Be still my beating heart

Ososlo

chickey2 wrote: »

You definitely seem to be suited to the long distances! 24 hour race next? It's perfect for insomniacs!

ha!

Exactly wrote: »

Great work A. Fair play to Frank. If you get a chance have a chat to him in Lusk. He has experience of both your goal races ;-)

You know EVERYBODY!

aero2k wrote: »

Jaysus isn't she mad enough without you giving her ideas..

Righto, time to 'fess up...

The goal race since last August has been Belfast 24 hour 2016. All roads -Staplestown, Lusk, Connemara - are leading to Belfast, my bucket-list race.
Wasn't going to say anything until after Connemara as I feared the reaction to be honest.... but seeing as it was mentioned! And my training will make more sense (as my loops get smaller:D) now. A handful of ye know about it already, so thanks for keeping schtum! All out in the open now!

Never looked forward to anything more if I'm honest. I'm going to put everything into the prep for this race and want to do well.

So there!

annapr

OMG! You are a certifiable mad woman!!!! Fair play to you. You seem to have so much resilience for the long distances, looking forward to seeing how you get on with it. Endless 4 mile loops.... Aaarghhhh

Firedance

annapr wrote: »

OMG! You are a certifiable mad woman!!!! Fair play to you. You seem to have so much resilience for the long distances, looking forward to seeing how you get on with it. Endless 4 mile loops.... Aaarghhhh

+ 1 to this! Especially the certifiable bit the best of luck with it though & as Anna said, looking forward to seeing it all unfold

RubyK

Ososlo wrote: »

thanks!
LSR won't go much beyond what I've been doing. Another mile or two maybe, but feeling pretty confident at this stage of being able to manage the distance without having to go too much further in training. Weekly mileage won't increase that much either. A lot depends on what I can personally fit in each week depending on how busy I am with other RL stuff.

RubyK, how's the marathon training going?

You seem extremely well prepared for the Ultra already!! High mileage seem to be second nature to you.

Marathon training going ok for me, 2nd 20m on the plan this weekend, so I'll be happy to get that done

aquinn

MAD, absolutely MAD, yet so happy. I'm confused.

All the very best.

#nuts

aquinn

MAD, absolutely MAD, yet so happy. I'm confused.

All the very best.

#nuts

Murph_D

Interesting. Definitely a different kind of challenge. You'll need to put together a good support team to look after you on the day. Best of luck with it.

chickey2

LOL I was only half joking when I said that. Very best of luck with it. You seem to be thriving on the the longer distances so with the proper training you'll do it.

Chivito550

Probably would have been best to keep it quiet to be honest. There is a danger now it could distract you from your more immediate goal of the Connemara Ultra. Already the conversation here has focused away from what appeared to be the goal, towards something else.

demfad

Chivito550 wrote: »

Probably would have been best to keep it quiet to be honest. There is a danger now it could distract you from your more immediate goal of the Connemara Ultra. Already the conversation here has focused away from what appeared to be the goal, towards something else.

Eh Yes...towards the actual goal.

Ososlo has been aware of this since August as she said...she didnt just find out about this recently.
Its big news and ofcourse the conversation will acknowledge that. People can see the Conn ultra and previous runs in the context of the long term goal now. Great stuff.
Also. There are people on this site with excellent experience of this type of race. No doubt, Ososlo will get the benefit of this too as time goes by.
She is taking to the long stuff very easily. Will be great to see how she progresses.

Firedance

hear hear ^^^^^

Chivito550

Firedance wrote: »

here here ^^^^^

?

Maximus Alexander

Chivito550 wrote: »

?

It's a term usually employed to express agreement with, or approval for, a statement.

Firedance

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

It's a term usually employed to express agreement with, or approval for, a statement.

thanks Max Chivtto is pointing out to the world that I spelled it incorrectly though, thanks Chivitto, much appreciated indeed

Chivito550

demfad wrote: »

Eh Yes...towards the actual goal.

Ososlo has been aware of this since August as she said...she didnt just find out about this recently.
Its big news and ofcourse the conversation will acknowledge that. People can see the Conn ultra and previous runs in the context of the long term goal now. Great stuff.
Also. There are people on this site with excellent experience of this type of race. No doubt, Ososlo will get the benefit of this too as time goes by.
She is taking to the long stuff very easily. Will be great to see how she progresses.

Yes, definitely putting in good mileage I agree, and I think will go well in Connemara (assuming it is raced properly, and is treated as a goal, rather than as training for something else). But the marathon runs are about 30 minutes slower than current ability, so one would assume this should be comfortable enough for somebody so experienced. In addition, the paces of pretty much every run are roughly the same, which all appear very comfortable. There doesn't seem to be any variation in pace, and little in the way of sessions. I'm not sure if this is a complete approach towards an ultra race, though maybe I'm wrong.

