Toiler's Constant

griffin100

Look on the bright side, at least I didn't catch you on Sunday

We all have bad days when racing, my worst was 4.30hrs last year in DCM, a result that almost made me rethink it all. But this is a hobby, a hobby we take seriously, but still a hobby, it took me a long time to work that out. Some people never do. There are more important things in life. Training and racing give me enjoyment and help keep me sane and slightly less fat than i was when I started this lark. That's not a criticism of you or anyone else on this forum, its just my outlook on the racing / training thing.

Take a break, get yourself well, and get back in the saddle. If it makes you feel any better I've been dying of a cold since Sunday too.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

It was only one race there will be others. Get out on that bike and enjoy the fresh air, the birds singing and the smell of manure!!

RacoonQueen

Well done. You've gone far from the bloke who was insanely asking me of all people about swimming back at the pacers meal in January.

Doesn't seem whiney at all btw, sometimes when it's written down it appears more whiney than it's intended to be.

Great stuff. Would love to do a long distance swim.

Oryx

You need to practice your whiney. I can give lessons.

Slogger Jogger

Oryx wrote: »

You need to practice your whiney. I can give lessons.

Don't encourage him for gods sake

Kurt Godel

Mon Dublin Marathon (pacer) 4:14:55

Well I left this log in search of backslaps from newbies on the Jogging forum, and tried to train for Dublin off one LSR and 10 days huffing and puffing. In the end I had to fill a pacer slot at short notice, so had a long slow jog around the streets of our Capital Junktopia. Sounds boring, but I had a blast, a load of laughs, so may as well post it.

For the night before, a meal with 30 of the pacers, turned into a fun-filled evening of pints and Fleurie. Fine and flowing Fleurie it was too. After the meal several of the speedier pacers retired to the bar, while I talked to one girl who intended going for a run. I loved her spontenaety, so I shorted up, threw on whatever mix and match clothes I had, and joined her for a brisk evering run around the mean streets of Dublin. We did about 3 miles, and they were three miles of total alive-alive-oh-ity. Back to the hotel where the merry band of Tri-forum-pacers were, a final pint admist tear-dropping laughter, and up to bed. It really was a fantastic evening, a total blast and great craic:D You had to be there.

I awoke at 4:30, went down to breakfast (full Irish, breakfast of champions), and we headed to the start. Group photo, say hi to PeterX who was a bike marshall (I think? In any case, nice bling was your steed). Huge amounts of runners behind us, there's the off, and we try to settle the pace for the first few miles, and enter the park with a massive throng around us. I was happy with how my minimal runners were operating on the hard surface, things were ticking away. One of the real fun things about running with joggers is they are in it for the laugh, its just a bit of fun. So a toilet break at seven miles, I could run to the trees screaming at them to follow; this was a short-cut. Or every bridge became an opportunity to shout "Oggie-oggie-oggie" for the echo. Everyone was in good spirits. My lowpoint was missing seeing the delicious Racoon Queen shouting my name at mile 9- ironic since this has been a long-standing fantasy of mine. Onto the congested drag of Crumlin Road, still feeling good, a little quick at halfway, but we had a few hills ahead.

I had been necking a gel every 3 miles from 8 on, purely to mask my lack of training. 17 to 20 were fine, but my last gel at 20 wouldn't last me 6 miles, and the solid food I had wouldn't kick in soon enough to be of any benefit. So by mile 23 I started to feel the icy hurt, and felt my legs tighten. An untrained marathon at any pace is going to hurt at some stage. The last few miles though, I knew would be over soon, and I was happy to cross the line. A few swift ales with the runners in McGrattan's and we headed for home. Legs feel good, and I'm really happy with how the shoes worked out. I really enjoyed this weekend in Dublin, the meal etc was a laugh-fest, and today was a run seeing cheering Dublin at its finest.

