October 2013

jfh

What need you, being come to sense
But fumble with your freezing laces,
And place the wet number to the spattered vest
And mumble the shivering prayer, until
You fingers are frozen to the bone..
Since the title of my log is October 2013, i thought I’d be clever and cross reference September 1913 one of my all time favourite poems, bit too smart assedy? Thought so
Well it perfectly describes my last race & subsequent decision that i could be doing something better with my time, if i put as much effort into something else, all this during the race when i should be busting a gut.. so here i am 2 weeks later planning an assault on Dublin 2013. Should say that I’m currently injured, no running since that race, Posterior Tibial Tendonitis to be exact, a right pain in the ankle. I’m told its from my flat feet, so first stop Foot Solutions where i purchased a pair of “off the shelf” orthotics.
I’m going to give them a go & see how i get on.

Since i cannot run, I’m doing the next best thing, planning my running, and the expression a little learning is a dangerous thing comes to mind, as i know very little about training. I’ve been running with lads better than me for the last 2 1/2 years, no structure, more or less all year round, targeting the next race.
It has worked, I’ve got my 10km time down to 36 min & half to 1:19 but I’m also injured & tired of running so there’s the pay off.

I intend to take a break from running and start back Christmas week, enjoy the christmas festivities. So this will be a running log without any running for the first few weeks, i intend to do a bit of spinning & using a stepper machine to try to keep up fitness levels.
Oh ya in keeping with the log title, i may as well get it out with, I’d hope to do the marathon in 2:45-2:50. Might be a bit ambitious but i have a plan & it's achievable if i get my shorter times down by a minute or 2.
here goes..

jfh

monday 10 dec - 30 min on stepper machine MHR 172.
dug out the heart rate monitor, used it very little 2 years ago when i bought the forerunner but will start back again.
stepper machine is tough, hopefully will help for hills too

tuesday 11 dec - 50 min spinning class MHR 173

jfh

wed 12th, only had lunch break 30 min so did what i thought was an intense rowing session for 10 min, MHR 159 but got the drink out from previous night & back to work a new man

jfh

thursday 13th spinning class,
delighted to get 2 spinning classes in one week, feel i'm keeping up the fitness level as best i can.
MHR 171 50 min class

friday 14th hectic day,
could only fit in 10min of intense rowing, followed by streching
MHR 163 a good bit lower than spinning but feels much harder.
MRI scan, awaiting results

monday 17th
used stepper during lunch break.
30 min MHR 170
felt everybit of it after too much indulgance over the weekend.

after not running for the last 2 weeks, felt ankle was starting to come around.
unfortunetely a drink related injury has put progress back, not sure what happenend at xmas party but severe pain getting out of bed.
bck to the icing regime.

jfh

bit slack on the updates, crazy old christmas, time to get back on the horse again.
this injury is a blessing in disguise, usually i would do a few races over the xmas period but all i have done is a lot of easy running, normally i wouldn't have the patience for this but hopefully it'll stand to me later on.
i notice theres a lot more on here doing gradual base building so it's reassuring to know there's others in the same boat as me.

christmas is a time to get out on the farm for me so plenty of fresh air & work, feel a lot stronger & have definitely put on weight, now to keep the momentum going. i'd be hard pressed to run a sub 20 5 km now, got that sluggish feeling, but will target one in early february. need short term goals to keep motivated so cutting the booze intake down a notch, one thing about this recession is that there's always someone coming home & if you go out for one , you must go out for the rest.
feel i've the hunger back for the early morning runs again & will try to continue this running streak for as long as possible.

so this is what i've done since;
tuesday 18th
spinning MHR 174
wednesday 19th
7 very easy miles to test ankle, avg pace 9:34,
thursday 20th
1 hr easy running on treadmill, 6.3 mile according to treadmill, sure that's wrong.
friday 21th
1 hr easy running on treadmill
saturday 22nd
7.11 miles, avg pace 9.22, finding these "easy" runs difficult but if i go any faster ankle acts up.
sunday 23rd
4.13 hilly miles at a speedy 8:07 avg pace.
monday 24th
10 miles at 7:56 avg pace, ankle & hip sore after this.
tuesday 25th
7:05 miles, short on time xmas dinner on so had to leg it back as i was meant to be cooking it, went far too fast 7:11 avg pace, had to go on the difine after this run.
wednesday 26th
6.19 hilly miles on trail & road. idea was to continue running but less impact on ankle. want to keep fitness up. avg pace 7:38
thursday 27th
very hilly run on trail & road, some serious hills here, going up hills is fine, coming down is the problem, more pressure on ankle. this was my first time to push the heart rate, which is did up 3 hills, got the MHR 177 which seems low. will have to test this in a 5km race.
friday 28th
30 min on stepper.
this was the hardest session i've ever done, a lot of indulgance sweated off.
a lot of wine & baileys coffees lately.
saturday 29th
7.81 miles on trails, 8:07 avg pace
that was my last run for the year, pulled muscle in back & looking after sick child saw to that.

