Baby steps

Slogger Jogger

Stuck for time this evening and fed up running in the wind, so hopped on the bike and did a road loop of a hilly 17k. Just enough to get out, clear the head and spin the legs.

Slogger Jogger

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Sunday morning any use to you?

@KC. Strike that, apols. Checked calendar and theres a trail race on Sunday morning down the road near Bunclody that I wanted to do. Can't do Saturday as its the young lads birthday. Following weekend I'm hoping to get down to the Carrauntoohil race. Unless a weekend evening could be made work for a recce...

Krusty_Clown

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

@KC. Strike that, apols. Checked calendar and theres a trail race on Sunday morning down the road near Bunclody that I wanted to do. Can't do Saturday as its the young lads birthday. Following weekend I'm hoping to get down to the Carrauntoohil race. Unless a weekend evening could be made work for a recce...

No bother. I'll work something out. Next year there should be change of venue. The wicklow way relay should be run along the Dublin Mountain Way.

If you pass me thumbing on the side of the road, be sure to stop!

Slogger Jogger

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

No bother. I'll work something out. Next year there should be change of venue. The wicklow way relay should be run along the Dublin Mountain Way.

If you pass me thumbing on the side of the road, be sure to stop!

You know, whilst running earlier I was having the same thought. Not exactly replacing the WWR, but introducing a DMRR? Wasn't sure of the distance offhand so was wondering if you'd need to have an out and back version.. Was thinking about the size of teams you'd need etc. The dangerous road section after Scalp towards Johnny Foxes still put me off though.


Run this evening was one for the woods again, where the wind was somewhat sheltered. Did an interesting session. Run up a hill to a gate, back down, out along the trail to another gate and back. Repeat 3 times. Each occurence was fractionally more than 3k. A decent workout.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/87981474
10.28k, 210m climb, 4:30 pace.

Slogger Jogger

Hilly gusty road loop. Happy with pace considering.
8.4k, 122m climb, 4:22 pace.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88182605

Slogger Jogger

Into the woods near the house, up the trail to a gate and back, times 6. Steady, but not slow up. Decent pace back down. No. 5 and 6 was getting harder. Another one maybe next time. Felt great. A nice release after a week stuck in work.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88353214

donothoponpop

Good to see you mixing it up a bit. There's some large variety in those splits (I'm acknowledging the downhills), lets try and get company to keep you honest. I'm finding the faster 2 min uphill intervals to be the key session of the week; pain on a steady long uphill seems less intense by comparison.

Slogger Jogger

donothoponpop wrote: »

Good to see you mixing it up a bit. There's some large variety in those splits (I'm acknowledging the downhills), lets try and get company to keep you honest. I'm finding the faster 2 min uphill intervals to be the key session of the week; pain on a steady long uphill seems less intense by comparison.

The splits don't tell the story. The pace on the uphills was steady throughout. A fast k was probably majority downhill. The slowest k was majority uphill. Legs feeling the effort now. I don't think I could have attempted to sprint the total uphill. Legs would have buckled :rolleyes:

Slogger Jogger

Yesterday: No run.

Today:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88708573
Trail race on Gibbet hill which is near Bunclody. Ran this last year and really enjoyed it and did well too. Similar turnout today (30ish) but the wind was up so it was going to be a bit more difficult this time around. The start is quick and Martin Monaghan blasted off into the lead. I settled in 2nd, and as the initial k's ticked off I was overtaken by a few runners until I was in 6th. I was conscious of saving a bit in the tank for the hills on the return leg and I'm not doing speed work at the moment so didn't want to go out to hard and fall flat later. On the return leg the wind was into the faces on the uphill. Worked the legs to keep going on these sections. The heart was working treble time. The trail signage was minimal and at one fork in the trail it was far from clear which way to go. The arrow was on the left of the trail so I forked left, following the lead group, which hadn't gone too out of sight which was reassuring. Later when we met runners coming towards us we knew there was a problem. The lead 8 or so (?) had probably run another 800m by heading out and back on an adjacent trail. Still, I was climbing well at that point and knew the downhill to the end was close by. On the downhill I managed to put on my afterburners and catch 2 runners, one who had taken the official 'shorter' route and another who had overtaken me earlier. Nice last k split . Reckon I finished 6th. Pace was down on last year with the wind, but very happy considering. A good tempo session for the WWR ticked off.
12k, 258m of climb, 4:17 pace.

ocnoc

Come on, surely you could have gone 4sec faster

Slogger Jogger

ocnoc wrote: »

Come on, surely you could have gone 4sec faster

Gutted . I'll find them in the WWR.