So where to from here? Well, I can run again, slowly ("did you ever run quickly?"). And I love the swim training I started doing this year. So I'll tip away at the bike, and aim for a few sprints. Oly's early next year. Mojo is back, looking forward to it now. But no more marathons unless I'm confident I can go sub 3. Plenty of other ways to have enjoyable pain:)

Kurt Godel

Tue 30th Oct 1,000m swim

My body doesn't feel too bad at all today. Doubt I could run without pain, but a steady swim was just the ticket.

Dory Dory

Just saw your photo on facebook - looking pretty hot in blue!!!

Kurt Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

Just saw your photo on facebook - looking pretty hot in blue!!!

:DThinks Dory! Here's a slightly less hot photo in a red ensemble, with matching red striped socks, bloodshot red eyes, and cheesy half-cut grin. Available soon at all fashion boutiques for discerning gentlemen.

Dory Dory

For some reason I'm thinking How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Confident, hands on hips...still hot though.

TRR

Time to man up and set your next challenge.

I challenge you to pace again next year, but this time you must pace the sub 3hour runners. Let's be honest it's the next step in you meteoric pacing career

Kurt Godel

Wed 8k easy run

Ah that marathon was only a jog. I've no real aches or pains at all. I met with PN and ran along a sodden Railway Walk, all the time feeling like I wanted the legs to take off and run faster. I have to say, running pain free in these shoes- and I actually mean zero knee pain- is nothing short of a miracle. I'll keep off the mountain downhills for a while, but my running future is looking a lot brighter.

TRR wrote: »

Time to man up and set your next challenge.

I challenge you to pace again next year, but this time you must pace the sub 3hour runners. Let's be honest it's the next step in you meteoric pacing career

Bring it on, boyfriend. Smackdown. You complete an Oly distance Tri in... ooh, say 2:20; I'll run a sub 3 marathon. Can advise on a selection of pre-race aperitífs.

TRR

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Bring it on, boyfriend. Smackdown. You complete an Oly distance Tri in... ooh, say 2:20; I'll run a sub 3 marathon. Can advise on a selection of pre-race aperitífs.

Listen for me to even consider a tri I'd have to put in 12-15 hours training a week, I currently put in 9-10 for running alone but want to up that. When I max out mileage/time wise and see no more improvement in my running I will consider another challenge so we will have to put this on hold for the time being.

Can I just say, I know you are feeling the positive benefits on your minimalist shoes and I'm not denying they may be having a positive effect but it's my opinion that all your initial knee problems were the result of running down steep hills at a decent clip. Been there have the t-shirt

Kurt Godel

TRR wrote: »

Listen for me to even consider a tri I'd have to put in 12-15 hours training a week, I currently put in 9-10 for running alone but want to up that. When I max out mileage/time wise and see no more improvement in my running I will consider another challenge so we will have to put this on hold for the time being.

Can I just say, I know you are feeling the positive benefits on your minimalist shoes and I'm not denying they may be having a positive effect but it's my opinion that all your initial knee problems were the result of running down steep hills at a decent clip. Been there have the t-shirt

No argument there, I've been running down harsh terrain downhills in the company of skeletons, and I have a little- ahem- more padding on me. So I've no argument about the downhills causing knee pain. What I will say though is, I've stayed away from the downhills for a a year and a half, and tried many remedies. Nothing has worked better than my minimal shoes. Every time I hit the ground, it feels as if I'm whacking the kneecap back to where it should be. Maybe it will lead to long term damage, but for the moment minimal running has me feeling great. I expected to be in a lot of joint and muscle pain after 26 miles whacking tarmac- instead I have zero pain whatsoever. Believe me I was very skeptical about barefoot eulogists, until someone explained it via force vectors. Made sense then.

I hear ya on the extra time and effort for a Tri. I'm balancing that by saying I've put in the effort and ingredients for a sub3 26.2, twice, and f*cked up both times. Not willing to do so again, would prefer to spend more time doing training I'm enjoying. Horses for course, its all about enjoyment at our level, and that's the level that means its your hobby (no disrespect meant for your impressive achievements).

