Run run run run run run run....

jebuz

^ Thanks for the kind words TbL, it's really great to be back running and enjoying it again. As always, a spell out really gives you a sense of appreciation when you're fit, healthy and able to run every day.

Monday 25/05 - 70 mins @ 7:43 min/mile
Headed out straight after work, the body a little tired today but took it very handy. I really should have chosen a slightly flatter route, the hills did not help my cause. Gym at lunch for core + weights.

Tuesday 26/05 - 8 x 400m track session
Well, first track session in....I really don't know, but a very long time. Very small crowd on the track this evening with the John Buckley 5k at 8pm drawing in most of Corks runners. 20 minutes warm up then I started with the 80 second group to feel my way into it and see how I progressed. I felt really good from the off, nice and relaxed and finishing just ahead of the group in 77 seconds. Myself and another guy left the group and decided to aim for 75s for the remainder of the session. The recovery was a 400m lap (about 120 seconds) and I found them quite manageable overall, hitting the target while still working hard. Pretty happy to keep the remaining reps all consistent around 74/5 but really started feeling the heat in the last couple. I'm pretty happy with that session and hope to see myself progressing those reps down to low 70's over the next few months, hopefully the 5k time will follow suit. Nice 20 min cooldown and that's a pretty good return to the track!

Splits: 77, 75, 73, 74, 75, 74, 74, 74

jebuz

Wednesday 27/05 - 13 miles

AM: 6 miles @ 8:02 min/mile

PM: 7 miles @ 7:38 min/mile

Thursday 28/05 - 10+ miles with 25 min track tempo
First track tempo in a while so capped it at 25 mins. Felt ok I suppose, working slightly harder than expected for the effort but happy to get 4+ miles in @ 5:51 min/mile pace.

Friday 29/05 - 7.5 miles @ 7:48 min/mile

Saturday 30/05 - 13 miles @ 7:07 min/mile
With a wedding to head to on the same day I knew that chances of getting this done comfortably tomorrow were slim so I got the long run in today. Up early at 7am and straight out the door. The city was empty and a lovely calm morning before the rain arrived, enjoyed this one. Picked it up to 6:20 min/mile pace for 2 miles in the middle. Overall the body is a bit tired and felt it today, will be glad of the rest tomorrow.

Sunday 31/05 - 6.3 miles @ 7:41 min/mile
Stopped into my sister in Islandbridge on the way home from the wedding (in Meath) and got in a nice easy jog in around my old haunt. The old noggin was not in great shape but I gradually eased into the run feeling a lot fresher by the time I finished.

Weekly milage: 68

jebuz

Monday 01/06 - 13 miles incl 5.3 mile leg of marathon relay
Got thrown into the Leevale mixed relay team and it was a relay leg I want to forget pretty quickly! Horrendous conditions so I was just glad it was only a leg and not a full or half marathon. My leg was one of the toughest, undulating and into the wind for the bulk of it, not fun. Ran pretty steady averaging 5:48 min/mile and just got it done, more of a tempo effort given the conditions and the will to push hard just wasn't there today. We won the mixed handy enough in 2:31 overall so good training exercise and we had 3 Leevale men in the top 10 in the marathon, really shows the depth of quality there.

Tuesday 02/06 - 40 mins to gym and back
Feeling pretty knackered today from yesterday so opted for a light gym session after work with an easy jog of 20 mins there and back again.

Wednesday 03/06 - 12 miles @ 7:29 min/mile
90 mins hilly run at a handy pace. Nothing much to write home about, probably because I can't really remember it.

Thursday 04/06 - 8 miles with 15 min tempo @ 5:50 min/mile
Did this on my own as I was working late and didn't get down to the track. I headed out the straight road, turned and put in a steady 15 mins which felt a little tougher than expected. Planning on 5 mile race Sunday so with the body tired I decided tonight to take a good rest before the race.

Friday 05/06 - 05/06 - 4.5 miles @ 8:20 min/mile
Usual Friday morning recovery, still feeling tired and pace reflected that. Looking forward to a day off!

Saturday 06/06 - 05/06 - Rest @ 0:00 min/mile
Ate some monkfish and watched the champions league final with a few pints. Good session.

Sunday 07/06 - 05/06 - Strawberry 5 mile race. 2nd in 27:43 @ 5:32 min/mile
Early rise for the long drive to Enniscorthy, mixing a race in with a visit to the folks. 2 birds one stone. I arrived with plenty of time on a calm sunny morning, perfect conditions. The half marathon had just headed off so I got a 2 mile jog in and was feeling relatively good. Lined up in the field of about 200 runners and it was time to go. Was standing next to a Sli Cualann runner and had a good moan about Krusty Clown and his good form.

Pre race expectations? A PB was a given with my only other 5 mile a 29:46 back in 2013. I knew the standard wouldn't be terribly good so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hopeful of a win and a top 3 at the very least. Time wasn't a factor today, I know the course is hilly with some long drags so this would be all about getting a good result and more racing experience.

