October 2013

jfh

Mon 22nd
4 miles easy on hilly golf course
Tue 23rd
took more annual leave to get a chance of a last good session before 10km race this friday night. i had mapped out a session on garmin but made a complete dogs of it,
meant to do 2×1200 5km pace(400 rec), 6×200 5km pace (55 rec), 2×1200 5km pace (400 rec).
i did 1×1200 5km pace, 1 x 1200 rec (400rec), 6×200 5km pace (55), 2×1200 Tempo pace (400).
still a good workout, not as hard as it should have been but might be better suited to race week, i often over cook training on race week.
wed 24th
no chance to get out to day, when i finally got window of oppurtunity, made an attempt to do core work but jus didn't feel it. still trying to kick this cold.
Thurs 25th
4 miles easy 7:30 ish pace on treadmill at lunch, beautiful day out but just 30 lunch break & as it was, i was taking almost 40 min so didn't want to push it with work

jfh

Fri 26th
trying to phych myself up for this all day & if it was just a simple matter of goign from work to the race, i would have been in a better position but as it was, it was all go from the moment i left work, getting dinner for kids, arranging baby sitters, etc. Stillit would be good training for the days when everything went liek clockwork.
i was tired when i arrived at the race, altought on time, had 20 min to spare, i did a very leisurealy warm up. felt alright after the warm up or maybe it was the cold or the very strong coffee i had on the way.

weather was threatening all day & had finally given in & unleashed a few hail showers on the way to race but it looked like the worst was over.

I knew i would do very well to improve on previous 10km time, i was hoping to go under 36 min, in reality i have taken the foot of the pedal since my last 10km so aim to turn up the volumn again after limerick.
I wore the orthotics for the first time in the racers & it was a totally different way of running, i felt great for the first mile, think i have a long stride with no bounce, but i felt there was a spring in my step today. we faced into a fairly strong breeze for mile 2 & 3, & that's where the damage was done, way too slow, looked at splits on watch & didn't have the fight in me to react.

i did however finish strong so that was encouraging.
10km in 36:24 watch time. over 30 seconds slower than previous 10km but it'll be touch & go whether i can target 1:20 for the half.

Sat 27th
7.25 miles recovery run, felt surprisingly fresh after the previous evenings exploits.

Sun 28th
11.5 mile hilly run with guys much better than me, great to run with company again.
i did feel the effects of the race in this run & got very tired towards the end of the run.
the last long run before next sunday, this week is all about rest

jfh

been quiet here, well i did manage the sub 1:20 half, only just, was well on target for 1:19 but had two bad miles at 9 & 10. was on target to break my other hoodoo, sub 60 10 miles but 9 seconds over, still it's a PB for that distance.
might not have done enough long sessions, i was going for one long run per week, it was ideal 10km training but perhaps not enough for the half.
i did feel fresh though so that was the other side of it.
Limerick Half in 1:19:33

jfh

since then i've had a few set backs, got a bad cold afterwards, overdid it workwise the days after the half. my legs felt very fresh but the body was tired. then i did an IMRA race which finished me off. great training though.
as soon as that was clear, got that tummy bug. on this occasion i cannot blame the kids for bringing it into the house as i was the first to succumb & now pulled muscle in my back.
almost healed so going to start that JD 5-10km training plan today before the marathon.

jfh

tues 21 may
trying to figure out my I pace, settled on somewhere between 5:30 - 5:35 min mile; with that in mind, set off to do the following on a 9 mile loop from my house, it had a few minor hills that made pacing nigh on impossible.

i'm coming to the conclusion that JD sessions need to be done on a track full stop.

The plan - 5 Repeats of:
{2 mins @5:30/mile
1 min easy jog
1 min @5:30/mile
30 seconds jog
30 seconds @5:30/mile
30 seconds jog}

actual;

Set|Ave pace|Time|
1|5:34|2 min|
1|5:32|1 min|
1|5:35|30 sec|
2|5:34|2 min|
2|5:36|1 min|
2|5:21|30 sec|
3|5:31|2 min|
3|5:29|1 min|
3|5:23|30 sec|
4|5:32|2 min|
4|5:22|1 min|
4|5:23|30 sec|
5|5:41|2 min|
5|5:24|1 min|
5|5:25|30 sec|

9 miles in total incl WU & WD.

jfh

Fri 24th May
missus was shopiing so i managed to get to track, first time in a long while, always feel faster running on a track. i could not have picked a better evening.
JD 12 * 400m i had set this up as an advanced work out on the 405.
this was a mistake as garmin was measuring short, instead i set it up on time 75 sec, tried to make the 400m each time but found it difficult, just under on most sets. much work in intervals.

