Chapter 2 - Finding Nemo

skyblue46

Great to hear the positivity coming back to the surface again. Keep her lit!

Swashbuckler

Going into this week I was quite please with myself having put down my most solid weeks training since November/December. The niggle or whatever we're calling it was still there. No pain as such but "there". Noticeable when horsing around with the little one or getting in and out of the car or getting up from prolonged seated position.

Monday - Easy 7M with physio in the evening.
Tuesday - 5x5min at 6.45-6.50
Wednesday - Easy 7M
Thursday - Easy 7M
Friday - 20/30/40/50/40/30/20s Surges off 60s
Saturday - Easy 10M
Sunday - Rest

Felt good on the Monday run. I had decided to book a physio for a rub down but in the end it turned into a combination of assessment and rub down. I must say I was impressed with the detail she went into. Now I'm not expert in this stuff and I'm probably easily impressed but she really did a thorough analysis. More than any previous physio I've been at. The upshot of it really was that my quads were very tight and shortened especially on the left. Possibly the cause of the numbness in my left leg but she refused to speculate. She reckons my quads are taking up a lot of the workload, hamstrings are getting pulled and glutes aren't firing right. She also mentioned the psoas muscle which has previously been mentioned here. But the main thing was the quads. I had a slight arch in my lower back, nothing extreme which would tie in with quads shortening and hamstrings pulling (I think). I'm sure I'm over simplifying but that's the gist. So she did quite a bit of work on the quads. Some stretches were recommended. Strengthening stuff was briefly discussed but told to focus on getting things right again. All and all money well spent.

Felt no ill effects on Tuesday. The 5x5min was great. As mentioned in Duaningtons log that steady running is probably the most enjoyable sometimes. Just getting into the groove and running. A couple of them were closer to 6.40. I'm not overly concerned. The main question I'm asking myself these days is, am I in or around the effort level I should be and if the answer is yes then all good. I'm not overly focusing on the watch. Finished up with a total of 8.5 miles for the session. Legs were tired. Niggle stayed quiet.

Wednesday and Thursday were slowed right down. Listened to the body. At this stage the niggle is pretty much gone. I think these were in or around 8.10/8.15 average.

Friday - Nice pyramid session. Felt great during this so I unleashed the stride a bit. First time I've run without thinking about my hip. Ran hard enough for these. Hovering around the 5min mark. Very pleased that the stride could be unleashed. Lungs knew all about it though. Haha.

Saturday - everything clicked physically and mentally. Asuch as I've enjoyed a run in a long time. A little on the quick side but wasn't paying attention to the watch. Just went with it. Asked is this easy. Yes it was. Fair enough. Happy days. I'll take those days when they come. Daydreaming and philosophizing about running and racing. Lovely run in the rain.

Total for the week was around 46 miles. Decent week. Sensible road back which is exactly what's needed. Better to be running a pb in December of this year than attempt five during the year and break down four times! Very happy to be putting solid weeks together again.

Best of running to everyone racing in Raheny 5M (or elsewhere for that matter) today.

Oh by the way I bought the zoom streaks. Lol

Baby75

It is great when you find a good physio she sounds like she really looked after you


Congrats on the new runners

Swashbuckler

Very happy with this week. Building all the time and feeling better each week. Patience and consistency is the key here. I'm really enjoying my running at the moment.

Monday - Easy 7M
Tuesday - 3M at 6.50, 1M Easy, 2x1k at 6.20 off 90s
Wednesday - Easy 7M
Thursday - Easy 7M
Friday - 20/30/40/30/20s Off 60s, 2min Jog, 1k (3.44)
Saturday - Easy 12M
Sunday - Rest

Total mileage - 48.7 miles

We were lucky this week with the weather. Seems like the rest of the country got hit pretty bad. Was chilly here but it didn't interfere with the running.

Not much to report on the easy runs. They were just that. Had no clue what pace I was running at for these as the watch was under a few layers.

Tuesdays session was a lovely one. Got the legs nice and fatigued. Those steady miles are fun. Made a bit of a balls of the pacier stuff. Meant to be at 6.20 but ended up around 6.08. Need to get tuned into the faster paces again. Was relying on the watch which was all over the shop to be honest. Good session though.

