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BQ or Bust!
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Bungy Girl wrote: »Sounds like you had the easy job, Murph! Those poor supporters running after you and waiting on you hand and foot.... :pac::pac::pac:
How are you fixed for pacing a mile tomorrow evening
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Now's your chance G... throw down the gauntlet and issue a race challenge
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Very well done Denis. Great run and an excellent report!
Well done Murph, great run and great support from your crew. I assume Anna got her P45 today or at the very least is cooking your dinner and fixing the cushions on the couch for you!
You were well safe from the sweeper van
TbL0 -
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Jaysus, has taken me 2 days to get through that epic report
Nice going. Glad you managed to embrace the experience and enjoyed the occasion. You certainly looked pretty strong coming down the finishing straight and looked remarkable fresh afterwards. As always it was a great day in Donadea and thanks for filling the role of "skin in the game" for us layabouts who only real came for cake
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Recovery week 1
Needed it after the effort of writing that ridiculously long race report.
Mon 13 - Thu 16 Feb
Rest. Was quite sore (quads, left ankle) for a couple of days, but all felt normal by Weds. Happy to take five full rest days all the same. Next up is Ballycotton 10, at the end of four recovery weeks based on P&D post-marathon schedule (which means accelerating a five-week programme). Easy does it.
Fri 17 Feb
50 mins recovery
Lunchtime recovery in St. Anne’s with FBOT, who was fresh off a dry needling session and reeled off a list of hip, glute and hamstring niggles. Sounds like he’s in sub-60 Ballycotton shape so.
Sat 18 Feb
40 mins recovery @ 5:47/k (9:18/m)
While yesterday’s run felt just a bit creaky at the start, this one was no fun at all, legs protesting and tired.
Sun 19 Feb
40 mins recovery @ 6:09 (9:53)
Thought this would feel better than yesterday but more of the same. Weary. Crossed paths with BG on her way out, looking much, much perkier than me.
WTD: 21k (13m)
MTD: 109k (68m)
YTD: 425 (264)0 -
Recovery week 2
Mon 20 Feb
Rest.
Tue 21 Feb
8.5k (5.3m) inc 4 x 4 mins steady
The missus was heading out for her session as I arrived home so I joined her, thinking if I waited much longer I’d possibly not bother going out at all. She was down for 4 x 4 mins at her 5k pace of 5:00/k so that added a bit of interest what would otherwise have been a bog standard (although possibly wiser) slower recovery run. She nailed the session, of course, despite my presence!
Wed 22 Feb
50 mins recovery @ 5:43 (9:13)
Blustery, wet evening for a tour of D9 starting at DCU St. Pats. Said hello to the Tesco picket.
Thu 23 Feb
Rest
Fri 24 Feb
40 mins recovery
Shortish run along the seafront, squeezed in between various chores.
Sat 25 Feb
50 mins recovery
Visiting friends in Düsseldorf, so A and I took the opportunity for a few easy, early, slightly hungover kms along the Rhine. Cold morning. German runners can take or leave a wave/greeting, but our "Morgen" was generally returned.
Sun 26 Feb
65 mins recovery
Longer version of yesterday's route, slightly livelier but still nice and easy. Have been reading the Hanson half marathon method, having inadvertently bought it during the week thanks to a twitchy finger coupled with amazon one-click purchasing. Will probably use the approach for the goal autumn HM, so I foresee lots of easier running (maybe not quite as easy as this run, but easier than what has become the norm) in the second half of the year.
WTD: 42k (26m)
MTD: 151k (94m)
YTD: 467 (290)0 -
Recovery week 3
Mon 27 Feb
Rest. Birthday treats. Still in same age category, thankfully.
Tue 28 Feb
3x800 (75), 3x600 (60), 3x300 (45)
Should still be in recovery mode but hopefully will get away with breaking the rules every now and then. A wet and windy night at Irishtown but considering the conditions there was a good turnout. Hadn’t planned to do the session but jumped in because I reckoned it was the best way to stay warm. Picked a group and just followed the pace, except for the third 600 where I led out. Made no attempt to hit Hanson’s specified splits (3:15, 2:25, 1:14) so that’s probably one reason I felt great all through this.
Splits
(800) 3:18 3:17 3:23
(600) 2:24 2:27 2:20
(300) 1:07 1:05 1:06
Oops, those 300s were a bit fast. :eek: However the recoveries were too long too so maybe that makes up for it a bit? Total with warmup/cooldown 8.6k (5.4m). So that closes February out on a mere 99 miles. :rolleyes:
WTD: 9k (5m)
MTD: 160k (99)
YTD: 475 (295)0 -
Recovery week 3
Mon 27 Feb
Rest. Birthday treats. Still in same age category, thankfully.
