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Making every mile count
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Charleville Half Marathon
21st - 1.14:46
I am now closing in on writing about my running here for three years. In those years I have ran some good, bad and awful races. It has been a real mixed bag to say the least! In that time I have repeated myself many times over, probably to the point of boredom. Well, it certainly grates at me so I can only imagine what it has been like for the reader (if there any any left
). I have trotted the 'disappointment' and 'hoped for better' line so many times after races but genuinely that's how I felt after a lot of races. In truth, I do lack race day confidence and struggle in the lead up to important races. A certain sense of self-awareness and negativity clouds the mind. I really am my own worst enemy. With that in mind, the week leading up to Charleville followed the usual pattern of confidence evaporation. It really does p1ss me off at this stage but I have become so accustomed to it that it feels normal. In saying that, I was a bit off all week. Not sick or injured, just 10% off. I was a bit narky (a sure sign of tiredness on my part) and struggled to get up in the morning despite getting the required 8 hours sleep. The 10km session on Wednesday pointed toward a dip in form somewhat. I think the previous big mileage week, coupled with a weekend on the lash in Budapest, did me no favours at all. Charleville wasn't the target race for the autumn/winter but it certainly was a very important key race for me.
Race Day Morning: Breakfast at 7am, 8min jog at 8.50am and a bucket of coffee at 9am.
I arrived at race HQ at 9.30am (ish), parked up and went for a light jog before changing into the race day gear. The body felt good and I felt postive and ready for the challenge. The plan was to go out at 5.40 pace and see where the legs took me from there. As is tradition, I settled into the second row of runners just before the gun. A few hellos and handshakes and we were off. I knew the start to be lighting quick after driving the opening mile the previous night. A quick glance at the watch displayed an opening mile pace of 5.27, nothing too fast given the nature of the course. I knew Mark H. to be strong so I kept a close eye on him. He was perhaps 10m ahead passing the 1 Mile marker. The pace soon settled and I soon found myself beside him and in a group of 4. Excellent stuff. This is exactly where I should be. From that point on I didn't look at the watch once for the remainder of the race; I was that confident in the group and the pace/effort. Also, there was no one close in the vicinity ahead or behind. It really was no mans land if I forged ahead or lost touch. I knew I had no option but to stick to the group like hell. Every other option was extremely bleak. From here I simply focused on getting to 5 miles. I did just that and felt good. Here we took a left and the aim was to get to 8 miles intact. As soon as the plan formed we hit a descent and I lost contact. Bloody hell. Downhill running is the weakest part of my racing and once again it played a vital role it todays proceedings. The group didn't increase the effort but did allow the hill to do the work for the them. Instead I fought the hill and negotiated the small fall with bad technique. I did have an option on the flat though: speed up and catch them or maintain the gap and hope I reattach myself later in the race. I really thought long and hard about it and chose the latter. A mistake? Perhaps. I knew it was going to be hard now as I was completely isolated in the rain and wind. How things can change over a mile of running!
It was nice to reach mile 8 and out of the half marathon zombie miles (3-8 for me). Now the race was easy to break down and organise in the head: Get to Mile 8, Get to Mile 10 and then it's the home-straight. Miles 6-10 are still a bit of a blur. By now the rain was seriously coming down and I was concentrating so hard on the runners ahead that I didn't see or notice much else. The lads ahead were roughly 15 seconds ahead but it was still good to have a target. They may have splintered but they did overtake and spit out two runners to chase down. I had only been passed out once, in Kilmallock, by a runner who was flying. I reeled in the first runner by the 9th mile. He was still moving well but he didn't respond as I had hoped. The legs felt good but I was working hard and grinding it out. The right turn was very welcome as it brought us back onto the main road and even more importantly mile 10. From here on in it was all out hard honest running. No glory, just effort. I developed a bit of a stitch here (gel at mile 8 to blame?) but nothing to hamper me too much. I caught the second runner and went by him, hoping this time he would not respond and turn it in to a ding-dong! Every mile marker signaled a step close to a hot shower. Today wasn't about champagne running, that's for sure!
As I took the left into the final 100m or so I saw 1.14:xx and upped the pace to make sure that it didn't slip into the 1.15s. A 42 second PB. Can I complain? Sure but this time I won't. I have no doubt I will go a lot faster very soon but 1.14:46 is a time I can be proud of.
