Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads

The Black Oil

Week 6. July 29-August 4

Plan 61km. Actual 53.41.

No formal S&C this week - bad sleep again and a sore back (upper part). I had this last year too, waking up with it.

Monday

OTC class with 80s tunes. Fine evening for it.

Tuesday. Should have been easy w/u, 6x1k at interval pace, with 500m recovery and easy c/d. I bailed. Earlier in the day, I was playing with the watch and forgot to deselect cycling, so that's what it recorded. I edited it after. 9.12k easy at 7/km.

Wednesday. Was supposed to be 10k easy, with 6 strides. I must have done something wrong as it only has 0.03km on Garmin Connect. I was suspicious of it beeping as I was driving home. I do recall it showing 9k and I'd say I didn't save it right.

Tempo Thursday with the club. Three of us were at the front. Standard route up to Baldungan - the hill will serve us well. Homeward bound is mostly downhill. A great run - leaves you on a high. More like interval pace, though. 10.10k at 4:57/km.

Friday. Should have been 10k easy, plus 3 tempo. Maybe home by 8pm or later. M50 looked OK on the phone. Another OTC class as an alternative, yep, you bet. Off the M1 before 6pm, which was great. 80s tunes again, just 6 of us. Ankle weights, bench flys, goblet squats, bench press (empty bar), high plank with shoulder taps, Russian twists, med ball slams, etc. 40/30/20 with 10 seconds rest.

Saturday 10k easy before and including Donabate parkrun at super easy 7:05/km.

Sunday 24k: 8k easy, 10 marathon pace, 6k easy. 24.01k at 6:09. Somewhat damp out there, saw a few others.

MP stuff was 5:45, 5:41, 5:35, 5;39, 5:32, 5:33, 5:43, 5:35, 5:39, 5:37.

Week 7 August 5-11

Plan 61k. Actual 64.91.

3.83k easy at 6:31.

7x60-90 second hills

4:47, 5:11, 5:09, 5:01, 5:09, 5:10, 4:51

2.17 easy at 6:38

Warm ish evening

Weds 5k easy with 6 strides. Did 6 at 6:30 as I was still a little tired from the hills.

Thursday Strength class in the morning - pause squats, goblet squats, tuck ups, bent over rows, narrow push ups (regressed), etc. This was followed by a stretch class. Evening - headed out with the Thursday tempo crew, but not with that in mind, only needed to do marathon pace 10.01k at 5:36/km, a little quick in the early ones. Quiet enough at training, given the time of year.

Friday - a visit to the OTC. Russian twists, goblet squats, med ball slams, Bulgarian split squats, wall squats, bicep curls and more I forget the name of.

Saturday 16k easy at 6:54, bumped into @Singer at Donabate parkrun.

Sunday 24k consisting of 3k easy, 5k MP and 2k easy (x3)

5:35, 5:34, 5:53, 5:30, 5:42

5:33, 5:39, 5:41, 6:06, 5:50

5:47, 5:47, 5:38, 5:42, 5:43.

The strawberries on the ground didn't interest the seagulls at Loughshinny harbour.

Week 8, August 12-18, recovery week

Plan 52km. Actual 30.23k

Strength class x1. Zercher squats, med ball rotation throws, overhead press, cardio (ski machine/bike), sit ups, kettlebell swings, pulse lunge.

OTC x1. Russian twists, med ball slams, bicep curls, bench shoulder press, mountain climbers…and more I forget the name of. Same as before 40/30/20. 12 stations overall, with wall sits (weighted) after 6.

Headed to Cornwall on Tuesday for a holiday.

Pyramid session. 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1

1 at 90% 4:25

2 at 85% 5:02

3 at 80% 5:17

4 at 75% 5:12

4 at 75% 5:21

3 at 80% 5:19

2 at 85% 5:10

1 at 90% 4:39

with 2 minutes rest. Tried to do these by feel, rather than watch.

