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Confessions of a never has been.....
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Duanington wrote: »Thanks J - hope you're getting to the bottom of that knee problem
Nearly there!! Given all clear by physio to start running again after lots of pool running over last few weeks.0 -
19.12.2017
Monday
Very easy miles after work, all along the coast, wasn't in the form for the first couple of miles for some reason but gradually cheered up as the run went on.
7.5 miles
Tuesday
Long run night again and having had to shuffle around last week and go long on Sunday, I was a little apprehensive running this one. Decided to run a bumpy route again though and with FBOT for company, the miles ticked by nicely.
13.1 miles @ 7.47 min\mile
Return to core work this week too, which left the glutes a little tight over the closing miles on the long run, no harm done though0 -
24.12.2017
Wednesday
A day off work today meant a nice easy run around St Anne's and the coast with a couple of boardsies - good aul chat as always on the way around.
7 miles easy
Thursday
Down to St Anne's to run my session today on the grass, I knew this would be a leg sapper but I also remember taking great confidence from stringing a few tougher sessions together on the grass this time last year.
Plan was for 3x10 minutes @ 6.20 with 3 minutes active recovery
Picked a loop that had slow spots and quicker spots, the idea would be to dig in a little on the slower spots and ease back a tad on the faster spots.
Had a few fizzies the night before and I was tempted to put this off but the first rep went suprisingly well, plenty of hard work but no gasping and no stomach churning thankfully.
Into the second rep and I could have sworn that the wind picked up a little, felt a little pinchier but I was still feeling strong while working hard.
The third rep was tough, I was tired from the off and the lack of sleep from the previous night was starting to tell. I decided to forget the watch again and just finish out the session - I knew I wouldn't be far off.
Finished up breathing heavily and very glad to be done and dusted but not completely wiped out which is a sign of progress
Section 1 - 6.12 pace
Section 2 - 6.09 pace
Section 3 - 6.08 pace
A few easy miles on the way home
Very tough session but a great feeling to get it done0 -
01.01.2018
Friday - planned day off. Didn't quite know what to do with myself really !
Saturday
Very easy miles in and around St Anne's parkrun - plenty of boardsies out and about, caught up with a few, missed a few.
4 easy miles
Sunday
First race scheduled in since July ( although that was more of a session, in reality it was May since I had targetted and ran a race), Cloniffe's Christmas Cracker 5k fitted the bill nicely.
I'd looked forward to this all week, I ran the race last year with no watch and as 5ks go, I enjoyed it ( probably too strong a term but you get the idea), the course is good, starts and ends on the track with just a drag up Northwood across to Ballymun to contend with.
Racing has been non existent really for the past 6 months, the blow ups in Mullingar, Dunboyne and Enfield scarred the spring\start of the summer really, while the rest of the summer was spent gasping my way around half finished sessions, struggling with easy pace runs, sinus infections, cancelled marathons, days off...I could go on !
An insistent coach, a blood test, a redicululously low iron count, lots of iron tablets and 4 weeks good training later....racing was back on the cards.
Sessions have gone well in recent weeks, thinking back at how woeful they felt earlier in the year feels strange now....and the flip side is that I haven't quite "bought" the idea that I can run longer sessions with a good, healthy dose of certainty yet....there's still a doubt in the back of my mind and I suspect that has me working a little too hard over sessions at the moment. The only way to restore that confidence? Racing
Got up to Cloniffe nice and early and met up with Gosh and Luke, the two lads were lurking in the corner of the registration room eyeing up potential wind breakers. After a bit of a catchup, we headed off to our warm-up, heading out along the first mile of the course, nice start but once we turned into Northwood, the strength of the wind became apparent - coupled with the drag along here, this was going to be a very tough section.
For me, it didn't make a whole lot of difference, I just had to run and see where I land, I know I'm not fit enough yet to be chasing times but the two lads are in that kind of shape and were both hoping to bag PBs today.
