PB or not PB...that is the question

Cartman78

15/05/2019

8.10K – 39:49 – Road – AF

Another stodgy late evening run – not sure if my body has forgotten how to run at this time of the day or if I need to rejig my fueling options.



17/05/2019

8K – 34:59 – Road – NB

Back to lunchtime action with a solid tempo session – set the Garmin to a 4:15-4:30 pace window and landed around 4:22 for each km fairly comfortably.

We left Achilles is a bit achier than normal so will keep a close eye on it – extra stretching and foam rolling over the next few days for sure.

Signed up for the Charleville Half today to take advantage of the early bird price – if all goes to plan this will be a good chance to tune up ahead of Dublin.

Cartman78

19/05/2019

16.50K – 79:14 – Road – NP

Missed my morning run window due to being knackered and relaxed.

Eventually made it out around 5pm – had notions of going 20K+ but achey Achilles and looming dinner/bedtime combined to keep this slightly shorter.

Settled into a comfortable 4:50 per km pace early on and didn’t veer too far from it at all.


20/05/2019

6.40K – 30:57 – Road – NB

Headspace.

Physio booked for Wednesday evening to loosen out calves/Achilles

Cartman78

21/05/2019

10K - 47:01 - Road - AD

Another solid easy run - felt good throughout, and upped the pace marginally for the last 3K


22/05/2019

Intervals - 8 x 800m - Road - NB

Busy morning at work so blew off some of the stress with a decent set of 800's.

Physio tonight should help loosen out the calves and Achilles

Cartman78

25/05/2019

8K - 37:54 - Road - NP

Went to physio on Wednesday evening - both calves and Achilles tight so had some dry needling done and a good rub out.

Took a couple of days rest on Thursday and Friday and was hoping to be back to normal by the weekend - was still a bit achey on Saturday so just did a gentle few miles to (hopefully) loosen out.

The run itself went ok-ish but was still sore enough yesterday so might take a longer break now I think to let things settle down. Did 15 miles on the bike yesterday instead - god almighty...have forgotten how boring cycling is :-)

Cartman78

30/05/2019

10K - 48:22 - Road - NB

Took a few days break to (hopefully) let the Achilles recover.

Up the walls at work and had the added headwreck of having to cancel our holiday to France (due to Brittany Ferries fiasco) and rearrange a staycation instead :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Anyway, have spent the last few days doing some weights, core and stretching.

Both ankles/Achilles were still a bit achey today so took the run very gently - still a few small niggles mid run so will keep a very very close eye on it.

I think the hard 3K on the track probably pushed me over the injury threshold unfortunately - it seemed like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight it was probably a bit unnecessary

Cartman78

30/05/2019

8.10K - 38:25 - Road - NB

Another low-key workout to ease the Achilles back into action.


02/06/2019

12K - 56:25 - Road - NP

Another slightly longer low-key workout to ease the Achilles back into action


04/06/2019

10.10K - 47:04 - Road - AF

Lashing rain, cool, light breeze = perfect conditions for lunchtime workout.

Still some lingering tightness in the ankles/calves but over the worst of it now I think

Cartman78

05/06/2019

8K - 37:05 - Road - NB

An evening run in clammy rural Limerick - enjoyed this one actually...basically did a 4K easy run and a 4K tempo (<4:30 pace) run.

Feel like I'm getting some form back at last - have been stretching/foam rolling a good bit as well so should be in good shape soon

Cartman78

07/06/2019

8.25K - 36:11 - Road - NB

A regular and instantly forgettable lunchtime workout


09/06/2019

25.10K - 129:45 - Road/Trail/Grass

My longest run since London marathon in 2012 and possibly my slowest run ever :-)

Drove over to UL as didn't fancy a long run on the hills near the house. Also my first ever run wearing calf guards....time will tell if they make any difference I guess.

We were down in Kerry for a few days during the week on staycation....threw the gear in the boot but had no intention of doing any real training tbh. Got a couple of short runs in alright to keep the legs turning over and scope out places to eat :-)


15/06/2019

16K - 76:04 - Road - NB

A decent enough mid paced effort after a week of carb loading in Kenmare.

Jarred my ankle in a pothole around halfway which was annoying but think I got away with it.

Cartman78

Not a whole lot of running activity to report from Week 2 of staycation - did one 10K on a glorious route in Belmullet, and a very hilly 5 miler in Donegal but not a lot else tbh.

And to cap off my 2 weeks of inactivity, I've been congested/wheezy for the last few days so have just been mooching around doing some stretching and weights. Not sure if it's hayfever or a reaction to chlorine in the hotel pool last week.

Confidence levels are plummeting re: Dublin with each passing day at this stage

Have the gear in the boot today which is a start so will hopefully get out for a quick spin at lunchtime

Cartman78

26/06/2019

8.15K - 37:29 - Road - NB

Gorgeous day for a run...not too hot here in Nenagh (~20 degrees with a light breeze) so set off at a nice mid-paced clip.

