"I just wanna drink beer and train like an animal"

drquirky

Weds- Forced day off- driving from NYC to Boston and running just didn't happened- its ok though cause was supposed to have day off Friday so will just switch them.

Thurs. 2 mile w/u 5 miles @ 5:55 pace On the dreadmill :eek: 3 miles c/d. Shocking stuff. I hate the dreadmill with all my being but that was the only way this was gonna get done due to a year and a half year old losing my Garmin. So- it happened. The less thats said about it the better but glad I got the w/o in and was bang on pace thanks to the hamster wheel like properties of the dreadmill.

Fri- 6 miles recovery around the seaport in Boston. Stomach in bits for no other explainable reason than ridiculous American food. A couple of quick pit stops in local hotels did the trick.

Sat. This was one of those runs that reaffirm a person's reason for sunning. Set out from my Dad's Seaport dwelling down to the marathon course and went out to Heartbreak Hill and back. Passed the bombing site and slowed down to contemplate for a minute, ran through Kenmore Sq, Beacon St, Comm Ave, past BC and into the Newton Hills. Turned around at bang on 9 miles in glorious conditions and blasted up heartbreak hill, crested it and rode the long sweeping downhill (over 4or 5miles) into the finish. Back up into the Seaport for a tidy and perfect 18 @ 7:23 pace.

Was psyched to get to run that and really glad I got the long run out of the way as I fly home to Dub tonight and know I'll be wrecked tomorrow. All in all a good weeks running especially on holiday! Only took one day off and hit all the prescribed key workouts. National HM next week so interested to see how that goes as its only my second ever HM!

TRR

drquirky wrote: »

Sat. This was one of those runs that reaffirm a person's reason for sunning. Set out from my Dad's Seaport dwelling down to the marathon course and went out to Heartbreak Hill and back. Passed the bombing site and slowed down to contemplate for a minute, ran through Kenmore Sq, Beacon St, Comm Ave, past BC and into the Newton Hills. Turned around at bang on 9 miles in glorious conditions and blasted up heartbreak hill, crested it and rode the long sweeping downhill (over 4or 5miles) into the finish. Back up into the Seaport for a tidy and perfect 18 @ 7:23 pace.

That's a pretty special long run

drquirky

Today- 5 very jet lagged recovery miles. Flew in this morning, got a bit of sleep then headed to PP for this- got soaked etc etc... onwards and upwards.

drquirky

Today- 9 miles in the Park @ 6:50 pace. Felt really good- 17 or 18 tomorrow, a quick session on Thurs then rest and easy running till the "Rock and Roll" lol HM....

drquirky

Today- 16 miles in 2:00. Ran from Maynooth to Dublin 8- ended up a bit of an adventure as I took a wrong turn in Leixlip and passed a dodgy abattoir and some kids smoking pot. A passerby put me on the right track and I ran through a really big park that I didn't know existed. Finished the run climbing the Old Lucan Rd and down to part of the National Half course. Glad I got this in but perhaps should have run yesterday slower(I'm not the only person to point that out). All in all though a good few days and glad to get in a couple of decent longish runs w/in a couple days of each other.

On a side note- have dropped about 3 or 4 pounds to 138lbs since I started the heavier milage- coming into a pretty good race weight for me- so hope this helps!

TRR

And now you are back in the emerald isle eating spuds and bacon that weight should drop further!

drquirky

Today- 5 easy soaking recovery miles. One of those days where those recovery miles just feel so needed. Plan was for 6 but was sick of getting drenched so did my 5 mile loop instead- also have a small session coming up tomorrow and the Nat hM on Monday - was thinking I'm just gonna head out bang on 6 min miles and see where I am after halfway....I'd like to think I'm in 1:17/1:18 shape

drquirky

Today: Did the session just a few mins ago. 2 miles w/u 2 miles 6:20 (6:18, 6:19) 2 min jog 1 mile 5:50 (5:47) 2 min jog 1 mile 5:37(5:35). Did it on the Acres up at the PP wind was in my face on the back stretch which kinda sucked. the 6:20's felt comfortable but the legs are pretty tired. I was working a bit for the 5:50 and I won't lie not sure I had too much faster than a 5:35 in me. Funny how the pick up just isn't there with the change in focus. Did 2 miles cool down- felt like a good little session and was pretty happy with how I ran...

drquirky

Friday- off- first day off in 9 or 10 but did get a good rub from Ecoli- helped loosen some very tight legs out!

