Confessions of a never has been.....

Duanington

Swashbuckler wrote: »

I'm curious. How much of that time do you think was just deciding to go balls to the wall and how much was the shape you're in do you think? In other words is it possible to run beyond where we think our current level of fitness is? I presume you thought you were maybe in 17.20ish shape? Or am I way off?

I suppose you can only run balls to the wall in accordance with your current fitness levels really, P. The truth is, we probably always have a little more in us than we are willing to believe....it hurts, it really really hurts to dig it out...but its usually in us.

There used to have a log title here and it really summed it up nicely ( Tang's old log...something like "have I got anymore to give? The answer is usually yes").

Its a huge factor of course but I did it enough times over the xc races during the winter\spring. No point in looking at a watch, just chase the lad in front or run away from whoever is behind you.

I don't really focus on times anymore though to be honest, its all about training and racing, I really enjoyed the weeks of consecutive races during January\February and firmly believe they trained the mind as much as the body - Dublin Runner talks about it a bit on his log sometimes, racing is a skill in itself that we have to get better at. We put ourselves in good physical shape and then test it out during races but how much time do we spend pushing the mental side of things ?

I spent a lot of time last year slogging out tough miles, dragging myself through sessions and blowing up in races so I'm grateful now to be able to race to the limit each time I get the chance. Raheny, all the xc races and now Tallaght are good examples of occasions where I just raced hard. The K club was a bad race for me in hindsight, I slipped back into thinking about times and clocks and paces too much as opposed to just pushing the systems in the right direction.

I knew I was in PB shape going into Tallaght, knew going into the race that I was fitter, stronger and could tolerate the discomfort better than when I ran my PB. I didn't put a target on whatever that PB should or would be and when I woke up on Sunday morning, saw the sunshine - my first thoughts were that it was going to be warm for everyone and the bit of discomfort might actually work in my favour given some of the ****e I ran through in xc.


I didn't actually have it on the calendar at all this year until L asked me about it a couple of weeks ago ( it also serves as the Dublin novices 5k champs).

Lining up, I didn't think about 17.20 or 16.57 - I just thought that I'd get into a good group and run hard for as long as I could, I fully expected to lose some time on the last mile but knew that others would probably lose a bit more than me. The first time I thought about what time I'd be looking at was when I turned the bend onto the home straight on the track and saw the clock. If I'd have been pushed to predict a time the day before the race, I'd have said I should be pushing PB territory, I've always found it takes a few 5ks to get into the them.

I think the strong field really helped me in relation to the eventual time, no doubt about it.. but on a cooler day, with a flatter last mile - I certainly think there's a bit more there, no idea how much to be honest but I'm certain I could go a little quicker again. I'll revisit the distance over the next month or so and will just do the same thing again, except hopefully I can take another scalp or two ...that may mean another few seconds off the PB, or maybe it won't ....I think its there though.

This is all well and good for 5k or even 5 miles of course, Berlin is on the horizon though so I will have to get back to some form of strategy type running as opposed to just legging it and hoping for the best !

Annie get your Run

Brilliant DD, just brilliant:). I was curious about the watch & running beyond perceived capabilities too. Huge well done on that result.

Speaking of super track finishes (!) will we see you in Dunboyne for the 5 mile again this year?

Swashbuckler

Not sure I can do that response justice. Cheers D!

This is the second time you've made me wonder about running to the limit. Haha. I think the last time was one of your cross country races. As always there's a selfish reason for me asking my questions. After Lahinch I reverted back to the watch. Pretty much abandoned it in Ennis as I felt like I was at my limit and the watch would tell me nothing I wanted to see. Too slow and I'm disheartened. Too fast and woooah maybe I should slow down. Looked at it in Limerick just when it lapped every mile but again knew I was going as hard as I could that day. Every race I've ignored the watch I've exceeded expectations.