Actually went a lot better than I expected - still feeling lethargic and crappy but this was my best run in a while tbh.

Onwards and upwards :pac::pac:

Cartman78

27/06/2019

8.10K - 37:14 - Road - NB

Another easy-ish run in the sun....no issues to report at all thank god. Nice to feel a bit of heat after months of going out in multiple layers

Cartman78

28/06/2019

Intervals - 8 x 800m - Road - AD

My first session in what seems like a very long time :rolleyes:

Balmy and dull conditions in Nenagh today - was aiming to run at ~HMP and was reasonably successful....a couple at 3:11, a couple at 3:23 with the bulk being around 3:18 so not bad going all things considered.

Prob won't do anything tomorrow - will aim for long run on Sunday morning

Cartman78

30/06/2019

16K - 77:45 - Road - NP

Was feeling pretty crappy all weekend tbh - congested, lethargic etc. so missed my run window on Sunday morning and had a mini lie in.

Didn't actually head out till around 8.30pm - was still feeling pooky so would have been happy with an 8K, but actually felt pretty ok once I was out so drove on and ran a fairly comfortable 10 miler in the end :)

Anyway, will hopefully get a few more miles in this week. Tempted by the Dundrum 10K on Wednesday night...will see how the next couple of days go

Cartman78

01/07/2019

10.10K - 48:24 - Road - AF

An easy 10K to kick the week off - it felt a tad harder than it should have maybe at points but overall ok.

On mature reflection, I'm gonna give Dundrum a swerve on Weds night - nothing to be gained from it really...it's debatable whether I'd run sub 40 never mind a PB and I'd probably need a couple of rest and recovery days in there as well

Cartman78

03/07/2019

16.25K - 77:43 - Road - NP


**ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED - MIDWEEK 10 MILER** :D

The stars finally aligned last night for me to do a decent midweek run.

Happy to report I'm finally at a stage where 10 miles feels like a short run too...it's taken a while to get here so hopefully I can maintain this form now for a while.

Did ~11K at 4:50ish pace and then did a 5K tempo/surge at 4:35ish pace. This included a lighthearted chase by a minuscule Jack Russell for about 500m :pac:

Cartman78

04/07/2019

8K - 34:51 - Road - NB

Happy enough with this mid-paced tempo; effort and pace felt consistent all the way and never felt I had to work to hard to maintain it.



05/07/2019

10K - 49:22 - Road - NB

Another easy 10K to round off the week - tried to concentrate on running form, posture, cadence etc and just trundled along.

It's probably been my most solid/successful training week in a while so hopefully my injuries and illness shenanigans are behind me.

Will rest tomorrow (if you can count going to watch Mayo v. Galway as rest ) and see what the plan is for Sunday

Cartman78

07/07/2019

12.30K - 57:43 - Road - NP

Survived the emotional trauma of watching Mayo conspiring against themselves to almost manage to not beat Galway :rolleyes:

A long run was always going to be tricky to squeeze in this weekend tbh - was out with the kids most of the day yesterday so didn't get the runners on till 8.30pm or so.

Might not be the worst thing though that I missed a long run (~20K+); have upped the mileage a bit so prob a good idea to keep it gradual.

All good for this run - no aches or niggles and felt easy at that pace.


08/07/2019

Intervals 8 x 800m - Road - AT

Got slightly caught out by the weather - it was overcast and misty when I was togging out but the sun had appeared by the time my run started.

Hit these reasonably hard (<=4:00 min per k pace) and kept the times steady including 3 in a row at 3:10.

Also met two fellas riding unicycles which is a first!

Cartman78

10/07/2019

18K - 86:25 - Road - NP

Was super knackered all day yesterday - energy levels still all over the place it was genuinely a very close call between going to bed around 8pm or go for a run.

Dragged myself out and as always, was glad that I did - took a while to get going but settled into a handy rhythm after a few km.

Got yet another chase from yet another dog - he was a snappy aggressive little fupper as well so grabbed a large stick for when I had to pass him on the way back - he wasn't half as cocky when he saw me coming towards him armed with a wooden sword :pac::pac::pac:

Tried again to up the pace for the last 5K or so - not a whole lot in the tank last night but increased the pace a bit from ~4:50 to ~4: 30.

Cartman78

11/07/2019

10K - 44:00 - Road - NB1400

Another hybrid workout - the challenging Hill Tempo Workout :cool:

The aim was to run 10K at sub 4:30 pace and it was relatively comfortable despite me opting to run on my local hilly route.

The pace warning was buzzing a bit going up some of the hills alright but tried to keep my effort consistent.

A traditional LSR might be tricky again this weekend - I'm now fairly onboard the Mayo bandwagon so will be gone to Killarney most of the day on Sunday

skyblue46

I hope you're packing a spare wheel or two...its from now on that they start falling off that wagon!