jfh

looking at other logs, my milage is a bit on the low side, didn't wear the garmin on all runs but according to my garmin, yearly milage it under 1500 for the year, felt a lot more. consistency was the reason here, i had a good start to the year, built up a lot of miles & coasted for the summer on those miles.
i'm going to try to continue a running streak & see how long it lasts.
1st Jan
new years eve was a boozy affair so this run was more to clear the head than anything else, it worked for a while..
6.16 miles @ 7:24 avg pace. very quiet on the roads, all to myself on a unseasonable mild morning.
2nd jan
1 hr easy running on treadmill before work, really felt this one, heart rate all over the place, odometer displayed a miserly 6.7 miles, think this is way off.
3rd jan
1hr easy running on treadmill, same as previous day, felt a little easier.
this odometer is starting to annoy me, so awaiting a garmin footpod from amazon.
4th jan
yet another 1hr of easy running on treadmill, this was easier again, don't think my fitness is improving, not consuming 5000 calories & lack of alcohol is telling a tale.

jfh

saturday 5th
for now, Saturday is my window of opportunity to get my long run in, checked weather Friday night, rain starting in the SW spreading to the east in the last afternoon with frequent heavy showers, nothing new there.

i wanted to get a good long run in trails so would prefer to get it done early.
Sneaked out the door at 8, kids asleep, all well so far, really was a beautiful morning, so mild, really looking forward to this, drove 15 min to trail, phone rang , needed back at farm ASAP.
They say in show business, never work with children or animals, well, it’s also true for us runenrs, trying to get out for a few hours is nigh on impossible!
So run postponed for 2 hours, i can deal with that, turns out, those “small jobs” on farms turn into bigger & bigger jobs, so 5 hours later, after a good solid core work out involving using a jack hammer that was only 10kg lighter than me, i ready to go, slightly deafened but definetly warmed up.
It’s raining heavy at this stage, but I’ve been so frustrated with trying to get out all day that i hardly notice it. I was soaked already from the farming & there’s something relaxing about running in the hills in the rain, wouldn’t be so keen on running on a busy road but up here it’s a great way to chill out.

I’ve signed up for the Wild West Run so want to get a few hills in each week, & i find i cant run fast with injuries so i might as well build up strength.
Although the Garmin kept losing satellite reception, not sure if this was down to the heavy rain, it showed 11 miles avg pace 7:34, avg HR 153, when i stopped, toughest workout in a long while, some killer hills, where i was down to over 9 m/m but the down hills made up for that pace wise.
Towelled down, then back to farm again, where i eased the aching muscles into work again, got rid of the stiffness & a much needed bath later that eve with Epson salts. the last thing i want is a man flu now.
sunday 6th
Saturday really took it out of me, & one of my goals for 2013 is to be more disciplined with recovery, usually i would just built into it & get into it after a few miles but after doing the jobs on the farm, i was still feeling drained so left the run until evening.
When marathon training begins, I’ll take annual leave for the really long runs & do them on week days if the weekends are not working out. 13 miles in 1:38, avg pace 7:34,Hr avg 153, could feel the tendon in ankle at the start but after warming up for a few miles, it went away, then came back towards the end. In fairness, it was the longest run I’ve done in a few months so happy enough.
monday 7th
Not sure if i’m running these base building miles too fast as i was feeling the effects this morning so the running streak ends, not sure about the advantages of running 7 days a week. Tendon was inflamed & hip was stiff.
Instead i did 30 min on the stepper, which i find a lot more difficult than running although the heart rate never gets as high as easy running, which i find very odd. It’s got to be good for the leg strength though so glad to get something done, conscience clear that i'm training smart.

belcarra

Sounds like a tough weekend there jfh...not surprised you're a bot tired today!