The silence along the first few metres of that stretch was telling !
After a mile or so, I think we'd all had enough so we turned back to the stadium to get started.
I lined up a couple of rows behind the lads, not wanting to get in anyone's way but then not wanting to get caught in traffic either.
I had a very simple plan for today, run hard but don't go mental for the first half. The watch was probably going to give me bad news so I wasn't going to use it as a guide, I'd look at the splits later to get a better idea of where I am fitness wise but that should be it.
Off we went, pretty much on the button.
1 lap of the track, which felt a little hot and then we were out of the stadium, swinging left towards the airport. I settled into a group pretty quickly here and was mindful not to overcook the pace, so far so good. The fast section after the stadium seemed to go in a flash and we were turning onto Northwood before I knew it, the wind in our faces so I tucked in behind the 2 lead lads in our group for a little shelter.
I could sense the pace dropping back a bit too much for my liking so I decided to leave the group and move ahead to the next one, maybe take one or two people with me, it takes a bit of energy to move from group to group but while the effort into the wind was tough going, I was feeling like there was a bit more in the tank so went with it.
Heard the watch beep for mile 1 – don’t look down, don’t look down....I looked down! 5.48....had no idea how I felt about that, wasn’t bad, wasn’t very good either but this was mile 1...that was never the issue back in my slump.. so onwards I went
The drag got draggier and the wind got a little stronger too as we moved through Northwood, I was in a group of 3\4 people now and was swapping positions at the front with a lad from my job as it turns out ( didn’t realise it until later) and while we did a pretty good job of staying in touch with the group ahead of us, I think we were guilty of letting the pace slip back more than it needed to. The effort here was definitely higher than it should have been and while I put in a few surges to move to the front, I tended to relax too much then and give that position up too easily, I really should have backed myself a bit more, yes I was bearing the brunt of the wind but I could still have moved the group along a bit quicker - that’ll come I suppose.
Turning left at the top of Northwood brought some relief from the wind but the surface was tricky here, moving up and down paths with a nasty crosswind blowing isn’t as straightforward when you’re running a 5k. I found myself a little boxed in for this stretch and it was only when we turned left again back towards Santry that it opened up a little. The wind was gone now and we were headed for home
Mile 2 – 6.09 !
The group I was with broke up with one or two surging ahead, I went with them for a bit but was working hard now with the shift in pace, breathing hard, kicking the legs well but not quite hitting top gear yet. I let two of the lads drift ahead ( another mistake) while I targeted some runners that were coming back to me. I passed quite a few runners along this stretch, I knew I was moving well now but was also looking out for that left turn back towards the stadium...eventually it appeared ahead and I was reeling in one of the lads that had surged ahead now. The sharp left slowed the pace for a few seconds but I knew we were coming towards the end now and started to kick a little harder. Left into the stadium and I kicked again ( the track has that magic effect! ), I had no real idea of what time I was on for but turning the bend for the home straight, I could make out an 18 on the digital clock, Luke was there too ...I think...over the line, stopped the watch.
5.37 for the 3rd mile
5.02 pace for the last bit
“How do you feel D?”
“Ask me in ashuasbubgubasjb”
“What?”
“......ask me in 20 seconds”
18.15 official time and a very good blowout. After a few seconds, it felt great to be finishing races again, finishing them strong too.
A bit of a warmdown with Luke and Gosh to bring the running year to an end, ironically enough - finishing strong in a year when I could barely jog the last mile or so of races.
Here’s to 2018, happy new year all0 -
Fair play D, nice blowout for you. Great to see back racing again, Happy New Year to you & yours.0
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great to see this, that last mile bodes well for you!!0
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Serious last mile. Out of interest what sort of times were you running in your peak D?
Edit: by peak I mean peak to date of course. Not suggesting you're past your prime!0 -
Swashbuckler wrote: »Serious last mile. Out of interest what sort of times were you running in your peak D?
