Lurker's Log

mbarr

Firedance wrote: »

good you too!! am hoping the company will help and its sort of breaks up the run a bit.

Are you doing Trim 10 mile race too?

Yep, running Trim, looking forward to it. Feels like ages since Jingle Bells 5k now, looking forward to racing again!

mbarr

Saturday: hungover from work do Friday night but loved this run, ended up out for 6 miles instead of 4, just lovely.

Sunday: 20 miles @ 9:09
Having had company for most of last week's 18 mile and some of the previous week, this felt long alone. HRM wasn't working which got me off to a not great start, I had to pay more attention to pace rather than running at an easy heart rate. The miles ticked along, did two and a bit laps of the park again with some extra excursions outside the walls.

I've had an issue with my little toenail for ages now, and while it's not sore when I run, it was catching on my sock and I was aware of it constantly for the last 10 miles. I've decided this step back week is the perfect time to book into a podiatrist to get the thing looked at and hopefully sorted before Trim.

After the run I was totally shook, needed a long lie down. Slept for a few hours then limped in to town to do a bit of shopping, glad I did as the walk loosened me up and feeling fine now today.

Delighted to have the first 20 mile run done, very glad of the step back weeks ahead!

Firedance

don't tell tang you missed his company, he will be getting notions about himself great going there m, I couldn't have faced loops of the park for that distance, as marthastew says 'character building', you run the marathon alone so solo runs will stand to you on the day. Recover well.

Murph_D

Well done. That first 20-miler is definitely the hardest! You'll be amazed at the adaptation.

mbarr

Thanks D and FD, I felt bizarrely emotional after the 20 mile run, and wasn't right for days. I have a crazy amount on this month, job interview, finishing a college course, work is nuts, training is starting to peak, and it all just hit me after that. I'm back on a more even keel now, happily. Podiatrist amputated my offending toenail so that's all sorted, it's like I have new feet.

Monday: 3 miles easy
Tuesday: 4 miles easy

Thursday: 9 miles with 4@10k and the rest all over the place (supposed to be 4@HMP)

Weirdest session, I really thought I was at around 7:15 minute miles, pacing was just all over the shop. Two sub 7 min miles in there, way way faster than my HMP. Anyhow, enjoyable accidental fartlek, all easy now until Trim

I'm 5 miles off my first ever 1000 miles of running, completed in 8 months. Jan will also be my first month > 200 miles.

tang1

Nice going, took me feckin 5 years to run 1,000 miles in a calendar year, you'll have it done in 8 months of running. Glad the toe is sorted out.

tailgunner

Only just started reading your log the other day. Very impressive progressive, will be following with interest!

Firedance

mbarr wrote: »

Thanks D and FD, I felt bizarrely emotional after the 20 mile run, and wasn't right for days. I have a crazy amount on this month, job interview, finishing a college course, work is nuts, training is starting to peak, and it all just hit me after that.

when I read that I had a flashback to my first (and only) 20 miler before DCM 14, I remember feeling very emotional too I think that's a very normal and understandable reaction, 20 miles, its a long way, its a super achievement too. Thank god for step back weeks though and 14 miles is a lovely distance after the long miles of the last few weeks

Good luck with the job interview! Well done on the mileage so early in your running career. See you in Trim on Sunday week.

mbarr

Firedance wrote: »

Good luck with the job interview! Well done on the mileage so early in your running career. See you in Trim on Sunday week.

Thanks FD, looking forward to Trim now Horrendous hangover got in the way of my long run yesterday, scuppering my plans to run over 200 miles in Jan, and ruining a lovely pattern of consistent running. Can get it in today and still mini taper for Trim so not the end of the world.

mbarr

Missing my run yesterday brings to an end a nice pattern of consistency through January. Anyhow got it done tonight, as you said FD, 14 miles is no bother to us now!

Thanks for reading Tailgunner you've made great progress yourself in less than a year.

Singer

mbarr wrote: »

Thanks FD, looking forward to Trim now Horrendous hangover got in the way of my long run yesterday, scuppering my plans to run over 200 miles in Jan, and ruining a lovely pattern of consistent running. Can get it in today and still mini taper for Trim so not the end of the world.

I did my last 20 mile LSR before Dublin completely wrecked due to a hangover and I totally regretted it, I would have been better off binning it and doing a longer run during the week. It didn't feel like a proper workout so I wasn't sure it was useful, so I reckon you did the right thing here!

Your training's looking super consistent, nicely done.