The part that interests me is we can't run beyond our fitness level but what's our true fitness level then. I must say (no offense intended) but looking at your training I'd have thought you might be 17.1x for the 5k maybe? But you blew that out of the water completely. Makes me wonder what I could run I guess. Like I said, selfish reasons. Haha.

I'd guess the cross country has really stood to you.

Duanington wrote:

I don't really focus on times anymore though to be honest, its all about training and racing

Funny you should say that. People keep asking me lately what I'm targeting. Happened with Ennis and same with Limerick and as stupid as it sounded my answer was "I don't know". I planned on running as hard as I could for Ennis and for Limerick it was a matter of starting smart and seeing where the race took me. But on both occasions I didn't really target any time.

Duanington wrote:

This is all well and good for 5k or even 5 miles of course, Berlin is on the horizon though so I will have to get back to some form of strategy type running as opposed to just legging it and hoping for the best !

Sooner you go start the marathon training the sooner we get a chance to catch up with you. Haha. Well done on the great time. Entering a 5k block myself next so we'll see where I end up with that.

Last question - do you do any work on your running technique or have you been there done that? Or does it just come naturally? Reason I ask is a few occasions I've seen videos of me running and to put it politely it seems better in my head. Haha

OOnegative

Duanington wrote: »

There used to have a log title here and it really summed it up nicely ( Tang's old log...something like "have I got anymore to give? The answer is usually yes").

“Can I give more? The answer is usually yes” and the log is still very much alive but cheers for the shout out for that bit of inspiration DD. A quote I took from Paul Tergat, not that we’re anything alike!!!

Am in awe of the guts you show when you race, I would like to think i’m a fairly gutsy racer when it comes to it, your Champions League while i’m Championship i’m afraid in those stakes.

Murph_D

Simply awesome DD! 'Turnover and form' - must try that mantra next time out. Congats again.

Duanington

Annie get your Run wrote: »

Brilliant DD, just brilliant:). I was curious about the watch & running beyond perceived capabilities too. Huge well done on that result.

Speaking of super track finishes (!) will we see you in Dunboyne for the 5 mile again this year?

Thanks AM - yep, Dunboyne is next on the list, I had a nightmare there last year and want to put that particular one right

Duanington

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Not sure I can do that response justice. Cheers D!

This is the second time you've made me wonder about running to the limit. Haha. I think the last time was one of your cross country races. As always there's a selfish reason for me asking my questions. After Lahinch I reverted back to the watch. Pretty much abandoned it in Ennis as I felt like I was at my limit and the watch would tell me nothing I wanted to see. Too slow and I'm disheartened. Too fast and woooah maybe I should slow down. Looked at it in Limerick just when it lapped every mile but again knew I was going as hard as I could that day. Every race I've ignored the watch I've exceeded expectations.

The part that interests me is we can't run beyond our fitness level but what's our true fitness level then. I must say (no offense intended) but looking at your training I'd have thought you might be 17.1x for the 5k maybe? But you blew that out of the water completely. Makes me wonder what I could run I guess. Like I said, selfish reasons. Haha.

I'd guess the cross country has really stood to you.



Funny you should say that. People keep asking me lately what I'm targeting. Happened with Ennis and same with Limerick and as stupid as it sounded my answer was "I don't know". I planned on running as hard as I could for Ennis and for Limerick it was a matter of starting smart and seeing where the race took me. But on both occasions I didn't really target any time.



Sooner you go start the marathon training the sooner we get a chance to catch up with you. Haha. Well done on the great time. Entering a 5k block myself next so we'll see where I end up with that.

Last question - do you do any work on your running technique or have you been there done that? Or does it just come naturally? Reason I ask is a few occasions I've seen videos of me running and to put it politely it seems better in my head. Haha

I think the last few months have probably indicated low 17s alright P - probably fair to say, I suppose there is a lot of work that went in the months prior to that though which maybe bubbles up to the surface ever now and then of late. I think you're going into your 5k training in tip top shape and will no doubt do yourself justice along the way, the evidence is there to support the pure racing argument too with your 10k PB.