Haven't upload the garmin data yet so we'll have to do without splits for now...

Mile 1
Bang. Off we go. SC runner charged to the front and I sat in just behind. Was feeling pretty good and eased myself into 1st position and pushed on a bit to see who would come. Midway through the first mile it was just myself and another local runner (NS) didn't know who he was at the time. I was still out front and comfortable enough though the first mile was pretty flat. Passed the mile marker and glanced at the watch, around 5:22 if I recall.

Mile 2
Now the fun begins and by fun I mean not fun. After the first mile marker we were faced with a sharp incline then turned right onto a long drag which went on for the guts of the next mile. I was feeling ok, NS was still right on my shoulder and breathing comfortably. I knew this was going to be a close one. I also knew at this stage who he was as I heard a spectator call his name, quality runner and last years winner. I was quite happy to have someone actually, it was going to be a proper race, exactly what I wanted. Passed the 2 mile marker but the watch didn't beep for ages after it and 5:5x popped up. Ah jesus just forget about the time and race Conor!! To be fair I didn't check the watch for the remainder of the race after that, I'm getting better

Mile 3
The drag levelled off and I found myself feeling very comfortable and wondering if it was at all possible to drop this fella. I surged every now and then to test him but he kept coming with me and I had a feeling he was waiting for his moment though slightly annoying that he was sitting on my shoulder. Going pretty steady now and I was feeling confident. We turned left after the lead car and headed for home but not before tackling another drag leading into mile 4.

Mile 4
The legs were starting to scream a little here and pace again was pulled right back as we tackled the tough drag. Suddenly and unexpectedly, NS made a move which ended up being decisive. I didn't even think twice, I had to go with him but was really struggling. We were barely into the 4th mile and I knew I couldn't sustain this effort. I was breathing very heavily and had to back off but maybe I could have been tougher here. He had a gap now but I had still upped the effort and was holding it. Around halfway through the mile I realised why he had just done what he did. A massive downhill section for the remainder of the mile which was super fast and very much welcomed, I just let the legs do the work but NS had a big gap on me now and I knew I had a lot of work to do. It gave me some time to recover from the surge but I was almost resigned to 2nd place. I didn't throw in towel though and I wanted to put in a strong finish.

Mile 5
Must have been running around 5:20 pace by now, working extremely hard to close the gap but he had too much on me at this stage. On our way back through the town and now aching for that finish line. I was happy with my effort today in that I didn't just accept 2nd and I fought right until the end. The gap wasn't getting any bigger but I have to hand it to NS as he timed that move to perfection and executed it brilliantly. I don't mind losing to someone who was just simply better and I can learn a lot from runners like that, someone who know how to race. Finally got to the line 27 seconds behind the winner and that mile just flew by but I was fit to drop. I was pretty happy to see 27:4x on the clock, a satisfactory time given the course profile and another good result on my 2nd race back.

Full Results

Overall another step in the right direction but lacking that extra gear right now. I know it'll come so patience required, and training, lots of training

Weekly milage: 53

dublin runner

That's a really good time. Fair play. Coming into some excellent form.....errrrrr! Haha. Charleville HM? Not sure if it suits just yet.

jebuz

Cheers DR, still some work to do but can't complain with the recent results. Can't wait to see how your Magness plan goes, some big PBs around the corner by the looks of it. Not scared though!

Charleville is on the cards alright, signed up today in fact. I found it perfect timing for Dublin last year and since Frankfurt is the same weekend it'll be a good indicator if things are on track. Great event, you should really consider it. Make a weekend of it sure (i.e pints!)

jebuz

Monday 08/06 - 45 mins recovery
Generally not feeling too bad after the race, calves very tight so headed for the grass of the UCC farm. Planned on 60 min but I started feeling an ache on the sole of my right foot after a while so with nothing to gain by withstanding the pain I just called time after 45 mins. I think it's due to the very light racers I use, not convinced the gains are worth the potential injury risk, both calves and sole unhappy with me. Core work and plenty of foam rolling in the evening.

Tuesday 09/06 - 3 x (400m,300m,200m)
Good session tonight without completely emptying the tank. Had some dry needling earlier in the day on my glute which didn't seem to have an impact on the session. Felt good on the 20 min warmup and then straight into the session which was 3 sets of 400m (300m recovery), 300m (200m recovery) and 200m (200m recovery). The recoveries were quite short but this session really hit the spot and I felt great afterward. The coach told me to drop back a group as I'm not quite there yet. I felt better as the session went on and happy to see the 400's get quicker each set. So overall feeling really good and I'm happy where I'm at now. Planning on 3 sessions this week so this was the right intensity if I want to achieve that. Handy 30 min jog cooldown around the pitches and it's dinner time!

