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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Tues 29th July

    VO2 max session 9.6m w/6x800


    Having to do this kind of session on your holidays is pain. I chickened out of doing it this morning ( even though it was much cooler and overcast) but guilt got hold of me later about 5pm when I eventually headed out. With temps about 25deg I wasn't sure I'd make 1x800. I had problems finding a flatish 0.5k route I could use that wasn't crammed with pedestrians, dogs , bikes etc and eventually settled for a footpath by a main rd leading out of Novigrad. There was a bit of an incline but also a slight tailwind to balance that. Did just over a 2.5 wu before the torture started and then spat out the splits:

    3:03, 2:56, 2:55, 2:54, 2:53, 2:53. Interval was 1:30. 3.4m cd after.

    The hardest were the first 2 and the last one, the rest were just painful. I was a bit surprised at the times ( didn't look till later) as thought I was slowing. Also thought about finishing after 4 but for some reason a comment from TbL on his log re these sessions about 'sucking it up' kinda made me say well 'fcuk him anyway' so I hung on by a thread. Glad I did. Thx TbL.

    On the downside though, the local petrol station, where I've been rehydrating with the best Croatian sports drink on offer, may be barring me due to the sweaty mess I'm leaving behind. No matter, I'll be gone by sat.

    Ps As I write, a hedgehog has just walked underneath me. That's a first.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,625 ✭✭✭ThebitterLemon


    Funny you should mention that Ferris, I was thinking of that comment half way through my session at lunch time as I almost stopped but decided it was better to suck it up rather than fock it up.

    Nice session in that heat, I'd have been on a drip after that!

    TbL


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,457 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Terrific session in that heat, Ferris. You and 'the brother' are really knocking the out at the moment.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Wed 30th July

    8.7m; Pace 7:53


    After enduring a thunderstorm last night that would have frightened the sh!te out of Noah, we spent most of the day sightseeing around Rovinj which is kind of Croatia's equivalent of the Amalfi coast. Stunning spot, if a little touristy. I was a bit wrecked when we got back ( ice cream cone eating is tough) but summed up the energy to head out for a few miles into Novigrad and back. I was delighted with some nice warm rain although I'm not sure those dining al fresco were too pleased.

    I'm running the RnR half on Monday so am currently trying to decide what sort of tapering to do if any. I've already moved the VO 2 session up a day ( did it yesterday) and may drop a run later in the week. We'll see.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,610 ✭✭✭yaboya1


    What's the target on Monday? Might come out and watch a bit if I get up early enough :eek:


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  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    yaboya1 wrote: »
    What's the target on Monday? Might come out and watch a bit if I get up early enough :eek:

    Primary goal is a PB. My current best is 1:28:03 set in this race last year. Course this year is a lot tougher though but I reckon I'm in better shape than last time round although I will have 2 weeks of Croatian beer, crisps and ice cream in my system. Other than a PB I really just want to see what I can do. Plan is to give it a lash.

    Maybe you could do a recovery run and pace me to a PB.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,447 ✭✭✭FBOT01


    Ferris B wrote: »
    Primary goal is a PB. My current best is 1:28:03 set in this race last year. Course this year is a lot tougher though but I reckon I'm in better shape than last time round although I will have 2 weeks of Croatian beer, crisps and ice cream in my system. Other than a PB I really just want to see what I can do. Plan is to give it a lash.

    Maybe you could do a recovery run and pace me to a PB.

    Sandbagging????....I might just PM you with his real target, P. It will read substantially different than "as long as I beat my (soft) PB anything else will be a bonus for a poor auld man like me who is just back from 2 weeks of torture (R&R) in Croatia".

    Let not ignore the fact he hasn't missed a run or a target pace during his hols. His idea of unhealthy eating is 2 ice creams in the one week and over indulging for him means exercising more:)

    Only man you will meet that comes back lighter from "over indulging" on his holidays :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,625 ✭✭✭ThebitterLemon


    Sandbagging. FFS, Galway Council should have hired ye two auld lads to do their winter flood defences. Galway would have stayed drier than the Gobi desert :)

    TbL


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,447 ✭✭✭FBOT01


    Sandbagging. FFS, Galway Council should have hired ye two auld lads to do their winter flood defences. Galway would have stayed drier than the Gobi desert :)

    TbL

    Who do you think they put in charge of sorting the yellow bags along the Clontarf Road earlier in the year:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,457 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    It's the golf that has them like that, TbL. Never met a decent golfer who didn't stand on the first tee and list a litany of aches, pains, no sleep from the crying kids etc etc before going out and shooting a course record. :)


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,742 ✭✭✭ultraman1




  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    FBOT01 wrote: »
    Sandbagging????....I might just PM you with his real target, P. It will read substantially different than "as long as I beat my (soft) PB anything else will be a bonus for a poor auld man like me who is just back from 2 weeks of torture (R&R) in Croatia".

