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Making every mile count
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Well done, great time, and going without the watch was an interesting move.
2 questions:
1. Why do you generally (seem to) leave it so tight in terms of getting to races? I'd find that would make me a bit nervy and use up energy... but maybe thats just me...
2. The pre-race double espresso... I love coffee. I usually have one before a race, but sometimes it can be quite a bit before the start. How far before the start of say a 5k or a 10k would you deploy that badboy? You mention its pre-made... Do you drink it cold from a bottle or something that you bring along with you?
Cheers,
JK
Firstly, well done on the 24hrs. Really great going. I was saying you seem to have a talent for the ultra distances so no surprise to see you do so well (just make sure to do some some shorter stuff. Don't go too far to the dark side
)
I love coffee (as I sit here drinking one!). I usually try to avoid caffeine until the actual race. At this stage it's part of the pre-race routine. I did drink it too soon to the start of the 10km (10 min?) and this gave me a stitch but nothing too bad. I took it 15 minutes before the 5km and all was good. I find it makes me less nervy and definitely mentally prepares. It helps me mentally switch on, like putting the racers on. I hope that makes sense! Whatever gets you in the right frame of mind I guess. It's sad but I have a flask thing that I bring it in that keeps it very warm. I have made some horrible experiences in the midlands trying to get anything that resembles coffee in the midlands so I just take my own now! Also, I never take sugar but put two brown sugars in it for a race.
I leave everything to the last minute. I think I enjoy the buzz of leaving most things to the last minute. It takes my mind off the event but it's not good as I have had some very close calls :rolleyes:. I think there's a balance there. I hate being early for races though. It helps to have a run in the morning. It means for me I don't need a long warm-up. 0 -
dublin runner wrote: »
I leave everything to the last minute. I think I enjoy the buzz of leaving most things to the last minute. It takes my mind off the event but it's not good as I have had some very close calls :rolleyes:. I think there's a balance there. I hate being early for races though. It helps to have a run in the morning. It means for me I don't need a long warm-up.
There's a guy in TAC who also does this. His last-second arrivals at race start lines are the stuff of legend. Sometimes he misses races altogether because he's late. He says he gets nervous if he has any time to think before a race.0 -
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Tuesday 2/8
AM: 5.25 Miles Easy @7.26p/m in 39:06
PM: 4 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
The legs were in very good order after the previous days efforts. All good. Signed up that night for the Frank Duffy 10 Mile race on the 20th. A tough course but I plan to target the PB set earlier in the year in Trim.
Wednesday 3/8
AM
I put out the call for some steady miles, instead I got offered the below so I went with it.........! Good to be flexible, especially as I really didn't want to do a 5k session 48 hours after the 10km anyway.
Session: 12x(400m @10mile pace, 400m easy)
11 Miles
Splits: 86, 82, 83, 84, 84, 84, 83, 82, 81, 82, 82, 81 (83sec average ~5.34p/m)
24 laps of the track? It really does fly by when you have to concentrate on the constantly alternating pace. Very nice to be back on a proper track again. The wind was a right nuisance throughout but asides from overcooking the opening 200m, I felt I got into a nice rhythm early on. I felt very comfortable today and happy with the mornings work. I got left to my own devices on the warm-down (thanks Luke) and got a bit lost in one of the many sprawling housing estates in Tallaght, adding in an extra mile or two. All good though!
PM
5 Miles Easy @7.34p/m in 37:55
A few too many miles today. I had to drop off the car to it's other 'owner' so it was either run back or get <shock> public transport. No contest! I really focused on backing off the pace and it ended up quite enjoyable. Nice to be running faster than cars in traffic......particularly as they have to listen to whoever is replacing Hooky on Newstalk. I'll miss the grumpy f!cker.
Two easy days now.........