400: 78
300: 54
200: 34

400: 75
300: 52
200: 34

400: 73
300: 53
200: 33

jebuz

Wednesday 10/06 - 45 mins AM recovery
Early morning handy run around the neighbourhood. Initially planned on a double but it dawned on me during this run that the only purpose of my 'in-between' days is to recover and ensure I'm fresh for the next session so I knocked the PM run on the head. I'm still in marathon mode so I need to move away from the mindset of more miles and instead focus on the quality over the next few weeks. Instead headed to the gym in the evening for core and some resistance work.

Thursday 11/06 - 25 min track tempo
Felt good on this one. Talking to the coach earlier in the week he hinted I should be moving up in the tempo to 5:40 but to cut it back to 20 mins, this makes sense for my current goal of getting quicker. There was no 5:40 group today so I jumped in at the front of the 5:50 group and I knew a few would pick it up as we progressed. Pace did naturally pick up and before I knew it we were knocking out steady 85 second laps which is 5:40 pace. Felt pretty comfortable while working hard, breathing was steady and form good. Called it a day at 25 mins and good session bagged.

Friday 12/06 - 45 min AM recovery
Usual morning recovery around the city, nice run but nothing much to report on. Gym for some core and stretching in the PM.

Saturday 13/06 - Grass Session: 1,2,3,3,2,1,3,2,1 (mins off 1 min recovery)
Out to the farm for the 3rd session of the week but the fact I eased off the milage on the easy days has really stood to me and I was feeling great in the warmup. Into the session as outlined above, bit scary on paper with the 1 minute recovery and it was every bit as hard as it looks. I really felt this went well though, hardest session of the week but I felt strong, held my own and though the legs were screaming in the last 3,2,1 I still ran them quicker than the first few. Glad to have gotten in the 3 sessions this week unscathed. With a few more sessions like these and staying injury free, I would expect to see a few of the shorter PB's renewed over the coming weeks.

1 min @ 5:13
2 mins @ 5:17
3 mins @ 5:24
3 mins @ 5:24
2 mins @ 5:14
1 min @ 4:57
3 mins @ 5:18
2 mins @ 5:08
1 min @ 4:51

jebuz

Sunday 14/07 - 13 miles @ 6:53 min/mile
Perfect morning down the marina, these are the sort of mornings I've been waiting for. Slightly quicker than expected today but turned off the watch and just went with what felt like the right pace, was always comfortable. Nice to top off a good weeks training with a solid long run.

Weekly milage: 59

jebuz

Monday 15/06 - 50 mins @ 7:37 min/mile
Sort of hovering between recovery and easy, hilly run into town and back, felt pretty good. Gym for core + weights at lunch.

Tuesday 16/06 - 60 mins (with 4 x 300m on track)
Planning a 5k race for Thursday so the coach told me to just do 4 x 300s and run easy. Sounded easy on paper but I busted a gut for these and lets just say I was happy there were only 4, especially with just a 200m recovery. Nice 30 min jog afterwards.
Splits: 53, 51, 50, 51

Wednesday 17/06 - 50 mins @ 7:44 min/mile
Early morning jog before work, giving myself a good rest before the race on Thursday night.

Thursday 18/06 - 5k Race - 16:18 @ 5:14 min/mile (4th overall)
This one fitted the schedule pretty well, I'm trying to run races on days I would normally run a session so they're not impacting a typical weeks training too much. I know how much I improved last summer when focussing on shorter stuff and a big factor was regular racing.

Having chatted to a few club members who ran this same course recently, I knew it wasn't super fast and there were a few pulls but again I was more interested in a good race and not so much the time. I have my eye on some 5k's later in the summer where I'd hope to be setting PBs, the times will come naturally as long as I continue improving and racing.

Beautiful evening in Cork so with an 8pm throw in, I arrived to Ballincollig just after 7pm, picked up a number and met a few friends and warmed up around the GAA pitches. This was a BHAA race and a healthy crowd of about 380 turned up for this one. The start was pretty congested so I lined up at the front as we prepared to tackle a 500m climb staring at us.

Mile 1 - 5:12
The corporate lady from VMWare made the hooter hoot so off we went, elbows everywhere. I got out well just behind a group of navy lads (wearing navy singlets and they're actually in the navy, what are the chances). About 100 meters in I heard what sounded like a set of Ford Focus car keys hitting the ground. SHI!T!!! Those were my car keys!! I only have one set, should I stop? What about the race? But I only have one set. Oh I'm gone too far now somebody will pick them up. But what if..this sequence ran through my head for essentially the rest of the race and to be fair did help take my mind off the 500m climb which I didn't realise was over until I could barely breath at the top of it. The good news was though that I was sitting in 2nd and just ahead of me was a Leevale clubmate and navy representative, I wouldn't mess with him. I'm not far behind him in training so I figured I'll be doing well to keep close. We now had a bit of respite as we hit a downhill and I was gradually overtaken here by 2 guys, black and green singlet. I was now sitting in 4th and going at a decent clip hitting the first mile in 5:12. Had a glance at the watch and while that was pretty satisfactory, I wasn't feeling good at all though, that first hill had hit me hard. A mile in and I felt like stopping - HTFU man!

