Baby steps

Slogger Jogger

Headed out the backroads with a view to pushing the pace a bit. I took the odd 30s break to get my breath back on the odd occasion but overall this was a good workout and pretty happy with it. The garmin track is unreliable as I frustratingly lost the signal at one point again. Thats 2 days in a row and could be a sign of a failing watch The watch says 4:00 k pace but I reckon it was truthfully 4:10ish. It felt faster than MP at least

11.07k, 97m climb, 4:10ish pace approx.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/102174271

Slogger Jogger

Off work today for 3 weeks staycation mode. With a smile on my face I ventured down the road to Tinahely to link up with dp and pn for a jog out the Tinahely railway walk. Izzy and pn laughed at my cut up legs from the nav race on Saturday last. Apparently thats what you get doing O, so I better toughen up.

A nice easy chattable pace this evening. Time flew. I must have a go at the bridge to bridge and back record in due course.

12.29k, 4:53 pace, 60m climb

donothoponpop

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

I must have a go at the bridge to bridge and back record in due course.

Good man. Set me a nice target by the end of September;)

Slogger Jogger

Met up with Jimmy Synott for a trail run around Avondale this evening. I'm glad I'm resting tomorrow as the legs were feeling the effort on the climbs. Haven't been to Avondale in a while; should come back more often. The river run is a great run and the hills can be testing enough. They'd be great for repeats.

9.77k, 197m climb, 4:57 pace

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/102589940

Slogger Jogger

No running today with Galtees race tomorow. Mind you doing chores in the garden with heavy lifting is hardly rest :-)

Got my boards cycling gear yesterday after a long wait. Looking forward to hitting the roads with it. The top is great and would be ideal for running too, with the back pockets for stashing gels etc. Link to picture here:-
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=73551341&postcount=52

Slogger Jogger

This was a struggle early on but I got into my running to record a decent result and a time which is pretty much a mirror of my time here last year which was set in better conditions, so happy days.

This route runs steeply up Cush, then downhill a bit, then uphill steeply up Galtee Beg, then downhill a bit then uphill steeply again to Galteemore. Turn around, come back down (and up) the same way.

Setting off I felt tired. Crossing the stile on the way to Cush I was knackered. Regretted the day spent working in the garden yesterday. Very early in the race I was reduced to striding and imra colleagues proceeded to jog past me in procession. It wasnt long before Cush has most (except for Jason and Brian who were way ahead in the distance) to a walk. I found I wasn't slipping away from the group that had passed me. From Cush I found my stride a bit and downhilled well before the trudge across the boggy bits for the ascent of Galteebeg. Misty conditions meant you couldn't really see too far ahead. Lots of false summits came and went and the climbing kept happening. Did bits of running on the flatter bits. Got to the cross at the top behind Dermot Murphy.

The lead runners were well gone at that stage. Brian had about a 30s lead on Jason who had a decent gap to Bernard who had started slowly as usual and made his way through the race numbers.

I started to make ground on the descent. Descended well, if a bit fearful as my regular inov8s weren't grippy enough for the slippery ground. Counted down the hills as we ran and strided. Mike Cunningham was in the race today despite running for 24hrs last week in Belfast :eek:. Fair play to him.

Cush revealed its summit through the mist, bit by bit and the soft ground made it difficult. I reckon at the top of Cush I was in c. 10th place having made up ground on the group that had went past me early in the race. If you can stride uphill well then the Galtees can be a forgiving race obviously. I was overtaken by a well descending Kevin off Cush but I closed the gap and made it to the stile first. I managed to stretch out a bit of a lead on the single track down to the finish, despite a fall and a scratched up knee. Thought I was 9th back in the pub but the web results show I'm 8th My time was the same as last year's give or take 30s, so very happy with that and happy that I stayed the course when I felt tired early on.

Brian had a great win to wrap up the Irish Champs.

11.81k, 1160m climb, 8.37 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103151539

Slogger Jogger

Busy family day today, brought the kids to the zoo so lots of walking around. Body very tired after yesterday's race. Took it very handy this evening and did a short run around the woods. 6.14k, 5 min pace, 125m climb.

