PB or not PB...that is the question

Cartman78

23/08/2018

10K – Road – 44:49 – NB

Was distracted by various hurling homecomings this week so running took a bit of a back seat.

Didn’t get out until fairly late so was a bit or a race against the sunset in the end…..ran a decent enough negative split (got through first 5K in 22:50) and felt a-ok most of the way round.


24/08/2018

Intervals - 15 x 400m – Road – AD

Was nearly relieved to see it was raining, windy and cold as I headed out this afternoon…..cooling down in the office after workouts has been a challenge lately :-)

Ran most of these between 1:30 and 1:35…..ran out of steam a bit for the last few but a good challenging workout

Cartman78

27/08/2018

14.25K – Road – 66:26 – NB

Fairly solid “long” run….probably ran it a bit faster than I had intended due to a lack of concentration.

Both Achilles creaking a bit over the last few days….have started re-introducing ice-packs again in the evening so will monitor it for a bit and see what happens. Not convinced more physio will help tbh…stretching and building strength is likely the optimum solution.

No immediate plans yet for racing :-(

Wouldn’t mind having a crack at the Mungret Parkrun but haven a likely clash with kid’s swimming lessons for the foreseeable future

Cartman78

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Date wrong on previous update - should be Sunday 26th

28/08/2018

8K – Road – 37:31 – AF

A comfortable mid-afternoon jaunt….didn’t exert myself too much tbh…glad to report no niggles/stiffness after my ‘long’ run.

29/08/2018

5K – Road – 20:13 – AD

Haven’t done a 5K time trial in a while so gave it a lash today – went well all things considered…again no niggles to report so will keep up with my current regime of stretching etc.

Cartman78

31/08/2018

8K – Road – 34:54 – NB

A tempo run with a loose target of 4:15 – 4:30 pace.

The overall average came in at 4:22 so happy enough.

Feel like my form is coming back a bit so hopefully I can keep on top of the niggles – I’ve invested in a new pair of calf guards as well so all the bases covered now I think :-)


01/09/2018

Intervals – 10 x 400m – Tarmac Track – NB

Up in Mayo for the weekend and had a long run in mind for Sunday morning but due to circumstances beyond my control this was magically transformed into an interval session on Saturday evening.

Jogged down to the local soccer pitch which has a very smooth tarmac track so gave it socks all the way round – all intervals between 1:21 and 1:28.

Cartman78

03/09/2018

Fartlek 8K – Road – AD

Have noticed that I’ve been trending towards doing all my runs at the same pace lately - this probably doesn’t fall under the fartlek category really but that’s what I’m going to call it :-)

Basically it was 1K @ ~4:45 pace + 1K @ ~4:20 pace, repeated 4 times.
It went ok I think – had to switch on mentally to keep the pacing at times which makes a change from plodding along at the same speed.

Cartman78

05/09/2018

8K – Road – 37:22 – AF

Junk miles and head space.

Will try a long run tomorrow evening hopefully

Cartman78

Well it's all gone mildly disastrously since last update....our young fella came down with the vomiting bug the other night and it's since worked it's way systematically and rapidly through the household.

So no running in a few days and none likely for another day or two...today is the first day I've eaten almost properly so hopefully over the worst.

To refocus my focus I've entered the Border Half Marathon in Limerick/Clare on December 2nd so will have to start adding in the odd long run asap

Cartman78

10/09/2018

6K – Road – 27:13 – AD

A recovery run from recent hiatus so nothing too strenuous.

Added bonus that it was lashing rain and cold so no desk sweat today :-)

Following my recent entry of a half-marathon in December, I will admit to looking at the Rotterdam Marathon website earlier today….purely out of curiousity ;-)

Cartman78

13/09/2018


8K - 35:56 - Road - AD


Standard lunchtime run - literally nothing to report





15/09/2018


16K - 77:46 - Road - NB



Finally managed to find both the time and inclination to do a slow and quasi-long run.


The average pace was 4:51 and I stuck pretty much to this all the way around. The route I went on has a couple of killer hills so it was a good challenge.

Cartman78

17/09/2018

8.10K - Road - 35:19 - AF

A botched Garmin workout setup (forgot to add the repeat...d'oh) was a bit annoying but a decent workout nonetheless.