Mile 2 - 5:31
Tipping along with the lads now extending a bit of a gap on me and I had a lot of company right behind me, maybe 5-6 runners. We turned back towards the village and this is where the climb begins. I'm still feeling like hell and actually wondering would it be ok to drop out now, I've done enough haven't I? Ridiculous. I was working very hard up the drag and got overtaken by white singlet but I stayed very close not wanting him to get away. We were running along the main road in the bike lane and a green car was moving very slowly alongside me. I glanced in passenger window and saw some regular people just sitting there, it looked good. I wished I was just sitting. Why am I doing this to myself? We finally hit the 2nd mile mark and I am seriously struggling. Glanced at the watch to see 5:31 and I couldn't have cared less I just wanted that finish line so badly.

Mile 3 - 5:06
If somebody had told me right there I was about to run a 5:06 mile I would have actually given them a large sum of money and betted against myself. Another nice little downhill after all that climbing and I momentarily gathered myself before another brief climb but this time I found myself powering past white singlet but my breathing was so heavy and extremely audible. With about half a mile to go white singlet was still stuck to me and a few other footsteps were audible just behind him. 1st and 2nd runners had a fair gap on me now but I was actually slowly reeling in green singlet in 3rd who had previously a pretty sizeable gap on me. I wasn't sure how this was possible as I felt if anything I was slowing but we weren't far from home now lets just keep motoring. Another small climb arrived and with white still very close I figured this was my chance to drop him. I mustered a bit of energy from somewhere and powered up the drag. It was working, I was getting away and while my primary focus was the finish line, I really wanted to hang onto my spot. We got to the top of the 500m hill that we climbed at the start and it was all downhill from here. I found myself within touching distance of green singlet and without really thinking about it I passed him just starting the decent. He stuck to me like a pancake (stuck on a non-stick pan) and I was working the hardest I have ever had in a race. I knew the line wasn't far and it could not come sooner, I had dribble all over my face and I must have sounded like an escaped animal with my grunts. Green singlet had other ideas and wanted his place back, I was on the verge of blowing and to be fair to him he fought hard and edged me with about 200m before the line. I had given everything possible and I couldn't respond. Very frustrating but that was short lived because when I looked at the clock ticking onto 16:10 I couldn't believe my eyes. Holy crap, really?? Is this right? I'm actually on for a PB here. The pain, it was all worth it. I crossed the line a pathetic mess in 16:18 and I was absolutely FÚCKED. I actually wobbled and got very dizzy, I tried my best to congratulate the lads around me but all I wanted was to lie down. Which I did. What a relief.

Hands down toughest race of my life. This was seriously a new level of pain I have never experienced in a race before, more confined to my cardiovascular system than my legs even though they were in complete overdrive too. In hindsight I'm glad it happened because it feels like I pushed through a new barrier that will stand to me in the future. I picked up a small voucher for my efforts and enjoyed a nice cooldown in the solitude of the Ballincollig regional park drowned in the evening sun, that was so enjoyable. Bumped into our own ViperLogic afterwards too so was nice to finally put face to username, lovely fellow, ran a great race himself and picked up a team prize. As always flawless organisation by the Cork BHAA, how can you go wrong for €5!

I couldn't be happier that result, a PB was a complete surprise and I didn't expect to be taking 30 seconds off my last 5k in such a short time on probably a harder course. I'm happy with how I battled the urge to stop and I know what I'm capable of now. It's becoming more evident to me now how important the mental side of racing is and it can only be tuned by actual racing, you can't learn this in session. I'm feeling good about running a sub 16 5k this summer and I think this episode has done me the world of good, I really believe it's there for me now as long as I stay injury free and put in the sessions.

Major omission: I got my car keys back, a very kind steward had picked them up and returned to me after the race. #relief

Friday 21/06 - 50+ mins @ 7:53 min/mile
Still buzzing from the race last night and the legs were in pretty good nick considering. Cracking morning out, took it nice and handy around my usual Friday morning loop.

viperlogic

Well done C, great to finally meet ya also last night.