Thursday 4/8
AM: 5 Miles Easy @7.24p/m in 37:04
PM: 5 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Friday 5/8
8.60 Miles Easy @7.22p/m in 1.03:22
Saturday 6/8
9+ Miles inc. drills/strides
Session: 2x(800m, 1k, 400m @5k pace) ~1.30, 45sec recovery b/t reps, 4min b/t sets
Splits:
2.38 (5.18p/m)
3.15 (5.14p/m)
75 (5.02p/m)
2.36 (5.14p/m)
3.16 (5.15p/m)
74 (4.58p/m)
A tough old session this morning. My motivation was fairly low setting out, with the prospect of another hard solo session feeling somewhat daunting. I told myself to man up and get out the door. As it turned out it turned out to be a really positive session in warm conditions. I know the cinder is slow so to see promising splits like these is very encouraging. The session brings me into 16.18 5k territory. After what was an extremely hard weeks training I will take that. It nice to see the numbers come down as I get sharper and fitter. Now to put it into a race and hopefully nail down a time I know is there.......somewhere :pac:.
The warm-down miles weren't the most pleasant as the legs were completely fried after 2 sessions and one decent race effort in the legs for the week.
A trip to Croke Park for two really enjoyable games and many hours standing up. I had to rush to work straight on 70min. I parked up at Carton House only to see the Waterford team pucking around in the grounds. Made my day. Another 3 hours standing up that night so the legs were in a right old state!
Sunday 7/8
Long Easy Run
-15 Miles @7.11p/m in 1.47.55
A nice and handy one about Dublin. Done and dusted before the hurling. What a game! So close but so far for Waterford.
WEEK TOTAL: 80.30+ MILES
That was a fairly big week in terms of intensity and mileage. I managed it quite well but next week will see a return to more balanced training. I looked at the Castlepollard 5k but it's just to far away to justify. I may look to something else but am in the West for the weekend. I want a big performance in the 10 miler so that is the short-term target. That will give me a good indication of a possible half marathon time in September. Training hasn't been perfect for a good half time but confident I can possibly knock out something decent!0 -
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Monday 15/8
AM: 5.25 Miles Easy @7.15p/m in 38:07
PM: 5 Miles Easy @7.52p/m (treadmill)
Tuesday 16/8
AM
6+ Miles inc. strides/drills
Session: 800m @5k, 2x400m, 2x200 @5k to 1m pace ~300m jog recovery
Splits: 2.32, 75, 74, 34, 33
This session was all about keeping sharp for the race on Saturday. Arriving on the track I was greeted by two fellow runners. One proceeded to throw on a pair of rubber gloves :eek:. What is going on? As I neared I saw it was Emmett from Perfect Pacing. He was doing a LT test on a client. Good to meet him and have a chat. The company threw me a bit and I ended up running everything too fast. Nothing much to worry about as it was a short one.
PM
5 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Wednesday 17/8
8 Miles Easy @7.47p/m in 1.02:21
An enjoyable easy one with Peter around the Park.
Thursday 18/8
6 Miles @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Friday 19/8
4 Miles Easy @7.28 in 29:55
-inc. 3x30secs strides @3k effort
The left hamstring felt very tight this morning. Really hoping it's not an issue come the race. All good otherwise.
Saturday 20/8
AM
Frank Duffy 10 Mile
25th – 57:45
What a frustrating morning. Sure you know it was day of biblical proportions weather-wise. Sure you know it's a tough hilly course. Plenty of excuses but my word, frustrating.
By this stage anything that could have been said of the weather conditions has been. I arrived early enough (for me) in the Park and it was good to bump into my ex-clubmate and go for a mile jog. 9.20am and already soaked. I retired back to the car, send out a number of whatsapps/texts and photos of the conditions and got changed into my racing attire. What a moan! This one, I thought, is going to be a tough one. Maybe at the point I let my pre-race plans of a fast run disappear. Maybe I resigned myself to a poor run given the horrific weather. Not sure. I jogged and took in a few strides to get to the startline. 9.55am and again soaked!
The opening miles felt controlled but I was working a bit harder than expected. In all, the first 4 miles were pretty rough and mentally I felt in a bad place. Not great! I knew I had to stick to Mark and Eddie like glue. I lost a fair bit of ground on the descent to the Chapelizod Gate but soon regained it. Yes, I really really cannot run downhill! Up we climbed and soon a good group formed. I knew today wasn't a day for split-watching so I didn't once look at the watch. At the summit of the s-bends the lads again dropped me on the descent. I had to work hard to cling back on. I had one goal and that sole goal was to stick with them until we turn onto Chesterfield Avenue. The other option? Run the North Road solo. That just wasn't an option. I knew the wind would be in our face so I had to hold on. I looked around for Luke passing the Zoo and was disappointed not to see him. Sure, I wanted to beat him (it's a race after all!
