Cool runnings

davedanon

Monday 4th

Easy short trail run. A clubmate's mountain jaunt the day before gave me the goo for the hills, so went up to Ticknock and headed upwards.

4.66

HR 122/144

Tuesday 5th

4x(1k@4.05, 800@3.15) 2 min rec. Done on the track before noon, which didn't make it any easier. Very warm conditions too.

4.05, 3.16/4.06, 3.18/4.04, 3.16/4.05, 3.15

HR 131/157

Wednesday 6th

Easy run.

7 @8.42

HR 120/132

Thursday 7th

Easy run.

8.23 @8.25

Friday 8th

10mins@7.10/5mins@6.50/10mins@7.10 - magnificent acclimatisation conditions for Berlin lately, it has to be said.

7.13, 6.43, 7.04

HR 131/163

Saturday 9th

No running.

Sunday 10th

Long run. Along the Dodder again. Couldn't get into it, kept stopping, ended up feeling very creaky and dehydrated. Glutes still pinging.

14.02 @8.32

HR 129/148

Week's mileage 50

davedanon

Monday 11th

Easy short recovery.

5.03 @8.46

HR 115/134

Tuesday 12th

Club race 1. A 5k run on the paths in Tymon, with a changed route owing to the ongoing works. It was a no-watch, predict-your-time effort. Didn't get close to my prediction and was disappointed to not even break 20. I ran 19.10 mere weeks ago!

Wednesday 13th

No running.

Thursday 14th

7 mile run. Overcompensating, I'd say.

7.02 @8.10

HR 135/151

Friday 15th

Easy run. More like it.

8 @8.34

HR 123/137

Saturday 16th

Marlay parkrun. Tymon having changed yet again, a run there would be meaningless, timewise, and anyway from what I've seen of the traffic-coned 180 turn nonsense from pictures, it's a waste of time at the mo. I'll return when it settles down again. So it was that my 50th parkrun took place in Marlay, where I hadn't in been in so long that I'd never run the present course. I suppose that contradicts my previous argument too, come to think of it. Oh well. At least I broke 20 this time.

5k @6.25 (19.57)

HR 150/162

Sunday 17th

Long run. Added a mile onto the recommended distance. Feeling those long run nerves already.

15.03 @8.37

HR 125/150

Week's mileage 48

davedanon

Monday 18th

No running. Because I was off on holliers the following day.

Tuesday 19th

....when there was no running either.

Wednesday 20th

Second day, and it started raining. In Portugal! And it was sunny at home. Nice for a run though, into Albufeira, and then a combination beach/trail run back along the coast, being lashed by wind and rain all the while.

6.33m

stats irrelevant.

Thursday 21st

No running.

Friday 22nd

Sometime in the previous couple of days, I had jokingly demanded of the coach the whereabouts of this week's training plan. Well, the joke was on me, because when he duly obliged I felt guilty enough to carry it out. For the most part. The tricky part was finding a reasonably flat, and most importantly quiet stretch of road. The Portuguese drive very close to the kerb. A couple of miles back towards Faro, I took a turn off a roundabout, and eventually found a quiet side-road. The session was 2x8mins@6.50/2x6mins@6.40, 2mins rec. The road was downhill in one direction, so eventually the uphill stretches told, and I only managed 5mins for the last rep, at a sorry pace. In the punishing heat, though, and in holiday-drinking mode, quite pleased.

2x8 - 6.45, 6.47
2x6 - 6.28, 7.20

HR 144/167

Saturday 23rd

Slow recovery 5 miler.

Sunday 24th

14m run. Working out a route was the difficulty here. Ended up retracing my steps from the session, and continuing on towards the sea. Eventually saw signs for Jet-Ski, followed them and ended up at a beach bar, where I had a swim, then ran along a cycle trail, and ended up at the swanky Vilamoura marina. Exhausting and in torrid heat, but it got done, even though I got disorientated and a bit lost on the way home.

14.01 @8.38

HR 130/159

Week's mileage 34

davedanon

Monday 25th

No running.

Tuesday 26th

Easy 5 miler.

Wednesday 27th

Session. 2x90sec, 4X(60,30,15) fairly hard, with a floating (ie a bit slower but not much) equal-time recovery. Much, much harder than it looked, to me anyway. The hardest part was not going too fast, especially as the intervals progressed, but in not slowing down too much on the 'recoveries', and I think I probably failed in that regard. Some of the later paces seem impossibly slow too, unless I was really getting punchy from the sun.

HR 141/168

Thursday 28th

No running. Last night.

Friday 29th

Going home. No running.

Saturday 30th

Back home in good old Dodder Valley Big Loop for the second session - and the weather seemed identical to Portugal. A nice touch of coolness to the breeze though. Managed to jog the recoveries, until the last couple. Overall pace on the money.

8x3mins @6.50 1 min rec.