Duanington

Rally enjoyed reading that report Jebuz, super running - well done

Firedance

great report, well done on the PB! but eh what happened with the car keys in the end??

jebuz

How could I forget to finish that story. Well the keys were the least of my worries after I crossed the line, I just wanted to lie down and curl into a ball, which I did. When I could breath again I started asking the stewards if anyone picked up keys. After some brief conferring between the stewards and to my utter relief they told me someone had picked them up. After a minor investigation I found the steward who had them and he duly returned keys to their rightful and very happy owner. That decision where I didn't stop to pick them up was completely justified

skeleton_boy

Well done on the surprise PB (at least surprising to yourself). Hope you stay healthy for the summer.

annapr

jebuz wrote: »

How could I forget to finish that story. Well the keys were the least of my worries after I crossed the line, I just wanted to lie down and curl into a ball, which I did. When I could breath again I started asking the stewards if anyone picked up keys. After some brief conferring between the stewards and to my utter relief they told me someone had picked them up. After a minor investigation I found the steward who had them and he duly returned keys to their rightful and very happy owner. That decision where I didn't stop to pick them up was completely justified

of course it was.... completely rational decision*... justified by the PB! great running!

*for a runner

jebuz

Saturday 20/06 - Grass Session: 1,2,3,3,2,1,1,2,3 (mins with 1 min recovery) - 10 miles
I felt well recovered from the race so I saw no reason not to do a session today though I didn't expect I'd be putting in the same effort as last week. Same session as last Saturday with the order slightly adjusted. I didn't have the same group around me this week which meant I was out on my own for the whole thing. I managed it pretty well despite the morning heat and running solo. Even though I didn't feel I was pushing as hard as last week, looking at the splits afterwards it wasn't too far off at all so I was pretty pleased with that effort and the legs felt pretty strong.

1 min @ 5:15
2 mins @ 5:20
3 mins @ 5:23
3 mins @ 5:23
2 mins @ 5:17
1 min @ 5:00
1 mins @ 5:00
2 mins @ 5:20
3 min @ 5:25

Sunday 21/06 - 15 miles @ 6:48 min/mile
Little bit of a sleep in today to allow the BBQ & pints process through my system. I didn't want to drive the whole way to the marina so I just parked in the city shortly after 11am and started running in the direction of the marina. I found myself feeling very comfortable from the start and like last week I just switched off the data and ran. On a Sunday it's like I go into this long run auto mode without evening thinking about it and before I knew it 15 miles had passed. Was down in the 6:4x zone for most of the run and felt really good despite some strong headwind on the way back. I now have a lovely red outline of my singlet on my chest. Summer's here

That's a pretty good week with 2 sessions, PB race and a solid long run. In good form at the moment so a few more weeks of the shorter stuff before starting to think about Frankfurt.

Weekly milage: 60

jebuz

Monday 22/06 - 60 mins @ 7:27
Easy hilly run with club mate after work. Warm! Got some core & weights in at lunchtime.

Tuesday 23/06 - Track Session: (400,300,200) x 3
Great session tonight. Despite the heat and feeling really sluggish on the run down to the track I was fine once I got going. Jumped in behind the quickest group tonight and didn't think I'd be able to keep so close but once again the benefits of working in a group were evident and I hung in there without completely killing myself. Knowing the recovery was just 200m I was slightly worried when I saw a 70 second lap for the first 400m but ended up keeping the effort consistent between all the reps and finished strong. The final 400m was the toughest but happy to see a 69 for that and I knew I was almost home then. The short recovery was killing me but I just focussed on sticking close to the group and trying to maintain the form so overall happy with that effort. Nice jog back up the hill and a couple of short hill strides near my house.

Splits (200m recovery):
400m: 70
300m: 52
200m: 34
400m: 70
300m: 52
200m: 34
400m: 69
300m: 52
200m: 32

jebuz

Why did I leave it so long

Wednesday 24/06 - 50 mins @ 7:59 min/mile
This was so long ago I can't remember it. It was in the morning, that's all I can tell you.

Thursday 25/06 - 10 miles with 25 min track tempo @ 5:39 min/mile
I've been with the 5:50 tempo group for quite a while now so today I made the step up to the 5:40 group - now there's no going back! I know it might be a struggle for a few weeks but the plan is to just stick in there with them and I'm confident it'll get more and more comfortable each week. This went pretty well, the effort was tough as expected but manageable. I was in with a couple of 2:33 and 2:35 marathon runners so it was really encouraging to be tipping along with them. Stuck it out for 25 mins though we picked up for the last 5 and I found it quite tough. I'll be running these for 35 mins come marathon training time so hopefully by then I'll have adapted quite well...hopefully.

Friday 26/06 - 65 mins @ 7:57 min/mile
Really enjoyable morning run. Heading off to Brussels for the weekend where beers and waffles most definitely would be consumed. I wasn't sure how much running I would be able to squeeze in so this run was a kind of insurance policy before I flew off.

