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Cool runnings
Comments
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Duanington wrote: »Well done for toughing it out D, enjoyed the report too !
Nice to meet you afterwards, good aul craic. Will you target another one now?
Hmm. Yes, good question. My feeling at the moment is: repeat what I did this year. Spend the rest of the year and early 2017 hammering away at those 5k/5 mile/10k races, then pick an autumn marathon. Somewhere with reliably cool weather! All suggestions on a postcard, please.0 -
Amsterdam?0
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Monday 26th September-Saturday 1st October
Rest
Sunday 2nd
Well hello again, running, run.
6.40 @8.15
HR 132/144
Monday 3rd
Easy run
6.8 @8.50
HR 123/143
Tuesday 4th
Rest
Wednesday 5th
Easy run.
7.01 @8.58
HR 125/142
Thursday 6th/Friday 7th
Rest
Saturday 8th
Jog down the canal to the Aviva. Bloody traffic.
1.7 @8.49
Sunday 9th
WW Trail run. Kilmashogue car park to (roughly) Prince William's Seat and back. As easy as possible.
15 @10.30
Hr 128/165
Week's mileage 310 -
Monday 10th
Rest
Tuesday 11th
Easy run. Variation in pace and HR spike to 150 - initially chasing club group, then meeting other clubmate who was running at 8min pace, on grass.
7.26 @8.29
HR 128/150
Wednesday 12th
Easy run, 3 @MP. MP being 9.54, in this case. I decided to see what 4.20 pace felt like for the first three miles. It felt slow. It was also hard to stick to the pace: I kept speeding up, then slowing down. Towards the end it was actually making me feel tired and sluggish, so much so that I didn't feel that I would be able to raise the pace to my normal one. So I had a brief stop at 3 miles, then started again at a quicker tempo. Felt ok after that.
6.35 @9.12
inc 3 @MP (9.42, 10.05, 9.26)
HR 122/137
Thursday 13th
4 mile tempo run. A group of DCM hopefuls from the club were doing a session - 6@MP/1@HMP/1@10k, so I just went with one sub-group, a couple of lads aiming at 3.15 or so. Pace was hot, sub-MP for me. After a 6.57 4th mile I decided I'd had enough. Good blow-out though.
7.47 @7.46
inc 4@tempo (7.06, 7.05, 7.03, 6.57)
HR 141/1610 -
Friday 14th
Easy 5 miler. A routine trundle around the park.
5 @9.34
HR 116/125
Saturday 15th
Tymon parkrun. A stretch of the racing legs to see what sort of shape one is in. Didn't prepare very well really, very little warmup either. Felt faster than it was. Lucky to finish in 6th.
3.1 @6.36 (20:30)
HR 158/169
Sunday 16th
15 mile long run. A genuine attempt to run at PMP. Couldn't quite get there, obviously. Ah, it'll be alright on the night.
15.16 @9.38
HR 119/143
Week's mileage 46
Monday 17th
Rest
Tuesday 18th
3m @HMP wu/cd. Threw out the slow stuff for tonight and jumped in with the gang's much more fun session.
1.5 wu
3 @HMP (6.58, 7.02, 6.54)
1.5 cd
HR 142/162
Wednesday 19th
Rest
Thursday 20th
Easy run. Ran the first three miles at MP, then felt so sluggish that I fartlekked my way around and back home.
6.39 @9.06
3 @MP (9.25, 10.00, 10.03)
HR 122/160
Friday 21st
Rest
Saturday 22nd
Tymon parkrun. Was if anything even less prepared than last week, and definitely a bit hungover. A lengthy wait at roadworks (damn stop/go systems) nearly had me missing the start, but a warmup of basketball arena carpark to start line at 9.28 is far from ideal. Felt far worse than last week, and there was nearly an unscheduled re-appearance of breakfast at the finish. Luckily I hadn't had any. Finished in 11th, but was surprised that I'd run only 2 seconds slower than last week.
3.1 @6.37 (20.32)
HR 154/172
Sunday 23rd
10 mile run. With DCM only a week away, a group of more than 20 left the club for an easy Sunday run that was enlivened immensely by the in-run banter, which was mostly aimed at me and my pacing duties. Lots of telling me to slow down, and reminders to shout OGGIE OGGIE OGGIE* in certain places. Great fun, and the best part of this whole lark when you strip out all the competitive malarkey.
