A Slow Journey to Faster Times

tang1

You always make it sound so easy in your race reports P even though i know its nothing like that, well done again and hopefully that 2.51 comes to fruition in Hamburg.

Dubgal72

That was one deadly race report. I can see why you were happy with your performance, great climb back after the double whammy of fast first mile + hurting early = doubts. Must feel good having that prediction under your belt. How near is it to your actual target in Hamburg or are you going to make us bet on the outcome? (now there's a thought....;) )

yaboya1

Dubgal72 wrote: »

That was one deadly race report. I can see why you were happy with your performance, great climb back after the double whammy of fast first mile + hurting early = doubts. Must feel good having that prediction under your belt. How near is it to your actual target in Hamburg or are you going to make us bet on the outcome? (now there's a thought....;) )

My original target was sub 2:50. This may still the case. I'm just being a lot more flexible with it as I feel I may have to take the weather into account on the day (there's a good chance it will be very warm in late April over there). My HM time in Longford last year obviously predicted an even faster marathon, but I just feel this one is more realistic as I've developed my aerobic capacity a bit more.

Ferris B

Excellent race and reporting as usual P. Great run considering the conditions.

Tom Joad

Great running today and nice report - really enjoyed reading it.

laura_ac3

Really interesting report yaboya, sounds like you won those mental battles - well done. Good to see you again today.

ThebitterLemon

Nicely done today P, wind was a bit of a bitch out there and I reckon that's a tougher course than Longford.

That was some first mile you put in

TbL

RedRunner

Great run today P. You'll make mincemeat of Hamburg!;) (See what I did there?:D)

Duanington

Well done P, another smashing run under the belt on the road to Hamburg.

Some first mile indeed, wouldn't have been out of place in the 10k!

adrian522

Well done P, just catching up on all the race reports now.

aero2k

yaboya1 wrote: »

I spotted aero2k bent over a railing as I crossed the finish line and he was unable to communicate with me when I went over to speak to him. I remember feeling exactly the same after the Jingle Bells. At least no one can accuse you of sandbagging S!

Hi P, great performance and report.

Apologies for being unsociable - I was afraid of puking on your shoes if you got too close. I don't know if you noticed my legs going all wobbly when I finally managed to stand up and go over to say hello to yourself and tunguska.

I was hoping I'd see you inside the hall - I went straight in as I really needed a cup of coffee. I decided not to risk the soup...

Looking forward to the Hamburg report.

skeleton_boy

Nice running yesterday and great report as always. Looking forward to seeing how you go in Hamburg.

FBOT01

Well done, P. Another nice building block for the big one. Excellent report but we would accept expect nothing less at this stage

P.S. Now I am off to study your tips for tomorrow to try to recover the money I lost betting on you yesterday:D

Murph_D

Well yes, you certainly were a little selfish with that group but then again, they had a coach on a bike so you were justified in blowing them off.

Well done. Looking good for the big one.

AuldManKing

really liked that report - showed how tough it was out there and the ongoing internal battles us runners face!

yaboya1

FBOT01 wrote: »

P.S. Now I am off to study your tips for tomorrow to try to recover the money I lost betting on you yesterday:D

You should have recouped your losses with change to spare

ClashCityRocker

Enjoyed reading your report as ever Yaboya, and a "top notch" performance. Now i'm hoping said horse can repeat your efforts and win me a few pence on friday

yaboya1

Wednesday 11th March - 60 minutes Easy
7.23m @ 8:18p/m average (128bpm avg)

I've been really stiff & sore since Sunday so took the last two days off. Decided it was about time I got back into it, so went straight out along the Clontarf promemade after work. Spotted Mrs Mc along the way. Still not feeling fantastic. Hamstrings in particular seem a little tight.