Slogger Jogger

Yesterday: Rest.

This evening, easy trail run. Quads sore since race on Sunday so took it handy up and down the hill. Lovely evening and body loosened up nicely as the run went along.

9k, 231m climb, 5:02 pace

Slogger Jogger

Yesterday: Enforced rest. Wasn't feeling 100% so opted for staying in.

This evening: Same reps as last week. This week did 7 instead of 6. Very warm. Overall slightly faster than last week, but last week it was windy so its hard to do a direct week on week comparison. Happy that I kept effort going til the end. A good session.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89688691

10.95k, 401m climb, 4:46 overall pace.

Slogger Jogger

It was HOT this evening heading out for a run. Didn't really have a firm plan but found myself running down the hill from the house at a decent click and headed for the relative shelter of the forest away from the glare of the sun. Attacked the small hill that was part of my hill reps last night, but only went half way up. Turn right brought me onto a trail which was flatish and another acute turn right brought me back to the foot of the small climb. Did this 4 times. 4th one wasn't easy and had to work hard to the end but managed to keep overall avg pace pretty decent considering and I didn't feel the hill reps from last night in the legs, so was happy enough.
7.44k, 93m climb, 4:11 pace.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89867976

Heading down to Kerry tomorrow for a go on Carrauntoohil on Sunday

BeepBeep67

Be careful of those back to back sessions - always best to have a firm plan when coming back from injury - but you know that already .
Good to have you back - you around Tuesday for run on Leg 8?

Slogger Jogger

Indeed, but felt okay during and feel okay after.

Re: Tues. Yep, assuming I'm in one piece after Sunday

Slogger Jogger

Hightailed it to Glencar on Saturday to overnight it for the Carrauntoohil race today. Got down early evening and headed out for a jog to stretch the car heavy legs. Meant to do only about 20 mins but it was so nice and the running was deliberately slow so ended up doing a nice loop taking in part of the Kerry way near Caragh Lake (of TFB training log fame). What a place. Its fantasticly beautiful. Did a bit on the road too when I could have extended my Kerry way trot, but I'm not accustomed to the local routes. Did about 55 mins and covered c. 11k

Met up with Jeffontour and Pablo T as we stayed in the same B&B. Had a nice meal and rested up for the race this morning. This was my first Carrauntoohil race, so I'd no idea how it would be. It was never going to be easy thats for sure. The weather was quite changeable. The summit looked clouded over but it cleared during the race. It was mild but quite windy. The wind was a cross wind on the exposed ridge. I ran very much within myself. Running was actually limited. I force marched a lot of it. Next time I'll run more. On the way from Caher to the main summit the leaders were passing on their way back. I didn't see them all but Barry Minnock appeared to be in the lead, but the lead wasn't great and he was being chased down. I didn't see Jason Kehoe but Jason was one of a no. that overtook Barry and Jason held out for his 1st IMRA win, but at a cost as he gashed his knee badly enough. Needed a visit to Tralee hospital for stitches by all accounts.

On my way up and back I changed places a few times with Dermot Murphy and John Aherne. My climbing was brutal but my descents balanced things up. As I stretched away on the 1st downhill though I felt was I thought was a stone in my runner, at the heel. I had to stop to dislodge it as it was painful. Its only then I realised I'd a blister, not a stone, and a bad one at that on the heel. Damned inov8 Xtalons. Thats the 2nd time I've worn them recently in races and the 2nd time they've blistered. Anyways, any change I had of catching Alan Ayling was gone at that point, but I held off the chasing runners behind but finish in 1:48. Not a great time but room for improvement. When I took my shoe off I could see skin. Not a good sign. My runner had opened up a hole not only in my sock but through to my heel and any blister that was there was torn away. Sore! I'll need it to heal fast before next weekend Still, a soak in the river where we parked for the start of the race gave some comfort. My Kerry trip was whistle-stop. Had to drive back home immediately after the prizegiving in the Climbers Inn.

