Year 4: "It's a game of inches"

Myles Splitz

Thursday 5.4 miles easy (7.59 min mile pace)

Friday OFF

Saturday 1 mile warm up, 3 mile tempo, 1 mile cooldown
Splits: 5.53, 5.58, 5.59

Sunday 15.1 miles easy (7.43 min pace)

Monday AM 5 miles easy (8.13 min pace)

Not the greatest second half to the week though all things considered not a disaster either. Late out of work Thursday and had been tipping along nicely for the week so I opted out of the PM run and decided would be best for the legs overall.

Friday got a text from UPS saying package would arrive between 8.30-9.30. Between all the hmming and hawing about whether to chance going out by the time 5 o clock came around and I gave up on it arrive it was too late to get the session I wanted in with commitments for the evening. Not ideal but chalk it down to a fluke not to be repeated (text arrived at 5.30 saying I missed them, typical :mad:)

Saturday came along and only had a 45 min window. Despite a few drinks with wine I said I would give a short session a bash so a 3 mile hilly tempo on grass was the order which surprisingly went better than expected all things considered I felt very much in control.

Sunday rolled around with a busy day of sport meaning I knew time was gonna be precious and true to word I was in early and had to stay late. Despite this I was determined to get my long run in. 11.30, forgot my orthotics in other trainers everything was not going my way despite this long run went well and no real issues felt strong and controlled. Interesting to see that the pace is slowly creeping down naturally as well.

Myles Splitz

Monday PM 7 miles easy (8.11 min mile pace)

Tuesday AM 5 miles easy (7.47 min mile pace)
Tuesday PM 2.2 miles w/u + 12*1 min hills w/ 2.30 rec 3 mile cooldown

Wednesday AM 5 mile easy (8.04 min mile pace)

Between late shifts in work and my late night long run on Sunday the sleep patterns have gone a little haywire meaning morning runs have been nothing more than runmutes.

Probably should have got out early for my session Tuesday but thankfully I had spotted a well light hill months back that I knew would be ideal for late night sessions. Not as steep as two weeks ago but the effort was there.

Happy enough with the session and felt the turnover was pretty good in the legs, definitely feeling a bit of pep in them at the moment probably down to the scaling back of paces on my easy days.

Had a look back on last years training around this time and sadly it wasn't as inconsistent as I seemed to have recall so in terms of where I am fitness wise might be a bit lacking compared to last year with Novices next week however I am happy with how its going and I know if I can keep consistent for winter there are big gains to be had.

Myles Splitz

Wednesday PM Flexibility and conditioning

Thursday 2 mile warm up, 4x2 mile @HM w/ 2.15 rec, 1 mile cooldown

Splits:

11.43 (5.46, 5.57) - 5.52 ave pace
11.39 (5.45, 5.54) - 5.50 ave pace
11.50 (5.51, 5.59) - 5.55 ave pace
11.46 (5.51, 5.55) - 5.53 ave pace

Friday AM 6.1 miles easy (8.14 min mile pace)
Friday Afternoon 5 miles easy (8.05 min mile pace)

Opted to not double Wednesday evening as a precaution, plantar a little aggravated so figured was better use of time to do a bit of work on flexibility and conditioning. Definitely worked as was ready to go come Thursday.

I was going to do same 1 mile loop as I had used two weeks ago which is flat but came across a decent loop on strava that I thought would be a good one. Splits were going to be a bit all over the place due to the profile with the first
mile downhill and the second mile making it back but given that I am in cross country training this type of work is a bit more suitable to break up the rhythm.

1st mile took a bit of time to settle into as I was running right effort but the pace was on the slow side (worrying given this was the fast section) This was short lived however and the pace dropped. Second mile was tricky as there were three climbs with the last being a tough enough one (one I actually sometimes use for hills reps)

Second rep felt a bit better and was feeling okay. Third rep was where I started to really feel the session kicking in. Kinda was annoyed at myself that took the foot off the throttle in first half perhaps subconsciously to save energy for second half. When last rep came around however I twigged that I wasn't holding back on downhill, I was just tired. Dug in and finished strong. Very happy with the session overall aim of averaging 5.50-5.55 was met.

Looking back on last Cruise interval sessions I was averaging 6.03 off 75 sec recovery per mile. Here I managed sub 6 the whole way on a hilly course with 67 sec recovery per mile.

Back out this morning and the legs felt good. Was happy to have company for a change on this run with the exile.