Fast-forward 3 hours and I was standing on Hill 16 watching the final. I have never enjoyed the closing minutes of a game less. I honestly felt like I was going to be sick with the tension and nerves
. The match was so gripping and in truth, I am happy Dublin didn't win in that manner. I really hope for a dry day on Saturday week and a really positive Dublin performance. Dublin to win!!!
-w/u 2ish miles (split)
-w/d 1.25 Miles0 -
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dublin runner wrote: »
I am now closing in on writing about my running here for three years. In those years I have ran some good, bad and awful races.
There are a few logs that are read back from the start by many on here - KC's, KU's and yours as an example of how to progress by training consistently hard while real life sometimes throws things at you.dublin runner wrote: »
Charleville wasn't the target race for the autumn/winter but it certainly was a very important key race for me.
What is the key race for you and how would you prepare differently?dublin runner wrote: »
A 42 second PB. Can I complain? Sure but this time I won't. I have no doubt I will go a lot faster very soon but 1.14:46 is a time I can be proud of.
No doubt - congrats on the PB - its a solid time and no doubt you have better in you. Good to be proud of it.dublin runner wrote: »
Fast-forward 3 hours and I was standing on Hill 16 watching the final. I have never enjoyed the closing minutes of a game less. I honestly felt like I was going to be sick with the tension and nerves. The match was so gripping and in truth, I am happy Dublin didn't win in that manner. I really hope for a dry day on Saturday week and a really positive Dublin performance. Dublin to win!!!
Despite the lack of ruthlessness going fwd for the whole match, I was screaming at Connolly for taking the ball from CK's hands & taking on that stupid sideline kick with a min or so left. Should've done a better job at game management. A 'non goalie' captain may have stopped him doing that.0 -
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AuldManKing wrote: »There are a few logs that are read back from the start by many on here - KC's, KU's and yours as an example of how to progress by training consistently hard while real life sometimes throws things at you.
What is the key race for you and how would you prepare differently?
Thanks Alan, hopefully we can make up for an awful performance next week. Amazing game. I never felt relieved to have drawn a game despite being ahead before Co'C's equalising score!
Yeah, preparation. I was a talk last night an it was agreed that the week heading into a race is the most important few days of training. The talk was specifically about the marathon but it stands all for distances in my opinion. With that said, the weekend before wasn't ideal, with a trip away and too many late nights/beers/too much bad (but good!) food. I really felt the affects of the binge and only really came around a few days before the race. That's not an excuse of any kind, just a classic case of trying to balance running and life. I would have been killed if I called an early night etc.......and rightly so! With regards specific training preparation - I would ideally liked to have ticked off the heavy 10km session on the Monday, with a small sharpening session on the Wednesday eve/early Thursday morning. That's in a perfect world though!
Well done in Athlone. A really good positive time! Loads more to come over the next couple of months.0 -
Duanington wrote: »Congrats and well done on the PB A - seems you're moving up the charts nicely at the moment. Like AMK - I'm curious to know what your target race(s) is\are
Cheers. All the best in Berlin. You have put in great work.
The target? It's the Seeley Cup 10km in November. I would like to sandbag and say I am targeting a PB but I will be gunning for 33.30-33.40. Based on the recent HM, my VDot indicates a time of 33.51 so I don't think I am being too unrealistic, especially as I will have trained specifically (10+wk) for the race. I will also give 2 5k's a go with a plan to PB at get towards >16min. I am 24 seconds off that so it will take something quite special.
The target is though to improve overall leg speed with a view to Rotterdam or Berlin next year. I will only specially train for that distance for 10-12 weeks so will only commit when I think I have the baseline speed to get as far down in the 2.3x region as possible. That's the plan anyway!0 -
dublin runner wrote: »I would like to sandbag and say I am targeting a PB but I will be gunning for 33.30-33.40.
Let's be honest though.
If you run 33:30, you still won't be happy
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Let's be honest though.
If you run 33:30, you still won't be happy
F off!
If I run that I will be extremely happy as it will mean a few weeks of eazzzzzzzzy running. Also, it was agreed that for every 2 seconds you PB a beer is compulsory! I know who blame to over that frankly dangerous equation....... 0 -
Mini-taper time.......
