Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

Emer911

Good going RR. Getting the LSR done on a Thursday and as a commute -
perfect. Must be very liberating!

...next time bring a bagel or something and eat it in the afternoon and it should help with the hunger pangs. I do that if I know I have to do a late run and dinner will have to wait until after (but I do have lunch at 12.00 so it's ALWAYS a long way to dinner time:p)

runrabbit

Emer911 wrote: »

...next time bring a bagel or something and eat it in the afternoon and it should help with the hunger pangs.

I had a bigger than normal lunch and lots of snacks in the afternoon but I was still famished - I've got issues It's weird because on a weekend morning all I have is a bowl of porridge and I never feel hungry

Emer911

runrabbit wrote: »

I had a bigger than normal lunch and lots of snacks in the afternoon but I was still famished - I've got issues It's weird because on a weekend morning all I have is a bowl of porridge and I never feel hungry

So a gel or some jellies on the run? Or the boys would say to just SIU (though I'd never recommend that myself) I have a box of the running jellies. I'll give you a few packs to try, if you want?

runrabbit

Emer911 wrote: »

I have a box of the running jellies. I'll give you a few packs to try, if you want?

Thanks Emer, I used some "Gu Chomps" last summer and they worked well, I just need to call into IrishFit and pick up a few packs, and some salt tablets while I'm there. I suffered badly with my stomach for the rest of Thursday night and even on Friday so I will have to play around with nutrition before Ballycotton.

Friday 20th January: My legs were feeling tired so I just eased them out with 20 minutes on the cross-trainer and some strength work

Saturday 21st January: BHAA XC. My legs were still feeling tired for this one so I wasn't really "feeling it". The 2 mile warm-up didn't help matters, and once the siren went I once again dropped straight to the back of the pack. I then spent the rest of the race working my way back up - I'm such a slow starter it's ridiculous ! I even got a couple of comments on it after the race - I'm just not suited to the short, fast stuff. I finished directly behind the same lady I finished behind 2 weeks earlier, so at least I'm consistent. Garmin stats were 2.10 miles in 14:21.

I feel I could improve by a few positions if I could get a good start as I waste a lot of energy trying to elbow my way past people. I'll see if there are any drills I can do in training.

Sunday 22nd January: This was a later start than normal due to a night out with a few glasses of wine the night before. The wind had eased very slightly which was a bonus, though it was still blowy out there. I had 6 miles at (10-mile) race pace in the plan, and after chickening out of the session last week I decided I'd better at least try.

The first mile was nearly 40 seconds off pace :eek: but in my defence my legs were stiff, and I was running into the wind and slightly uphill. The next 5 were better but inconsistent, some too fast, some too slow, but the effort felt steady (I blame the wind and hills). Over the whole 6 miles I was just 30 seconds off pace, so averaging 5 seconds too slow per mile. A half mile warm-up would have helped get the first official mile closer to pace and had me bang on target but I was too lazy!

I'm happy enough with getting the session done except that it felt very hard the whole way around. Hopefully it will feel a lot easier in 6 weeks time!

A slow cooldown back to the house brought the run to 6.76miles in 52:19

2012 Mileage YTD: 93.8

runrabbit

Last week was a strange one as I had a lot going on in my non-running life with associated worry and stress – I got the training done but my body was exhausted and my mind was elsewhere throughout so it all felt a bit “meh” and like I was just going through the motions. Unfortunately I fear it will be more of the same this week.


Monday 23/01/2012: I hit the gym for some gentle cross training and a small bit of strength work, then it was off to the PT for a massage. My calves have been in a terrible state the last week and it’s having a knock-on effect on the rest of my legs so I was hoping this would help – it was a very painful hour!

Tuesday 24/01/2012: I usually feel great after a massage but today my legs felt awful; very stiff and very sore. I had 6 x 500m @ 5k pace in the plan so I decided to get out there and see how it went – my warm-up jog was ridiculously slow, but the intervals themselves were okay – I was a few seconds off pace in my first and last one but the rest were bang-on. I finished up with a very slow cool down and some stretching. 6.30 miles covered in 53:22

Wednesday 25/01/2012: Spinning

Thursday 26/01/2012: This was my only chance to get some form of a "longer" run in, but my legs were still in a lot of pain. I got 8 miles done but I dragged myself around and hated every step of the way. It was slow and uncomfortable – and the wind really didn’t help. Not a happy run; 8.00 miles in 1:13:31

Friday 27/01/2012: A last-ditch attempt to coax some life into my legs – 30 minutes very easy on the cross trainer followed by a painful session on the foam roller.