Sun 26th may
legs tired as i didn't do any run on saturday, but went out & did 15 miles avg pace 7:24 min mile.

mon 27th
6.31 miles undulating miles.

tues 28th
40 min T session.had hoped to do this in 6:11.
found this tough, at 20 min my average pace was 6:09 so on track, ran into wind after that, finished with 6:17 avg pace so completely lost it on the last 20 min.
i will do this exact session again in a few weeks & see how it goes.

wed 29th
no plans for run but it was such a cracker of a day, decided to go for 40 min jog on way from work. luckily i keep spare running gear in car for such "emergencies"

DogSlySmile

jfh wrote: »

tues 28th
40 min T session.had hoped to do this in 6:11.
found this tough, at 20 min my average pace was 6:09 so on track, ran into wind after that, finished with 6:17 avg pace so completely lost it on the last 20 min.
i will do this exact session again in a few weeks & see how it goes.

I'd say you still got the benefits from that run. You may have been off pace but you were running into the wind. As long as you kept your effort even you should reap the rewards.

jfh

Thurs 30th may
5km race, not sure what shape i was in, but found out the hard way. gave me the kick in the pants that i needed, time on my watch was 17:58 for 5km flat. the race itself was a little longer than 5km & my offical time 18:21
Sat 1st june
JD session 4(200m)+2(400m)+800m+2(400m)+4(200m)
this was a toughie
Tue 4th June
JD session 3(2 mile T pace)
wed 5th June
10 * 200 m hills
Thurs 6th june
3 mile very easy
Fri 7th June
6 *1km @ 3:25km pace on grass with 3 min recoveries.
sat 8th June
7 miles easy
Sun 9th June
1hr 20 min on hills, tough session
Monday 10th
off
Tues 11th June
6 * 1km @3:25 pace with 90 sec rec
Wed 12th June
10 * 300 hills
Thurs 13th June
2.5 miles very easy
Fri 14th june
10 km tempo on treadmill @ 6:03 min mile pace
very tough session, stuck for time so treaddie was most do-able
Sat 14th June
5 miles in undulating field, good for strength.
Sun 15th June
1hr 25 min hills.
Mon 16th June
5.8 miles easy, finished at 10:30 still bright.
great long evenings for it.

jfh

weekly milage has hovvered after the 40 - 50 mile mark, must try to consistently get over the 50 mile mark in lead up to marathon training.
Plan is to do a 10km this weekend to give me a bench mark of where i'm at. Still undecided on 12 week or 18 week plan.

jfh

18th June
4 * 1 mile at 5:40 pace then 4 300m afterwards
19th June
6 * 300 hills, meant to do 10, very tired after yesterdays session.
20th June
25 min very easy
21th June
10km with 4 strides afterwards
22nd June
clare 10km, 3rd year doing this & course seems short.
don't think i can call it a PB myself, but it's a PB over 9.8km!

23rd June
1 hr 30 min undulating over course
24th June
off
25th June
10 * 300 hills, tough to keep self motivated doing these.
reckon i did put in the effort & legs sore today.

jfh

26th June
absolutely sacrilegious to do a treadmill session with the weather but pushed for time. 1hr on in sauna like conditions on a treadmill.
reckon about 7;30 pace as odometer is waay off.
27th June
the first morning run in a while & perfect conditions for it.
7 miles @ 7:25 pace

jfh

28th june
another JD session, one of my favourite
40 min T pace @ 6:15
29th june
40 min easy with 7 strides
30th june
1Hr 20 min hilly miles

total miles for the week 50
2 sessions. good week, feeling stronger.

jfh

1st July
3 miles on treadmill at lunch, didn't think i get time to get out that evening.
3 miles later that eve.
first double day in a long while. super conditions, more of a mental thing than anything.

2nd July
5 miles with 7 easy strides tagged on at the end.

