PB or not PB...that is the question

Cartman78

^^^
Just noticed that the 2 previous updates are incorrectly dated - should of course be 03/08/2017 and 04/08/2017 :rolleyes:

06/08/2017

10K – Road – 46:30 – AF

Was up in Mayo for the long weekend and managed to run one of my traditional local routes at home – haven’t ran it in a couple of years and was amazed to see the amount of 6 bedroom mansions that have sprung up in the meantime.

Took it easy – it’s relatively flat so was a fairly gentle workout tbh

Cartman78

08/08/2017

8 x 1K Intervals – Road – AD

Didn’t want to push too hard so was aiming at 4 min pace for these.

Once again the blustery wind made pacing difficult – was running smack into a hefty enough breeze for intervals 3 and 4 in particular (although the same wind was on my back for 5 and 6 so can’t complain).

1) 4:03
2) 3:59
3) 4:04
4) 4:02
5) 3:54
6) 4:02
7) 3:59
8) 4:00

Happy enough with the workout overall – challenging without being too punishing.

Will probably take a running break tomorrow and maybe something light on the threadmill on Thursday ahead of the race on Friday evening.

Cartman78

10/08/2017

8K– Threadmill – 38:19 – SK

Yesterday was a non-running workout – did some rowing, cross-trainer and core work.

Took it fairly easy today – did 4K at 12kmph pace, 3K between 12.5 and 13.5 kmph and the last K at 15kmph.

Hadn’t planned on speeding up for the last bit but time was against me as I had a meeting that I semi-forgot about.

Feeling a bit meh this week tbh – could be I’m in a zen state of relaxation and don’t realise it; or more likely my new found hayfever is acting up again.

Cartman78

11/08/2017

2K– Threadmill – 8:37 – SK

Race day and not feeling overly confident as usual

Went down to the gym to do some stretching and general loosening out – my right glute/lower back has been a bit niggly for the last couple of days so gave it a good foam rolling and stretch. Hopped on the threadmill briefly to blow off any cobwebs that may have accumulated.

I ran the Mitchelstown 5 Mile last year as well in 32:04 – apparently they’ve changed the course this year so it’ now ‘flat, fast and PB friendly’ :rolleyes:

Not expecting anything spectacular tonight – will be happy to shave a bit off my 31:41 from the end of June.

Cartman78

11/08/2017

Mitchestown GR8 8K

11/08/2017 - Road - 30:50 - AD

So it turns out it was a flat and fast, PB friendly course after all.

Really enjoyed this one and delighted with my progress despite my rather scattered training.

Last years course was undulating with a massive climb in the last km so was looking forward to something less challenging this time around.

Was kinda late getting to the start line and lost track of time a bit chatting to a club mate so ended up near the back of the field. Heard the gun go off for a wheelchair athlete and tried to make my way up to the front but got wedged in about halfway up.

My plan had been to take it handy for the first 3K and then put the hammer down but as I battled through the crowd in the opening few hundred metres it seemed the hammer was already down. It helped that the first couple of km were downhill/flat so settled into a nice rhythm once I got into open space.

Had a bit of a breather around 4K but was feeling full of running so pushed on after that through a very fast section which was aided by a breeze. I kept waiting for the inevitable dirty hill but it never came - there was a couple of minor drags but nothing too taxing.

I knew a PB was in the bag and decided to push on for possible sub 31 mins. Went flat out for the last km...the finish line pics should be interesting :-)

1) 3:44
2) 3:47
3) 3:50
4) 4:01
5) 3:53
6) 3:49
7) 3:50
8) 3:48

Happy with that obviously...haven't felt that strong in a race since the Dungarvan 10 mile in 2012.

Next up? Not sure right now...might go to Croke Park next weekend so the Liscarroll 10K next Friday night might be on the cards..will see how the week goes

JohnDozer

Nearly a minute faster than PB is always a good day! Presuming end of June was a PB of course? Fair play

Cartman78

JohnDozer wrote: »

Nearly a minute faster than PB is always a good day! Presuming end of June was a PB of course? Fair play

Yeah...June was the previous PB alright.

Would have been happy with 31:30 the other night tbh.

I could have gone even faster really if I hadn't made a boo-boo at the start and wasted effort slaloming through the crowd

HigginsJ

Fantastic stuff, great performance

Cartman78

13/08/2017

12.5K– Road – 58:27 – AF

Had a pretty busy couple of days with the kids – good fun (and lots of cake) had by all.

