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Still trying to figure it all out.
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Nice work. Enjoyed that session myself the previous week. Looking forward to more of the V02 though I wont be taking my own T shirt off until next season, after I get a winter in the gym
:cool:
If today was anything to go by, it was my last chance until next year. Not something I'd get away with running around Cork City centre either!! 0 -
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Saturday 09/09
Long run - 20 miles.
Working tonight and tomorrow night so this weeks rest day got skipped and all the runs for second half of the week got pulled forward by a day. I got a decent sleep for once this week - an early night and an early start too. I was still a bit tired though - I felt very sluggish - and was a bit apprehensive about this run. I decided that I'd start off easy and then see how I felt as the run progressed with the intention of completing the distance even if it meant sacrificing a bit of pace. There was a fine stiff breeze which I think I benefited from more than it hindered me. I did my usual 8 mile loop, parking at the rowing club by Pairc Ui Caoimh and off towards Blackrock Castle, Mahon walkway, the Old railway line, round the Atlantic pond, then down Monahan Road and back up Centre Park Road back to the car to pick up water. So I did this twice and then up and down to Blackrock village and down Centre Park road and up Monahan Road back to the car to make up the last 4 miles. I took 250mls of water every 4 miles and a High Gel with caffeine at 11 and 15 miles. The first 4 or 5 miles felt hard, the first 2 especially - I was creaking and shuffling along and felt warm enough by mile 5. Things improved a bit then as I loosened out and found my stride where I put in a few faster miles which actually felt easier. The 2nd lap was much better and I was able to pick up the pace for the last six mile, although I did stray a good bit beyond my limit of 8:10 for these. Firstly the effort just felt right - not too hard, and not too easy (the way you normally feel at the end of a long run). Also my watch started beeping at me around mile 13 that it had a low battery - I may have picked up the pace a little to finish the run before it died.
I was paying more attention to the distance displayed on the watch rather than the pace though, and I never felt like I was working to keep up the pace. Besides all that, I was having fun, I felt good and just went with it.
I felt ok afterwards - a bit stiff here and there but I wasn't completely wrecked, and right now, while I do feel a bit tired, I feel a lot better than I usually do after a 20 miler. This run has given me great confidence - my endurance has really improved, and my recovery rate has quickened. I think I'm definitely heading in the right direction - getting stronger and faster, and I think I might be on for my target, or at least close to it. I'm getting tempted to make the last "20 miler" a 3 hour run which would probably be in and around 21 miles or so if I'm feeling good on the day. Of course I could just do the 20 a bit slower to make it 3 hours, but anyone who reads this log will know thats not going to happen.
Splits:
Lap 1: 8:58; 8:50; 8:41; 8:56; 8:36; 8:37; 8:29; 8:31
Lap 2: 8:26; 8:23; 8:27; 8:31; 8:22; 8:09; 8:07; 8:05
Final 4: 7:51; 7:57; 7:47; 7:48.0 -
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hot buttered scones wrote: »As me mother in law would say (in her best Dublinese) "Yeah, right!"
I'm going all out, final 200m grimace and dry heaving at the finish line complete with post finish over excited babbling. Can't wait. It'll be my first half since the same race last year.
A big PB so
.
Best of luck Sunday.0 -
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A big PB so.
Best of luck Sunday.:D:D:D:D:D
Now tell me how I'm going to get on in Dublin!!
Sunday 17/9
The big day arrived (note: not the Big Day, that's in October). It was Charleville half marathon time again for the third year in a row. I love this race and its probably my second favourite race after DCM. I woke up feeling a bit crap - but about as crap as I felt on Saturday, if not a tiny bit better. So coffee, porridge, the 3s's, changed and out the gap by 8am. It was a gorgeous morning in the city - 6 or 7 degrees and clear skies, but got overcast after Mallow. Even though I know exactly where the best place to park is, I allowed myself to be distracted by Hi Vis vest man and parked about half a mile away from registration. So about a mile walk up and down to pick up my race pack, and then got togged off by the car because I was too lazy to carry my bag with me. I did an very easy two mile warmup with a few attempts at some drills and some dynamic stuff. Honestly. I felt like I was running a bit faster than the watch was telling me doing this. Bumped into a couple of Boardsies at the start and after a quick chat we were off. Oh yeah - I broke my good glasses during the week and I cant run in my spare pair because they keep slipping, so I was pretty much not able to recognise any faces that were further than 4 of 5 feet away.
Miles 1-3
6:38; 6:44; 6:40
I'd started a bit back from the 1:30 pacers ,but I caught up with them fairly quickly. The first mile in Charleville is a fast mile because although its the "flattest half marathon in Ireland" that doesn't mean there's no change in gradient - you loose about 75ft in the first mile (or 22.86 metres in the first 1.6km). Even still I though the 1:30 pacers were going too fast for me, so I backed off and held a steady effort. Mile 2 was still a bit fast, but everything felt ok so I decided to go with it. I'd run with a group and then moved onto the next group and so on. Mile 3 has to only "hill" if you can call it that - a bridge over the railway line. I maintained my pace and used the gentle slope on the other side to gain a few seconds. I think somewhere around here is where I got in with a group of about 3 or 4 West Limerick AC runners and 3 or 4 more. They were all going at a decent clip, but again it felt ok, so I just ran at their pace for a while.
