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2012 4 Races for 4 PBs
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Irish Runner 5 Miler 2014
Job done, just about
New 5 Mile PB of 31:48
I was nervous before this one, wasn't expecting to be nervous. I took it as a good sign, must mean I'm taking it seriously.
Headed out at around 9:20 and ran at recovery pace over to the Park, in Islandbridge Gate, up the Khyber and up Chesterfield to the starting pens. I was concerned about the weather. It felt mostly warm and I was already sweating a fair bit. There were some welcome breezes though and I thought I felt one or two drops of rain.
Worked my way up to nearer the top of pen 1, I reckon there were around 200 people ahead of me. It was quite busy and I was ready for some congestion over the first 400m or so. Did some stretches and bounced about a bit, just keeping the legs in motion.
Goal was sub 32:00 with target pace of 3:55 min/km [6:18 min/mile]. I'd aim to bank time over the mostly downhill first half and then hope I wouldn't drop average pace slower than 3:55 [6:18] over the second mostly uphill half. I was fairly confident of hitting sub 32:00, I had maintained 3:55 [6:18] pace for 10K in the build up to Cork, but that was over a month ago and on a flat course. I hadn't done any speed running of note since.
We move forward en masse. And we're off!!
The Downhill Half
As expected there was some congestion on the run up Chesterfield, but it wasn't too bad and as soon as we turned right onto North Road it was easy to find a clean racing line. I was checking the Garmin and happy to see that I'd dialled in 3:52 [6:13] pace, that would do fine. Legs felt fresh, ST5s feeling very comfortable and footfall felt smooth. First K logs at 3:52 [6:13]. So far so good.
Group of Tallaght singlets running more or less at my pace, I'm guessing they're targeting sub 32:00 as well and I'm happy to stay close enough to them. Every year there are runners along the North Road who I reckon have gone out too fast, their breathing is already suffering and I do wonder what will happen when they hit the second half of the race. I'm gradually working my way past runners, occasionally I'm overtaken. The second K logs at 3:53 [6:16].
Breathing feels good and as we head through the roundabout and down toward the Khyber I notice the average pace is starting to creep up, 3:52 [6:13] becomes 3:51 [6:12]. After 3K I do start feeling the effort. It's not particularly tough but I'm growing concerned about the hills ahead. I let gravity carry me down the Khyber. I'm still overtaking people. Pass under the half way chute and glance at average pace which flickers at 3:50 [6:10]. K4 was the fastest of the day at 3:46 [6:04]. Now for the fun bit.
The Uphill Half
We turn up Military Road and instantly the field divides into two types of runners, those whose pace drops fairly significantly and those whose pace holds more or less steady. The second group filtering up through the former.
Two of the Tallaght singlets are running just a couple of meters ahead of me and I'm content to let them pace me up the hill. I gradually move past them as we reach the S-Bends. That wasn't too difficult. But I know the effort levels have now stepped up a notch and the race has started properly. I try cut a good racing line through the S-Bends, I'm happy and a little surprised that I'm still overtaking quiet a few runners. I complete 5K in 19:21. That's just 2 seconds off my 5K PB from the start of the year.
I try 'enjoy' the flat, slightly downhill stretch through the water station. I see one of the Tallaght singlets ahead taking a cup, how'd he get back ahead of me? I wonder should I grab some water. I don't. Can't say I'm feeling the heat.
Right then, time for the second climb. Less severe than Military Road, but the Upper Glen Road is long and relentless. Passing less runners now. C'mon 6K completed, just 2K to go. I've lost track of the Tallaght singlet. He's not up ahead so I reckon I've overtaken him again. Average pace is dropping, showing now at 3:54 [6:17]. I tell myself that it'll settle down once we get to the top of the hill. I'm not watching the splits, just the average pace. By the time we get to the flatter tree-lined bends at the top of the Glen Road I'm fairly wrecked and I'm not happy to see 3:55 [6:18] showing. K7 is the slowest of the day at 4:11 [6:43], just as well I wasn't checking splits.
I remind myself though that the plan is still on track. Just hold 3:55 for the last K and I'll have my sub 32. This stretch between the top of the hill and the start of Furze Road is traditionally where I struggle and again this year I find myself doing a little too much hoping and not enough trying.
As we turn toward Furze the runner ahead of me slips but manages to stay upright. Onto Furze Road and I overtake a group of runners who I expect to come back at me but they don't. I'm focussing up the road, where's the finish line this year? I can never remember how far up Furze I have to go, always seems too far. The PA is sounding nearer and nearer though and eventually I see the finishing line up ahead, maybe 300m to go? I try speed up but then I nearly slip, the surface is wet and slippy. Accordingly my sprint toward the finishing line is more tentative than I'd have liked.