Happy to report that there was no negative after effects of the race on Friday night at all – in hindsight, the course and conditions were very favourable indeed….would imagine that a lot of PB’s were set.

Anyway, this was a fairly standard slow-ish run….felt fairly fresh from start to finish so all good in the hood.

Cartman78

14/08/2017

8K– Threadmill – 33:27 – AF

Another sweatfest to get the week started – took it easy for the first 4K (<15kmph) and then increased the effort for the second half.

Good workout, no niggles still which is amazing – I still remain slightly skeptical about the overall impact of the threadmill on ‘real’ running but it seems to be doing the trick for me so far.

A good cardio workout and time on my feet, and helping to keep me injury free – will really miss it when/if I change job in the next few weeks

Cartman78

15/08/2017

3 x 2K + 3 x 1K Intervals– Road – AT

Was feeling a bit fatigued/mopey all morning – slept well so maybe my body was in a state of shock from a good night’s sleep.

Decided to do a modified version of one of the McMillan 10K workouts – once again the weather in Shannon not conducive to athletic activity.

3 x 2K:
1) 8:10
2) 8:16
3) 8:07

3 x 1K:
1) 4:00
2) 4:05
3) 4:30

Went reasonably well in the circumstances - the last 1K being the obvious outlier….in my defence it was uphill, into the wind, dodging a lot of walkers on a path…but to be honest, I was feeling fairly worn out at that stage anyway.

Tomorrow will be a rest day for sure, will do a slow and steady threadmill effort on Thursday, and then all systems go for a potential crack at a 10K PB (<39:05) on Friday night

HigginsJ

Best of luck with the Pb attempt Friday night

Cartman78

HigginsJ wrote: »

Best of luck with the Pb attempt Friday night

Cheers - will give it a lash and see what happens.

Was on to a few lads in the club who've ran Liscarroll before and it sounds like a fast-ish course by all accounts.

Would be absolutely over the moon to break 39 mins but I'd also be quite happy to run faster than Dundrum a few weeks ago tbh (<39:38)...will see how it goes on the night

Cartman78

17/08/2017

8K – Threadmill - 35:20 – SK

A fairly steady workout – went up in 0.5 kmph increments from 12.5kmph for each KM.

It was really muggy in the gym so was sweating gallons.

In pretty good shape ahead of tomorrow night – still no niggles to report really apart which is both highly unusual and pleasing.

Will be interesting to see what kind of crowd turns up in Liscarroll – there’s a clash with a 5 Mile race in Churchtown and would imagine the Clonmel Half will keep a few of the regular faces away as well. Looking at last year’s results, a sub-40 would be well inside the Top 20.

Might do a few short intervals tomorrow afternoon as a final tune-up

Cartman78

18/08/2017

Intervals 5 x 1 minute – Threadmill - AT

Race day again :pac:

Killing time here at work and was looking back at some Garmin stats from the past couple of years, tonight will be my 8th race of 2017....not bad going considering I was out for 3 months.

The previous years stats are -
2013: 3 races
2014: 4 races
2015: 4 races
2016: 7 races (incl. XC)

I think joining a club (June 2016) has definitely pushed me on to compete more. I don't get a chance to go to training as often as I'd like but the club factor is definitely driving me on to go to more events.

Anyway, feeling suitable positively nervous excited/anxious ahead of the 10K tonight. The weather is pretty grim so not sure what impact that'll have.

Had planned to go outside at lunchtime actually - stuck my head out the door and retreated quickly to the safety of the gym....did some stretching etc as well so should be nicely set for later on

Cartman78

18/08/2017

Liscarroll 10K

18/08/2017 - Road - 39:02 - AD

Woo-hoo!! :D:D

After 5 years in the wilderness I've finally managed to set a new 10K PB....it's only by 4 seconds but a huge boost nonetheless.

Since I set that PB in 2012, I've had two children as well as two lengthy periods of illness and a few niggly injuries, so I was beginning to think at times that my days of setting PBs were long gone. However since coming back this year and taking a more realistic and sensible approach to training I've seen that anything is possible. Really enjoying my running now and in 15 years on the roads this is by far the longest I've gone without injury.

Anyway, the race itself went pretty much perfectly. I set out at a very steady and consistent pace for the first few kms which were into the wind and also on a very subtle drag.

The course is basically a triangle with sides of 4K, 2K and 4K...so having ran fairly conservatively for the first side I put the foot down a bit after 4K..started to pass a good few people on this stretch and was feeling fresh.

