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BQ or Bust!
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It's good to see things moving forward, even a small bit, especially if your perception has been that things were going backwards. Your rolling stone will gather speed, never fear
Talking of fear, when are you going to start feeling some real pain? I seem to remember a post-marathon commitment to reeeeal pain......??0 -
Fingal 10k: 44:15 (PB)
I mentioned the word “43ish” when BG asked the target for this (and thanks for asking
), which I would have interpreted (if someone uttered it to me) as under 43:30 at least. This was not ambitious, on paper anyway, with the other day’s LT test suggesting 41:57 as the real 10k target. I was allowing a little more for the conditions, which were likely to be warm and muggy, but even then that would not account for more than 50secs or so over a 10k. The more conservative time reflects the lack of any specific 10k training, or indeed any meaningful taper, with two sessions already this week, including the LT test itself on Thursday.
So with all those excuses out of the way, am I happy with today’s 44:15, which represents a tiny PB of 5 seconds over last year’s outing at The Lakes, a race I enjoyed very much and felt I ran very well, despite losing the friendly challenge to BG that was all part of the fun (and which contributed hugely to achieving the very decent PB that 44:20 represented)? [And if you followed that sentence without starting again, well done.
]
The conditions were better than expected, with a cooling shower during the morning. I hoped (in vain) that it might continue to drizzle during the race, and left my glasses at the bag drop as I'd no hat/visor to stop them from misting up in the rain. Incredibly, I spotted my favourite HM photobomber during the brief warmup (yes, I know, and sorry, I can never resist the opportunity to repost that one). I really should have said hello.
As always, it’s difficult to avoid the congestion at Fingal if you don’t have a decent pen position. Marthastew had suggested I get right up near the front; that such temerity is justified by being an age-grade contender. I could see her point, and I considered this, but when I finished my short warmup the place was jammed and I hopped the barrier at the first space I saw, way too far back to avoid the crowds. Fair enough - this never bothers me because it allows you to ease into the race and not overcook things, although you could argue that it contributes to the stress. So the first km was almost 30 secs off the planned 4:18 pace, before hitting the 3k stretch along the motorway where the field thinned out quickly enough. This section went more or less to plan. I seemed to lose a little more time in the third km, which I decided was probably due to a poorly positioned marker, so I didn’t worry about it.
Turning off the motorway into the country roads, I knew the water stop here might be a bit chaotic but with the muggy enough conditions I wasn’t going to skip it. Grabbed a cup, over the head, then another, and managed to swallow a few drops as I’ve still not mastered the art of cup-drinking on the move. Inevitably a few more seconds lost here, but settled into this nice leafy section fairly well and happy enough that things were not a long way off the plan by halfway (22:16).
I’d been passing people all the way so far, but at this point two Duleek and District runners passed at a nice looking pace and I decided to latch on, remembering the opportunity lost at Ballycotton in a similar situation when passed by two Tallaght runners. Had to avoid some nettles projecting into the road from the ditches trying to pass people on the inside to keep on their tails. So km 6 was nicely on track. The relative surge took a bit of a toll though. At the 6k mark I got a few dry heaves, which I always (rightly or wrongly, must test this more rigorously) take as a sign that my HR is maxing out. Too far from home for that kind of craic. Had to back off a bit, and from this point I ignored the watch and tried to run the rest of the race based on biofeedback, mostly from my gag reflex.
One of the Duleek lads fell off and I passed him, keeping the other guy in range. Around the 8k point the route was out of the country and back on wide roads. The heat seemed to dial up a little with the lack of shade, and I just concentrated on Duleek Man and running a good line through the long, wide bends. I continued to struggle with the heaves, however, but not much I could do except back off the pace a little. The legs felt fine, breathing felt grand, but anytime I tried to push it the dry retching returned. At 9k I had a quick glance at the watch and could see I was still just about in PB territory if I could keep it together, so I tried to manage the speed/gag relationship as best I could through the finish. The hill didn’t feel as bad as the last couple of years, and when the final downhill section commenced, I just went as hard as I could, praying that the finish line was in the same position as last year, cheekily out of sight till the last moment, which thankfully it was. Shoutouts here from KennyG, Nop and some clubmates helped me push it through the line, where I had to take the usual moment leaning over the barrier to gather myself.
Can’t claim it as “43ish” but at least it’s still a PB, which is very welcome after a couple of disappointing marathons. Didn’t catch Duleek man but he did his job, keeping me on my toes for a good stretch of the second half, contributing to a rare negative split (22:16/21:59), which I'm also happy about (yaboya1 will be jealous).