I can see the clock reading 31:52. Great. I push to try ensure I get a sub 32:00 clock-time. Over the line in 31:49 on the Garmin.
Post Race
Fairly wrecked for the first minute or so. Grab a goodie bag and stroll up the rest of Furze. It's starting to rain proper now.
I'm pleased with my time. It's a PB of 1:22 over last year's 33:10. But to be honest my thoughts are turned more towards Fingal and Blessington.
Today 3:55 pace today wasn't as comfortable as it was during my 10K TTs before Cork. I'm already seeing today's race primarily as a good training session ahead of Fingal. Hopefully with this race in the legs and some more speedwork over the next few weeks I'll manage to hold 3:55 over the flatter Fingal 10K.
Sub 38:30 in Blessington is looking daunting. But it is a summer of running away so I'm not going to worry too much about that now.
That's June done. Two new PBs. I'm happy with the month's work. And I reckon (touchwood) the legs have recovered well since Cork.
Official Chip is 31:48.
Pos 131 of 3119 finishers, or 5th in a race of 100.
Kilometer |Km Pace |Average Pace
1 | 3:52 [6:13] | 3:52 [6:13]
2 | 3:53 [6:16] | 3:53 [6:14]
3 | 3:50 [6:10] | 3:51 [6:13]
4 | 3:46 [6:04] | 3:50 [6:11]
5 | 4:00 [6:26] | 3:52 [6:14]
6 | 3:53 [6:15] | 3:52 [6:14]
7 | 4:11 [6:43] | 3:55 [6:18]
8 | 3:59 [6:24] | 3:55 [6:18]
Recovery Week 4 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Recovery 5M @ 9:20 to 10:00 | 5.11M | 9:20
General Aerobic 10M @ 9:00 to 9:15 | 10.06M | 8:46
Recovery 8K @ 5:48 to 6:13 with 6x100m strides | 8.39K | 5:31 [8:53] average stride 3:34 [5:44]
RACE Irish Runner 5 Miler targeting sub 32 | 8.12K [5.05M] | 3:55 [6:18]
LSR 14M @ 8:30 to 8:45 | |
Miles WTD 29.99 / MTD 135.68 / YTD 970.070 -
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Recovery 8K with 6x100m Strides
A thousand mile run
On with the gear as soon as I got home. A replica of last Friday's run. Warm-up across to the 15 Acres and a little loop under the hospital. Then crack into the strides. I ran these quicker than advisable, but just got in a nice groove, they felt fluid and smooth. Worked up quite a sweat by the end of the run, it was thunder storm humid out there.
Now, looking forward to the next session.
4.94K @ 5:58 [3.07M @ 9:36]
6x100m strides @ average stride 3:19 [5:20]
1.98K @ 5:47 [1.23M @ 9:18]
Total 8.49K @ 5:39 [5.27 @ 9:06]
McMillan 10K Week 1 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Recovery 5M @ 9:20 to 10:00 | 5.18M | 9:25
General Aerobic 10M @ 9:00 to 9:15 | 10.02 | 9:07
Recovery 8K @ 5:48 to 6:13 with 6x100m strides | 8.49K | 5:39 [9:06]
McMillan 10K Key Session 1 of 7: 6x1M @ 3:49/50 min/km | |
LSR 16M @ 8:30 to 8:45 | |
Miles WTD 20.47 / MTD 15.29 / YTD 1004.830 -
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outforarun wrote: ».... just 2K to go. I've lost track of the Tallaght singlet. He's not up ahead so I reckon I've overtaken him again.
Found him!
Looks like I touched ground after the line first.0 -
6x1 mile @ goal 10K pace off 3:30min recovery
Fail
I guess I was due a fail, been a while. I'm blaming the World Cup beers.
Ran this in Cork. I got the 8:00am train down and was running at 11:30, no breakfast, that bit wasn't clever. I ran a 4K warm-up over to Little Island. It was noticeably warm.
I'd checked on Google Maps for a flat stretch of road and found a loop measuring a little over a mile in East Gate Business Park, there was a slight drag and drop on one part of the loop but overall it looked fit for purpose. It was Saturday morning so I pretty much had the road to myself, seems to be a popular spot for learner drivers.
So goal 10K pace was 3:49/3:50 min/km [6:09/6:10 min/mile]. I'd set up the intervals in miles, but switched to metric for the run. Worked well, each interval measured 1.61K.
Mile 1 - 3:47 [6:05]
Set off too fast and applied the brakes too slowly. I was feeling ok up until maybe the last 200m or so, at which point the effort started to feel noticeably more difficult. Time wise the first mile measured 6:04.53. My fastest ever measured mile.