Saturday 28/01/2012: The legs felt slightly better, but still leaden and the calves were sore. I ran with a friend who is starting out and who I'll be running with a bit over the next few weeks – just 5k at their pace. 3.10miles in 27:27. I did a few strides at the end but overall my legs still felt in bits. More foam rolling once I got home.

Sunday 29/01/2012: Raheny 5 mile. This had originally been a goal race but the past 2 weeks changed that, and my main focus now is to make it to Ballycotton unscathed! My mind and body had checked out and the only reason I turned up on the day was because I had promised lifts to people. It’s all a bit of a haze as I was thinking of something else altogether but I ran a short warm-up, tried to stretch my legs (my quads decided to compete with my calves for tightness) then lined-up much further back than I wanted to be, but I couldn’t get any closer to the front. The first part of the race was frustrating as I tried to pass people, and the first mile was 15-20 seconds slower than the rest as a result.

The rest of the race just passed in a blur as I wasn’t looking at my watch and the only things I remember was spotting a couple of people I know, the rain and puddles, and feeling quite comfortable throughout. It was only in the last half a mile that I “snapped out of it” and started to focus – I was running just on the shoulder of a Raheny girl who was getting unbelievable local support so I decided to try to stick with her. We both picked up the pace going around the park but she got away from me (looking at the results she was under-20 so she has youth on her side!). I went through the line feeling totally fine, knowing I hadn't killed myself and done any further damage to my legs but that I still had a respectable time based on the clock. My chip time last night revealed itself as 34:48 which is a surprise PB (though my last 5-mile was a much tougher course) – the training seems to be working anyway and hopefully things will pick up before Ballycotton. Myself and my OH polished off the goody-bag last night so it’ll be all clean eating until then!!!

Not adverse effects today - my legs are no worse but no better either so it's back for more massage tonight

2012 Mileage YTD: 117.2

RubyK

Fantastic running in Raheny! You must be thrilled! Well done

shazkea

Congrats, great run yesterday

claralara

Congrats RR. Great to see you back and knocking out great race times

Emer911

Wow. Well done - fantastic racing there! Congrats.

runrabbit

Thanks guys! Great running in your logs too - I only get time to catch up on them once in a blue moon!

Monday 30/01/2012: Did a short spinning class, then back to the physical therapist for more torture. She was able to go a lot deeper this week - there were some horrible knots in my calves :eek:

Tuesday 31/01/2012: My legs were really feeling the massage; they were very sore and stiff. I even had a couple of tiny bruises over some of the knots. Luckily I had scheduled an easy run in anticipation, so first I did 3.46 miles with the kids club in 31:45, with the legs complaining all the way around. Then I went for an extra lap on my own which was almost as slow and not half as enjoyable! 3.6 miles in 30:33.

Wednesday 01/02/2012: My legs are far from perfect but today they were the most comfortable they've been in over 2 weeks Plenty of stretching and foam rolling (when the massage tenderness is gone) and I should be back to normal!

This evening it was hard to motivate myself because of the icy cold but I had promised to run with the OH (his second ever run) so we did 5k nice and slowly in 29:12. At the end of this, despite wearing 2 pairs of gloves, my hands were totally numb and my feet weren't much better. I left the OH at the warm front door and ran a mile to the bottom of my chosen hill for 10 x 1min hill repeats. It felt tough but at least I warmed up nicely. My glutes were screaming for the last 2 repeats, and I was happy to get them done. 4.4 miles in 38:39.