Got to halfway in 19:43 so knew there was work to be done to get the PB and/or beat my Dundrum time from a few weeks ago.

I found the last side of the triangle a bit of a slog tbh...because it was so straight and the field had thinned out, I could see 3 or 4 runners about 50 yards ahead of me and even they were split by 10 yard gaps.

Put the head down and aimed to reel them in but didn't make much progress really (I eventually made it past one guy around 8k but he pipped me again on the line). I was still motoring along nicely although I found the last few km mentally tough.

Rounded a slight corner and could see the finish line off on the horizon...glanced down at my watch and suddenly realised that a PB and a possible sub 39 minute was still in scope. Dug deep again and sprinted for home with about 600m to go.......completely emptied the tank and was totally knackered crossing the line.

I stopped my watch on 39:02 and my first thought was "Fupp...missed the sub 39 mins".....it actually took me a couple of minutes to realise I was inside my PB by a few seconds.

1) 3:59
2) 3:58
3) 3:59
4) 3:57
5) 3:49
6) 3:50
7) 3:54
8) 3:51
9) 3:51
10) 3:45

A cold analysis and hindsight might suggest that I could/should have gone a bit quicker but it would have been fairly marginal I'd say either way. Probably my first ever negative split in a 10K as well.

I enjoyed the tea and cake afterwards - might take another race break for a while now and focus on some endurance work

healy1835

Well paced and raced. Congrats on the PB

Cartman78

21/08/2017

12K – Road - 56:23 – AF

Missed my normal recovery/slow run last night – the young fella was acting the maggot so was late getting him into bed. Was all togged out and ready to go when the heavens opened – normally love running in the rain but this was of apocalyptic proportions so decided to give it a miss. Did a load of foam rolling and sit-ups instead.

Things still very quiet at work with 99% of my team out of the office today and my computer on strike, so decided to take advantage of the circumstances and go for a slightly longer run than normal.

Took it nice and easy in what were calm but very clammy conditions…..might do something similar tomorrow

Cartman78

22/08/2017

12K – Road - 57:22 – AF

Copy & Paste from yesterday….although it was a slightly different route and I had a running partner today to keep me company.

Again, took it very steady, was never out of breath and was only sweating because it was so hot and clammy.

That’s my first time in a long time doing two (relatively) long runs on the road back to back…will be interesting to see how my body responds but no red flags yet thankfully.

Cartman78

23/08/2017

6K – Threadmill - 23:29 – SK

After 2 days of slow and steady, it was back to mildly fast and furious indoors today :pac:

Did 3K @ 15kmph, 1K @ 15.5, 1K @ 16 and the last 1K @ 16.5+

Still feeling good – might take a rest day tomorrow though before I get carried away with myself

HigginsJ

Great performance in Liscarrol, well done

Cartman78

HigginsJ wrote: »

Great performance in Liscarrol, well done

Cheers - wasn't expecting it to be honest....I know I'm prone to pre-race sandbagging but I genuinely would have been content with a solid 39:30.

I'm about 2 months ahead of schedule so will have to recalibrate my goals a bit...a good complaint to have I guess :pac:

Medium/Long Term - would like to have a decent crack at a few 10 Milers early next year (Dungarvan, Mallow, Ballycotton on the menu).....have a PB of ~63mins from 2012 so the target would be to get under that and get close to the hour mark if possible. Lots of hard work (and longer miles) needed to get into that kinda shape.

Short Term - will continue to push on with the shorter races and start building a base for the 10 Mile plan. Need to find 10K's in September/October - not always easy as the DCM tends to distort the racing calendar. The SMRC in early October is a definite so need to find a couple more to keep me ticking over

JohnDozer

Not sure exactly where you're based but have a general vicinity I think. These might be out of range but you've probably seen them anyway. There is one in Doonbeg, Co. Clare in early September. As much a fun run as a race but pulls a decent standard I think. You would be up the sharp end of it

Another down in Waterford on September 30th, the Croppy Boy 10k. Looks good! Probably heading to that myself.

And keep an eye out for the Tralee Carers 10k. Normally on around the second week of October but haven't seen anything yet. Will keep you in mind if I see anything local

Well done on the recent race. Nice watching the times tumbling week by week. Very nice 10 mile PB too!