3rd July
JD 40 min T pace, ran this with a friend & it really upped my game.
did this exact run a month ago & sturggled to hit 6:19 pace, today i finished in 6:13. might not sound much but covered a lot more ground.
10 miles in total.

4th July
today was a busy day so 30 min on the treadmill at lunch, was going to take it off completely but figured a light run would be better for recovery after the tough session yesterday.

5th July
3 miles very easy to clear the head after a late night before work. felt surprisingly alright after a good few beers, this might mean i'm becoming accoustamined to it. will knock this on the head closer to september.

6th July
very early hill session on my own, cracking morning, not a sign of life bar a few rabbits grazing on the newly mown hay

7th July
1hr 30 min on a hilly trail very early.

getting used to these early morning runs, i have often run a few miles easy but have upped the milage & intensity recently & felt fine.

all good so far, milage again around the 50 mile mark but more importantly no niggles or injuries

jfh

8th July
40 min easy very early

9th july
2 * 3km @ 3:40 pace in the heat, this was tougher than any session i have done in a while. wonder should pace be dropped a litle easier with this heat?

10th July
Seldom have i run as an enjoyable run as this, it had all the ingredients for a good one & it didn’t disappoint. Had a bit of bad news about the job front so needed to clear the head & get a steady/easy run out of the way to up mileage for marathon training. Drove back to West Clare & the car thermostat was hitting 28 degrees.
I’m not one for reccing a course but i didn’t want to get lost back here so drove a route with the GPS on the phone, just wasn’t feeling adventurous enough just to take off running & figure it out. Glad i did as the roads i took in the car were bordering un-driveable for a two wheel drive. The wife could have killed me if she knew i brought the car on these routes. The car did get a good clean underneath though . The “major” roads had grass in the middle which is pretty much the standard for quiet country roads however some of these had strips of grass that could be made in silage.
Got myself a nice little 7 mile loop.
So off i went in the height of the mid day sun, took off waay too fast in this heat, knew I’d pay for it later, but thrown caution to the wind & went for it. Plan was to do 7:30 pace but first mile was around the 6:15 mark, but i felt strong & was bursting to let of some steam. I was delicately picking my steps as a herd of cows had passed through earlier for their mornings milking.
About the third mile i was starting to feel it, although i was very close to the sea, the hedges were keeping out any breeze to be got. There wasn’t a stir of air, and not a sound bar a farm house with Clare Fm blaring out. Funny how people in solitude try to fill the vacuum with noise while others in the city want the opposite. A guy was out turning hay & the smell was heavenly. I never bring water with me but i was parched after 3 miles, i had a few glasses of wine the night before so was probably a little dehydrated starting off. My motivation was jumping in the sea afterwards.
I knew i was coming back in civilisation when i came across a postvan parked in the middle of the road, engine running, no sign of life. No other traffic so he may as well abandon his vehicle for his convenience.
For the next mile or so, i had a constant race with the postman, he’d pass me out & park up, i’d squeeze past, build up a lead & wait for him to catch up again.

The last mile was on the main road to the beach so busy enough, i was feeling the effects of the heat & the tough interval session the evening before. Just concentrating on body posture & good running form, not too bothered on time, my mile splits were still just over 7:05 so happy that i had finished strong.
Finished up with a dip in the sea, this was as much to get a bit of life back in the body as to wash off all the dead flies i had accumulated on my chest in a broth of sun oil & sweat. Finished up a new man. Great way to end a run.
Must plan more of my long runs around a swim in the ocean.
dont normally write up such long reviews but it was one of my most enjoyable runs ever.

jfh

11th july
37 min very easy before work early morning, just to loosen the legs
left knee has been "cracking" a lot when i extend it so goign to watch it..

12th july
10 * 300 m hills with a buddy, thank god, don't think i could have faced this alone. very hot evening, was hitting 30 on car thermostat when we set off.

13th july
40 min easy/Steady run , thrown in a few strides after this.

14th july
another hilly trail run of 1 hr 33 min, going to stick to softer forgiving trails for the long run for the next while.

15th July
very easy 10km before work, avg pace 8:21 min mile.

16th July
1km @ HMP pace
3k * 2 @ 10km pace
1km @ 10km pace
about 10 miles in total, BIG workout for me, felt much better today as i had a friend to pace off. Hard to do these on your own.