Funnily enough, I have worked a little on my running technique over the last while. Its not something drastic or even very obvious but I've worked on the basics a good bit. It dawned on me during one of the xc races earlier in the year that I waste a lot of energy swaying from side to side when I'm tiring in races, I tend to overstride too when I'm pushing hard so really its just been a case of tidying up the form a little, focusing on the basics when I'm tiring and making the most out of each stride. The track has been great for practicing good form while staying relaxed\focused at pace but its something I practice during easy runs too.
L was a bit nervous about it when I first mentioned it to him - obviously any drastic changes to a stride without supervision would be a disaster waiting to happen but it wasn't anything major like I say, less swaying and more forward motion really.

Duanington

OOnegative wrote: »

“Can I give more? The answer is usually yes” and the log is still very much alive but cheers for the shout out for that bit of inspiration DD. A quote I took from Paul Tergat, not that we’re anything alike!!!

Am in awe of the guts you show when you race, I would like to think i’m a fairly gutsy racer when it comes to it, your Champions League while i’m Championship i’m afraid in those stakes.

Sorry B, for some reason I had it in my head that OOnegative had a different name on the log to Tang ( funny that - its one of the first logs I check when I'm on boards and not only do I get the name wrong, I damn it to the history books!)

I'm sure there will be races where it just isn't there on the day but it was a good day at the office to be fair, you've plenty of those ahead yourself, great to see you getting back into it over the last while.

Duanington

Murph_D wrote: »

Simply awesome DD! 'Turnover and form' - must try that mantra next time out. Congats again.

Thanks, D - its the way forward :pac:

Duanington

11..05.2018

No rest for the wicked...


Monday


Under instructions to cut the usual long run short following yesterday's race which was just what I needed to hear really, I tend to get carried away in the days following a good race. Headed into St Anne's for this, bumped into a pretty nippy lad from the club and sure that set the tone for the rest of the run really :rolleyes:

A little too quick for the day that was in it but a very enjoyable 10.1 miles around St Anne's\coast road.

Tuesday

Met up with a few former posters ( but current lurkers I suspect) for this one, nice and easy trot along the coast and into St Anne's. Calf muscles still a little tight from the runners I wore on Sunday, I love them but don't get away with wearing them too often.


Wednesday


Track day today, jogged down to the track at lunch with the work group to see what was in store;

4x400 ( off 60), 4x300 ( off 50), 4x200 (off 45), 3 minutes easy between sets

Knew the plan was to do something sharper this week than last and knew we'd a group that relish the sharper stuff too ( apart from me !) so this one was gonna work the legs good and proper.

Off on the 400s and I took turns leading the group with one of the lads who has probably got the most basic speed out of the lot of us. First one was blowy, 2nd was better, 3rd and 4th were just hard running while focusing on turnover and form.

splits ( 400)
1.14
1.15
1.14
1.14

Onto the 300s, same story, took turns leading these out but instructions were to push these a little harder, with less recovery ( jaysus!)

splits (300)
54
54
56
54

A welcome 3 minutes easy then straight into the 200s, these were tough going but good craic given that they were so short, again - instructions were to up the effort a bit here.

splits (200)

32
33
34
30 ( pinned the ears back for this one


Great session really, these sessions aren't huge on volume but are quick and intense so they balance out well.

PM - light jog home from work, 4.2 miles very easy


10 miles for the day

Thursday

Out between meetings for my run, out onto the beach at Dollymount, into St Anne's and home. Lovely run, felt like I was a million miles from home out on the beach, was tempted to dip the legs but bottled it when I saw how far out the tide was.
Just over 7 miles easy

Swashbuckler

You're flying it. Long may it continue

Back in Black

I've a fair bit of catching up to do but good to see you are still flying!!