) but I knew it was going to be incredibly hard without a group. I hoped he would reel us back in.
Mark took most of the wind and I was just about hanging on to the 3 man group. I know them well at this stage so I was very confident I was in the right place in the field. The turn onto the Avenue was incredibly welcome. Good job, Anthony! Time to open up. The smooth descending tarmac felt good underfoot. I opened up the stride but the right hamstring (it was the left yesterday) was not playing ball. Now, I felt a jolt on the second mile but concluded it was me loosing out. The lads put the foot down and dropped me. Everything felt great but I just couldn't let go. They soon opened up a 20m lead. All that hard work for nought! For the first time in the race I really felt good. Stupid hamstring.
I turned on the Acres and guess what? I was catching them at a rate of knots. Perhaps they overcooked the Avenue, I thought. I can do climbs and wind but not descents. The flat road meant me running well. Ok, catch and push on I told myself. As soon as I made that plan the hamstring tightened once more. Sh1te. I held the gap but just could not push on. So so frustrating. I was on the edge of injuring myself and I knew it. The sharp fall after mile 8 was very unwelcome. A few miles ago I was clinging on to the pace, now I was clinging on to a dodgy hammy.
The climb up the Glen Road and past mile 9 was very tough. I was now very much pushing my luck and considered jogging it in. I tore my hamstring once before doing something stupid and I was not about to repeat that particular mistake. The annoying this was that I was running and feeling well. Bloody annoying. The lads were in touching distance but it felt I was running on limp mode (to borrow a car metaphor). I felt pretty down at this point and wanted a pint and the warmth of the bar stool! Just then I heard a shout for 'Rory'. Hmmmm.....who is that? He was closing so I upped the pace as much as possible. I again started closing but never challenged. I crossed the line fairly dejected, clutching my battered leg and felling fairly sorry for myself. What just happened?
I hate getting beaten. Losing is one thing I can handle but the last 10 miles were not. I wanted a low/mid 56 time on that course and to challenge runners around my standard. Fail! I am running and training well and feel as fit as I ever have. I know it will come together. Today was incredibly frustrating but it was what it was.
It will come together. Today was just not my day.
*Please excuse the moaning and general self-pity!
-w/u 1.40 miles @7.37p/m
PM
3 Miles Easy @7.31p/m in 22:36
No problems. Everything was so tight but no damage done. 5.40pm and yet again, soaked :-)
Sunday 21/8
Long Easy Run
-17 Miles @7.09p/m in 1.55:53
Tired but strong today. The old legs felt like two planks of wood but all-in-all, fine. I just need to keep up the long run with DCM looming. I probably will need one or two 20+ milers in the bank before the taking on the 3.10 duties.
WEEK TOTAL: 70.65+ MILES (I may have ran on Wed PM but really cannot remember)
Now begins 8 weeks of 10km training.
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Friday 26/8
8 Miles @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Did I watch Ireland AM or Xposé? Dire selection on the treadmill TV.
Saturday 27/8
AM
3 Miles @7.31p/m in 22:39
PM
7.10 Miles
-inc. 4 miles @LT (@5.34p/m in 22.19)
Splits: 5.28, 5.31, 5.44, 3.35
With a 5.30pm gun-time the Tinryland 4 Mile was almost too perfect. I couldn't turn down the opportunity, especially seen as it was a mere 25 minutes drive to work in Kilkenny that night. The plan called for 25 minutes at LT so I settled on 4miles, aiming for 5.35p/m average. The opening mile was off a cliff so the pace was understandably hot. I got into a decent groove on the second mile and was enjoying my evenings training. Here I began to overtake a number of people and was happy to see 5.31 flash up on the Garmin. The 3rd mile was a right pain, with a strong headwind and a long decent drag to the next left turn. The pace suffered accordingly but as it was a training run I had to maintain the effort and not worry too much about the slow pace. The left turn was welcome enough and the pace soon started to come down again. I caught up with CC (she like a lot of people suffered on the 3rd mile). I wasn't bothered about overtaking her so I cruised home. A very enjoyable race and highly recommended. Hopefully I will be able to hold this pace (+4/5sec a mile) in Charleville next month.