    Let not ignore the fact he hasn't missed a run or a target pace during his hols. His idea of unhealthy eating is 2 ice creams in the one week and over indulging for him means exercising more:)

    Only man you will meet that comes back lighter from "over indulging" on his holidays :D
    Sandbagging. FFS, Galway Council should have hired ye two auld lads to do their winter flood defences. Galway would have stayed drier than the Gobi desert :)

    TbL
    Murph_D wrote: »
    It's the golf that has them like that, TbL. Never met a decent golfer who didn't stand on the first tee and list a litany of aches, pains, no sleep from the crying kids etc etc before going out and shooting a course record. :)

    Jeez the abuse. Maybe I didn't phrase it too well. I want a PB and will be pissed if that doesn't happen. By how much, I'm not sure. If it was a flat course I'd like to think 1:25/1:26 but the course is bleedin' uphill. What that adds on, I haven't clue. Now let me get back to my sandcastles.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    ultraman1 wrote: »

    I'd just read some abusive posts about the state of my sandcastles and lashed out at the nearest thing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Fri 1st August

    8m general w/10 strides. Pace 8:16


    I was supposed to do a recovery run yesterday but did snorkelling, kayaking, ice cream eating and beer drinking instead.

    With the race on Monday I've opted for a mini taper and I've dropped the planned medium long run for today and pulled forward tomorrow's run instead. Got out earlyish (7:30am) which was just as well as it's a hot one today. Strides were done (~80m) on a slight incline with a jog/walk back after each one. Had to do an extra stride on my return home when some angry dog chased me up the road. I could do with the same angry dog chasing me round the park on Monday.

    I plan to get out for a few miles tomorrow morning for the last run of my warm weather training but it'll be less than the programmed amount.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Sat 2nd August

    4.6m; Pace 8:08


    I would have run a little further but due to time constraints I only managed 4+ miles before we'd to pack up and go home.

    Sun 3rd August

    4m; Pace 7:57


    What a welcome home! Grey skies, bucketing rain...normal service resumes.

    Just an easy 4m this morning to check the legs were still working after the holidays and before the half marathon tomorrow. Nasty wind out today, don't envy anyone out doing a long run.

    I'm anxiously looking forward to tomorrows race. I don't have any injuries (do mosquito bits count!) and training has been good so I've no excuses (for once ;)). Getting the pace right might be tricky though, as the 2nd half is tough. Hopefully though, there'll be a good buzz about the place and with any luck there may be a few club runners I can latch onto to drag me along.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,625 ✭✭✭ThebitterLemon


    Best of luck tomorrow Waldorf.

    Hopefully we'll see a new you tomorrow, with the weight of all those sandbags finally off your chest :)

    Hope the weather picks up for you, it's nice and dry down West but there's a bit of a wind alright.

    Enjoy it

    TbL


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,610 ✭✭✭yaboya1


    Best of luck tomorrow Ferris


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,457 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Enjoy the race, C. Good luck.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,610 ✭✭✭yaboya1


    Well done this morning.
    Good stuff on a tough course and a hot day.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    1:26:20 unofficial. Very happy.

    Tough enough course but really well organised. Well done to all the marshals, helpers and supporters.

    I was a bit surprised at the amount of runners ( a lot of club runners) cutting corners considering it's a national competition.

    Report to follow later...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,625 ✭✭✭ThebitterLemon


    Great running Waldorf, well done. That puts you in a great position for Berlin.

    TbL


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,548 ✭✭✭Marthastew


    Ferris B wrote: »
    1:26:20 unofficial. Very happy.

    Tough enough course but really well organised. Well done to all the marshals, helpers and supporters.