Friday's session was very enjoyable. Nice fast bits and the 1km tacked on at the end felt very manageable. Not a difficult session but one which had me feeling great after.

Had company for my long run which was great. The miles flew by. Need to do this more often. My buddy is training for limerick marathon so hopefully I'll be able to join him for more of these Saturday morning runs. Beautiful nippy morning in the city.

So a very happy man this week. Progressing nicely and starting to feel like a runner again, whatever that is. Haha.

ariana`

I keep missing your log since you changed the title

Delighted to hear you sounding so positive again.

I'm a week late to the party but love this

Saturday - everything clicked physically and mentally. Asuch as I've enjoyed a run in a long time. A little on the quick side but wasn't paying attention to the watch. Just went with it. Asked is this easy. Yes it was. Fair enough. Happy days. I'll take those days when they come. Daydreaming and philosophizing about running and racing. Lovely run in the rain.

Well wear with the new kicks too

Swashbuckler

ariana` wrote:

I keep missing your log since you changed the title

Haha I should change it back

ariana`

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Haha I should change it back

Nah, i just need to get with the times

Swashbuckler

Very happy with how this week went. Clocking up nice solid consistent weeks again and can feel myself getting stronger.

Monday - Easy 7M
Tuesday - 3x1 mile @ 6.30 (Off 2min), 1 mile easy, 2x1km @ 6.10 pace (Off 90s)
Wednesday - Easy 7M
Thursday - Easy 7M
Friday - 4x(20,30,40 off 60) 3 min between sets
Saturday - Easy 12M
Sunday - Rest

The easy runs this week were all pretty much between 8 to 8.10min/mile pace. As I said previously I'm relying on how I feel and ignoring the watch on these now.

Tuesdays sessions was a lovely one. I think in general people seem to like these (tempo? Lol) types of runs. Getting into a nice rhythm and not overly taxing. Can feel the engine getting stronger with these.
The mile splits were 6.25/6.25/6.27.
The km splits were 3.48/3.47.
Pretty good I think. Was working a bit by the second km. Arianas requote was something I reminded myself during the session - train don't strain. And was definitely not strained. Solid session. Took in a lumpy enough route for the mile repeats. The kms were on the flat of the estate. 8.8 miles total.

Fridays session was a nice little turnover session. Got some good speed into the legs. No point in over analyzing paces here as the splits are so short but somewhere between 4.30-5min/mile pace was the range I landed in. Had to deal with the wind on this session and seemed to get hit in the face with it for the 40s splits. Chunked this up with 2.5 miles each for warmup and cooldown. 8.25 miles total.

Woke very early Saturday morning and had some quality time with baba. Really getting into a nice Saturday morning routine where the missus gets a lie in and I mind baba. Then I head off later in the morning. Felt great on this run. Was unusually fresh for this so decided to do laps of my side of town to get in the hill on the Ennis road and the other hill by Thomond park. Think I did 5 laps. Very enjoyable run. Legs nice and tired afterwards.

Total was 50 miles for the week. First time over 50 since December I believe. Very happy.

In other noteworthy news the Zoom Streak 6 were very comfortable. I think they could easily be a racer for me. I've started wearing the flex RN for my sessions now. The Saucony have become my easy mile runner. Will wear the adidas solarglide the odd time to see if they break in more. The last wear of the solarglides I definitely found less "burny" so we'll see. Too many choices!

Enjoying my running these days. Work has been pretty busy but I'm managing so far. Looking forward to racing again. Feels like forever since I was in the thick of it. Adare 10k in two weeks. No major expectations or pressure. Will be interesting to see where I'm at.

shotgunmcos

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Was unusually fresh for this so decided to do laps of my side of town to get in the hill on the Ennis road and the other hill by Thomond park. Think I did 5 laps. Very enjoyable run. Legs nice and tired afterwards.
.