People saying that Ososlo is taking to the long stuff like a duck to water give the impression that she is more suited to this than the shorter distances. I would disagree. I believe there is considerable ability there which is not being used over these distances. Maybe the longer stuff suits more in that one might be able to get away with just comfortable running more than if training for a 10km or half marathon, but that would be a mind over matter thing, not an ability issue.

demfad

Chivito550 wrote: »

Yes, definitely putting in good mileage I agree, and I think will go well in Connemara (assuming it is raced properly, and is treated as a goal, rather than as training for something else). But the marathon runs are about 30 minutes slower than current ability, so one would assume this should be comfortable enough for somebody so experienced. In addition, the paces of pretty much every run are roughly the same, which all appear very comfortable. There doesn't seem to be any variation in pace, and little in the way of sessions. I'm not sure if this is a complete approach towards an ultra race, though maybe I'm wrong.

People saying that Ososlo is taking to the long stuff like a duck to water give the impression that she is more suited to this than the shorter distances. I would disagree. I believe there is considerable ability there which is not being used over these distances. Maybe the longer stuff suits more in that one might be able to get away with just comfortable running more than if training for a 10km or half marathon, but that would be a mind over matter thing, not an ability issue.

I don't think I'm seeing the training that you're seeing. Have you actually looked at her training properly? AFAICS she is also doing one hour Aerobic Threshold runs which is more or less a 1 hr run at 2hr race pace. Try it some time, see how comfortable you feel doing one.
She is also doing periodic aerobic strides sessions of 15-18 times 40s fast.
Also try doing a marathon as a training run. You wont like it, you wont take to it like a duck to water. Know why? It is because you are not suited to it. Your relative lack of slow twitch fibres would make the experience exceedingly unpleasant would it not? Apply this to Ososlo who loves the long stuff. What do you think now? Slow twitch or fast?
The marathon runs are actually at a relevant pace to Ultra's. Id assume you want to be teaching the body to burn fat at this distance. And then slowly improving strenght at that fat burning rate etc. etc
The big mileage at fat burning paces reinforces this adaption. Do you see now what running 10k-HM glygoen burning sessions might be a bad idea of youre going to be surviving on Fat alone come race day?

But the goal is clearly the 24 hr. Im no expert but I know from marathons that you need to prepare a long way out. For a 24 hr a lot longer way out.
Youve acknowledged that she is an experienced runner. She has tried and completed an array of sessions at all paces some of them wincingly tough indeed.

Youve also acknowledged that you dont know much about Ultra training. Could you comsider the possibility that you may be... wrong.... about Ososlo's training and maybe she is right?

Edit: Actually, your intial point was only that she should have stayed quiet about them. I dont know why you branched off to criticise her plans.

Chivito550

demfad wrote: »

I don't think I'm seeing the training that you're seeing. Have you actually looked at her training properly? AFAICS she is also doing one hour Aerobic Threshold runs which is more or less a 1 hr run at 2hr race pace. Try it some time, see how comfortable you feel doing one.
She is also doing periodic aerobic strides sessions of 15-18 times 40s fast.
Also try doing a marathon as a training run. You wont like it, you wont take to it like a duck to water. Know why? It is because you are not suited to it. Your relative lack of slow twitch fibres would make the experience exceedingly unpleasant would it not? Apply this to Ososlo who loves the long stuff. What do you think now? Slow twitch or fast?
The marathon runs are actually at a relevant pace to Ultra's. Id assume you want to be teaching the body to burn fat at this distance. And then slowly improving strenght at that fat burning rate etc. etc
The big mileage at fat burning paces reinforces this adaption. Do you see now what running 10k-HM glygoen burning sessions might be a bad idea of youre going to be surviving on Fat alone come race day?

But the goal is clearly the 24 hr. Im no expert but I know from marathons that you need to prepare a long way out. For a 24 hr a lot longer way out.
Youve acknowledged that she is an experienced runner. She has tried and completed an array of sessions at all paces some of them wincingly tough indeed.

Youve also acknowledged that you dont know much about Ultra training. Could you comsider the possibility that you may be... wrong.... about Ososlo's training and maybe she is right?

Edit: Actually, your intial point was only that she should have stayed quiet about them. I dont know why you branched off to criticise her plans.

Of course I could be wrong. And I believe I stated this:

I'm not sure if this is a complete approach towards an ultra race, though maybe I'm wrong.

I also didn't intend to criticise plans. I was bringing a different angle to the comments that people say that she is made for the long stuff. I happen to think she can be a good half marathon and marathon runner, and was trying to illustrate my point (not well clearly!), and it's a pity that she is effectively giving up on this by running a 24 hour race (I'm sure she'll still run these distances, but not to the best of her ability if the focus is 24 hour).

Anyway, regarding the training, it was just an observation regarding a lack of variation between paces of runs. I've never seen same pacing on other logs to this degree. Maybe this is the approach for a 24 hour race, I have no idea. It doesn't strike me as a common approach for a short ultra though. The only real variation I have seen is the 2 hour race pace sessions, which aren't drastically faster than easy pace, and the occasional 40 second strides, which no times and paces are recorded. This is not a criticism, but more that I believe there is much more there at the shorter distances if she does the appropriate work. I very doubt she's a genetic freak who is made for extreme ultras. I have no doubt she could excel from 10k up if she wants to.

