Micilín's Mucky Miles

Micilin Muc

Tuesday

Cycling: 25km commuting

Mountain Biking: 14km @ Ballinastoe. So I'm now hooked on mountain biking. Ticknock was fun on Sunday but Ballinastoe is like one big fairground, can't imagine what Ballyhoura is like! Miles and miles of trails!

My bro was testing out a bike he had his eye on and made a decision to buy it and to sell me his very decent old one through the bike shop so I can avail of the bike to work scheme. I'll have it to keep from Monday

It makes sense for me to go for a MTB rather than a road bike because MTBing packs a lot more into a shorter period of time than road biking. I've got lots going on in my spare time at the moment - between running, yoga, playing music, travelling to Galway every second weekend and a few large freelance projects coming up, so MTBing fits the bill more than road biking. I'd rather 2 hours on trails than 4+ hours on the roads with traffic. Plus I live very close to Ticknock and will be moving for good to Galway next year with loads of trails nearby. Here's to a new obsession!

Wednesday

Cycling: 25km commuting

Running: 8km at lunchtime. All but the first kilometre were run with my mouth closed concentrating on nasal breathing four steps to every breath. It was tough (mainly because of

mucus building

) but the pacing was insanely accurate - only four seconds between the slowest and fastest kilometres!

Yoga: 90 minutes. 10 minutes straight after my lunchtime run and the rest in the evening. I tried a new asana (sequence of moves) last night - my shoulders and triceps are a bit sore today, but that's good!
Thursday

Cycling: 28km commuting. I have a commuting competitor now - he travels the same convoluted route as me for 9km but breaks all the lights :rolleyes: It gives me great pleasure in catching up with him and passing him again

Running: 8km in Bushy Park. A nice run, finished off with a decently fast last km (5:00min/km )

Micilin Muc

Was it the beard? Was it the 5 months' pain? No, it was the cross-training!

8km in 36:36

I'm still trying to work out this equation: 5-month injury layoff + 5 weeks of slow low-mileage training up to 8km = 20 seconds or so slower than a PB. WTF?!

I honestly went into this race thinking that sub-40 would be a very decent result given my recent woes. In fact, it was my friend who gave me that target, not having any idea how fast or slow I was. We had a go at a few strides at 40-min race pace beforehand and I didn't find it too bad.

I lined up about 4 rows back so when the gun went I naturally followed the same pace as the people around me, which of course was way too fast. I slowed down a bit, but not too much because of the embarrassment at having gone out too fast I reached the first km in 4:08, the second km in 4:15. The third km felt pretty bad as I got passed by a good few people, but only slowed to 4:29. The wheels very nearly came off in the hilly fourth km - I was within seconds of puking and walking the rest of the way, a real mental battle to not quit - 4:55 was the split. The fifth km wasn't much better either - 4:51.

I don't know how I picked up the pace again, but I suppose I got encouragement from not being passed by many people, and from having reached the water station turnaround. Getting closer to the village of Roundstone again I just kept plugging away and keeping a straight line through the corners. The sixth and seventh kms in 4:45 and 4:46 were decent enough and I knew I was going to go way under 40 minutes.

The final km towards the end I knew I could give it my all. I reeled in one runner who had passed me earlier and then just went all out to the line - last km in 4:31, top pace of 3:39. Seeing the clock at 36:xx I got such a shock and had a big smile when the race director called out my name. Past the finish line I went straight over to vomit on the ground between two cars - what a sense of satisfaction knowing I could push myself this hard again :D:D

Great race organisation - good support from locals and stewards, loads of tea, coffee and biscuits in the community hall. Meanwhile, I'm recovering as if I had run a marathon!

Garmin Link

KielyUnusual

Great to see you back in the game MM. No greater satisfaction than finishing a race knowing you've left nothing out there on the course.

RunningKing

What a great come back!
You even got the full vomit in.....delighted for you, seriously good performance.

Micilin Muc

Cheers - back in the game is right!