    I was a bit surprised at the amount of runners ( a lot of club runners) cutting corners considering it's a national competition.

    Report to follow later...


    Holy Moly!!! That is an amazing result, delighted for you, a superb result on that tough course.


    I was also quite shocked at the amount of club runners cutting corners


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Marthastew wrote: »
    Holy Moly!!! That is an amazing result, delighted for you, a superb result on that tough course.


    I was also quite shocked at the amount of club runners cutting corners

    Great to see you there near the start. Hope your race went well. Tell Joe thanks for the super shout out. He's some supporter and looking good too.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,742 ✭✭✭ultraman1


    Not bad for an oul lad..


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,526 ✭✭✭Killerz


    Nice one Ferris! Great result, thanks to you and Fbot for the shout out as I brought the 2:15 crew home. Tough enough course.... glad I wasn't racing it myself!


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Killerz wrote: »
    Nice one Ferris! Great result, thanks to you and Fbot for the shout out as I brought the 2:15 crew home. Tough enough course.... glad I wasn't racing it myself!

    Cheers J.
    You just needed a pineapple with you today to complete your 'Man from Del Monte' look. Well done on pacing that one. Can't have been easy with the hills etc.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,457 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Still waiting for that race report, C.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    With apologies to Murph for my tardiness...

    Mon 4th August
    Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon.


    One of the reasons for doing this race was to see where I’m at pace wise at this stage in the marathon program for Berlin. I hadn’t raced a half marathon since the same event last year which was on an easier course where I finished in 1:28:02. I also just wanted another mid programme race to keep the mind focused and the legs challenged.

    I was on holidays in Croatia for the 2 weeks prior to the race and although the diet of beer and icecream wasn’t ideal, I did manage to complete majority of the training programme. So I really came into this race well rested, with no injuries and no excuses.

    The hm pace I’d been using in training was 6:30 min/m. My plan was to start out at this pace and while the course is essentially uphill, I hoped to hang on at this pace for long as I could. Although it would turn out that my garmin was off compared to the mile markers I would still use my watch as the initial pacing guide ie run according to Garmin miles.

    After a mile warm up around the Point Depot, I headed to the start area where I met Killerz and Digger who were pacing 2:15 and 3 hrs (some folk would do anything for free lurid green socks) before I headed off to take my position in a very crowded coral 1.

    Miles 1-3 (6:20, 6:25, 6:23)
    After a 3 minute delay we were off. There was plenty of hustle and bustle over the first mile as we only had half the road to run on and of course there were the usual groups of slow runners who started too far up the field. I met Marthastew during mile 1 and had a quick 'hello' before she told me to move on. My pace over ther first two miles was faster than planned and by mile 3 I was already breathing heavily and wondering had I just messed up my race. The hill up to Christchurch certainly didn’t help nor did the drag going up to the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham. As mentioned my garmin didn’t tally with the mile markers but I was happy to keep using the watch as an indication of pace. As posted earlier, I was quite surprised to spot a few of the runners and the very sharp edge cutting corners. I’d see plenty more of that later from other runners during the race which was annoying.

    Miles 4-6 ( 6:43, 6:34, 6:29)
    After my efforts over the first 3 miles I had a bit of a ‘rest’ over miles 4 and 5. Groups seemed to be forming and splitting all the time and I was constantly on the look out for a group to hang onto. I can recall few runners with Ennis Track singlets staying together with me just behind, but their little group soon dissolved. I was also close to a Raheny runner from about mile 3 that I’d forgotten about until I’d seen post race photos. Pace picked up a little bit as we decended into chapelizod where mile 6 took us into the park where the fun was about to start. Going through the park gates my watch had me at 6:29 ave pace (Garmin pace) just ahead of target but in ok condition. From this point till the finish I don’t recall being passed by any other runner but managed to pass out plenty. The steel band here was brilliant and really gave me a buzz. The hills in the park really strung out the runners and going up Acres Rd towards the turn for the Khyber Pass, there were large gaps in front and behind me. The Raheny runner gave a word of encouragement here and I asked him was he also trying to maintain 6:30 pace. He said his aim was just to ‘stay alive’ so I left it at that and moved on slightly.