6.57, 6.39, 6.59, 6.47, 6.57, 6.48, 6.49, 6.37

HR 137/159

Sunday 1st July

16m run. Aimed to avoid too much climbing, but in the end did waterworks to back gate and around the brook field area.

16.01 @8.14

HR 137/154

Week's mileage 36

davedanon

Monday 2nd

Very easy 5.

5.43 @9.05

HR 121/134

Tuesday 3rd

Club race 4. Brittas 5m. Aimed for 6.30s, couldn't quite hold it, but reasonably happy to break 33 on a tough enough course. It's short, which is a pity because I just realised I have a 31.17 on it, which would be a big pb.

4.93 @6.41 (32.55)

HR 158/169

Wednesday 4th

Easy run.

7.12 @8.48

HR 123/136

Thursday 5th

Easy run.

9.08 @8.30

HR 122/144

Friday 6th

Session. 12x1 @6.30, 1 min recovery. Bit of variance in the reps. Averaged out at 6.20

HR 132/158

Saturday 7th

Easy run.

7.67 @8.28

HR 127/137

Sunday 8th

15 miles @ Steady. Not looking forward to this very much. A couple of other lads out, but decided to avoid their waterworks route and keep things on the flat. Finished up with laps of the Big Dodder Loop at Aherne's. Was hot, of course, but I had started at 6.30am to counter the conditions. All was not right, though, and despite being on good behaviour the day before, I think I was still dehydrated, judging by the (excuse me) bright-yellow colour of my wee. It had been a full-on week, too, 7 days running and a race, and all immediately after the holiday break. Decided to cut my losses, and call it a day at 12 miles. Added one more as a cooldown.

12 @7.35

HR 139/151

Week's mileage 57

davedanon

Monday 9th

No running.

Tuesday 10th

No running.

Wednesday 11th

3x1k@4.10, 4x600@2.30 - 2 min rec throughout.

4.12, 4.03, 4.02
2.24, 2.29, 2.25, 2.26

HR 124/157

Thursday 12th

Easy run.

8.06 @8.48

HR 121/147

Friday 13th

Short easy run.

5.09 @8.32

HR 121/134

davedanon

Saturday 14th

Day of Irish PB's 5k @ Le Cheile track, Leixlip. A scorching hot day for this, and as I lined up with about 10 others for the 19/18.30min race at 5.30pm, the butterflies were kicking in. A track 5k is very different to a road 5k - there's nowhere to hide, and the anonymity of the large-entry event is stripped away. If you flop, everyone's gonna see it.

My main worry was that the pace (I was aiming for sub-19) might be too hot from the start. There was also the fact that it was my first-ever track 5k. 12.5 laps at around 1.31 seemed like a fearsome challenge. Once a decent gap had been established between us and the 18.30 group, however, it was possible to take stock, and try to get a handle on my breathing in order to establish some control. I seemed to be consuming oxygen at an enormous rate, though, and try as I might, the needle gradually climbed ever-closer to the red zone as we circled the track.

I remembered the phenomenon from our group track sessions in Tallaght, but running with a bunch of people, especially when one is maintaining a nice even pace, really does make a big difference. Although the first two miles were as good as it got for me, I was gratified to see I had maintained sub-6 pace for those 8 laps - something I haven't been able to accomplish on the road for years. Our Rob seemed to be doing a sterling job too, and while the 18.30 group seemed to be splintering alarmingly, some of them coming right back to us, we were 'packing well', as they say.

Inevitably, though, the oxygen burn was beginning to take its toll, and little by little I dropped off the group. I found myself running with another chap, and the sheer tiredness I was feeling meant I couldn't bring myself to overtake him, and I adjusted to his pace for a lap or maybe two, which in hindsight was an error. My pace for the third mile dropped to 6.20, and as I had neglected to count laps, due to fear of miscounting, I had no idea how long this torture would go on for.

Thankfully, though, the announcers started telling the 18.30 guys that they had two laps to go, so that oriented me, and I knew I just had to keep going somehow for 2.5 more laps. The heat was punishing, although I really didn't feel it affected my performance that badly. One on lap I had made a futile attempt to grab a water bottle, and I was eternally grateful to my Tallaght teammate who sprinted around to hand me one, which I mostly dumped over my head. Around and around and then it was the last lap, and I overtook one, maybe two people coming around the final bend and up the straight. Crossing the line I could see I had just fallen short, with 19.04 coming up on the clock. Once I had recovered, several minutes later, I consoled myself that it at least was a season's best.

Great race, great event. I for one will be back.

5k @6.04 (19.04)

HR 162/172

Sunday 15th

A slog of a 16 miler, after yesterday. Up to the waterworks back gate.

16.01 @8.38

HR 128/143

Week's mileage 41

davedanon

Monday 16th

Easy short recovery.

