It's now fun to run

dazza21ie

FrClintPower wrote: »

Finally finished reading through your log dazza (I don't like jumping in halfway through a log so I always feel the need to start at the start, which can take a while!) and you've made some progress over the last year or so! Interesting to read about your first McMillan session, I felt pretty horrible during the later ones as well when I did it, but I suppose that's the point. 6.55 is the right pace for a 43 min 10k so you'd want to be revising that target down a bit!

Thanks Clint, will see how 2nd and 3rd sessions go before thinking too much about times. Having read your reports so far am preparing for a couple of tough sessions!

dazza21ie

Saturday 29th June - 13.1 miles @ 8:51
Had a nice morning for this one. First 3 or so miles were quite slow as the body and legs woke up. After that it was kept pretty easy.

Monthly Summary
Month| No. of Runs| 2012 | No. of Runs | 2013
January| 14 | 34.22 | 23 | 127.01
February|16| 46.21 | 11 | 59.82
March|16| 52.11 | 23 | 137.57
April|14|49.98 | 27 | 174.19
May|22| 95.18 | 27 | 154.79
June|17| 85.79| 23| 150.07
July| 18| 101.16
August| 17| 126.55
September| 18| 151.64
October| 16| 115.04
November| 21| 91.63
December| 16| 89.14
Totals | 205| 1,038.51 | 134 | 803

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 46.45| 150| 803| 80.7

dazza21ie

Monday 1st July - 6.07 miles @ 8:24
Lovely day out . Just an easy run to start another week/month.

Tuesday 2nd July - 6.04 miles @ 8:18
Terrible day out . Yesterdays lovely sunshine was replaced by wind and rain. Other than that a mirror run to yesterday's route and run.

dazza21ie

Wednesday 3rd July

Session - 12 x 400 (1 min rec)

After the mile reps for last weeks session I was nearly looking forward to this one as I thought it was easier. It probably is easier but don't try and tell that to someone doing these! Done around two miles of a warm up and then got stuck into these. Splits were:

90 secs, 89, 86, 91, 90, 90 89, 90, 88, 88, 87, 86

I think the goal at the start was around 91 secs but I didn't put too much thought into this to be honest. Knew the third one was too quick so did take it easier on the next one. Last 3-4 really had to dig in to get them done. Recoveries were walked and kept to the minute. Done a few miles quite gingerly afterwards to warm down.

dazza21ie

Thursday 4th July - 5.16 miles @ 8:50
Legs were a little on the tired side heading out. Let them take me around as slow as they felt necessary. Nothing out of the ordinary apart from two little dogs that ran along side me when I was half way around. Got to admire their leg speed, considering the substantial height difference they kept up quite well. It definitely was conversational pace for them too


Friday 5th July - 6.04 miles @ 8:22
I toyed with the idea of doing a tempo run or something different but when I got out the door it was quite warm and I settled for an easy run.

dazza21ie

Saturday 6th July - 13 miles @ 8:55
This was a tough one. A mixture of tired legs, tired body and probably a little dehydrated made it tougher. Had planned to tag an extra mile onto the end but but changed my mind about that.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 45.31| 45.31| 849| 79.6 kg

dazza21ie

Monday 8th July - 6.04 miles @ 8:49
This was at lunchtime so was prepared for it to be tough out in the heat. Route I use is an out and back so kept the pace very easy on the way out and let things pick up a bit on the way back in. Had a nice headwind on the way back which made things bearable.

Tuesday 9th July - 0 miles - Got caught up at work so didn't get out at lunchtime. Toyed with the idea of going out for a short run in the evening but it was going to be late going out and I knew I was up early for Wednesday's session so I knocked that on the head.

Wednesday 10th July
Session: 1 x 2 Miles & 4 x 1 Mile with 5 mins and 3 min recoveries

The second of the McMillan sessions. It has been in the back of my mind since the first one was finished. As I went out early this morning the little voice in my head tried to persuade me to forget about it and just do and easy run instead!

Done a 2 mile warm up at very easy pace, the 2nd of those was more for delaying the start of the session rather than as part of a planned warm up. Couldn't justify any more of a warm up so had to get started. Splits were:

1 x 2 miles (6:44, 6:51) 4 x 1 Miles: (6:53, 6:46, 6:50, 6:48)

Very pleased how it went. It was a little more comfortable than the first of the sessions. Had probably been dreading the 2 mile rep the most. That went very well. First mile was always going to be the quickest one. The second mile started and finished going up small hills so it was good to be able to keep the pace for this one. Had to dig in for the last two mile reps but whenever the legs were asked to pick the pace up they were able to respond.

I think it helped that the legs were well rested going into to this. Something to bear in mind for the next one of these sessions in two weeks. Jogged back to the house to bring up 10.28 miles.

career_move

Well done Dazza. Great session there

RunningKing

dazza21ie wrote: »

Monday 8th July - 6.04 miles @ 8:49
This was at lunchtime so was prepared for it to be tough out in the heat. Route I use is an out and back so kept the pace very easy on the way out and let things pick up a bit on the way back in. Had a nice headwind on the way back which made things bearable.

Tuesday 9th July - 0 miles - Got caught up at work so didn't get out at lunchtime. Toyed with the idea of going out for a short run in the evening but it was going to be late going out and I knew I was up early for Wednesday's session so I knocked that on the head.

Wednesday 10th July
Session: 1 x 2 Miles & 4 x 1 Mile with 5 mins and 3 min recoveries

The second of the McMillan sessions. It has been in the back of my mind since the first one was finished. As I went out early this morning the little voice in my head tried to persuade me to forget about it and just do and easy run instead!