Saturday- 6.25 miles very easy. Absolutely nothing exciting to write about this

Sunday 4 miles super easy w/ 6 strides thrown in. All done but the racing - very much looking forward to tomorrow!

drquirky

79 mins on a tough course w/ no speed work/ specific HM prep. 3.5 min PB. Happy enough- report to follow.

RunningKing

drquirky wrote: »

79 mins on a tough course w/ no speed work/ specific HM prep. 3.5 min PB. Happy enough- report to follow.

Quirky was out for a morning jaunt when I seen him at the 4m mark - laughing and joking with Sean McS (MSB) . you wouldn't believe he was in a race. :pac:

great time!

drquirky

Got up good and early due to my toddler and a bit of nerves. Had a normal, decent pre-race breakfast. Got down good and early to the start line and despite the early hour, was a decent enough atmosphere. Did a mile and a half w/u, popped a few strides, said hi to my teammates/ blockic and got in place for an on time start. Laughed a bit as Leo Varadker got booed and then took off w/ the race.

I was absolutely determined to pace this one smart. It was only my second HM ever so experience was a bit of a factor but tried to rely on Garmin data to keep myself on track for the first few miles. I had a good idea of the breakdown of the course and knew that several stretches were gonna be tough. I train all around this area so was pretty comfortable w/ the course. First mile was bang on 6:00. Next mile and the climbing began up Chesterfield Ave. 6:01, 6:03, 6:01 were my next few miles. Weird sensation running by the bands as they were turned down a little bit and it did look pretty awkward, seemingly playing to no one. That being said- I enjoyed the way they broke up the race and they were great beacons at mile markers.

I felt super comfortable for these first few miles as RK noted above- chatting/ joking etc. Had a great time on the downhill sweeps for the next few miles, 5:52, 5:54, 5:57. Hit the 10k i n 37:15- bang on where I wanted to be- perhaps the worst stretch of the whole day(as others have noted) was between the Islandbridge Gate and Chapelizod Village. I started getting tunnel vision here and the doubt started to creep in. I fought a brief mental battle, then started the climb up into Ballyfermot. 6:04, 6:07 were the miles here, dropped back down to a 6:01 as I went through Kilmainham and saw a few people I knew- always gives a boost. Really started to feel it a bit from 10 on. Definitely felt like the fitness was there- but my body simply wasn't used to racing this long. 6:03, 6:07 for 9 and 10 6:01 for 11. Not going to lie- mile 12 was really tough(6:05)- just started to suffer/ mental games started to creeping in. Began to see the light at the end of the tunnel by the time we hit the end of the SCR (6:01). Took the last few corners and was hoping to see 78 on the clock but it was gone. Raised the pace as much as I could for a 79.19 finish.

Happy enough as it is a big PB and I have such little experience at the longer distance stuff. Will look towards the Athlone HM as I feel like a much better time is there for the taking but felt like I gave a hard, honest effort and hopefully got a great workout/ fitness boost. Working toward the "main thing" in Budapest so in the grand scheme of things- I'm thinking a tough HM on a hilly course helps.

drquirky

Yesterday 6 ridiculously easy recovery miles. Ranged from 9:30- 8:10. Much needed and body appreciated it. Actually didn't really feel too bad so was happy for that as I need to start working right back into the milage for Budapest.

drquirky

Today 7 easy recovery miles @ aprox 7:50 ish... Good run- 1 mile longer than planned but thats because I ran into RunningKing and we did a couple miles together- great to have someone to chat with- wish I had a longer run planned! Anyway- legs feel pretty good looking forward to the 20 this weekend.

Gavlor

Just reading your race report now, fantastic effort. Your pacing was spot on!

Even better was cutting today's run short having met running king..... Nice work all round

Killerz

Nice work in the HM, drq! Who knows what further improvements are there for the taking with some specific training!

drquirky

Yesterday- 8 miles in the PP @ 7:17

Today- 7 miles @ 7:45 Legs actually still a bit tight. Just shows the amount of time recovery from a HM takes! Ever since I dropped push ups and core stuff a couple month ago- groin/ abdominal gets kinda sore/ tight after tough efforts- started back on it and hopefully that helps.