I bucked the trend for Jack Daniels' V-Dot. I'm still at the same V-Dot of 48 as October, whereas 72 days+ of a layoff plus cross-training and five weeks of running should have had me at 42/43. Happy days

Micilin Muc

Sunday

Walking: A 7km walk to get the blood flowing through the legs.

Monday

Cycling: 25km commuting
Yoga: 1 hour. Still very stiff from Saturday.

Tuesday

Yoga: 30 mins at 6am
Running: 6km at lunchtime followed by some stretches. Felt less stiff afterwards.
Mountain Biking: 32km in total (only about 6km on trails). A lot of uphill trails and technical sections. It's a very good VO2 Max workout, put it that way!

Brought the new bike home with me. Had a very numb right foot on the cycle home, possibly because of the placing of the SPD cleat in my shoe. Must also get padded shorts

Micilin Muc

I just thought I'd put my goal for 2013 out there - a 10k in sub-40. The goal race is the 10k Chonamara in October.

I will of course be doing other races:

• IMRA Leinster League
• Streets of Galway 8k
• Dingle Half Marathon
  
• Clifden 10k
• Rathfarnham 5k

Followed by about 4-6 weeks of a scheduled break from running. It seems to do me good

RunningKing

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I just thought I'd put my goal for 2013 out there - a 10k in sub-40. The goal race is the 10k Chonamara in October.

I will of course be doing other races:

• IMRA Leinster League
• Streets of Galway 8k
• Dingle Half Marathon
  
• Clifden 10k
• Rathfarnham 5k

Followed by about 4-6 weeks of a scheduled break from running. It seems to do me good

What? No Marathon followed by an Ultra? Lightweight............. :P

Micilin Muc

RunningKing wrote: »

What? No Marathon followed by an Ultra? Lightweight............. :P

Nah, I don't fancy running another marathon until I'm in sub-3 shape, whether it takes me a year or more, I don't mind. TBH I'd love to be a spectator at this year's DCM, giving back to the running community and all that!

I do plan to train on relatively high mileage though, so I'm sure I'll be back in the Phoeno for some more long runs!

tHE vAGGABOND

Great comeback, sensible plan for the year Im thinking too

Micilin Muc

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Cheers - back in the game is right!

I bucked the trend for Jack Daniels' V-Dot. I'm still at the same V-Dot of 48 as October, whereas 72 days+ of a layoff plus cross-training and five weeks of running should have had me at 42/43. Happy days

I must have miscalculated - my V-Dot is actually around 44 based on Saturday's race. My goal may need to be revisited, or not :pac:

Micilin Muc

Wednesday
Cycling: 25km commuting
Running: 8km with some strides. Hamstrings both very weak!
Yoga: 30 minutes

Thursday
Cycling: 28km commuting
Yoga: 90 minutes

Friday
Cycling: 25km commuting
Yoga: 30 minutes

Saturday
Running: 8km in Bushy Park. Great weather - Bushy Park was packed.
Yoga: 30 minutes

Sunday
Mountain Biking: 30km exactly. I cycled from my house up to the masts at Three Rock and did all the official mountain bike trails twice. 726m of climbing and about 15km on trails and forest roads. I only put my foot on the ground once in 2hr16mins

statss

You've got a great variety going on in your training.

I was planning on cycling to Ticknock on Friday but was worried my crappy "mountain" bike wouldn't cope with the uphill Kellystown road so I locked it up in Marley instead and walked up. :pac:

Can you recommend a brand / amount to be spending on a decent mountain bike? Those trails around Three Rock look like great fun.

Micilin Muc

statss wrote: »

You've got a great variety going on in your training.

I was planning on cycling to Ticknock on Friday but was worried my crappy "mountain" bike wouldn't cope with the uphill Kellystown road so I locked it up in Marley instead and walked up. :pac:

Can you recommend a brand / amount to be spending on a decent mountain bike? Those trails around Three Rock look like great fun.

I wouldn't take my crappy mountain bike up those kind of gradients unless I was pretty confident of the drivetrain not buckling! That said, it managed to hold up on the climb up to the Sally Gap from the Luggala side. My good mountain bike has 30 gears and I could really feel the difference. I didn't get out of my saddle once when climbing.