In any case I'll just tick a box beside your name that says pussy;):D

Kurt Godel

Fri 2nd Nov 10k run 48:00, 20 mins core

A bright and early start this morning, 10k easy/steady among the autumnal trees. Legs felt good, there's probably a little muscle stress if I up the pace, to be expected after the marathon. I'll keep things sensible for another week or so, and then start bringing in a bit more structure.

Afterwards I tried a set of Racoon Queens' finest plank exercises for wibbly-wobbly jelly-bellies. Christ, that was hard. I'll have to stick to a plan for core work over the winter, its immediately obvious from the pain that I've a lot to focus on.

RayCun

oh, you think it's sore today, wait until tomorrow

Dory Dory

You should consider doing a little yoga. It's great for core and flexibility, and really makes you feel great afterwards....and there are also several good yoga programs targeting runners. I would recommend a class with a live instructor watching/guiding/correcting you if you've never done yoga (you don't need to injure yourself doing yoga incorrectly!!), however, here are two videos to give you an idea...but keep in mind there are many types of yoga, so the sky is the limit!!

Kurt Godel

Mon Carnew loop 13k run 68mins

Right, time to stop messing around. Proper base training starts tonight, I've put the knee through a marathon and no ill effects, so safe to say I can run again.

Beautiful torchlight run around the backroads of Carnew, a cold and fresh night, thousands of stars providing enough light to turn the headlamp off in places... just a perfect way to round off Monday.

griffin100

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Mon Carnew loop 13k run 68mins

Right, time to stop messing around. Proper base training starts tonight, I've put the knee through a marathon and no ill effects, so safe to say I can run again.

Beautiful torchlight run around the backroads of Carnew, a cold and fresh night, thousands of stars providing enough light to turn the headlamp off in places... just a perfect way to round off Monday.

Jaysus, I don't know about that, Carnew always reminds me of the village in An American Werewolf In London. I wouldn't be running around it at night

BennyMul

griffin100 wrote: »

Jaysus, I don't know about that, Carnew always reminds me of the village in An American Werewolf In London. I wouldn't be running around it at night

its only a problem when you stray off the road on to the Moore,

Kurt Godel

griffin100 wrote: »

Jaysus, I don't know about that, Carnew always reminds me of the village in An American Werewolf In London. I wouldn't be running around it at night

This loop just starts and ends in the town- the main part traverses backroads and hills almost to Askamore, before turning along other elevated backroads. Not too much traffic, and good long views of the countryside under starlight. A bit more fun than up and down the main street 100 times:D

Kurt Godel

Tue 7k tempo-ish run, hilly

Ahhh, this bodes well for the future. The Tri Club were doing a hilly road run, by torchlight. PN came along for the company, good man. About a kilometer flat'n'chat, (PN pointed out that I did my auto-hit-the-front when passing a female), then hit the long hill up to Killavaney Church. I felt good, and pushed the pace as we ran up into the dark. Of course, a hill is to PN as an indeterminate female is to me, so he drove on a bit, always just a half stride ahead. It felt great to be running uphill at a bit of a clip.

Turn at the top and head down. My brain was telling me to slow down here- no point injuring the legs on a hard downhill so soon after the marathon- but its very hard to slow down in company. The pace was picked up by some of the other lads, as we looped around some estates, and there was a bunch of 5 or 6 that hit the last hill loop at pace. I felt a tightening in the calf, and stopped to stretch, although in truth I stopped too easy. Have to watch that, its ok to baby myself just now, but I wouldn't want it to be a habit. I was suitably disgusted with myself as I walked back down, so I turned around and finished the loop. No issue with the leg at the end.

Its very useful to run in a group, and there's quite a few of the lads who I will struggle to stay with, which has to be a good thing facing into winter training.

shotgunmcos

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Its very useful to run in a group, and there's quite a few of the lads who I will struggle to stay with, which has to be a good thing facing into winter training.