2012 Mileage YTD: 131.76

runrabbit

Thursday 02/02/2012: Rest day - out for dinner. The Ballycotton-healthy-eating-plan is not going well

Friday 03/02/2012: 30 minutes on the cross-trainer followed by some foam-rolling

Saturday 04/02/2012: BHAA NCF XC. I had a shockingly bad run - I'm not sure why. My legs and lungs felt fine but I just couldn't push myself and after half a mile I pretty much gave up. It's not like me at all. I finished quite far back in the field and was disappointed in myself - overall a bit of a depressing run

I cheered myself up on the way home by buying these:



and I had just stopped off in Base2Race to buy a couple of packets of sweets. Oops

2012 Mileage YTD: 136.8

Emer911

How very impulsive of you
Hope they serve you well

You'll have to take them for a trip around (a very mucky) shangannagh park to dirty them up:rolleyes:

runrabbit

Emer911 wrote: »

How very impulsive of you
Hope they serve you well

You'll have to take them for a trip around (a very mucky) shangannagh park to dirty them up:rolleyes:

I had been thinking about them for a while, but had no intention of buying them today as I'll be needing a new pair of my normal training shoes soon. But I decided to try them on while I was there and they're so lovely and light... and then they offered me a free backpack and I couldn't say no!

They won't be going anywhere near the park in this weather - they're too pretty!

runrabbit

Sunday 05/02/2012: Up early for my LSR and the weather was perfect for it. The route had quite a few hills and I really started feeling it in my glutes towards the end of the run, but otherwise it was very relaxed and enjoyable and I was comfortable chatting away throughout. 13.35 miles in 1:53:34.

4 weeks to Ballycotton and I'm really starting to look forward to it - hopefully the next few weeks of training go well and I can stay injury free!

2012 Mileage YTD: 150.15

runrabbit

A very difficult and sad week for me, but I somehow managed to squeeze in my main 3 scheduled sessions. Getting out and exercising actually helped keep my mind occupied but I found it tough to motivate myself to run to particular goals (distance or pace) - so I'm actually very proud of myself for getting through them. I think they may have been the mentally toughest 3 sessions I've ever run.

Monday 06/02/2012: 45 minute spinning class

Tuesday 07/02/2012: 2.21 miles in 21:21 with the kids club. This was followed with 7 x 800m intervals @ 5k pace. I had to play tricks on myself to get these done - "just do 4 and you can stop" etc. I managed to hit the desired pace in all 7 so I was happy with that, though slightly conscious that my 5k pace may be a little soft! With a decent warm-up and cool-down I covered 6.22miles in 50:06

Wednesday 08/02/2012: Went out for 5k with the OH - he's starting to enjoy it a little more. We ran 3.15 miles in 28:00. This was a good head-clearer

Friday 10/02/2012: It was starting to get hard to fit runs in but I wasn't getting any sleep anyway so it was up a ridiculous o'clock to get this done in the dark! The aim was 6 miles at (10-mile) pace - I took a 1 mile warm-up and then tried to hit pace. The first mile was uphill so I didn't hit the time I wanted but it all evened out over the 2-loop course and over the 6 miles I was just about on-pace. It all felt far too tough but maybe that was the early morning - that's what I'm hoping anyway . A very slow 1 mile cool-down for 8.00 miles in 1:03:08

Sunday 12/02/2012: A night back in my own bed had helped somewhat but a week of poor food, limited sleep, and stress had me feeling very lethargic this morning. The first mile and a half was extremely stiff and slow and while I loosened out a little, overall I didn't enjoy myself at all. I ran for just over 5.5 miles, including a seriously big hill on the way, then turned around and headed for home. I thought I'd never get there, but after 11.53 miles and 1:41:14 I made it. A quick knock on the kitchen window and the OH ran out to join me for a 5.5k run. He was feeling pretty wrecked himself but he took off at a decent clip. We did slow down in the second half, and covered 3.45miles in 31:07. So as the stop was only a matter of seconds I'm counting that as >14 miles LSR which was in the plan. Not a great LSR compared to previous weeks but it will do the job.

3 weeks to Ballycotton so I need to start eating properly, sleeping, and stretching, and hope I make it there in one piece. Things will be pretty-much back to normal from tomorrow on so I'm going to concentrate on getting myself into good health now.

2012 Mileage YTD: 184.71

RubyK

Hope you are ok runrabbit - sounds like a tough week for you. Fair play for getting the runs in. Sometimes, no matter how hard it is, getting the gear on and heading out the door can be the best thing for your head.

runrabbit

RubyK wrote: »

Sometimes, no matter how hard it is, getting the gear on and heading out the door can be the best thing for your head.