Miles 4-6
6:41; 6:44; 6:46
I was well settled in a this stage. I was very thirsty though already and was glad of a drink at the 5k mark I stuck with the little group that had formed, just occasionally glancing at the watch, just trying to run relaxed, breathe easy and focus on keeping my effort levels constant. I was comfortable and gaining in confidence. This part of the course is long and straight and to be honest there is nothing much to report. I just ran. I wanted to try the Kinetica gels in a race situation, so I took one at 4.5 miles with no ill effects. We caught up with the 1:30 group around 5.5 miles (I think) and sort of merged into them. I was feeling a bit boxed in though so managed to work my out to the front of the group before we turned up the approach road to Kilmallock. I had open road in front of me now, and I picked it up a small bit and decided that I was feeling good and Id go for it and see what happened. There'd been a bit of breeze into our faces all the way which I felt was a bit more noticeable here, so I was conscious not to push it too much for now.
Miles 7-10
6:31; 6:25; 6:37; 6:33
Mile 7 is my favourite part of the race and always results in a fast mile. We reached Kilmallock and ran under the arch, turned onto the main street and then turned again at the church to start running back to Charleville. Think of it like a spacecraft doing a slingshot manoeuvre around the moon. There were a few out cheering on the runners and it always gives me a great boost. More water after the church then, and the half way point too. The road falls off a bit for the last half of mile 7. I noticed the lap pace on my watch, but instead of freaking out and putting the brakes on, I just went with it. Mile 8 - still "downhill" - it's only 20 feet over 1 mile (6m/1.6km), but I could feel the benefit of it. These roads were back roads, so the surface wasn't the best, but I've raced on worse. I was motoring now, my form felt good and I was starting to pass people, catch groups, move on a bit etc. until I suppose I came to a point were everyone was running at the same pace as me. Just before the 9 mile marker I briefly chatted to a guy in a green singlet (I could speak in short sentences), but he moved off fairly sharpish. I tried to keep up with him for a bit, but I could feel the effort levels rising so I backed off. I started doing mental calculations here and it was here I figured I was on for PB even if I had a horrendous last 2 miles. I felt like I had nothing to loose and everything to gain by pushing it. I took another gel at mile 9 - again - no ill effects. I can't remember much about mile 10 - I know I hit the 10 mile marker faster than Id ever run a 10 mile race and still felt like I could keep going. We turned back onto the main road and had the last water stop - half of which went over my head. Effort levels were very high now and I had to keep telling myself to hold on and the end was in sight.
Miles 11-13.1
6:32; 6:29; 6:32; 48s for the bit (5:48 pace)
The last 3 miles of Charleville are tough. I suppose the last 3 miles of any half are tough, but Charleville is a fast half. The very very gradual gain in elevation feels like a proper drag in parts and this was the first time I felt like I was pushing the effort levels above where they should be - but it was all or nothing now. I don'think I was in a group here, but I could recognise the t-shirts or singlets of the people around me and knew if I just kept it together I'd be on for a large PB. I could see the guy with the green singlet a bit ahead and tired to just maintain the distance between us. Again I don't remember much about these last few miles other than I was getting warmer. I'd also figured out I was on for a at least a sub 1:28 even if I dropped down to 7min/mile, which I was tempted to do. I was definitely still passing people here - just picking a target, closing in and passing an then easing off a bit again.
Why is the last mile the hardest mile?
No more passing, getting passed or mental gymnastics. I was dying to get finished. The last mile is tough and as you turn the corner to run the last half mile to the finish, the little drop in the road that gained you a few seconds at the start seems like a mountain. I lost a few seconds here, but pushed on. It's a bit mad when your dying on your feet to run at a pace that 3 or 4 miles ago was comfortably hard. I'd lost sight of the green singlet guy, but saw him again as we approached the turn to the finish line and the gap was closing. I was knackered and had used him as sort of an unnofficial pacer for a bit, so was debating briefly whether to just follow him in or to empty the tank. Then I heard someone shout my name (sounded like an boardsie kind of voice to me) and then head the announcer call out my name, and I got a mad rush of blood to the head and thought to myself "f#ck it, it's race" and "sprinted" to the finish, passing yer man just before the line.
Chip time: 1:26:37 Gun Time: 1:26:46
Previous PB: Charleville 2016 - 1:31:53
You know when you have a bad race and you can't figure out what went wrong? Well this is like that, only the opposite!! I have no idea where that performance today came from. I certainly wasn't expecting it (I thought I might just break 1:30 if I was lucky). I'll certainly take it and not question it too much.
I also hit the 10k mark in 40:24 according to Strava (PB is 41:28) and 10 miles in 1:05:41 (PB 1:08:53). So not a bad days work.
What does this mean for my marathon goal. My goal is 3:15. McMillan gives me something crazy like 3:03. Should I have a cut off 3:10?0 -
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:eek: I;m hoping it holds off for another 24 hours. 
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