Saturday 27/06 - 70 mins with 25 mins of straights & bends
Well the first night in Brussels was relatively mild and home by 1am. We enjoyed a slap up meal, a variety of beers and a birthday shot of some dodgy rum. Surprisingly in the morning I wasn't as groggy as I anticipated. While the lads were still in a coma I snuck out (very noisily) around 9am and headed exploring the city. About 2 miles in I stumbled upon a track, and by stumbled I mean I found the track I had previously researched on google maps. It was a fairly shoddy piece of work but I jumped on and banged out 25 mins of straights and bends. It was just about then I started feeling the effects of the 9% beers and it was really heating up. I slogged it out anyway, jogged 2 miles home and so began another day of indulgence...waffles swimming in melted white chocolate, delicious beers, irresistible danish pastries, etc. We were sitting outside having a beer in the afternoon sun when world cup winning captain Martin Johnson sat down beside us...he's gigantic. Did a great walking tour, had dinner and drinks in a mates and then out for more beers.

Sunday 28/06 - 90 mins @ 7:31 min/mile
So was a bit groggy the next morning but again a relatively mild night, still I postponed any sort of running until later. My mates were flying home at lunchtime but I wasn't flying until the evening. This worked out well as I had an afternoon to burn so I threw on the runners and headed for a local park around lunchtime. The park was great but not huge, I did loops as I didn't really fancy getting lost. I was alternating between moments of feeling great and feeling incredibly sluggish. It was pretty hot so I took it fairly easy overall and just wanted to get the time on my feet. Headed back to mates house to shower and we headed to a local park for a few hours for a picnic, but we had some beers so that made it more manly. Lovely afternoon lazing around and headed to the airport around 6pm after a great weekend and pretty happy to squeeze those runs in.

Weekly milage: 64

Monday 29/06 - 12.7 miles @ 7:13 min/mile
Not ideal for a Monday recovery run but I got my calculations incredibly wrong. I was staying in Dublin in my sisters after flying in the previous night so the next morning I headed out planning around 50-60 mins. I was trying to figure out a route so I said I'd try fit some of the places I used to live in and to be fair I fit quite a few in...Islandbridge, Rathmines, Rathgar, Donnybrook all the old haunts. I realised around Rathgar that I was going to be way off my intended target. I wasn't really watching the pace either so it was a little quicker than usual, this is probably a good sign though. Either way, lovely run.

Tuesday 30/06 (AM) 30 mins @ 7:44 min/mile
Off work for the week so yesterday I continued down the east coast visiting my other sister in Wicklow and then onto the folks in Wexford. I headed out for a very light 30 mins in the morning, can't resist a jog around the locality when I'm home. Took in a lovely lunch and headed on the long, muggy drive back to Cork, I even had to stop for a nap.

Tuesday 30/06 (PM) Track Session - 8 x 400m
Great session tonight and feeling in good shape at the moment. Coach told us the session and told me to jump in the back of the 70 second group. I thought I might be hanging onto the tails of the group but felt very strong today, paced a couple of reps and was with the group the whole way keeping all the reps very consistent. Big improvement on the track over the few weeks, the plan is to race a 5k next week to see where I'm at. I've been going well since the last race and feeling confident so hoping to take another chunk off that PB.

Splits (400m recovery):
1. 69
2. 70
3. 69
4. 69
5. 69
6. 69
7. 68
8. 69

jebuz

Wednesday 01/07 (AM) - 35 mins @ 7:42 min/mile
Hello July! Can't believe I'm back 2 months now, in fairness the last 9 weeks couldn't have gone better, the patience paid off and I feel I'm training better than ever now. Handy morning jog around the neighbourhood. Legs feeling pretty good after the abuse last night, good sign I suppose.

Wednesday 01/07 (PM) - 60 mins @ 7:54 min/mile
Decided to mix it up a little this evening and headed for Ballincollig regional park which is really looking great these days. Good mix of surfaces getting in some trails, grass, gravel and road. Felt pretty tired near the end, the evening mugginess getting the better of me and I possibly should have slowed it right down on the trails as they do sap the energy quite quickly, great fun though.

Thursday 02/07 - 11 miles with 5 miles tempo @ 5:36 min/mile
Felt absolute rubbish on the warmup down to the track and sweating buckets, I really wasn't feeling terribly good about this one but turned out to be a pretty positive session. In with my new tempo group targeting 5:40 pace. I stuck to the back to allow myself pull back if it got too tough. I settled right in and just clocked off the laps sticking right to the back of the group for the whole session and felt very strong at times. Effort was definitely tougher than my typical tempo effort but controlled and I kept an eye on the HR making sure it didn't drift. Overall managed it quite well despite a tough last 5 minutes. Looking at the stats after I realised I ran 5 miles in 28:03 - 20 seconds off my recent 5 mile race. This kind of set a few alarm bells off as I shouldn't be so close to race effort in a tempo but to be honest it felt far from race effort and of course the track is a much easier surface to run on. I'll stick with this group for now and allow myself adapt over the weeks. If it starts affecting other sessions or my recovery days I'll know about it and pull back. Lovely* jog back up the hill afterwards in the heat, parched!!
Splits: 5:31, 5:40, 5:37, 5:36, 5:34

Friday 03/07 - 50 mins @ 7:44 min/mile
Usual Friday morning route, felt fine but fair windy!