The original aim was to run 8K at an ambitious target half-marathon pace - between 4:10 and 4:25 per km and I stuck to this pretty well I think.


18/09/2018

18K - 93:13 - 18K - NB

An relatively unplanned long run - didn't think I'd be able to make it out any evening this week but a gap in the calendar opened up last night.

Went out at a very conservative pace and maintained it throughout - felt pretty fresh at the end too so hoping to make this a regular thing and increment the distance every week.

No major aches or pains to report - slight tightness in right calf but nothing drastic

Cartman78

21/09/2018

8K - Road - 33:50 - AF

Took a semi-enforced break after my longish run earlier in the week - up the walls at home/work so couldn't get out for a run really.

So had a bit of frustration/energy to burn off by Friday lunchtime - felt really fresh and strong for the first time in a while and kept to a controlled consistent pace throughout.



23/09/2018

18K - Road - 84:31 - NB

Had planned a 10 miler but the weather was so good and the legs felt grand so tagged on another couple of kms.

Went out faster than I'd planned (4:30 - 4:35 pace) but if felt easy so just kept it going at what felt comfortable. The hills impinged a bit on pacing later on but the overall average was 4:42 per km which was nearly 30 secs quicker than my Tuesday night effort over the same distance.

Hoping to get out tomorrow night maybe for a slower paced 20K maybe.

Cartman78

***MAN FLU ALERT***

Felt tired and meh all day so no run this evening...core, stretching and foam rolling instead

Cartman78

26/09/2018



5K - Road - 19:43 - AD



Well I managed to survive the latest bout of man flu :rolleyes:



A bit stretched for time today so decided on a 5K dash.



Not far off flat out here I'd say.....could I squeeze out another 5-10% in a race?? Maybe, but a good progression from the same workout and course a few weeks ago

Cartman78

28/09/2018



20K - Road - 100:07 - NB



Wasn't really in the mood for a run at all yesterday - an evening falling asleep in front of the telly was far more appealing tbh.



Got in the door and willed myself to get togged out, had tea and put the kids to bed - then hopped in the car and took a spin out to UL; was hitting 8.30pm by the time I eventually set off :eek:



The weather was actually perfect - temp in low to mid teens, light breeze and dry. Headed off at 5 min per km pace and maintained it for a whopping 20K :-)



My second longest run this year and indeed my second longest run since Jan-2016....could easily have kept going and actually felt better at 20K than I did at 12K. Had a very slight tightness in right calf but nothing to worry about (yet)....will keep an eye on it.



Busy weekend ahead so no more major mileage for the next couple of days

Cartman78

30/09/2018



10K - Road - 44:52 - AF



A night on an air mattress in Mayo probably isn't the ideal preparation for a run of any kind but didn't do too much harm here i think.



Was planning on adding on another couple of km but this would have involved a boring extra out and back loop so gave it a miss.



This week will be mainly focusing on the SMRC 10K on Sunday - will be breaking in my latest newest race shoes today (NB 1400's); not sure if I'll get out for a long run this week yet...will see how I'm feeling as the week goes on.

Cartman78

01/10/2018


Fartlek 8K – Road – NB1400



Did my hybrid fartlek workout again today - the new shoes felt very comfy and fast. Very light as well - probably the lightest pair I've had since the Kinvaras (which are still loitering in the shed ...haven't worn them since I lost access to a treadmill)



Anyway, the run went grand....felt a bit tired though generally so might take a mini break for a couple of days to freshen up for the 10K.

Cartman78

03/10/2018



16K – Road/Trail/Track - 75:13 – NB



Didn't feel like extending my mega long run to beyond the magic 20K barrier, so decided to do a slightly faster paced 10 miler instead.



Probably went out a little too fast I'd say (~4:35 pace) and slowed down as time went by for an overall average pace of 4:43.



Felt a-ok throughout and grand this morning...the Achilles were creaking a bit at certain points but again nothing major, although maybe a reminder that I need to be more dilligent with my stretches and exercises going forward.



Happy enough overall with where i'm at....10 miles feels easy now...it wasn't that long ago that 10K was my long run so all good.



The 10K on Sunday should be interesting....expecting a big improvement on recent outings on a relatively flat course.