10 @9.04
HR 119/133
* I won't be doing this. My pacing group will be like the silent haircut. I'll get the job done, but say fock all.
Week's mileage 270 -
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Monday 24th
Easy 5 miler.
5 @9.01
HR 122/142
Tuesday 25th
Rest.
Wednesday 26th
Down in the wilds of Wickla for a night. Discovered that the hotel had a trail/walk around its accompanying golf course. Only wanted 30 minutes of a jog. Went with the missus, and she covered 5k in about 36 mins, with a couple of walk breaks. I'll get her into parkrun yet.
3.13 @11.39
HR 102/131
Thursday 27th
Rest.
Friday 28th
Easy run. You know you're in marathon week when you measure runs in minutes instead of miles. 20 mins got me
2.29 @8.39
HR 123/132
Saturday 29th
Last run before marathon. 20 mins with the club gang. After all their slagging, the pace here was MP for me.
2.23 @9.52
HR 113/122
Sunday 30th
26 mile slow run. Full report to follow, possibly.
26.4 @9.50 (4:19:38)
HR 130/151
Week's mileage 390 -
Monday 31st-Thursday 3rd
Rest.
Friday 4th
Easy run. Felt fine.
6.23 @8.43
HR 131/147
Saturday 5th
Easy run.
6.03 @8.47
HR 126/140
Sunday 6th
Easy run. Impromptu hill sprints x6 at the end. Only about 12 secs duration.
8.05 @9.12
HR 124/153
Week's mileage 20
Monday 7th
Easy run.
5.01 @8.29
HR 131/149
Tuesday 8th
3m tempo, wu/cd. Had unexpected company for this in returning DCMers. Possibly went out a little too fast, but was seriously gassed after mile 2 in any case. Wouldn't have completed the third but for my partners.
3m tempo (6.41, 7.02, 7.06)
HR 141/171
Wednesday 9th
Easy run.
7.01 @8.26
HR 131/1440 -
Thursday 10th
Easy run. Was contemplating a track session, but the bad weather put me off.
6.13 @9.07
HR 126/144
Friday 11th
Easy run. Met a clubmate in the park halfway through for a few grassy miles.
7.51 @8.42
HR 126/145
Saturday 12th
Short run. Curtailed length to proximity of kick-off in the footie. Which probably accounted for the occasionally tempo-esque pace.
3.02 @7.33
HR 140/161
Sunday 13th
Long run. Nice easy jaunt with occasional injections of pace.
10.06 @8.36
HR 128/150
Week's mileage 44.50 -
Monday 14th
Easy run.
4.04 @8.46
HR 122/134
Tuesday 15th
Cross training. 5 a-side in-club game at the Astro. How bad an idea was this? I have truly experienced DOMS for the first time. Running fine on the Wednesday, crocked on Thursday. Currently still nursing various strains, including a distinct swelling around the right knee-joint, which I now recall I always used to suffer from, post 5-a-side. Anyway, at least we won. BOOM.
2.66 miles (not quite accurate, forgot to stop watch)
HR 132/157
Wednesday 16th
Easy run. Felt ok, surprisingly enough, even banged in a nippy mile or two during this. Man, was I in for a surprise.
5.21 @8.51
HR 127/146
Thursday-Friday 17/18th
Rest. Body in shock. Running in straight lines only henceforth.
Saturday 19th
Easy run.
8.19 @9.02
HR 125/142
Sunday 20th
Easy run.
6.02 @8.56
HR 127/141
Week's mileage 26.5
codicil: Have been neglecting the bigger picture here: which is that I am entered for the Seeley Cup up in Norn next weekend, and I had been hoping to get a few decent sessions in, in hopes of bouncing off my marathon training and into a decent 10k time. That seems a forlorn ambition, at this stage. There are a few reasons/excuses - 1) club mates are in post-marathon mode, and no-one's exerting themselves. 2) Life. 3) Life again. 4) Physical decrepitude. Waking up three nights in a row with a throbbing big-toe nail had convinced me, with the aid of Dr. Google, that my hem-hem lifestyle had afflicted me with gout. It was textbook. Not a doubt. Classic case, all the symptoms. At the doctor's on Thursday, he took one look, pronounced 'infection', swabbed, lanced, prescribed anti-b's, and I was out the door. Never trust the damn internet, kids. So now I'm not only unfit, but I will be additionally-physically compromised come next weekend.0 -
Monday 21st
Easy run. An hour with lads from the club.