Myles Splitz

Friday PM 6 miles easy (8.11 min pace)

Saturday 5 miles easy (8.04 min pace)

Sunday Flexibility & Mobility work

Monday AM 5 miles easy (8.00 min pace)
Monday PM 8 miles easy (8.09 min pace)

Tuesday 2 mile warm up, 8x800m w/2.30 rec, 5 mile cooldown

Splits: 2.39, 2.39, 2.39, 2.42, 2.40, 2.39, 2.45, 2.44

Well intentioned plans of a late long Run Sunday however the Plantar was acting up a bit and rather than risk it I opted to spend a bit of time on the calves. All the treatment I have had on the shoulder over the last while meant that the legs have been a bit neglected so I will have to rectify that this week.

Body felt good Monday and had company for the evening run with a few of the lads from the club.

Down to the UCD pitches straight after work. Felt sluggish in the warm up but hoped that I would get into my running. Perfect weather for running it almost felt wrong being on grass for a XC session as this was the kinda day that makes track season enjoyable. Broke in new spikes to see whether or not I would wear them on the weekend or revert back to my trust Puma Ngongs.

Initially was down for 6 reps but wanted a good hard session before the weekend. Reps started off consistent and felt nice and controlled. As the session wore on though there was a little less pep in the step after every rep and the recovery pace slowed little by little.

By the time I got to 6 reps I was negotiating with myself whether the last two reps were going to happen, a sign that the effort level was exactly where I wanted to be and the session was going well. Last two reps slowed a little but not dramatically. Happy enough with the session overall as its the fastest I have ran for a sustained amount of time since July.

Myles Splitz

Wednesday 4.5 miles easy (7.29 min mile pace)

Thursday AM 5 miles easy (8.01 min mile pace)
Thursday PM 2.8 miles easy , 4x200, 2x400, 800, 2x400, 4x200, 1.6 miles easy

Recoveries: 200m jog between 200s (90s), 2 min walk between 400s/800s

Splits:
32, 33, 33, 34
1.16, 1.13
2.18
1.13, 1.13
33, 33, 33, 35

Wednesday only had a short window so pace was a little bit quicker than usual but handy all the same.

Thursday was just a handy turnover session for the weekend. 1st time back near a track since July (and probably won't be near again for a good while) just wanted to have this session completely controlled and focus on the legs ticking over without it being too taxing so the recoveries were generous.

Bumped into my old coach on the warm up so a bit quicker than would normally be as ran with him for a bit to catch up as hadn't seen or spoke to him in a couple of months.

Session itself was positive (one of my favourite pre race workouts I do a couple of times a year), I was never really laboring, felt fast but controlled and one of the rare times the hard 800 was even split (68. high/69. low). First time to notice the colder evening air getting into the lungs this autumn season.

Looking forward to the weekend now will be interesting to see how I go. Have been happy with how training is going but till I get a few races under my belt won't know what sort of shape I am as I haven't yet had the mental and physical experience of working through hurt you can only pick up with race experience.

Firedance

good luck tomorrow L!

Myles Splitz

Friday 5 miles easy (8 min approx average ~ forgot to stop clock)

Saturday 5 miles shake out + 4x30 sec strides @ Race Effort + 40 min mobility

annapr

Well done today, you had an impressively fast sprint to the finish!

Firedance

annapr wrote: »

Well done today, you had an impressively fast sprint to the finish!

+1, hope you were happy with the result? You looked strong the whole way through

Myles Splitz

Was looking forward to this one. It was my first race back since July so I was a little apprehensive but I took it for what it was going to be, a good rust buster. Looking back on last years logs a few things stuck out to me;

- I had been doing sessions for longer last year but I had more consistent weeks this time around.
- I hadn't been as consistent in my sessions last year (odd blow up) but had put in some pretty good ones and effort was probably higher
- Had been going into sessions fresher this year as the easy run pace had been scaled back significantly (30-45 sec per mile) so could account for the sessions going well
- Last year has not been as bad a build up as I had let myself believe

All in all I didn't know what my chances were for this race. Aim was to improve on last year (26th)

In terms of the team I found out TRR wasn't able to run so out went last years number one runner so I didn't have too much expectations on that side.

Gun went and I started conservative enough. Initially I thought too conservative as one of the younger 800m guys was still in front of me, I quickly noticed KielyUnusual not too far ahead though so this confirmed it had just been a case of the other Tallaght runner going off too hard. The course had changed year (making it slightly shorter as I would find out later) and coming to the end of the first short lap I finally reeled in the other Tallaght runner and shot past him, from there I knew it was gonna be a long day for him.

At this stage KU was leading a group and firmly in my sights but I knew deep down I would have to work too hard to catch that group which were about 20m ahead at this stage.