Edit: by peak I mean peak to date of course. Not suggesting you're past your prime!
Well rescued P !!
It's a quick finish to the race in fairness, couldn't be any slower than the 2nd one anyway!
I've never really cracked the 5k to be honest, PB is 17.32 from 2016, 2017 was basically a write off racing wise so hopefully I'll fix that this year.0 -
OOnegative wrote: »Fair play D, nice blowout for you. Great to see back racing again, Happy New Year to you & yours.
Many happy returns B - best of luck with the new plan0 -
AuldManKing wrote: »great to see this, that last mile bodes well for you!!
Cheers A - I can't tell you just how different it felt to the latter miles of other races this year! Fingers crossed I can kick on now0 -
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Great stuff, D, delighted it went well for you and a good omen for 2018!0
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03.01.2018
Monday - out into St Anne's for some easy miles, glutes were a little tight to start with ( possibly from some core work I did post race more than the actual running) but everything ticked along nicely from a couple of miles in.
The slop around the grass\trails sections of the park don't bode well for the masters this weekend :eek:
7.3 miles easy
Tuesday - long run night, very quiet in work which meant I got everything wrapped up by 5 or so, got the gear on and started for home.
The usual bag drop at the house and then back off into the wind to get the rest done before the real heavy weather hit.
Had company for the middle section of this run which is always welcome, miles flew by and I was heading for home before I knew it.
13.3. miles @ 7.33
Good bit of core work over the past couple of days too0 -
07.01.2017
Wednesday
Off work today so some more easy stuff around St Anne's as opposed to a runmute. Legs a little tight in general on this one, kept the effort right down and enjoyed a bit of chatter with Ferris along the way
Thursday
Session day today, bit of a XC tester thrown in ahead of Sunday's Masters in St Anne's - very cold and windy for this.
Plan was for 5 minutes @ race effort, 3 minutes easy then 5x 60 seconds on\off
Ran down to St Anne's with the spikes in the bag for this one, stashed the bag , did a little more to warmup and got started.
It made sense to use Sunday's course as the route for this, splits would be all over the place and the ground was very heavy but this stuff is all about effort anyway.
Apart from getting a dead branch and an acorn stuck to my spikes ( and having to try to kick them off mid stride), I enjoyed using the XC loop for this one.
5 minutes came in at around 6.17 pace which probably wouldn't be a million miles away from overall race pace if the conditions stayed as soft.
The 1 minute sections varied from 6.30 right down to 5.33 pace, says it all really.
Tired enough at the end of this one, really found the soft ground drained the energy from my legs
A few easy miles to finish up
Friday
Runmute home, twas cold !
7.6 miles all in
Saturday
4 very easy miles around St Anne's - bit of a headcold coming on but got it out of the way early and resisted the urge to stay in bed.
Sunday
Dublin Masters XC - St Anne's
Head cold arrived overnight and I woke much later than usual, knew I'd be grand once I got up and about though so I took a lemsip and got the gear ready for today. Bit of breakfast and coffee and I felt human again anyway.
Ran down to the park and met up with many a familiar face from here around the Raheny huddle. Got the number sorted, continued the warmup with FBOT and we made our way over to the start area.
The start was very slow and bunched last year so I was mindful of not starting too far back this time. A few words from the organisers and we were away, sludging through the only real bit of sludge on the course as it happens before darting left down the stretch between 2 lines of trees
1st muddy corner out of the way, the going slowed a bit here but I was picking people off, working my way up through the crowd and by the time we had gone down through the forest and over the log, the field was beginning to thin a bit, up until that point, I was more focused on not threading on heels in front of me than actually running.
Support was incredible around here, it really is a special occassion and I plan to run this race for as many years as my legs will let me.
Out from the stretch through the trees, back onto the grass and I took the chance to go a little wide, moving further up the field.
Lap 1 down, everything felt good.