Anyway, I won't derail any further. I think advice should be welcomed on logs. It doesn't need to be followed. I've ignored plenty of advice on my log, and am glad I did!

demfad

Chivito550 wrote: »

I was bringing a different angle to the comments that people say that she is made for the long stuff. .........I think advice should be welcomed on logs. It doesn't need to be followed. I've ignored plenty of advice on my log, and am glad I did!

The angle you brought was that Ososlo should not have told readers her A race because it might distract from her B race.

Chivito when I saw that you had commented on this log and truthfully before I even opened to look: I would have bet my house, car, anything that your comment was negative. You may not give a rats rear what people think of what you write on this forum. But in your position surely you should be trying for quality. You can do better than your initial comment here. Show us some of the good stuff.

Chivito550

demfad wrote: »

The angle you brought was that Ososlo should not have told readers her A race because it might distract from her B race.

Chivito when I saw that you had commented on this log and truthfully before I even opened to look: I would have bet my house, car, anything that your comment was negative. You may not give a rats rear what people think of what you write on this forum. But in your position surely you should be trying for quality. You can do better than your initial comment here. Show us some of the good stuff.

A real pity you had to get personal with your comment.

Seems like only congratulatory comments are welcome here so. I prefer to keep such sentiments for race performances, or a key session performed well. I'll get my coat so.

ultrapercy

I think it's important in running and in life, to pursue what really inspires and excites you and maybe what scares you a little. As regards ultra I don't think it's necessary to run marathons and halfs just to serve some sort of imaginary apprentiship. Ultra seem to stoke your fire so go for it.
Two opinions I will venture,
1. I think you should do more long intervals at between half and full marathon pace eg 3 x 5k. That pace is good conditioning work for every long distance race.
2. Be prepared for the mental hangover after the 24 hour race. As someone who has expressed difficulties with mental health issues(which everyone has to some degree) and insomnia, I think 24 hours will take its toll on you. I never ran for longer than 8 hours myself but some runners I spoke to said it can take as long as 3 months to get a proper sleep pattern again. This will obviously impact your physical recovery but also your mental health. I say this not to diswade you but rather to forearm you. If you want the goal enough the pain will be worth it but it's also good to be aware of what might be coming. Of course everyone is different and it may not impact you at all, only one way to find out. Best of luck, I'm looking forward to following your progress in the months ahead.

aero2k

ultrapercy wrote: »

I think it's important in running and in life, to pursue what really inspires and excites you and maybe what scares you a little. As regards ultra I don't think it's necessary to run marathons and halfs just to serve some sort of imaginary apprentiship. Ultra seem to stoke your fire so go for it.
Two opinions I will venture,
1. I think you should do more long intervals at between half and full marathon pace eg 3 x 5k. That pace is good conditioning work for every long distance race.
2. Be prepared for the mental hangover after the 24 hour race. As someone who has expressed difficulties with mental health issues(which everyone has to some degree) and insomnia, I think 24 hours will take its toll on you. I never ran for longer than 8 hours myself but some runners I spoke to said it can take as long as 3 months to get a proper sleep pattern again. This will obviously impact your physical recovery but also your mental health. I say this not to diswade you but rather to forearm you. If you want the goal enough the pain will be worth it but it's also good to be aware of what might be coming. Of course everyone is different and it may not impact you at all, only one way to find out. Best of luck, I'm looking forward to following your progress in the months ahead.

I think the bit in bold is wonderful advice for life in general - easier said than done but well worth aiming for.

Just to try to give some practical advice and maybe a slightly different perspective: I participated in a 24 hr. relay bike race back in '03 when I was 38. We did get an opportunity to take short naps in the support van but I didn't really sleep, so I was awake for probably 36 hrs. I was only actually competing for about 5 hours so the physical toll would be significantly less, but I can't recall any major sleep difficulties in the weeks and months afterwards.

I've seen the importance of a good back-up crew mentioned elsewhere and I'd second that. We had two vans and 5 crew for a 5-man team so all the cyclists had to do was eat, drink, rest and pedal. If you can get yourself a set-up where all you have to think about during the event is putting one foot in front of the other, that should serve you well.

Best of luck!

Ososlo

RubyK wrote: »

Marathon training going ok for me, 2nd 20m on the plan this weekend, so I'll be happy to get that done

Good news RubyK. Hope that goes well for you. Pity you don't have a log as I'd be interested in seeing your training. You on Strava?
Sub 3:30 this year?

Ososlo

Chivito550 wrote: »

People saying that Ososlo is taking to the long stuff like a duck to water give the impression that she is more suited to this than the shorter distances. I would disagree. I believe there is considerable ability there which is not being used over these distances. Maybe the longer stuff suits more in that one might be able to get away with just comfortable running more than if training for a 10km or half marathon, but that would be a mind over matter thing, not an ability issue.

Thanks! That's interesting to hear from you. I'll be getting back to the shorter stuff eventually and agree that I can make a lot more progress there.

Ososlo

Chivito550 wrote: »

I also didn't intend to criticise plans. I was bringing a different angle to the comments that people say that she is made for the long stuff. I happen to think she can be a good half marathon and marathon runner, and was trying to illustrate my point (not well clearly!), and it's a pity that she is effectively giving up on this by running a 24 hour race (I'm sure she'll still run these distances, but not to the best of her ability if the focus is 24 hour).

