swim session (LC)
16*50m easy
8*50m kick - which is improving
4*(200m/2*100m)
6*50m flat out off 2mins
Overall I felt good. My kick is improving and I am feeling more settled in the fast lane. Lately I've been leading out the person that I aspired to be as quick as so this morning I picked a new target. One that has 3-4 mins on me over 1500m. It doesn't get any easier, you only get faster
Time 1:10
Dist 3,100m
Friday pm: Lunchtime run in windy conditions with strides.
I got a taste for what tomorrow might be like. It was pretty windy out there. 15 mins out with the wind mostly behind me and 16 mins back into it. I threw in 6*1min strides which were an effortless 3:55 pace with the wind on my back but a laboured 4:05 pace into it. I Felt generally good though. No niggles and plenty of energy. Pace 4:15, hr 159. I hope the wind is against us for the first half tomorrow.
Time 0:31 + stretch
Dist 7.27km0 -
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Saturday pm: Waterford Half Marathon
The Plan
Stay with the 1:30 pacers until about 16km and then go get a 1:29 for a pb
The Race Report (apologies.. 'tis long winded... literally)
Caz and I sat in the car with the heavy gusts of wind shaking it both wondering if it was really worth coming down. Caz had trained well up to the December 11th original date but hadn’t run for 3 weeks since. As such, she was worried about even finishing it let alone trying for a sub 2hrs. I felt good but like everyone else I guess, anxious about the atrocious conditions. We joined the busy track for a short warm up and jogged down to the start. I spotted the pace team getting organised and discussed tactics for Caz. As we were ushered forward I was still with Caz in the middle of the crowd so it took me a few seconds to get over the line when it started. I didn’t realise that there was no chip point or mat to run over. It was a little manic and I registered a sharp 4:04 km to catch up with the 1:30 pacers. For the next 2k as we looped the town and emerged onto the main Tramore road there was a certain amount of jostling for position and indeed shelter behind the pacers. I sat myself right on the shoulders of 2 of them as the group thinned out. I was a straight headwind out to about 11km so the main thing to do was to settle into a good rhythm. That I did. My Garmin stopped spiking too which helped. I chatted with one of the pacers, John. A nice guy and it was his first pace gig. One of the pacer announced we were bang on 6:49 per mile and it felt very comfortable. Too comfortable! My target pace zone was 4:10-4:15 per km and we were clocking 4:22-4:26.
I had already upgraded my plan to leaving the pacers at the turnaround but when the pace dropped to the 4:30s (7:12+ per mile!) and my heart rate dropped to just above base I decided to go sooner. We were almost at the 5mile mark and there was about 200m of a gap to another small group in front of the pacers. I knew it would take a bit of effort to bridge it, however decision made, I thanked the boys for the lift and pushed on after just a half hour with them. I caught the group on a little drag and settled with them for a few seconds before a girl and a couple of lads became my next target. The group of bongo players was a nice touch at this point and brought some light relief to a miserable day. We veered off the main road up a hill onto a secondary road and were instantly met with a very stiff gust. The girl ducked behind the guy next to her and I saw her considering me as a train when I passed them. I was passing people regularly now and had pushed my pace to 4:04-4:10 per km. I did ask myself if I had gone too early but when we turned back onto the main road with the wind on our backs I felt strong. I carried 2 gels in my hand with intentions of taking them at the 8 and 10 mile water stations. I passed a few more through mile 7 and spotted another Waterford AC girl ahead with some guys for company. By now I was cruising nicely at my threshold and clocking 3:53-4:03 kms. I passed them on the little drag before the 8 mile mark. I swallowed the first gel and threw the sachet on the ground beside the volunteer before taking a bottle.
Since managing the run section of the Kilkee Hell of the West last year I know firsthand how much work it is to sweep up a run course afterwards so I’m much more mindful of my litter since. I washed it down and set my sights on the next targets. It was nice to lift the head and focus on turning the legs over, rather than the head down and driving arms of the first half! By 15km I must have made up about 40 places but the standard of people I was passing was getting more and more athletic. On the hill before the 10 mile station I recognise my first triathlete, Joyce Wolfe. I knew she had been to Kona last autumn and was a good runner so naturally I targeted her. She was working solidly and didn’t let me go easily! I passed a couple of more XXX AC singlets before the 10 mile mark. I’m not sure I needed the second gel but took it anyway and set my sights on 4 lads running in single file about 100m ahead. With 5k to go I was still at my threshold heart rate of 170-175, the first time I had managed to hold it up there and not fade. In fact I still felt strong and reeled the lads in. As I approached them I heard a guy on the side of the road yell “well done lads, great running, you are 32, 33, 34, 35...” I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant but surely he wasn’t on about positions?! I pushed on and left the 4 lads anyway.