Notwork Error

Those marathon miles weren't for nothing, they're paying off big time now. You're absolutely flying man. Cracking stuff.

jebuz

Saturday 04/07 - Grass session: 6 x 2 mins & 4 x 1 min (off 1 min)
Another good Saturday session bagged. In with a couple of lads and we worked together pretty well for this. I was clinging onto their coat tails for the 6 x 2 mins but then I took the lead for the 4 x 1 mins as I was feeling very strong, fairly consistent reps despite the strong wind and effort level felt bang on. The 1 min recovery was hard going but a great session for feeling the burn and recreating those race conditions where the legs just want to quit.

Splits:
2 mins @ 5:08
2 mins @ 5:01
2 mins @ 5:15
2 mins @ 5:10
2 mins @ 5:07
2 mins @ 5:06
1 min @ 4:57
1 min @ 5:05
1 min @ 4:51
1 min @ 4:47

Sunday 05/07 - 80 mins @ 7:04 min/mile
Really horrible wet morning but a rare one, we've been doing pretty well recently. Had a bit of a sleep in and headed down to the marina for 10am meeting up with some club mates training for Berlin on their 2nd half of a 20 miler. The rain was pouring down but the time just flew by as we chatted away. I was on my own for the last few miles and felt really good overall, no real tiredness from yesterday lingering. Just the 80 mins today as I'm racing a 5k on Wednesday and really want to be fresh for it so I can give it a good crack.

Weekly milage: 75

jebuz

Monday 06/07 - 8 mile recovery @ 7:56 min/mile
This was in essence 2 runs sandwiched around a torturous rubdown from a clubmate. I hadn't been in a while but with the intensity and milage increasing, it's time to return to the weekly rubs which I think do make a difference, despite the pain. Felt pretty sluggish overall today and pace reflected that, hopefully will be well rested for Wednesday evenings race.

Tuesday 07/07 - 35 mins AM @ 7:35 min/mile
Handy morning jog before work and felt pretty good. That's me done now until tomorrow night where I will be knee deep in 5k pain :eek:

Duanington

jebuz wrote: »

This was in essence 2 runs sandwiched around a torturous rubdown from a clubmate. I hadn't been in a while but with the intensity and milage increasing, it's time to return to the weekly rubs which I think do make a difference, despite the pain.

Just curious on this Jebuz - what kind of difference do you feel the weekly rubdown makes? Injury prevention? Freshening the legs up?

jebuz

Duanington wrote: »

Just curious on this Jebuz - what kind of difference do you feel the weekly rubdown makes? Injury prevention? Freshening the legs up?

Hey Duanington, for me it's the feeling of freshness, encouraging muscle recovery from the tough sessions and being ready for the next one, particularly during marathon cycles where the milage is high and the body is constantly fatigued. I hear a lot of people swearing by massages but It's very hard to quantify the actual impact when other things like sleep, nutrition, mood, the intensity of the training may all be influencing how you feel. It may be completely in my head for all I know but I really did feel much fresher on the morning run following the recent rubdown and even if it is a mental boost (which I don't think it is) it's still worth the 25 quid

On a separate note, ran (unofficially) 16:13 tonight in the 5k - PB by 5 seconds and I'm starting to think dipping under that 16 isn't going to be as straight forward as I thought...still though :pac:

Maybe a report tomorrow, for now its time to make ZZZZZZZzzzz's

jebuz

So 3 weeks after my 16:18 PB in Ballincollig I’m ready to rock again and hoping to be knocking on the door of a sub 16, or even better, running though the door. The race is the Garda BHAA 5k down at the flatlands of the marina, one of the fastest 5k’s around Cork without doubt. I ran this last year in an extremely satisfying 16:27 and that was probably one of my best races of the year. I felt pretty confident going into this one, feeling nice and rested and going well in the training sessions. Got down with plenty of time to spare, quick registration and then a 20 min warmup with a clubmate though in hindsight I ran this a bit too quick. Bit of a delay at the start but around 8:10pm we got called to the line.

Mile 1 - 5:10

I was standing there on the line looking really cool and ready to rock, then I looked down in horror to see my left shoe lace was only tied once and quite shoddily, a disaster waiting to happen. I had no option but to take the risk and so I bent down to tie it, seconds to go before the gun. 3 sturdy loops later my head was back at it’s usual height and we were ready to go, phew! Off we went and I settled right in with a group, one of which was my nemesis in green (MH) from the last 5k who edged me just before the line. 1st and 2nd placed runners were already creating a sizeable gap and then there was a group of 3, myself, MH and TK. TK is a very tall local track runner who has now turned to the roads and also happens to hold the M45 national 800m record, fantastic athlete. I knew I was in with a strong group so the plan was to stick with them and let the time sort itself out. There was a reasonable headwind for the first 800m but nothing drastic, we turned and then had a nice stretch with the wind behind us and I was feeling ok for the first mile clocking 5:10. I glanced down and knew I was on track for the sub 16, let’s keep truckin'.