    Miles 7-9 (6:37, 6:20, 6:31)
    Raheny runner rejoined me during mile 7, going down the Khyber and there was an English runner with us also. I did think if the 3 of us could hold the pace it would be good to have company coming up the long drag that is Chesterfield Ave. However heading up the hill towards Wellington monuement I may have injected a bit of pace and we lost the English Runner. So much for my plans. Then as we turned to go up Chesterfield, Raheny runner fell back a bit and I was on my own again. A lot of runners were falling back here and I found myself jumping from mini group to mini group trying to get some shelter from the slight headwind. I did get a nice shout out from some lady who said ‘I made it look so easy’ which was definitely a confidence boost. Inside I was suffering though. During mile 9, I spotted Claralara in a small group up ahead and wondered could I bridge the gap and managed to catch up. A quick ‘hello’ was muttered and I moved on.

    Miles 10 – 13.1 ( 6:32, 6:19, 6:37, 6:31, 5.44)
    Mrs B along with the kids and the dog and accompanied by FBOT01 were waiting at mile 10 and I got great shouts of encouragement. Yaboya1 was a little further up and he also gave a great shout. At this point I had stopped looking at the watch and just ran, picking off runners, one by one. I could sense some were pissed off ( I heard the groans) when an aul lad with a funny gait came wobbling past them and some tried to stay with me but gave up after a few yards. I wasn’t really speeding up though, I think they were just all slowing down. The hills, I suspect had taken a lot out of many of the runners. There was a sharp switch back turn from Upper Glen Rd to lwr Glen Rd (?) which was a bit of a pain but other than that the focus was on trying to maintain the effort. I’ve done a good few training runs in this area which definitely helped so there were no surprises.

    The rdbt at the top of Ordnance Rd was a welcome sight as that signalled the final stretch back down Chesterfield to the finish line. I was still passing runners here. About 400m from the finish I saw a group of three in front of me about 30m ahead and a spectator gave them a great shout. Then he turned to me and said ‘go catch them’ which I did with a little sprint before crossing the line in 1:26:19, a new PB by 1:43. After a few refreshments I did a gentle mile cd before being driven home.

    I was 160th overall and 13th in the M45s so I was pleased with that on what was a tough enough course in warmish conditions. My Garmin measured 13.35m which, even allowing for watch error suggested I wasn’t running the racing line correctly which is something I’ll have to keep an eye on. The time of course suggests I’m in good shape for Berlin. As it is still 8 weeks away though, I’m wary about making any predicitons at this stage as there’s a lot of running still to be done. McMillan has me at 3:01:39 but he’s always too optimistic, then again the course was tough. So there’s a few pros and cons to be taken into account.

    Regarding the race itself, my only gripe is the route direction with the finish line being so far from the start which has an impact on everyones travel arrangements and possibly loses some crowd support. Other than that and despite all the negative comments from some quarters, I found it to be a very well organised event and would probably do it again.


  • Registered Users Posts: 743 ✭✭✭Ferris B


    Tues 5th July
    4m; Pace 8:25


    Recovery run in the evening. Heavy legs

    Wed 6th July
    AM: 5.4m; Pace 8:53


    Another recovery run. Bit of a slog.

    PM: 5.3m; Pace 8:28

    Little bit more life in the legs in this evening’s recovery run

    Thurs 7th July
    Med- Long run; 0.6m + 15.4m; Pace 7:53


    Having answered an ad in the lonely hearts column …’Aul long legged culchie with dodgy gait and an interest in running seeks similar for company over 10 miles’ a blind date was set up for this morning. OK, I Iied about the long legs and the culchie bit. Anyway I met my date in Sandymount and it turned out to be none other than TbL.

    We headed along the coast towards Dun Laoghaire with a plan to turn after 5m. The whiff of Teddy’s ice cream cones was in the air though causing us to extend our run another 0.5m. After devouring a couple of 99’s we turned . In fairness, he’ s not that bitter after all and much chat bitching about other boardsies solving the problems of the world, we had 11m miles done in no time. Pace was supposed to be 8:30 ish but it ended up nearer to 8:00. Great to have company when the legs feel a bit tired.

    Having left my date, I headed for home and picked up the pace to 7:30ish for the last 4.5m.

    He wouldn’t give me his number but said he’d call me. Think I’ll be waiting.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,457 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Nice HM report, brilliant run. The hills didn't bother you too much!


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