Duanington

13.05.2018

Friday

AM - wet and windy run into work, usual story with these, horrible for 5 minutes then grand once I warmed up, the milder temperatures of the summer make these that bit easier. Ran a slightly longer route for 5.1 miles

PM - Met up with a couple of locals for an easy saunter home from work, into St Anne's then home, good chat, nice run

7.2 very easy

12.3 for the day


Saturday

Up and at it early for session day.

Plan was for 8x1k @ 5.45 pace off 2 minutes recovery

I was tired heading out for this and have noticed that I am feeling these early morning sessions a little more of late - might switch them to the afternoon in favour of an extra hour's sleep closer to Berlin ( which would also mean training in warmer temperatures which is no harm)

Anyway, got out for a good warmup, taking in a bit of St Anne's and the coast road.

Decided to start the session in St Anne's and see how the foot traffic was around there. I love running sessions here but the tree cover really does play havoc with the GPS signal at times and I usually find myself pushing the effort too hard while the watch reports a slower than desired pace. Anyway, got started on the session on the parkrun loop.

Tree cover did indeed play havoc with the paces on the watch and I found myself running at 5.35 pace one minute only to drop to 6.20 pace with no change in effort when running under the trees. Effort wise, they were all spot on though.

Started to tire after the 4th, ran the 5th way too long - traffic in St Anne's was picking up, after having to vault over a couple of dogs in the middle of the 6th rep ( which somehow paused the watch), I decided to head out to the coast for the last 2, the watch was also bugging me at this stage.

Finished up working very hard on the last one but running too fast. This was a real strength session, I had to dig deep to get it done which is always that bit harder early in the morning with no fuel on board.

Rep paces were all over the place in the park but they were spot on in terms of effort, the last couple were a bit quick but I think I was compensating a little at that stage ( silly)

Strava tells me 5.55 right down to 5.34, the truth is probably somewhere in between.

Tough, tough session, glad to get through it well, should hopefully add a little something to the strength levels.

Sunday

An afternoon of gardening and painting left me stiff as a plank this morning so I was happy to get out this evening and loosen the body up a bit. Headed down to Dollymount to try and spot some seals, not a sinner down that end of the beach, all I had for company was a p*xy headwind when I turned for home.

7.25 easy miles

Another very good week down, need to stay on top of the sleep levels for the next while to keep moving forward.

Duanington

Swashbuckler wrote: »

You're flying it. Long may it continue

It's going well alright, P - you're flying yourself now heading into your new block

Duanington

Back in Black wrote: »

I've a fair bit of catching up to do but good to see you are still flying!!

Thanks J, hope all is good with you

Duanington

18.05.2018

Monday

Out after a busy day at the office for the customary Monday long run.

Felt sluggish heading out and it was really towards the end of the run before I felt any better. Took in a good honest route, coast road, out to the beach, up the drag through Kilbarrack, back up into Raheny then home. Stuffed my gob and downed a few gallons of water afterwards.

14.3 @ 7.36 pace



Tuesday

Run home from work with a little extra - 7 miles all easy


Wednesday

Back down to the track at lunchtime with the work crew.

Groans all around when we were told it was 6x800s with reducing recovery ( ironic given that we were all chatting the previous day about how 800s is the session we all dread for some reason).

Knew this was going to be a slog, sleep wasn't great the previous night and this was turning into "one of those weeks" when you just need to get the head down and plough on.

First couple actually weren't that bad, I settled into 2nd in the group and just focused on staying consistent rather than really pinning the ears back like last week when I was full of beans. Recoveries dropped down to 70 seconds from 90 for the 2nd half of the session and that's when we all felt it really.

Good hard session, finished strong but had to work hard to do it.