Done a 2 mile warm up at very easy pace, the 2nd of those was more for delaying the start of the session rather than as part of a planned warm up. Couldn't justify any more of a warm up so had to get started. Splits were:

1 x 2 miles (6:44, 6:51) 4 x 1 Miles: (6:53, 6:46, 6:50, 6:48)

Very pleased how it went. It was a little more comfortable than the first of the sessions. Had probably been dreading the 2 mile rep the most. That went very well. First mile was always going to be the quickest one. The second mile started and finished going up small hills so it was good to be able to keep the pace for this one. Had to dig in for the last two mile reps but whenever the legs were asked to pick the pace up they were able to respond.

I think it helped that the legs were well rested going into to this. Something to bear in mind for the next one of these sessions in two weeks. Jogged back to the house to bring up 10.28 miles.

Nice session, its a good programme that.

FrClintPower

dazza21ie wrote: »

Monday 8th July - 6.04 miles @ 8:49
This was at lunchtime so was prepared for it to be tough out in the heat. Route I use is an out and back so kept the pace very easy on the way out and let things pick up a bit on the way back in. Had a nice headwind on the way back which made things bearable.

Tuesday 9th July - 0 miles - Got caught up at work so didn't get out at lunchtime. Toyed with the idea of going out for a short run in the evening but it was going to be late going out and I knew I was up early for Wednesday's session so I knocked that on the head.

Wednesday 10th July
Session: 1 x 2 Miles & 4 x 1 Mile with 5 mins and 3 min recoveries

The second of the McMillan sessions. It has been in the back of my mind since the first one was finished. As I went out early this morning the little voice in my head tried to persuade me to forget about it and just do and easy run instead!

Done a 2 mile warm up at very easy pace, the 2nd of those was more for delaying the start of the session rather than as part of a planned warm up. Couldn't justify any more of a warm up so had to get started. Splits were:

1 x 2 miles (6:44, 6:51) 4 x 1 Miles: (6:53, 6:46, 6:50, 6:48)

Very pleased how it went. It was a little more comfortable than the first of the sessions. Had probably been dreading the 2 mile rep the most. That went very well. First mile was always going to be the quickest one. The second mile started and finished going up small hills so it was good to be able to keep the pace for this one. Had to dig in for the last two mile reps but whenever the legs were asked to pick the pace up they were able to respond.

I think it helped that the legs were well rested going into to this. Something to bear in mind for the next one of these sessions in two weeks. Jogged back to the house to bring up 10.28 miles.

Good stuff, great times there. I found it easier than the first one too, once you've done 2 miles the single miles feel easier.

dazza21ie

Thursday 11th July - 5.12 miles @ 9:11

Friday 12th July - 6.04 miles @ 8:51

Both runs were done at lunchtime in the heat. Had a nice breeze in parts for both runs which made things bearable. This weather makes it much easier to keep paces sensible. The hardest part of the run is cooling down afterwards.

dazza21ie

Saturday 13th July - 14.14 miles @ 8:48
Much better long run than last week's. Out early as usual and it was still quite cool but nice out. As per usual took first 2-3 miles for the legs to wake up but after that the miles ticked by quite nicely. Managed to get the extra mile on at the end this week to bring up the longest run of the year. Will extend it soon to 15 miles and keep it at that up until September's half marathon at least.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
5| 41.62| 87| 890| 80.8 kg

Monday 15th July - 6.04 miles @ 8:39
Can nearly do these runs on autopilot. Same route as usual, pace kept easy. It was warm out but much more comfortable than last week.

dazza21ie

Tuesday 16th July - 6.06 miles @ 8:34

It was a bit hotter than Monday for this one. Same route and pace seemed to gradually pick up as the run went on without ever feeling like it was being pushed along.

Wednesday 17th July - 10.07 miles

It's a week off from the McMillan sessions so plan was to do a tempo run. With Half marathon in September in mind I decided to try 5 miles at the lower end of tempo pace. Based on my most recent race McMillan has tempo pace between 7:05 and 7:22 mins/mile.

Done around 2.5 mile warm up and then started into the tempo miles. When the legs were asked to pick up the pace at the start they went to 10k pace which I guess is positive given the current pace. It took a little while just to get the feel of the desired pace but once in the grove the first 2 miles went by pretty quickly. Mile 3 I started to notice the effort and had to concentrate a bit more to keep on pace. Legs started to tire slightly in Mile 4 but they kept going and actually started to go quicker! Coincidentally mile 5 started at one of the points where I have starting the mile reps for the 10k sessions. Shortly into this mile I checked the pace and see 10k pace showing on the Garmin. I managed to ease off a bit but still ended up with the last mile being the fastest by a good margin. Splits for the tempo miles were:
7:16, 7:19, 7:21, 7:11, 7:04.
Done another 2.5 miles approx warm down to bring up the total.

dazza21ie

Thursday 18th July - 5.11 miles @ 9:31
Legs were a bit stiff starting out so attempted to do a proper recovery pace. Target pace was 9:30 so close enough!

Friday 19th July - 4.08 miles @ 8:57
Was late getting out for this one so had to make it shorter than normal. With the heat that is out there it might not have been a bad thing. Hardest part of running in this weather is the cool down afterwards.

dazza21ie

Saturday 20th July - 14.15 miles @ 8:55
Nice run. Was out early as usual so it was still cool out. First 6 or so miles were quite leisurely and I wasn't bothered in the slightest. Pace did pick up a bit as the loop turned back towards home.

Overall a good consistent week. With all the calories burned during the week used up at a 60th party Saturday night!

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 45.51| 132| 936| 79.8 kg

tomred1N

dazza21ie wrote: »

Saturday 20th July - 14.15 miles @ 8:55
Nice run. Was out early as usual so it was still cool out. First 6 or so miles were quite leisurely and I wasn't bothered in the slightest. Pace did pick up a bit as the loop turned back towards home.