Cartman78

05/10/2018



Intervals - 15 x 400m – Road – AD



Decided to round off the week with a few swifties at lunchtime - didn't quite go full effort so was in the 3:50 - 3:55 pace bracket for most of them.



Still feeling pretty fresh so genuinely intrigued to see how the 10K will go on Sunday. My last 2 races were pretty poor so expecting an overall better performance level but I'm not sure at all about giving a time prediction. Will aim to go out at 4 min pace, get to halfway and then push on if there's anything in the tank...

Cartman78

07/10/2018

SMRC 10K

10K - Road - 39:01 - NB1400

A PB at 40

That probably says more about the quality of my running/training in my 30’s than anything else

As avid readers of this blog will know, my last few races have been pretty shambolic, so despite my recent resurgence in form I wasn’t really sure how today would go.

Had a poor nights sleep and didn’t feel great all morning....half contemplated not going tbh as I felt I had the makings of a cold.

But hopped in the car anyway and headed off....did my fairly standard low level warm up and was feeling ok by the time the race started.

As planned, headed out at ~3:55 per km pace and it felt very comfortable. Passed out a good few people who went out too fast and was in cruise control after that...passed out 3 guys I’d been tracking around the 5K mark going down a longish steep hill and powered on after that.

Splits:
1) 3:56
2) 3:59
3) 3:58
4) 3:52
5) 3:47

Halfway in 19:34 and feeling ok so knew that my A goal of a Sub 40 mins was deffo in scope. The field had thinned out now so it was basically going to be a solo 5K time trial til the end.

I started to fade mentally a bit around 8K but managed to reel in another couple of people so passing them out kept me going.

Had written off a PB at that stage (<39:02) but as my long lost finishing kick magically reappeared I knew it was going to be close and in the end it was probably down to nanoseconds but I’m not going to dispute it

6) 3:58
7) 3:54
8) 3:52
9) 3:54
10) 3:46

Delighted with the run tbh, gives me a good platform ahead of the half marathon in early December and if that goes well.....then I may do something crazy like signing up for the Rotterdam Marathon :eek:

Quick mention too for my sparkly new NB 1400’s.....a serious improvement on the ASICS DS Trainers I’ve been racing in for the last few years. Just about the right amount of support and as comfortable as any running shoe I’ve worn

kerrylad1

Cartman78 wrote: »

07/10/2018

SMRC 10K

10K - Road - 39:01 - NB1400

A PB at 40

That probably says more about the quality of my running/training in my 30’s than anything else

As avid readers of this blog will know, my last few races have been pretty shambolic, so despite my recent resurgence in form I wasn’t really sure how today would go.

Had a poor nights sleep and didn’t feel great all morning....half contemplated not going tbh as I felt I had the makings of a cold.

But hopped in the car anyway and headed off....did my fairly standard low level warm up and was feeling ok by the time the race started.

As planned, headed out at ~3:55 per km pace and it felt very comfortable. Passed out a good few people who went out too fast and was in cruise control after that...passed out 3 guys I’d been tracking around the 5K mark going down a longish steep hill and powered on after that.

Splits:
1) 3:56
2) 3:59
3) 3:58
4) 3:52
5) 3:47

Halfway in 19:34 and feeling ok so knew that my A goal of a Sub 40 mins was deffo in scope. The field had thinned out now so it was basically going to be a solo 5K time trial til the end.

I started to fade mentally a bit around 8K but managed to reel in another couple of people so passing them out kept me going.

Had written off a PB at that stage (<39:02) but as my long lost finishing kick magically reappeared I knew it was going to be close and in the end it was probably down to nanoseconds but I’m not going to dispute it

6) 3:58
7) 3:54
8) 3:52
9) 3:54
10) 3:46

Delighted with the run tbh, gives me a good platform ahead of the half marathon in early December and if that goes well.....then I may do something crazy like signing up for the Rotterdam Marathon :eek:

Quick mention too for my sparkly new NB 1400’s.....a serious improvement on the ASICS DS Trainers I’ve been racing in for the last few years. Just about the right amount of support and as comfortable as any running shoe I’ve worn

Congratulations on the pb.I really wanted to run this again myself,but couldn't find a babysitter.

Cartman78

08/10/2018



6K – Road - 28:37 – AF



A gentle lunchtime recovery shuffle.