Thursday 15/9
8 Miles Easy @7.31p/m in 1.00:10
Friday 16/9
6 Miles @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Autopilot engaged!
Saturday 17/9
-3.25 Miles @7.08p/m in 23:16
-inc. 3x30sec strides @3k effort
A few miles to keep the legs ticking over in the small village of Kinnitty, Offally. The miles really dragged this morning so was delighted to get back to the accommodation, have a cold shower (er!) and head to Charleville before race day! Why do these runs always feel like torture?! The legs felt good that night after I finally bought a foam roller and did some somewhat painful exercises on it on the hotel floor.....ouch!
A night of 'The Jinx' and 'Up for the Match'. I remember when Saturday nights used to be a lot more exciting! Needs must so an early night was happily taken.
Sunday 18/9
16.35+ Miles
-inc. Charleville Half (see above!)
WEEK TOTAL: 58.20+ MILES0 -
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Recovery time........more from the hangover and a rushed visit to Hill 16 rather than the actual race!
The plan this week was to recover before moving on to the next session. I pushed back the session to Thursday to make fully sure. The Magness 10km plan is tough going and was definitely somewhat underestimated on my part setting out. It has proved very difficult to balance the sessions (sometimes 2 +a race) and racing. It really has been a balancing act of training, racing, recovering and going again. The plan calls for a race every two weeks and so far I have really enjoyed the cycle of training hard and racing. It's a tough balance to strike but one that I am more than happy to do/attempt. I just love the variety. It never becomes boring or mundane like a lot of plans. It suits me and my style of training so hopefully that will prove itself on the racing clock.
Monday 19/9
AM: 5.25 Miles Easy @7.31p/m in 39:31
PM: 5 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Tuesday 20/9
13.50 Miles @7.18p/m in 1.38:43
I had initially planned on 8 miles in the morning but with work delayed to the evening I happily extended the run, incorporating the now usual route of Nature Reserve/City Centre loop. The legs were tired but nothing too bad so the run turned out a lot more enjoyable than envisaged.
Wednesday 21/9
AM: 5 Miles Easy @7.25p/m in 37:10
PM: 5 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Thursday 22/9
AM
5.50+ Miles +strides
Session: 3x(600m, 600m, 400m) ~40sec b/t reps, 3-4min b/t sets
Splits:
1.54, 3.10 (1,000m -watch mishap)
1.56, 1.55, 78
1.56, 1.54, 74
A really quick session before work. I had no idea how long we would be in work for later so the only choice was to get up early (for me) and keep on trucking through the morning haze. I decided to focus on effort over split watching as I had honestly no idea how I would react to a session before 9am. I know, I know.....9am is not early but it's early for some! I only recently checked the data on this run and was pleasantly surprised to see the decent splits. The recovery between sets felt generous until about 60m into the first 600m rep! The 40 second recovery between reps only served to catch ones breath before praying for the best.
PM
4.25 Miles Easy @7.31p/m in 32:01
Friday 23/9
6 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Autopilot ENGAGE!
Saturday 24/9
20.20+ Miles
-inc. Dublin Half (90min pacing) in 1.29:41
Another wet and windy day in the Park but that did little to dampen the spirits and enjoyment. The miles flew by with Joe and the rather large group either side of us. It was great to see so many finish under the 90 minutes. I quickly headed to the tent to change and dry off before deciding to tick off my long run today instead of the following day. Long run boxed TICKED!
Great to see so many friendly faces and even the odd school mate who haven't seen in ten years. Mad to think I was pacing him for 10 miles before he mentioned it! Small wurild........
Sunday 25/9
11.10 Miles
Session: 4 Miles @MP, 3min Easy, 15min @LT
Splits:
4 Miles @MP: 5.58p/m (avg.)
15min @LT: 5.37p/m (avg.)
I set out this afternoon knowing that if the warm-up didn't ok I would simply run easy for an hour and attempt the session the following day. Thankfully the mile down to Blackrock Park felt good so I had no option but to knock the session out. The marathon pace section felt very comfortable and in control. I imagine the idea was to tire the legs slightly before the tougher 15 minute segment to follow. The 3 minutes easy gave the heart a chance to reduce it's rate before the real work started. The initial plan was to hit 5.35 pace but I wasn't too concerned if the pace was a bit off given the long run the previous day. The 2.71 miles flew by and it was far to say I was working by the end of the segment. I was happy to finish but content in the knowledge that I could have gone for longer if pushed (a good hard push though!). A great 70 minute session. Just back in time to see the Ladies Football Final.....not as bad as I thought and I think may have enjoyed it? Hhhhhhmmmmmm........