A small group started to form around me at this stage which was ideal as we came back into the wind on the backstraight. This is one of the things I love about XC, with times not being an issue its all about competiting for places and being tactical. The back straight was the flattest part of the course an the best place to really pick up the pace and where alot of people will aim to make ground. Today however there was a heavy wind so I decided to sit in, let the ones around me do the work to pick up the pace and just follow the train and then work through the rolling hills. This worked well for me and the laps flew in. Lost 4 positions over all as the laps ticked along quite quickly but I was still sitting in 16th so if I could hold that it would be a very good day.

Come last lap and I was beginning to get uncomfortable. I wasn't sitting in the group that easy as I had been previously but I was hanging on. The group however then broke up on the hills and I was sitting in 15th coming around onto the back straight for the last time on the shoulder of a Crusaders lad. I was feeling like I had a bit left but was unsure of how he was as despite heavy breathing he was holding on well. I decided if I was going to beat him it would have to be with a significant kick rather than a sustained drive to the finish line so come 400m to go and I upped it ever so slight but hit the last bend and I went for it and dropped him. The kick only lasted about 70m but it was enough to dissuade him from following suit. Was hurting a little now but was still moving pretty well. With 200m to go I noticed that I was gaining on the next guy so I found another gear and went again. I was closing him down but sadly I ran out of distance to catch him as I finished 1-2 seconds behind.

Unofficial result 14th (3.6 miles @ 5.36 min mile pace)

A very satisfying result for the day and a great way to start the season off. The rust has been busted now its time to get the head back down and get ready for Dublin Seniors in 4 weeks time

Myles Splitz

annapr wrote: »

Well done today, you had an impressively fast sprint to the finish!

Thanks, the grass always seems to bring it out of me (maybe without the pressures of chasing times I leave too much in the tank)

Firedance wrote: »

+1, hope you were happy with the result? You looked strong the whole way through

Very happy aim was top 25 so job done for the day

Sacksian

Think it was fairly much a reversal of last year's result between us! Good race to kick off the xc season for you.

thewolf_ie

Well done was happy to see you do well!

Myles Splitz

Thanks A,

fair play to you to a very solid run, I would put that ahead of you PB last week. The hard sessions definitely paying off for you.

Duanington

Great stuff L, nice finish too.

Myles Splitz

Monday 5 miles easy (8.20 min pace)

Tuesday AM 5 miles easy (7.54 min pace)
Tuesday PM 2 miles easy, 12x1 min hills w/ 2.15 rec, 3 miles easy

Wednesday AM 5 miles easy (8.10 min pace)

The body felt surprisingly good after the race (especially as for some reason the few post races beers were hitting me alot worse than they should have) Kept the next day nice and handy.

Opted to do another late night hill session this time round to give me an extra 12 hours recovery as I was conscious of the race. The legs felt fine but despite this I had said to myself to be sensible and scale it back effort wise if needed.

Thankfully it wasn't and tipped away nicely for this one. Comparing to last time round there was a great improvement in consistency of the distance I was getting as I was up on my best from the last time nearly every time. Half way through session I gave a girl on a bike a wave while on recovery, nothing worse than a crazy runner out at midnight trying to get your attention?...... Wrong, especially when you find out that the crazy runner is a relation. My cousin got really confused when I acknowledged her by name, took her a few minutes before she twigged it haha.

All in all very happy with how the session went and picked up where I left off after the race with no ill effects.

Myles Splitz

Wednesday PM 7.5 miles (8.15 min pace)

Thursday AM 5 miles easy (8.05 min pace)
Thursday PM 6 miles east (8.30 min pace)

Friday2 miles easy, 3x5k tempo w/3 min rec,

Splits:
18.45 (6.02 pace),
18.50 (6.04 pace),
18.52 (6.04 pace)


Hadn't been feeling the love the last few days. Was alot more sluggish getting up in the morning's and taking a while to get into my running. I think while sleep was a factor nutrition was the real reason as I don't think I was eating enough throughout the days and effecting energy levels a little.
Couple this with the nagging plantar niggles I was getting. Didn't take me long to find the route cause (a concave wear pattern in the Kinvara's) so time to bin and replace unfortunately.

Session I decided to stick to Tymon and had a nice hilly loop picked out. Again sluggish in the warm up but figured I would ease into it. The loop consisted of 2 miles rolling climbs with the last mile downhill so I kept the effort level steady. Felt there was something not fully right from the start. Despite the fact that effort wasn't too bad I was sweating profusely and legs still feeling slightly dead. Despite all this however got through the session and while tough, wasn't a killer.