Tue 28 Feb
3x800 (75), 3x600 (60), 3x300 (45)
Should still be in recovery mode but hopefully will get away with breaking the rules every now and then. A wet and windy night at Irishtown but considering the conditions there was a good turnout. Hadn’t planned to do the session but jumped in because I reckoned it was the best way to stay warm. Picked a group and just followed the pace, except for the third 600 where I led out. Made no attempt to hit Hanson’s specified splits (3:15, 2:25, 1:14) so that’s probably one reason I felt great all through this.
Splits
(800) 3:18 3:17 3:23
(600) 2:24 2:27 2:20
(300) 1:07 1:05 1:06
Oops, those 300s were a bit fast. :eek: However the recoveries were too long too so maybe that makes up for it a bit? Total with warmup/cooldown 8.6k (5.4m). So that closes February out on a mere 99 miles. :rolleyes:
WTD: 9k (5m)
MTD: 160k (99)
YTD: 475 (295)
Belated Happy Birthday yun'fella. Same as mine, apparently?0 -
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Recovery week 3 cont.
Wed 1 Mar Feb
Rest
Thu 2 Mar
50 mins @ recovery pace out to Dollyer. The wall is closed off so couldn't touch it before returning.
Fri 3 Mar
Easy 8.3k @ 5:41
Funny how many easy/recovery runs clock in @ 5:41 which seems the default pace. That was MP back when it all started. Nice run, taking in the major thoroughfares of D3/5/9.
Sat 4 Mar
Steady 8.8k @ 5:01 (5.5m @ 8:04) Avg HRR 81%
An easy mile to warm up then a few more at steady pace with Ferris in St. Anne's. Found this tough enough as the chat had me winded. Some parkrun volunteering to followed by coffee and brack to round off the morning. Plenty of Ballycotton chat among the assembled breakfasters.
Sun 5 Mar
MLR 14.5k @ 5:24 (9m @ 8:42) Avg. HRR 78%
More parkrun duty, junior this time. The mrs was making her St. Anne’s RD debut, and I was tail runner. Harder to be the sweeper than it sounds, with kids dropping out, stopping to look at squirrels, putting on sudden spurts, etc. I turned down the post-event coffee and took myself back through the park then out to the end of Dollymount beach before turning for home, into the wind of course. Decided to make this a progressive run to keep myself motivated in the headwind. Ended up doing 9 very enjoyable miles, and I feel now that the post-Donadea cobwebs are banished.
WTD: 49k (30m)
MTD: 40k (25)
YTD: 516 (320)0 -
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Recovery/transition week 4
Mon 6 Mar
Rest.
Tue 7 Mar
Busy day. No running. You'll have noticed the S&C seems to have gone by the wayside. Will get back to it, but not today.
Wed 8 Mar
10k easy @ 5:27
Lunchtime excursion up the Howth Road. Meant to turn at Collins Ave but was in a daydream and found myself in deep Raheny. Oh well, nothing like an unplanned extra mile.
Thu 9 Mar
10k easy @ 5:24
Ferris invited me for a few lunchtime miles, and I happily obliged. We checked out the nether regions of D3 and nearly got lost in Dublin Port. Felt like Ted and Dougal in the lingerie dept. A close run thing, but we got out of there alive.
Fri 10 Mar
Easy 6.6k @ 5:30
Hooked up with FBOT and Ferris again for a lap and a half of St Anne's. Nice and easy in a drizzle, the lads looking in good Ballycotton shape. Still feeling a bit meh myself though.
Sat 11 Mar
5k easy with 6x100 strides
In Garryvoe for the Ballycotton weekend. We couldn't get a room at the hotel, but wandered over for breakfast from our nearby "beach cottage" (unburdened with sea views, but nice all the same). They boys had their first encounter with a buffet breakfast here last year, and once again ate eye-popping quantities of normally forbidden sugary cereals along with more mundane treats like pancakes and croissants. Luckily hotels don't have a fair-use buffet policy; if it was a casino we'd be banned for life. Was pretty peckish myself and had to wait a couple of hours before putting in a few miles on the beach and coast road, with some strides towards the end. Warm day. Still feeling sluggish. Not feeling unconfident about the race tomorrow, just not as 'ready' as usual (although the 'ready' feeling can be misleading, so not too worried about it).