Jeff and Paul has great runs. Paul in particular was well up there. Not bad going for his 1st Carrauntoohil experience.

Heres my crap run:-
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90443168

And a map of the 2 runs done over the weekend:-

Slogger Jogger

Stayed off the feet this morning and onto the MTB instead. Explored a trail near the old wicklow gap that I hadn't been up before. Not good for MTBing (more hike a bike than anything) but good for a potential hill run as it brings you onto trails around Croaghan with potential then to go farther and higher.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90552883

Slogger Jogger

Still tired this evening and with darkening clouds and heavy rain showers I was hoping an excuse would be made not to run this evening. However, a recce of leg 8 beckoned and the weather wasn't going to change that. Met up with BB67, Pronator and his mate. Just missed out on dpop as we started ahead of time (phew, close one). The bit of rain this evening had already made the initial trail greasy and muddy in parts but it was worse further on where lots of cows stood blocking the trail. Come Saturday we hope that the Rathfarnham lead runner will shoo the cows out of the way, much as Ian and Dom had to do this evening. Myself and Lar ran steady while the lead 2 pushed the pace on a bit. The rain fell in heavy showers the odd time but once you got wet it didn't really matter and it felt quite nice. My legs and quads in particular were sore, particularly on the downhills, but overall I was happy to get out and stretch the legs and get nice company. Better than sitting at home thats for sure.
10k, 4:38 pace, 149m climb.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90881942

Slogger Jogger

I'm still suffering a little with Carrauntoohil legs and a sore left heel, so the time-constrained run this evening was short and easy, around the trails first then the GAA pitch where the youngster was doing his GAA footy in the rain. Legs were loosening out as I ran so felt all the better after it.
6.4k, 4:56 pace, 138m climb

Slogger Jogger

Handy 8k loop at lunchtime with Pronator. Didn't feel the time going. Will probably rest tomorrow to try be as fresh as possible for Saturday morning.

8.1k, 4:38 pace, pretty flat.

Slogger Jogger

Nearly a rest. 3.7k, easy trail run. 4:38 pace. Nervous excitement ahead of the race in the morning. Pity its so damned early (for me anyway).

Slogger Jogger

My objective today was to run well for the team and do as good a job as I could do. Paul had set me a target of 80 mins which I felt was beatable and having looked at the previous years results I was secretly hoping for a sub 77 min result. For that to happen I needed lots of things to go right…
I was switched to leg 2 when I realised a few weeks back we had a wedding to go to on the day of the event. The wedding was near the Wicklow way in Aughrim so I could in theory run an earlier leg and still make the wedding comfortably, so after some discussion with the bossman I’d recce’d leg 2 and set out my plans accordingly .

Its not an easy leg logistically. John A was expected to finish leg 1 at 8.05, so that means a damned early start from south Wicklow. I slept poorly as nervous energy kept me awake. Running is usually an individual sport, but a relay brings you into the team dynamic which adds to the fun and the pressure. 4 degrees leaving the house and I had to de-ice the windscreen which shows how cold it was.

Last year on leg 5 I had run sub 59 (I think) and was in good running form. In my heart of hearts I know I’m far from that form at the moment, but I hoped I could dig deep and produce a creditable run for the team. My legs this week were sore too from Carrauntoohil so I wasn’t totally sure what racing form I was going to be in.

Met up with Joe Cawley early at Lough Tay and drove to the start. I said I hoped to run it all, even the steep uphill bits. Joe had a similar aim. Not easy as you can overcook the pace and leave the legs empty – particularly not 100% running fit slogger legs.

A good buzz was in place at leg 2 start with teams milling around awaiting the first runners. Good to see running friends and acquaintances. Nice to see Mick Rice dragged from Galway to run the hills. Mick was glued to a map (not a good sign) but then when you live near Galway the issue of recces brings with it many logistical hurdles to overcome. Mick was sadly to divert off the Wicklow way on his route. Hopefully that won’t put him off a return visit to the hills.