Into the second lap and I kept this thing very simple, kept working, attacked the corners, stayed strong on any straights and tried to use the fast section through the trees, by the time we came back out towards the halfway point, I was heading a small group and chasing down another group ahead.
Lap 2, working hard, feeling strong
It's very hard to see where you are overall on this course because of the tree cover and the way the loop snakes its way around St Anne's, I knew I was moving well but also knew I was a good bit back from the business end of proceedings. Coming through the woods for the 2nd last time, there was a distinct sense of having to dig in a bit more and see what I had in the tank.
Out of the trees, up the finishing straight for the 2nd last time, huge support here from boardsies, parkrun and Raheny folk and while it was starting to pinch a little, I was feeling strong and knew I could take a few more scalps on the last lap
Lap 3 - this is a cross country race, y'know
Last lap underway and I almost immediately upped the effort levels, just a little at first, enough to duck in ahead at a corner or to kick out hard from that same corner. Some decent runners who I know from the roads were fading now and while it was hurting, I just kept pushing. Immense support coming out of the trees for the last time and I used it to kick on hard, passing 4,5,6 people then a couple more (*EDIT...after reviewing photos\MurphD's data, this more like 2,3 people and a couple more!!*)....surprised myself really, digging deep but getting plenty of response. Crossed the line, caught my breath ....job done, a really good day's work. - 57th overall, 23.57
Lap 4 - Upped the effort...a couple of times, felt good to be able to do that again
Splits were : 6.19, 6.15, 6.15, 5.44 pace (.8 mile)
Bit of a warmdown with FBOT to finish up before heading off to the panto for the afternoon with the family.
Love this race, love the support, love being back racing and love the fact there's another good week under the belt.
Plenty of corework along the way too over the week0 -
Good man D, your graw for running & racing is infectious. Here's hoping 2018 is good to you.0
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Well done today D, you looked strong starting that last stretch, no surprise to hear you took a few places here. Good to see the mojo is back.0
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Yet again a serious last mile. We'll done. Wouldn't want to be up against you at the business end of a race0
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Well done DD! Are you heading to Dunboyne next weekend??0
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OOnegative wrote: »Good man D, your graw for running & racing is infectious. Here's hoping 2018 is good to you.
Cheers B - all the best to you too0 -
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Swashbuckler wrote: »Yet again a serious last mile. We'll done. Wouldn't want to be up against you at the business end of a race
I could say the exact same about yourself lately P !0 -
Annie get your Run wrote: »Well done DD! Are you heading to Dunboyne next weekend??
Thanks AM - unfortunately a work trip means I can't make Dunboyne, pretty disappointed as I really feel like we could do something down there, I've to make do with the BHAA XC on Satuday instead. I'm sure the lads will be fine without me though ;-)0 -
09.01.2018
Monday
Shifting things around a little this week to allow for another XC race this coming Satuday. Would love to have raced the Leinsters on Sunday but with a trip to the US early the next morning, I have to organised at home and disappearing off for most of the day to run around in the muck probably wouldn't set me up too well for that.
With all of that in mind, coach brought this week's long run forward to Monday, with instructions to really just relax on the run and focus on form, no worries about pace etc ( I tend to push a little as the long run goes on).
Headed off from work on the button to get this done, usual bag drop at the house and off out into the wind for some more. Ran my usual route up and down the few drags\hills that you can find around Clontarf\Artane\Raheny ( if you look hard enough) then back towards home. Enjoyed this one, the pace took care of itself really and while the glutes were a little tight towards the end, everything seems in order
13.4 miles @ 7.41 min\miles
Tuesday
Smell aul night for a run out there, ran home from work and added a little extra at the end, almost snotted myself on the grass a few times so stuck to the horrible concrete along the coast.
5.3 miles @ 8.25 min\miles
Bit of core work over both days too0 -
Duanington wrote:I could say the exact same about yourself lately P !
Your 5.43 beats my 5.49. Haha0 -
Wednesday
Session day today and with the only real training window being on my lunch hour, I brought the gear to work and headed off towards Ringsend park to get this done.