Regarding the stepper - I reckon you find it tough on the muscles but the HR is not too high because you are well trained cardio-wise but you are using different leg muscles on the stepper (as opposed to running) so they have yet to be fully trained.
As you say I would imagine this will be good for the leg strength. Leave the cardio training to the running perhaps?

Taking annual leave for your LSRs? That shows RayLanigan style committment!!
Hopefully you'll get your rewards!

jfh

thanks for that Belcarra, all weekends from now until summer will be tough, busy time on farm & i work mon - fri so it has to be done, but i enjoy it luckily.

re the stepper, i find it far more intense than running although the heart rate would be around 150 - 160, maxing out at 170. you think that is down to the leg muscles not used to the exersion? i remember looking scornfully at my sister a the gym sweating bucket loads,(nice pic) on a stepper thinking she was just unfit, now i know for myself.

belcarra

jfh wrote: »

re the stepper, i find it far more intense than running although the heart rate would be around 150 - 160, maxing out at 170. you think that is down to the leg muscles not used to the exersion? i remember looking scornfully at my sister a the gym sweating bucket loads,(nice pic) on a stepper thinking she was just unfit, now i know for myself.

First of all I am no expert on the matter so thread carefully with my response!!

Regarding sweat, it depends where you are doing the exercising. In the gym or a small-ish room will mean there'll be loads of sweat regardless as there'll be insufficient airflow to wick away the sweat. Obviously running in the open air removes a lot of this problem. I remember back to a time when my local soccer team were briefly encouraged to wear bin liners under their shirts during pre-season so they would lose weight fast...:eek:

I think of the cardio fitness/heart as the engine of a car and the leg muscles as the gearbox. A large engine needs a suitable gearbox so in your case for running you probably have both but when it comes to the stepper some of your minor muscle groups are now being worked that weren't previously and other major groups like the quads are getting a tougher workout. This means you are only working in 3rd or 4th gear effectively and so the heart is not being revved as much as it would normally be but it still feels tough on the muscles. I imagine after a period of time when the muscles develop to be stronger and more efficient they will begin to call on more blood from the heart which will then have to beat faster and therefore the HR rise? But by then you will probably be working at higher intensity/speed.

Of course this is just me thinking out loud and could all be a load of hogwash!

statss

Hey, will follow your log with interest, I am gearing for DCM 2013 as my first marathon. Your times are a good bit ahead of mine so will be good to compare your training to what I am (trying) to do.

jfh

hi Statss, just be aware that i don't follow a plan, ever,
this is my first year to intend to follow a plan, incase your thinking i know what i'm at
agree this is a great place to come for ideas, & i've got a few to try out.
best of luck with training, see you on the start line

jfh

tuesday 9th
45 min on the treadmill, HR was unusually high, this might be down to the fact that i left this run until lunchtime & had 2 coffees earlier this morning.
but pace was shocking avg over 10 min mile:eek:

got this session in as i was meeting specialist after MRI scan, figured i'd be told to rest & i was. hip bursitis,:mad:
got 2 injections & no running, pity i didn't get this before xmas, chomping at the bit to get into it now.

jfh

Wednesday 9th
have to be inventive to keep up fitness levels, well try and maintain what little levels i have, it's been so long since i've ran fast. So after debating the effort involved, i figured i've give aqua jogging a go.
45 min of aqua jogging & would recommend it to anyone, felt way better & looser afterwards, i would incorporate it in my marathon training plan if it wasn't so time consuming to get to pool, we'll see..

Thursday 10th
15 min on a rowing machine, that's my limit on this. then some core work, that's a weakness of mine, i'm not a fan of core work as i figure i get enough of that working on farm but it's also something i should do more of.
find it hard to motivate myself to do it, if it was part of a class, i'd be more inclined to do so. another activity to add to this marathon plan when i eventually get over these injuries.:(

statss

Hey JFH,

If you could get your hands on either the Insanity or Rushfit DVDs both have excellent core workout sessions, which give the feeling of being in a class, but you can do them obviously at home.

jfh

jeez thre not cheap, as much i like the idea of it, i know deep down it would never work, even when i try to do the most basic core work, press ups, i have a 4 yr old that see's it as an oppurtunity to attack daddy.
thanks for the recommendation though.