As we approached 8, Brian Furey arrived first after a great run which had him about 2 mins ahead of the next runner, Richie from Crusaders who too had a great run. Some great work on the relay transfer market by Rene had them pick up Ian Conroy on a ‘bosman’ to run leg 2. He took off like a bullet, having spent time beforehand hitting himself to get the blood and adrenaline going. Sounds like Colm Hill :-). All that was missing was the bad language.
Kevin Keane handed over to Joe and he was off. Cormac Conroy was seconds behind and he handed to John McEnri who would run very well to overtake Joe on the day. John’s a classy runner as his performances over the years have shown, so no shame in being overtaken by him.
Nifty 50s were set off (Pat McCavana would run a great leg too). Theres hope for the rest of us in our 50s.

Zoran took a handover from Amidou to set off for UCD. Sean Hassett set off for Setanta having taken a handover from the ever consistent Gerry Lalor. Then John Aherne came into sight an arrived promptly on the 5 past 8 mark and I was off.

I was conscious in my early running not to overcook the legs and save energy for the climb. A bad climb would ruin a good time. The first 4k were uneventful. An avg pace under 4 min k whilst keeping the breathing and running controlled was pretty good. No runners in sight yet ahead or behind. Gerry Brady was out taking photos. He said I was 8th and that Zoran and Sean were ahead and could be caught. I never would see Zoran who had a great leg improving on his time from last year.

As I ran through Crone woods I tried not to focus on the climbs. Tried to keep the legs turning and focusing on the positives. Ahead I caught sight of a runner. As we turned up a steeper trail I saw he was striding, so I thought I could make a place. I was determined to keep running so that’s a place I would surely make up. As the path narrowed before we broke out to the descent to the river I passed Sean who courteously stood aside to let me through. A quick downhill to the river followed, and I knew the hardship would follow. On a recent windswept recce with Joe we walked some of the hill as we were practically blown off our feet. However, in the recent Powerscourt uphill race I had managed to dig in and run all the hill. I tried to cheer myself up with the prospect of only having to run half as much of Djouce today. Onwards and upwards, baby steps running style I kept going. I behind aware too at this point of a runner getting nearer from behind. A green vest of I think the club from Brigids club in Co. Meath. I didn’t recognise the runner but he was running very well and we said it afterwards, the fact that we both kept running on the hill kept both of us motivated. I was unable to match him for pace and he passed me but I was determined to keep any gap as narrow as possible I continued my slow trot up the hill. There was never a possibility of walking. The whole team dimension keeps you focused and keeps you going. My average pace had stretched over 5 min ks at this point which was inevitable. I was hoping to make inroads on that when we hit the boardwalk on what was turning out to be a beautiful day in Wicklow.

I was so happy to reach the point where the Wicklow way breaks left around Djouce. Not much longer before the boardwalk and most of the distance and hard work was done. All the while trying to run at a controlled steady pace. Boardwalk reached. Now it was a case of trying to turn the legs and get speed up. Not easy after the climb as my quads had the consistency of jelly. Looking back at the splits I’m a bit disappointed but I need to be realistic too that I haven’t the fitness I would ideally like to have. Suffice to say though I was happy to see the pace creep downwards and to see a sub 77 min time come within reach. I tried to accelerate coming into the forest and onto the home straight at the finish but I had little left, which is a good thing I suppose. Sub 77 mins job done. Team plac consolidated. Over to Maria who would go on to run a very good leg. Go Boards B.

In hindsight I was happy with the time. Its probably as much as I could do in the circumstances but there is room for improvement. I felt I’d done a decent job for the team.

I followed the progress of the subsequent legs meeting up by degrees with Paul, Gary, Colm etc (too many to mention) and trying to keep Ian updated (who would run leg 8 for the A team). I’d a wedding to go to later and with Vodafone phone issues I was in a results vacuum until the morning after the event. Great to see the B team consolidate a 6th place result, with some smashing performances over the day. Highlights being Derval, Jeff and Dom. Great and unfortunate in equal measure to see the A team just 7 secs off 2nd. Quite incredible after such a long distance race. Well done all and thanks to bossman Paul for guiding us all through.