On a completely unrelated note- If anyone reading this log is in Sligo/ North Leitrim on the weekend and wants some company on a long run- I'll be doing mine on Sat or Sun- just on the off chance...

drquirky

Saturday- 20(hilly) miles in 2:29. Physically not a bad run, psychologically, ****ing awful. Wanted to turn back after the first mile- just wasn't feeling it. Was in North Leitrim so ran between Manorhamilton and Dromohair and all around that area. As always when I'm there I notice how ridiculously undulating the terrain is- kinda gets magnified on a long run. Felt ok the whole way and was happy enough to get it done- good, 65 plus mile weeks starting to really stack up.

Sunday- 4 recovery - felt fine on this just kept the pace super handy. Really liking this keeping the hard stuff hard and the easy stuff easy approach-

drquirky

Yesterday- 8 miles @ 6:57 pace. Easy run in the PP. TBH this was actually the first day my legs felt good/ normal since the HM. I took a decent amount of time to recover from that one! Feel like I still managed good milage on the tired legs though so not stressed

Today. 10 miles w/ 10k @ MP (38:30)

2 mile w/ u

6:13
6:13
6:10
6:09
6:14
6:11
.2 (6:13)

Have a feeling I might have run these a little fast. The plan was for 6:15 and I just had trouble reigning it in. Did it up on the acres and felt strong- bit windy again though so the inevitable "wind in the face" section on each lap kinda sucked. Glad to get this one in- have a 12 miler on Thurs and a 22 miler on Sat. so easy easy miles for me tomorrow!

drquirky

Weds- 6 miles recovery

Thurs- 13 miles @ 7:26. Good run on trails in the PP w/ TRR and ecoli. great to have company as have been on my own a good bit for longer runs recently. Felt fine good rub from ecoli on Weds contributed to that!

FRI- 5 miles very easy. Big long run tomorrow and lots of days running on the trot (14) meant I kept this very very handy.

Sat 22 mile long run in 2:46. Very good long run. Started out w/ CL, Meno and RK - ticked along @ 7:48 or so for the first 13 miles. Picked it up myself after that and "surged " ala Billy Squires for the first half mile of every mile from 13-20. Kept the surge pace from 6:30- 6:20 this meant every mile from 13-20 came in at 7 or under so happy enough w/ that as long runs aren;t really my strongest thing and I got a good amount of time on my feet. Finished strong on this- looking forward to hopefully a (slightly) down week w/ the Frank Duffy on Sat...

Good to see Digger w/ a big group of fresh meat- tried to grab his ass as I ran by at one point but he had that well sussed.

drquirky

Sunday- 6 easy. Legs were ok after Saturday's long run

Monday OFF! First day off in 15 or 16 days - I still felt guilty- I think I have a problem.

Tuesday 16m @ 7:02 m/m Did this w/ TRR in Maynooth- really nice to be out of the PP for a change and I totally noticed the difference in terms of lack of hills. Felt really good the whole run Beautiful area and the run along the canal is class- you can just let the legs starting rolling as there is virtually no undulation. Happy that I've got this done before the Frank Duffy on the weekend. On a bit of an "easy" week atm so hopefully show up at the start on saturday pretty fresh. Really enjoying the running right now.

RunningKing

DrQ - how much of the run was on the canal and how was the surface?

I'm interested in also getting out of the pp, but may not enjoy it if there's busy traffic etc, so always looking out for different routes. Must look up walkjogrun a bit more I guess.

drquirky

RunningKing wrote: »

DrQ - how much of the run was on the canal and how was the surface?

I'm interested in also getting out of the pp, but may not enjoy it if there's busy traffic etc, so always looking out for different routes. Must look up walkjogrun a bit more I guess.

RK-

I'd say maybe 8 miles or so? In my limited experience the canal between Kilcock and Leixlip is really nice for running. Nice and flat w/ decent surface. If you don't mind out and backs you can get some good distances in on it.....

I run on the canal up my way at times as well but that sucks unless you like knackers and rodents...

davemcmahon

drquirky wrote: »

RK-

I'd say maybe 8 miles or so? In my limited experience the canal between Kilcock and Leixlip is really nice for running. Nice and flat w/ decent surface. If you don't mind out and backs you can get some good distances in on it.....

I run on the canal up my way at times as well but that sucks unless you like knackers and rodents...