5x each of those hills is good going for a Saturday morning! You must have spent the bones of half an hour running uphill

Swashbuckler

shotgunmcos wrote:

5x each of those hills is good going for a Saturday morning! You must have spent the bones of half an hour running uphill

Had to go back and look as I didn't want to be making a liar of myself. Looks like it was four which makes more sense.

Swashbuckler

How could I forget. I was also accepted for the great north half but have since found out I can't feckin make it. Disappointed as it would've been a great experience. So now trying to figure out whether to defer or not

Duanington

Good to see you enjoying it again, P - a good year ahead for ya

Swashbuckler

Duanington wrote:

Good to see you enjoying it again, P - a good year ahead for ya

Cheers D. Yeah the running mojo is definitely back. Looking forward to some race pain.

Swashbuckler

Gonna start sounding like a repeating record here but yep, you guessed it, another good week!

Monday - Easy 7M (8.05min/mile)
Tuesday - 1M @ 6.30/2min Easy/5x800m @ 6.10 off 90s.
Wednesday - Easy 7M (8.19min/mile)
Thursday - Easy 7M (8.09min/mile)
Friday - 4x(20/30/40s off 60s) 3min between sets
Saturday - Easy 12M (8.11min/mile)

Felt very strong on both sessions. Love the tempo/threshold mix.
Tuesdays session was out on the bumpy roads again. Have made a point of ensuring the form stays strong and no straining. I've held up well and efforts have been spot on.

Tuesdays splits were;
1M - 6.25
800s - 3.03/3.03/3.03/3.07/3.03
Felt good on the recoveries. Solid session and legs were nicely fatigued by the end. Total 8.5 miles.

Friday's session was the same as last week. Nice bit of turnover. Nice not to have to think about paces. Just run fast and stay controlled. Windy on Friday but kept the form solid throughout. Paces for each split were in the range of 4.40-5.10. Slower end of the range accounting for wind. Very happy. Decent warmup and cooldown bringing this to over 9 miles.

Saturdays long run was an early one. Not my preference but had to be done. Ran with my buddy. Another enjoyable run. Good company. Legs tired by the end. Very happy. Lovely morning.

Total for the week was 51 miles. Clocking up consistent weeks again.

Racing Adare next weekend. Can't wait to be honest. No pressure. No expectations. Half contemplating leaving the watch at home but that's TBD.

Decided to defer Great North run. Will decide in November what to do with that one.

Looks like the club are putting in a relay team for the marathon in Limerick which I'll be a part of. Could be a strong team! Pretty happy coz I didn't fancy the half this year.

On a side note well done to DD on a beastly performance in Seville. Building all the time. Great to follow.

Kellygirl

Delighted to read it’s been another good week.

Limerick sounds fun. Toying with the idea of doing the half there again - not a target race for me as that’s Cork but would like to do a better job there than I did last year!!

Murph_D

Nice going, P - haven’t checked in in a while, but it sounds like you’re in a good place. What’s the thinking about the watch? Have considered that approach a few times but never followed through! Never look at watch in short Winter League races I’ve being doing but they call the splits every lap so that cancels out a lot of the effect. Might try it in Lusk in a couple of weeks.

Swashbuckler

Murph_D wrote:

Nice going, P - haven’t checked in in a while, but it sounds lime youre ina. Good place. What’s the thinking about the watch? Have considered that approach a few times but never followed through! Never look at watch in short Winter League races Ikve being doing but they call the splits every lap so that cancels out a lot of the effect. Might try it in Lusk in a couple of weeks.

Murph_D wrote:

Nice going, P - haven’t checked in in a while, but it sounds lime youre ina. Good place. What’s the thinking about the watch? Have considered that approach a few times but never followed through! Never look at watch in short Winter League races Ikve being doing but they call the splits every lap so that cancels out a lot of the effect. Might try it in Lusk in a couple of weeks.

Cheers D. Yeah I'm really enjoying my running these days.