6.29 @9.16
HR 118/136
Tuesday 22nd
Right, it's time to face facts. Tried to do a sort of tempo session today. Maybe 2-3 miles at the fastest pace I could comfortably maintain. After a couple of on-the-nippy-side warmup miles, I set off...and after only a few hundred metres I realised I was fooling myself. Stopped, got going again, a bit slower, and after a bit knew I'd be stopping again when the mile was up. I just about scraped under 7 minutes, and that's when I realised I wouldn't be travelling to Belfast at the weekend. There's no point. It's one of the highest quality 10k's in the country, and I'm in no shape for it. I'm on antibiotics, I haven't done any sessions, and I'm all banged up from playing football last week. I'm not going to bother with the JB 5k either, I don't think.
6.11 @8.08
HR 143/1610 -
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Sorry to hear that D, it's a race you would have done well in fully fit.0
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Wednesday 23rd
Rest
Thursday 24th
Nominally easy run that got a bit tasty after the first couple of slow miles. Comedy sprint at the end which accounts for the HR max.
7.01 @8.21
HR 136/173
Friday-Saturday 25/26th
Rest
Sunday 27th
11 mile run. Was only aiming for 10, but this was a unique occasion, with a very special group leaving the TAC clubhouse at 10am, including Myles, TRR and guests Krusty and TBB, along with a couple of non-boards clubmates. Basically a bunch of 2.30/40 marathoners whose idea of an easy sunday run was 7.30 pace. We took off at a frantic clip, and a 7.36 mile was followed by a 7.10 which included the climb up old bawn to the old mill. Shortly after I gave up the ghost and let the group stride on. My rugby-associated hangover was asserting itself in a big way, and I dialled the pace back a good bit. Not ashamed to admit I had a couple of stops too. After I touched the back gate in the waterworks though, I was moving well and knocking off successive sub-8 min miles.
11.09 @7.43
HR 146/163
Week's mileage 30.50 -
Monday 28th
Rest
Tuesday 29th
Planned an easy run, but decided to jump in with a couple of clubmates' 3m tempo.
Wednesday 30th
Rest
Thursday 1st
Easy run.
6.15 @8.46
HR 124/136
Friday 2nd
Easy run. Read about the 'Blessington Greenway', and decided to find it, and run it. Decidedly cold out by the lakes in Blessington. Lovely run.
7.01 @8.16
HR 123/154
Saturday 3rd
Rest
Sunday 4th
Totally unplanned 8 miler. Out drinking and dining all day Saturday, so had no thoughts of any Sunday running, but a little voice in my head reminded me (at about 5 past 11) that there was a 12.00 run. Arrived naked, that is, sans watch so just literally went with the flow.
8.05 @8.37
Week's mileage 270 -
Monday 5th
Easy run.
6.5 @8.33
HR N/A
Tuesday 6th
Rest
Wednesday 7th
Pseudo-tempo run. Jogged down to the park in the morning with the intention of doing some tempo-pace miles on the intermediate xc course, but it didn't go at all well. My body doesn't function at its best in the mornings, unless it's a race and I'm psyched for it, and even on the warm-up (admittedly brisk enough) I was blowing a bit too hard. I managed one lap on the xc course, couldn't break 8 minutes, then got back on the path for a 7.28 down the hill toward the all-weather pitches and around towards Limekiln. Then I eased back for the next one, before managing a decent 7.11 along the esker lane. A couple of easy ones then to finish.
8.03 @8.16
HR 131/158
Thursday 8th
Rest
Friday 9th
Easy run. Maybe it's the time of year, but found myself seriously lacking in motivation on Friday afternoon. I was actually asking myself the "why am I doing this" question. Stopped several times out of sheer couldn't-be-arsedness. I finished it out eventually, but a glute was complaining, and I think I need to visit my man to sort out some alignment problems in the old undercarriage.