5.01 @8.54

HR 125/137

Tuesday 17th

Club race. Handicap 5k.

3.07 @6.41 (19.34)

HR 158/179(!)

Wednesday 18th

Easy run.

7.03 @8.49

HR 122/137

Thursday 19th

Short run.

5.05 @8.24

HR 126/142

Friday-Sunday

Nada


Week's mileage 23

davedanon

Monday 23rd

6.31 @8.28

HR 127

Tuesday 24th

You're not supposed to 'chase' lost mileage, but it's hard not to, when you miss three days, including a long run. So....

AM

5.01 @8.22

HR 126/143

PM

6.38 @8.42

HR 125

Wednesday 25th

6x1200m @4.48 with 90 secs recovery. Found these tough enough. On the track it's a reasonably handy 1.36 per lap, but this wasn't the track, and it's not as easy.

5.03, 4.40, 4.48, 4.46, 4.45, 4.57 (average about 4.50)

HR 136/169

Thursday 26th

9 miles easy. Post-session runs are always a bit of a slog. It's so damn warm too. I waited until 8pm and it was still 21℃.

9.02 @8.48

HR 125/141

davedanon

Friday 27th

Easy run.

7.01 @8.36

HR 123/138

Saturday 28th

4x(4,3,2,1mins)@6.40 - 90 secs rec. 4 mins between sets. Quite breezy, and into the wind was also slightly uphill, so I worked out a route that I could repeat, which very roughly meant I had 3 mins of the 4 min rep downwind/hill, 2 mins of the 3 min rep upwind/hill, then 2 mins all downwind, and the 1 min all uphill. A 6 to 4 downwind split. I thought that was fair enough.

4 6.41
3 6.47
2 6.28
1 6.46

4 6.37
3 6.42
2 6.30
1 6.34

4 6.41
3 6.46
2 6.29
1 6.38

HR 130/159

Sunday 29th

16 mile run. Last 6 at 7.45 pace. Very trepidatious in advance of this. I was keenly aware that coach had deliberately scheduled a tough session just the day before. All part of the plan, no doubt. Accordingly, I agonised over time and route. A couple of clubmates were running early, but it would mean the waterworks, and that didn't work for me. One, it's too hilly, and two, it's all downhill on the way back. Very easy to knock off 6 miles at 7.45 without really having to work at it. I told the lads I'd make my own arrangements.

Having eventually settled, sort of, on a route, I headed out in the afternoon, and looped around a nearby green space before heading toward Knocklyon. I settled into a rhythm very quickly, and the miles began ticking off at 8.15 pace or so. I realised I was feeling good. Very good. Despite a savage session the day before, and 11 miles in total, I was just humming along. My intention, with the pickup section at the end, was to run nice and easy at 8.30/8.40 pace, but I was hitting 8 minute mile pace here without any effort, breathing nice and relaxed. Just like you do when you're running a really good marathon, in fact.

When I hit the Dodder at Rathfarnham, I followed it back up towards home. I decided I would do the 6 mile pickup on the Dodder Big Loop. It's pretty flat, but the prevailing wind usually means that you get the tailwind with the very slight downhill. It's always a fair test either way. After 2-3 loops the tiredness did kick in, but I had the pace programmed by that stage, and I wasn't for quitting now. Best long run I've had in ages, have to say. And I even managed to tack on a half-mile cooldown back home to get me to 70 for the week. Now I feel like I'm rolling.
Ich bin ein Berliner!

16.02 @8.06

Last 6 - 7.40, 7.39, 7.40, 7.43, 7.39, 7.25

HR 134/155


Week's mileage 70

davedanon

Monday 30th

5 mile very easy recovery.

HR 115/125

Tuesday 31st

Easy run.

7.07 @8.30

HR 125/137

Wednesday 1st August

Hill session. 14x45 secs, 90 sec jogback. Into a stiff breeze, but even so the paces look fairly slow and laboured. Hammers and glutes still tight.

HR 121/156

Thursday 2nd

Longish easy run.

9.08 @8.36

HR 129/146

Friday 3rd

No running

Saturday 4th

Session. 8mins@7:00, 4x5mins@6.45, 8mins@7.00. Recoveries 2 mins & 90 secs.

6.57

6.47, 6.44, 6.43, 6.48

6.59


HR 136/162

Sunday 5th

16 miles, with 8@7:45. Followed a similar route to last week, but when the 8th mile had elapsed, I found myself just the other side of the M50 at the Firhouse weir. With a steep downhill, similar climb back up and a couple of turnstiles to negotiate, I stopped the watch, and began the last 8 miles from the gate at the weir. Made my way up to the Big Dodder Loop, but suffered a systems meltdown after only 4 miles. It was quite hot, and I've been embracing the conditions anyway, deliberately running in the middle of the afternoon. But I needed to cool down, and took a few minutes lying down in the shade. When I tried to get going again, nothing. I slowed, and then stopped. I didn't even feel capable of running, and walked over a mile back to the house. It happened. Forget it, and move on.