-w/u 1.10 mile @7.15p/m
-w/d 2 miles @7.09p/m
Sunday 28/8
Long Easy Run
-18 Miles @7.40p/m 2.18:20
A very relaxed run with Peter and Luke around the Park. This one needed to be done early as a trip to Croke Park and Sligo was on the days agenda. I really wasn't too concerned about the pace. The long run (past 15/16 miles) really doesn't fit into the plan at the moment but needs must so one more ticked off. My sleep pattern is all over the shop at the moment. Four hours just ain't enough.
As for Croke Park? Without doubt one of the best sporting occasions I have ever witnessed. Just incredible. Up da Dubs! Anyone got tickets for the final?! Charleville Half in the morning and a good kicking to Mayo in the afternoon please. I don't know what it is but I really cannot contemplate losing to them. As I said to my friend before throw-in........'it doesn't matter who wins today. What matters is the winner has to destroy Mayo!' #1951
WEEK TOTAL: 81.25+ MILES
Monday 29/8
8.10 Miles Easy @6.55p/m in 56:08
Tuesday 30/8
AM
8.50+ Miles @5.53p/m -inc. drills/strides
Session: 6x1mile @10km pace ~3-4min recovery
Splits: 5.33, 5.28, 5.26, 5.27, 5.30, 5.26
Today was the first of two sessions (plus a race) in this weeks plan. I really think the second session is complete overkill so I will not be doing it, choosing instead to add to next weeks running. As for today? Ah! A complete grind from lap 1 to 24. I found this morning very tough mentally. Unusually for the plan the pace remains constant throughout the session, never once changing. I find these types of sessions tough as it's very repetitive and you really feel mental fatigue enter the proceeding as quickly as lap 3 of the first rep! Of course running around the cinder solo is that bit harder without some company. Anyway, enough moaning. I focused on merely getting through each lap, then each rep and then each recovery. I felt ****e for the first 3 reps, good for the 4th rep (could smell the finish) and again ****e for the 5th rep. The last rep always looks after itself. Each rep came in at 1.02 mile on the watch so pretty much bang on a real mile. I was one sweaty hot mess by the end of the session. Very warm out there this morn. In summary: Legs good, mental attitude questionable! I need a day or two off. One planned for next week.
The pre-throw in plan was 5.28 pace, so with an average of 5.28 (.3333333333......:rolleyes:) I have to be happy. Happy but tired.
PM
3 Miles @8.05p/m (treadmill)
The plan was to tick off 4 easy miles before doing some much neglected core and weights. Nothing to test the body, or so I thought. I hit the first mile feeling great and from there on in I fell apart. I began to sweat like a pig (the poor girl next to me) and the heart rate rocketed. The legs started to go and I had to pull the plug, struggling at 8.34 pace by then. WTF? I was in a right old state after and had to sit down for 20 odd minutes. I was in a heap! Embarrassingly I fell asleep reading an email on the phone in the car after.
Most definitely a warning sign. I reckon my hemoglobin level is once more at rock bottom. Nothing to worry about though. This evening served as a useful reminder to watch the diet and get some proper sleep.0 -
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Wednesday 31/8
AM
6 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Back to normality today in the gym after the embarrassing wobble the previous day. Hoping a good course of vitamins and a return to (legal :cool:) supplements helps.
PM
5 Miles Easy @7.19p/m in 36:40
A quick jog before dinner in Brasserie 66. My God! The size of the portions. Not good for my waistline!
Thursday 1/9
6.50 Miles Easy @7.40p/m in 49:53
Day 1/2 of 'blindly hoping to freshen up before the race on Sunday'. I wore a few extra layers and hat to slow me down. A few laps of the local park helped the legs to tick over and become freshish.