6 @8.40
HR 126/144
Saturday 10th
Rest. (Club awards/christmas do the previous night)
Sunday 11th
10 mile long run. 8 was the initial plan, but was running with a clubmate who persuaded me to go the extra mile(s). He's a naturally quick runner building towards another sub-3 attempt, so the pace quickly picked up, putting me under pressure as I am once more afflicted with a persistent sore throat, and more than once coughed up a pleasingly-large gobbet of brown phlegm (brown is fine. when it's green it's time to worry). Just about coped, and even managed a 7.27 mile to finish.
10.01 @8.03
HR 141/158
Week's mileage 300 -
Monday 12th
7.18 @8.38
Tuesday 13th
Rest
Wednesday 14th
Nice super-easy few laps of Marlay with a couple of righteous ultra-dudes. In the pouring rain. Lovely.
8.65 @8.55
HR 126/143
Thursday-Saturday 15th-17th
Rest. Sore throat/cold should be on their way out, but instead conspire to put me in bed for a spell.
Sunday 18th
Really wanted to compete, after a fashion, in the very first Bros Pearse/Tallaght xc friendly race/deathmatch in Tymon park. Participation was in doubt until the morning of the race itself, when my airways seemed clear enough to give it a lash. Lasted all of one lap before having to pull out.
About 2.5m in total.
Fairly miserable week. The idea is to let the body fight this one off, after already completing at least 2 courses of antibiotics this year, but it just drags out, and now I'm fairly miserable. Will be undercooked for Masters, and probably the Raheny 5 as well.
Week's mileage fock all0 -
Monday/Tuesday 19/20th
Rest
Wednesday 21st
Easy run.
6.55 @8.42
HR 131/149
22nd-24th
Rest
Sunday 25th
Christmas Day GOAL Mile. Or the annual danon family dave v son who never trains but has 29 years on him.
Bah.
.74 @8.55 wu
1m @ 6.12 (5.45 for the son)
.46 cd
HR 122/160
WEEK'S MILEAGE BUGGER ALL
Monday 26th
St. Stephen's Day TAC kris kindle/kringle/kangol race. Handled a race situation a bit better today, finished at least.
1.23 @8.22 wu
2.65 @6.55
1.2 @9.24 cd
HR 162/179! (doesn't seem to be an unlikely spike, but still exceeding supposed MAX HR)
Tuesday 27th
Easy run.
5 @9.02
HR 126/142
Wednesday 28th
Easy run.
6.13 @8.41
HR 127/141
Thursday 29th
Social run with some buddies, with refreshments afterward. Warmup from house-Luas, then Heuston-PP.
10.5 @9.15
Friday 30th
Easy run with the dog. Decided to give the hound another chance to prove his running-with-master credentials. Stayed in the Dodder valley park loop between Ahernes/Old Mill and the new bridge. Went ok, he may get another shot or two.
4 @9.01
HR 125/143
Saturday 31st
Club New Year's Eve social run. wu from house up to waterworks, then front to back gate and back. Not a race, but of course the pace was lively enough. Stayed with the leading group for a mile or so, then let them go. Picked up the pace on the way back down with the slope and the breeze, finished chasing a group of two with a 6.36 mile. A good blow-out.
8.64 @7.58
HR 141/171
Sunday 1st
Easy first run of the new year. Garmin upload glitch so no HR data.
5.2 @8.22
Back on track with a solid week and 7 days of running. A session between now and the masters xc at the weekend would be good.
WEEK'S MILEAGE 450 -
Monday 2nd
Easy short run. Brisk enough.
4.01 @8.26
HR 128/144
Tuesday 3rd
Easy run, with fast mile. Wasn't feeling up to a proper session. Just the one quick mile (6.19)
7.25 @8.35
Wednesday 4th
Short slow run. Long hill run to come on the morrow.
4 @9.18
HR 109/147
Thursday 5th
Long run in Dublin hills, Marlay park to Kilmashogue and up towards fairy fort. Excellent therapy.
10.42 @12.46
Total elevation gain: 1824ft
HR 122/1680 -
Friday 6th
Easy jaunt through the paths and laneways of the nearby estates.
7 @9.22
HR 118/133
Saturday 7th
Tymon parkrun. With the other half on her very first attempt. Didn't get too carried away at the start, and when she couldn't keep running she maintained her usual brisk walk which is fast enough to allow me to keep jogging beside her. 34 minutes was a very respectable effort, I thought. When she is aerobically capable of running the full 5k she'll get under 30min no bother.