Cartman78

skyblue46 wrote: »

I hope you're packing a spare wheel or two...its from now on that they start falling off that wagon!

I know - it's the hope that kills you

Win, lose or draw it'll be entertaining anyway and I'll probably burn off as many calories as I would on a long run :pac:

Cartman78

12/07/2019

7.15K - 36:09 - Road - NB880

A few gentle junk miles to round off the week.

Togged out & dropped my car to the garage to get the windscreen fixed and it was ready when I got back so it was a fairly productive lunchtime.

Will probably aim for a 10+ miler either tomorrow night or early on Sunday - will see how things go

Cartman78

15/07/2019

10K - 47:26 - Road - AF

INJURY UPDATE - Broken heart and head wrecked after watching Mayo in Killarney yesterday :pac::pac::pac:

As predicted, no long run (and no short run either) this weekend...flat out with the kids on Saturday, and then skived off with the eldest lad to the match yesterday. Disappointing result but great day out in fairness.

Again, maybe no harm I had a couple of days rest given my inherent tendency to overtrain and get injured.

Handy enough run in the sun today - easy pace and topped the tan up

Cartman78

16/07/2019

9K - 42:24 - Road - NB880

Another gentle jaunt at lunchtime in the searing clammy-ness of Nenagh.

A few aches and groans from my achilles starting off but settled down ok after that - was going to tag on an extra km at the end but was overheating at that stage.

Might try 10+ miler tomorrow night if I can get out of the house in time

Cartman78

18/07/2019

18K - 86:07 - Road - NP

Was absolutely and utterly knackered on Wednesday so ended up bathing my feet in Epsom salts and going to bed early rather than going for a run.

Felt marginally more energetic last night and was reasonably happy with this solid but very unspectacular run.

Both achilles a bit tight and achey - will keep an eye on them; gave them a quick icing last night while catching up on the Tour de France highlights

Cartman78

19/07/2019

10K - 49:27 - Road - NB880

Not quite sure if this was a recovery from, or a continuation of, the run from last night....either way it's 28K in 16 hours with a 14 hour break in the middle

Found this a bit of a struggle - the achilles was ok but felt a bit leggy anyway, the weather was shyte too...simultaneously clammy, sunny and windy.

Rest day tomorrow and hopefully a longer run on Sunday morning

Cartman78

21/07/2019

18.20K - 87:29 - Road - NP

Was up home in Mayo for the weekend so finally had some bandwidth for a Sunday morning LSR. Haven't ran this route in ages - it used to feel like an extremely long run a few years ago when I started running but it was more comfortable yesterday.

Ideally I'd have done a few more km's but was happy enough with another solid outing at this distance.



22/07/2019

Intervals - 4 x 2K @ Target HMP (~4:15)

Shyte weather for running really - simultaneously clammy and blustery winds. Was wary of doing intervals after a long run but felt like doing something different.

Very happy with these - took 2 mins interval breaks so probably helped keep things relatively consistent -

1) 4:17
2) 4:11
3) 4:14
4) 4:17
5) 4:18
6) 4:21
7) 4:16
8) 4:12

Achilles felt good for a change - might book in for physio over the next week or so

Cartman78

24/07/2019

10.15K - 48:24 - Road - NB

A bit of an easy-miles-slog in the the dead heat.... was up the walls at work so it was great to get out.

Took another running break yesterday - was going to do my 'usual' 16K-18K last night but felt a bit flat so we all went out for pizza instead :-)

Had more blood tests again this week too - still feel like my thyroid is acting up...back to GP next week; hoping the solution isn't too far away as it's dragging on a bit now

Cartman78

26/07/2019

10K - 42:59 - Road - AF

Decent tempo effort - never felt I was trying that hard but would have liked to be closer to 42:30


28/07/2019

25.50K - 124:09 - Road - NP

An odyssey of a long run up in Mayo :-)

Was actually lost for about 5K of this - had a rough notion of where I was but was from from 100% sure for a while.

Both calves/achilles were stiff and sore-ish for the first couple of km but settled down ok after that (and feel ok today) - going for physio tonight so hopefully I can get ahead of any bigger problems.

Other than that the run was fine - no issues with energy etc. and finished relatively strongly.Overall mileage probably still on the low side but I'm conscious of staying within my injury boundaries. Plan for this week will be similar to last week I think depending on how I feel after physio

Cartman78

29/07/2019

8.75K - 41:52 - Road - NB880

A pre-physio workout ; legs ok after long run


31/07/2019

10.10K - 47:42 - Road - NB880

Got on ok at physio the other night – both calves observed as being tight but no major concerns.

Was going to head out yesterday evening but decided to take it handy so mowed the lawn and did some core work instead.

Today’s run was comfortable – the gentle cooling wind was most welcome