Very lucky to have to group to run these with, there are some strong runners there and its great to have people to work off.

reps were a tad inconsistent but still show it was a good session:

2.37
2.38
2.38
2.40
2.41
2.37

PM - usual easy jog home from work

Just over 10 miles for the day


Thursday

Easy run around St Anne's on lunch, beautiful day for it, kept the pace right down and soaked up the summer atmosphere with the freshly cut grass etc...lovely stuff. Quads tight from the previous day's session though

Just over 7 easy miles

Duanington

21.05.2018


Friday

AM - Run into work, a little battered by the wind on the way in

4.1 easy miles

PM - Easy run home from work, a little bit added on at the end - 7.1 easy miles.

Saturday

Session day again

Plan was for 6x3 minutes @ 5.45 pace + 5x30 seconds ( run hard) .
90 seconds between the 3 minutes, 60 seconds between the 30 seconds

Ran this one on empty nice and early:

Got a longer than planned warmup down before heading over to the GAA pitches in St Ann'e to run this one. I just fancied the softer surface this morning, knew the pace might suffer a little but more to gain than to lose really.

Flew through the first couple, almost enjoyed them ..almost
Started to tire a little by the 3rd but felt strong while working to hold effort across the grass. There is a paved section on the field too which provided a minute or so more bounce on each rep, I noticed the pace getting too hot each time I went along this section though.

Finished up good and tired and moved over to the Rose Gardens to do the 30 second sections.

Enjoyed these, the legs were fatigued of course but knowing that it was only 30 seconds running made these much easier than they should be really.

Finished the session and headed over to run a lap of the parkrun as part of my warmdown.

Got home and spotted that I'd only done 5 of the prescribed 6 x 3 min reps...tempted to head back out and do the missing one but copped myself on and got some food and water into me.

3 min sections:

5.37
5.44
5,45
5.46
5.45


30 sec sections

4.45
5.07
5.12
4.58
4.38


Really good session, despite missing a rep :rolleyes:


Sunday

Met up with FBOT to get some easy miles in late in the day. Having had to drive to and from Galway for a communion, I was glad to get out and stretch the legs a little. Good chats on the way around for 7.7 easy miles

Another solid week down, mileage starting to creep up a little too

Duanington

24.05.2018

Monday


Long run night again, out straight after work, home, ditched the backpack then headed into St Anne's to take run as many of the draggy loops I could get in really. There are a few sharp climbs that come off the coast road in the park so I spent a bit of time looping around these before heading off on some of the longer, more gradual drags.

Bumped into a group from the club just as I was finishing, I ended up running a bit more than planned as a result - tired but satisfied after.

15.2 miles @ 7.40 min\miles


Tuesday

Run home from work, took it very handy - just over 7 miles for the lot

Wednesday

Track day rolls around again, 8x500s with 70 and 50 second recoveries (first 4 had 70, last 4 had 50)


The speedsters were delighted with this one when it was announced, I was actually looking forward to the session too but decided early on not to try and head out with the 2 faster lads, instructions were to finish as strong as you start - that would not happen if I went out too quick on the first one.


First few went by pretty quickly, I settled into a good pace ( still quicker than planned :rolleyes:) but making sure that I kept control for the entire rep each time.
By the 4th rep, the group was flagging a little, the shorter recovery on this one put the real hurt into the group.
Focused on consistency for the rest and to be honest, I felt pretty strong all the way around. Chased D down a little bit over the last stretch on the last rep to finish up good and solid.

Reps worked out as

1.31
1.34
1.35
1.35
1.34
1.35
1.33
1.31


Loved this one, again, great to have the group to work with.


PM - jogged home from work to flush out the legs

Just under 10 for the day

Back in Black

Duanington wrote: »

24.05.2018

Wednesday

Track day rolls around again, 8x500s with 70 and 50 second recoveries (first 4 had 70, last 4 had 50)


The speedsters were delighted with this one when it was announced, I was actually looking forward to the session too but decided early on not to try and head out with the 2 faster lads, instructions were to finish as strong as you start - that would not happen if I went out too quick on the first one.