Overall a good consistent week. With all the calories burned during the week used up at a 60th party Saturday night!

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 45.51| 132| 936| 79.8 kg

Great running dazza ur improving at some rate.
Just noticed ur gone from 85 kg to 79 in 3 months. Id say that helps big time. If you have the plan pass it on...im stuck on 85 since dcm 13!!

dazza21ie

tomred1N wrote: »

Great running dazza ur improving at some rate.
Just noticed ur gone from 85 kg to 79 in 3 months. Id say that helps big time. If you have the plan pass it on...im stuck on 85 since dcm 13!!

Thanks tomred1N. The weight has dropped off nicely. Had given myself a target of getting 10kg off this year and have done that already. No real secrets, just case of running and watching what I eat. Was quite disciplined for a couple months with what I ate. My real achilles is in the evenings when sitting watching telly. Would always have been in the habit of snacking away without any real need for it. When I cut this out it really helped with the weight. Haven't been that well behaved of late and it shows with the weight pretty much static for the last month or so. I think if I can get a bit disciplined again can get a few more kg off before the year is out.

I think it definitely makes a difference when running. If I am being honest with myself I reckon I have probably under-preformed in races this year a bit. The gains that have come with weight loss have probably masked the fact that I haven't always pushed as hard as I could have in races. More of a mental thing than anything. If you use the rule of thumb of 2 seconds per mile per pound lost then my 5k time should be 1 minute better. Hope to put that to the test next week:D.

Looking at your log tomred you have the exercise box well ticked with the mileage your doing. Might be worth looking at your eating habits to see where your weak points are. I have got into the habit of having a bottle of water beside me when at home just to sip on. It helps with hydration but also makes the mind less likely to look for something sweet to eat (not always:D).

dazza21ie

Monday 22nd July - 6.01 miles @ 8:44

It was quite warm out for this one. Kept the pace sensible heading out the route and allowed the legs pick up a little coming back in which had a nice breeze to cool down a little.

Tuesday 23rd July - 6.04 @ 9:00
Somehow tweaked something in back of shoulder/back the evening before. Had been feeling it all morning. It was more annoying than painful. Headed out at lunchtime hoping it wouldn't impact too much. Kept the pace very easy for the first couple of miles. If anything the run seemed to loosen things out a bit and whatever was tweaked didn't feel as bad afterwards.

Wednesday 24th July

McMillan Session 3 - 2 x 2miles (5 min rec) & 2 x 1 mile (3 min rec)
To put it simply this was tough :eek:. When I done the last of these sessions two weeks ago it felt like I was able to get into the groove for the reps and although they were not easy, they were more than manageable. Seemed to have to work much harder today.

Done the same two mile warm up as two weeks ago. Legs felt dead to the world but then they always do for a couple of miles at this time of the morning. Got started on the reps after a quick stretch. Splits were:

1st 2 Miles (6:49, 6:48), 2nd 2 miles (6:53, 6:50) 2 x 1 miles (6:49, 6:50)

Overall have to happy as the splits are all under the target pace of 6:55. The demons in the head were trying to get me call it a day after the 2 x 2 miles so glad I got it all finished. Done a mile or so warm down to bring up a total of 10.23 miles.

FrClintPower

dazza21ie wrote: »

Monday 22nd July - 6.01 miles @ 8:44

It was quite warm out for this one. Kept the pace sensible heading out the route and allowed the legs pick up a little coming back in which had a nice breeze to cool down a little.

Tuesday 23rd July - 6.04 @ 9:00
Somehow tweaked something in back of shoulder/back the evening before. Had been feeling it all morning. It was more annoying than painful. Headed out at lunchtime hoping it wouldn't impact too much. Kept the pace very easy for the first couple of miles. If anything the run seemed to loosen things out a bit and whatever was tweaked didn't feel as bad afterwards.

Wednesday 24th July

McMillan Session 3 - 2 x 2miles (5 min rec) & 2 x 1 mile (3 min rec)
To put it simply this was tough :eek:. When I done the last of these sessions two weeks ago it felt like I was able to get into the groove for the reps and although they were not easy, they were more than manageable. Seemed to have to work much harder today.

Done the same two mile warm up as two weeks ago. Legs felt dead to the world but then they always do for a couple of miles at this time of the morning. Got started on the reps after a quick stretch. Splits were:

1st 2 Miles (6:49, 6:48), 2nd 2 miles (6:53, 6:50) 2 x 1 miles (6:49, 6:50)

Overall have to happy as the splits are all under the target pace of 6:55. The demons in the head were trying to get me call it a day after the 2 x 2 miles so glad I got it all finished. Done a mile or so warm down to bring up a total of 10.23 miles.

Good work, great consistency.

dazza21ie

Thursday 25th July - 5.13 miles @ 9:23
Legs were stiff as I headed off for this. Really like these runs because they are extremely handy and fall on a Thursday, the week is nearly over. Legs loosened out after a couple of miles. It was overcast but still quite warm out. Part of this route is used for the local 5k which is on next Tuesday which I plan to do. Some local knowledge should be worth a few seconds.

Friday 26th July - 6.02 Miles @ 8:37
Lovely out here today. Sun was back with full force. Just done the usual route. Legs felt pretty good.

dazza21ie

Saturday 27th July - 14.20 miles @ 8:46
Really enjoyed this run. Normally it takes a few miles for the legs to warm up when out this early. But for some reason the legs were good to go right from the off. Could have been all the jelly beans that I ate on Friday evening! The miles flew by out there anyway.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 47.61| 179| 987| 80.3 kg

dazza21ie

Monday 29th July - 4.11 miles @ 9:26
Was on the road with work all day so got this one in early before I headed off otherwise it wouldn't have been done. It was just a gentle run around my oldest route with Tuesday's race in the back of my mind.