jfh

This year is starting of very slowly, last year i started all guns blazing, except it petered out towards the end, got tired, then injured.

reading a little on sean hehir yesterday in the paper & really assuring, altough he's at the other end of the spectrum, still inspiring stuff, athletics is his life, how hard must it be on those guys.
if he could get from recovering from stress fracture to a 2:17 marathon in the space of 4 months. amazing.
so i've a new pep in my step this week, got out twice every day;
Monday 14th
AM 30 min on stepper
PM 5.18 miles 7:41 avg pace

Tuesday 15th
AM 40 min on treadmill avg pace 10 m/m
PM 4 miles on grass avg pace 8:13

jfh

wednesday 16th
left work early to fit this in, weather turned bad for this, was questioning my choice of days to ge this done.
9.75 hilly miles on trail, but felt refreshed afterwards.
thursday 17th
5 easy miles on treadmill before work, avg pace 9 m/m
these slow paced runs feel alarmingly normal. calves very stiff after the hills yesterday. got to use the grid roller so releived it from it duties as a plant holder for an implement of torture.
friday 18th 6 miles
apart from really sore calves after the Grid, the serious injuries seem to be kept at bay, time to push it a bit,
2 miles WU, 1 mile 6:04, 1 mile rec, 1 mile 6:01, 1mile WD
easy miles at 8m/m
this was the first time going under 7:30 minite miles since 2nd Dec & it felt very tough, esp the first one. great to get it done on a treadmill, impact is far less & ankle felt slightly tender but not enough to worry about it.
saturday 19th
fartlek session 10 miles on a soft undulating course, pushed it going up the small hills, weather really great for running today, eventhough the rest of the country seems to be getting it far worse.
sunday 20th
longest run in a few months, 13 miles in 1:36.
had a really manic day yesterday so HR was really high & felt that i wouldn't get this done, started off slow, 8 min miles, afer 4 miles, started to improve, dropped down to 7:30 for the nest 4 to see how i felt, improved again so dropped it to 7 min miles for the next 4 & finished at 6:30 for the last mile.
first time i've done a progessive run & i see the appeal.
monday
in order to continue my new found love affair with running, i decided not to over do it, so just a 10 min rowing session before work.

jfh

Monday 21th
i had no intention of running today, got home from work & changed into farming gear, didn't have a whole lot to do, i finished that early & as i had time to spare decided i go for a run as usually time is against me, i take my opportunities whenever i can.
it was such a crisp evening but was warmed up from farming, ran 5.89 miles in avg pace 8:14, got progressively colder as the run went on, so cold when i finished. now i'm beginning to understand what you other guys are talking about. it was too cold for recovery run.
Tuesday 22nd
decided to test myself to see where i'm at, 3km time trial.
1.5 mile WU, 3km run, .82 mile WD
this was my first time on the track in about 6 months, found it difficult to sustain pace which is understandable. took off far too fast, usually i'd build into this & keep the effort increasing but as i was so cold overdid the first few laps, then trudged home in 10:35. expected to be slower so was happy with the time considering i dont have any interval training done.
i intend to do another time trail the end of march to guage improvement.
Wednesday 23rd
As i only had a very short warm down last night & no stretching, i was a little stiff this morning, i would have preferred to leave the recovery run until this eve as i feel it might be too short a window afer running hard last night but it was a case of getting it done. So gingerly set off in the stars this morning,
4 mile and finished at 7:20, felt good towards the end so tacked on 6 * 20 sec strides, something i need to do more regularly. good start to the day.

jfh

Thursday 24th
Decided to take a session out of the JD 5-15km schedule, chose a nice tempo session, 40 min Tempo. using my 3km time trial time, it gives me a VDOT of 55-56 so i should be going for 6:28 for this.