Again, thanks.
However, I'm not giving up on doing justice to the half and marathon distances. Far from it. I'm just taking a different path for the first half of this year. I agree that I probably won't run DCM to the best of my ability this year, as it'll probably take me some time to recover fully from the 24 hour and build the training back up, but I wouldn't rule out a spring marathon next year and maybe focus my effort on that.
But for the moment, Belfast 24 hour is complete focus and the main goal.

Chivito550 wrote: »

Anyway, regarding the training, it was just an observation regarding a lack of variation between paces of runs.I've never seen same pacing on other logs to this degree. Maybe this is the approach for a 24 hour race, I have no idea. It doesn't strike me as a common approach for a short ultra though. The only real variation I have seen is the 2 hour race pace sessions, which aren't drastically faster than easy pace, and the occasional 40 second strides, which no times and paces are recorded. This is not a criticism, but more that I believe there is much more there at the shorter distances if she does the appropriate work. I very doubt she's a genetic freak who is made for extreme ultras. I have no doubt she could excel from 10k up if she wants to.

My easy pace varies from 9:40ish - 10:20ish pace (depending on tiredness etc) so believe me, AT sessions at 8:20-8:30 (done by effort - fast but relaxed) is a tough enough effort for me. It'd be a bit slower than my half marathon effort but not a lot! I'm working hard for a full hour for these sessions and usually feel a lot more tired after them than a do after the very long runs!
I was also doing a weekly strides session - 3 x 6 x 40 secs at 1 mile effort, however, we decided after looking closely at the recovery from the long runs, that it'd be better not to do this session the week immediately after the long long run. I had a bit of groin tightness after the first few long runs so we felt that a fast session on top of this, was a bit too much 3 days after the long run. Recovery is now the sole focus for the days after the long run and I now allow myself 5 days of easy running before doing anything faster again. So the strides session is now done every 2 weeks. Outside of that, yes it's all easy miles with the odd marathon race thrown in to spice things up and for race experience to practice fuelling and running with people etc.

Chivito550 wrote: »

Anyway, I won't derail any further. I think advice should be welcomed on logs. It doesn't need to be followed. I've ignored plenty of advice on my log, and am glad I did!

Your advice is welcome as is all advice. I don't think I ever said it wasn't. Between me and my coach we'll decide what to take on board and what not to.

Ososlo

Chivito550 wrote: »

A real pity you had to get personal with your comment.

Seems like only congratulatory comments are welcome here so. I prefer to keep such sentiments for race performances, or a key session performed well. I'll get my coat so.

This kind of comment really pisses me off. It's a bit condescending to me to be honest. Everyone is entitled to comment how they want on my training or anything that's written on this log and it'll all be considered. I have no problem with anyone questioning anything I do.

So take the coat back off...

Chivito550

Ososlo wrote: »

This kind of comment really pisses me off. It's a bit condescending to me to be honest. Everyone is entitled to comment how they want on my training or anything that's written on this log and it'll all be considered. I have no problem with anyone questioning anything I do.

So take the coat back off...

Actually I wasn't referring to you at all. I suspected you would take the advice in the spirit it was intended. It's everyone else who posts on this log regularly I was referring to, hence why I was berated for saying something to the contrary (many posts have been deleted now).

Ososlo

ultrapercy wrote: »

I think it's important in running and in life, to pursue what really inspires and excites you and maybe what scares you a little. As regards ultra I don't think it's necessary to run marathons and halfs just to serve some sort of imaginary apprentiship. Ultra seem to stoke your fire so go for it.
Two opinions I will venture,
1. I think you should do more long intervals at between half and full marathon pace eg 3 x 5k. That pace is good conditioning work for every long distance race.
2. Be prepared for the mental hangover after the 24 hour race. As someone who has expressed difficulties with mental health issues(which everyone has to some degree) and insomnia, I think 24 hours will take its toll on you. I never ran for longer than 8 hours myself but some runners I spoke to said it can take as long as 3 months to get a proper sleep pattern again. This will obviously impact your physical recovery but also your mental health. I say this not to diswade you but rather to forearm you. If you want the goal enough the pain will be worth it but it's also good to be aware of what might be coming. Of course everyone is different and it may not impact you at all, only one way to find out. Best of luck, I'm looking forward to following your progress in the months ahead.

Thanks for the session suggestion. Might be an interesting way to vary things a bit instead of the AT session even.

Interesting points about the mental hangover. Hadn't thought about afterwards at all really! Well I had thought about the physical aftermath but not the mental one! Not a lot I can do except see what happens! But yes, it's good to be forewarned! I had really only considered the mental challenges on the day/night itself!

What was the 8 hour race you did btw?

Ososlo

aero2k wrote: »

I think the bit in bold is wonderful advice for life in general - easier said than done but well worth aiming for.

Just to try to give some practical advice and maybe a slightly different perspective: I participated in a 24 hr. relay bike race back in '03 when I was 38. We did get an opportunity to take short naps in the support van but I didn't really sleep, so I was awake for probably 36 hrs. I was only actually competing for about 5 hours so the physical toll would be significantly less, but I can't recall any major sleep difficulties in the weeks and months afterwards.