Splits:

Mile 1 - 8:19
Mile 2 - 8:30
Mile 3 - 8:17
Mile 4 - 8:22
Mile 5 - 8:17
Mile 6 - 8:08
Mile 7 - 8:15
0.23 - 1:54

yaboya1

Monday 16th March - 75 minutes Steady
11m @ 6:55p/m average (156bpm avg)

Training wise, last week was a complete write off. I knew it would suffer because of work, Cheltenham etc., but even when I thought I could salvage it with a decent long run on Sunday I ended up in a car crash and have had to waste 24 hours talking to insurance companies, getting damage assessed and sorting a temporary replacement. Anyway, rather than play catch up I decided just to call it a buffer week and move on. Since I haven't run in 5 days I thought I might as well get one of my Steady sessions in today. Pace is slightly slower than last time, but pretty consistent and only drops in the middle due to wind & hills. If it was because of my general fitness I wouldn't be speeding back up in the final miles. The splits suggest I should probably move up to 160bpm soon, but if I'm honest I'm still not entirely comfortable at this HR, which seems pretty bizarre considering I completed a HM in 6:12p/m average 8 days ago


Splits:

W/u mile - 8:05 (132bpm)

Mile 1 - 6:40
Mile 2 - 6:48
Mile 3 - 6:55
Mile 4 - 6:40
Mile 5 - 6:54
Mile 6 - 7:04
Mile 7 - 7:17
Mile 8 - 7:14
Mile 9 - 6:50
Mile 10 - 6:52
Mile 11 - 6:51

C/d mile - 8:22 (147bpm)

annapr

Was thinking it was very quiet around here. Hope you're ok and nobody was hurt in the car crash.

yaboya1

annapr wrote: »

Was thinking it was very quiet around here. Hope you're ok and nobody was hurt in the car crash.

Yes, I'm fine thanks.
Fortunately the only thing that's going to hurt is the other driver's next insurance premium.

RedRunner

Glad all is well. Had a few quid on Top Notch ew so got something back at least. It was Wicklow Brave,Coneygree and On the Fringe that saved my week and brought me back into the black!:)

yaboya1

RedRunner wrote: »

Glad all is well. Had a few quid on Top Notch ew so got something back at least. It was Wicklow Brave,Coneygree and On the Fringe that saved my week and brought me back into the black!:)

I did well over the week, but was really close to doing very, very well.
The life of a punter.......:P

RedRunner

yaboya1 wrote: »

I did well over the week, but was really close to doing very, very well.
The life of a punter.......:P

Indeed. Usually doing very well is uncomfortably close to the possibility of doing really badly!

yaboya1

Tuesday 17th March - 90 minutes Easy
11m @ 8:24p/m average (128bpm avg)

Forgot all about it being St Patricks Day today and arranged to go straight out after work to avoid the traffic. When I got out of the office, there was no traffic ,with the suburban streets of Dublin resembling a ghost town at rush hour. However, I had already arranged to meet Duanington for a few miles at that stage so I stuck to the plan and we hooked up at The Point for a few miles. The time passed quicker with company as always and I was back at the car before I knew it. Pretty cold when we got started, seeming to warm the further we went. Maybe that's because I was warming up too though? Not feeling great at the moment. Felt a bit of a snivel while I was out there, but I'm fine now. Probably paranoia I'm suffering from. Or maybe it's running alongside svelt like figures like DD


Splits:

Mile 1 - 8:03
Mile 2 - 8:45
Mile 3 - 8:41
Mile 4 - 8:30
Mile 5 - 8:37
Mile 6 - 8:45
Mile 7 - 8:43
Mile 8 - 8:17
Mile 9 - 8:09
Mile 10 - 7:59
Mile 11 - 7:56

FBOT01

Were you two ladies running along the seafront in Clontarf about 6:30/7:00? Myself and Ferris where out and I thought I saw D around the old baths. We were on outer path heading the other way and my auld eye weren't sure if it was him I just saw a "svelt" fecker bouncing along that I thought looked like him....next time you are visiting give us a shout:)

yaboya1

FBOT01 wrote: »

Were you two ladies running along the seafront in Clontarf about 6:30/7:00? Myself and Ferris where out and I thought I saw D around the old baths. We were on outer path heading the other way and my auld eye weren't sure if it was him I just saw a "svelt" fecker bouncing along that I thought looked like him....next time you are visiting give us a shout:)

Sounds like us alright.

yaboya1

Wednesday 18th March - 80 minutes Easy
10.12m @ 7:55p/m average (131bpm avg)

Nothing much to say about this. Pretty similar to last night except I was alone.


Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:51
Mile 2 - 7:46
Mile 3 - 7:48
Mile 4 - 7:47
Mile 5 - 7:55
Mile 6 - 7:47
Mile 7 - 8:02
Mile 8 - 7:57
Mile 9 - 7:56
Mile 10 - 8:12
0.12 - 1:01

annapr

yaboya1 wrote: »

Wednesday 18th March - 80 minutes Easy
10.12m @ 7:55p/m average (131bpm avg)

Nothing much to say about this. Pretty similar to last night except I was alone.


Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:51
Mile 2 - 7:46
Mile 3 - 7:48
Mile 4 - 7:47
Mile 5 - 7:55
Mile 6 - 7:47
Mile 7 - 8:02
Mile 8 - 7:57
Mile 9 - 7:56
Mile 10 - 8:12
0.12 - 1:01

that sounds so sad...

yaboya1

Friday 20th March - 75 minutes Steady
11m @ 6:52p/m average (155bpm avg)

Out for another Steady session after work. Still a small breeze along the coast on an otherwise perfect evening for a run. Nothing major though and it didn't affect the pace too much. I felt pretty comfortable throughout and the pace stayed fairly consistent. Still not satisfied I've mastered this heart rate yet though. I found more difficult than I'd like to begin with, although I was gliding by halfway. I'll give 155bpm another week at least. Passed laura_ac3 after I turned back towards home. She was still wearing the perma-smile she has since winning the Bohermeen handicap. It may need to be surgically removed :P


Splits:

W/u mile - 7:50 (128bpm)

Mile 1 - 6:41
Mile 2 - 6:41
Mile 3 - 6:45
Mile 4 - 6:55
Mile 5 - 6:46
Mile 6 - 6:55
Mile 7 - 6:58
Mile 8 - 6:56
Mile 9 - 6:59
Mile 10 - 6:54
Mile 11 - 7:00

C/d mile - 8:38 (137bpm)

yaboya1

Sunday 22nd March - 180 minutes Easy
23.56m @ 7:38p/m average (146bpm avg)

Second rest day of the week yesterday. I could have got runs in on both occasions (Thursday also), but felt I'd only be covering a few miles for the sake of it and the rest would leave me better refreshed for the more important sessions like this morning. I took the TbL approach today, using the RSL to check availability for a running companion. TRR_the_turd obliged me and we agreed to hook up for at least some of my run on a sensational summer's day. It panned out perfectly with the run split into three, some lone miles either side of the middle eleven which passed pretty quickly in company as always. The majority of the run was fairly comfortable. We chatted away for most of it, but I must admit I was really gasping for some water in the last couple of miles. I suppose that's normal in the circumstances. Usually I'd expect to keep the HR between 135-140bpm on these runs, but considering:

a) It was pretty warm
b) I wore black
c) I wore a base layer
d) I took on no fluids
e) I was talking for a lot of the run (and running with a 2:35 marathon runner)
f) The route was undulating

I'm happy enough with the session and 146bpm is hardly gut-busting. Delighted to get 70.7 miles done for the week too with the two rest days.


Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:25
Mile 2 - 7:42
Mile 3 - 8:14
Mile 4 - 8:15
Mile 5 - 8:08
Mile 6 - 7:53
Mile 7 - 7:37
Mile 8 - 7:50
Mile 9 - 7:44
Mile 10 - 7:36
Mile 11 - 7:29
Mile 12 - 7:31
Mile 13 - 7:31
Mile 14 - 7:33
Mile 15 - 7:26
Mile 16 - 7:36
Mile 17 - 7:31
Mile 18 - 7:32
Mile 19 - 7:14
Mile 20 - 7:19
Mile 21 - 7:25
Mile 22 - 7:22
Mile 23 - 7:42
0.56 - 4:27

ThebitterLemon

Aren't you getting awful fancy running with the Boards elite, did he ask you into the bath afterwards


Excellent run to have banked


TbL

yaboya1

Monday 23rd March - 65 minutes Easy
8.04m @ 8:05p/m average (122bpm avg)

