Confessions of a never has been.....

Duanington

02.02.2015

Brought the gear with me to work this evening to get in my easy run on the way home. Got changed on the bell and headed off - perfect night for running again thankfully, cool air and clear skies

My legs felt good this evening, which I wasn't expecting after last night's session - maybe the lower mileage last week has rested them up nicely.

Dropped off the backpack at home then went up the coast for another few easy miles, bringing the total to 7.

Finished off with some corework\pressups at home

Duanington

03.02.2015

AM

Ran into work this morning along the beautiful frosted coast, no idea what temperature it was but it was c-c-cold. I was a little hesitant to run on the footpath at first so stuck to the grass but the closer I got to the City Centre, the clearer the paths were

Total: 4 miles @ 8.15

PM

Ran home from work along the still frosted coast! Dropped the backpack off at home then ran off to get my car from my mechanic , this worked out well as I had 7 miles with 3 steady in the plan for tonight and the route I took ( up through Raheny, then on towards the Artane roundabout) gave me the extra 3 miles bang on

8.20
8.15
8.05
8.06
7.15
7.12
7.15

Finshed off with some chin ups and then a few bowls of stew :-)

Total for the day: 11

Duanington

04.02.2015

AM - another early morning trot into the office, not as cold as yesterday and I actually flirted with the idea of getting the bus before finally manning up and getting the gear on.
I was glad I did after a mile or so, while the fresh mornings can be a bit of shock to the system to start with, they really do wake the senses up. Traffic looked particularly bad too
4miles @ 8.17

PM - Out there door on the bell and took it nice and easy all the way home, dropped the backpack off and went on for another 2 miles. Took in 8 x 30 second "surges" on this - these are not quite strides, they are a little quicker than steady pace but not by much. Legs felt good and I felt nice and refreshed at the end.
Total: 6 miles@ 7.57


No core\weights today

Total for the day: 10

FBOT01

Duanington wrote: »

04.02.2015

AM - another early morning trot into the office, not as cold as yesterday and I actually flirted with the idea of getting the bus before finally manning up and getting the gear on.
I was glad I did after a mile or so, while the fresh mornings can be a bit of shock to the system to start with, they really do wake the senses up. Traffic looked particularly bad too
4miles @ 8.17

PM - Out there door on the bell and took it nice and easy all the way home, dropped the backpack off and went on for another 2 miles. Took in 8 x 30 second "surges" on this - these are not quite strides, they are a little quicker than steady pace but not by much. Legs felt good and I felt nice and refreshed at the end.
Total: 6 miles@ 7.57


No core\weights today

Total for the day: 10

Nearly missed you there this evening. Thought I was just saying hello to a randomer for a minute. You will have to trade that cloak of invisibility in for a High-Vis Jacket

Duanington

FBOT01 wrote: »

Nearly missed you there this evening. Thought I was just saying hello to a randomer for a minute. You will have to trade that cloak of invisibility in for a High-Vis Jacket

Where did you see me M? :eek:

FBOT01

Duanington wrote: »

Where did you see me M? :eek:

On Alfie Byrne Road just past entrance to East Point. I was the one running toward Eastwall with the nappy buff on my head.

Duanington

FBOT01 wrote: »

On Alfie Byrne Road just past entrance to East Point. I was the one running toward Eastwall with the nappy buff on my head.

Ha ha - I actually wasn't sure ! I was in a bit of a mid-run daze at that stage, it was dark etc..took the chance anyway :-)

Duanington

05.02.2015

Session day today, the plan called for a bastardisation of one of Ecolii's sessions:

10x60 second hill sprints @ 5k effort - jog back recovery ( +10 seconds or so standing)

I had myself down for a 5k styled hill session this week and wanted to try the 5x3mins@5k effort but I just couldn't think of a hill nearby that would give me 3 minutes of a climb - I had to run this at lunch time ( working from home) so it had to be within a couple of miles from the house.

I compromised on the hill and used the climb from the coast road into Raheny village ( coming from Sutton) - not the steepest of climbs but it gave me an ascent for the full 60 seconds which would do fine for this one.
Made my way down along the coast nice and easy as a warm up, found the start of the climb and got started on the reps.

I knew straight after the first one that I had ran too hard - the effort was not one that I could hold for the duration of a 5k race, made the same mistake again on the second one and then settled into a rhythm that felt much more like 5k race effort - holding the pace right through to the end of the 60 seconds on each one.

I really felt the last 2 of these in the legs, I was a little pi$$ed of that I had gone so gung-ho over the first couple of reps but the rest were all good and consistent, a couple of pensioners sitting at a bus-stop nearby were completely baffled at the sight of this lanky streak running up and down the road - the lady in particular, she had a look of pity on her face by the time I finished ( I was kind of hoping she'd whip out a packet of sweets from the handbag or something and launch them my way !)

Tough work-out, would have preferred to get the 5x3 minutes in but I had to make do with 10x60 seconds this time around. The paces read a little uneven but overall I'm quite happy with the session given how the effort felt throughout
Rep paces:

5:46
5:39
5:55
6:02
5:53
5:51
6:05
5:55
6:00
6:01

finished off with a couple of easy miles and some weights to bring the total to 8.5 miles

FBOT01

If you had a little more time the hill past Fintan's cemetery would be perfect for the 5x3mins. A real tester.

Duanington

FBOT01 wrote: »

If you had a little more time the hill past Fintan's cemetery would be perfect for the 5x3mins. A real tester.

Cheers M - that would be perfect alright. I'll be running that session in a few week's time over the weekend so I'll give that very hill a bash

FBOT01

Duanington wrote: »

Cheers M - that would be perfect alright. I'll be running that session in a few week's time over the weekend so I'll give that very hill a bash

Let me know when you are doing it and I might even join you:)

Duanington

FBOT01 wrote: »

Let me know when you are doing it and I might even join you:)

Perfect - will do

Duanington

06.02.2015

AM - recovery paced run into work, I left a little earlier than normal to take any time pressures off me, took it very handy and the legs felt good.
Much milder this morning than previous mornings, there was a breathtaking sunrise over the Irish sea, it took me a few minutes before I figured out what the small group of amateur photographers were playing at staring out to sea

PM - run home from work, back to normal easy effort. Legs felt good and if I had the time I would have loved to go on for another few. Got a shout out from a fellow runner just after the wooden bridge, I think she may have thought I was someone else - I gave my usual "hello" and wave but she called after me once we had passed each other....it sounded like she said "Conor?" or "Jonor?" in that questioning kind of manner - I couldn't hear properly with the traffic and I was under pressure for time so rather than run back and clear it up, I waved and carried on. So to that mystery friendly runner, if you read boards - apologies!

Total for the day : 8

ThebitterLemon

"Tosser" maybe

TbL

Duanington

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

"Tosser" maybe

TbL

ah...now it makes sense

laura_ac3

I can confirm it wasn't tosser. That was me! After giving my general wave response as you passed I thought you were someone else but without my glasses in the dark I'm a liability. I realized as you were gone it wasn't who I thought - sorry about that!!

But it's not just me...I was on the seafront waiting for the bus this morning and some woman across the road started waving and saying hello at me before realizing she didn't know me. She said she thought I was her granddaughter. I'd like to think I'd recognize my own family and as you mentioned - the sunrise was incredible this morning. While waiting for the bus I took some photos myself!

Dubgal72

Small world, glad that's been cleared up

Duanington

HA HA - thats gas! Thanks Laura_ac3 - although you've ruined TbL's breakfast this morning, I'm sure he much preferred the thoughts of me being called a tosser.

Duanington

07.02.2015


Busy weekend ahead with a big night out planned tonight so the only chance to get out for my run today was early o'clock. Managed to get up after just the one press of the snooze button, had a yoghurt then got the new runners on and off I went ( Adidas Adizero takumi ) .

Plan for this morning was 8 miles with 4@tempo

Ran a couple of easy miles along the coast, heading towards Howth then got started on the tempo section, turning at Baldoyle and making my way into Donaghmede then Raheny. I like this route because it can be tough enough in parts with plenty of drags and hills to keep things honest - but nothing that gives you that feeling of dread.

Tough enough going at the start of the tempo section which had me worrying for a bit but I suppose the hill session from Thursday could well have been lingering in the legs, once I got going, I enjoyed this one.

Splits worked out as:

8.14
8.08
6.32
6.27
6.27
6.16
7.46
8.10

Light weights\core work to finish , then breakfast

Total for the day: 8

ThebitterLemon

Duanington wrote: »

HA HA - thats gas! Thanks Laura_ac3 - although you've ruined TbL's breakfast this morning, I'm sure he much preferred the thoughts of me being called a tosser.

For sure DD, how much did you have to pay Laura for that! I'll have to go over to her place and abuse her a bit

TbL

ThebitterLemon

Duanington wrote: »

07.02.2015


Busy weekend ahead with a big night out planned tonight so the only chance to get out for my run today was early o'clock. Managed to get up after just the one press of the snooze button, had a yoghurt then got the new runners on and off I went ( Adidas Adizero takumi ) .

Plan for this morning was 8 miles with 4@tempo

Ran a couple of easy miles along the coast, heading towards Howth then got started on the tempo section, turning at Baldoyle and making my way into Donaghmede then Raheny. I like this route because it can be tough enough in parts with plenty of drags and hills to keep things honest - but nothing that gives you that feeling of dread.

Tough enough going at the start of the tempo section which had me worrying for a bit but I suppose the hill session from Thursday could well have been lingering in the legs, once I got going, I enjoyed this one.

Splits worked out as:

8.14
8.08
6.32
6.27
6.27
6.16
7.46
8.10

Light weights\core work to finish , then breakfast

Total for the day: 8

Nice!

Making my session from yesterday look lightweight!

Tosser

TbL

laura_ac3

Duanington wrote: »

HA HA - thats gas! Thanks Laura_ac3 - although you've ruined TbL's breakfast this morning, I'm sure he much preferred the thoughts of me being called a tosser.

I apologise in advance if I don't recognise you now the next time

Tbl - I'm sorry to let you down but abusive Dublin northsiders is just a cliche. Don't be clouded by your People's Republic of Connemara propaganda!

ThebitterLemon

laura_ac3 wrote: »

I apologise in advance if I don't recognise you now the next time

Tbl - I'm sorry to let you down but abusive Dublin northsiders is just a cliche. Don't be clouded by your People's Republic of Connemara propaganda!

Hey Laura,

I used to live up there.

The PRC's military unit sent me up to infiltrate the apostates and heretics, was getting corrupted so got recalled back to the warm bosom of Connemara

TbL

FBOT01

Duanington wrote: »

ah...now it makes sense

What makes sense? That she may have called you "tosser" or that "tosser" and "Conor" could be easily confused:D

ThebitterLemon

FBOT01 wrote: »

What makes sense? That she may have called you "tosser" or that "tosser" and "Conor" could be easily confused:D

Get back into your box you abusive Northsider, getting very brave, must be coz of your shiny new PB!

TbL

Duanington

08.02.2015 ( wow - its February 2015 already....time really does fly !)

A long, long night at a family celebration last night resulted in far too much booze, far too much dancing and singing and general messing, not enough sleep and a rough day today.

I eventually made my way out to the cold night for 4 recovery miles. It felt horrendous for the first mile but much better afterwards.
A very uneventful run to finish off a good week, slightly shy of my 60 mile target but still some good quality in there so I have to be happy. Finished off with some stretching and core work.

Total miles: 4 @ 9.12

Duanington

09.02.2015

Long run night, plan was for 13 miles all nice and easy.

After getting through one of those "the day after the day after" continuity hangovers, the ones that tell you you're getting on a bit, I wasn't feeling the love for a long run this evening...BUT

I needed one, the plan called for one and I had the gear with me in work. So once the whistle went in the office, I packed the bag, threw it on and headed off out towards home to drop the bag off and get the job done.

After dropping the bag off, I headed off out the coast road, turned in at Baldoyle, up towards Donaghmede then Raheny and home.

Legs actually felt fairly tender at stages during this one, most likely as a result of the weekends non-running antics to be fair but either way, I'm glad to get this one under the belt. I always feel more at ease with my training when I have a few 13\14\15 mile runs under the belt - a few more of these and I'll be fine

Finished off with press-ups and stretching at home

Total miles: [EMAIL="13@8.07"]13@8.07[/EMAIL]

Duanington

11.02.2015

Tuesday

No run before work, got the bus in and brought the gear with me so I could run home.
Nice and easy all the way home, kept the pace down in the recovery zone - which was nice because I find the going can be tough enough with the backpack the day after a long run. Dropped the backpack off then tagged on another 2 miles.

6 miles @ 9.07


Wednesday

Last minute change of plans this evening gave me a bit of extra time to myself so I changed my 6 miles easy to 8 miles easy with 10x30 second surges ( steady pace).
Made my way home with my trusty backpack after work, I'd eaten a little too soon before running though so the first couple of miles were a little stuffy. Once I got home and dumped the backpack, I felt a lot better and took in another 4 miles with the 30 second "surges" thrown in...these really are just moving into steady pace for 20-30 seconds, no real strain involved, just moving up a gear.

Finished off with a good weight\stretching session at home

8 miles for the day ( no watch)

** Running the 5 mile XC in the phoeno this weekend with work, looks like a tough course which should give me a good, solid workout - really looking forward to it

Duanington

12.02.2015

Session day today and the plan was for:

12x400 with 200m jogged recovery.

The pace on this one was to be slightly slower than previous 400 sessions I've done this year, rather than pick a specific target then beat myself up mentally when I don't make it, I settled for a target range of 1:22-1:24, anything in that bracket would be just right.

Did a couple of miles warm-up down to St Anne's then got started on the reps.

Throughout each one, I focused on stride, footstrike, form and arm motion, forgetting pace but feeling the right effort.

Reps went as follows:

1.24
1.24
1.23
1.25 (oops)
1.22
1.22
1.20 ( oops again)
1.22
1.24
1.22
1.24
1.23

So 2 of the 12 were outside the target range but I felt really strong throughout this session and could have done a few more reps if I had time which is pleasing.
Happy with the effort overall

Finished off with a warm down to bring the total to 7.5 miles

ThebitterLemon

Very consistent and impressive training lately DD, you're gonna blast the HM in March, just don't run Bohermeen and make me look bad ya Tosser

TbL