Good to catch up afterwards with RedRunner, Singer, Spaceylou (great flapjacks) and The Muppet, all of whom had a decent day, especially the lad with the local knowledge.
Splits:
4:47 4:14 4:28 4:19 4:28
4:14 4:25 4:27 4:28 4:25
Previous PB: 44:20 (The Lakes 2015)
Target: 43:2x
Actual: 44:15
Position: 483 (of 2968). 10th M55. Age grade: 70.9%. VDOT: 46.2.
Verdict: Initially nonplussed, but then someone said “PB beer”. 0 -
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So with all those excuses out of the way, am I happy with today’s 44:15, which represents a tiny PB of 5 seconds over last year’s outing at The Lakes, a race that I enjoyed very much and felt I ran very well, despite losing the friendly challenge to BG that was all part of the fun (and which contributed hugely to achieving the very decent PB that that 44:20 represented)? [And if you followed that sentence without starting again, well done. ]
I am possibly the only person who understood that sentence on the first reading
Great report, and nicely done in tough conditions. Take that first Km out of the equation and there's your 43:xx so you know it's there for a less congested race.
Snorted my coffee at the HM Photobomber reference. Still too funny.0 -
Well done D. You're back on the road with a shiny rational new pb. Better to tease out the pb's and take the confidence boost each time . Not like its your last race ever or anything like that. You have a decent negative split and probably 20-25 seconds of that initial km in the bag next time you race a 10km.
Just curious about this heaving phenomenon? Kinda feeling as though I might be missing something. Why does it happen????.....genuine question.0 -
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Looks like a decent performance on another warn day at the office, D. Well done on squeezing out a PB.
I am not sure I subscribe to the theory that you knock 20s off the slow first mile that it falls straight to the bottom line? What's your view, as in do you think it helped or hindered your overall race and result?
Have you ever discussed the dry retching with anyone from the medical profession? They should be able to at least give an opinion so you could narrow it down.
I suggest that to get real feedback you should probably wear your heart monitor during a few races at all distance so you can build up a better picture over time.
Re the slow first km, no, I don't think it makes more than a few secs difference in the end, if at all. Another 9k to make up 30 secs on a fairly flat course should be plenty! From the splits it's clear I didn't do that though, and when the time came to dig in (6-10k) I bled a few more secs every km. The gagging had a good bit to do with this, although if it's a sign I'm in the red zone (which I believe) whaddya gonna do but back off?
Haven't spoken to a doc about it, that's a fair point. Dr. Google suggests it's not uncommon, and various (mostly armchair) theories include lactate buildup, dehydration, coffee before the race, etc. Must ask the young wan and seeing if we can get a few quid back on the investment.
And I agree re the HRM. It's on the to-do list!0 -
Re the slow first km, no, I don't think it makes more than a few secs difference in the end, if at all. Another 9k to make up 30 secs on a fairly flat course should be plenty! From the splits it's clear I didn't do that though, and when the time came to dig in (6-10k) I bled a few more secs every km. The gagging had a good bit to do with this, although if it's a sign I'm in the red zone (which I believe) whaddya gonna do but back off?
Haven't spoken to a doc about it, that's a fair point. Dr. Google suggests it's not uncommon, and various (mostly armchair) theories include lactate buildup, dehydration, coffee before the race, etc. Must ask the young wan and seeing if we can get a few quid back on the investment.
And I agree re the HRM. It's on the to-do list!
Forgot you have a real Dr in the house now. No excuses go and have the conversation and report back 0 -
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Thanks, AM. For me it's not weather dependent.
My in-house doc (actually she moved out as soon as there was a paycheque on the horizon, and we certainly didn't stand in her way) is thinking about it but initial thoughts were that it's (physical) stress-related. Another very experienced runner/coach tells me it's quite common and related, simply, to "going too fast" for current fitness levels. The trick, of course, is to increase the speed at which it happens - the "retch threshold" for want of a better phrase.
I'm happy to take that as a sign that I'm putting in the required effort on race day, although of course it's all about riding that threshold and only exceeding it at the very end, so that "retch recovery" can be done off the course rather than on it (some runners have to slow to a walk when it happens, but for me I can usually struggle on at a reduced pace until it goes away, sort of like a stitch).
Great to see you back in action by the way. 0 -
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DCM: 14 weeks to go...