8.01 @8.16
4.11 @7.41

HR MAX 154


Week's mileage 50

davedanon

Monday 6th

Easy slow recovery.

6@8.58

HR 119/135

Tuesday 7th

Easy run.

8.14 @9.09

Wednesday 8th

Session. 3 miles @7.00, 4 min jog, 5x2 mins @6.20 (60 sec rec). Bit of a wind on this, IIRC. 'Uphill' and into a headwind on the Dodder Big Loop was challenging, but a good session.

6.58, 6.57, 6.47
6.10, 6.12, 6.22, 6.15, 6.16

HR 128/159

Thursday 9th

Sort-of MLR. A deliberate ploy on the coach's part. Both sessions are followed by a longer run, and then the long run.

9@8.27

HR 124/139

Friday 10th

Easy run. I let it get a bit on the long side.

9.01@8.45

HR 118/129

Saturday 11th

Session. 2x10mins@7:15/2x8mins@7:00/2x4mins@6:45. 2 mins jog recovery throughout. On the DBL once again, and really happy with this.

7:13, 7:10
6:55, 6:58
6:38, 6:38

HR 133/161

Sunday 12th

Long run. 18 miles, with last 8 @7:45. Took a chance and went sans water bottle, as while it wasn't as hot as it had been, it was still 19℃ by mid-afternoon. Cheated a tiny bit by not segueing straight into the Steady section, but taking a short break first. Really happy with the outcome, though. Deliberately held back a little on the first 10 miles, then toughed out the 8 on the DBL. The body has gotten used to these punishing weekends, with back-to-back session and (tough) long run. Another 70 mile week, meanwhile. It's all good.

18.01@8.11

Final 8 splits: 7:36, 7:46, 7:45, 7:43, 7:44, 7:44, 7:47, 7:45

HR 133/159

Week's mileage 70

davedanon

Monday 13th

Short very easy recovery.

4.04 @9.50

HR 114

Tuesday 14th

Easy run. Fairly blitzed since the double session at the weekend.

7 @9.22

HR 112/147

Wednesday 15th

Session. 2m wu - 1@6.40/1Easy/2@7.00/1E/1@6.40- 2m cd. A bit sluggish on the jogged miles.

6.39, 6.55, 6.58, 6.31

HR 128/157

Thursday 16th

Longish easy run.

9 @8.53

HR 117/137

davedanon

Friday 17th

Easy run.

8.01 @8.44

HR 115/139

Saturday 18th

3 mile pre-race shakeout.

3.05@8.08

HR 126

Sunday 19th

Kilcock 10 mile race. Great race, great event. Very windy pre-race, but the course was very sheltered, until the last couple of miles when we were exposed to a nasty headwind along the Greenway/canal section. Possibly slightly too ambitious at the start, but wilted significantly in the second half of the race.

10 @6.57 (1:09:31)


Week's mileage 54

davedanon

Monday 20th

Short easy recovery.

5@9.46

Tuesday 21st

Easy run.

7@8.33

Wednesday 22nd

Session. 2 mile@6.50 pace (3 min) 5x2 min @6.30 (1 min) 1 mile at 7.00

6:47, 6:49

6:38, 6:24, 6:34, 6:18, 6:34.

6:57

Thursday 23rd

Easy longer run.

8.01@8.40

Friday 24th

No running.

Saturday 25th

Session. 7x1mile@7.00 (recoveries 2.30 reducing by 20m secs)

Sunday 26th

No running. Long run missed.


Week's mileage 41

davedanon

Monday 27th

Long run from previous day.

18.01@8.36

Tuesday 28th

Easy run.

5.65@8.45

Wednesday 29th

Easy run.

7.01@8.56

Thursday 30th

Session. 20 min* @ 7.00 pace (4 min jog), 4x2 min @ 6.50 (60 sec jog)

* stretched it to 3m

6:59, 6:58, 6:53

6:47, 6:44, 6:38, 6:57

Friday 31st

18 miles @7.30

This was a big week. Last one of full-on training before the taper, and it coincided with Electric Picnic, where I would be working all weekend. It's imperative to get on site early before the traffic builds, so I thought the most sensible thing would be to move the session/long run up a couple of days and get them out of the way, rather than risking committing to them over the weekend, with all the other madness going on.

I have never started a long run at 5.30am before, let alone an almost-MP 18 miler. Untrodden territory for me. I've done 12 miles @ MP. I've done longer runs, but nothing like this sort of sustained, lengthy effort, outside of an actual race. The sheer discipline it seemed to require was unnerving. Which is why the decision to opt for loops of the DBL, rather than a 'normal' route, might seem odd. But hell, I thought. This run is all about, yes, discipline, so let's go for broke and run 15 or 16 laps at dawn. Berlin is all about long, long, unwaveringly straight streets. That's going to require lots of the 'D' word, too.