Did this on a treadmill with the garmin footpod, as the odometer is a bit optimistic, few seconds faster.
So my splits for the 40 min ranged from 6:14 up to 6:32. Perfect workout for treadmill as i don't think i would have lasted on my own on the road. Think i'll be doing a lot of my tempo sessions on a treadmill for the foreseeable future.

jfh

saturday 25th
JD Phase 2, Q 1 workout, Take two,
5 (2*200m R pace with 200m recovery jog + 1*400m R pace with 400m recovery jog)
i tried to start these late last year, wasn't feeling the love for the running back then, was mostly due to the fact that i was too tired, new baby & busy with work etc, usually just push on but it wasn't happening & along came the injuries, which left me with no choice, in a way i was relieved as i didn't feel guilty for not running & this is meant to be a hobby:eek:
So started this evening back again, from previously looking at these months ago i should be doing the 200m in 38 sec & the 400m in 78 sec, that was the plan, however the watch kept moving over to heart rate screen so couldn't judge it, i'm either going to ditch that HR monitor or find a way so the display does not alternate between HR and the pace screen. I have no interest in the HR screen anyway. i wasn't sure how 38 sec would be pace wise, not good at the old maths when i'm in flight mode.
15 min WU, splits, 10 min WD
Set 1(39,39,80)
Set 2(40,40,83
Set 3(39,38,75
Set 4(39,38,78
Set 5(37,35,73
i was happy with these, only the last rep felt hard, and that was because i pushed it, i was running by feel the whole way, just waiting for the beeps to tell me to go fast/slow. i havn't ran this fast in a long while & it felt good.

jfh

sunday 27th
10 hilly miles on trail, avg pace 8:05, met a messiah like figure on a bike, who appeared from no where & gave me some advise on running hills, useful.
i'm not doing enough hills, and no hard efforts, hard to fit it all in
monday 28th
day off
tuesday 29th
first day of that Macmillian ultimate 10km, 6 X 1 MILE.
the mile pace was at 5:45, found this very very tough but managed to do it.
it was probably not a wise thing to do as it was the closest i got to that pace in a while then i knocked out 6 of them. the recoverys were spent with my hands on knees. i can only improve & intend to do a few more tempo sessions before i attempt the next 2 MILE + 4 X 1 MILE in 2 weeks time.
wednesday 30th
no run, had intended on running but got caught for more work after work.:mad: felt very sore after the hard session tuesday so maybe a blessing.
thursday 31th
back on the treadmill, it's an archaic yoke, just turn it on, no proper odometer, cant raise platform but it does the job on windy days like today & my only free time was lunch time so perfect. find it ideal for a tempo session as i doubt i'd keep the same pace up on road. took JD 3(2 miles @ T pace(6:08) 2 min recoveries, my pace accoding to the garmin was avg 5:59 so happier that it was a little lower as it might take into account the effort of running on a treadmill rather than road. returned to work with stinging eyes and sweat still streaming from every pore. nice
Friday 1st Feb
wasn't going to fall for what happened on wed so wanted to get run in before work as i wont get a chance later this eve, woke up late though so only time for 3 miles avg 9 m/m but def feel loosened out after it.
miles low this week but 2 quality sessions

jfh

Friday 1st
30 min recovery in field in the evening, this is a hilly field so altought i was going slow, it was tough enough, not really a recovery run, a goo dplace to build up ankle strength.

Saturday 2nd
had planned a JD session to try to improve speed as i'm lacking in this department unfortuntely the day got away from me, so met up for a friend for an easy 30 min over trails, had worked all day on farm so turned out a blessing in disguise. it was a beautiful day, more of this please.

Sunday 3rd
met up with lads much better than me for a very hilly 9 miles, after this i was glad i didn't run hard yesterday.

Monday 4th
went to gym before work but treadmill broken so went on stepper machine, 20 min later i had enough.
after work went to farm, felt good after geting some air so went for a very easy 6 miles on road, avg pace 8:13

Tuesday 5th
Macmillian wk 2, 20 min warm up(12 x 400m Run the 400m repeats at 5K(3:25) race pace; 200m jog between) 20 min warm down,
Thought this would be easier than it turned out to be, didn't realise how fast 5km pace was, in fairness this is goal pace,the first rep was way too slow. really had to fight hard to keep these around the 3:25 mark, especially when running into the wind. Recoveries kept geting slower and slower. didn't do it on track so relying on garmin for accuracy. all in all 9.38 miles. Glad to get it done.