Cartman78

JohnDozer wrote: »

Not sure exactly where you're based but have a general vicinity I think. These might be out of range but you've probably seen them anyway. There is one in Doonbeg, Co. Clare in early September. As much a fun run as a race but pulls a decent standard I think. You would be up the sharp end of it

Another down in Waterford on September 30th, the Croppy Boy 10k. Looks good! Probably heading to that myself.

And keep an eye out for the Tralee Carers 10k. Normally on around the second week of October but haven't seen anything yet. Will keep you in mind if I see anything local

Well done on the recent race. Nice watching the times tumbling week by week. Very nice 10 mile PB too!

Cheers - will keep an eye out for a couple of those.

The Friday evening races are perfect for me really but not an option heading into the autumn/winter unfortunately.

Yeah...that 10 Miler was probably the pinnacle of my athletics career so far...was just before I got injured in the build up to London Marathon. I think I can definitely go faster now with a bit of work....looking forward to the challenge

Cartman78

25/08/2017

11K – Road - 49:25 – AF

An attempt at a middle distance tempo run – tried to keep to 4:30 per km and largely succeeded.

This route is pretty much pancake flat with a couple of minor drags so suitable to a tempo style run.


27/08/2017

7.15K – Road - 29:57 – AF

Well, after doing all my ‘long’ runs during the week it only makes sense to do my speed work on a Sunday.

Found the hills a bit of a struggle at that pace actually and generally felt a bit leggy – it was still very clammy and the McLunch I had earlier on wasn’t doing me any favours…..although the main factor was probably my increased mileage this week tbh. Nothing crazy and still relatively low by most people’s standards but was probably too big of a jump for me maybe.

The Achilles are a bit achey today alright but don’t think I’ve done any damage as such but will keep an eye on the load this week.

Will have less bandwidth for running this week (work back to normal-ish, young fella starting school) so normal service will be restored I’d say


28/08/2017

8K – Threadmill - 35:58 – SK

Some junk mileage indoors to stretch the legs out a bit.

Took it fairly easy for most of it (between 12-14kmph) and upped the speed a bit towards the end just to get it over with.

Cartman78

31/08/2017

16.5K – Road – 1:18:11 – AF

My longest run in about 18 months – it was a beautiful morning for it too….bright and sunny, maybe 14 degrees with a very light cooling breeze, birds singing in the trees etc.

Had a busy couple of days ferrying the kids from home to school, Montessori, after-school etc. so was glad just not to be in the car for an hour or so.

Found it very comfortable, and ran about 6K on a road I’ve never been on before which helped too. The average pace was 4:44 per km.

Still not sure if I’ll do the cross country on Sunday or not…would like to give it a go but might be tied up with other bits and bobs possibly

Cartman78

01/09/2017

8K – Road – 34:09 – AT

Had planned to do intervals but didn’t feel like it in the end so pivoted to a tempo run instead.

Was aiming for 4:15 per KM and stuck to it pretty well – a couple of outliers so the overall average was 4:16.

Felt grand after the long run yesterday – still no major niggles which I continue to be pleasantly surprised at

Cartman78

03/09/2017

10.15K – Road – 46:53 – AF

The days getting shorter and bedtime getting later has really put the squeeze on my Sunday evening runs

Didn’t make it out to Newcastle West for the Cross Country – we’re all a bit under the weather in our house at the moment with asthma/hayfever type symptoms.

Wasn’t feeling great myself tbh but threw on the gear anyway and headed out – not a memorable run on any level but time on my feet and a few more miles in the bank.

Cartman78

04/09/2017

8K – Threadmill – 32:56 – SK

A really solid workout to get the week started – did a 3K ‘warm-up’ between 13.5kmph and 15kmph, then 4k at 15-15.5kmph and the final km at 16kmph+.

I used to find it really awkward to run fast on the threadmill but now I’m quite comfortable at 16kmph – not sure what that means exactly or what impact it might have on ‘real’ running, but it doesn’t seem to be doing me any harm at the moment anyway

Cartman78

05/09/2017

10K – Road – 44:44 – AF

Should possibly have taken a rest day or done some intervals but head was melted after frustrating morning at work so just wanted to go for a ‘run’.

No firm target but wanted to keep it around the 4:20 – 4:30 per km range…..ended up with a 4:28 average so happy enough with that.

Feeling tired now I have to say – have had 3 nights in a row now of broken sleep due to kids up coughing and spluttering. Hopefully the Ireland-Serbia game will send me into a deep coma this evening :pac: