Confessions of a never has been.....

Duanington

Ososlo wrote: »

Nice run! I was going to do similar towards Howth direction over the weekend. Do you mind me asking for how many miles were you climbing once you left Sutton Cross running towards Howth summit pub? And is it extremely steep? Thanks!

Of course not Ososlo - I should probably have given that detail in the log. It was an overall climb of around 2.5\3 miles from Sutton Cross up to the top I think but there are quite a few dips on the way up so you're not climbing constantly.

Its steep enough to slow you down considerably without putting in some effort but I wouldn't let that put you off, once you get over the first climb ( just under a mile), you get a downhill stretch which gives some welcome relief - give it a go. I will say though, if running at night, wear bright clothes, there is street lighting all the way up along the footpath but there's no wall\barrier between the path and the road .

Its a great run - well worth taking it on if you have the guts

Ososlo

Duanington wrote: »

Of course not Ososlo - I should probably have given that detail in the log. It was an overall climb of around 2.5\3 miles from Sutton Cross up to the top I think but there are quite a few dips on the way up so you're not climbing constantly.

Its steep enough to slow you down considerably without putting in some effort but I wouldn't let that put you off, once you get over the first climb ( just under a mile), you get a downhill stretch which gives some welcome relief - give it a go. I will say though, if running at night, wear bright clothes, there is street lighting all the way up along the footpath but there's no wall\barrier between the path and the road .

Its a great run - well worth taking it on if you have the guts

ha you've put it to me now:D I'm not one to shy away from a challenge. Ok, well 2.5-3 miles of a climb isn't the worst I guess and I can slow it as much as necessary as pace isn't the object for me anyways. Nice to hear that there's a little relief after a mile. I'll do it during the daylight for sure. Weather's to be sh1ght so that'll add an extra dimension to the challenge:D Thanks a mill Duanington!

Duanington

25.01.2014


AM - got out nice and early this morning after what was surely the deepest sleep ever experienced, coma like I tells ya!

4 miles at recovery pace on the grass at the coast road in Clontarf, legs were heavy to start with but felt better as I went along.

PM - some core\press-up work then out for another 4 miles at recovery pace, same spot - the grass on the coast road.


I somehow managed to avoid the downpours today too :-)

After the second session my legs felt much, much better

Total miles - 8 @ avg 8:55 min\mile

Duanington

26.01.2014

Serious winds out there this evening, to anyone who raced today - I salute you, those conditions are far from straightforward to run in, let alone race. Reading through some of the logs, a lot of people managed fantastic times regardless which is both impressive and sickening !

Another easy run on the coast road this evening , 5 miles easy....running into the wind for the first half was a pain the ar$e at times - once I turned for home it became a breeze:D of course !

Legs felt very good after the recovery sessions yesterday so I had to keep an eye on the pace on the way back.

Total miles 5.1 @ avg 8.:28 min miles

Duanington

27.01.2014

Zipped across the M50 after work this evening and got home a little earlier than I had expected. Stuck on the tunes ( Daft Punk mix from 1997 on BBC Radio 1 - superb shtuff!) and got started on some light weights and core work.

Tempo night tonight...plan was to tackle 5x1mile @ pace with 90 second recovery. The "tempo" pace was to be quicker than I would normally run tempo , no scientific or logical reasoning for this except that I am trying to vary these runs a bit to keep things fresh. With the 90 second recovery I tend to run them quicker than normal anyway, I had a target of 6:35-6:40 in mind starting out.

Started off with a 2 mile warmup..starting very easy and upping the pace over the past .5 mile to ensure the blood flowed through the legs enough.
Made my way down to the long straight section of tarmac along Sutton\Bayside to get started on the reps

Reps looked as follows
1 - 6:34
2 - 6:40
3 - 6:41
4 - 6:42
5 - 6:35

This was a tough one, I have to admit - the wind made it difficult at times and I had to work hard to keep the pace up over the more exposed sections.

Having said that, I did feel well recovered at the start of each rep with the 90second recovery - tough session but enjoyable ( afterwards, as always!)