I've seen the importance of a good back-up crew mentioned elsewhere and I'd second that. We had two vans and 5 crew for a 5-man team so all the cyclists had to do was eat, drink, rest and pedal. If you can get yourself a set-up where all you have to think about during the event is putting one foot in front of the other, that should serve you well.

Best of luck!

Great advice.
Yes the plan is to have 2 teams of 2 people to take turns helping me out (so they get a break too as it can't be an easy job either!). I'm very lucky in so far as I have people who are very supportive and willing to do whatever it takes to help me out on the day/night. Planning and preparation will half the battle I think!

Ososlo

demfad wrote: »

Youve acknowledged that she is an experienced runner. She has tried and completed an array of sessions at all paces some of them wincingly tough indeed.

I must say that brought a smile to my face! I've definitely never been described as that before!
But I guess I do have 4 years of very consistent running under my belt since Couch to 5k!

ultrapercy

Ososlo wrote: »

Thanks for the session suggestion. Might be an interesting way to vary things a bit instead of the AT session even.

Interesting points about the mental hangover. Hadn't thought about afterwards at all really! Well I had thought about the physical aftermath but not the mental one! Not a lot I can do except see what happens! But yes, it's good to be forewarned! I had really only considered the mental challenges on the day/night itself!

What was the 8 hour race you did btw?

It was a 100k that went horribly wrong and I do mean horribly. The thing about ultra races is that when they go well they are much the same as any race but when they go wrong they are brutal. When I look back I don't even get much satisfaction that I finished I should have just pulled out. I ran 3 other 100k races that went well, one that went very well and I wouldn't rate them any harder than a good marathon. Planning is everything, gear nutrition, mental tactics for when things get really tough and crew are all very important considerations.I am not an expert on 24 hour races and I think you should consult Enduro and Thomas who are a mine of useful information on the dicipline.

Chivito550

ultrapercy wrote: »

I think you should consult Enduro and Thomas who are a mine of useful information on the dicipline.

A big +1 to this. They will be able to give far better advice than anybody else you know here, and ,I suspect, anyone you know in real life too.

RubyK

Ososlo wrote: »

Good news RubyK. Hope that goes well for you. Pity you don't have a log as I'd be interested in seeing your training. You on Strava?
Sub 3:30 this year?

Cheers Ososlo No sub 3.30 - on a sub 3.39 plan, and hoping for the best! I was thinking of dusting off the log, but Strava is handy for keeping track of the miles.

Enjoying your log, keep up the great work

Ososlo

RubyK wrote: »

Cheers Ososlo No sub 3.30 - on a sub 3.39 plan, and hoping for the best! I was thinking of dusting off the log, but Strava is handy for keeping track of the miles.

Enjoying your log, keep up the great work

Great stuff. Be great if you did get the log back up and running but Strava is a lot less work for sure!

Best of everything with the training and the goal! Excited to see how you'll do.

TFBubendorfer

ultrapercy wrote: »

2. Be prepared for the mental hangover after the 24 hour race. As someone who has expressed difficulties with mental health issues(which everyone has to some degree) and insomnia, I think 24 hours will take its toll on you. I never ran for longer than 8 hours myself but some runners I spoke to said it can take as long as 3 months to get a proper sleep pattern again. This will obviously impact your physical recovery but also your mental health.

Obviously I cannot predict what her reaction to the 24 hours will be but speaking from my own personal experience, physical recovery from a 24 hours race can and will take about 3-4 months but I've never had any "mental hangovers". In fact, I've rarely ever slept as well as in the weeks after my 24 hour races. I can attest to some mood swings but I wouldn't call than an impact on my mental health.

Admittedly, I've never had a bad 24 hours race yet.

I've always had another goal to look forward to even after a 24 hours race, which I'm sure helped keeping the post-race blues at bay.

Ososlo

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Obviously I cannot predict what her reaction to the 24 hours will be but speaking from my own personal experience, physical recovery from a 24 hours race can and will take about 3-4 months but I've never had any "mental hangovers". In fact, I've rarely ever slept as well as in the weeks after my 24 hour races. I can attest to some mood swings but I wouldn't call than an impact on my mental health.

Admittedly, I've never had a bad 24 hours race yet.

I've always had another goal to look forward to even after a 24 hours race, which I'm sure helped keeping the post-race blues at bay.

Good to hear that!

Just to warn you, I shall be bending your ear in the coming months Thomas! A lot!

aero2k

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Obviously I cannot predict what her reaction to the 24 hours will be but speaking from my own personal experience, physical recovery from a 24 hours race can and will take about 3-4 months but I've never had any "mental hangovers". In fact, I've rarely ever slept as well as in the weeks after my 24 hour races. I can attest to some mood swings but I wouldn't call than an impact on my mental health.

Admittedly, I've never had a bad 24 hours race yet.

I've always had another goal to look forward to even after a 24 hours race, which I'm sure helped keeping the post-race blues at bay.