10k easy with 6 strides at 6:46, pretty wet - reminded me of running to Loughshinny.

10k easy at 6:42.

I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere for accommodation, nice and quiet. No wifi, not always possible to get a phone signal, so asking locals for directions was helpful. Other non-running parts of the trip included coastal walks, the Eden Project, Geevor tin mine museum, Carbis Bay and St Ives.

Saturday was a drive to Land's End parkrun. Very enjoyable and a great location. A search and rescue helicopter arrived somewhat later, quite low to the water. Hopefully just training. 5.06km at 5:16 /km (plan called for 8 easy).

Got back just before 5pm on Sunday. Decided to let the 18km LSR go.

Week 9, August 19-25. Behold, the half way point.

Sadly heard that I bloke I was in the scouts with died (Owen), he gave back a lot. Good tribute online and the flag at half mast too.

Plan 63km. Actual 63:36.

Strength classes: zercher squats, shoulder press, wall throws for the main bit and two rounds of 5 stations for the last bit. Pause squats, e-centric chin up, some sort of press, narrow press ups, bent over rows, tuck ups, goblet squats. OTC - I think 14 of us as the 7pm and 8pm classes were merged. The planks at the end were a killer.

Monday - 2.45k easy to collect the car from the service place.

Tuesday - plan was a touch confusing because it was partly in miles which the km version (same PDF) isn't usually. 3k easy and 6x1 mile at 80% effort, with 2 minutes rest recovery, followed by 2k easy, so I thought maybe 10x1k instead. However, I cut it short to go from the southside to the memorial for Owen at the scout den. It was funny, thoughtful and compassionate.

3k easy at 6:38/km and 5:53, 5:31, 5:15, 5:32 for the effort bits.

Weds 10k easy with 6 strides, 6:29/km.

Thursday - The funeral went as well as these things can.

Plan 3k easy, 2x3k tempo/1k easy and 3k easy. Actual - out with the Thursday tempo crew for the usual Baldungan route. Quite a wet one. 10.01km at 4:55/km and just over half a k easy back to the Hub.

Friday 8.10km easy at 6:36/km after work.

Saturday - timekeeping

Sunday 24k, 16 easy, 8 MP

Pretty typical Sunday, overcast and a few sprinkles of rain.

Week 10 August 26-Sept 4.

Plan 67km. Actual 70.41.

Strength class: zercher squats, single arm press, ball throws from the hip and two rounds of a circuit. Stretch class.

Monday 7.01k easy evening with the 6am strength class crew at Ardgillan. Some of them are doing Hell and Back and are new to running.

Tuesday

3.72 easy at 6:52.

2.96k at 6:51 via 8x60-90 second hill reps

5:38, 5:48, 5:38, 5:44, 5:36, 5:26, 5:33, 5:16

2.28k easy at 6:44.

The early parts of the week were pretty tiring, including in the office, so I didn't push much on the hills.

Weds 8k easy fartlek, with 5x250m surges. 8.3k at 6:12.

Thurs called for 8 easy, 2 tempo via the Baldungan loop. I was briefly chased by a dog who came flying out of his yard. 10.01k at 6:27. 5:08 x2 for the final two.

Friday 6.12 easy at 6:26.

Saturday - tailwalking

Sunday 30km broken down as 2 easy 4x5km at marathon pace, 2k easy. 30k at 6:12. Pretty standard route over to Loughshinny, some of the Rush and around Lusk.

5:50, 5:45, 5:40, 5:39, 5:43

5:49, 5:44, 5:43, 6:02 (up from the harbour, effort isn't reflected here, really) 😎, 5:57

5:41, 5:54, 5:38, 5:42, 5:34

5:50, 5:38, 5:45, 5:39, 5:45.

For the MP bits.

Sunglasses for most the evening stuff this week, iirc. It felt little relentless at times. Running Up the Hill was just concluding as I headed into the local shop.

Onwards with September.