I'm not the best expert on mountain bikes yet, but from what I've gathered so far, a beginner would be best off on a hardtail (which means front suspension only, no rear or frame suspension). 29-inch wheels are becoming more popular, but beginners would be best off on smaller wheels. Also, front suspension should be lockable so that no energy is lost when climbing. Has your current bike got a suspension?

A good brand would be Giant, can't really go wrong with them. Maybe keep an eye out for second-hand mountain bikes but make sure it hasn't had any major damage to it. Spend up to €500 for a very decent second-hand bike because you'll always have to replace parts - they take a good beating!

statss

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I wouldn't take my crappy mountain bike up those kind of gradients unless I was pretty confident of the drivetrain not buckling! That said, it managed to hold up on the climb up to the Sally Gap from the Luggala side. My good mountain bike has 30 gears and I could really feel the difference. I didn't get out of my saddle once when climbing.

I'm not the best expert on mountain bikes yet, but from what I've gathered so far, a beginner would be best off on a hardtail (which means front suspension only, no rear or frame suspension). 29-inch wheels are becoming more popular, but beginners would be best off on smaller wheels. Also, front suspension should be lockable so that no energy is lost when climbing. Has your current bike got a suspension?

A good brand would be Giant, can't really go wrong with them. Maybe keep an eye out for second-hand mountain bikes but make sure it hasn't had any major damage to it. Spend up to €500 for a very decent second-hand bike because you'll always have to replace parts - they take a good beating!

thanks for the detailed info. I don't think my bike has suspension, it's literally just a €250-€300 basic thing I picked up for work commuting but I've been using it more over the last 3 weeks as I've a little injury stopping me running....would be nice to get a good one and do it properly, especially as those trails are close by.

nerraw1111

statss wrote: »

thanks for the detailed info. I don't think my bike has suspension, it's literally just a €250-€300 basic thing I picked up for work commuting but I've been using it more over the last 3 weeks as I've a little injury stopping me running....would be nice to get a good one and do it properly, especially as those trails are close by.

Give it a go on the basic bike you have now. The trails aren't too rocky. The lower trail in particular isn't too demanding and flows quite nicely. The upper trail is a bit rocky though.

Micilin Muc

Monday

Cycling: 15km commuting. Picked up my old MTB/Hybrid commuter from the bike shop - new wheels feel great.

Tuesday

Cycling: 54km commuting, on the proper mountain biking. Came home via Carrickgollogan, did the trails there about 3 times each, and then on to Kiltiernan, Glencullen and Three Rock, doing the trails there once each. So much fun!

Wednesday

Cycling: 12km commuting.

Now on two weeks' holidays :D:D

Micilin Muc

It had been 4 days since I last ran, so I had the 'perfect' taper for this race. Despite a 4-hour spin on the mountain bike yesterday, I woke up with zero soreness or tiredness. I had a feeling I was going to run well!

I lined up with 4 rows behind me and started off trying to keep a hold on my pace. I slowly passed people all the way up to the first proper trail. I felt the burn in the calves on the steep trails as it had been a long time since I had run gradients like this.

Reaching the first relief from steep climbing/power walking I felt the need to lengthen my stride to strech the legs and recover the calves. I made ground on a few people before the next stretch of steep trail.

Coming towards the end I could tell that my core work was paying off as my form seemed to be very efficient. Still, it couldn't hold off the kamikaze runners bombing it down the steep rocky trail before the last bit of forest road - runners I had easily passed earlier who seemed to be in the throes of fell running pain, mad yokes! They must have gained a full minute on me in the space of 1km.

I finished in under 57 minutes, 7 minutes faster than last year I nearly wretched, but it didn't happen

belcarra

7 mins improvement off the back of just returned to running is a great success!
You doing Scarr next week?

RunningKing

Super running. Nice to get 7 min improvement, any idea how you got this as you were flying last year?

Nice to see the retching , all the cool people are doing it!