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WEEK TOTAL: 80.80+ MILES
Next week? After a long tiring look I saw no other race on the Saturday so it's a hesitant 5 mile PB attempt in the Park on a tough course. PB or bust! Looking forward to it.0 -
dublin runner wrote: »Saturday 24/9
20.20+ Miles
-inc. Dublin Half (90min pacing) in 1.29:41
Another wet and windy day in the Park but that did little to dampen the spirits and enjoyment. The miles flew by with Joe and the rather large group either side of us. It was great to see so many finish under the 90 minutes. I quickly headed to the tent to change and dry off before deciding to tick off my long run today instead of the following day. Long run boxed TICKED!
Great to see so many friendly faces and even the odd school mate who haven't seen in ten years. Mad to think I was pacing him for 10 miles before he mentioned it! Small wurild........
Thank you for pacing! I was in and around ye for the first 5 miles or so, and then pushed on a bit. Thankfully I didn't see you again on the course 0 -
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The plan this week is one of the tougher weeks, with two sessions in addition to a race. That level of quality in a seven day window is definitely asking too much of me, that's for sure. Maybe I should front up and do it but it would have required a session on Monday and Wednesday, with the race on Saturday. I will be going into the race on fatigued legs as it is so adding another session is overkill in my opinion. I think the 8 week plan will probably morph into a 10 week plan as the marathon will take a day or two either side to prepare and recover from. As the main goal isn't until late November I am not concerned about it.
I think I will enter the Longwood 10km on October 23rd and run the 3/4 marathon next week at 6.10-6.30 pace. That may all change though.......:pac:
Monday 26/9
AM: 6 Miles @7.22p/m in 44:13
PM: 5 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Tuesday 27/9
12.25 Miles Easy @7.17p/m in 1.29:16
Work was once again pushed out to the afternoon so I took full advantage and added a few extra miles onto this one.
Wednesday 28/9
AM
7+ Miles -inc. drills/strides
Session (and deep breath): 6min@LT, 3min EZ, 3min @10km, 6min EZ, 2x400m @10km ~45sec easy rec, 4x(10sec @95%, 50sec EZ)
Splits:
-6min @LT (5.29p/m pace)
-3min @10km (5.20p/m pace)
*add on 3/4 sec as the garmin measures generously on the cinder
This morning was simply about getting sharp and ready for the weekend. It was odd session on paper but made sense (sort of!) once I got going in Kilbogget. It was nice to work through the gears throughout and finish with a close to full out effort on the 10sec sections. I had to write this session down as there no way I could have remembered this one! Not convinced about this session if I were to be truthful but I am trying to keep as faithful to the plan as possible.
The do feel quite tired but thankfully strong.
PM: 3 Miles Easy @8.00p/m
Thursday 29/9
6 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
An easy morning, with just 3-4 miles tomorrow with strides to keep me ticking over.
I had one final look at the Simon 5 miler in the Park this weekend. It's going to be one a tough old race on a very challenging course. Going to be interesting! In other news I did over an hour on core and weights this week. That's a record. I can now lift like a little girl. Just. 0 -
Written by one happy Dub today..........
Simon 5 Mile
4th - 27.16
My last 5 mile attempt was at the beginning of year in Raheny. It was my first race in quite some time and coincided with the early stages of marathon training. I was completely flat and ran poorly. The time of 28.03 was a far enough reflection in hindsight. With that said, it did provide a fantastic platform and quite frankly, a kick up the ar$e :pac:. The training plan at the moment is tough going, with races scheduled every two weeks. After a long look the only race that suited in terms of distance and work commitment was the 5 Mile in the Park. In all honesty, I wasn't relishing the prospect of running in the Park after the FD 10 a few weeks back. The only option was to give it a right old bash and pray for a decent outcome. The course on paper was a tough one so the plan was simple: PB or Bust!