17th july
legs very stiff after yesterday as i didn't have time to stretch.
5km recovery, took 30 min.

jfh

18th July
4 miles WU, 2 miles T pace(6:00), 3 miles WD
this was my first T session in a while, i was lucky that i hit the start of the hills for the first mile & it was downhill for the second, might change my route & force myself to hit the hill when tired or might not..

19th July
running along easy myself when i meet an old friend out doing his long slow run for the marathon so tagged along with him for a while & to leave his company as i had kids to collect, the miles sped by chatting.
7.50 miles easy pace with a few strides added in.

20th July
10 * 300m hills early morning, then took the day off & back to the beach with the kids, great way to spend the day after some tough hill reps.

21th July
1hr 30 min on hills
put of my long run until evening as i was out last night. running with guys who were very strong & i was really struggling for the first few miles but got into it after a while.

22nd July
another terrible night of sleep, teething problem, figured i'd be better off getting a run in that another hours sleep to get it out of the way.
5 very slow miles in over 45 min.
happy to have the run for the day done & dusted.

jfh

23rd July
20 min WU, 3 * 2 mile at T pace with 4 min rec, 20 min WD

24th July
30 min on treadmill as busy schedule all day, but it turned out i did get an unexpected oppurtunity to run later as kids went to bed early but was feeling weak & tired of running.
remember a thread here a while back on some of the signs of overtraining;
craving for cake been one & trouble sleeping another so decided to take it handy, bought myself an apple tart & watched some breaking bad.
i never watch Tv but felt all the better for taking the night off altough i did eat a full apple tart, some good carbo loading there:eek:

25th July
4 miles WU, 2 miles T pace, 3 miles WD
this was during lunch, had to take some annual leave to cover the time. felt good after my apple tart & fry this morning, i'm actually putting on weight in the this marathon training as i cannot stop eating:(

jfh

26th July
50 min very easy, no sure of milage but less than 6

27th July
10 *300 m hills, walk down recovery between sets.
up early, did this on my own, tough session.
birthday party later so lots of cake & beer.

28th july
1 hr 30 min on hills early, didn't want to do this after the over indulgance of the day before. i had the choice of meeting up with a buddy(hard) or doing this on my own(easy) choose the former & really went flat out for the 2nd half of this. was completely wiped out, thankfully no work later, recovered on the couch while watching the GAA.

jfh

29th July
Dont do double days but got the oppurtunity today.
30 min recovery very early
40 min easy after work

30th July
3*3k @ 3:40 pace, tough one but manageable.

31st July
40 min recovery, fairly tired after session & going racing later so didn't want to over do it.

1st Aug
after a few weeks of living disciplined living it all came to abrupt end, few winners in Galway lead to a 12 hour drinking session. i never win in Galway..
no running

2nd Aug
had annual leave planned off work so with a headstrong attitude, went ahead with yeserdays session, mile Tempo repeats, had to break them up a bit but got 5 miles at T pace, total 11 horrible sweaty miles.

3rd Aug
very tired, still feeling the effects of my waywardness. the worst time i could have possibly have choosen but lesson learnt. had planned to go for 40 min easy to build up milage but got caught in a thundershower & trudged home feeling very sorry for myself in 23 min. not sure if there was any advantage in doing this run.

4th Aug
first decent nights sleep after the horrors, didn't do a whole lot, watched a bit of football & went for a leisurely 4 miles with strides thrown into the mix.
drove up to dublin.

5th Aug
rocknroll time, my plan was to go out easy & see where i was at, of course i got caught up with the excitement & adrenaline but this was soon reined in.
Just not feeling comfortable at sub 6 pace, so backed it off.