Mile 2 - 3:51 [6:11]
The 3:30 mins recovery was just about enough. Note to self - if I'm attempting to the hardest interval session I've ever attempted and I'm offered 3 to 4 mins recovery, take the 4 mins. The second mile followed a similar pattern to the first. Started too fast, apply brakes too late and suffer near the end. I was already breathing hard over the last 400ms and I was starting to realise that 6 of these may not happen.
Mile 3 - 3:52 [6:14]
I'd look at the Garmin and see again that I started to fast, I'd apply the brakes but then as the pace slowed down I'd feel a need to speed up to ensure it wouldn't fall too slow - and once again I suffered over the end. The end now measuring 500ms. I knew now that I wasn't going to hit my target. Dreading the beeps that signal another mile of pain.
Mile 4 - 3:59 [6:25]
Paced this one a bit better, but the legs were tired, I felt warm, I felt a bit demotivated as well knowing that I wouldn't be hitting target pace over the 6 intervals. I was hating the 200m drag on the loop and couldn't wait for the 200m drop that followed it. Dying a death, legs and lungs, for the last 500ms, footfall feeling very flat, felt like race effort.
Mile 5 - 4:01 [6:28]
Made a decision now not to look at all at the Garmin and just run at whatever effort felt uncomfortable but manageable for a mile. This took some pressure off. I knew I was well off target pace, it felt more like LT pace. I didn't check the split at the end.
Mile 6 - 3:58 [6:23]
This felt better, I think just cause I knew it was the last one. Held the pace steady. I think the fifth mile I'd allowed myself to recover from the previous hard 4 miles, so I was tackling the 6th mile from a better starting state. Again I didn't check the splits, I'd resolved not to do so until I got home.
You know you've had a tough session when the cool-down seems to go on for ever and just seems to serve to tire you further. Got rained on as well :rolleyes:.
Post Session
I was happy I didn't ditch the session after 3 or 4 intervals. Once I knew I wouldn't hit target I was tempted to just ignore the last two miles or run them at MP. It was a good call I think to ignore the Garmin and just try run as hard as I felt was manageable. I was pleased to see that the last two miles still logged as sub 6:30 miles. I didn't think they were that fast.
It's incredible the difference a few seconds average pace can make when you're running at the faster end of your paces. Travelling in the high 3:4Xs had me dying a death, travelling in the high 3:5Xs for the last two intervals were so much 'easier'. Running that first mile that fast, didn't help.
So have I set my goal to high? Sub 38:30 for Blessington always seemed daunting. Should I see Fingal as a sub 40 race and then Blessington as a sub 39 attempt? Maybe that's more realistic. Maybe 3:53 [6:15] pace is a better goal?
Average mile pace yesterday was 3:55 [6:18]. This is what I hope to maintain in Fingal. I like to think I could have averaged 3:53 yesterday (with difficulty yes, but that's predicted in the plan) if I had targeted it rather than 3:49/3:50. I also think last week's 5 Mile race effort was still in the legs.
Right now I'm thinking 3:53 [6:15] for the remaining sessions.
Warm-up 4.06K @ 5:33 [2.52M @ 8:55]
6x1M @ average 3:55 [6:18]
Cool down 3.97K @ 5:43 [2.47M @ 9:12]
Total 21.42K @ 4:51 [13.31M @ 7:49]
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/536759791
McMillan 10K Week 1 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Recovery 5M @ 9:20 to 10:00 | 5.18M | 9:25
General Aerobic 10M @ 9:00 to 9:15 | 10.02 | 9:07
Recovery 8K @ 5:48 to 6:13 with 6x100m strides | 8.49K | 5:39 [9:06]
McMillan 10K Key Session 1 of 7: 6x1M @ 3:49/50 min/km | 21.42K | 4:51 [7:49] average interval 3:55 [6:18]
LSR 16M @ 8:30 to 8:45 | |
Miles WTD 33.78 / MTD 28.60 / YTD 1018.140 -
outforarun wrote: »6x1 mile @ goal 10K pace off 3:30min recovery
Fail
I guess I was due a fail, been a while. I'm blaming the World Cup beers.
Ran this in Cork. I got the 8:00am train down and was running at 11:30, no breakfast, that bit wasn't clever. I ran a 4K warm-up over to Little Island. It was noticeably warm.
I'd checked on Google Maps for a flat stretch of road and found a loop measuring a little over a mile in East Gate Business Park, there was a slight drag and drop on one part of the loop but overall it looked fit for purpose. It was Saturday morning so I pretty much had the road to myself, seems to be a popular spot for learner drivers.
So goal 10K pace was 3:49/3:50 min/km [6:09/6:10 min/mile]. I'd set up the intervals in miles, but switched to metric for the run. Worked well, each interval measured 1.61K.
Mile 1 - 3:47 [6:05]
Set off too fast and applied the brakes too slowly. I was feeling ok up until maybe the last 200m or so, at which point the effort started to feel noticeably more difficult. Time wise the first mile measured 6:04.53. My fastest ever measured mile.