I was once again welcomed in the Park by rain. Seriously! Again?! I parked up close to the startline at 9.20am, forgetting my coffee. Errrrr! After a quick warm-up the rain thankfully dissipated and even the wind looked somewhat favourable. I gave up my Friday night beers for this so I better make this one count. The field was sizable (c.1,000) which was brilliant to see for such a great cause. I had a quick look around at sharper end of things and noticed three people I knew for sure to be very good athletes (Simon R, Ian C and Conor H). After that, everything was up for grabs. The gun went and as predicted the three man lead group soon formed, with yours truly occupying 6th position. I was pretty confident that I would beat the two lads ahead of me if I played it smart. The first mile was slow (5.33). Oh man, how was that so slow? I hoped the headwind played it's part but I did feel comfortable so need to panic. I leveled with 4th place and didn't hang around, putting in a surge when I saw the slow mile. The lead group were pulling away but a lot slower than I thought they would (I could still see the lead car! Just
). The turn Chesterfield was very welcome as it offered some much needed shelter. Mile 2 (5.28) was more like it. I felt like I was finally warmed-up and getting into the race. I knew from here on in it was to be a total solo effort and I was really enjoying it.
We were entering the really fast section of the race, before the pain and misery of the S-Bends. I knew I had to find another gear down the Upper Glen Road. As I don't have any gear negotiating downhills I tried to run smooth and try get my 6'3'' lumbering frame down the drop without totally embarrassing myself! Here I felt (without looking) that the lads behind made some ground but I knew I would be very strong on the uphill sections to come. Mile 3 (5.15).
Now the race really started as we ascended Military Road and on to the S-Bends. I say 'we' race but it felt like a hard old training run. Was I lonely? Not at all! The legs felt good and the gait efficient. Happy days. Here I ran maybe my best mile in a long time. Mile 4 (5.25) was very encouraging. Now to recover for the bloody horrid climb to the finish I said to myself! The last half mile was hard running up the Khyber I was looking forward to seeing the finish line rather than praying for it. I saw the clock in the very low 27s and crossed the line in 27.16. Mile 4 (5.30)
I may never be one to have a <cough> 'breakthrough' performance or to smash my PB from nowhere. I know by this stage it will be a slow grind and hopefully a systematic lowering of my times. In running you improve, stagnate, plateau, regress etc; it really is a mixed bag. I am fully aware of that but for the moment I am very happy with that time, on a tough route and solo. I perhaps could have dipped into the 26s if in a group and everything went perfectly but that's all reckless speculation. This mornings work was one of the most enjoyable days running in quite some time.0 -
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AuldManKing wrote: »Super performance on a nearly solo run. You should choose your races more carefully
Dunboyne BHAA next May for a flat fast 5m and you'll destroy that time.
Cheers. I will have definitely have a look at that.0 -
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Friday 30/9
4 Miles Easy @7.21p/m in 29:27
-inc. 3x30sec strides (I think)
Saturday 1/10
Simon 5 Mile (see above)
-w/u 1.65+ Miles @7.22p/m
+7 Miles warm-down @7.05p/m in 49:40
The warm-down was such an enjoyable 50 minutes running after the race. The sort of run that doesn't come along too often. It was great to see so many friendly faces trotting around the many closed roads in the Park. No better place to be on days like these.
An hour drive home (blasted traffic) and soon out the door to the North for work. No All-Ireland for me!
Sunday 2/10
Long Easy Run
-18 Miles @7.03p/m in 2.07:01
An enjoyable run from home to Sutton an back to Clontarf. I made a miscalculation regarding the distance so didn't quite make it to Howth. Food was calling in The Yacht so I had little option to retrace my steps from Sutton. The legs felt good but a tight hamstring was noticeable throughout. All good. Not many long runs left this year, thank God. I need to get my hunger back for the longer stuff so looking forward to the break in November and December.
WEEK TOTAL: 74.90+ MILES
Monday 3/10
AM: 6 Miles Easy @7.26p/m in 44:41
PM: 5 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Tuesday 4/10
12.50 Miles @7.17p/m in 1.31:13
Wednesday 5/10
AM
8.5+ Miles -inc. drills/strides
Session: 3x2,400m (alternating 400s @LT, 10km, 5km) ~4min rec b/t sets
Target paces (400m): 83 (LT), 81 (10km), 78 (5km)
1. 84, 81, 78, 84, 81, 79
2. 81, 81, 81, 86, 81, 80
3. 82, 81, 80, 85, 81, 79
Well, hands well and truly up here! I made an absolute mess of this regarding pacing, effort and just about everything this morning. Look away if you want to see a well executed session! Each 2,400m set involved varying the paces after each 400m rep (so, 6x400m essentially). It sounds so simple but in practice it proved very very tough. Adding to the complication was my troublesome right hamstring that gave me a serious jolt during the pre-session strides. I ploughed on as it didn't get any worse nor any better. I promised myself to call it a day if the discomfort got above 4 out of 10. Luckily it didn't but it seriously played havoc with the pacing and in particular, the 5km reps. I just couldn't tap into any rhythm today on the cinder and I will happily admit the session got the better of me today. Importantly, I learned many important lessons today that I will take forward. At least that's one silver lining in what was a real head melt of a session. It was somehow fun though. How I will never know!