completely eased within myself, got into a very comfortable rhythm & took in the sights of the Park. I really love running in Dublin & it's been a few years, it must have been very attractive for the overseas visitors.
i was running with a spanish looking guy, some girl "kate" was about 10 m ahead & running really steady & strong.
i was putting no pressure on myself but my plan was to stick with them, if i could, Some stages they'd go ahead 20-30 m but i'd always catch them on the hills.
I seemed to relish the hills & found the course a PB, one of the best halfs i've done. I really was enjoying this which was far different than my last effort in Limerick, where i was under pressure from mile 6 onwards.
Didn't look at the watch once so couldn't compare my times. At least a mile of down hill in the park & i was starting to feel the effects as speed in not my strong point.
I never take gels but i had an emergency gel that i bought in spain a few months back, all instructions in spanish but sure a gel is a gel, don't even remember the name of it but it really seemed to have an effect on me, whether this was a mental or physical effect, i'm not sure but i was running easily within myself again, this was about the 9 mile mark & i started to pass out a lot of runners which felt great & the total opposite of limerick where i was getting passed. Nothing better than coming near the end & passing out people who usually finish ahead.
Real confidence booster, still i couldn't keep up with Kate who was really finishing strong & had paced to perfection. One guy passed me out with a mile to go & i thought about racing him but didn't have the fight in me. I definitly had something left in the tank so kinda dissappointed that i didn't put it up to him, he might have beaten me anway but at least to have tried.
He collapsed in a heap at the finish whereas i was alright. I've been far worse after 5k's.
All in all, very happy with a sub 1:19 effort, a PB after one of my highest milage weeks & very nearly sabotaged it with my own stupidity, drinking.

the race itself was a thouroughly enjoyable event, love running in dublin, conditions were perfect & the music was a help.
The next time i'll be up again will be Oct 28, lets hope, i'll be as happy then..

jfh

6th Aug
beautiful evening, out on the farm moving cattle, legs feeling surpringly ok, dull ache in the hips though. this might be something to do with the hip flexors these were giving me awful hassle earlier in the year.
did 40 min recovery with the shirt off in a newly mown silage field. not as smooth as a pitch but the best one can expect on a farm.

7th Aug
3 * 3 k @ 3:40, back into this after the half, was kinda worried reguarding the hips as i had 2 injections in Jan to get rid of inflammination in hips, don't want to go down that route again. wore support shoes but i got this session done, would have struggled with this a month ago.

8th Aug
40 min easy with a few strides

9th Aug
hill reps on my own, 12 * 400m, tough to keep these at pace.
i did them all steady, wasn't completly spent.

10th Aug
40 min easy on pitch , hips still a bit tender, not really affecting me but can feel ache when i turn around, must run in straight line

11th Aug
1:30 min on hilly trail, about 13 miles.

jfh

12th Aug
an easy 40 min before work with strides afterwards.

13th Aug
3k time trial, did this with a mate, thankfully, he's faster so it was just a matter of trying to stick with him as long as i could, new PB !
10 min flat.

14th Aug
30 min of core at lunch
very tired ffrom the time trial, speed is not one of my strong points.

15th Aug
60 min steady with 2 miles T pace. lashing rain when i started this but was looking forward to it, very humid also, the plan was to do 3 mile @ T pace but still feeling the effects for tuesday so went with 2 miles.

16th Aug
another early morning run before work, 45 min in total.

17th Aug
40 min easy with 10 * 100m strides

18th Aug
100 min over hilly trails.
felt this, i do all these sunday morning runs without food, think i'm getting to the stage where i may need to eat something small. Finished feeling hungry, recovery fry got some life back into me.

jfh

19th Aug
what a difference a day makes, didn't get out for my usual pre work run, left it until the evening. 6.5 miles with strides. felt good.

20th Aug
trying to work on my speed or lack thereof!
4k - 3k - 2k - 1 k
reps starting at tempo dropping to 5km pace, tough session.
11 miles in total

21th Aug
5 miles easy

22nd aug
was meant to do a bit of a session today, things conspired against me, did get out for 35 min easy.

23rd Aug
30 min easy with strides & finished up with 20 min warm down.
over 7 miles in total.

24th Aug
10km saturday eve, after working all day on the farm, i wasn't sure how i'd handle this one, the answer is not well. i drank 2 cups of coffee on the way to the race, started well but got a stitch around the 4 mile mark. had to slow down, then got passed out, it was a case of just trying to keep my position after that. realised how much i hate 10k s & voved to never do another,
went out for a few pints as i needed a break form this marathon plan
10km in 36:12

25th Aug
sore & tired after the race, the dungarven porter isn't the best post race recovery drink either. Dug out the i pod & did 11 miles on the hurling pitch.
mentally tough going..