Took next day off as a precaution in case I was fighting something off however.

Myles Splitz

Saturday OFF

With the legs not feeling great the last few days I took it off. Didn't feel bad but thought might be best to just either mentally of physically recharge (still couldn't put my finger on exactly why was feeling off as sickness doesn't seem to have reared it's head.

Rather than be completely off I was in Tayto Park and decided I would foolishly test the shoulder with some Krusty-style Cross training

Sunday 12.5 miles w/ 11.5 steady

Best laid plans to get up this morning and get this done before the day of sport. One problem woke up to a missed call from work realizing that I either cocked up or there was a rota change during week that I didn't spot so a panicked dart into work for the day meant it was after a packed day of sport when I got out.

Winter is well and truly here as this was a cold one and the errie fog really had me just wanted to stay in the nice warm house however once I got going this was fine.

Got a battery low warning message 4 mile in and thought I was going to have to run this completely blind so turned to the routes I know so well I can anticipate the mile markers just so I know at least how long I was going to run (thankfully didn't come to that as I got home and threw the Garmin on charge to see 1% on the watch)

In terms of effort this was quite controlled and I was cruising (had to pull it back at times as I subconciously dropped to the lower 6 mins) Legs and body seemed to be back to normal so the day off did the trick.

Myles Splitz

Monday 6 miles easy (8.15 min pace)

Felt pretty damn good to be honest best I have felt on an easy day in a long while. No idea what the reason was but hey, I'll run with it

Tuesday 3.2 mile warm up, 6x1 mile w/2.30, 2.2 mile cooldown

Splits: 5.34, 5.32, 5.34, 5.31, 5.32, 5.35

Rather than do these on the pitches beside work and face the long cooldown home I decided to utilize a park nearer to base and one I personally under appreciate; Bushy Park.

I had already established a decent looking loop from Strava segments and the odd exploration mission on my run mutes.

Ground was firm enough so I knew I would be able to hold a decent pace despite it being on grass (and one or two sharp 180 degree turns). I kinda said to myself if I could ease into it and hit 5.40-5.45 for the first one and go from there I would be laughing. This never happened though as I literally hit the ground running. Reps remained pretty consistent throughout and the wheels remained on throughout the session.

Last one I was really working but I was not busting a gut. Delighted with this as I seem to have hit a purple patch regarding sessions at the moment but have to be careful not to overdo it as I am still 6 weeks out from the big one so still a long way to go

Firedance

You cant use wheels, that's cheating:p

Those are some very pretty numbers, nice work.

RayCun

sneak preview (start/end point will be different

Myles Splitz

RayCun wrote: »

sneak preview (start/end point will be different

Funny enough did a tempo on that course only a few weeks back. They gonna use the narrow slopped bit down along the fence on the M50 side though Bit of a nightmare when running at pace.

RayCun

no, when you get to the bridge turn left and cross the path, go down the hill further on. https://connect.garmin.com/activity/927106253
Will still be a bit tricky, but that path right beside the hedge could be too much

KielyUnusual

RayCun wrote: »

sneak preview (start/end point will be different

Awww, it's like a lovely little Octopus

Looks better than the Intermediate last year anyway. Really didn't like the constant looping back between different fields in that.

Myles Splitz

RayCun wrote: »

no, when you get to the bridge turn left and cross the path, go down the hill further on. https://connect.garmin.com/activity/927106253
Will still be a bit tricky, but that path right beside the hedge could be too much

Bar the one sharp climb thats a pretty fast loop to be honest should make for an interesting race.

RayCun

Should be nice for spectators too, you can stand on the path in the middle and only move a little to see the whole race. We'll be finalising the course on the weekend, will put up real maps then

Myles Splitz

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Awww, it's like a lovely little Octopus

Looks better than the Intermediate last year anyway. Really didn't like the constant looping back between different fields in that.

I think will be the same loop again this year (loop is regularly used)

In terms of the elevation profile might give a bit more accurate picture here (lap 2 covers most of the course)

https://www.strava.com/activities/396328667/laps

One short sharp climb and other than that is decline and flat so will definitely suit those with a bit more leg turnover.

Ground up that direction usually has pretty good drainage also in case we do get some wet weather and a couple of places where you will get a good view of the field behind you or ahead.

p3-fitz

looks like an interesting course, wonder how much home advantage we will get ha

Myles Splitz

p3-fitz wrote: »

looks like an interesting course, wonder how much home advantage we will get ha

Worth atleast 10 sec a mile

RayCun

yeah, but the stewards will be tripping up any Tallaght runners we see, so...