( I'm even more impressed with some of the times achieved at Raheny yesterday having tried to run at pace in that wind !)

ThebitterLemon

Class session : ****e music

TbL

Tom Joad

Great session that will really stand to you. Nothing wrong with a bit of Daft Punk either

Cleanman

Great session - one more rep than you managed two weeks ago at a slightly faster pace......great progress. Where's the next race?

Duanington

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Class session : ****e music

TbL

ha ha - thanks TBL - leave the robots alone!

Duanington

Tom Joad wrote: »

Great session that will really stand to you. Nothing wrong with a bit of Daft Punk either

Thanks TJ - it certainly had that feel to it alright, time will tell.

Duanington

Cleanman wrote: »

Great session - one more rep than you managed two weeks ago at a slightly faster pace......great progress. Where's the next race?

Thanks Cleanman - I'm hoping to run the Kinvara 10k on March 1st. I ran it last year and loved it, not the easiest of courses but one of those races with a great atmosphere, great scenery etc....a good day out too. Hopefully a parkrun before then too

Cleanman

Duanington wrote: »

Thanks Cleanman - I'm hoping to run the Kinvara 10k on March 1st. I ran it last year and loved it, not the easiest of courses but one of those races with a great atmosphere, great scenery etc....a good day out too. Hopefully a parkrun before then too

Nice one, you'll be knocking huge chunks off your time last year with the rate of progress you're making. I believe Kinvara is a good race. I must go down and do it some time.

Duanington

Cleanman wrote: »

Nice one, you'll be knocking huge chunks off your time last year with the rate of progress you're making. I believe Kinvara is a good race. I must go down and do it some time.

We'll see - its a tricky enough course in parts but I should take something off last year's time alright with a bit of luck :-)

Stazza

Duanington wrote: »

ha ha - thanks TBL - leave the robots alone!

Class session and great music:D Even though I'm an old fella I like a bit of Funk. They remind me of a mix between Maze featuring Franky Beverly crossed with Level 42. I don't know what genre you'd put Daft Punk in these days but I certainly like them.

The training's looking good.

Duanington

Stazza wrote: »

Class session and great music:D Even though I'm an old fella I like a bit of Funk. They remind me of a mix between Maze featuring Franky Beverly crossed with Level 42. I don't know what genre you'd put Daft Punk in these days but I certainly like them.

The training's looking good.

Thanks Stazza, working hard at the moment alright and trying to progress gradually - hard work, consistency and patience are my buzz words at the moment, time will tell if its enough to get me where I want to be .

I've a lot of love for those two Frenchmen, I've no idea what genre they fit into these days, they've morphed into a bit of a mixed bag - either way they're a class act ( even if one or two of their songs get played to death on the radio) - sure I'm an old man myself if I'm working out to a session of theirs from 17 years ago :eek:

ThebitterLemon

Stazza wrote: »

Class session and great music:D Even though I'm an old fella I like a bit of Funk. They remind me of a mix between Maze featuring Franky Beverly crossed with Level 42. I don't know what genre you'd put Daft Punk in these days but I certainly like them.

The training's looking good.

Stazza,

I'd say you don't listen to music when you're training, given your age, it'd be hard to get fired up by Victorian marching band and 1930's Gospel choir music

TbL

D,

Try a bit of Floyd or some decent 80's music!

outforarun

Some good running on here at the moment. Loved reading your Howth report. It reminded me of running round the Head last summer (seems like a different country). I caught the bus over to the pier and ran the Head clockwise. Really enjoyed that run and the the transition from pier to heath and hills to coast to docks to city centre and home.

Great mile repeat session you did as well. Healthy looking splits. I'm really curious now to see how you get on at your 10K in March.

Duanington

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Stazza,


D,

Try a bit of Floyd or some decent 80's music!