I decided to run a mile or so to warmup. It would set me up better, and also allow me to stretch the distance to 20. Old habits die hard. On the first circuit, I settled into a pace and ignored the watch. The thought nagged at me that if I finished the first mile and it was slow it would be a struggle lifting the pace I had established, but when the watch buzzed it was a 7.11, and I could relax. Bit of a cushion there pacewise, so I continued on and it wasn't until mile 5 that I actually slowed to goal pace. After about 9 miles I took a detour over a bridge and an adjacent loop, just to break things up, but then got back on the DBL. Breathing was good, the strength was there, but fatigue was building, as I knew and expected it to. Later on the pace flagged a bit, but as long as it stayed in the 7.40's I had plenty of time in the bank. At the end I finished with a 7.25, and was bang-on pace overall.

A huge psychological boost. Now for the taper.


Saturday 1st September

Short very easy recovery.

4.45@9.17

Week's mileage 63

davedanon

Monday 3rd September

No running

Tuesday 4th

1st week of taper. Easy run

6.01@8.52

HR 120/134

Wednesday 5th

Session. 1.5m@6.50, 2x2min@6.30, 1m@7.00

6.45
6.29, 6.33
6.53

HR 134/156

Thursday 6th

Easy run.

6@9.00

HR 116

Friday 7th

Easy run.

5.58@8.47

HR 121

Saturday 8th

Marlay parkrun. Hoping for a morale-boosting outing here, but in the end just a little quicker than my previous attempt a couple of months back. The peculiar thing was that it felt quicker. I was surprised and disappointed to see 6.28 flash up on the watch after mile 1. The whole run actually mirrored the last one, with each mile being ever so slightly faster. Not sure what to make of that, really. I had gotten used banging out a really decent 5k the week before a marathon.

3.07 @6.28 (19.51)

HR 155/168

Sunday 9th

Long run. 12 miles w last one at 7.00 pace.

12@8.19

HR 128/154

Week's mileage 44

davedanon

Taper: WEEK 2


Monday 10th

Rest.

by order.

Tuesday 11th

Easy run.

5.2 @8.38

Wednesday 12th

Mini-session. Just a little reminder that one can still run fast, to soothe the nerves. Stiff headwind in parts. HR stayed at around 140 for the 7 minute mile, which was reassuring.

1 mile@7:00, 2x2 mins @6:40, 3x1 mins @6:20. 3 mins jog rec after mile 1, 90 secs thereafter (Walked for about 30 secs, then jog)

7:04

6:45
6:28

5:52
6:07
6:04

HR 123/154

OOnegative

Best of luck Sunday D.

davedanon

OOnegative wrote: »

Best of luck Sunday D.

Cheers. Once more unto the breach, and so forth.

RayCun

Looks like you have a good block of training behind you

davedanon

RayCun wrote: »

Looks like you have a good block of training behind you

Yeah. Quietly hopeful is as far as I'll go, though. Different approach, which hopefully will pay off.

davedanon

13th onwards

Yada yada yada. You don't care. I definitely don't care. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?


16TH SEPTEMBER

BERLIN MARATHON 2018

Passing the line I am astounded by how tired and sore I feel. The Brandenburg Gate is dead ahead. What is going on? I make a turn on Unter den Linden and enter a warren of anonymous city centre streets. Barely started and I find myself distracted by a sign that says BEER STOP. Would this be real beer? My curiosity wins out. IT IS REAL BEER. Only half of a small plastic cup, but still. I’m confounded by my physical condition meanwhile. But could it be a good sign? If I feel this bad now, how can it get worse? It might just as well get better. Press on then. But why are my hips, glutes and hamstrings so tight and sore? My mile times are ridiculously slow. 11 minutes? What the hell is going on? Just keep going. What else is there to do?

Miles pass. They are either ludicrously slow, or just slow. This could be the biggest negative split ever: or else I just won’t finish. Not as in DNF, but just endlessly slowing, and never arriving, like Zeno’s Paradox. At mile 18 I enter a portaloo I do not need and observe a trickle of wee the colour of Ribena. Is it too early - or late - for that level of dehydration? Then as I laboriously approach the halfway point I conclude a succession of brief stops which exclusively feature me: stretching my hammers, and not: just walking, exhausted. Because I’m not exhausted, am I? No, there’s just something wrong with my legs. I’m barely breathing, but my body just won’t do what it’s told.