Today's session was:
4x1 mile@ 6 min pace, 2 minute recoveries.
After a warmup that took in a potential route around the park, I got started on the session
While the route wasn't ideal at all with its multiple sharp turns and what seemed like every dog in Irishtown coming out for his\her lunchtimw walk, I was keen to stay relaxed on each of these reps, at least as relaxed as you can during mile reps!
1st mile, good - felt strong throughout, always in control, route was a little annoying but sure that's how it is
5.52
2nd mile - as above really, worked hard but always felt in control
5.54
3rd mile - a litttle tougher if I'm honest but again, hard work without going into the red
5.53
4th mile - first half as above but started to drift\tire a little over the last 800m and had to refocus the mind to stay on track and get it done
5.56
Bit of a warmdown and back to the office for showering and feeding
Good session, happy with the level of control etc
Thursday
7 easy miles around St Anne's , enjoyed this
Friday
Felt tired from a manic day at work, 7.2 easy miles in the driving wind, horrible to run in really
Saturday
BHAA XC –Tymon ( 4 mile)
Another weekend, another race it seems. More cross country on the cards, it hurts, it strengthens and it hurts....it’s all part of a the plan at the moment, you can’t replicate this kind of effort and drive in sessions and I am starting to feel like I’m returning to good shape.
Up earlier than planned this morning ( which usually happens to me when there’s a race happening), a glance out the window confirmed that the wind and rain I had thought I was dreaming about during the night, was in fact just the wind and rain outside the window.
Breakfast, coffee, a little water...waited a half hour, slice of toast with some almond butter and off we headed for Tymon.
Registration done, fellow DNS lads met up with ( plus a pal from work and Gosh who used to frequent these parts) and off we went for a jog around the inside of the course while the women were racing.
The surface was heavy enough as expected, the going was going to be soft as they say but in fairness, there were only a couple of really sloppy muddy places, it seemed the rain had eased up just in time.
Made our way to the starting line, I lined up a couple of rows from the front and before any delay, we were off.
The course was basically 4 laps of a twisting, winding route, a couple of really sneaky drags where the ground felt particularly soft and heavy and got heavier with each passing lap...BUT, what goes up, must come down so we were rewarded with two brief stretches of downhill, one of which presented a temptation to ease off the gas a little.
Lap 1 – A little congestion but found a good stride early on and stuck with it, moving around people when there was room to do so but I knew that the softer ground meant this would be a tougher race than last week so didn’t force anything just yet. I could see Gosh a good few places ahead and my workmate had settled in maybe 6\7 places ahead of me. As always, the field thinned out by the end of this, the quicker stretch at the back of the course felt great and the drags back up didn’t feel too bad. Moving well, didn’t check the watch when it beeped
Mile 1 – 5.58
Into the second lap and moving across the footpaths between fields was a bit easier as I could actually see the mats that had been put down so used them and got in good and tight on each corner to avoid going too wide. I could feel that I was working a little harder than last week but also guessed that the first mile had been a little quicker given that there were less runners and a wider space to run in.
The first drag presented a chance to keep pumping and just move by some people as they slowed, nothing forced, just working to keep my own momentum, along the top of the course I really focused on staying strong and controlled, keeping the breathing steady, making sure the form was good etc.
Just before the faster stretch at back of the course there is a nasty little chicane that had turned very muddy since I ran over it the first time so I was careful going through but again, quickly regained momentum and took another few places here. Down the faster stretch at a good pelt, alongside a path for 200m or so then up the drag before turning into the end of the 2nd lap, I could see Gosh coming back towards me a little here which surprised me. It was hard work keeping everything moving, I was conscious that I was breathing heavy but to be honest, I was enjoying the challenge.
Mile 2 – 6.02
Into the 3rd lap and Gosh was having an off day, himself and another lad came back to me and I kicked on by to start chasing down the group ahead. I could see my workmate had slipped back a little now too.