That's for sure - a run is the best head-clearer and mood-lifter going. Sure why else would I do it - it's not for the prizes anyway!

runrabbit

Monday 13/02/2012: Very sore and tired legs today for some reason - but I had a good strength session in the gym followed by spinning class, so not a bad evenings work

Tuesday 14/02/2012: Killer pilates at lunchtime - she's really upped the ante since Christmas! A hill session was in the plan for the evening but I got delayed in work and my legs were still feeling wrecked, so in the end I settled for 30 minutes on the cross-trainer and some foam rolling

Wednesday 15/02/2012: My legs were much improved but I really wasn't looking forward to the deferred hill session this evening. I'm getting sick of having to stick to the Ballycotton schedule - I think 6 weeks of a training plan is my limit, I just get bored and edgy after that! Yet another reason I won't do a marathon :rolleyes:! Anyway, with so little time left I'm determined to stick to it, so first I brought OH out for his 5k run (28:39) then I had an additional mile warm-up before hitting my hill for 9 x ~75 second repeats. It felt fine apart from my glutes towards the end, but I was happy enough with it and that's the last hill session of the plan done! I jogged up home to round it off to 4.9 miles in 42:19. Total for the night was 8.03 miles, and I feel like I'm back on track which is great!

Next week is going to be tricky time-wise but hopefully with it being less than 2 weeks to Ballycotton it won't have too much of an impact.

runrabbit

Thursday 16/02/2012: I hummed and hawed about whether to run today as my legs were very sore and realistically the crosstrainer was a more sensible option. But when I got home late from work I just felt like getting out and clearing my head so I decided on an easy run. I concentrated on my form and actually it was more comfortable to run than it walking around all day. Weird. 5.18 miles, 45:40

Friday 17/02/2012: Rest

Saturday 18/02/2012: BHAA Garda XC. I had a 5 mile pace run in the plan so I decided to run the longer (men's) race today instead, and I really enjoyed it. It was a tough course made tougher by the wind, but I settled into it after the first lap and passed people throughout the next 2. I much preferred it to the shorter race where I never feel like I get into my stride. 4 miles in 30:30ish and with warm-up and cool-down I covered 6.39 miles

2012 Mileage to date: 199.13 (if I'd known that I would have done an extra 0.87 today!)

runrabbit

Sunday 19/02/2012: I was up at the crack of dawn for this one - and my legs were really feeling yesterday's race. The first 2 miles were slow, and any time I hit an uphill I slowed considerably too. Not to worry - I've done a lot of hill work this week so it's no wonder my poor glutes are a little fatigued! It wasn't a confidence builder and it felt too slow but I'm glad to get it done - next weeks LSR will be a fair bit shorter. 14.61miles in 2:08:30

2012 Mileage YTD: 213.74

runrabbit

When my log disappears it's usually a sign that things aren't going well

Monday 20/02/2012: My legs were very tired so I just eased them out for 20 minutes on the cross trainer and did some foam rolling

Tuesday 21/02/2012: I had 8x800m at 5k pace in the plan. Sadly my legs felt like rocks, and there was a strong wind on my usual interval course. The first 800m was with the wind at my back and I hit pace, though my legs felt painful and awkward. The second one was into the wind and I was way off pace. At this point I just gave up. It's very unlike me but my legs were so painful and running felt unnatural so I was worried about injury. I made do with a very slow 5.59 mile run instead, hoping that the recovery run would serve me better than another tough session

Wednesday 22/02/2012: A very long day in work, but the legs were starting to come back to life. Another short gym session was all I managed.

Thursday 23/02/2012: I was up very early for this one, and I was feeling confident about it. I had 5-6 miles at race pace in the plan. After half a mile of warm-up, I got going. It just felt so difficult, and once again, after only 3 miles, I gave up. The mind was definitely playing tricks on me as I should have been able for this session. I'm very disappointed in myself, and all confidence in the race is now gone. Total of 5.02miles covered in 39:40.

