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...ok so, seeing Career Move thinks this is log is in the log graveyard (she's not far wrong in fairness), I'll give an update!
The last month has been very higgledy piggledy - after 8 years I finished my old job and moved to another. The new one requires an extra 30 mins commute each way (35 mins vs. 5 mins cycle) but it's what I've been wanting to do (R&D), so I'm chuffed.
But finishing up the old job properly required me to put in a good few late nights to get stuff finished. That continued right up to the day I finished - I wasn't doing nothing; I kept up my tri club weekly coached swims (LOVING them - I've never been coached in person at anything before and I'm finding it brilliant; and there's even a danger of me becoming a swimmer in the not-too-distant future) and got a few runs and a couple of cycles in.
The following day I went to Berlin for 5 days with Dilbert Óg, whose band were playing in a stadium concert. I brought the running gear (the hotel was too cheap to have a gym or a pool) but 3 solid days on my feet, walking for hours, left me with a lot of lower-back pain and I didn't want to exacerbate it. Got home late on Monday night, day off Tuesday so I went to the gym and did some cycling. Tried running on the treadmill but back was still at me so baled. Club swim that night - more good stuff (though tough - never swam so much in an hour before!). Started work the next day
Was Sunday before I got a run in - 16k - then Tuesday for the club swim again. Gym Wednesday and a swim Saturday evening, working on counting strokes, maximising stroke length, stretching my arms out, etc.
Today then I was back to Portarlington, site of my marathon PB last year. This time it was the Gingerbread Man Half Marathon, run by the same team (Claude Burgundy from this parish) and on the same route as the half that went with the Marathon des Escargots. I ran the half this year but didn't PB; that was more a reflection on me than on the course. I'd stayed with the 1:30 pacer until about 13k and then the breeze ended up behind us and I just started to overheat. Finished in a shade over 1:33.
So today then - what's the plan? What's the target?
Gold: <1:30.
Silver: Make it further with the 1:30 pacer than last time before blowing up + PB (<1:32:46)
Bronze: Make it further with the 1:30 pacer than last time before blowing up
Met CM and Steroo (and Berroo!) before the start - and then lined up just ahead of Mrs. D with the 1:30 pacer (who, to his credit, deputised at the last minute for the absent 1:30 pacer, having originally agreed to pace 1:50). He did a great job because we set out and maintained a pretty even pace all the way around. Was feeling pretty good, though I'd some concerns about my calves tightening up from the start. Got to 10k with a nice little group - a couple pushed ahead and a couple slowly started to go out the back. Passed the point where I'd gotten dropped in July and was feeling pretty good. Got to 17k and was starting to struggle; I knew we'd about 20s in the bag at that stage and I was considering dropping 5s/km but wasn't going to risk a 1:30:01 finish if I could help it. 4km from the end though and I made a deliberate decision that, unless something serious happened, I wasn't slowing. Was pretty quiet at this stage but Mick (the pacer) gave good encouragement. Once we got to about 2km to go there was just me and one other with him - we three knew we were p.22, 23 & 24 at that stage, just not in what order. The other guy pushed ahead a few metres and I was happy to let him go: good for him. Another guy dropped behind us. I was falling a few metres back from Mick too but when we got to 1.5km to go I decided I was giving it everything. I started counting down the distance in terms of the (300m) running track at home - 5 laps, 4 laps, 3 laps, I CAN SEE THE ROOF OF THE GAA CLUBHOUSE, 2 laps, 1 lap.... Mick shouting encouragement "finish it out, make sure of it, go on!". Around the corner into the GAA grounds and 1:29:3X on the clock - arms up, crossed in 1:29:42. Deadly!:D
Data here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/964233015
P22/3550 -
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Sorry Dilbert I'm only catching up on everyones logs now after a wee break.
Double whammy for you, I'm absolutely delighted for you. Congrats on the new job and wow on the half PB, that's amazing. I'm os happy that you're seeing such amazing results from the training that you're doing
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Thanks! You too Dory! I'm hoping Santa might bring a massive kick up the ass and some targets....
Well he took away some excuses anyway. I now can't not run in the dark because I've a new head torch and I can't not measure my swim progress accurately because I've a shiny new swim watch.
Ran 5.5k in the mildering rain, cold and wind yesterday with Mrs. D - her 358th successive run this year.
Today one of the local clubs had their annual festive 5k funrun. Myself and Mrs. D brought the two littler D's. Mrs D ran with Little Miss D while I was to run with Master D. He took off at the start like $hit off a wet shovel - so much for running with me. I caught him at 2k and kept going. Finished in 19:58 and he in 20:51 (there's life in the old dog yet!). The girls finished in around 30mins.
Tomorrow Mrs. D is doing the EOI marathon in Howth. I'm torn between doing the half or staying in bed and running out to Howth to meet her at the end (about the same distance but I get an extra hour or more in bed, though I don't get to run those two laps with her....).0 -
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EOI Half Marathon, Howth
1:41:38 & 3rd place.
Edit: Mrs. D won the ladies' race. 3:33-odd.
Wow, well done C and massive congrats to Mrs. D, that's some going. I saw her pic on EOIs Facefriend page, was wondering if it was Mrs. D
So are ye holding off on the Christmas indulgence until tomorrow? how in the bejasus did ye run such brilliant times at this end of the holidays. Tell me yer secrets for being good? Cause my Christmas has been pure debauchery.0 -
So are ye holding off on the Christmas indulgence until tomorrow? how in the bejasus did ye run such brilliant times at this end of the holidays. Tell me yer secrets for being good? Cause my Christmas has been pure debauchery.