Micilin Muc

Thursday

Biking: 32kms on the MTB around Collooney and the Sligo Way. Serious downhill trails in Union Woods under threat from Coillte harvesting.
Garmin Link

Bus to Ballyshannon for Rory Gallagher Festival. Cycled another 7km out to my B&B in Rossknowlagh. No trails but amazing views on hilly roads.

Yoga: 1 hour

Friday
Walking: 6km along Rossknowlagh Beach
Cycling: 13km to and from Ballyshannon.
Surfing: A 2-hour group lesson. Crap waves but great fun.
Yoga: 1 hour
Air guitar, pizza and cider: 6 hours

Saturday
Cycling: 12km in Donegal and Dublin
Yoga: 1 hour

Sunday
Rest: Still sore from IMRA race, surfing, and some cycling in my runners on tiny cliplesss pedals

Monday
Running: 8km along the Grand Canal while OH walked the mini-marathon. Met CL and Digger and saw CL coming in 30th position over Leeson Street Bridge. Great race and event.

Tuesday
Cycling: 33km on the MTB in Derroura near Maam Cross. Fantastic trail there, views were spectacular.
Garmin Link

Unfortunately on my second lap of the trails I sliced open my calf on the teeth on the front chainring. It wasn't particularly sore but there was lots of blood. Luckily I had a first aid kit and managed to clean out some dirt and oil. I continued on around the second lap and then back to the bus stop at Maam Cross. I went to my OH's doctor who cleaned up the wound a bit more, applied a better dressing and prescribed some antibiotics

Wednesday
Rest and travelling to Ballycastle, Co. Antrim.

Thursday
Cycling: 25km around Rathlin Island. Took it very handy.
Yoga: 30 minutes

Friday
Running: 14.25kms hill run up and down Knocklayd. Extreme gradients, extreme sweat in eyes, extreme views of Ulster and Scotland.

Garmin Link

Saturday
Walking: 6kms or so

Sunday
Running: 12.93kms again up and down Knocklayd. I couldn't get enough of this place!

Garmin Link

Monday
Trip back to the doctor to check out my leg. Not allowed exercise for a week now as the running and cycling delayed the healing process. He said I could have been in "serious trouble" if I hadn't taken the antibiotics :eek:

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
Dying to run IMRA tonight but my leg says no I had a great holiday anyway and fitted in loads of everything. I got in two very difficult runs and had zero soreness

Micilin Muc

Sligo Way


Loch Corrib from Derroura



Rathlin Island, with Scotland on horizon

belcarra

You really seem to be enjoying the MTB'ing...just make sure you don't get too distracted by all that air guitar!!

statss

Small world, I too took a surf lesson on that beach the weekend of the Rory Gallagher festival...with fin mccools surf lodge...good craic....Ballyshannon was bonkers on the Saturday night.

Micilin Muc

Wednesday

Went to second doctor in Dublin who said the wound was healing up nicely and that I could run and cycle. Unfortunately it was too late to head to the IMRA race.

Thursday
Nothing

Friday
Nothing

Saturday
Cycling: 32km on MTB trails in Derroura. No mishaps

Sunday
Cycling: 16km on MTB trails in Djouce Woods. Half yesterday's distance, twice the difficulty. Lots of slippery roots, cliff edges and steep downhills. I popped my over-the-handlebars cherry! No damage done.

Monday
Cycling: 18km commuting
Running: 18.4km run up to Fairy Castle and back. Very slow right from the start. My thighs took a hammering on the descent!

Tuesday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Have done more or less no yoga in the past 3 weeks. Must change that.

Micilin Muc

Wednesday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Thursday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Wednesday
Cycling: 12km commuting

Saturday
Rehydration

Sunday
Rehydration

Monday
Cycling: 24km commuting.

Running: 12.84km up to the top of Kelly's Glen and back (glen between Tibradden and Kilmashogue). It was my first time up the road past the turn-off for the Wicklow Way at Kilmashogue. It's all on road but a very decent climb and a very manageable distance from my house when I'm pressed for time. Will be up here again.