Firedance

Are you changing the plan for the rest of the week? I'm no expert but I don't think I'd do the midweek 8 miles if you did 14 yesterday, maybe murph would have some good advice? perhaps just reduce it to 5 or 6 with strides? Good on you for getting out in that weather and getting it done, you and TBL had some good character building yesterday!!!

mbarr

Firedance wrote: »

Are you changing the plan for the rest of the week? I'm no expert but I don't think I'd do the midweek 8 miles if you did 14 yesterday, maybe murph would have some good advice? perhaps just reduce it to 5 or 6 with strides? Good on you for getting out in that weather and getting it done, you and TBL had some good character building yesterday!!!

Yeah that makes sense FD, I would have gone ahead and ran it but for the sake of putting in my best effort in Trim I'll take it a bit easier tomorrow.

mbarr

6 miles easy with strides yesterday, was feeling ready for Trim this morning and then realised I had never entered! No free race branded technical socks for me. All registered and ready to go now.

Murph_D

Yeah, not sure what's on your plan for the rest of the week, but I agree with FD there about not doing a session - the race at the weekend is all the session you need - with a warmup/cooldown it should bring you close enough to whatever mileage is on the plan so I'd just be taking it easy all week with some strides, as FD suggests (she's obviously listening to her coach).

Firedance

The very best of luck on Sunday M! hopefully catch up afterwards

tailgunner

Good luck with the race on Sunday!

mbarr

Thanks AM! Good luck to you too Can't wait now!

Hopefully see ya there after.

aquinn

Have a super run. All the very best.

dintbo

Best of luck tomorrow

Singer

Have a great run tomorrow, plenty of solid training to cash in

tang1

Best of luck tomorrow M, hopefully bump into you at some stage.

Younganne

Good luck tomorrow, hopefully get to meet you after the race.

annapr

Good luck tomorrow, and enjoy it!

tang1

Great running today M, well ahead of your target to. Enjoy the Carb replenishment watching the Rugby!!!

Firedance

tang1 wrote: »

Great running today M, well ahead of your target to. Enjoy the Carb replenishment watching the Rugby!!!

Big plus 1 to this we rock!!,

FBOT01

Well done today, M. Great result.

Younganne

Congrats on a great run today, lovely to meet and chat after. See you in Rotterdam!!

mbarr

Aw, thanks so much everyone!

Great race, really well organised and a great spread after, like nothing I've ever encountered before! Blessed with the weather all things considered.

First time over the distance, so set myself 73:20 as a sort of arbitrary goal, chip time was 72:11 which I'm delighted with.

This was my first race not running with a pacing group, it makes such a difference having to motivate yourself to catch people in front of you rather than hanging onto a group and being confident that they're going the "right" pace. I'm getting to a stage now where I'm likely to be somewhere between 1:30 and 1:40 for my next few half marathons, between 40:00 and 45:00 on my next good few 10ks, etc so good for me to get used to this.

I was delighted with the downhill start, thoughts that would return to haunt me in the final 400m drag up to the finish. I was conscious that the first mile was a bit quick, slowed right down for the second mile, then just switched the watch to heart rate and focused on catching runners up ahead. Once I clicked into pace I found the autolap at the end of each mile enough to verify that I was still in the right place. It was interesting to see my heart rate get more and more fixed as the race went on, initially the hills would send it +/- 5bpm, towards the end it just seemed to dial in at 161bpm and not fluctuate.

The rest of the first 5 miles clipped along nicely enough, splits were 7:11, 7:20, 7:02, 7:12 and 7:23. The second half was tougher as we turned back into the wind. There wasn't a huge amount of shelter to be had, I found myself running with a pack of ladies all of whom seemed very comfortable. I felt a bit embarrassed about frothing at the mouth and spitting all over the road, apart from that I felt like I fit in okay pace-wise. I kicked on from this group up a hill, I could hear one of the girls coming with me, blonde with orange tshirt, she ended up being the only one to pass me in the second half of the race and powered off nicely to finish about 200m ahead of me.

Had to dig pretty deep at that stage, caught a few people in the last mile and managed something resembling a kick for the last 400m uphill to the finish. Overall I found the effort very hard, like my half marathon in Laois I feel I'm right on the edge of my ability every time. I'm not sure if that's good at this stage or not, I don't tend to actually enjoy races at the time but feel very happy about my results in retrospect. Might have to throw in a few races where I don't go all out so I don't permanently link racing in my head with extreme discomfort. Or maybe I need to HTFU.

Second half of the race went 7:15, 7:19, 7:14, 7:10 and 7:03 for a 7 second negative split. Support from the missus at the end was lovely, she then carried all my bags like a pack horse and fed me carbs and beer for the rest of the day. Legend!

Met some of the Rotterdam bound crew and FBOT afterwards, great results and PBs all around, and watching Firedance literally dance when the official results put her 1:27:xx rather than 1:28:xx was brilliant

dintbo

Impressive stuff. Well done.