I'll see if I can dig out my Pat Cash headband so

ThebitterLemon

Duanington wrote: »

I'll see if I can dig out my Pat Cash headband so

Don't knock Pat Cash, I'd say that he'd manage 20 mins solid pull ups while smoking a cigar

TbL

Duanington

outforarun wrote: »

Some good running on here at the moment. Loved reading your Howth report. It reminded me of running round the Head last summer (seems like a different country). I caught the bus over to the pier and ran the Head clockwise. Really enjoyed that run and the the transition from pier to heath and hills to coast to docks to city centre and home.

Great mile repeat session you did as well. Healthy looking splits. I'm really curious now to see how you get on at your 10K in March.

Thanks outforarun - looking at your log, your building up a steady head of steam yourself, very impressed with that early start!

Howth is a great run alright, every time I do it I wonder why I don't do it more often. I'd say running the head clockwise is a tougher run actually, you've no respite from the hill at all until the summit - well done!
Re the 10k time, we'll see - I'm just keeping the head down and working hard for now, times will take care of themselves if I can do that much :-)

Duanington

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Don't knock Pat Cash, I'd say that he'd manage 20 mins solid pull ups while smoking a cigar

TbL

ha ha - I've no doubt he'd manage that alright...and still look like a cool bastid after:cool:

Duanington

28.01.2014

Had to sort out a few things after work so I was a little later getting out running than I had hoped. I also had to battle with the traffic on the M50 :mad:

Eventually, got sorted and headed out into the cold , off towards East Point to start with, 180 degree turn, back up the coast, turning in towards Donaghmede, Raheny and back down through Clontarf.

I'm aware I'm running LSRs after tempo runs at the moment but it has gone ok so far...in fact, I am starting to feel that running on tired legs is starting to pay off. Having said that, its probably too risky (for me) to keep it up long term and I'll probably start changing things around every second week if I can.

Good workout tonight, my legs tired towards the end but I had no problem completing the run

Total miles 14.8 @ average pace 8:46 min miles

Duanington

30.01.2014

Wednesday - rest

Thursday - I had a choice today, either I do the sensible thing and take a recovery run or I try to squeeze in the 3rd session of the week and avoid having to do it in the wind\rain that we're due to have over the next few days.
In the end , I did neither!
The session in question would have been 5x5k [EMAIL="repeats@race"]repeats@race[/EMAIL] pace with 90 second recovery ( not dropping the recovery time just yet)....I did my 2 mile warm up on the coast, legs felt a little tired but not stiff at all. I made my way down to the flat stretch at Sutton strand and started off on the reps.

After about 600 metres, I knew this was not going to happen - my legs just were not recovered properly - I had to work to hard to maintain the pace...lungs were fine but I could really feel it in my legs. I decided to cut the number of reps and just run 3 with 90 second recoveries

3:50
3:45
3:45

2.5 miles very easy to get me home then a bit of core\pressup work ( with Led Zeppelin III :cool:) .

I should have been sensible, stuck to my plan and taken the recovery option. A little pi$$ed off with myself for trying to cram 3 sessions into 4 nights but I'll chalk this down as experience. I seem to have gotten away with it anyway, the legs felt great afterwards

Duanington

31.01.2014

Last run of a good month - I can only think of 2 runs that didn't quite go to plan ( last night's being one of them :mad:)...everything else has gone quite well.

Took it nice and easy tonight and managed to do it just before the rain started

headed down towards East Point, did a u turn and ran back up the coast, keeping the pace down to 8:30ish. Lovely night for it too, cold, clear, a light breeze and not many people out ( except the council workers scrambling to get the flood defences up).

Total miles: 6.2@ 8:28 min miles

Duanington

01.02.2014

AM - Out nice and early for this morning's run, straight forward run down the coast on the grass. No sign of any real flooding but the grass is well and truly manky at the moment. The wind was p*xy for the first couple of miles but was a welcome companion on the way back
4.2 miles @ 8.30 min miles

PM - Light weight session then out this evening for a couple of very easy miles with my eldest ( this is turning into a weekly thing which is great) . 2.2 miles @ 9.20 min miles

Total miles 6.4

Duanington

02.02.2014

Tempo run tonight and looking out the window, it looks as if I got this one done in the nick of time -it looks fairly wild out there now.