Mile 2 - 3:51 [6:11]
The 3:30 mins recovery was just about enough. Note to self - if I'm attempting to the hardest interval session I've ever attempted and I'm offered 3 to 4 mins recovery, take the 4 mins. The second mile followed a similar pattern to the first. Started too fast, apply brakes too late and suffer near the end. I was already breathing hard over the last 400ms and I was starting to realise that 6 of these may not happen.
Mile 3 - 3:52 [6:14]
I'd look at the Garmin and see again that I started to fast, I'd apply the brakes but then as the pace slowed down I'd feel a need to speed up to ensure it wouldn't fall too slow - and once again I suffered over the end. The end now measuring 500ms. I knew now that I wasn't going to hit my target. Dreading the beeps that signal another mile of pain.
Mile 4 - 3:59 [6:25]
Paced this one a bit better, but the legs were tired, I felt warm, I felt a bit demotivated as well knowing that I wouldn't be hitting target pace over the 6 intervals. I was hating the 200m drag on the loop and couldn't wait for the 200m drop that followed it. Dying a death, legs and lungs, for the last 500ms, footfall feeling very flat, felt like race effort.
Mile 5 - 4:01 [6:28]
Made a decision now not to look at all at the Garmin and just run at whatever effort felt uncomfortable but manageable for a mile. This took some pressure off. I knew I was well off target pace, it felt more like LT pace. I didn't check the split at the end.
Mile 6 - 3:58 [6:23]
This felt better, I think just cause I knew it was the last one. Held the pace steady. I think the fifth mile I'd allowed myself to recover from the previous hard 4 miles, so I was tackling the 6th mile from a better starting state. Again I didn't check the splits, I'd resolved not to do so until I got home.
You know you've had a tough session when the cool-down seems to go on for ever and just seems to serve to tire you further. Got rained on as well :rolleyes:.
Post Session
I was happy I didn't ditch the session after 3 or 4 intervals. Once I knew I wouldn't hit target I was tempted to just ignore the last two miles or run them at MP. It was a good call I think to ignore the Garmin and just try run as hard as I felt was manageable. I was pleased to see that the last two miles still logged as sub 6:30 miles. I didn't think they were that fast.
It's incredible the difference a few seconds average pace can make when you're running at the faster end of your paces. Travelling in the high 3:4Xs had me dying a death, travelling in the high 3:5Xs for the last two intervals were so much 'easier'. Running that first mile that fast, didn't help.
So have I set my goal to high? Sub 38:30 for Blessington always seemed daunting. Should I see Fingal as a sub 40 race and then Blessington as a sub 39 attempt? Maybe that's more realistic. Maybe 3:53 [6:15] pace is a better goal?
Average mile pace yesterday was 3:55 [6:18]. This is what I hope to maintain in Fingal. I like to think I could have averaged 3:53 yesterday (with difficulty yes, but that's predicted in the plan) if I had targeted it rather than 3:49/3:50. I also think last week's 5 Mile race effort was still in the legs.
Right now I'm thinking 3:53 [6:15] for the remaining sessions.
Warm-up 4.06K @ 5:33 [2.52M @ 8:55]
6x1M @ average 3:55 [6:18]
Cool down 3.97K @ 5:43 [2.47M @ 9:12]
Total 21.42K @ 4:51 [13.31M @ 7:49]
McMillan 10K Week 1 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Recovery 5M @ 9:20 to 10:00 | 5.18M | 9:25
General Aerobic 10M @ 9:00 to 9:15 | 10.02 | 9:07
Recovery 8K @ 5:48 to 6:13 with 6x100m strides | 8.49K | 5:39 [9:06]
McMillan 10K Key Session 1 of 7: 6x1M @ 3:49/50 min/km | 21.42K | 4:51 [7:49] average interval 3:55 [6:18]
LSR 16M @ 8:30 to 8:45 | |
Miles WTD 33.78 / MTD 28.60 / YTD 1018.14
Still a very good session - maybe not 10k pace throughout, but would still be a decent cruise interval session (McMillan).
Or - depending on effort, could have been the session you were hoping for, but at 10k effort as opposed to pace.0 -
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Cool, that'll be handy enough for you, so can pace me , having failed badly on my last outing in Dunshaughlin!!outforarun wrote: »All the while I'm thinking about Fingal and Blessington and I've decided to target sub 40 and sub 39 respectively.
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Cool, that'll be handy enough for you, so can pace me , having failed badly on my last outing in Dunshaughlin!!
Happy to. Pressure!!
Will be trying to hold 3:55 min/km 6:18 min/mile. Managed that pre-Cork and over the tricky 5 miler two Saturdays ago. Must arrange a meet up point or something, aiming to meet up with statss as well.0 -
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