Tuesday 30th July - Mary from Dungloe 5k
As this is based around the town where I work and now run at lunch time I felt I had to give it a go. Done this race last year in 24:26. My PB coming it to it was 21:13 from June. Although it is not the quickest of courses, I was still expecting a PB.

It was a lovely evening. Still quite warm, around the 20c mark when I was heading up to the start. Done a gentle run up from the office to the start line to register and then carried on out the road and done a few strides. The course is a bit undulating but I knew from the warm up that the breeze coming in from the sea was going to be more of a factor particularly for the second mile.

They got a big crowd for the race. It was a little tightly packed at the start. As we took off I nearly came tumbling down getting tangled up with a couple of others beside me. One everyone got going it was easy enough to get space. We headed down the main street and there is a good buzz about the place with a crowd in for the festival. I took a quick check of the pace going through the 1k mark and it was 6:26. We took a turn left and into a headwind briefly. I tried tucking in behind others for shelter but I had to move on passed them as I felt the pace dropping. A short sharp climb before the first mile marker slowed things down a bit. Mile 1 6:36 . Had hoped to have gone out a little quicker than that considering I done a 6:29 first mile in my last 5k. Hoped that the slower start would mean a steadier but faster overall pace.

Mile 2 started with a long drag before turning off into the breeze. Again I tried to find cover and tucked in behind a guy from home that I recognised. But checking the watch I realised the pace was dropping again so I had to move on once more. Mile 2 6:45 .

At the start of Mile 3 we turned back towards town and now had the breeze at our backs. The course was mainly flat but had a couple of little speed bumps that just checked your momentum. I tried to pick up the pace a bit but it was more a case of just carrying on. While during the 1st and 2nd mile I found myself passing quite a few people I now had people come past me. Mile 3 6:48

The course goes back through the start point which also had 500 metres to go marked on it. Head back down the main street and a little push up the hill to finish in 20:44 .

A PB by 29 seconds which is positive. Still feel that I am racing within myself and if I could push myself more to the limits there is a lot more to come. Inching closer to the sub 20 target. Interestingly McMillan equates that time to a 43:04 10k.

PB Table
Race Distance| Current PB| Race & Date Set| 2013 Goal
5k| 20:44 | Dungloe 5k 30/7/13 | 19:59
5 Mile| 35.35 | Letterkenny AC 5 mile 17/05/13 | 37:59
10k| 47:47 |Ardara 10k 20/04/2013| 47:59
10 Mile | N/A| N/A| 1:19:59
Half Marathon| 2:06:46|DCM 2012 | 1:44:59
Marathon| 4:41:06 | DCM 2012| N/A


Wednesday 31st July - 5 Miles @ 9:!2
Out early and took it handy. Legs felt ok, maybe a little tired but maybe not tired enough! Just realised that I am 2.25 miles away from the 1,000 mile mark for the year. It should be a nice way to start August!


Monthly Summary
Month| No. of Runs| 2012 | No. of Runs | 2013
January| 14 | 34.22 | 23 | 127.01
February|16| 46.21 | 11 | 59.82
March|16| 52.11 | 23 | 137.57
April|14|49.98 | 27 | 174.19
May|22| 95.18 | 27 | 154.79
June|17| 85.79| 23| 150.07
July| 18| 101.16| 26| 194.29
August| 17| 126.55
September| 18| 151.64
October| 16| 115.04
November| 21| 91.63
December| 16| 89.14
Totals | 205| 1,038.51 | 160 | 998

blockic

Great racing dazza, you are making serious progress and great mileage too for July.

30 seconds is a massive PB for a 5k!

FrClintPower

blockic wrote: »

Great racing dazza, you are making serious progress and great mileage too for July.

30 seconds is a massive PB for a 5k!

+1 to this, nearly 200 miles for July! Fair play on the PB, on a less windy day you'd be taking a fair chunk off that again.

davemcmahon

Well done on the PB Dazza. I'd say if you keep doing what you are now you'll break 20 mins this year. As others have said on a flatter course you'd have taken more off that.

dazza21ie

Thursday 1st August - 5.1 miles @ 8:32
Was late getting out for this one so only had time for my 5 mile route. I would normally do recovery runs around this loop so it was nice for a change to let the legs stretch out a little. Passed through the 1,000 mile mark for the year, coming 4 and a bit months earlier than last year. To celebrate I had some chocolate malteaser and marshmallow biscuit cake!!

Friday 2nd August - 8.2 miles @ 8:57
Had a wedding later in the day so was out early for this one. First couple of miles were a bit slow and sluggish but then pace was normal after that. Wasn't as pushed for time so was able to get a couple of extra miles on at the end.

Saturday 3rd August - 13 miles @ 8:46
Didn't rise as early as would normally on a Saturday morning. That and we were heading away for the weekend meant that I needed to be a little conscious of the time. Settled on getting 13 miles in. Legs were feeling pretty strong finishing up.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 40.51 | 26| 1,027| 79.6 kg

Tuesday 6th August - 6.04 miles @ 8:32
Was back in plenty of time on Monday to get in a run if I wanted but plan was to take it off and run on Sunday instead with a few 10k miles. Legs therefore felt very fresh out for this one. It is still quite mild out but comfortable.

Wednesday 7th August
McMillan Session - 3 x 2 miles with 5 min rec

The last couple of months have been building up to this session which was always at the back my mind. Done the usual two mile warm up and a bit of stretching before starting into it.