Apart from consistent miles, training with others at or above your level is a sure fire way to bring you along. Hoping to find some company myself too

TRR

I wouldn't worry about babying the legs at the moment. I'd especially pay attention to those dodgy knees. Did you ever look into strengthening the muscles around the knee? I think I remember telling you about a hill runner friend of mine who was basically told he needed a knee op by two separate surgeons, he was skeptical and spent a good few months working on knee strength exercises and is back flying now. Worth looking into in and can only help. Prevention better than cure and all that. I'm guessing there are plenty of hills around your way and they must be hard to avoid.

Kurt Godel

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Apart from consistent miles, training with others at or above your level is a sure fire way to bring you along. Hoping to find some company myself too

You're dead right. It was a blast! I've been thinking about the run all day, parts of it we were pushing, parts when the lads came back, etc. I'm still a bit pissed I stopped on the hill (see caveat below), but these are the runs that bring you on. I'd never have gone quite so hard without the company.

Kurt Godel

TRR wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about babying the legs at the moment. I'd especially pay attention to those dodgy knees. Did you ever look into strengthening the muscles around the knee? I think I remember telling you about a hill runner friend of mine who was basically told he needed a knee op by two separate surgeons, he was skeptical and spent a good few months working on knee strength exercises and is back flying now. Worth looking into in and can only help. Prevention better than cure and all that. I'm guessing there are plenty of hills around your way and they must be hard to avoid.

Yeah, I have to take this babying advice. The thing is, my legs are pain free for the first time in years, and its a total blast to be running free again. But- no point in fecking it all up with a simple injury now, so I'll be careful for a few weeks.

I've started to bring in some core and strength exercises, and I'll look into some knee specific stuff. Loads of hills here- running up them is great for building knee strength. Running down them is great for whacking them with iron mallets., need to go easy going down.

Kurt Godel

Wed 45 min turbo

I moved my home office downstairs, to a room that has doors opening on a great view. So the turbo is down here now, meaning I can set up by the computer, and open the doors for air and countryside. Sufferfestland this evening, it wasn't long before I was dripping with sweat, much to the amusement of my kids who now want to hook up their BMX's to the turbo:D

This was moderately tough- I'm working on feel rather that HRM or power meter for the turbo at the moment, maybe I'll bring in numbers when I'm more used to it. Very useful workout after pounding the roads last night, in fact it was tickety-boo.

Kurt Godel

Fri 45min turbo, 15 min core

Its a miserable wet day here, so rather than get soaked plodding in the rain, I did 45 easy spinning at lunchtime. Followed by the 15 minutes that is RQ's pain challenge. I've always neglected my core, and find these planks and push-ups very tough. No pain, no gain, though.

Kurt Godel

Fri pm 14km hill run

I received a text today from one of the Tri lads who is doing the Art O'Neill, would I perchance be interested in a night run around the Ballycumber loop? Headtorch on, jog the 2km up Mangons Lane, then hit the sloppy trails. There's a lovely section that skirts the hill, its soft grass, and it was magic to run on in the dark. In truth though, this isn't much use for AON practice, as its all too easy to follow the trail, and there ain't many trails on the AON route. A long slog uphill now, which I found tough enough. Just a matter of keeping the breathing under control, the arms pumping, and focus on anything but pain for, oh, about 15 mins (;)).

Over a stile and hit a section that might be of some use- through heather, bog, slop, water, muck, ****e, grass; this is more like it. A long downhill back to the car (took it easy), this run was a nice bonus to the day.

Kurt Godel

Sat 18k easy

I ran from home, along backroads, to Macreddin. The legs were very stiff starting off, so it was slow enough, but getting quicker all the time, as I was fighting against the dusk and had no lights. Brilliant run for views, colours, trees.

I finished at a Slow Food festival that the family was attending. Its on again tomorrow, and anyone looking for something different could do worse than come along. If you come at dusk, there's a real festival air, with open log burning fires lighting and heating the area. Loads of good food to sample, pheasants and game for sale, organic burgers, mulled wine, local crafts... well worth a visit.