My secret is that I'm a very cheap date: I get so drunk so quickly on such a small amount of alcohol that my liver's capacity to deal with it far exceeds my brain's. So I can quite literally drink myself sit-in-the-corner-giggling-at-nothing silly and have no ill effects the next day. My other key secret is to not peak too early. Let's face it before November I'd achieved little of note so it was time to pull out the stops.
. You, on the other hand, have a solid year of work and achievement behind you so a little debauchery is well-earned. 0 -
My secret is that I'm a very cheap date: I get so drunk so quickly on such a small amount of alcohol that my liver's capacity to deal with it far exceeds my brain's. So I can quite literally drink myself sit-in-the-corner-giggling-at-nothing silly and have no ill effects the next day. My other key secret is to not peak too early. Let's face it before November I'd achieved little of note so it was time to pull out the stops.
Don't be so modest, you've done loads this year .... you just haven't logged it. I'm very jealous of you peaking at the end of the year though.
The debauchery hasn't been from drinking - I'm a cheap date too after my year of 95% sobriety in preparation for the Beast. I've made up for it in malteesers, apple pie, roses, chocolate, brussels sprouts and did I mention chocolate?0 -
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:eek::eek::eek:
(wtf???)
Unless these are genetically engineered to taste nothing like the little green cabbage heads we were all forced to choke down at the dinner table by our mothers when we were kids, used as leverage to extend the family meal before you'd be released from her culinary clutches and very bad choice in vegetable du jour, how could you sully that list of respectable debauchery-nes with....good god....BRUSSELS SPROUTS???? :eek:
Nom nom nom my favourite vege especially the little button ones from frozen, they're very sweet and delicious with some real butter melted and sea salt sprinkled on top.
I cooked a plate of them earlier and my mother laughed as I sat down to tuck into them and quickly reminded me that she couldn't for the life of her get me to eat anything green when I was a kidBizarre admission #2: I'm very partial to Brussels sprouts and the more al dente the better (within reason).
I kinda like them when they're cooked to death and very mushy and then I squish each one with my fork before I down them 0 -
I'm just going to pop this in here....I'm not saying I'm doing it and I'm not saying I'm not doing it but it looks like fun...
https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/1327
That looks really nice, nice distance and finishes at the pub .... the highest pub in Ireland. All that climbing will be worth it 0 -
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Final session of 2015 was a run with Mrs. D and the little D's on the 400m track in Enniscorthy; Slaney Olympic AC had 10 members also doing the kx365 challenge for 2015 and Wexford Marathon Club had relayed an open invitation to join them for the occasion. And it was really lovely - they seem to be a very supportive, enthusisatic & welcoming group. So we did 5.96km at a nice handy avg pace of 5:14/km & 133bpm.
For anyone who's interested, Mrs. D's stats for 2015 were as follows:- 4148.95kms (2590.76miles)
- 371 runs
- 348hrs 19 mins 15secs spent running
- 9 marathons (3x1st, 2x2nd, 1x4th)
- 3 half marathons
- 2 x 5mile races
- 1x 10mile race
- 3 x 10k races
- 1x Adventure Duathalon
- 1x 50k Sean Kelly cycle
- 1x 66.86k cycle with Barrow Wheelers
Quite an impressive tally, I'm sure most people will agree.
I've been looking back at my own 2015. OK so I:- squeaked a slightly better 5k PB
- brought down my HM PB.
- completed (but didn't compete in) a few decent ARs - Blackstairs 7-steps, Killarney 55k & 70k, Moxie 40k & SCAR 80k.
- completed my first 160km cycle, along with a couple of other decent cycle distances.
- completed my first open-water tri (in Lough Cutra) and finished in the top 25%.
- finally started doing something to improve my swimming, by joining the local Tri Club (thanks for the encouragement Oryx!)
The thing is this; I've been recording my plan vs. actual for swim, bike, run & core/gym and since August I completed just:
- 42.5% of my planned swim distance
- 15% of planned cycle distance
- 36.9% of my planned run distance
- 6.5% of my planned gym/core time.
On that basis, I've come to the inescapable conclusion that I've totally under-performed. It wasn't always that way; when I was just running I'd adopt a plan and stick to it religiously and (normally) get the results. Evidently I've one or both of two problems: unrealistic planning or really poor commitment. And it's not like I've a shortage of inspiration.
I firmly believe that you become the average of the 5 people you spend most time with. In sporting terms, the 5 biggest influences on me are Mrs. D and the TDAR super-hoochie quadrifoglio of Career Move, Oryx, Dory & Neady (the only 4 logs on Boards that I follow religiously). And considering the consistency and tenacity of all 5, you'd think that some of it would rub off on me. But no.
At this stage, contrary to my hopes, I'm a bit lost about what my 2016 goals are. Survival of the next two terms of club swim training has got to be one
. Seriously though, I hope to take on probably:
- 3 sprint triathlons (Loughrea, Hook + 1 other)
- maybe 3 ARs (probably Glendalough, Moxie + 1 other)
- maybe 1 marathon
- maybe 1 24hr navigation AR (if I can find a willing team).
In what order, I've no idea. Venues? Probably stick as much as possible to the south-east or Dublin area for the ones I've yet to decide on. But more importantly I've no idea how to set targets for each event.
I was hoping that, in writing this, I'd have an epiphany and my new year would all become clear. It hasn't. So answers on a postcard....
Meanwhile: happy 2016 everyone.:D0
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