First few went by pretty quickly, I settled into a good pace ( still quicker than planned :rolleyes:) but making sure that I kept control for the entire rep each time.
By the 4th rep, the group was flagging a little, the shorter recovery on this one put the real hurt into the group.
Focused on consistency for the rest and to be honest, I felt pretty strong all the way around. Chased D down a little bit over the last stretch on the last rep to finish up good and solid.

Reps worked out as

1.31
1.34
1.35
1.35
1.34
1.35
1.33
1.31


Loved this one, again, great to have the group to work with.


PM - jogged home from work to flush out the legs

Just under 10 for the day

Impressive pace and consistency there D. Must have been warm out too!!

Duanington

Back in Black wrote: »

Impressive pace and consistency there D. Must have been warm out too!!

It was warm by the end alright J, the pace was pretty hot by that stage too!

Duanington

28.05.2018


Thursday

Out in the early PM to meet FBOT for some easy miles around St Anne's. Stuck to the grass for the most part and enjoyed it

Just over 7 miles

Friday


Missed the running window for the early morning run so just the one run today, run home from work, met FBOT and Murph for most of this, another enjoyable one

Again, just over 7 all in

Saturday


Pushing back the Saturday sessions now to lunchtime to make sure I'm training in the warmer part of the day as much as I can. Thinking back to Berlin in 2016, the heat was a big fear factor for me and most of my big sessions in the lead up to the race were done very early in the morning. Need to get my head around that particular one and get used to it.


Anyway, headed down to St Anne's for this one and ran it on the grass\tarmac ( probably 60\40)

1,2,3,2,1 off 60 seconds (5.30 pace)


Forced the issue a bit too much on most of these but got a nice bit of control going towards the end. It was pretty humid in the park but I expected that and don't think the session was long enough for it to be an issue really.

Paces
1 - 5.15
2 - 5.28
3 - 5.29
2 - 5.29
1 - 5.16

Just under 7 miles for the day

Sunday

Back out into St Anne's again on a cracking summer's evening, legs a little jaded at first but sure what's new there?!

Looped the trails in the park for just under 7.5 miles

A good week down

Duanington

30.05.2018


Monday

Bit of a shake out on the way home from work - 3.6 very easy miles

Tuesday

Dunboyne 5 mile


Picked this one quite a while back as a bit of a revenge mission really, I’d run Dunboyne last year and had a disaster of a run.
I didn’t know it at the time but I was anemic and struggling with anything resembling race effort, from about 500m in that night, I knew I was in trouble and a couple of miles later, I was hanging on for dear life at around marathon pace. I like the 5 mile distance, its short enough for you to be brave and have a go but the distance dictates that you can’t really be silly, find the balance in between and you should have a good run on your hands.

I had a bit of time on my hands for a change on the afternoon before the race, which wasn’t really a good thing – I was tired and overthinking the race, the possible outcomes, the phantom heaviness in my legs, losing the run of myself really. I knew I’d be fine once I started to warmup though and was glad to get myself on the road over to Dunboyne.

Parked up and bumped straight into a dashing looking AMK plus a buddy of mine who was running his first race.

Got myself registered, changed then headed off with AMK and Gosh ( former boardsie) for a bit of a warmup, good chat all the way around this one which helped settle things down a bit. I was feeling the heat during the warmup and did worry a little about what effect it would have on the race but I also knew there was a lot of shelter around this course.

We made our way to the starting line and after a couple of short strides, I jumped in 2 rows from the front. Said a quick hello to a few familiar faces (LauraC from this parish and a few more Raheny heads)
And we were off.

I felt so much better running than I had sitting around thinking about running, the plan straight away was to run fast but not quite stupid fast and see how long I could hold on for. I knew the first 2 miles were quick, despite a climb or two over the first stretch but Gosh and AMK both commented how the last 2 miles were tough last year so I fully expected to have to dig in quite a bit at that stage.