Friday 24/02/2012: Rest (not that I needed it after the terrible week of training). Went for a massage in the evening

Saturday 25/02/2012: My legs were feeling very tender after the massage, but I was up early for a pre-breakfast "no pressure" run. I ran 1.44 miles first to warm-up my legs, then picked up my OH for 6k around the block. It was okay, but felt harder than it should have. 5.11 miles in 44:45

Sunday 26/02/2012: I had a sick stomach overnight and wasn't feeling too great this morning but I decided to get out there and see how I got on. It was an okay run - definitely better than previous days but nothing fantastic. 9.08 miles in 1:17:48

So things really fell apart this week - I'm actually quite ill today with a sick stomach, headache, and sore throat, so I'm not sure if that was brewing all week and making me so lethargic, or what was going on. I know on Thursday I could have got the session done if I had really tried, and I'm very annoyed with myself about that. I have added a few minutes on to my Ballycotton target and I fear I'll be adding another few before the weekend - if the race had been last weekend I feel I would have given it a good lash but I think I've messed things up a bit now. In the meantime all I can do is rest and lash the vitamin C into me and hope for the best.

2012 Mileage YTD: 238.54

Emer911

There's a nasty dose going at the moment. Look after it. We want you fighting fit in cork next weekend!

runrabbit

Emer911 wrote: »

There's a nasty dose going at the moment. Look after it. We want you fighting fit in cork next weekend!

Well I'm feeling no better and no worse today - I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. If the cold is going to hit I'd rather it just did it so I could start getting over it! I've just landed at my desk with echinacea drops, rubex, and a massive bag of fruit, so I'm going to do my best to hold it at bay for a week!

RubyK

You're training has been great, don't loose heart about Ballycotton.

Get yourself dosed up on 4Flu - brilliant stuff. It tends to make me drowsey, but a day on it, and I'm usually sorted

Chin up, and this time next week you'll have a shiney new pb!

runrabbit

Thanks Ruby! I'm happy(ish) to report back with a PB!

Monday 27/02/2012 - Saturday 03/03/2012: A few runs and some cross training. No point in going into the boring details!

Sunday 04/03/2012: Ballycotton 10 (sorry for the long report!)

I had far too much time the night before and the morning of this race (I was awake since 5am) to get myself all worked up but despite all this I felt reasonably well coming up to the start. My legs felt okay and my cold had cleared so I was happy to be finally at the start line and ready to give it a lash. I had been working towards sub-75 since the start of the year and I felt well on course, particularly when inputting my Raheny 5 mile time to mcmillan gave me a 10 mile prediction of 73:30. Granted the 2 weeks before the race weren’t too good for me, but I felt on the day I could give it a good go. My Plan B was sub-80 which I knew I should be able to do unless something went drastically wrong, so that was my back-up.

The crowds were tightly packed at the start line and the sun was beating down on my head which was a big change from the chilly breeze earlier. It took me around half a mile to get any pace going but once I did all was fine and I was tucked behind one of my clubmates for the first 3 miles, which felt comfortable and at my planned pace. On the 4th mile I started to feel a little warm so I took off my cap, and while my clubmate got away from me I was still on the right pace and all was good. I hoped to keep things comfortable and push on towards the end if possible, as I had done a lot of training on hills and the ones in Ballycotton didn’t scare me! The 5th mile was when it started to get hard – as it felt like it was straight into the wind and it was very exposed. I lost 14 seconds on this mile, and then another 22 seconds on the 0.06mile to bring me from my autolapped 5 miles to the official 5 mile point (too much ducking and weaving in the first 2 miles!).

At this point I was starting to feel a bit disheartened as I felt the sub-75 was looking a bit unlikely, but I kept plodding along and miles 6 and 7 were bang on target, a couple of seconds below 7:30. I’d made up a good few seconds in the first 2 miles but I knew I needed to bring in the rest on target to be within a chance. The supporters at the 7 mile marker gave me a great boost, but in the next minute or two the wheels started to come off. I’ve had issues with my blood pressure before, and I started to feel the tell-tale cold chills in my arms and torso that signal a drop in blood pressure, along with the spaced-out feeling where I feel dissociated from reality. I had a bottle of water with me and some salt capsules and electrolyte sweets so I managed to swallow some and thankfully my stomach accepted them. The only other thing I could sensibly do was slow the pace and try to hang on to the sub-80. Mile 8 was around 10 seconds off pace, and mile 9 was worse again. I don’t really remember much about this part of the race; I glanced at my watch every now and then and watched the pace get slower and slower but I didn’t even care about times, I just wanted to be finished as I felt woeful. The hills were no bother as I was running well within myself, so I barely even noticed them. My legs and lungs felt absolutely fine, and it was the sick and light-headed feeling that prevented me from pushing the pace.