Ok, here’s halfway now, surely there’s some good news on the other side. And there, like magic! A water bottle flies up and into my hand. Just what I need. I spit a mixture of water, salts, magnesium etc into it and soon there’s a hint of lightness in the legs. If I repeat this every mile, who knows how this will go? I check the watch. Holy Mother Pearl, I’m back running sub-8 minute miles. HELLO, SPORTS FANS. Can I keep this going? Freshness seems to be pouring into my legs. My breathing is relaxing, the aches in my legs are gone. Suddenly, with 6 miles to go, I’m fizzing along at 3:15 pace. If only I could have begun like this! And now what? Another change of gear sees me hitting 3:10 pace. Not long to go now. This has been a rollercoaster.

Although, to be fair, everything has been just about perfect: even the weather played ball, starting at 20℃, but diving down to about 15℃ at this point. I’m getting stronger and stronger. I don’t know if I’ve ever run like this before. Berlin’s interminable straight streets have finally given way to the park, and now the Victory statue is looming. Can’t believe how fluently I’m running - it’s like I just started. Round the golden lady and it’s a ruler-straight rush to the conclusion. But the crowds! Godammit, all of a sudden there’s fecking thousands of runners around me. How did that happen? At the beginning it was absolutely fine, but it’s just gotten more and more congested as we’ve gone on. Anyway, who cares. I can see the Brandenburg Gate. We don’t run through it this time, but that’s fine. I’m positively humming along now, must be close to 7 minute pace. Oh, I’m crossing the line! Looks like I’ve run 3:40 or so. Fantastic, considering my pace early on. I discover a disconcertingly heavy medal around my neck. Has that been there all along? Blimmin’ heck. I hand it off to an obliging volunteer, then find a discarded running top by the side of the road. Funny, it looks like one of mine. I put it on, then decide to go back to my hotel and go to sleep. It’s really very bloody early.

OOnegative

That sounds rough Dave, were you just dehydrated or have you come to any conclusion about it? Hope you have recovered since.

davedanon

17th-23rd

No running.

Monday 24th

Back-on-the-horse run. A little too quick, because I'm full of righteous indignation following last week's events. So I'm probably trying to make a point: but I do feel kinda fresh.

7.13@8.14

HR 135/150

Tuesday 25th

Club group run. We've become fragmented of late, so this is an initiative aimed at reversing that: a monthly session for all club members. A hill session was a bit of a novelty after all the flat Berlin training, but I was quite pleased that I stayed the course: 6 reps on the climb near the monument in Tymon, where the M50 meets the bypass. The marathon fallout is quite evident in the HR stats. Even if I do still feel sorta fresh.

5.2@8.39

HR 128/174

Wednesday 26th

Very easy short run.

4.17@9.29

HR 113

Thursday 27th

No running

Friday 28th

Feeling fresh again. Did I mention I've been feeling strangely fresh all week? But I'm not contemplating anything silly, like running Dublin. No no no.

8.11@8.20

HR 128/140

Saturday 29th

Long(ish) run. Can feel the fatigue after about 8 miles. Been this way all week, in fact. Initially bouncy, but an underlying weariness that sets in after a while. At the very end get caught at traffic lights in Tallaght village, and run the last half-mile quite hard to catch my companions. It feels rough. Still recovering, then. Contemplating doing something silly, though: like running Dublin.


12.15@8.42

HR 127/153

Sunday 30th

No running.


Week's mileage 38

davedanon

OOnegative wrote: »

That sounds rough Dave, were you just dehydrated or have you come to any conclusion about it? Hope you have recovered since.

Yeah, feeling grand, thanks. Not sure about the dehydration: had been making a conscious effort to make sure it wasn't an issue, but the day before the race was a bit fraught with travel and all that, so ended up hardly drinking anything until mid-afternoon, then necking a litre or two of water in the evening.

Singer

Running Dublin sounds perfectly reasonable after a non-marathon marathon! Just don't do the same thing again

Murph_D

And whatever you do don't start in Merrion Square.

davedanon

Murph_D wrote: »

And whatever you do don't start in Merrion Square.

Well, I'm glad someone noticed.

davedanon

Monday 1st October

Easy run.

7.00@8.40

HR 123/143

Tuesday 2nd

Went with the lads doing a 5 mile tempo. Probably too soon, but the lure of the crowd is hard to resist. As it turned out it was just me and one other at a similar pace. Had to dig in a bit later on.

7.02, 7.03, 7.11, 7.26, 7.08

HR 142/163

Wednesday 3rd

Very easy run.

5.11@9.22

HR 116/130

Thursday 4th

Easy run.

6.04@8.35

HR 125/140

Friday 5th

No running

Saturday 6th

Long run.

15.01@8.32

HR 130 /148

Sunday 7th

No running.

Week's mileage 41

OOnegative

DCM?

davedanon

OOnegative wrote: »

DCM?

Could be...

davedanon

Monday 8th

Easy short run.