I had to remind myself to focus on the ground ahead and keep getting the basics right, up the drag, along the top of the course, muddy chicane and we were racing down the faster stretch.
The group was well spread out now, I was running side by side a runner I know from the roads and I know him to be a good few seconds ahead of me over shorter distances too. Up the ba$tard of a drag ( it got steadily more ba$tardly as the laps went by) before the turn for the end of the lap and we were slip sliding our way around these corners.
The effort to stay close was telling, one lap to go and I was really starting to hurt, everyone was – the body language from everyone around was telling, the ground was draining my legs, I had a hint of a stitch coming but I also knew that I was running well and would just have to get close to the group ahead, keep pushing and keep pumping.
Mile 3 – 6.07
Into the last lap and it was hard work keeping that control that was seemed so important earlier, a couple of BP lads had come back to me and I was also starting to close in on workmate.
The first drag allowed me to move by BP lad and once I went by, I really tried to lengthen the stride to take advantage of the relatively flat surface.
Muddy chicane came and went and I made a surge to catch workmate, we both turned into the fast stretch and I don’t think either of us had any enthusiasm to race down this time. By the end of that stretch, I had moved slightly ahead, hoping that he’d come with me and we’d race to the end....also relieved that he didn’t !
Coming towards the last drag before home, a couple of backmarkers moved out of my way which meant that I had 500m or so to go and was closing in on another runner who had seemed way out of reach a lap earlier ( thats cross country for you), I surged and kept going, moving up the drag and ducking into the corner before him, I kept kicking too.
At the top of the hill before the turn for home, I knew he would respond but I also knew that I wasn’t going to ease up, into the home straight and I was pumping the legs through the heavy grass, crossed the line - 23.49 for 18th place.
Mile 4 - 5.55 (not quite a mile according to my watch)
Got my banana\water, did a warmdown with the lads who all had very solid runs, went for a bit of tea\cake and headed off for home.
Another solid if unspectacular run today, I don’t think I ever look forward to Cross Country racing, especially when the weather has been bad but I do get why coach is so keen on it, it’s a different type of hurt and really does make you dig in and hang on when you don’t think you can, it resets the hurtometer but also can be a great source of mental strength - that can only be a positive thing.
Less than 24 minutes of running hard today but its amazing what it can do for the mind and the body, 3rd race in 3 weeks and I’ve felt stronger and faster in each one.0 -
Brilliant report
could visualise you taking that scalp on the last corner! XC is a different animal altogether,, as exciting to watch as it is to race. Nice work!
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Duanington wrote:Another solid if unspectacular run today, I don’t think I ever look forward to Cross Country racing, especially when the weather has been bad but I do get why coach is so keen on it, it’s a different type of hurt and really does make you dig in and hang on when you don’t think you can, it resets the hurtometer but also can be a great source of mental strength - that can only be a positive thing. Less than 24 minutes of running hard today but its amazing what it can do for the mind and the body, 3rd race in 3 weeks and I’ve felt stronger and faster in each one.
Sounds fantastic. Would love to give it a go but not sure I have the ankles for it. Great report. You took it easy on that last mile this time0 -
Nice one D, impressive result too. Great to see the form coming back after the recent hiccup. You’ve managed the last few months very well.0
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Annie get your Run wrote: »Brilliant report
could visualise you taking that scalp on the last corner! XC is a different animal altogether,, as exciting to watch as it is to race. Nice work!
It sure is AM - even the lower key events seem to do the trick in that regard !0 -
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Swashbuckler wrote: »Sounds fantastic. Would love to give it a go but not sure I have the ankles for it. Great report. You took it easy on that last mile this time
You haven't seen my ankles P! You should give it a go, I know your coach is a fan ;-)
ha ha ha - re last mile, there was no such thing as taking it easy - thankfully there aren't any photos from that lap knocking around yet !0
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