Mon 25 Jul
Rest. Left quad and right knee a little tender, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Tue 26 Jul
Club run easy/recovery: 18.9k @ 6:00 (11.7m @ 9:39).
A bit longer than the usual recovery run, with the added jog to and from Irishtown, joined by BG who had a track fairy session to go to. After the group warmup and usual announcements, headed out with a group to the South Wall. All very chatty and sociable.
Wed 27 Jul
50 mins easy up from DCU to Santry Demense.
Locked out of the changing room after because I didn’t read the sign, so had to stand around for a while before someone helped me rescue my gear. :rolleyes:
WTD: 34k (21m)
MTD: 198 (123)
YTD: 1,750 (1,088)0 -
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Mon 1 Aug
Glenties 5k 21:08 (12th)
Enjoyable little race organised by the local club, Tir Chonaill AC. Can’t fault it for value at €8 including chip timing and the usual post-race refreshments. Actually the chip timing is probably a bit extravagant for the small field of 53 runners, a lot of them from local clubs. It could just as effectively been hand-timed, parkrun style.
Warmed up with a couple of laps of the Glenties track (who knew?), bumping into a local acquaintance, J., before strolling down to the start by the town grotto. J sandbagged immediately saying he probably wasn’t even in 22-min shape, but I’ve chatted to him before races before and wasn’t buying it. He tore off at the hooter and was out of sight by half way (ran 19:44 in the end).
I wasn’t taking this event too seriously but gave it a decent enough lash and was definitely in racing mode. Followed the first female (a clubmate of FD's as it happens) down the main street and out of town before she eased away. The first couple of kms turned into a tussle with a GAA runner of close enough vintage to myself and a lad about 12 years old, sporting a Michael Murphy Donegal shirt. Wee Murphy was getting in my way a bit, his feet slapping the ground very annoyingly, so I pushed ahead a little earlier than I normally would have, as I have plenty of respect for these young runners, seeing what some of them can do every week at the Albert College junior parkrun. GAA runner didn’t want to let me past and resisted the surge. I traded places a couple of times until he died on a hill in the third km and I didn’t see him again (well not for about an hour - see below). I was on my own then for the next km back towards town into a bit of a breeze. We were supposed to be running on the right but there were some traffic shenanigans and I had to cross the road to avoid some cars and tractors that the marshals hadn’t been assertive enough with. Was slowly gaining on the next group, which included a 13- or 14-year-old being paced by her dad (I assume). She was struggling and actually puked without slowing down. Had a few of the usual dry heaves myself so couldn’t capitalise! With about 500m to go I heard the slap slap slap sound from behind and Wee Murphy shot past and took out me, the wee girl and her daddy too. Fair play to him, I made a point of shaking his hand afterwards. The Mrs and the boys were waiting in the final 100m stretch as I emptied the tank with some more epic retching. They spurred me on with a good shout and thankfully the no doubt unflattering pictures they were attempting to take were unsuccessful.
Splits: 4:03 4:04 4:15 4:28 4:16
12th place / Age Grade 72.6 / VDOT 46.7
Happy enough with how this went, as I was still feeling Saturday’s session in the legs. Reluctantly shunned the post-race refreshments in favour of an extended recovery run of 12k to Narin beach where A had gone ahead with the boys. Stressful run with lots of fast traffic on a road with no hard shoulder. Cars from as far afield as the UK, the Netherlands and even Tipperary North, very few of which seemed to think a runner deserves a bit of space and the courtesy of slowing down enough to at least suggest that they’ve seen you. One motorist who did slow down was GAA runner, who was mightily impressed to see me still on the move. He stopped to chat and I may have persuaded him to do DCM.
Pretty bonky by the end of this, and enjoyed a sugary reward at the Narin sweetshop. Total for the day 18.2k (11.3m).
WTD: 18k (11m)
MTD: 18 (11)
YTD: 1,789 (1,112)0 -
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ooh who?? L? or E? am assuming ED didn't travel to the arsehole of nowhere as FBOT would say (not my words!!) I tried to look up the results but it seems I"m no tang....
Eimear English... Results here... http://www.donegalsporthub.com/26855-2/
Arseholes of nowhere, cheek of ya, and you living in Meath! 0 -
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Eimear English... Results here... http://www.donegalsporthub.com/26855-2/
Arseholes of nowhere, cheek of ya, and you living in Meath!
FBOT's words, Murph will get it ah yes that's who I was thinking of! 0
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