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2012 4 Races for 4 PBs
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Blessington 10K
I don't want to dwell too long on this one. My slowest 10K in a long while. I've only run Blessington slower on one occasion and that was back in 2013.
I really performed poorly on Sunday. I was hoping for a PB and came up 49 seconds short. Nearly a minute off my PB.
I do have one genuine excuse which does stop me from being utterly disappointed with this performance. I'm still sick. I'm not shaking this cough, it continues to linger. During my warm-up I must have cleared my throat 20 times. I hacked a bit during the race and hacked a lot after the race. Nose is a bit clogged as are ears.
It's also true that I haven't done any 10K specific training of late, usually I arrive in Blessington off the back of a 10K specific training plan. This year instead I'm in the middle of marathon training. That said, this didn't stop me running a 38:52 in Fingal in July and feeling much better than during Sunday's run.
Whatever about my splits from Blessington, or my chip-time or my average pace, one figure stands out from Sunday, 73.35. This is the figure that greeted me on the scales once I got home. This is too heavy. I have been taking my eye of my diet a little of late. I haven't weighed myself in a while maybe partially because I knew I wouldn't like what I saw.
Last year I was around 3 kilo lighter for Blessington - that has to make a difference. I need to lose around 4 kilo over the next few weeks.
Just for the record, this is how the morning unfolded.
Travelled down to Blessington with mr and mrs overpronator. The further we headed south the worse the weather became. Parked in the mud and cowdung and headed to pick-up our numbers. Not too cold, but just generally wet, windy, mucky and miserable. Overpronator and I go for a 2 mile warm-up out and back along the start of the course. Overpronator is thinking of running a tempo and there is talk of him using me as a pacer. My plan is to be at 3:54 [6:17] or 3:55 [6:18] pace at the foot of the hill. Let the Roncobello work help me navigate my way up the hill and then push over the closing and mostly downhill final 2.5K. I'd have taken 38:37 if it was offered to me at the start-line.
01-05K in 19:32
As always I start too fast and post a 3:46 [6:04] opening kilometre. Overpronator however has already opened a 10m gap or so. I won't be chasing him, instead I ease off and focus on trying to ensure my negative split. Up until around 3K I feel good. I'm just ahead of the sub 40 pacer. At times when I ease up he overtakes me. I have a suspicion that he's travelling a fraction too fast, maybe he's banking some time ahead of the hill.
Two Crusader females are running just a little ahead of me, they would finish 3rd and 4th female. I start to notice on K4 that despite easing up and travelling at tempo pace I'm not feeling nearly as comfortable as I'd like to be. In Fingal, with it's downhill start I was feeling really good at this point and had to focus on not running faster than 3:55 [6:18]. Sunday instead I was realising that 3:55 pace was going to be hard to maintain. Mentally I think already the race was lost. The body just felt heavy, no zip. I go through 5K in 19:32.
06-10K in 19:55
Turn the half-way hairpin and we find ourselves running into a slight to moderate headwind. There's a bit of downhill here and I try to enjoy it, knowing that the hill is approaching. The sub 40 pacer was only running 5K and has been replaced with a second pacer. I pull ahead of this second pacer. I focus on the nearest Crusader female ahead of me, try matching her stride and hold the gap at around 5m.
We arrive at the hill.
I immediately close the gap with the Crusader runner, but she doesn't want to be overtaken and puts in a little kick. I don't try stay with her. I just focus on getting up the hill. The Roncobello training doesn't feel like it's helping. I post a really poor 4:22 [7:02] for K7. I've stopped looking at my watch.
As we start our descent Crusader has opened up a gap of maybe 15m. I try to lengthen my stride on the downhill, but I'm tired, I cannot push as much as I'd have liked. I'm overtaken my a runner at the base of the hill, he mutters some encouragement. Onto the last 2K, these always seem to go on for ever. I'm overtaken by a second runner. But I notice that the gap is closing to Crusader, she's struggling.
I'm in countdown mode. Spectators shout support at the 500m to go mark. With about 350m to go I try to up the pace. I finally move past Crusader but I can hear her trying to respond. Have I pushed too soon? The finishing gantry is visible but still quite a bit away. One spectator shouts support to Crusader saying "Go on, push him to the line", and so ensuring both of us try finish strong.
I cross the line ahead of Crusader. I didn't even check the time on the finishing clock, I knew it wasn't good. I see overpronator and his expression is one of condolences. I hack a bit, wait to be sure I don't retch and only then check the Garmin, 39:26. That's even a bit worse than I expected, I would have guessed 39:0X.
Overpronator posted a very impressive 38:04, considering he was running tempo pace for most of the course and considering he had posted a 17:4X 5K only a few days previous. Just as well he didn't use me as a pacer.
Anyway - sickness, non-specific training and running above racing weight, these in my opinion are the chief culprits behind Sunday's weak showing.
Chalk it up. Focus on the next 6 weeks of DCM training, and get back to work.
K01 in 3:46
K02 in 3:54
K03 in 3:58
K04 in 3:59
K05 in 3:55
K06 in 3:52
K07 in 4:22
K08 in 3:52
K09 in 3:55
K10 in 3:54
Chip time 39:26
P38 of 363 finishers or 11th in a race of 100.
P&D55 Week 12 Target Paces in post 2357 | Session Results | Post Run Weight
VO2Max 13K with 5x600m | 7.01M @ 7:50 with average 600 in 2:11.47 @ 3:39 [5:52] | N/A
MLR 12 Miles | 12.00M @ 7:20 |
Recovery 8K with 6x100m Strides | 8.01K @ 5:32 |
Blessington 10K, sub 38:38 attempt | 39:26 | 73.35 :eek:
LR 17M | |
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining | Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
55 / 55 / 02 / 00 / 29 | 33.28 / 61.56 / 1386.00
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