4.01@8.42

HR 123/141

Tuesday 9th

Session. 7x800m @6.40 pace, with 90 secs jog recovery. Had completed 4 of these and was blowing quite hard, then suffered stomach-ache and had to go off to the bushes. Finished them out after, but noted the effect of the effort. Hopefully I can adjust for Friday's session. Had a slight cold the other week, which left me with a scratchy cough and a phlegmy throat in the mornings. Been mulling over the notion of seeing the doctor re: possible hydration issues in Berlin, my haemoglobin count of 11.2 at the blood bank (donation refused - minimum level required 13.5), and this annoying cough. Eventually decided I knew myself well enough that a course of Pharmaton would correct the iron issue, and the cough would come down to a question of: antibiotics, or nothing, and let it take its course. Anti-b's will have a weakening effect, so I'll let it sort itself out. Nearly 3 weeks still to go, after all.

6.35, 6.23, 6.37, 6.34, 6.39, 6.20

HR 141/163

Wednesday 10th

Very easy run.

7.01@9.09

HR 115/134

Thursday 11th

No running

Friday 12th

Session. 3,2,1 miles @7.10 per mile. 3 minute jog recoveries. DBL as per usual. Quite a nasty headwind on the very slightly uphill side. Hit my straps overall, but the 2 mile section was just a little slow. Didn't feel as though I was slowing down, so I put it down to just ordinary tiredness stemming from the increased demands this week.

7.00, 7.05, 7.09
7.17, 7.19
6.55

Recoveries @9.00

HR 140/164

Saturday 13th

Easy run. Met up with club long run group doing 18.

7.01@8.24

HR 134/149

Sunday 14th

14 mile run. Decided on the waterworks/duck loop, for a bit of much-needed elevation, after all the flat Berlin training. Feeling good. Roll on the 2nd taper of the year!

14.01@8.06

HR 137/155

Week's mileage 51

davedanon

Monday 15th

No running

Tuesday 16th

Short easy.

5.02@8.49

Wednesday 17th

Short easy.

5.06@8.30

Thursday 18th

Easy run.

6.23@8.44

Friday 19th

Session. 3, 2, 1 kms @7.10, 6.55, 6.40 - 3, 2, 1 mins rec.

7.04, 6.48, 6.36

HR 139/157

Saturday 20th

Easy run.

5.01@8.40

Sunday 21st

10 mile run. First 5 miles @7.40 downhill and downwind. Second 5 @8.00 back the other way. No great effort put in at any stage. Hopefully a good sign.

10.07@7.50

HR 140/159


Week's mileage 38

davedanon

October-present

A brief update. DCM didn't go particularly well in the end; very much the same as Berlin, in fact, including the time of 3:41.

After that there wasn't much motivation to do anything really, and in the end I decided not to take on any more races or do any sessions before Christmas. I've been lucky enough to have many years of virtually injury-free running, but a corollary effect seemed to have been that I had gotten a bit stale, or overworked, or something. In any case I felt that I needed a break, a re-set, something that might restore me to factory settings, as it were. So I determined to chug along until the new year, then put some changes into effect and try and crank things back up again.

All was well, until the 17th December, nearly a month ago now! I was finishing out an easy 5 miler when a pain struck on the inside of my right knee. It wasn't so bad, and I kept running, but then it just got suddenly worse. I had to stop and walk back to the house.

A visit to the muscular therapist, and we had a tentative diagnosis of an MCL problem. Not a tear, but inflammation or, something. The prognosis was hopeful - couple of days out, maybe more, take it easy meantime. I should feel some relief, and could expect significant improvement in a day or two.

Back home, though, and that's not how it felt. It seemed to have swollen back up again straight after the treatment. Therapist recommended an MRI, so a visit to the doctor ensued. After that a trip to Affidea for the scan. Never realised those bloody things were so loud.

A week later, back to the doctor, for the bad news. A Baker's cyst, probably leaking/ruptured. An old fracture somewhere. Major cartilage degeneration resulting in bone-on-bone. At least one, probably 2, tears in the meniscus. And on and on. I was asked how the hell I had managed any running in the first place. The words 'cycling' and 'swimming' were mentioned.

So, now I'm waiting to hear back about an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist. I'll need an arthoscopy (keyhole knee clean-out job) at a minimum, and I don't know if I'll get to run again.

RayCun

jaysus

OOnegative

That’s $hitty news Dave, I had that keyhole meniscus job done, made a balls out of it and had to get it done again. I was informed after that rehab would have sorted me, that’s after they took my money!! Anyway what i’m trying to say is be sure you need it before getting it, just my experience on the issue.

Murph_D

Ah no, sorry to hear this. Hope things work out - I suppose getting to see the right people is crucial. Good luck with it.

davedanon

Appointment on Wednesday up in Belfast.

davedanon

I was hoping that the knee expert would sound a more optimistic note, but no, he actually doubled down on it. An arthroscopy (keyhole surgery) might improve things, but it's 50/50, and even then it will only be delaying the inevitable - knee replacement. I'm done with competitive running, at a minimum. Cycling/swimming wankerdom beckons.