I suspect the bit in bold is very important. Speaking from recent personal experience, I've had noticeable lack of motivation in the aftermath of DCM '15, and this has leaked out into other areas of life. I'm not short of things I want to achieve in the coming months and years, however they're not so simple to transfer into time based goals and the path to reaching them is not very clear.

That's the lovely thing about running, it may not be easy at times, but it can always be kept simple.

I'm sure Thomas will have loads of advice - you can't beat experience - but a definite post-Belfast goal will help prevent the hangover. (Hangovers are easier prevented than cured - but you know that already, don't you:D)

Dubgal72

Just catching up here. I am not totally surprised and I think you are finally slotting into your niche. The evidence has been there for yonks, you only have to click randomly on any page of this log. You love to run. And run. And run...And run! Follow your heart, but you know this

Ososlo

Monday 8 February
35 mins easy @ 10:01
I couldn't believe how good the legs & co. felt this morning after the 30 mile run the previous day. This is the best I've ever felt after a lsr. A very minor bit of achiness but nothing to speak of at all. I think my muscles are really starting to adapt to the pounding of roads on the very long stuff. I could have run a lot more today but had some family stuff to deal with and just about managed to get out for a few mins before darkness set in. Hilly loop near my parents' house. Nice!

Tuesday 9 February
A morning spent driving to Waterford and hanging out in the hospital and back to KK, and then a drive back to Dublin after lunch so no time for 2 runs today. Stopped off in Phoenix Park on the way home. Weather was turning so fairly sleety and windy for this. Legs feeling great. Breathing a bit laboured so kept it super easy but did do the hilly bits in the park as I'm conscious I need to do more of these kinds of routes in prep for Connemara.
10.6 miles easy @ 10:01

Wednesday 10 February
am: 5.7 miles easy @ 10:26
Way too slippy for me. Mainly on grass. Did I mention before that I hate running on frosty/icy paths?
pm: 6 miles easy @ 9:41
That's better!

Thursday 11 February
Run from work with backpack. Left a lot of stuff in work on the advice of dr.quirky on Strava (yes you read that right) as backpack was WAY too heavy yesterday and could lead to back problems if I'm not careful. Felt a bit 'odd' (light-headed) when I got back to the car so just decided to add on just one extra loop and not do the intended 10 miler.
7 miles easy @ 10:01

Friday 12 Feburay
Felt fantastic this evening. Could have run and run and run.
10 miles easy @ 9:44

Saturday 13 February
Had one of the best sleeps I can ever remember. Head hit the pillow at 12.30. Read for a few mins and fell asleep with the book in my hand and next time I opened my eyes it was 9am. My body didn't know what had hit it with that kind of sleep. And it was completely interrupted!!!! Strangely, I felt very tired on this run. Weird. Just really lacking in energy. I've noticed before that when I sleep well I feel a bit tired and weak early the next day. Dunna understand it...
am: 6 miles easy@ 10:09
pm: 7.5 miles easy @ 9:42
Felt like a different person on the evening run. Felt like I was effortlessly, and lightly skimming the pavements with ease and grace compared to the sluggish morning run. Much faster for same effort. Weird...

Sunday 14 February
3 w/u, 7@AT, 3 c/d
Woke up at 7 this morning with severe stomach pain. If it had been the right hand side I would've gone to A&E with suspected appendicitis but dr. google told me it was nothing to worry about and probably just trapped wind. I did take a painkiller going to bed as my neck was very sore and remember getting a similar pain to this before after taking a pain killer, but never this severe. I couldn't walk all morning, let alone run. Thought I was a gonner there for a while - wrenched cruelly away from this mortal coil at the beginnings of a wonderful ultra running career:pac:
Eventually started to feel better about lunchtime. Really didn't think I'd be able to do the session at all, but decided to give it a lash but willing to pull the plug if necessary. Didn't go to the Phoenix Park as planned so I could be close to home if not feeling well.
I found it tricky enough to get into it today as is evident from the paces for the first few AT miles but once I did get into it I felt fine until I got a severe stitch about 5 miles in. By the end of the 6th mile I just had to stop as it wouldn't go away with normal techniques I use to get rid. It went away completely with about 20 seconds of complete rest and deep forceful breathing and I managed to finish the session strong. Wind was a biatch today. Can't wait for a day when I can give this session a good old lash in pleasant conditions. Got even worse stitches on the cooldown miles and had to stop a few times again. Not ideal but what ya gonna do?
W/U: 10:18 9:41 9:38
AT: 8:48 8:49 8:33 8:25 8:27 8:19 8:12 avg: 8:32
C/D: 9:32 9:32 9:32
13.3 miles @ 9:06

Weekly total: 70 miles

Looking forward to a speedier speed session mid-week and just have to cover marathon-ish distance at the weekend!

Firedance

Ososlo wrote: »

and just have to cover marathon-ish distance at the weekend!

'just'

glad you're feeling better though. I'd have gone and done the session too...

Ososlo

aero2k wrote: »

I suspect the bit in bold is very important. Speaking from recent personal experience, I've had noticeable lack of motivation in the aftermath of DCM '15, and this has leaked out into other areas of life. I'm not short of things I want to achieve in the coming months and years, however they're not so simple to transfer into time based goals and the path to reaching them is not very clear.