Tuesday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Wednesday
Cycling: 36km commuting

Running: IMRA Kippure. Finally got out of work on time for an IMRA race I did a short warm-up and a few stretches. I started at the very back as I didn't know how I'd be. I passed out a lot of people on the climb up to Kippure. I really enjoyed the climb, especially the boggy parts.

At the turnaround it all went downhill - the race and my running. I had lots of strength and pace in my legs but the bog was like a field of wobble boards on my poor decrepit ankles. Nearly everyone I had passed on the climb passed me out again. I got very very frustrated. I was like one of those drunken eejits in high heels doing unintentional imitations of new-born giraffes.

Once I got to the bog road I picked up the pace again and caught nine other people. One woman in the last mile kept holding me off, and we ended up with a near sprint finish, but it wasn't to be.

A good race, apart from the boggy descent. 9.89km in 1 hour and 1 second - 149% of the winner's time.

Thursday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Rehydration

Sunday
Dehydration

Monday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Tuesday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Wednesday
Cycling: 12km commuting

Running: IMRATrooperstown (Midgefest 2013)
A really great course with fireroad, rocky trail, steep sections, singletrack and running through heather. Lovely views up towards the glen of Glendalough. I think this race is now at the top of my favourite IMRA races. Plus, I just beat the woman who beat me last week at Kippure 142% of the winner's time, an improvement on last week!

Thursday
Cycling: 12km commuting

Friday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Saturday
Running: 23km of the Wicklow Way with the Boards crew.I met them at Curtlestown - 16km and two mountains into their run. It was a very relaxed affair with some of us walking when we felt like it and others sprinting on ahead as if they were doing a 2:38 marathon (ahem, Kiely). Great craic on the run on one of the hottest days in the year. Nice to meet new boards people too - I'm sure I'll see them on the hills again!

Lovely pints in Roundwood, even if I was constantly reminded that I didn't run the whole thing. This was my longest run since last November I think

Sunday
Mountain Biking:Mount Leinster Challenge (40km) organised by Racing 765. I was all set to wake up with sore muscles and deciding to do the 20km route but I was pleasantly surprised. I happened to meet some of the Connemara MTB Club people too - a club I'll probably join next year when I move.

I was very happy with my performance (just under 4 hours), even if it was at the back of the group. Stunning scenery around the Blackstairs Mountains. No mishaps or technical difficulties with my bike. I did find a broken spoke afterwards, mostly the cause of the buckle since before the event.

Monday
Cycling: 24km commuting
Running: 18km up to Fairy Castle and back. Felt good on this run, and afterwards! More good training in the bag.
Yoga: 30 minutes in the evening and 30 minutes after my run.

RunningKing

Love the 'rehydration' / 'dehydration'!

tHE vAGGABOND

Whats the overall plan/goal [if any] - apart from staying rehydrated

Micilin Muc

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Whats the overall plan/goal [if any] - apart from staying rehydrated

For the next few weeks I have no other goal other than to enjoy doing whatever distance suits me on the day. That usually means medium-long hill runs! Overall I'm aiming for a few different races in the Autumn - Rathfarnham 5km, Conamara 10km, Clifden 10km. After that I'm going to take a month's break There'll be no marathons this year, maybe next spring or early autumn.

Micilin Muc

Ballinastoe

Placing: 92/171
Percentage of winner's time: 141%

My best performance of the league. Ballinastoe is such a great course, probably because of the quality of the trails.

Sugar Bowl

Placing: 132/194
Percentage of winner's time: 157%

Not a great performance - all was going well until I fell and cut my elbow 2km from the end, lots of blood! Apparently I left a trail of blood down the Sugar Loaf :eek: First aid guys cleaned me up and doctor had a look at it this morning - no need for stitches or anti-biotics

Time for some structured training now!

belcarra

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Time for some structured training now!

Start by not falling over. Repeat daily!:D

Micilin Muc

Not much has happened in the 12 days since the end of the IMRA season.

Cycling: Commuting every day, plus a 40km-cycle through Glencree and back via the Military Road.