WTD: 32k (20m)
MTD: 72k (45)
YTD: 550 (340)0 -
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Sun 12 Mar
Ballycotton 10m (72:09) Avg. HR 178 (91% HRR)
Today's performance was not notable, although hopefully will produce one or two learnings. For a start, the prep was casual at best, and I'm not talking about the running part, which was mostly (and understandably) easy/recovery for the last few post-Donadea weeks. Sleep, nutrition, hydration - all things I normally try to pay attention to, especially during race week, were not good. It's been a busy enough few weeks work wise but not a good excuse, let's face it, and it's not like I work down the mines or anything. :rolleyes:
Mr and Mrs Mc let us use their swish rental digs, located a stone's throw from the start/finish, as a gathering place and bag drop, which was terrific. Lined up (way) too far towards the front, mostly because I'd walked down with Ferris and there was plenty of room. It filled up quickly and tbh it would have been difficult to get back to a more appropriate place. I doubt if I held anyone up but the upshot (and I won't make this mistake again) was that demoralising feeling as faster runners streamed past for the first five miles, and this would have happened even if I'd hit the 7:00/m pace I'd optimistically planned. Legs felt dead from the start. Adrian passed in mile 3 or 4 - brief hello and I more or less waved him on as I was already struggling in the stiff headwind. HelenAnne drew alongside just after halfway. I asked her how she was feeling and she said "good", so I encouraged her to push on (not that she needed it!). By now the wind was at our backs and I began to feel better. Helen provided a target to follow. Noticed Adrian starting to come back and I eventually drew alongside, suggesting we try to help each other out over the closing 3. This worked for a while but I was soon on my own again. Helen was still visible not too far ahead until mile 9 when she disappeared with a strong looking finish up the hills. Happy enough with my closing miles, although everything about this race - during which which I felt so strong last year from start to finish - was a grind. In the end the result, at 36 seconds slower than the 2016 PB, was actually quite decent considering the struggle, and the less than perfect conditions. 10th in age group (14th last year) is also a reasonable improvement. So as always, a silver lining.
Splits: (approx): 6:57 6:57 7:08 7:28 7:33 7:08 7:04 7:10 7:30 7:14
5-mile splits 36:03 36:06
The event seemed to go flawlessly, despite the big numbers, so fair play. Wonderful support also from A, the boys, and the parkrun/Raheny WAGs. Thanks.
Previous PB: 71:33 (Ballycotton 2016)
Target: < 70:00
Actual: 72:09
574th (of 2,932). 10th M55 (of 81).
VDOT: 47.1
Age grade: 72%
Verdict: better than deserved.
WTD: 50k (31m)
MTD: 90k (55)
YTD: 568 (351)0 -
Well done! Great report, and well done on holding your pace so well when you weren't feeling the best.
I like how you say I didn't need encouragement to push on! Sorry, I hope I didn't seem eager to just zoom by you. I saw you up ahead, and I knew you were aiming for 70mins, but I also knew we weren't really on for that (unless we did some kind of huge surge over the last few miles!). My plan had been to keep an eye on my watch and not overdo it for the first half, but then after the first half, I could push on if I felt good, so that's what I was doing when we talked! Hope it didn't look unfriendly! (And glad I provided a target for a few miles!)
Did you see a man from Slaney pull up beside me at the beginning of the hill? He recognised me from a race in Wexford last summer and was asking me if I'd managed to break 20 for 5k since! Chatting to him for a minute, and then trying to stay with him really helped me up the hill!
As I was saying over on KennyG's log, I was pretty happy! My PB (from Aug 2015 in Phoenix Park) was 71.15. I didn't think I was near that fitness-wise as I haven't done a 10-mile race in so long, and I hadn't done as many long, hilly runs as other years (I've been doing Howth about once a week, but a 6.5m route rather than 8 or 9), so I'd said my A-goal was under 72, and that I'd be happy with under 74. Then when we got to Ballycotton and it was so windy, I thought 'Maybe revise that to under 75!). So when I ran 71.19 I was DELIGHTED, but then after I kept thinking '6 seconds faster and that would have been a PB'
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Overall, though, really happy with it, really enjoyed it, felt good, and hope it bodes well for the mini marathon.
Well done all of us!0 -
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Well done! Great report, and well done on holding your pace so well when you weren't feeling the best.
I like how you say I didn't need encouragement to push on! Sorry, I hope I didn't seem eager to just zoom by you. I saw you up ahead, and I knew you were aiming for 70mins, but I also knew we weren't really on for that (unless we did some kind of huge surge over the last few miles!). My plan had been to keep an eye on my watch and not overdo it for the first half, but then after the first half, I could push on if I felt good, so that's what I was doing when we talked! Hope it didn't look unfriendly! (And glad I provided a target for a few miles!)
Did you see a man from Slaney pull up beside me at the beginning of the hill? He recognised me from a race in Wexford last summer and was asking me if I'd managed to break 20 for 5k since! Chatting to him for a minute, and then trying to stay with him really helped me up the hill!
As I was saying over on KennyG's log, I was pretty happy! My PB (from Aug 2015 in Phoenix Park) was 71.15. I didn't think I was near that fitness-wise as I haven't done a 10-mile race in so long, and I hadn't done as many long, hilly runs as other years (I've been doing Howth about once a week, but a 6.5m route rather than 8 or 9), so I'd said my A-goal was under 72, and that I'd be happy with under 74. Then when we got to Ballycotton and it was so windy, I thought 'Maybe revise that to under 75!). So when I ran 71.19 I was DELIGHTED, but then after I kept thinking '6 seconds faster and that would have been a PB'.
Overall, though, really happy with it, really enjoyed it, felt good, and hope it bodes well for the mini marathon.
Well done all of us!
Thanks Helen. You should really start a training log, I'm sure there are many of us who would appreciate and learn from your approach.0 -
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