That's the lovely thing about running, it may not be easy at times, but it can always be kept simple.

I'm sure Thomas will have loads of advice - you can't beat experience - but a definite post-Belfast goal will help prevent the hangover. (Hangovers are easier prevented than cured - but you know that already, don't you:D)

Really hope you get the mojo back soon.

Post Belfast goal all sorted! DCM!!! If I can walk, or hopefully run by then!

Ososlo

Firedance wrote: »

'just'

glad you're feeling better though. I'd have gone and done the session too...

ha ha. It's a mindset thing. I have to start thinking that 26.2 is no big deal as it's a long way further to 39.3, and an awful long way further to what I hope to run in Belfast!!!!!

Feel great today thanks!

TFBubendorfer

Ososlo wrote: »

ha ha. It's a mindset thing. I have to start thinking that 26.2 is no big deal as it's a long way further to 39.3, and an awful long way further to what I hope to run in Belfast!!!!!

200k/124 miles would get you into the world championship team, which incidentally will be held on the same course in 2017.

No pressure then

That aside, you are right, the marathon won't ever be the same again, even after Connemara. 26.2 miles becomes just another arbitrary distance, and not even a particularly long one.

Ososlo

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

200k/124 miles would get you into the world championship team, which incidentally will be held on the same course in 2017.

No pressure then

That aside, you are right, the marathon won't ever be the same again, even after Connemara. 26.2 miles becomes just another arbitrary distance, and not even a particularly long one.

Lol no pressure then One can always dream!

Your blog is now saved in my favourites. Well done on the top 100 blogs btw!
It's a mine of information and I'm going through your Connemara and 24 hour race reports with a fine tooth-comb. Invaluable stuff in there. For anyone who might not be aware of it here's the link: http://rubbishrunner.blogspot.ie

Interesting to see you started from fairly humble beginnings yourself, so heartening to see what can be accomplished with years of hard work and dedication.

Ososlo

Monday 15 February
Felt very tired this morning as was wired all night and couldn't settle until about 4am and had to get up at 8. Found myself with time on my hands mid-morning so headed to the beach in Portmarnock. It's ages since I was there and even though the breeze was very strong, I really enjoyed my recovery run in different surroundings to usual.
am: 6 miles recovery @ 10:19
pm: 7 miles easy @ 9:48
Felt so good this evening. Great rhythm to my step and everything in sync. Lovely!

Tuesday 16 February
5 easy @ 10:14
Mainly into a very strong wind but still, felt very slow and sluggish.
Was gonna go out again in the evening but decided to try and cook dinner instead. Now I have been blessed with many talents, however cooking is certainly not one of them, but I am trying to make more of a concerted effort to do it more often.
It went fairly well despite cutting my finger, letting a pyrix dish on a high shelf come crashing onto the floor (narrowly missing my head) and banging my shin off the oven door. The end result did taste quite nice though but I'm still a bit traumatised from the whole experience. Domestic goddess NOT!
Thank the gods for deliveroo.com !

Wednesday 17 February
3 x 6 x 40 sec off jog back rec & 6 mins @ 3-5k
This was one of the bestestest and most memorable speed session I've ever done. It's been way too long since I've done any real speedwork and I haven't moved faster than sub 8min/mile since the 5k I did on 28 December so didn't expect much. Well it couldn't have gone better.
I headed for that lovely long flat stretch at the bottom of the football pitches in the Phoenix Park which is generally lovely and quiet so no interruption to the session thankfully. I timed the first 40 second rep and once I had my marker, I just ran fast and relaxed and didn't look at the watch but did record the laps on the watch.
It was just brilliant! I have never run this fast in my life before. I've only ever recorded sub 6 min pace twice before on short reps and today I did 17 x 40 sec reps under 6min/mile! I was on fire! Unstoppable! I didn't even feel out of breath after each rep and couldn't wait for the next one.
The results still astound me!!! I know the reps are in reality WAY faster than my real mile effort and I'm also very aware that Garmin and Strava aren't that accurate for short reps like this, but if they're anywhere near the splits below in reality, then I'm over the bloody moon with them.
Paces:
w/u: 9:40, 9:41, 9:33, 8:42
Set 1: 5:58 5:35 5:46 5:26 5:34 5:59, 3 mins jog
Set 2: 5:51 5:51 5:36 5:42 5:44 5:39, 3 mins jog
Set 3: 5:39 5:55 5:55 5:57 6:13 5:33, 5 min jog
1 mile @ 9:27
5 mins @ 7:18
c/d: 9:18, 8:46

Delighted too to see that the recoveries were all at a decent pace - 10ish min/mile as opposed to the usual walking pace they'd normally be and the jog back recoveries were all well under 1min30secs each. Don't really know where that came from but I was absolutely walking on air after it.
12.5 miles @ 8:50

Thursday 18 February
8.7 miles recovery @ 9:37
Had zero sleep the night of the session:rolleyes:, so was very tired in work all day, but very happy to see it didn't bother me at all during my run. I think the fact that I am used to functioning quite well without sleep will stand to me in Belfast.
Quads a teeny bit sore during this probably from Wednesday's session, but I started out at snail's pace and all felt ticketyboo by the time I finished. Still can't believe I ran that fast yesterday!