Maybe, just maybe, I misunderstood the session as written. No idea.
NEXT! Ok, let's move on sharpish.........:P
+1.5 Miles @7.21p/m
Another few miles warm-down dropping of the car to the garage. Go on, take my hard earned money........AGAIN!
PM
4 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Hamstring much improved after some TLC. Still very noticeable though.
Thursday 6/10
AM: 7 Miles Easy @7.30p/m in 52:38
PM: 5 Miles Easy @7.45p/m (treadmill)
Friday 7/10
AM: 6 Miles Easy @7.28p/m in 44:50
PM: 5 Miles Easy @7.45p/m (treadmill)
Saturday 8/10
7 Miles @7.06p/m in 49:47
-inc. 5x30sec strides @progressive effort (tester)
I once again got a bit lost on the roads of rural Sligo this morn. Every road looks the exact same to my urban city eyes. An enjoyable trot around on a lovely morning for it. So many angry dogs though. Relax! I am still not used to my new Asics runners. I really miss my Faas (RIP).
So, with two days of easy running since the hamstring strain/tightness I have decided to forgo any thoughts of a second speed session this week. The faster work certainly puts the legs under some additional stress so the smart thing to do is well, not to do it. It's really no big deal as I have time on my side this cycle (yes!). If all goes to plan I will run the 3/4 at a decent clip and use it as a long hard run. That will all probably change on the startline though! It's not even a race (well, you know what I mean) so it really is not important. I just don't want to easy run it. That will be the very last option. I do though already miss the old Glasson route as it was without doubt my favourite course in Ireland. Looking forward to it.0 -
Sunday 9/10
Irish 3/4 Marathon
1.59:50 (5th)
This morning was a real shot to nothing. I probably shouldn't have toed the line given it was a near 20 mile race but I had been given a generous freebie entry so I said why not. It did also help that it was our way back from Sligo. Having endured the horror that was Bridget Jones the previous night I wasn't too worried about having to get us up and out the door by 7am. Karma! This morning made no sense at all but I went with the flow and just told myself to run whatever pace felt comfortable. I knew 99.99% of people here today were targeting Dublin or perhaps NYC so I felt like a bit of an imposter. The race got going after a brief delay to perhaps the most subdued start ever. It was almost laughable. I joked with Peter, Paul and Gary before the latter got going on his long solo training run, with the rest of us left in somewhat of a limbo. Myself and Peter settled into a decent pace (he was running MP+5%). It really was a glorious morning in Longwood which helped the miles tick on by. He soon started to pull very slightly away and I was soon left on my own. I knew Paul was close behind so he soon leveled before I needed a toilet break (too much coffee). The miles were ticking over in the low 6s and everything felt good, including the hamstring. The brief stoppage meant he now had a 20 second lead over me. I had an option to close the gap and contest 3rd place. I knew for sure that I could catch up without too much trouble but had a feeling he would fight me for the position. I adapted the wait and see approach! Mile after mile ticked over and soon we were passing the 8 mile mark. I had the two lads in my eyeline which made it a bit easier as there was nobody to keep me company. The pace started to creep up and I had the choice to go with or keep to the 6.0x pace. When mile 8 beeped (5.50) I told myself to cop on and run sensibly! This is not a race, Anthony!
The pace held steady before I overtaken by a strong Celbridge runner in mile 10 (I think). My pace was still good so he must have been a man on a mission or on a progressive training run. The lads ahead continued to pull away and soon I had no one anywhere near me. I thought about jogging in the last 5 miles but held the effort and pace to the finish.
The effort felt steady throughout and I felt I got a good hard training run in. Now it's back to the plan.