Got into a good stride very quickly, I knew it was too quick but that would settle once the crowd spread out a little. We turned left off the main road and out of the glare of the sun and I settled in behind a couple of lads I knew. Gosh moved up ahead and I let him go, he’s always lightening quick over the first mile of these races so going with him would spell trouble for me later in the race. Ignored the watch as usual when the beep sounded for the first mile.

Mile 1: 5.34

The effort level was tough but my legs felt strong and full of bounce at the same time, 4 more miles of this to go, when the internal voice said that…it didn’t sound like a very welcome thought to be honest. Onwards to mile 2 and take it from there.

I moved up to a different group and worked to take the lead as much as I could, forcing the pace a little and being careful not to settle too much. The surface was good, the heat wasn’t a major issue yet surprisingly but each time there was an exposed section on the road, the temperature shot up pretty quickly before thankfully dying down a little when we moved back into the shade. There were a few familiar faces in the group around me so I knew I was in good company at this point

Tried to hug the side of the road as much as I could here too in an effort to stay in the shade, stride felt good and quick, breathing was good too but it was hard work to keep things motoring, I knew this was the fastest part of the course so had to force myself to take advantage of the long straight and the overall downhill nature – the natural inclination of course was to chill out a tad.

Mile 2 – 5.38

Ignored the watch again at the beep but welcomed it all the same, another mile down. Onwards to the halfway point now.

Working hard, moving well and my legs still felt very strong taking another sharp left, the road opened up a little ahead and I started to open up the lungs a little more. A distinct feeling of looseness on my right foot soon put that particular moment of ambition to and end, looked down and confirmed my own worst fears, I had single knotted the laces – schoolboy error!
One of them was coming lose, quickly too. I kept going in the ridiculous hope that it would somehow magically tighten itself up again but after 20m or so, the lace was flailing around. I cursed under my breath, bit the bullet and pulled over to the side of the road…”that AMK f*cker will be loving this one”…a quick knot ( single …again…WTF?!) and off I went again, the group had sped ahead but I but a bit of a burst on to chase them down.

Not an ideal tactic maybe given that I had quite a bit to go but I didn’t care, this was a race after all.

Mile 3 – 5.40

Checked the watch for the first time chasing the group and it showed 5.25 pace, I wasn’t dying a death but the chase had definitely put the effort levels up towards the danger zone. We were into the last 2 miles now, the toughest part of this course but there was less than 12 minutes to run here, time to dig in and hang on now.

Back in the group and I moved straight to the front, settling a little to regain some sense of rhythm. A word or two of encouragement from the lads was welcome and helped lighten the mood a little. I allowed myself a check of the watch to see if I was settling a little too much, 5.50 told me enough so I started the wind up for home there and then, I was moving into no man’s land between groups but focused on turnover and form and just went with it.
Mile 4 - 5.47

I was feeling it now, really starting to hurt and having to fight to hold the effort level up. Just under a mile to go and I knew I was moving quicker now, I was slowly reeling in the group ahead and could sense the gap closing. I could also hear a set of footsteps that had come with me on the surge which helped to focus the mind on pushing hard.

Passing the 800m to go sign, I was starting to hang on a little, 800m, I hate 800m reps

Caught the group just before the track and I pushed hard to go straight by them, Gosh was ahead, moving up the little climb onto the track, I didn’t let the climb slow me and pushed again. By the time I hit the track I was level and knew I had to go now. Just over 300 to go and there was a group hitting the bend up ahead, ears back D, kick and don’t look back.

Around the bend, lungs burning, everything yelling at me, telling me to slow down but I kept pushing hard, emptying the tank and squeezing the effort out. I took few scalps on the home straight and dived over the line.
Mile 5 ( or .98 of a mile as strava gives it) – 5.16

Offical time 28.05 ( PB)

Waited in line to have the barcode scanned, shook a few hands, inhaled some glorious air and drank my weight in water. I didn’t really feel the heat until I finished but it was warm, very warm.