I was anxious to get a run of some description in today, just to shake the legs out after yesterday if nothing else. I decided to test out a run up by the Bohernabreena reservoirs, which is basically on my doorstep. Both ecoli & TRR have recommended this route to me recently. I took it very easy, ignoring the pace and HR knowing that it would never be too high with the effort I was putting in. It made a refreshing change to run an unfamiliar course with nothing to guide me but a yellow man on a stake with an arrow every so often. When I reached the turnaround point I ran a little further towards the mountain's peak just to make up the little bit that would round up the eighth mile at the end. It's pretty strange up there. Country roads only big enough for one car (I had to stand in a hedge to let one pass) and little houses with postboxes outside and fields in between. It reminded me of a scene from Postman Pat. This is only four miles from Tallaght which is almost a city in itself! A very scenic, enjoyable afternoon's work. I may be back


Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:37
Mile 2 - 8:31
Mile 3 - 8:21
Mile 4 - 8:16
Mile 5 - 8:23
Mile 6 - 8:05
Mile 7 - 7:41
Mile 8 - 7:47
0.04 - 0:19

yaboya1

Tuesday 24th March - 75 minutes Steady
11.61m @ 6:28p/m average (155bpm avg)

I brought the gear to work with me today, ensuring I didn't give myself any excuse to miss this session. I still tryed to talk myself out of it though, the demons in my head trying to convince me that the after effects of running so long on Sunday coupled with eight hilly miles yesterday would catch up with me and a rest day would be far more sensible. If I'm honest I wasn't looking forward to it anyway, a long day in work having been up since 6am this morning not making it seem any more appealing. Every time I got up from my desk this afternoon the residual soreness in my leg muscles was evident, with my brain exaggerating it further attempting to sway me from tonight's workout. Anyway being stubborn like I am, I headed out at 6pm and jogged down to Sandymount for my warm up mile. Calves were a bit tight and I still wasn't feeling the love. Stopped to stretch for a couple of minutes before deciding another warm up mile would be a good idea rather than jumping straight into the Steady stuff (procrastinating ).
Eventually it was time to up the pace. I'm always bemoaning the fact that the wind affects my HR, in turn affecting the pace so decided that short laps would be helped/hindered equally so I should do that instead. I got going around the outskirts of Sean Moore Park. The heart rate was at the right bpm, but the pace appeared quicker than I was expecting. I thought this was probably down to the Garmin mismeasuring and I was already getting bored with the laps so decided to go back to a more traditional style run. I saw KU enter the park just as I was coming up towards the end of my final lap. Gave him a quick wave before I continued on, making a stupid decision to run straight onto the beach then spending about half a mile trudging through the soft wet sand before eventually getting back onto solid ground. Ran to the end of the promenade and did a U-turn back down towards Ringsend. Those first five miles felt really difficult despite the fact that the HRM seemed to be telling me otherwise. Then it was like some sort of second wind kicked in. For the next 6.61 miles I felt like I was in cruise control. The HR barely moved, flickering between 154/155 for the next 40-45 minutes or so. Headwind or tailwind, the pace/HR barely changed and I felt extremely comfortable. I can confidently say I could have gone around again and feel I could have sped up if I wanted to. I'm a bit baffled if I'm honest as I definitely didn't feel like that in the early miles. Doesn't make much sense to me?
Happy with the run, even if the first two miles around the park are inaccurate (which they might not be).


Splits:

W/u miles - 7:22, 7:27 (120bpm)

Mile 1 - 6:10
Mile 2 - 6:17
Mile 3 - 6:28
Mile 4 - 6:25
Mile 5 - 6:34
Mile 6 - 6:30
Mile 7 - 6:41
Mile 8 - 6:27
Mile 9 - 6:41
Mile 10 - 6:31
Mile 11 - 6:31
0.61 - 4:02

C/d mile - 8:09 (137bpm)

menoscemo

Class session there. Do you think 155 will be in and around your marathon effort?

yaboya1

menoscemo wrote: »

Class session there. Do you think 155 will be in and around your marathon effort?