Slogger Jogger

Gave platelets this morning. My blood count was quite low so I must be a bit tired or run down at the moment. Late this afternoon I felt like getting out and stretching the legs, so headed up the hill nice and slow and picked it up on the way back. Felt good.
11k, 242m climb, 4:52 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103638962

Pronator

I was just talking to your coach, he advised me to strongly advise you to knock those races on the head for a few weeks and follow that schedule that he lovingly prepared for you:D

Slogger Jogger

Pronator wrote: »

I was just talking to your coach, he advised me to strongly advise you to knock those races on the head for a few weeks and follow that schedule that he lovingly prepared for you:D

You mean the trail race(s) that you yourself are doing I was in no form for doing 400s this evening so a trail run was it. I'll dust down that schedule and get motoring. I am on holidays though

Slogger Jogger

Met up with Pronator and did a bit of a warm up along the trail, telling him what to look out for during the race. He'd ran before work this morning so could have been fresher, but I guessed he was in good shape for this race despite that. This is a relatively short race but I always seem to struggle with the pacing of it. Having the galtees still a bit in the legs didn't help. The start is a bit frantic, with the uphill straight away and people trying to get into position before you turn onto the tight forest trail. I was running comfortably along here. The rain was starting to fall heavier and with the cloudy evening and the tree cover the forest trail was quite dim. Easy to put your foot wrong. I gained a few and lost a few places before the fast downhill into the zig zag paths. Earlyevening has zoomed past me and there was no seeing him again. Fair play. The flatish bit along the N11 seems to go on and on. My pace was struggling at this point but I was happy to stall it and save energy for the climb to come. When we turned to do the ascent I had to shout at runners who had ran directly across a line of tape to head up another trail Thankfully they heard me. Don't know what they were thinking. On the main uphill I got my pace settled and gained on Martin Francis and Eamon Hodge. I managed to past them before the track narrowed. Onto the single track which undulates. On an uphill part my climbing legs deserted me and I had to stride a bit. Counted to 20, and started to run again. Picked the pace up and was running close to the next runner, found out later it was James Clancy. Couldn't close the gap any and he descended very well on the road to the finish. Finished 11th (I think) but with a faster time than last year. Happy with that but unhappy with the pacing which I will probably never get right here for some reason. Great to see that Pronator had his first IMRA win. Well done earlyevening for a 7th place. Roll on Devils Glen.
Total running. 13.34. Race distance. 8.25. Race pace: 4:19 Climb. c220m ish.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103962849

Slogger Jogger

Legs didn't want to know as I started to try run this morning. Thankfully they got going, they just needed a bit of encouragement. Cool overcast morning, perfect conditions for this. Headed into my usual trail and uphill, and proceeded to do figure of eight of sorts which went something like this. uphill, flat, uphill, flat,downhill,flat, downhill,flat. c. 4k in distance. Did that twice and added an out and back bit in the forest to bring me up to 10k for the session. Legs were working by the end of it. Stood in my trusty water barrel after to get the blood flowing in the legs. Seems to work.
10.1k, 4:56 pace, 189m climb

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103962833

BeepBeep67

I seen in the paper that there was a road race in Aughrim won by some fella wearing a GAA jersey - did you get GAA'd or just not support your local race

Slogger Jogger

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

I seen in the paper that there was a road race in Aughrim won by some fella wearing a GAA jersey - did you get GAA'd or just not support your local race

Hey. Wasn't aware of the race to be honest? Didn't see it advertised and I only get the local paper occasionally. Pity that.

Fancy Devil's Glen next week? A home event almost.

BeepBeep67

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Hey. Wasn't aware of the race to be honest? Didn't see it advertised and I only get the local paper occasionally. Pity that.

Fancy Devil's Glen next week? A home event almost.

I'll be away, but there's a F4L in Devil's Glen on Aug 21st, proceeds going to Sunbeam House including a breakfast BBQ - spread the word.

Our next league event will take place in Devils Glen on the 21st August (not 14th as previously advertised), this event will be over approx 3miles and all proceeds will go to Sunbeam House Services who provides a range of supports to adults with intellectual disabilities. Full details can be found on www.sunbeam.ie.

Event Details: Race 8: Sun 21st August Distance: 3miles Trails Venue: Devils Glen Wood. Time: 9.30am registration, Start 10am.

We also hope to have a breakfast BBQ for the end of the race with all profits will go to sunbeam house.