A bizarre but very enjoyable morning!
-19.66 Miles @6.06p/m
-w/u A few laps around the car :rolleyes:
-w/d 1 Mile @6.50p/m
WEEK TOTAL: 86.66+ MILES
Monday 10/10
AM: 8 Miles Easy @7.12p/m in 57:35
PM: 4 Miles Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)0 -
Tuesday 11/10
11 Miles Easy @7.11p/m in 1.21:17
Wednesday 12/10
AM
6+ Miles +drills/strides
Session: 5x800m @5k pace ~2.30 rec
Splits: 2.37, 2.34, 2.33, 2.31, 2.32
As next week is the last week (8/8) in the 10km plan this week is all about hard training before the sharpening for the race next week. The race next week is important but it is not the focus. Belfast in November is the race I will be targeting and aiming for. I know the marathon at the end of this month will take the guts of week to prepare and recover from so the idea is put the head down in November. I then have the chance to hopefully knock out three quality weeks training. I think I will use next week as a 'dry run' for the Seeley, using the last week of the plan for both races. Sounds logical to me anyway.
Anyway, enough waffle! I ran this session by feel, completely neglecting the watch. I wasn't 100% sure if I had recovered from Athlone Glasson Longwood so I played it by feel, only checking the splits in the safety of my kitchen. I get sadly excited by the prospect of checking the splits after a session. It's a real mixture of trepidation and nerdy interest. The result today? Very happy. That was a very positive session. I felt great throughout and really enjoyed the straight up session (a nice relief from the head melt last week). Granted the splits were helped by the generous recoveries but I will still take it. I think next time I will reduce the recoveries or increase the distance to 1km.
I am off the Leicester until Sunday and have been asked to run in a local parkrun over there. If I do it will be at LT, no faster! The 3/4 got me thinking. I ran basically 20 miles at a pace slightly faster than current MP. Hopefully that's a good sign and a positive indication closing in on training for a spring marathon (tbc).
PM: 4 Miles @8.00p/m (treadmill)
Thursday 13/10
AM: 6 Miles Easy @7.24p/m in 44:25
PM: 7 Miles Easy @7.21p/m in 51:32
As Knighton Park is on the doorstep I took the chance to run on it's pitches in the morning before taking to the roads that evening.
Friday 14/10
7 Miles Easy @7.34p/m in 53:07
I usually very rarely run on the green stuff and today it showed. After 10 laps of the local park on grass the lower right shin flared up later that day. I do remember going down heavily on the legs as the terrain was fairly tricky in places. I think I went over on my leg without realising it. Sh1te. I know the feeling as it happened a number of years ago. The pain got no worse that night but still remained. I attempted to silence the pain by ordering some very strong beautiful bear in Brewdog. It helped! Not feeling the love for the session/parkrun the following morning.
Saturday 15/10
AM
Session: 5km @LT (16.57)
There was a wee bit of pressure on me today to toe the line but in truth I could have pulled the plug if I really wanted to. The pain was again quite bad but thankfully really loosened up on the warm-up. The venue today Victoria Park, located close to the city centre and next to the University. I forgot the watch this morning so focused on running comfortably hard and not to get dragged into any racing. The leg did give me a few jolts on the uphill strides beforehand but luckily didn't hamper the session. A few tore away at breakneck speed but I focused on myself and soon passed them out, running solo for the remaining two miles. I had no idea how fast or slow I has going but felt I was working at 80-85%. I crossed the line without having to work too hard. The course was congested in places but a very nice one. I went on warm-down not knowing my time (I reckoned 17.24).
A very enjoyable morning.
*very surprised to see a sub 17 time on checking the results that afternoon.
-w/u 1+ Mile inc.drills/strides
-w/d 1+ Mile
The remainder of the day took in a lot of walking. Too much. The leg got worse and worse and any thoughts of a run that night vanished. The walk from the Aircoach stop home that night was only a mile but the pain became very intense. I really struggled to make it home and genuinely got concerned. Ouch! The worst pain I have endured in quite some time. I firmly believe that running this morning was ok but the sheer amount of walking did the damage.
Bang goes the long run tomorrow!
Sunday 16/10
Day Off.
Physio booked so here is hoping. I don't do injuries. I will make a call on the race tomorrow.
WEEK TOTAL: 58.10+ MILES0 -
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