Friday 2/9
3.25 Miles @7.44p/m (treadmill)
-inc. 3x30sec 5k strides
Day 2/2. All good. An exciting Friday night in before Blessington the next day! And they say running is all glamor and showbiz :rolleyes:........
Saturday 3/9
AM
The Lakes 10km
6th - 34.15 (5.31p/m)
On the face of it the time shows an improvement of a huge 5 seconds on Clonee during the summer. In reality though it was a much better run on a course I can definitely call 10,000 metres (I still think Clonee was 80-100m short. Not sure in truth). I have to mention the weather first. The FD 10 Miles 2016 has now set the benchmark for truly awful racing conditions and while today was much better, it was still poor enough to be targeting a PB in. The aim this morning was to average 5.28 per mile. I really felt I was in that type of shape. I perhaps let that particular ambition side a bit on my warm-up. The enthusiasm for the race was fairly low and I should have kept up the positivity and trusted the training.
The opening mile (5.30) was nice and controlled. I had a quick look at the watch halfway through this mile and for whatever reason the next time I looked at the watch was when it beeped indicating the 6th mile. The race settled on the second mile and myself an a Civil Service runner shared the road, with a decent gap to 4th and no one behind in close pursuit. The road conditions were excellent and the headwind moderate. I knew I had to stick with him or my race was over. I was working hard but very much in control. The km markers were now flying by and I focused on reaching the turn just after the halfway mark. The turn signaled the run for home and was it buoyed me somewhat. I was feeling ok and not defeatist like in the recent 10 miler. Myself and my new running friend were sharing places, keeping each other honest and keeping the pace respectful. As we passed the 6th km marker I knew here was when the race really started. I gathered my thoughts (and legs) before attacking the hill. I secretly love his hill. It's a challenge for sure but a section of road that can separate the weak from the strong. I have been here once before and I didn't plan a repeat of that feeling of going backwards. Given that we shared the road for the previous 20-odd minutes I knew he was stronger on the downhills (no surprise there!). I leveled with him on the hill and powered on, knowing he would soon overtake me on the descent. I guess this is where a bit of racing experience comes in. He did indeed pass me on the descent and I clung on in as best I could. The hamstrings were once again extremely tight and cost me a few seconds for sure. The 8th km marker was a long time coming but as soon as I passed it I got another surge on energy and pushed on as much I could. When the 6th mile beeped on the watch I was very content to see 5.23 flash up. Not bad! I again pushed, not having a clue what time I was on for. The clock soon came into range and it read 33.5x. I pushed a bit more knowing a PB was there.
I was happy to cross the line in 34.15. I know there is loads more there. Now it's just a case of manging myself and learning (and trusting) in my training and bringing it to races. Sounds so easy! I do lack racing confidence but am improving in that respect and very much believe a very good time is in me.
Nice to be back on the horse after the FD 10 Miler. Next up? Charleville. I am still lacking top end speed but I am confident I can use my strength to nab a good PB.
The Lakes 10km is one of the best races in the country, no doubt. A must.
Mile Splits: 5.30, 5.28, 5.41, 5.33, 5.36, 5.23, 5.02 (.22)
In retrospective: Eh, what happened on the 3rd mile? That's a shocker. A major lack of focus/not checking pace on watch. Very happy with the uphill mile though (Mile 5). Two years ago it came in at 6 minute pace!
-w/u 1.25 Miles @7.33p/m +drills/strides
-w/d 2 Miles @7.16p/m
PM
5 Miles @7.24p/m 37:06
Sunday 4/9
Long Easy Run
-20 Miles @7.11p/m in 2.23:42
A nice tour of Dublin in splendid weather. Not looking forward to winter one bit (must find my pink gloves as requested
).
WEEK TOTAL: 74.80+ MILES0 -
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dublin runner wrote: »Lol! I wish I seen you earlier. I was in my own little world of brandy and Jameson. Enjoy the game! Some great kids you have there. Just about made our flight. Too much brandy and not enough prudent planning!
Give me a shout next time you are in Dublin #someshape
I just saw your departure time!!!! You obviously take the same approach to getting to race starts as boarding flights
Enjoy the weekend, you're in some nick yourself, I nearly didn't recognise you.
TbL0 -
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