Splits for the sets were:
1st 2 miles (6:47, 6:52), 2nd 2 miles (6:51, 6:52) 3rd 2 miles (6:52, 6:50)

Target pace was again 6:55. Overall very pleased with how the session went. The first set passed pretty smoothly which gave a good bit of confidence for the remainder of the session. Had to work hard on mile 4 to keep the pace on track. Mile 5 was surprisingly comfortable. Had to dig in for the last mile. It started on a bit of a drag which knocked me off pace. Had the pace back on track by half way and worked hard to keep it on pace. Done a mile warm down once I got my breath back to bring up a total of 10.12 miles.

That's the McMillan sessions out of the way. Just need to run the race now. Race is not until Friday week so the plan is to do 3 x 1 miles on Sunday at race pace and then keep it easy until race day.

FrClintPower

dazza21ie wrote: »

McMillan Session - 3 x 2 miles with 5 min rec

The last couple of months have been building up to this session which was always at the back my mind. Done the usual two mile warm up and a bit of stretching before starting into it.

Splits for the sets were:
1st 2 miles (6:47, 6:52), 2nd 2 miles (6:51, 6:52) 3rd 2 miles (6:52, 6:50)

Target pace was again 6:55. Overall very pleased with how the session went. The first set passed pretty smoothly which gave a good bit of confidence for the remainder of the session. Had to work hard on mile 4 to keep the pace on track. Mile 5 was surprisingly comfortable. Had to dig in for the last mile. It started on a bit of a drag which knocked me off pace. Had the pace back on track by half way and worked hard to keep it on pace. Done a mile warm down once I got my breath back to bring up a total of 10.12 miles.

Fantastic effort, well done.

dazza21ie

Thursday 8th August 5.10 miles @ 9:02

Nice little run. Probably should have been a little slower after Wednesday's session but it felt very easy. It was nice and mild out with a light breeze, perfect weather for taking it handy.

Friday 9th August 6.03 miles @ 8:38

Another nice run. Legs were a little tired starting off so just changed the display on the Garmin and ran by feel. Another nice day out, long may it last.

dazza21ie

Saturday 10th August 10 miles @ 8:41
A planned shorter than normal run. I think the legs knew that they had a little less to go as the pace was a little quicker than normal.

Sunday 11th August 6.15 miles @ 8:01
Am following (kind of!!) this plan for the week to get ready for the 10k on Friday. Can't remember which log I have stolen it from! Have changed a few things around to suit but will do the main things. So plan for Sunday morning was 2 mile warm up, 3 x 1 mile at race pace (no faster) with 3 min recoveries and 2 mile warm down.

Done the two mile warm up and then the 3 x 1 miles. Aimed for a pace of between 6:50 and 6:55. Splits were 6:51, 6:51, 6:50. Got soaked during the last one as the heavens opened. So picked the shortest route home which took 1/2 a mile. The reps went very well. Aimed to try and keep the pace consistent through the rep. Felt quite relaxed during the second one so much so that I let myself go off pace! A nice mini-session, it reminded the legs of the desired pace without being that taxing.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6| 43.45 | 70| 1,068| 78.6 kg

Monday 12th August - 6.06 miles @ 8:24
A little bit cooler out there today but still nice. Legs felt great from the start of this run, hopefully they will stay that way all week.

career_move

dazza21ie wrote: »

Sunday 11th August 6.15 miles @ 8:01
Am following (kind of!!) this plan for the week to get ready for the 10k on Friday. Can't remember which log I have stolen it from!
Done the two mile warm up and then the 3 x 1 miles. Aimed for a pace of between 6:50 and 6:55. Splits were 6:51, 6:51, 6:50.

Nice session there Daz .... looks like you're well set for the race Think that plan came from Runningking

dazza21ie

career_move wrote: »

Nice session there Daz .... looks like you're well set for the race Think that plan came from Runningking

Thanks CM, I had it narrowed down to either the RK, Clint or yourself. I bookmarked it when I seen it as I knew it would come in handy. Thanks RK!!

dazza21ie

Wednesday 14th August 6.10 miles @ 8:32

Plan for this morning was a 2 mile warm up followed by 7 x 1 min @ 5k pace with 1 min recoveries and 2 miles warm down.

Went with 6:40 pace for the 5k pace mins. Done them on same stretch I use for 400m reps as its fairly straight and flat. Kept close enough to the target pace and jogged the recoveries.

dazza21ie

Thursday 15th AUgust - 4.41 miles @ 8.24

An easy run with a few strides at the end, might have done the strides too quick so good that I didn't do too many.

Ballyare 10k 16th August

Picked this race after my last 10k in April as a target to improve PB. Only really looked into what kind of course it was in the last couple of weeks. Found out it was going to be undulating but reckoned my last 10k was on a tough course so it could be no worse. PB from April was 47:47 and had been training with a sub 43 in mind. Knew heading over that sub 43 was probably pushing it but plan was to go out at that pace and see how things played out.

Was over at the start nice and early and got a bit longer warm up with strides done. Lovely evening for running still warm but don't think it bothered me too much. Race started very promptly. I lined up behind a group of Finn Valley runners a headed off behind two of them. Start was downhill so quick and easy. First km flew by went through at 6:26 pace. I let the pace settle after that and went through first mile in 6:44.

A nice steady climb took most of the second mile. Tried to keep a good effort up and stayed within the same distance of the Finn valley runners still ahead of me. We start to descend at the end of the mile and a few seconds are clawed back. Mile 2 7:15. A water station was at the end of the mile with bottles which was a nice surprise. Mile 3 was a steady decline. Was hard to judge pace as there was lots of tree cover and pace on Garmin was all over the place.Mile 3 6:58.