Slogger Jogger

Was stuck indoors this afternoon childminding so was a bit stir crazy when the OH got home. Despite running earlier today I felt I had to get out, so I headed out on the mountain bike which hasn't seen any use recently. I hadn't been paying attention to the weather or the gathering clouds. No sooner had I left and the skies opened, but there was nothing for it but to keep the legs turning. In between heavy showers I was getting drenched anyway as the back road loop I took was all puddled over. I was made to work hard at times. The short steep hill at Moyne is a bitch. Headed back towards Askanagap and then onto home. A good soak in a hot bath later and I feel human again.

23k, 352m climb, 20.4kph
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/104067177

BeepBeep67

Were you in your Boards gear?

Slogger Jogger

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Were you in your Boards gear?

Not entirely. Top was in the wash, so had Boards cycling shorts on. Not that there was anyone out on these roads to see. It won't get a mention on Boards jersey sightings (on the cycling forum).

Slogger Jogger

Parked at the Carrick wood entrance onto the trails of Croaghan and headed out the route that was used for the imra race here a few years back. Its a tough trail, with lots of rocky debris along the paths, Croagh-Patrick-like. I veered off the rocky trail to hug the fence line which would bring me more directly to the top. The downside of this approach was the lack of a trail in parts so it was a case of high stepping through the heather and rock which wasn't always immediately visible. Got going on the ridge and found the top reasonably dry, which in this case is still quite boggy in parts, but thats as good as it gets. Jogged up to the trig point and took a moment to take in the views on all sides. Magnifient, as the sun had come out to light up the countryside. Thats quite rare as this trig is under cloud a lot of the time.

Heading back down the way I came I wasn't much quicker as I was cautious going down through the knee high bracken. I missed the break left which would have brought me onto the decent track and ended up adding a down and back of c. 100m extra climb as my descent there ended in a cul de sac of narrowing trees. A bit of a slog needed to regain my position and continue back along the stony track back to the car. Nice and easy effortwise. An enjoyable session. Cooled the legs in the water barrel when I got home, with the sun shining down and a mug of coffee in the hand thinking this is the life.

13.26k, 760m climb, 8:04 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/104184472

donothoponpop

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Cooled the legs in the water barrel when I got home, with the sun shining down and a mug of coffee in the hand thinking this is the life.

That's a crazy image! Ya nutter!:D

Slogger Jogger

Drove to Kippure Estate with pn and I headed up the trail at Athdown brook. The going was good for about 400m before running straight into the debris of a cleared forest which has obliterated the trail for the most part. Picked my way through it very slowly and found the trail further on which ran alongside the brook up through a gap in the trees, due North, heading directly towards Seefingan.

At Seefingan looking over towards Kippure the mast was obscured by cloud. There looked to be a trail in the direction I wanted to go. At closer inspection this line in the bog ended up just being a gully of sorts but the running along it was pretty reasonable. The running got patchier as the ground conditions worsened. Peat stacks and wide open areas of black bog opened up. The bog was pretty dry though, and scoring a low 3 out of 10 on the shoe sucking scale.

Some rain came and went but for the most part the conditions were ideal. Oh for conditions like this in 2 weeks time. The mast became visible and it looked near at the top of the next hill. This was a false peak though and when I peaked out I could see that the mirage of a mast was actually quite a bit further away. A mixture of jogging and soft stepping through peat followed before I peaked out on Kippure.

From Kippure, I was lucky enough to have full visibility east and south east, so I could pick the spot on the road that I wanted to head towards and off I went across the bogland. Took it easy as I wasn't sure what the ground conditions were like. Conditions weren't too bad in the end as I held a pretty good south east bearing. Crossed a big gully with a stream in it and another smaller one which had the beginnings of the River Liffey. Found myself in parts running on a bit of a single track that I stumbled across heading the direction I wanted.

Found myself on the road all of a sudden, as you approach the road from below and with no traffic around you have no awareness of it. The last 2k or so on the road were fairly miserable as the rain started again. Met up with pn at the Sally Gap just before the appointed time.

Pretty successful recce. Fingers crossed for decent weather, visibility on the day. Very happy to have gotten out to recce it in advance. Thanks pn for helping me out.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/104385333
11.81k, 579m climb, 7:50 pace.

donothoponpop

Nice one. Good that you got the recce done- pity it wasn't a white-out though, there's bonus value in getting to know the track using map and compass only.