Singer

That's not great, sorry to hear.

Duanington

$hite D, really sorry to hear this man. Swimming doesn't sound too bad to me. Take it easy.

OOnegative

Sorry to hear that Dave, you might be able to get one of those supercool IM tattoos though........

RayCun

****

ultrapercy

Sorry to hear that. Harder to take givenote the sudden nature of the problem. Hope you can get a gra for the bike/pool. Most people who take it up end up loving it and spending every last penny on it. Good luck anyway for what it's worth.

davedanon

Thursday 14th March 2019

An update: As I type these words, I am sitting in a hospital bed in Belfast, having undergone an arthroscopy ('keyhole' surgery) on my knee earlier. The surgeon's pre-op chat was more upbeat than at our first meeting, when he advised that it was '50-50' whether the surgery would do any good at all. It appears that the medical experts' approach is to err on the side of extreme caution in order to forestall any unrealistic expectations whatsoever, perhaps out of a fear of litigation. I don't really know.

What I do know is that since my last post I have spoken with several people, admittedly all runners, who have given me a different perspective on the whole matter. It would seem that there are many people out there who are/were in the very same position as I. All were told that A) they'd be needing a knee-replacement, and that their running days were done, and that they should take up cycling, or swimming, or something of a non-impact nature. There's a guy in my club who was told that he would need a new knee within a year.

Not only is he still running, last year he ran a race in all 32 counties and finished it off with DCM. This has obviously given me genuine hope that my running days might yet be unfinished. However, all this hinges (pun intended) on the procedure I had today resulting in a significant improvement in my knee, and it will take several weeks before I know if that's the case. The experience of others has given me genuine grounds for optimism, though, and at this stage I would be happy to be granted the ability to indulge in any kind of running.

Time, as they say, will tell.

davedanon

Wednesday 8th May

A further update: 8 weeks on from the op, and, not much has changed, really. I finally got around to consulting with a professional regarding some sort of S&C programme, and I'm into the second week of it. I'm being asked not to run, not until I've completed most or all of a 6 week plan, involving exercises and the gym cross-trainer. The goal is to make sure that when and if I do attempt to run again, everything will be in balance, and my calves, quads, glutes and hammers will all be taking their proper share of the load.

It's even proposed that I try to alter my running style, so that my legendary massive left-heel-strike is, well, not eliminated, but certainly reduced. The odd run I have managed here and there (one 4 miler, three one milers) have only underlined the massive fall-off in aerobic capacity. I'm running 10 minute miles, and wondering how I ever ran quicker.

As to the joint itself, there is still quite extensive swelling around the top of the knee, and of course the Baker's cyst, which is basically untreatable, causes swelling at the back. I think I have been guilty of waiting for it to 'get better' on its own, rather than putting in work to make sure that the range of movement is restored as much as is possible. If I do nothing, it will just stay this way - stiff and swollen.

More exciting updates as they happen!

davedanon

Sunday 2nd June

5 weeks done now, and this week I managed 6 gym sessions (stewarding at WMM today), which have expanded into a full hour or more of drills - glute bridges, crunches, planks, and other exercises specifically for strengthening the knee. I'm also hopping up and down the room on one foot at a time. The whole session is bookended by 5ks on the cross-trainer, and I'm working up a serious sweat doing it. Those lovely endorphins have reappeared, and I'm actively looking forward to the sessions. A few more weeks to do, however, and then hopefully I'll be set loose on the track for some strides.

OOnegative

Delighted for you Dave, hope all goes well for you from here on in with the rehab.

davedanon

Three weeks on, and while I'm still not - officially - being allowed run I am really enjoying the daily buzz of the gym regime. 5k warmup in 20-odd minutes on the cross-trainer (level 6 by the end), then the glute bridges - 30 with both feet, then 20 on each foot. 60 side crunches (30 each side) then 30 standard. Then, I don't know what it's called - slightly bent knee almost touching a flat surface (at 'knee' level), other foot on tiptoe for balance, bend over with back rounded and place hands on flat surface, straighten. The pressure is all through the balls of the standing foot. 30 on each foot. Then bunny hops. In threes, with a 'hold' on the third. Two lengths of our clubhouse hall (about 30 ft?, for those who don't know it) on each foot. Then three lengths on each foot of continuous hopping (these are suprisingly arduous). Two more lengths on each foot. 10 minutes jogging around the hall, right up on my toes: roughly a mile.

Back into the gym for some free weights. Slight bend of the knees, then dip by sticking the bum out (I'm sure this has a name too) with a 10kg weight in each hand. Then a 3 minute plank (by far my least favourite). Some, what are they called, bicep curls? 4kg weight in each hand. Some pull-ups (new wrinkle). Then 5k on the Cross-trainer to finish. A pilates stretch thingy x3 to cleanse one's aura after. And I'm done.