3.13 @10.53 (34.04)
HR 111/123
Sunday
Dublin Masters XC, Raheny. My first proper xc since, well, this time last year, since I only managed one lap in Tymon the other week. At least this time I finished. Reasonably happy, although I wilted on the sticky section at the end of lap 3 and was passed by several team-mates, including a fellow 0-50er to knock me out of fourth scoring position. Just didn't have the strength to cope, though, and I was always using this as a stepping-stone to a reasonable 5 mile at the end of the month in any case.
1.85 @9.21 wu
3.66 @ 7.24
HR 168/180
.81 @9.09 cd
STREAK: 15
Week's mileage 420 -
Monday 9th
8 mile recovery run.
8.02 @9.01
HR 121/139
Tuesday 10th
5m @MP, wu and cd. Just me and one colleague for this. We agreed on 7.30 pace, but I knew he'd run quicker, and so it proved. We followed our usual tempo route down from Tallaght village into the park, and although it got hard after about 3.5 miles, I managed to tough it out for an average pace of 7.19 per mile.
7.54 @7.53 (inc wu/cd)
HR 139/165
Wednesday 11th
Short recovery run.
4.17 @9.00
HR 117/132
Thursday 12th
4x1m @10k pace w 3 mins rec. A freezing cold night for this, and the first snow shower of the year greeted the second mile. Was apprehensive following the struggles of Tuesday night, but in the end was pretty pleased with the 6.30 per mile average. Right on the money. If the recoveries were a bit long, they really did the trick and I felt really strong on the last mile, finished on the final mile drag of the Tymon parkrun.
7.41 @8.33
(6.40, 6.27, 6.21, 6.32)
HR 143/189
Friday 13th
Recovery run. Partly on grass.
6 @9.23
HR 116/145
Saturday 14th
Tymon parkrun course. The parkrun was cancelled due to icy conditions, but we ran the route anyway, and the OH was gratified with an unofficial 30 second pb.
6.57 @slow.
HR 112/132
Sunday 15th
Long run. First 12 miler of the year. A bit creaky towards the end. Quite warm today too.
12 @8.14
HR 136/150
Week's mileage 52
Streak 220 -
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Monday 16th
Recovery run. A minimum of 4 required, 6 eventually done. Happy with that. Routine otherwise.
6.03 @8.44
HR 122/130
Tuesday 17th
15minsx2@HMP w 5min rec, wu/cd. A nice night for this in the park - but an even better night for a track session: dry, mild, and dead calm. But I knew better than to suggest a change of plan. Amazing how many athletes are track-phobic. Ah well. We agreed on 7 min pace or thereabouts for this, but I assumed it would be faster, and so it proved. Last week I struggled with 5 continuous MP miles on the Tuesday, before recovering for a good Thursday session, and again tonight I found myself hanging on a bit at times, but overall it was a good session. More than the daily runs or the mileage, it's the sessions that my body is struggling to cope with. But it's all good progress.
7.69 @8.27
1.5 wu
15mins @6.56
5 mins (half mile)
15mins @6.56
1.3 cd
HR 133/1660 -
Wednesday 18th
Very slow and short recovery run. Still quite tired from Tuesday.
4.19 @9.53
HR all over the place.
Thursday 19th
Interval session. 8minsx3@10k pace, 3 mins rec wu/cd. With an xc race on Saturday, I decided in advance that one rep would be plenty. But it didn't turn out that way. Still felt a bit creaky, and straightaway the first rep had me on trouble. I was 40-50 metres further back than normal, and after less than a mile I had to row it back. Because of that I started the second rep, but knew I wouldn't finish that either. Sometimes the well is just dry.
7.23 @8.20
HR 133/1570 -
Friday 20th
Needed to get out somewhere, so wound up in Glendalough doing the Spink. Much more of a walk/climb than a run, at least for the likes of me, but visually spectacular, and I got some nice pictures. Lovely day too, and I spoke to a very nice Dutch couple.
4 and a bit miles.