Mile 2 - 5:19

I guess it’s obvious that I lost seconds here. I was just focussing on sticking with the group but was really starting to feel the effort levels rising. We passed the starting line again and into the headwind for the second loop. I was at the back of the group with MH leading I was getting some good protection from the wind behind TK though it wasn’t intentional to be sitting, I was really struggling to keep up. We hit the 2 mile mark just before the turn and I saw the 5:19 flash up. I kind of knew there and then the sub 16 wasn’t on today as it would require a sub 5 minute mile to pull it back - not happening. I’m thinking I would have been much better not knowing the splits as the head was too focussed on time today.

Mile 3: 5:14

We turned yet again onto the final stretch and I’m working extremely hard, bellowing. I’m also wondering once again what the hell I am doing out here putting my body through such hardship - completely irrational in hindsight, I love it. I look at TK and though he was probably feeling it, he looked like he was moving effortlessly. Another runner joined the group from nowhere and I was in awe of how easily he powered his way past the group to the front, in the last mile! TK and himself stuck close, I drop just behind them by a few meters and MH is struggling to keep with the group. The last mile was just a case of pure perseverance, I want to curl up in a ball on the grass and rock gently. I knew my coach was waiting just before the line so that motivated me to keep working hard and to be fair I did keep the last mile quite consistent though it really felt as if I was slowing. TK as expected with his track pedigree, motored away from the new guy who was now a couple of seconds a head of me and had enough of a gap to hold his position. Finally the finishing straight came into view, I glanced at the finishing gantry clock and I see 15:3x with still 0.1 of a mile to go. I know the sub 16 is definitely not on so I just give it all I’ve got in the hope of a PB. I crossed in a heap clocking 16:13 in 5th place and a 5 second PB. Initially disappointed but in hindsight it’s progression and a PB is a PB regardless of by how much.

As mentioned earlier, a sub 16 5k is not easy and maybe it was a bit unreasonable to expect to go from 16:18 to sub 16 in 3 weeks. I think it’s going to be a case of scraping the seconds off gradually and targeting sessions to recreate those conditions. Today I focussed too much on the time unlike the previous 5k where I purely raced it. The time will come, that I’m sure of but maybe a little less obsession with the clock and more focus on the race is needed. If I compare my last 2 races, though both extremely hard, it was the Ballincollig one still felt tougher in terms of effort and that was the one where I had no preconceived time going into the race. As arbitrary as it is, 16 minutes is just another barrier we runners create but it’s one I desperately want to achieve and in a sense it’s a great motivator because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get there.

Overall, I can't complain and I'm happy with the progression recently. it's probably an accurate reflection of where I'm at currently and all things considered I'm in a pretty good place and thankful to be healthy and running well. Now back to work on the track!

Summary: 5k in 16:13 @ 5:13 min/mile (5th overall)

Full Results

viperlogic

As always, savage running and report C

dublin runner

Great going. A 5 second improvement was a brilliant result. Would you consider leaving the watch in the car the next time? You may surprise yourself. Might be an interesting experiment if nothing else! Keep up the fantastic work.

yaboya1

Savage stuff as already said.
What marathon are you targeting this year? I have a feeling you'll knock a fair bit off your pb considering you ran that in the freaky conditions of DCM last October.

ThebitterLemon

Great stuff, very impressive.

Do you think a field with greater depth (at the top end) would have helped you? (Less pressure, more people to pace off, more shelter etc)

TbL

jebuz

dublin runner wrote: »

Great going. A 5 second improvement was a brilliant result. Would you consider leaving the watch in the car the next time? You may surprise yourself. Might be an interesting experiment if nothing else! Keep up the fantastic work.

Thanks DR! I certainly would consider leaving the watch in the car next time, I had already given up on the sub 16 when I saw the 2nd mile split. That's not to say I wouldn't have definitely ran quicker without but as you say it might be an interesting experience.

yaboya1 wrote: »

Savage stuff as already said.
What marathon are you targeting this year? I have a feeling you'll knock a fair bit off your pb considering you ran that in the freaky conditions of DCM last October.

Thanks Yaboya, target is Frankfurt in October, signed up already Will begin transitioning into the longer stuff over the next few weeks but probably hang onto the Tuesday track sessions and attempt another 5k in a few weeks.

Yeah if I can stay injury free and get a good marathon block in I can't see any reason why I can't be thinking about a mid 2:3x. I've been running sessions alongside a couple of 2:30-2:35 runners in recent weeks and it's really given me the belief that I can pull a good one out of the bag in October but a lot of hard work required.