Ran a bit of a warm down with AMK, drank some tea, had the chats with Laura and a few others then headed off for home. Another good race under the belt, the lace thing was a bit of a mess up on my behalf but I also probably held off pushing for .5 mile or so shortly after that so there are a couple of lessons learned.

Hated this race last year, I really liked it this year…next year I’ll tie my laces and see how I get on ��

OOnegative

Cracking stuff DD, huge well done. Flat out racing at its finest!!!

AuldManKing

A 5.16 last mile - even accounting for the 0.02 - its faster than the 5.24 mile you ran in Tallaght!

28.05 is an amazing time, include the stop and its down right impressively exceptional. That's amazing progress.

Swashbuckler

Serious running man. Unreal stuff. That's two big performances in a row. What do you reckon is the key to your progress? Do you think the cross country block was a big factor? Why do I feel like I've asked you this already?

laura_ac3

Congrats again. In flying form.

Duanington

OOnegative wrote: »

Cracking stuff DD, huge well done. Flat out racing at its finest!!!

Thanks B - its all moving in the right direction at the moment alright.

Duanington

AuldManKing wrote: »

A 5.16 last mile - even accounting for the 0.02 - its faster than the 5.24 mile you ran in Tallaght!

28.05 is an amazing time, include the stop and its down right impressively exceptional. That's amazing progress.

Yeah I was pretty surprised when I saw that split alright A - although, I did move into that end of race, crazed state of running a little sooner than normal and managed to hang on, I noticed I clocked my quickest ever 800m time along the way too....why the hell couldn't I do that over the last mile in Tallaght ?!:mad:

Duanington

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Serious running man. Unreal stuff. That's two big performances in a row. What do you reckon is the key to your progress? Do you think the cross country block was a big factor? Why do I feel like I've asked you this already?

Thanks P - I got away with this one a little to be honest, the shoe lace thing could have derailed the whole run but I suppose I got lucky in that while it obviously cost me time, it actually sharpened the mind a little too and made for an interesting 2nd half.

Re progress? I don't think its any one thing really, or if it is, I'm not smart enough to know what it is! ( Luke might come along at some stage and give his take on it)

At a guess, I'd say a base of lots and lots of consistent miles over the last few years giving a good level of strength, the xc definitely toughened me up physically and mentally ( and honestly removed any reliance on the watch completely), its almost a different sport to road running and teaches you to "hang on in there" ....because so much changes over the last mile of those races as people tire and strength comes to the fore......lots and lots of hanging on in there.

Last year was such a crap year running wise that I just enjoy being able to train and race without blowing up after a mile or two - by June of last year, I basically couldn't race.
The current Wednesday group that I train with is having an effect, we're constantly pushing each other into that zone of discomfort that nobody really wants to go....the result is that you become more familiar with it and a lot more confident in your ability to embrace that level of discomfort, we've a good mix of speed demons and endurance monsters so the balance works very well. I'm learning to recover well ( with basic things like hydration for example), sounds so simple but there's always something we're neglecting and hydration is one for me ( I'm also realising as I type this that I haven't done any glute work for a week or so...another one to get better at).

The biggest factor is L though, he's the one that puts it all together, knows what sessions work and when, knows when to pull me back a little, checks in constantly on energy levels given my past woes, has the confidence in me to leave me at it at times too, tells me to cop on if I overthink a session but then. He knows where I'm strong and where I'm weak, its a constant learning excercise really - when I trained for Berlin 2 years ago, I was putting in mammoth tempo sessions week in, week out. It wasn't unusual to do 2x20 mile runs a week for a while, one being the standard long run and the other being a session. I'm told this time around it'll be different, we're working from a different starting point. I think there's a lot more to come really, a lot of hard work to put in and still a lot of progress to be made.

Duanington

laura_ac3 wrote: »

Congrats again. In flying form.

Thanks Laura - good to chat to you as always, looking forward to seeing how the 5k stuff goes