Running: 8km in Galway yesterday, and 12km commute to work this morning. A little bit stiff still.

Barefoot Free Climbing and Cliff Jumping:
I went to go for an open water swim this evening (my wounds have all healed up). Instead I was brought to Bullock Harbour in Dalkey and was coerced into jumping off the cliff (20+ feet, not ridiculously high), followed by a climb back via the "easy" route. Great craic!

Micilin Muc

Tuesday

Cycling: 57km commuting and another nice trip up Glencree and Military Road.

Wednesday

Cycling: 12km commuting
Running: 12km commuting

Thursday

Running: 12km commuting

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
Running: 15.5km in Galway. I went up a bog road I've never been up before.It's a very remote road - the road finishes at a gate to private property 3 miles from the closest house. I found out that the house is lived in full-time and has never had running water or electricity :eek:

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Running: 12km commuting
Cycling: 12km commuting

This year I've run 400km, 70km of which were run in the past 9 days! No records, but progress

belcarra

You running Glen of the Downs tonight??

Micilin Muc

belcarra wrote: »

You running Glen of the Downs tonight??

Only seeing this now! Have been too busy for IMRA but have been run-commuting a lot :-) Have all the gear for an epic-ish run in Twelve Bens tomorrow. What I end up doing remains to be seen! Have you any one else in mind for Gullion?

belcarra

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Only seeing this now! Have been too busy for IMRA but have been run-commuting a lot :-) Have all the gear for an epic-ish run in Twelve Bens tomorrow. What I end up doing remains to be seen! Have you any one else in mind for Gullion?

Not a soul. Just thought of it last night.
I'd imagine a weekday evening might not be too convenient for most people but if you know of anyone interested invite them along!

Micilin Muc

Wednesday
Cycling: 12km
Running: 12km

Thursday
Running: 12km
Cycling: 12km

Friday
Cycling: 12km
Running: 12km

Monday
Running: 12km

Tuesday
Running: 12km
Cycling: 40km MTBing. Way easier than the first time I did it.

Wednesday
Running: 12km

Sunday
Running: 21.6km from Spiddal to Galway. A good long run, by my recent standards. No issues, felt good! Took two days to fully recover though.

Monday
Cycling: 12km

Tuesday
Cycling: 24km

Wednesday
Cycling: 24km. A nice tailwind along with smart legal negotiation of traffic lights resulted in a 4-minute PB

Thursday
Cycling: 12km
Running: 11.2km - Met Belcarra in Malahide after work and drove up to Carlingford in County Louth. The weather was great all the way, until we saw the Cooley Mountains all covered in low cloud. I had a general idea of the route we were going to take, solely from some map-gazing and reviews online.

Map and compass in the bag (not in our hands), we ran in the general direction of Slieve Foy (the county peak of Louth) and where we thought the Táin Way was. Took a few wrong turns and then found our way. In fact we didn't take out the map and compass until about 200m from the summit. It was a tough climb up to the top, nearly 600m of climbing starting at sea-level.

Visibility was very limited in the low cloud and it wasn't until directly below the summit that we could see daylight again. Unbelievable views from the top as we were above all the cloud as if we were in an airplane.

From there to Eagle's Rock was slightly runnable. There was a very faint trail and a few boggy parts. With the low light and our lack of progress, we cut our losses and descended from Eagle's Rock down to the forest. It wasn't easy but we eventually found the trail again, and then turned on to forest road from there to the finish.

It was a short distance but running time was about 90 minutes with about 30 minutes of stopping (I never know how these minutes add up - it could be my Garmin settings).

It would have been better if the weather allowed some nice views, but this is Ireland! We're going to try Gullion (county peak of Armagh) some night too. I'll need to bring my own headtorch then.

Garmin Link

Friday
Cycling: 12km

Monday
Running: 12km
Cycling: 12km

Have not been sleeping well recently and have been very very tired. Case in point - Monday night I did yoga at 9pm. Started off as usual with 5 minutes of breathing exercises while lying on the mat. Woke up 15 minutes later to the sound of my snoring. Not good.