Wednesday 6th
AM 4 miles easy before work, first morning where i didn't need the head light all the way.
felt good around 9, so headed out again after getting kids to bed, just want to up the milage, 4.5 miles easy,

Thursday 7th
think i crossed over the fine line of overdoing it, should not have done the late run last night, woke up feeling wretched, decided to bring gear bag to work incase i changed my mind during the day, after several strong coffees, took a long lunch & retreated to the gym for a JD tempo session.
3 ( 2 mile T pace(6:06) with 2 min rests)
this was without doubt the hardest session i can remember in a long while, found the last set exceptionally hard, there's no way i would have done this without a treadmill. thankfully i had the place to myself as i was a whimpering sweaty mess after it, splits were 6:10,6:03,6:01.
afer this i felt so tired, decided to treat myself to whatever i wanted, which boiled down to taking the evening off, big dinner, fire & played with kids.
Friday 8th
off

jfh

Saturday 9th
the great thing about these training logs, is the availablity of quality sessions,without having to be a member of a club.So after perusing over ecoli's log, i picked a session that fitted nicely. hill reps. havn't done something like these since october.
10 * 75 sec with 3 min recovery. i was still tired as it was before 8 when i started these, had the hills to myself on a really beautiful morning.
i couldn't really make this a painfest like i was hoping to, which was probably a good thing.The first few were easy, this meant that i kept all 10 equal. according to the garmin, the hill had an incline of 94 Feet. covered about 320 metres. warm down was a days manual labour on the farm. i do think you need to do these with someone else to keep you motivated.
Sunday 10th
have never experienced pain, of the good kind, after yesterdays session, hips were really feeling it, was meant to get out in the morning but didn't make it, thought my chance was gone as sunday is family day. But i got out at 8 that evening for 10 miles, started of at 8 min miles & decided to drop it by 30 sec after every 2 miles, it made a long run more interesting & i finished the last 2 miles, just over 6 min miles.
Monday 11th
i never set an alarm, must start, as i usually wake up a few times, but this morning, i left it late so only time for 3 miles, leg loosner on the treadmill before work.
Tuesday 12th
today was a crazy workday & had a school open day to contend with after work, but i was like a dog with a bone, altough i should have more important things on my mind, i was not letting the run go, so a late late lunch at 5 turned out to be my ideal oppurtunity, 1 hour on the treadmill, another JD classic, first time doing this, 6 * 1 mile at T pace, thank god i was on a treadmill, had to have a cold shower to bring life back into the body afer this.
turned up at school an hour late, ravenous & ate all around me & left, more of these please, school open day crasher
Wednesday 13th
yesterday really took it out of me, i didn't want to run today, but guilted myself into a run after watching the first half of Utd V Real game, meet with torrential rain & questioned the rationale in doing this but good chance to use my OMM jacket, returned refreshed & fairly dry.
Thursday
AM 4 miles on treadmill before work, still feeling the effects off tuesday, over 8 min mile & felt every bit of it.
PM 4 miles after working & farming, should be tired but the bit of fresh air after work, rallied me & decided to go for 4 miles on trails, felt better & better after each mile, so decided to do my key session tomorrow, the dreaded Macmillian 2 miles at goal pace, 5 min rec, 4 *1 mile at goal pace with 3 min rec.
Friday 15th
I was excited about this session all week, knew i had to do it, but several things conspired against it, so i was set to do it early this morning, i never done a hard session this early so wasn't sure how it would turn out.
after 2 miles WU, felt good, so bang on the 2 miles, finished this & didn't feel too bad, maybe early mornings suit me?
after the 2nd 1 mile repeat however i changed my tune, went from feeling as you would expect to feel after running 3 miles at goal 10KM pace to totally depleted, really had to fight the last 2. glad to have it done, another week of this ticked off, these are really tough sessions, recovering in work, thankfully a quiet day.

jfh

It has reached a stage where if i don’t update this log, it’s going to fall down into those forgotten training logs which are only resurrected by a google search by chance.
This log deserves a proper ending, hopefully that’s in October 2013. So an update,
Been busy, this is the most hectic time on a farm, so what i can’t get done on the evenings after work, gets put on the long finger, till Saturday. My Saturday runs are usually squeezed into whenever i can get a window of opportunity, i dress with the shorts & t Shirt under my work clothes so can get going without much fuss. This can be an easy run over the fields or a few miles on road.
I can get a few strides done trying to catch a sheep or pass a cow that's gone the wrong way!, it all counts & compliments each other, as the running keeps you strong & agile and vice versa. It’s easy to get caught up with trying to fit in all the runs in a week, but right now I’m not going to feel too guilty. Last 2 weeks have been low milage but high intensity when i do get out. The key runs over the last 2 weeks;