Saturday 21st
BHAA xc race in Cherryfield. Underfoot conditions were perfect for this, despite the frosty start to the day. Jogged down from the house, then inevitably met clubmates who wanted to warm up, so had 3 miles on the clock by the time we hit the start line. After barely 20 metres there was a faller, and evasive action was necessary. I started fairly conservatively, but was still a little (pleasantly) surprised with an initial 6.42 mile, and thereafter kept the pace up pretty well, although a fall on an acute corner knocked some stuffing out of me. Was tracking a club mate, but the planned ambush was scuppered when he got into a sprint with another runner. Pretty happy with 34.22 in the end.
3m wu
5.02 @6.51
2m cd
Sunday 22nd
Long run. Started fast, but thought better before the 3 mile mark and reined it in.
12 @8.44
HR 125/142
Week's mileage 51.50 -
Monday 23rd
Easy run.
6.06 @8.56
HR 120/143
Tuesday 24th
4x1m @10k, 3 min rec. We used the park loop opposite Ahern's pub for this. Warmed up from the club. We were comfortably under our 6.30 target. Good hard session. Cool down back to the club.
4x1 @ 6.26 (6.26, 6.21, 6.30, 6.27)
HR 139/168
Wednesday 25th
Easy run which felt hard. Waterworks gate to gate and return. Toting camera as well, didn't help.
5 @9.08
HR 120/147
Thursday 26th
6x600m @5k. Persuaded a few to do this on the track. As always it's a shock to the system hitting the tartan after a long absence. Didn't time the reps accurately, but I reckon they fell between 2.15 and 2.20
HR 136/161
Friday 27th
Easy run. This looks like a rambling, mostly-on-grass loosener.
5.56 @9.39
Saturday 28th
The streak came perilously close to ending here. A birthday is no excuse, but the pub was beckoning and the window was closing, so eventually the only solution was to throw on the Kinvaras and jog a mile in the street clothes before hitting the battler. Hey, it's good enough for Ron Hill, and his streak is history anyway. (53 years, pshaw)
1 @9.23
Sunday 29th
Raheny 5 mile. No report just yet.
5 @ 6.31 (32.34)
HR 152/172
A combination of circumstances cut the mileage a little this week.
Week's mileage 370 -
Monday 30th
Easy run. Wasn't expecting great distance, but got home from work just in time to arrange a rendezvous with a couple of clubmates, so ran to meet them then completed a loop with them via Tallaght village, which got me 7+. Happy days.
7.2 @8.56
HR 123/140
Tuesday 31st
The session was 4x4mins @marathon effort, but couldn't make club time, so did it myself later on in the evening. Was going to push the session to the following day, but once out on the Ahern's loop I ended up getting into it. Ran them much too fast, especially considering how tired I felt. Didn't really time them properly, but the average for the (roughly) 2 miles was low to middle 6.50s
HR 130/152
Wednesday 1st
Easy run. Felt a bit fresher than usual.
7.5 @8.40
HR 115/136
Thursday 2nd
AM. Easy trail run. Massey's Wood up to Dublin Way and back down. Muck, leaves, rocks, rivers, trails, rain, wind. Marvellous stuff.
5.71 @14.270 -
Thursday 2nd
PM. 2x2k, 1x1k @10k pace. Feeling tired for various reasons but particularly creaky after mountainy run earlier. The session was actually 3x2k, but I bailed on the last click. Have my eye on Tymon parkrun this weekend. And nowhere near 10k pace, obviously.
6.83 @8.31
2k @ 6.50
2k @ 6.51
1k @ 6.55
HR 131/161
Friday 3rd
Weary easy run.
4 @9.11
HR 116/125
Saturday 4th
Tymon parkrun. Not feeling in optimum shape for this. Currently struggling with a hip flexor problem. Set alarm clock so that I could make 8am club run instead, but in the end plumped for the short sharp shock of the 5k. Wasn't even sure if I'd be able to give it a proper go, but once we got going I went reasonably well and got in just under 21 mins. 6N today, so the plan was to get the long run miles in before the madness kicks off. Managed 10 in total. It'll do.
2 @8.30
3.04 @6.52 (20.54)
HR 150/169
5.01 @8.54
Sunday 5th
A surprising 7 miles. Partly on grass.
7 @8.34
Week's mileage 530 -
Monday 6th
The usual recovery. Run in a vague figure of eight using the two short loops either side of the new-ish Dodder bridges in Dodder Valley Park.