The plan for tonight was to revert back to straightforward tempo and extend the distance out to 6 miles. This would be the longest tempo run I've ran since before DCM and would hopefully go some way to training the body to exert a bit of sustained pressure over the distance.

Typically I would aim to run these at around 6:50 min miles but tonight I was quite content to focus on effort and make sure I sustained it for the entire 6 miles.

2 miles nice and easy to warm up ( down along the grass at the coast) then off into the wind to start with the tempo stuff.
The first mile was into a stiff enough breeze, I cut back in from the coast up watermill road at around the 2.5 mile mark, onto the Howth Road for mile 3 into mile 4, and finished off mile 6 running down to the bottom of mount prospect avenue ( recent Raheny 5 mile runners will know the route).

The wind made this tough at times and the climb at watermill road left me struggling a little to hold the effort but apart from checking in on the watch every couple of miles, I was quite content to work the legs, keep the breathing steady and focus on relaxing as much as I could

Mile splits looked like this

6:51
6:55
6:51
6:56
6:52
6:44 ( health warning - decent downhill stretch!)

Very happy with this one, I had to put it in to maintain the effort at times and I felt well worked at the end but felt recovered within 2\3 minutes which is promising
1 mile easy to finish off then back home for lots of food :-)

Duanington

03.02.2014

Recovery run tonight - lovely evening for it too.

Took myself down the coast on the grass towards the O2, turned and came back home. Really enjoyed this one, kept the pace right down and even walked once or twice for a minute just to hammer home the purpose of the run ( to myself ) - recovery

Made my way home and did a few light weights to finish the day off. Legs felt heavy enough for the first few miles to be honest but felt a hell of a lot better afterwards thankfully.

Total miles: 7 @ avg 9:05 min miles

Duanington

04.02.2014


Tuesday nights are usually my LSR nights but I have to swap things around this week, which should be easy enough actually as I plan on running slightly less miles this week - I've put in some tough sessions over the past few weeks and plan another couple of tough weeks from next week onwards.

Nothing major to report on this one, 6 miles easy, I stayed in and around the housing estates in Clontarf\Killester to try to avoid the gusts of wind....I didn't succeed, I was running to stand still at times - its bloomin dangerous out there with flying twigs, cans, bottles, skinny joggers etc

Stay safe people!

Total miles: 6@ 8:40 min miles

Duanington

06.02.2014

Wednesday - rest

Thursday

This week is a strange week for me, I planned it to be a step back week in both miles and effort but I did also want to take the chance to try out a different type of session that I had been thinking about for a while.

The plan was to head out for 1 easy mile to warm up..into a second steady mile then into

60 seconds @ 3k pace
45 seconds easy pace recovery
and continue like that for approx. 2 miles

The 60 second reps looked like this:

Rep Pace
1 6:17
2 6:20
3 5:57
4 5:59
5 5:54
6 6:05
7 5:54
8 5:49 ( 30 seconds recovery)
9 5:33 (30 seconds recovery)

This was probably tougher than it looks on paper, although only really for the last two when I dropped the recovery time from 45 seconds to 30 seconds.
I pushed hard for the last two and really focused on leg speed. I felt strong all the way through but knew I had worked hard by the end. Not the longest of sessions but different to the typical type of session I've been doing and I enjoyed the shorter, faster reps for a change.

2 miles easy to finish

Lovely night for it too - you've got to enjoy it while we have it !

Duanington

08.02.2014

Friday
4 miles easy straight after work, nothing spectacular - stinging, freezing rain seems to be the order of the day at the moment.

4 miles @ 8:28 min miles

Saturday
Decent session of core\pullup work followed by 5 easy miles. Wind was a fairly strong for the first couple of miles but had it at my back for the rest. Legs feel great at the moment, its been the easiest week for a while running wise and hopefully it'll set me up for a tough week next week ( starting tomorrow)

5 miles@ 8:35 min miles