Had intended to do the regular 8K but was under a bit of time pressure - all good after yesterday it seems, no major aches or pains to report

Cartman78

kerrylad1 wrote: »

Congratulations on the pb.I really wanted to run this again myself,but couldn't find a babysitter.

Cheers - it's a nice course alright...both my 5K and 10K PB's are now based there :cool:


I used to live in the area a few years ago so know every bump and pothole on the course...in hindsight, I should probably have shaved off more than 1 second off my PB but I wasn't sure what I had in the tank until the last 500m :D:D

kerrylad1

Cartman78 wrote: »

Cheers - it's a nice course alright...both my 5K and 10K PB's are now based there :cool:


I used to live in the area a few years ago so know every bump and pothole on the course...in hindsight, I should probably have shaved off more than 1 second off my PB but I wasn't sure what I had in the tank until the last 500m :D:D

Ya,without doubt the fastest 10K event in Limerick.Got my pb there aswell in 2015.I haven't raced a 10K since.Just marathons.It will be only a matter of time now,until you get into the 38's.Best of luck now,with the training

Cartman78

10/10/2018



17.15K – Trail - 87:35 – NB



Definitely a slow run but probably not quite in the long category.



I totally underestimated the strength of the wind tbh so basically ended up doing 15 large laps around the various pitches near the UL Pavillion - it actually worked out ok once I turned my brain off....the area is fairly well sheltered so I only noticed the wind really on a ~300m stretch on one side.



Felt grand throughout and ok this morning - could have probably gone a bit further but didn't want to push my luck after racing a 10K reasonably recently.

Cartman78

14/10/2018



10K – Road - 44:43 – AD



Missed my lunchtime run on Friday due to absolutely dire weather - I've probably gone out in worse before tbh but wasn't up for getting lashed by high winds and rain and then going straight into a 2 hour planning meeting so decided to give it a miss.



Then got the flu jab on Friday night so was feeling pretty zonked on Saturday - I'm hoping that investment will pay off in the coming weeks and months....first time getting the vaccine ever but was an easy decision to make after getting the Aussie Flu earlier this year.



So went out yesterday anyway with a vague goal of 42:30 in my head, started off ok but ran out of gas a bit around halfway....possibly still the effects on the flu jab I think.



No major plans this week - a proper midweek long run will be the main goal

Cartman78

15/10/2018



8K – Road - 34:30 – AF



Feeling more back to normal today so enjoyed a pretty standard 5 miler in glorious Autumn conditions.



No aches/pains/niggles to report - although I really need to get back doing my Achilles exercises properly and I've let them slip a bit lately

Cartman78

17/10/2018



22.5K – Road - 114:31 – NB



My longest run since September 2013......the records just keep on toppling :-)



Near perfect conditions for running last night around Castletroy/UL - dry, no wind and temp around 8-10 degrees.



Found the first 10K very easy at the 12kmph pace so kept motoring on - hit a bit of a wobble again around the 12K marker but ploughed through it and started to feel stronger as the miles clicked by.



It wasn't until the last 800m or so that I began to ran out of steam a bit - both hips/glutes/ITB's started to whinge a bit almost at the same time; not enough to stop me running or slow me down but worth noting all the same.



45 days until the half marathon in Corbally so plenty of time to work on the niggles and stamina.

Cartman78

19/10/2018



8K – Road - 34:50 – AF



Another solid and unspectacular lunchtime outing.



No niggle to report in the hips/glutes thankfully but the calves are deffo starting to tighten up a bit so a trip to the physio is on the horizon for a quick loosen out.

Cartman78

21/10/2018



10K – Road - 43:10 – NB



Yet another hectic weekend (6 yr old birthday party, 3 yr old general craziness, 10 tonnes of cake etc) so wasn't sure if I'd have time for a run at all but found a gap in the chaos yesterday evening.



Legs felt good and fresh so kept it going at a fairly decent clip - was kinda hoping to add on an extra 2K at the end but daylight was against me.

Cartman78

22/10/2018



Intervals - 8x 800m – Road - AT



It would have been a shame not to head out on such a gorgeous Autumn day.....decided to do some mid-paced intervals and get some fresh air.



The spread was from 3:15 - 3:24 so fairly consistent....didn't feel like I was trying that hard at any stage tbh so hopefully a sign of good things to come