14.82k, 1:16:52, 5:11 pace, 632m climb
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91545501

Slogger Jogger

Tired and mildly hungover today after a wedding yesterday. The rain teemed down and the body felt a bit sore after yesterday's race. Whats to do but to head out in the rain and run it off. Had left our car in Brook Lodge Macreddin yesterday so my rain swept mission was to run there and collect it. Had to carry a bag with some dry gear to change into too, so I set off and felt surprisingly good. Running in the rain is under-rated. My head started to clear immediately and the legs didn't feel bad. To make things worse though I decided to take a direct route to Macreddin which had me running up a short steep hill I've always avoided before. It felt a bit like yesterday, inching slowly up a yawning hill, but the hill was overcome and it too felt good. The downhill after felt better. Head cleared, legs still working. Job done.
9.45k, 244m climb, 5:11 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91864802

Slogger Jogger

Legs felt heavy but felt the urge to run this evening after work. Headed up the trail up the hill and after the initial steep bit the legs didn't feel too bad. In fact I felt the need to push on a bit and start to work the pace downwards. This shouldn't be happening, but I persevered and before long I had reached the path leading downwards. On the trek home I strung together a no. of back to back sub 4 min ks and it felt comfortable. Gravity is a great thing. Was b****xed but happy at the end though.

9.05k, 231m climb, 4:36 pace

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92215247

Slogger Jogger

Opted for the bike for a change to give the little feet a break. An out and back to Ironbridge. Every empty and quiet out there following the commotion of the WWR at the weekend. Lovely evening.
23.25k, 256m climb, Just under an hour, 23.6kph.

Slogger Jogger

A rare Weds race outing for me. Met up with Mothman to carpool up. It was warm but a lovely evening besides that. The midges were out though. A small warm up done and the crowd lined up promptly at 7.30 for starters orders.

The route is c. 11k with 320m or so of climb. The climbs are steady not severe and some of the running terrain is quite rocky and technical and demands concentration. Its easy to clip a rock and do yourself some damage and I expect there were a few fallers on the night....

A bit like the WWR on Saturday the plan was to start and run steady throughout and run all the hills. I was overtaken in the early stage by 2 of the leading ladies but my climbing was working and I managed to regain a few spots ahead of them. I could see a few running contemporaries just ahead of me and I suppose I settled for a pace that kept me within reach of them. I was conscious of pushing too much and not having enough left later in the race. The journey out to the high point was uneventful enough. At the cairn we turn left and I proceeded to make up 2 places in quick succession. I was running mainly downhill at this stage and making progress on the runner ahead. A slight slip knocked me out of my rhythm but I hadn't hurt myself and got back going ahead. I closed the gap on, as it turned out, earlyevening and hung in for a good moment to pass.

All the while I was feeling not quite 100%. The stomach was iffy and if this was a training run I might have taken a time out behind the bushes , but I hung in there and managed to get past and keep the pace steady if unspectacular. The runner next ahead of me was a bit too far out of reach, so I would have to be satisfied with my current place, that is if I could hold pace with following descenders.

I managed to hold my own on the closing k, and finished just ahead of EE. I didn't feel well after. Odd, as I hadn't eaten much today. Still looking at my time I'm only about a minute off the time from last year when I was running stronger, so I'm probably not too far off where I'd like to be.

This was a crowded race with lots of youthful fresh faced runners at the start, so I'm liable to be way back in the results compared to last year but its all relative. Happy enough with my run but feel I can do better on my next Tibradden outing.

Update: Results up. 19th. 3 places behind last year. Surprised its not more. Satisfied but room for improvement...

11.03k, 321m climb, 51:44, 4:39 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92657677

Krusty_Clown

Great going SJ. 19th, while on the path to recovery is the same as 6th, when fully operational.

Slogger Jogger

Work and family stuff yesterday so rested up from running.

This evening it didn't feel like I'd rested yesterday. It was a bit of a trudge, but some days are like this I suppose. The trail underfoot was soft from the rain. Did 3 loops of an up and down loop which winds through the woods beside my little village. Any thoughts I had initially of feeling up for a good session were soon dashed as I found the hill progressively harder with each loop. Quads felt leaden, probably still from Weds race. Worked on my breathing and focused on each step on the ups, and let gravity do its thing thereafter. Was glad when it finished.
9.77k, 246m climb, 4:47 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93005355

Slogger Jogger

Non running volunteer at European Trial race today, so marched to top of Djouce from Crone wood lugging backpack of water, spare clothes and stuff. Marshalled finish of Senior mens race and jogged back down. c. 12k around trip with c. 600m of climb.

Needed to do more later on, so got out on the MTB for a road loop after heavy showers. Covered 21k in 54 mins. Avg 23.7kph. Home to Woodenbridge and back. 231m climb.