Next two miles are best described as undulating. I kept the same distance to the two Finn valley runners and a guy in red tshirt and started to close. Got past one of the guys on a short hill and he gives me a shout to keep on going. I start closing on the other two as we go by the 2nd water station but they push on again. We then come to a proper hill at the end of the 5th mile and I pass both of them going up the hill. Miles 4 & 5 7:20, 7:42

I pushed on to open a gap on them and get up another short hill before we start going downhill. I switched the display on the Garmin to show average pace and seen 7:14. Reckoned that I needed 7:15 to get under 45 mins so tried to kick on. Decline becomes sharper and makes pushing that bit easier. The guy in red t shirt comes past me and I try to respond but he pulls away. Mile 6 7:19. It is downhill right to the end and pick pace up to 6:15 for last .22 to finish in 44:33.

Overall still quite pleased with the effort. A good bit off the initial target but that was never really on for this course. A PB of nearly 3 and half minutes isn't too bad at all. Quite enjoyed the race when the focus changed from time to racing those around me.

Focus now switches to half marathon in September but there is a nearby 5k on a decent course in a couple of weeks which is tempting.

Sunday 18th August - 11 miles @ 9:00

Debated with myself how long I should go for this one and had between 6 and 14 miles in my head. Settled on 10 before heading out. Took it very easy at the start and kept it easy. Was feeling good at the end so added on another one and was tempted to add a couple more but was out of time.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
5|36.25| 106| 1,104| 78.2kg

RunningKing

nice improvement from April - great PB.

career_move

Nice one Daz Sounds like a tough course to get a pb on

dazza21ie

career_move wrote: »

Nice one Daz Sounds like a tough course to get a pb on

Think I will just have to harden up or move. Flat courses are the exception to the norm up here, though there was a nice flat 10k a couple of weeks ago that I missed:(.

dazza21ie

Monday 19th August - 6.1 miles @ 8:21
Was running this one by feel and the legs were feeling pretty good. It was nice and mild out.


Tuesday 20th August - 6.04 Miles @8:30
Sun was replaced with some wind and rain for this one. Again let the legs run by feel and this felt pretty relaxed. Miles ticked by nicely along the usual route.

Wednesday 21st August - 11 Miles @ 8:06 (incl 7 miles @ HMP)
Two and a half weeks out from the Waterside Half Marathon I thought I might try a token Half Marathon session. I done 5 miles @ HMP a few weeks ago so plan was to try and do 7. HMP was guessed at somewhere between 7:20 amd 7:30. Done over 2 miles of a warm up and then started the HMP miles, splits for them were:

7:17, 7:19, 7:21, 7:21, 7:16, 7:21, 7:07

It's nice when a session goes according to plan:). Very different type of session to the 10k sessions that I had been doing. Once the legs got the required pace dialled in they seemed to be able to tick along nicely. Started to work a little harder for the last two miles but there was still something there at the end. Whether there will be enough to keep that pace for 13.1 miles is another question.

dazza21ie

Thursday 22nd August - 5.12 @ 8:57
A very easy run at recovery-ish pace. Lovely day out and it felt like a gentle run around.

Friday 23rd August 6.04 @ 8:38
Legs were a little tired starting out. Just ran by feel and first mile was slow enough but as the legs warmed up the pace was back to normal.

dazza21ie

Saturday 24th August - 15 miles @ 8:48
Longest run of the year for me. It's quite dark heading out in the mornings already. Done a two mile loop around the town before heading out into the country, that meant that there was a little bit of daylight breaking through before I headed out the country roads. Pretty much ignored the pace for first 10 miles or so a let the legs carry me along at whatever they felt was the right pace.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6|49.3| 155| 1,153| 78.0kg

Biggest weekly mileage yet. Will be taking things easy enough this week as plan to do a 5k on Friday evening. It's meant to be a good course and there were some good times on it when they done a race a couple of weeks ago.

dazza21ie

Monday 26th August - 6.04 miles @ 8:45
Ran this one by feel and it felt pretty sluggish. Legs just felt pretty heavy and it wasn't until the run was nearly over before they started to feel right.

Tuesday 27th August - 4.25 miles @ 8:49
Was late getting out for this one. Legs didn't complain too much because they were even more sluggish than Monday's run.

Wednesday 28th August 6.2 miles @ 8:45
This included 7 x 1 min @ 5k pace. The first two miles were extremely slow, but I didn't really care. Was out early for this one and know from experience that unless I stress the legs with either a decent hill or something a bit quicker then easy pace will be quite pedestrian. The mins at 5k pace were quite enjoyable and once they were finished the legs were moving at least a minute a mile quicker for easy pace.

Thursday 29th August 4.49 miles @ 8:17
This was a quite easy run but had a few strides at the end which brought the overall pace down. First run of the week were things felt normal. Am hoping that's a good sign for tomorrow evenings race.

dazza21ie

Convoy 5k - Zack O'Donnell Memorial 30th August
Only seen this race advertised a couple of weeks ago and was drawn in by their claim of a flat fast course, a rarity in these parts! Reckoned there was time to come of the PB (20:44) which was set back in July on a tough enough course.

Was over early got registered and had plenty of time to get a warm up done with a few strides at the end and some stretching. The proceeds were for Crumlin Hospital so that had got a good crowd out. There was also a big turnout from the local running club with a big group out for their first race. Tried to stay closer to the front at the start line but ended up 3 or 4 rows back. Plan of action was to try and get a quick first mile in, quickest so far in races was 6:29. Ideally wanted to get low 6:20's or under to give myself a good start. Spotted a guy in a blue t-shirt who I recognised in the front row. Knew he ran a 20:12 a couple of weeks ago and I reckoned he was likely to be close or under 20 mins this time out.