DogSlySmile

jfh wrote: »

10km saturday eve, after working all day on the farm, i wasn't sure how i'd handle this one, the answer is not well. i drank 2 cups of coffee on the way to the race, started well but got a stitch around the 4 mile mark. had to slow down, then got passed out, it was a case of just trying to keep my position after that. realised how much i hate 10k s & voved to never do another,
went out for a few pints as i needed a break form this marathon plan
10km in 36:12

Nice time considering the stitch and starting tired!

jfh wrote: »

went out for a few pints as i needed a break form this marathon plan

The plan seems to be working for you. McMillan gives you 2:48:50 for the marathon based on that 10k. Good work.

jfh

DogSlySmile wrote: »

Nice time considering the stitch and starting tired!

The plan seems to be working for you. McMillan gives you 2:48:50 for the marathon based on that 10k. Good work.

actually the physical work seems to be ok for me & i had a few hours before starting the race so no excuses there,
i've been reading here about bloody beetroot juice, i drank some of the vile concoction and to top it up, tried to cook some beets for dinner, couldn't cook the damn things , ate them half raw. sound a bit like Dwight from the US office now.
that & the coffee, it's no wonder..

you're gunning for around the same target right?

DogSlySmile

I tried the beetroot thing as well on the run up to Bay2Bray. I was lazy though and got the ready to eat, vacuum packed ones from Tesco. Had one with every dinner for about a month and then had the concentrated beetroot shots in the morning before the long runs. Cant say I noticed any great benefit from eating them but I suppose having the extra bit of veg in the diet can only be a good thing!

Yep, I'm still clinging to the hope of running 2:49 in October. I've probably only ran about seven times in the last month as this ITB issue refuses to leave me alone:( To hit 2:49 I'll probably have to get back running this week because if the injury drags on any longer I'll have to revise the goal... Or convince the DCM organisers to push the race back until November

Physio tonight so hopefully he'll give me some good news.

Keep up the good running. And take some feckin rest days every now and then! :eek::p

jfh

26th Aug
easy/recovery
10km in 50 min easy recovery run, getting used to upping the mileage on the easy runs. followed by strides.

27th Aug
threshold session
4 * 1k--3k--2 * 1k
a deceptive little session, looks ok on paper but really struggled with the last two 1 k reps. trying to inject some pace into these legs.

28th Aug
easy run
first early session for 2 weeks, these early mornings are a great way to keep intune with the change of season. there was a distinctive feeling that summer is over, that and the fact that it was dark. still warm enough for a T shirt:)
10 km in 53 min

jfh

29th Aug
30 min WU, then 16 strides on hurling pitch, 1 mile WD.
no watch but reckon about 6 miles in total

30th Aug
6 miles MP with 4 * 400m afterwards
12 miles total

31st Aug
60 min very easy, very busy physical day on farm, this was a break.
7 miles in total

1 sept
15miles on hilly trails.

63 mile week. PB mileage week.

jfh

2 Sept

early morning strech the legs session.
ran for 33 min then spied the gate open in the hurling field, went in & did a few strides, the grass was wet so nice cooling effect on the feet. wrapped it up with 1/2 mile jog home
5.6 miles in total

3 Sept
3 miles WU - 6 mile(6min/mile) repeats off 90 sec - 2 miles WD

used another GAA pitch for the WD, whipped of the shoes and did it barefoot.
didn't use the orhtitics as my toes are taking a hammering wearing them.
11 miles in total

4 Sept
Recovery 55 min, legs sore after yesterday so took it easy, felt like a kenyan out in the low sun in the cool morning air.
these easy runs are actually starting to feel easy now.
6.20 miles in total

jfh

5th Sept
4 miles easy, 18 * 100m strides, 3 miles easy

6th Sept
30 min easy, 8:00 min miles

7th Sept
13.1 miles in 1:24. 6:25 avg pace so 13 miles at PMP. all good.

8th Sept
C'mon the Banner!!
a lot of walking around drumcondra.
no running, all ireland final put paid to that & it was so worth it. that game took more out of me mentally & physically than the half marathon the day before.:eek:

9th Sept
wrecked after long day in croker, driving was stressful & was slaming on the breaks in my dreams, still was glad to do an easy 6.5 miles with strides before work.

cianc

Sweet PMP session!