6.01 @8.48
HR 123/135
Tuesday 7th
4x1m @MP, wu/cd. Solo for this. Found it quite hard, especially for miles 3 & 4, although they were the two fastest. Needed a little rest at the end, so I did. The target was 7.15 pace, so fairly happy.
8.19 @8.12
MP miles 7.25, 7.27, 7.11, 7.05 (Av 7.17)
HR 129/1590 -
Wednesday 8th
Trail run. Nominally easy, but my heartrate wants a word about that. Started across the road from the zipit entrance, not knowing where I was going, except that it was up, up, up, until I reached the bottom of the 'bog bridge'. Took that up onto Cruagh, then back down. Bear with me. Drove around the corner to the bridge with the hairpin turn, and got back on the Dublin Way trail. Went through the forest, and back up the fire road to the bottom of the bog bridge again (but from the opposite direction), and then back down. Had noticed a trail heading 'up' along the way, and decided to explore that. It took me up to a T junction, the left fork of which looked familiar. It was the way we had descended last week (I was retracing my steps). To the right was a trickling rivulet. Last week it was a forceful stream. That was when I realised that Anto had made me run down through this, when there was a perfectly serviceable, dry, packed-earth path on offer. Bloody trail runners.
6 @slow
HR 117/169(!)
Thursday 9th
5x1mile @10k pace, 3 min rec. Was astonished to hear my tartan-dreading (and I don't just mean the Scottish rugby team) clubmates propose doing these on the track, upon arrival at club. It soon transpired that they thought we had kms on the menu, and not good old imperial miles. The park it was, then. Earlier I had been contemplating doing these on my own: Really glad I didn't. There's nothing like company to keep the dander up on the hard sessions. Two dynamics are duking it out here. There's the tank, progressively emptying, versus the body, adapting and coming to terms. After the third mile involved an uphill slog from the playground at the spawell side of Tymon up around the monument* to the bridge over the M50, the fourth couldn't have been better planned. A mile starting roughly from the parkrun finish and working back down the route, it was mostly downhill and the wind was at our back. We formed a tight group for the first time, and as I ran tucked in behind three buddies, ranged across the path, I had a brief interlude of running satori: those moments, sometimes minutes or longer, when the effort seems almost minimal, and the breathing is easy and constant. If only everything could stay just as they are now, you think, then I could go on like this for ever. And then you turn a corner, or somebody speeds up, or the running surface changes, or the wind blows, or a butterfly flutters its wings......and the moment or minutes are gone. Just like that. Anyway. A great session.
* Erected by Digifone. Yes, Denis O'Brien. Do you still like it?
8.95 @8.29
Mile splits 6:42, 6:30, 6:32, 6:09, 6:21 (Av 6:27)
HR 134/165
STREAK 47 days 312 miles0 -
Friday 10th
Very tired and short easy run.
4.08 @9.48
HR N/A
Saturday 11th
Another tired run.
6.01 @9.00
HR 124/147
Sunday 12th
Wifely birthday celebrations had me in less than ideal training shape this weekend, and a combination of a punishing hangover and terrible weather made it doubly difficult to contemplate any lacing-up of runners. But in the end a dropped hint or two got herself and her fitbit out the door as well. The dog was thrilled, as the fire had been lit by noon, and a sofa day was looking a likely winner on the day's event calendar. Had been on lockup down at the club, and the guilt induced by the sight of all my clubmates returning after making a 14 mile deposit in the First National Bank of Running was just too much to bear. Hangover be damned. 14 was beyond me, however, so settled for the minimum acceptable, a nice round 10. More importantly, the running streak hit a big landmark.
10.02 @8.47
HR 123/134
Streak 50 days (332 miles)
Week's mileage 490 -
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Monday 13th
Easy run.
7.02 @8.57
HR 115/136
Tuesday 14th
8 mile steady run. Felt a warm up was necessary for this, so with the initial 1.5 plus a half-mile cooldown I got 10 out of this session. Mostly run on the Dodder valley park loop opposite Aherns pub.
8.01 @7.39 (target 7.45)
HR 135/150
2 wu/cd
Wednesday 15th
Easy run. Lethargic.
6.01 @9.08
HR N/A0
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