It was getting harder to do so now as runners would hang on for a bit and the footsteps would fade slower. With 2 miles to go I had an open road and the next runner seemed too far away to even consider chasing. Sure enough however, I pulled up beside him at mile 12. He said ‘good running’ and instantly matched my pace. I had been at 3:43-4:49 pace for the last couple of kms and it was starting to hurt a little. He stayed with me for about a minute and then I felt him surge a little. I responded immediately and that was that. I now had the RSC straight down the road and the town approached fast. There were 3 more guys up for grabs before the day was done but there couldn’t have been more than 500m to go. I thought to myself that if that guy was actually counting position I could sneak into the top 30 by getting amongst these 3! We turned left into the headwind again and the marshal ushered us up onto the footpath. The sudden wind seemed to hit the 3 of them hard so I pushed on again. I was really hurting now. I entered the RSC in front of them and pegged around the bend of the track for fear of people sprinting passed me. The finish straight presented that final gust of headwind to sap the last out of your legs but I had a clear track ahead.
Now while I was confident I had smashed my expectations I simply did not expect to see 1:25 still on the clock when I got to it!! I had to push one last time to keep it there too but I was both shocked and delighted. I had also upstaged my 10k, 5mile and 5k pbs on the run in too but given the wind I’ll leave it to future races to count those. Overall I’m delighted with my race. I gambled with leaving the pacers so soon but I felt really good and just ran strong the whole way. I passed so many but wasn’t passed myself at all and that was a feeling I’m not used to. 28th overall out of 690 runners (the walkers didn’t bother and I don’t blame them) and a whopping pb of 1:25:58 :eek: I just couldn’t have predicted that!
I got some dry clothes on and sat in the stand waiting for Caz to arrive. I really hoped she got stuck in and gave it a real shot. The clock ticked onto 1:58 however and I hadn’t spotted her come into the stadium. My heart sank a bit. I just hoped she had found some shelter and hung onto the 2hr pacers for as long as she could and would be in soon. All of a sudden she was there on the track before me emptying the tank. I couldn’t believe it, she had taken her high-viz jacket off so thats why I missed her. I let out a roar and punched the air as she ran over the line with a minute to spare on her 2hr long distance, hidden in a cloud, sure you never know kinda wish. I was delighted for her. She was exhausted, emotional and soaked but elated nonetheless. Unfortunately I was more concerned about getting her back to the hotel and dry, than the legendary post race spread so I missed the Blaas and Cookies. It didn’t matter, it was a good day! This is exactly the boost I needed in my running. I have some faith now
Well done to Waterford AC and all the volunteers managing an excellent event in very demanding conditions. Chapeau! Shame I didn't meet any boardsies but I'm sure there will be other opportunities. I'll have to hang around for the grub next time...0 -
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No, she is doing Connemara with a friend of hers and she might then think about a sub4 attempt at Dublin, I never know really! BTW is there anything left of you after all the cycling you have been doing?! You working full time now then?Congrats to yourself and Caz, is she doing Berlin too?
Ha ha yeah similar experiences although you already had a 1:28 or so if I remember from your log so I'd imagine you had no use fro 1:30 pacersBrianderunner wrote: »You passed me around mile 9/10, the only runner that passed me on the way back in actually. I stuck with you for about 400m if you remember. I noticed that everyone was looking more and more athletic too. Your race report is pretty much the same as mine. Except you cheated, you used the pacers!
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Sunday am: Easy gym session
An hour easy on the bike just to spin the legs followed by an easy jog on the treadmill. All pretty boring. I followed it up with a quick dip in the pool mixing up front crawl and back stroke which I enjoyed. I could feel the effects of the race in my legs and core.
Time: 1:42
Dist: 30km/5.8km/600m
Sunday pm: Easy turbo
My plan this week was to try and get a long bike in somehow but it was wishful thinking and didn’t materialise. My legs were a little shot anyway. Instead after watching Munster’s depressing exit from the HC I hopped on the turbo for 2 hours steady Z1. I was going over the race in detail in my mind so it passed quickly enough. Avg 232w.
Time: 2:00 + extended stretching and some push ups
Dist: 68km
Weekly numbers
10-16 Jan|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|14|16:52|260.19km
Swimming|4|4:44|13.9
Cycling|4|5:10|173.1
Running|7|5:28|73.19
Conditioning|--|1:00|Stretch/Core
60 push ups
Overall it was decent week. I didn’t get a long bike in which is the only drawback and I’m really looking forward to the spring and longer evenings. Hopefully I can get out for a spin this weekend. Swimming is tipping away and the running got a nice boost from the Waterford Half Marathon result. It’s good to have a recovery week in the plan after a race so I’ll ease back this week. I was going to do a T20 to test my FTP but I’ll leave that towards the end of the base period instead. I’m feeling the love for running again which is great. I struggled with it last year changing my foot strike and stride etc… Hopefully the perseverance with it will help me to move on a bit now. I’m more positive about a sub3 attempt in Berlin now. All eyes are still firmly on Roth though. Week 11 down, 25 to go 0
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