Saturday 17th.
4 mile race.
This was my first race in a few months, plus first time running hard on road, plus first time wearing racers since injury, a lot of plusses there.
It was only to gauge my fitness levels, a nice little 4 mile race, felt wrecked that morning after a fairly physical Saturday, but after a few hours work in the fresh air on Sunday, felt strong again, this seems to be a common occurrence, wake up feeling wrecked, but build into the day after a bit of work. Race itself is a little hazy, i’m always amazed at the people who can log a detailed report of the race, i barely remember anything, only going by the photos, a lot of pain on the face for first 2 miles, then got into it to finish bang on 23 min, complete with a 6 mile warm down running home, found out few days later, that i won a small prize for 2nd so an added bonus. But the real delight was no pain in the ankle, sometimes take it for granted to be injury free. the course was an ideal loop & a good one for a PB, had only done one 4 mile before this and it was 30 seconds slower.

Tuesday 19th
Treadmill session, 15 MIN T PACE + 3 MIN REC + 10 MIN T PACE + 2 MIN REC + 5 MIN T PACE

Wednesday 20th
5 mile Hill run with group, took of with two speedsters after my confidence boosting run on Sunday, managed to stay with them for 2 miles then hung on about 100 m back in desperation so as to find my way home as it was in the woods in the dark.

Friday 22nd
lunch time run, not sure how to get the best bang from my buck here so went with another Treadmill session, 40 min tempo session @ avg pace 6:19min/mile

Saturday 23rd
30 min run in field with 6 strides thrown in, slow pace but field hilly so not too easy. might strengthen up ankles

Sunday 24th
another sunday, another race, this time a 10km, great day out, really enjoyed this one, a real social event & would really miss the running if I packed it in, this was one of those days that makes you want to get better. I got around in 36:54, just under a min slower than my PB, but this was never about that. A good workout and finished strong, looking at my mile splits later, they were all around 5:57 so very even. Funny thing is Macmillian race predictor got this spot on.

Monday 25th
A very easy recovery run at around 10 mile pace, was very sore & stiff, but after this mornings jaunt, felt good again.

jfh

tuesday 26th
20 min wu, 6* 1km(5:30) pace with 1 min rec, 20 min wd
Got this session from Time to run website, found it tough, anytime i go below 5:50 pace i fall to pieces so speedwork should pay off.

wed 27th
Holidays, this is my week to squeeze a few hard sessions in, don’t want to over do it, but i will be able to rest after sessions.
5 miles easy, just discovering the lay of the land.

thurs 28th
After gorging myself silly on the buffet breakfast in hotel, i felt like putting the run off until the evening, it was also starting to heat up so seemed the logical thing to do, however needs must. Kids still wrecked after early flight morning before so both fell asleep, herself took to the sunbed so off i went on another macmillian ultimate 10km session,
2 x 2M + 2 x 1M 5-minute jog between 2M repeats, 3-minute jog between 1M repeats
I was unsure of the route as this was all new territory, but i was adamant to get this session done today so i could fit in another hard session on Saturday. This was a real morale boosting run, managed to keep all the splits at goal pace(5:46), the kind of run where everything went right, i had the wind at my back for the second 2 miler and it finished downhill. I did feel the pain and the 5 min recovery was badly needed but very happy with the run considering the uncertainty when i set out.

fri 1st
Another run after a massive breakfast, thankfully it was a recovery run, managed 4 miles before i trudged home feeling heavy & tired.

sat 2nd
AM: 4 easy miles on the beach, very nice indeed, loosened out any stiffness.
PM: 4 (200m R pace with 200m jog) + 2 (400m R pace with 400m jog) + 1 (800m R pace with 800m jog) + 2 (400m R pace with 400m jog) + 4 (200m R pace with 200m jogs).
Another JD session, I ran with the wind that I hadn’t really noticed until I turned around, really had to dig in to keep some consistency. Found this run much tougher than the macmillian, esp the 800m.

Sun 3rd
Weather really turned for the worse, 4 miles on the beach amongst washed up fishes! Very windy.Few strides afterwards.