I've made a few changes this week:
• no coffee after lunch
• no iPhone/laptop in the bedroom.
• yoga directly before going to bed.

It's all good for recovery too.

Tuesday
Cycling: 12km.
Running: 22km home via Two Rock. A good decent distance with a lot of climbing (nearly 600m from sea level in Dún Laoghaire).

Wednesday
Running: 12km

I'm considering doing Dublin Marathon this year. I won't be going for any PB, obviously, but would be doing it as an expensive but fun training run for doing the Art O'Neill again for the first time in January. I have no idea whether there will be an organised event or not but am looking into getting a few people to do it anyway on another night in January. I have unfinished business in them there hills.

belcarra

You have just reminded me to change the batteries in my head torch!

Are you about for an LSR in Dublin at the weekend? If heading West any chance of Fri afternoon/evening?
(I finish at 1:30 on a Fri:D)

Micilin Muc

Unfortunately not this weekend, heading west early Friday evening. Enjoy! Gullion some evening next week?

Micilin Muc

Thought I might write something here to keep an eye on my injuries. I have a tendency to ignore them and write them off as not significant enough for my log! Score out of 10 is for pain.

Glute/hamstring: 5/10
Calf: 4/10
Ankle (tendinitis on outside of left foot): 8/10

I previously had tendinitis back in October before and after the marathon. It wasn't from any particular strain on the tendon other than from overuse from running. It didn't get the same attention from my physio since the other injuries were much more problematic. I can't even remember what exercises he gave me for it.

Micilin Muc

Thursday
Cycling: 24km commuting

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Running: 19.5km from Galway to Spiddal. Recovery from this run was easy, probably because of a midday nap!

Sunday
Rest

Monday
Cycling: 12km commuting
Running: 11km, mostly downhill.

Attended a talk in 53 Degrees North on training for Adventure Racing, just for curiosity. It was interesting enough, half attempted to do one or two next year for the laugh.

Tuesday
Running: 12km commuting

Micilin Muc

Decision made:

• Starting 18-week P&D 55-70 next week culminating in possible Art O'Neill in January.
• Running Dublin Marathon as a slow training run.

Interested in Clonakilty Marathon (hills ) in December.


Also maybe interested in Brandon Mountain Half Marathon on 12th October, which clashes with Conamara 10k

statss

Art O Neill? Savage. Loved the reports of it last year.

RunningKing

Be careful with the 55-70 program, I found it difficult, but maybe if you're doing the 18 week version it'll give you that good lead in.

Just remember what happened last year though.........

Micilin Muc

statss wrote: »

Art O Neill? Savage. Loved the reports of it last year.

It's a great event alright. I had to drop out at the first checkpoint last year despite being one of the first there!

RunningKing wrote: »

Be careful with the 55-70 program, I found it difficult, but maybe if you're doing the 18 week version it'll give you that good lead in.

Just remember what happened last year though.........

I hear you For some reason 33-55 doesn't appeal to me. My peak week on 33-55 wouldn't be much more than what I'm doing at the moment. My experience with 55-70 wasn't bad last year, I don't think I missed a single run and rarely missed the target paces.

I reckon I'll forgo some of the VO2 Max sessions and add a few kms for back-to-back long runs. I became injured last year once I started doing my own thing - all runs 18k+ and hilly and no stretching or core work.

RayCun

what you need is to join a club....;)

Micilin Muc

RayCun wrote: »

what you need is to join a club....;)

Thanks Ray! I was considering Bros but I probably won't be in Dublin much longer, I'm moving to Galway soon, definitely by next April. Do you do 6-month memberships?

RayCun

Membership is only 50 quid at the moment, we're practically giving it away

statss

I'm pretty sure I started to go down to Sportsworld at the back end of October last year and they didn't look for money off me until January so that might be the way to go instead. :pac:

belcarra

statss wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I started to go down to Sportsworld at the back end of October last year and they didn't look for money off me until January so that might be the way to go instead. :pac:

Plus I'm sure Digger would be more than willing to 'give it away' for free too but that might have other consequences!:p