Friday 19 February
I'm doing some Intermittent Fasting (IF) in order to teach my body to burn fat, in preparation for running for 24 hours in Belfast, so will be fasting every 10 days or so for 24 hours, *only if and when I'm feeling healthy and strong, and never on the days of harder workouts or long runs, just on easy days*.
I fasted for 16 hours last week without any problems so this week I challenged myself to fast for 24 hours. I ate my last meal on Thursady at 8pm and didn't eat until 8pm Friday.
I found the fast fine really. I drank a lot of green tea and water in work all day to take my mind off food but it didn't bother me too much really.
The run went very well in the evening, but I did keep it at recovery effort in case I suddenly felt lacking in energy. I had plenty of energy but I did feel a bit of DOMS from Wednesday's workout so kept it as easy as possible. Had my dinner when I got back at 8pm and it didn't take much to fill me. Between regular fasting and run-muting, I'll save a fortune on food and transport!
6 miles recovery @ 10:16

Saturday 20 February
6 miles easy @ 10ish pace
Garmin acting up yet again so it only recorded 5 miles and kept freezing.
pm: 3 miles easy
Problems with watch as above.
Did a hard reset and it seems fine now.

Sunday 21 February
Today was supposed to have been 4-ish hour long slow run, but looking at the amount of work I've covered over the last few weeks, and considering the marathon training run in Lusk next Saturday, my coach decided that I needed a bit of a step back week, so we decided to drop the lsr today. He also thought it a good idea to have a few extra easy days in order to let the adaptations take place from the speed session on Wednesday. I was a bit disappointed not to do this as I had been psyched up for it during the week, but looking at the bigger picture, I've done loads lately so no harm to take things easy for a bit. I know I have a tendency to want to do too much, so I'm very grateful that I have someone to tell me to take a step back from it all every now and again and to gain some perspective. I also have a lot of real life stuff to catch up with right now, so instead of doing a few paltry miles for the sake of it, I decided to rest from running completely today.

52 miles weekly total

Looking forward to Lusk now on Saturday. It'll be done at long slow run effort, just like Staplestown, so no pb chasing. It's just some practice at running in a race environment and I will nail down my outfit and fuelling etc for Connemara, as it'll probably be the last race I'll partake in prior to Conn.

Chivito550

Good work with the speed work. Try doing them on a track if you can as you'll get a better idea of how fast you're going. 200m in just under 45 seconds is 6 minute mileing. 200 reps with jog around recovery.

Firedance

That's great work on the speed A, I can feel your joy bouncing off the page Nice to give the body a different challenge too.

Interestingly, I notice that I sleep less well (waking during the night) after a session, I don't think its over-training (I see career move is talking similarly on her log) but rather a ton of endorphins floating around after a great run. I could be completely wrong though!

aero2k

Firedance wrote: »

That's great work on the speed A, I can feel your joy bouncing off the page Nice to give the body a different challenge too.

Interestingly, I notice that I sleep less well (waking during the night) after a session, I don't think its over-training (I see career move is talking similarly on her log) but rather a ton of endorphins floating around after a great run. I could be completely wrong though!

+1^.

Back in the days when I used to sleep well most of the time, I was always wired the night after a race or intense session. Definitely endorphins! Overtraining would have a sort of drained feeling which is quite different, and definitely have nothing like the pure joy expressed by O above.

Ososlo

Chivito550 wrote: »

Good work with the speed work. Try doing them on a track if you can as you'll get a better idea of how fast you're going. 200m in just under 45 seconds is 6 minute mileing. 200 reps with jog around recovery.

Thanks! Not a bad idea at all to take it to the track some day to get a more accurate idea of pace.

Firedance wrote: »

That's great work on the speed A, I can feel your joy bouncing off the page Nice to give the body a different challenge too.

Interestingly, I notice that I sleep less well (waking during the night) after a session, I don't think its over-training (I see career move is talking similarly on her log) but rather a ton of endorphins floating around after a great run. I could be completely wrong though!

aero2k wrote: »

+1^.

Back in the days when I used to sleep well most of the time, I was always wired the night after a race or intense session. Definitely endorphins! Overtraining would have a sort of drained feeling which is quite different, and definitely have nothing like the pure joy expressed by O above.

Hey. The sleep thing definitely has nothing to do with over-training for me. At the best of times it's dire and always has been (before and since my running life), but I do find it extra hard to relax and settle when I've done a very long run or harder workout as I just feel wired.
I try not to stress about it though and just kind of accept it now and look at the positives that my body is still getting a good rest even if my mind isn't.

denis b

Ososlo wrote: »

I do find it extra hard to relax and settle when I've done a very long run or harder workout as I just feel wired.
I try not to stress about it though and just kind of accept it now and look at the positives that my body is still getting a good rest even if my mind isn't.

A huge plus 1 to your approach Ososlo. I think it helps to break the cycle.

RedRunner

OMG!...I've been away from this log too long!
The 24hr is the perfect challenge for you A IMO.
Good luck with everything.:-)