Race got going and I was caught behind a few girls that weren't in a hurry to get away. I took it easy until some gaps appeared and made my way through. Race started at the top of a hill so we were moving downhill and therefore it was easy to get the pace back on course. Started moving past people, kept an eye on pace and it was going according to plan yet feeling alright. I spotted a Finn Valley runner, same one I tailed for most of my last 10k, up ahead. Managed to slowly close the gap as we came down onto the main street and turned right. As we headed out of the village I had got close behind her and the thought came to tuck in and use her as a pacer but I decided to push on and move past her. At the time wasn't sure if that was a good idea, it took me over 5 miles to get past her in the 10k and I was doing it in the first mile here. But I was feeling pretty good so I moved on. In fact I found myself passing by quite a few at this stage. First Mile 6:15 . Everything going according to plan and was feeling pretty good.

We were moving out of town and I am still passing by people. Pace has dropped a bit but I keep up a good effort. I spot the guy in blue t-shirt up ahead and try to close the gap. I think this helps me pick up the pace a bit and I go past a few more people. The course is as advertised pretty flat but there was a slight drag up during the second mile that you can feel. I notice the leader come back towards me (course turns back in the same road) so I knew it wasn't too long until the turn point. By the time I got to the turn point (a cone in the middle of the road!) I had closed the gap on my target to only a few metres. We get the benefit of that little drag on our back in and the pace picks up slightly. Mile 2 6:31

I knew that at that stage I was on for a decent time. It wasn't lost on me either that I was on for a sub 20 if I could manage another decent mile. I tucked in behind the guy in blue t-shirt and followed him briefly but then moved out and past him. Reckoned now was the time to kick on. Seen the 4k marker on the ground and tried my best to kick on. Went by a few more people. It felt great being able to go past people at this stage. Felt a stitch come on my left side, been ages since I last had a stitch. Do remember telling to feck off wasn't going to slow down now. Didn't really check pace at this stage just tried to keep the effort up. Back into the main street and I am just searching for the finish line up ahead. There was another bit of a drag coming in here although at the time I reckoned I was just tying up a bit. And then out of nowhere I see two guys go past me, one either side and one of them happens to be the guy in the blue t-shirt! They were absolutely flat out and I could only watch them fly by. Mile 3 6:29 .

I heard the beep for the 3rd mile but didn't really care. Was more focused on the finish line up ahead. It was quite deceptive coming in as there was a line of cones before you got to the actual line so it took a little longer to come than you thought it would. Could hear them shout out the seconds for the two guys finish in front of me and just gave it one last push to get over the line.

Finish 19:50 :D:D:D

Delighted with how it went. Sub 20 was the main goal for the year so its nice to tick it off. In my head had reckoned that I might take until December to get down to that. Had hoped to be chipping away at it through the year and maybe get under 20:30 in September before trying some specific 5k training to give it that last push. Got lucky with a good course and perfect conditions and was just in the mood to give it a good go. Done just over a mile warm down to finish off the evening.

Next up is Waterside Half, have to try and go sub 2hrs

career_move

Brilliant stuff Daz. Well deserved

dazza21ie

Monthly Summary
Month| No. of Runs| 2012 | No. of Runs | 2013
January| 14 | 34.22 | 23 | 127.01
February|16| 46.21 | 11 | 59.82
March|16| 52.11 | 23 | 137.57
April|14|49.98 | 27 | 174.19
May|22| 95.18 | 27 | 154.79
June|17| 85.79| 23| 150.07
July| 18| 101.16| 26| 194.29
August| 17| 126.55| 25| 181.85
September| 18| 151.64
October| 16| 115.04
November| 21| 91.63
December| 16| 89.14
Totals | 205| 1,038.51 | 185 | 1,180

Not too bad for this month having eased off for two races during the month. Still my second highest month.

Sunday 1st September - 12.1 miles @ 8:45
Plan was to try and get 10-12 miles in this morning so mission accomplished. Legs felt fine, actually had a little spring in the step.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6|38.63| 12| 1,190| 77.6 kg

RunningKing

Well done on the sub 20. Well deserved and great progress.

FrClintPower

Great running dazza, congratulations!

dazza21ie

Monday 2nd September 6.12 miles @ 8:15
Done usual route with a few strides on the way back in. Will have to try and keep in the habit of doing some strides at the ends of some easy runs and not just in race weeks. I have my lamp posts for starting and finishing picked out any for future strides.

dazza21ie

Tuesday 3rd September - 4.09 miles @ 8:35
Legs felt a little tired at the start of this but that soon passed. Kept it shorter as keeping an eye on the mileage with Sunday in mind.

Wednesday 4th September 8 miles @ 7:54
This involved 1 mile warm up, 3 miles @ HMP, 1 mile easy and 10 x 1 mins @ 5-10k pace and a warm down. Had I read the mini schedule I am following for this week properly then I should have only done 5 x 1 min @ 10k pace

Was out early for this one and its pretty much dark in the mornings again now So thought I would just stay in around town and do a couple of laps of my shorter loops. After an the easy warm up started the HMP miles. About half a mile in I go past a guy sitting on a bench wearing a dark hoodie over his head. I didn't see him and am past him when he decides to ask me what time it is! To say I jumped would be an understatement. In fairness to him he did apologise for startling me. I muffled the time to him and took off pretty quickly again. I wasn't too hard to get back up to HMP! HMP miles were: 7:17, 7:18, 7:14. Had been aiming for 7:20 so times were fine. It took a while to get the pace on track for the second mile, started it way off pace and it took a little effort to get back on pace. The pace seemed to click in for the legs by the third mile which was more comfortable.