Sometime after the 9 mile marker I heard someone shouting for a runner behind me and it was a name I knew, so I managed to snap out of it enough to turn around and greet him – it was an unexpected surprise at a lonely point of the race and he dragged me along for most of the last mile, and as a result the final mile was nearly my fastest! I finished in 75:37, closer to my goal time than I thought I would be but just not close enough. My garmin measured the course at 10.08 so my pace actually calculated to 7:30 but that’s not much good to me.

So what did I learn? Well that’s my 5th race of 10 miles or greater (3 x 10-milers, 2 x half-marathons) and not one of them has gone well. I had blood pressure problems at the 2 previous 10 milers (though it hit later in the 2nd one and I kept pushing and hung on and was happy with my result). At the first half-marathon the problems were more severe (I fainted). I felt completely comfortable at my second half marathon but that’s because I had a foot injury which meant that I couldn’t push the pace at all, so it was more like a steady run than a race.

So it’s taken a while :rolleyes:, but I’ve learned that I’m just not cut-out for the longer races. I could keep trying, and keep being disappointed, or make the decision that 10k is my max and get on with enjoying running. So I’m going to take the second option. Yes my time was a PB and a great improvement from my first 10-miler 18 months previously (94:44), but the last 30 minutes of the race were miserable and worrying, and it just wasn’t worth the amount of effort and training I put in for the 2 months. I hate giving up and especially when I still don’t have a 10-mile or half marathon time that I’m satisfied with but I have to cop on and know my limitations. (part of me still wants to "prove" something but I need to silence that stupid part of my brain!)

Overall Ballycotton is a fantastic race and I had a great weekend. So what’s next? Well this week I’m just going to try to get back to full health and then I’m going to have an enjoyable month of training and racing the short stuff, and then I’ll reassess at the end of March. I have an entry to the Kildare Half which I will be swapping to a 10k, and I’m definitely due a 10k PB as my current one is standing since Dunshaughlin 2011!

RubyK

Wow, brilliant time in Ballycotton runrabbit!! That's an incredible improvment in just 18 months, you should be well proud of that! The low blood pressure problems must be a rotten feeling, I can't imagine how hard it is to keep going, fair play to you to be able to run such great times fighting that! Hopefully it can be sorted once and for all, feeling good in yourself and being able to enjoy your runs is the main thing.

I might see you in Kildare, I signed up for the half last month

runrabbit

RubyK wrote: »

I might see you in Kildare, I signed up for the half last month

No way - I didn't know anyone doing it until I decided to pull out :rolleyes:

It kills me to back out of a race I have to say. I'm far too stubborn for these sort of sensible decisions!

Emer911

That's a fantastic time - especially given the problems you had during the race :eek: You're one hell of a trooper RunRabbit
Congrats!

runrabbit

Oops - time to update my log!

I had been feeling fatigued in the run-up to Ballycotton and it got much worse afterwards. My legs were so tired that I could run a few 10-minute miles, and everything felt very stiff and uncomfortable. I forced myself through some short, slow runs (hating each minute) and some cross-training sessions and wasn't improving at all, so I finally made the decision in the middle of last week to take a complete break for a few days. That helped a lot and I am starting to feel more normal again. Who knew rest would help?! :rolleyes:

I ran the MSB 5k yesterday and while there was no chance of a PB I wasn't too unhappy with my run given the circumstances. My OH ran well in his first ever race, so all in all it was an enjoyable day out, except that I started sneezing out of nowhere while we were standing chatting in the mansion house after the race and within an hour it had developed into a full-on head cold!

So the plan for the next month or so is just to get the training and healthy eating back on track and to hopefully get back to enjoying my running. No targets, no pressure, just some nice runs and a few races.

2012 Mileage YTD: 288.45

Monday 19/03/2012: Had a very late night and I typically woke early (damn the demon drink), but I forced myself to the gym in the afternoon for 30 minutes on the cross-trainer, a 15 minute jog, and some strength work (haven't done any in ages - very bold!). It felt great to get it done.

RubyK

Fair play to you for running the race, especially when you haven't been feeling 100%.

I took your water belt out for a test run on Saturday, it worked a treat! No more hiding bottles in ditches for me Thanks again for your generosity