Just to add to this I use the same section alot on runs before or after work. I just park up at the amenity centre

drquirky

Weds 6 miles very easy

Thursday 6 miles w/ 1x1200 @5:50 pace 1x800 @5:35 pace 1x400@ 5:35 pace 1x200@ stride pace

Off the reservation for this one- but got a bit nervous about the lack of speed work going into the Frank Duffy on Saturday- decided to just do a few very tidy "long strides" nice to push the legs out and get the legs turning over a bit as the focus for the last while (rightly so) has been on building endurance. Will be interested to see how I get on saturday as it will be the first time I've ever raced 10 miles! At least I'm gonna get a PB!

Friday 6 easy. All systems go for tomorrow- hope my humour improves cause I've been in a ****ty mood all day !

drquirky

58:59 on my watch - tough last 2 miles.... report to follow.

Krusty_Clown

drquirky wrote: »

58:59 on my watch - tough last 2 miles.... report to follow.

Great stuff. Looks like you're on track for a very solid marathon in October.

ecoli

Very good run. You were looking great coming down chesterfield ave

drquirky

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Great stuff. Looks like you're on track for a very solid marathon in October.

Thanks KC- working hard on it and respecting the distance this year so hopefully it pays off!

drquirky

My training has been going really well the last while. I have spent the last couple of months building a good base and completely avoiding any speedwork at all. I think this should stand me in good stead for the marathon in Budapest and I'm getting really good guidance so I went into my first ten mile race feeling strong and pretty confident of a decent run.

Morning of the race pretty uneventful- had my usual breakfast with my 1 1/2 year old and banged back a bit of coffee and beetroot juice (i know, I know). Got dropped down at the Chesterfield entrance and ran a 3 mile warm up including and hit a few strides before jumping in the paddocks. Gun went off and was pretty struck by how much bobbing and weaving I had to do but kept steady and settled into a pace. Went through the first mile in 5:49, was aiming for 5:55's but no panic.

Mile 2-4 were done in 5:52, 5:54, 5:53 as we went up the North Rd. drag. Happy with my pacing here and think it was my best run portion of the race. Got into groups and let myself just kinda float along with them. Breathing was extremely relaxed and was gradually working my way up the field. Spotted a teammate about 300 yds ahead and used him as a target for most of the race.

Miles 5,6 and 7 were perhaps not the smartest ones I've run in a race. We started to cruise that gentle downhill on Chesterfield Ave that I know really well from training in the PP every day- these miles went 5:44, 5:39, 5:35 - I think I overcooked these a bit and they probably helped bring on my mini blow up on the hills. Still, was moving well through the field and getting closer to my teammate (a scalp I'd love to get btw) Tucked in with the third woman up the S bends, got slagged by Meno as I passed mile 8 was 5:53- still going well and then....

KABOOM!
Really ****ed up the hills and the final stretch. I have an odd mental thing about long races that finish up hills and I hate running up to the Furze Road as a finish. My head started to go- I started to panic and lost focus- thought all kinds of bad thoughts, and didn't concentrate on the task at hand. mile 9 was 6:00 so not terrible but mile 10 was a pretty poor (considering) 6:11 and it felt damn tough. I was bargaining, fighting off waves of anxiety, the shivers etc etc. I leaked a good few places here and that was frustrating as I thought we had a good chance of a decent placing in the team comp( a few reasons why thats prob out the window but no need to go into that here).

Ran the final 1/10th of a mile as is always the case I defo didn't run the racing line and crossed the line in 58:59 by my watch but 59:02 by the faceless drones at the timing company's calculation- bastards. Anyways fair is fair and I'm obviously claiming the official 59:02 as my PB.

Very happy with the big picture in terms of this race. Pace was right where I wanna be for a decent shot at a 2:45 or so in Budapest. Good workout and physically felt really good throughout. Annoyed though with the mental stuff- when the chips were down I got inside my own head, panicked a bit and settled for appeasing the demons in my head. Physically I'm pretty sure I could have ripped off 2 5:55's or so on the last 2 miles - don't actually really care about that so much- but I feel like the marathon is so mental in a lot of ways that I want to get as strong in this regard as I can.

Fun day out though and nice to chat w/ a few boardsies after. Had to leave earlyish as I was standing next to Digger and the stench was getting unbearable:D

All good - have a real hard week this week w/ a 24 miler, some PMP miles and a MLR....