Apparently I should be able to run at 165bpm if I'm fully trained :eek:
There is no way I'll have mastered that in the next five weeks though. Probably won't even get to 160. I'll take 155 if you offer it to me now though.

6:28 x 26.22 = Sub 2:50 right?

menoscemo

yaboya1 wrote: »

Apparently I should be able to run at 165bpm if I'm fully trained :eek:
There is no way I'll have mastered that in the next five weeks though. Probably won't even get to 160. I'll take 155 if you offer it to me now though.

6:28 x 26.22 = Sub 2:50 right?

Yeah that's why I say looking good. I am sure you can hold that for at least 20 miles with a taper and then you can surely even cope with a bit of drift at the end...

KielyUnusual

Nice one Peter but stay off our turf. There'll be trouble next time

RacoonQueen

What marathon are you doing?

TRR_the_turd

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Aren't you getting awful fancy running with the Boards elite, did he ask you into the bath afterwards


Excellent run to have banked


TbL

No invitation to the bath. I forgot to turn the immersion on as I was heading out so had no hot water

yaboya1

RacoonQueen wrote: »

What marathon are you doing?

Hamburg.
Same day as London.

FBOT01

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Nice one Peter but stay off our turf. There'll be trouble next time

Hey P, you might want to rethink your earlier statement about considering joining the "Cru". They don't appear to be welcoming you with open arms

KielyUnusual

FBOT01 wrote: »

Hey P, you might want to rethink your earlier statement about considering joining the "Cru". They don't appear to be welcoming you with open arms

Well if he's one of us then there are no issues.

I seem to remember a lot of talk about TAC and BP though. He's getting in with a bad lot there.

PaulieC

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Nice one Peter but stay off our turf. There'll be trouble next time

Your turf ? You are but guests there at the pleasure of the residents of the area. And don't forget it 😄

yaboya1

Thursday 26th March - 70 minutes Easy
9m @ 7:55p/m average (132bpm avg)

I meant to run home from work yesterday but a few things got changed around meaning I had to drive, and after spending more than an hour in traffic getting home I just wasn't in the mood of heading back out into the horrible night outside. I really should have run in this morning, but felt 2 x 9 miles in one day might be a bit much (that's changed!), so I used public transport instead. Left home at 6:50am and only arrived at the office for 8:25. So frustrating, especially considering the beautiful morning outside which would have made for a very pleasant run. I did run home, taking it nice & easy completing the same journey back up the hill on foot in seventy minutes. I think I may be doing it twice daily a lot in the future. I hate commuting :mad:


Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:52
Mile 2 - 7:59
Mile 3 - 7:56
Mile 4 - 7:48
Mile 5 - 7:58
Mile 6 - 7:59
Mile 7 - 7:54
Mile 8 - 7:49
Mile 9 - 8:00

laura_ac3

Get a bike and alternate the commute between cycling and running?

yaboya1

laura_ac3 wrote: »

Get a bike and alternate the commute between cycling and running?

Are you trying to get me over to the dark side?
Next you'll be telling me to buy some lycra for the cycle, park the bike at the Point and swim the remainder across the Liffey :pac::pac:

yaboya1

Friday 27th March - 40 minutes Easy
5.24m @ 7:38p/m average (with 8x100m Strides) - 137bpm avg*

Really knackered today. Would have needed to be on the road pre-6am for a run before work and was just too tired to get up that early. Got some easy miles in this evening though, adding some strides towards the end. Due to a shift change, I've got tomorrow off so I'm going to hit a parkrun. I intended doing much more of these in 2015, but new working hours have made this impossible. Life has gotten in the way of this Sunday's long run, meaning I'll probably need to push it back to Monday.


Splits:

Mile 1 - 8:03
Mile 2 - 7:52
Mile 3 - 7:56
Mile 4 - 7:08
**Mile 5 - 6:06
0.24 - 1:58

*HR a little bit misleading as it includes mile with strides where I hit 169bpm

**Strides in Mile 5

yaboya1

Very frustrating morning at the Ardgillan parkrun in more ways than one .

Will post report later.

tang1

Hope its nothing serious P.