Having said that, I'm with you, hoping for good sightlines on the day!

Slogger Jogger

Copy and paste this for 2 weeks time would do nicely. Just need to do it quicker.

Slogger Jogger

Boggy soup between Seefingan and Kippure:-


Intermediate hill, with gully showing the way:-


Kippure mast emerges:-




Next stop Sally Gap:-

Slogger Jogger

Felt sluggish starting off but after a pitstop in the trees c. 2k I got going properly. Body and legs felt okay and conditions were just perfect. Took in a hilly ish loop which brought me to Woodenbridge (c. 10k distance), then turned left along the main road towards Avoca. Quite pleasant here and safe for running since they've installed a path all along here (thanks council). Turned up a side road in Avoca and took on a hill that winds its way up and over and eventually down towards Aughrim. Finished pretty strongly too. Very happy with pace overall considering sluggish start. Took in the view from the back garden whilst soaking the legs in cold water for about 10 mins afterwards.

26.12k, 4:45 pace, 327m climb
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/104602322

Pronator

Great run SJ, just what the doctor ordered;) Your coach will be very happy when I tell him the news:D

Slogger Jogger

A good week last week. Ran 7 days, a total of 92k.

Today's run was a straightforward road and trail loop home to Aughrim and back. Legs felt okay and pace was good. Wasn't recovery paced thats for sure, but don't feel any the worse for it. This running followed by water soaking for c. 10 mins after seems to be working for me.

10.87k, 4:31 pace, 105m climb
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/104893925

Slogger Jogger

Making the most of my time off at the moment. Daily runs without the normal day to day routine is great. Headed out this morning and onto the trails up the hill. Up and up, slowly but surely to the top. Tagged a bit of loop on at the top in order to bring the overall run over 10k. Downhill then, breathing was fairly easy, just open up the stride and let the hill do the work. The avg pace falling with every few steps. Upped the pace and the effort for the last k through the forest on twisty and turning trails. Winded at the end of it, but that was temporary. Enjoyed it. Fab morning. Coffee and bagel time.
10.2k, 5:02 pace, 357m climb.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/105090190

Slogger Jogger

Car-pooled up with Ian, Jenny, Niall and Zoran from the Ashford House. Felt sluggish. Being on holidays I've been used to running first thing in the morning. Hanging around for the day for a race which starts at 7.30 is a pain. Ominous clouds overhead and it looked like it would be similar conditions to last week's race. A delayed start due to traffic issues and we were off at 7.40. I started conservatively as many around me dashed ahead up the steep 1st kilometre. In retrospect I probably started to conservatively as I ended up getting blocked in a bit and ran at the pace of others around me. Having said that I benefitted later from having a bit in the tank. By the time we hit the high point and descended again to the car park for the start of the 2nd part of the figure 8 route, I was 5th in a line of runners in our 'race within a race'. As we took the zig zags down to the river, one of the runners who was wearing road shoes couldn't take the corner and ended up doing straight through the undergrowth and gorse That slowed him down though. On to the river part. I expected it to be muddy in sections and was glad I had the inov8s on. Slowly but surely I made ground on those around me. By the time we turned acutely left to start the climb back to the finish I had leapfroged 3 more places. The legs were jelly like on the final climb. Feeling the effects of day on day running recently. Still, I held my pace til the end and in retrospect I would have been happy with a 12th place to start with. My time is over a minute slower than last year which is probably down to be sub-consciously running at a comfortable pace whereas last year I probably pushed it a bit more.

Nice wins by Pronator and Jenny. Zoran was well placed in 5th too. So we had a pretty successful car load.

8.51k, 4:22 pace, 220m climb.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/105520465

Slogger Jogger

Legs heavy starting off, a bit weary heading uphill initially on the trail. Progressively as the terrain became flatter, then a descent came the legs started to turn. Back onto the trail for a nice run back to the start point. Body was feeling better at that point. Same again then for the next 4k or so. The last circuit was a partial loop.

This wasn't recovery so to speak, but its a session I've stumbled on that works for me. Short climbs, short road bits to get the legs going, short quick descents. A ready made fartleg route on the doorstep without having to consciously judge the pace.

11.33k, 244m climb, 4:51 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/105609430