Done the 1 mile easy and then the 10 x 1 Mins which were around 6:40 pace. Done them as before over and back same stretch. Was getting very repetitive by the end. Probably will just do them as part of a general loop next time.


Thursday 5th September 4.12 miles @ 8:26
Same route as Tuesday but legs feeling a little more alive today. Nice and warm out, might have helped a little.

dazza21ie

Saturday 7th September - 3.30 miles @ 8:47

A short and easy run out in the wind and rain this morning. Done a few strides at the end. Legs were feeling fresh enough so hope they stay that way for tomorrow morning.

dazza21ie

Waterside Half Marathon

It's September so it would be rude not to do a half marathon. Official PB before yesterday was 2hrs 6 mins set in the first half of DCM. It wasn't going to be too hard to beat that. Had set myself a target of sub 1hr 45 mins at the start of the year but that had been lowered to sub 1 hr 40 over the summer. McMillan would have me at 1:32 from my recent 5k time but I was being much more realistic. Main concern was the lack of longer runs over the last few months. Had planned to go up to 16 miles for LSRs but one 15 mile run was the most I managed. Plan simply was to go out between 7:20 and 7:30 pace and see could I hold that.

Was over early to the start and got parked and picked up race pack without any hassle. Looks like a nice t-shirt that might get used was in the goodie bag. Done a mile and half warm up with a few strides. A lengthy queue up for the toilet (glad I didn't leave it any later) and I joined the 1,400 or so for the start. A strong sun came out just before we got started.

Miles 1 – 4: 7:24, 7:24, 7:21, 7:23
Start was pretty crowded and it took a couple of minutes to get over the start line. I kept out to one side and seemed to find a few gaps to make my way through. I told myself it wouldn't be the end of the world to have a slow first mile. Tried not to weave in and out too much but still found myself doing it. Pace gets down to 7:20’s gradually and felt like I was cruising along. There was a bit more room once we get out of the Gransha grounds onto the roads. Felt like I had got into a nice rhythm and was constantly passing people. One or two would come past me but I wasn't interested in picking up the pace. A slight drag started before the end of the 4th mile to check pace a little.

Miles 5 – 8: 7:30, 7:22. 7:28, 7:28
The drag at the end of the 4th mile continued for a short bit and then we got to the second water station and first relay changeover point. I grabbed a cup of water, more to throw over myself than to drink. By time we got past these pace was nearly 7:40ish. Worked to bring pace down without over doing it. Got back into stride for 6th mile. After this we went through another water station and then a u-turn back past the same water station and turn off onto a country road and though legs are tiring a bit still feel ok. Still passing people quite regularly. There was a lot more shade down the country road so the sun wasn’t an issue any more.

Miles 9-13.1: 7:33, 7:40, 7:47, 751, 7:34
Legs start to tire a little more and every little incline starts to feel that much harder. People start to struggle around me and a few stop to walk. I started to tuck in behind different people only to move on past them as they are slowing more than I wanted. Second relay change point was at the end of mile 9, was good to come out of the country road and have a bit of cheering going on. Mile 10 was going ok until the start of a long drag up the duel carriage way begins. Two lads with BOLT vests on passed me around mile 9 so try and keep them in close sight. Good few struggling at this stage so while pace isn't the same still am passing more people than those passing me. See one of the BOLT guys slow to a walk and I closed in on him but he takes off again. But the next time he stops I get past. Spot a Finn Valley vest up ahead as turn off the road back into the grounds so try and use him as target and manage to pick up the pace a bit. Slowly close on him as we start the last mile and manage to get past with half a mile to go. After a bit of an incline last half mile is a nice decline so pace improves. Get past a few more people on the way back in. See a guy in a black t-shirt up ahead as we come up to the last couple of corners and use him as my last target. Get up alongside him and kick on past. We go onto the grass for the last .1 or so and this part feels great. There was good crowd cheering at the finish which makes it easier to give it that last kick. Seen the clock up at the finish at 1 hr 39 ticking towards the 1 hr 40 mark so pushed on to get finished in 1:39:48 clock time and 1:38:45 chip time . Last .18 on the watch was done at 5:59 pace!

Overall happy with the result. Was well inside the main target for this race so have to be happy with that. Only negative was those 3 or so miles where the pace dropped off but that was pretty much to be expected. I struggled much more for the last 3 miles of the Ardara 10k back in April where the average pace for that was 7:42 compared to 7:30 pace for this race so can’t complain about the progress. Enjoyed the race, well run event with good support along the way around. For a Half Marathon it is pretty flat. Conditions were great for it yesterday.

Race Distance| Current PB| Race & Date Set| 2013 Goal
5k| 19:50 | Convoy 5k 30/8/13 | 19:59
5 Mile| 35.35 | Letterkenny AC 5 mile 17/05/13 | 37:59
10k| 44:33 |Ballyare 10k 16/08/2013| 47:59
10 Mile | N/A| N/A| 1:19:59
Half Marathon| 1:38:45 |Waterside HM 8/9/13 | 1:44:59
Marathon| 4:41:06 | DCM 2012| N/A


That pretty much ticks off the last of this year’s targets! Haven’t done a 10 mile race this year but reckon I can tick that one off as all 13 miles were sub 8 mins yesterday. After a busy few weeks with races haven’t got anything scheduled for a while. Plan as such is to do a couple of weeks with just easy miles and then maybe do some 5k sessions in prep for a 5k in December. My head did get turned by the local cross country schedule that was doing the rounds on Facebook over the weekend but think I might leave that until next year.

Week Summary
No. of Runs |Week Total|MTD|YTD | Weight
6|40.81| 53| 1,232| 77.5 kg

blockic

Fantastic improvement dazza, well done.