Monday 4th
6 mile trail run, wasn’t sure of route & ended up running through open farmland but some of trail was flooded from the storm the night before so need to go off route, very windy, really energy sapping.
6 strides afterwards on beach, although weather not the best, still a great way to round of a run, reckon if I dipped feet in ocean after every hard run, would have far less injuries as they recovered really quickly not sure if this was down to a lot of barefoot walking also.

Tues 5th
14 mile Long run with 3 miles tempo in the middle, avg pace was around the 7:45 mark with 6 mile apce for tempo, again the wind played havoc, I decided to use the wind for the tempo but turned back after 7 miles into a complete storm, worse than any weather I run in Ireland for a few months. This is meant to be my warm weather training!

Wed 6th
20 min quick run on the beach before packing, thrown in a few strides to try to make myself hungry for more gluttony.

Thurs 7th
Another time to run session, 5X2K R90 (3.35 PER K), however all the indulgence over the holiday, beer, wine, icecream & unlimited food started to catch up. I did this on the treadmill at lunch so had to fit whole session under the hour, this was the first run in a long while where i couldn’t fight through it, after the first 3 reps, i had to retire to the bathroom during my 90 sec interval, was actually thinking of dunking myself under the shower, rushed back to treadmill, thankfully had the place to myself, had to remove top as i was sweating too much, eyes stinging, so running like a maniac with red eyes & shirtless. This was a new low, depending on what way you’d look at it.
Did the last 2 reps at 3:50 pace, felt it better to get them done, even if if didn’t manage pace.

All in all, i managed to run 60 miles in my week away, first time in a few months, Some of these were just a quick runs up & down the beach, even after a few beers, but i’m counting them all.
Eventhough the mileage was high for me, i managed to put on half a stone, do feel all the better for it though. Some of the niggles i had before i left are gone & i managed to get 3 good sessions in.
I've 2 more sessions of macmillian to do before goal 10km so they should get me back to racing shape again.

jfh

Fri 8th
Rest Day

Sat 9th
in 2 minds what to do today, i culd go to a local 10km but it's on a 2pm so that would involve taking it easy that morning, not really an option, & between driving , warm up, cool down, easily 2 hours wasted, so instead i did my LSR on a hilly 13.50 trail. really enjoyed this,much more pleasurable than rushing a 10km.

Sunday 10th
legs sore after yesterday hilly session, i wore a light pair of trail shoes yesterday & tibial tendon really strained today.
leg loosened up thoughout the day so by the evening, it felt much better, took no chances & wore the kayanos for an easy 7 miles at avg 7:30 pace. it was fairly cold & had to constantly reel myself in at the start.

jfh

monday 11th
left the comforts of a warm office into a blustery hail, might be an evening for the treadmill, but i had to go to farm first.
after some honest work, i was well warmed up, hailstones had stopped, so decided that i'd fit in the mcmillan session.
22 x 200m at 5K race pace; 200m jog between.
i was going to leave this session until after the scary 3 x 2M session as i thought it would be best but decided that i should follow mcmillan , he prob had a good reason to put it the week before.

So off i went on a 7 mile loop, i'm lucky to have good running route on my doorstep, this one had a few hills but it's a quiet road without much traffic.
i found it easy enough, infact i was congratulating myself on how much i've adapted to speed, as running fast is not my strong point.

However this period of self satisifaction soon disappeared when i uploaded the run & notice that my "fast" 200m was in fact not very fast at all. I had run the 200m just above/close to my 10km race pace about 5:50min mile. In my defense, i don't run in KM's so calculated my 5km pace way too slow, should be 3:24 not 3:35 which i was running at.

I was cursing my stupidity when it dawned on me that it was probably a blessing in disguise as i have to run the dreaded 3 x 2m session 2 days later.
my inner coach deliberately messed his up for me.:o

Gambas

jfh wrote: »

What need you, being come to sense
But fumble with your freezing laces,
And place the wet number to the spattered vest
And mumble the shivering prayer, until
You fingers are frozen to the bone..

jfh

a bit of hardship & misery tends to bring out the poet in me..
altough i cannot take all the credit for those few lines.

Gambas

jfh wrote: »

a bit of hardship & misery tends to bring out the poet in me..
altough i cannot take all the credit for those few lines.

As William Bolter Yeats used to say,

I will arise and go now, and go to finish-line. In 9.58 seconds.