Yeah the watch is an interesting one. Part of me thinks I have nothing to gain wearing it really. I think looking at it can be a hindrance most of the time. Especially given where I've come from in the last couple of months I really feel like this is a tester race. I've no expectations. I'm honestly not sure if I'll be lacking a bit as the race goes on or whether I'm actually in top shape. Haha. So what will the watch tell me? Nothing really. If Im up to my neck in lactate what difference does it make what the watch says. Ive also got a lot better at judging effort level since the XC block.

The only two reasons I'm thinking of wearing it is I'm afraid of teetering on the overly cautious side and slipping into threshold effort and I love the data afterwards. Haha.

We'll see. One of my best races was when the watch died beforehand and I ended up running 37.50 when targeting sub 40.

Kellygirl

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Cheers D. Yeah I'm really enjoying my running these days.

Yeah the watch is an interesting one. Part of me thinks I have nothing to gain wearing it really. I think looking at it can be a hindrance most of the time. Especially given where I've come from in the last couple of months I really feel like this is a tester race. I've no expectations. I'm honestly not sure if I'll be lacking a bit as the race goes on or whether I'm actually in top shape. Haha. So what will the watch tell me? Nothing really. If Im up to my neck in lactate what difference does it make what the watch says. Ive also got a lot better at judging effort level since the XC block.

The only two reasons I'm thinking of wearing it is I'm afraid of teetering on the overly cautious side and slipping into threshold effort and I love the data afterwards. Haha.

We'll see. One of my best races was when the watch died beforehand and I ended up running 37.50 when targeting sub 40.

Would you not just cover it with a sweat band or something? I love the data afterwards too so wouldn’t want to be without.

Swashbuckler

Kellygirl wrote:

Would you not just cover it with a sweat band or something? I love the data afterwards too so wouldn’t want to be without.

I've tried that. Way too easy to move it when curiosity strikes. Haha

Duanington

Fair play to you P

I've gotten used to not checking the watch at all in races, like you - because of the xc stuff. I think its a personal thing though, I know people that race very well using the watch. I suspect you're a little like me and need to just plunge yourself into a certain effort level over the shorter races.
You've nothing to lose by leaving the watch at home on this one - its not a target race, might be worth experimenting a little.
Great to see you going well

Swashbuckler

Cheers D.

Yeah you're right. I like to go on effort. I figure if the effort levels are high (and I fully expect them to be on Sunday as I haven't raced in ages and I'm only coming back to fitness) then the watch isn't gonna give me any good news really. If my pace is slower than I'd like there's not much that can be done about really. If the pace is fast then when the going gets really tough there's an excuse there to hold back a little.

We'll see. Either way I'm going to enjoy being back racing.

El CabaIIo

Good man! Best of luck on Sunday. Should be a good day out anyway.

Baby75

Good luck on Sunday maybe stick the watch in a pocket if you have one

Swashbuckler

El CabaIIo wrote:

Good man! Best of luck on Sunday. Should be a good day out anyway.

Will I finally get to meet the elusive ElC in person?

El CabaIIo

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Will I finally get to meet the elusive ElC in person?

El C doesn't exist, has anyone ever met anyone who has actually met or seen him? It's all just urban myths and stories on the level of Keyser Soze.

OOnegative

El CabaIIo wrote: »

El C doesn't exist, has anyone ever met anyone who has actually met or seen him? It's all just urban myths and stories on the level of Keyser Soze.

Seen a photo of you with a tea cozy on your head, that count?!!

El CabaIIo

OOnegative wrote: »

Seen a photo of you with a tea cozy on your head, that count?!!

I'm doubling down on that restraining order

OOnegative

You surely have an arbitrary time goal in mind? Looking at DD & AMK no interest to scratch the marathon itch?

Swashbuckler

OOnegative wrote:

You surely have an arbitrary time goal in mind? Looking at DD & AMK no interest to scratch the marathon itch?

Good questions.

To be fair seeing some of the marathon reports and training from the gang on here (not exclusive to DD and AMK) definitely piqued my interest. I love the look of some of the marathon specific sessions. I think I'd really enjoy them. That being said........ There's a few reasons I'm not chasing it yet.

It takes a lot of commitment. More than I can give at the moment I think. I barely manage to get my five midweek runs fit into my lunch hour. Running in the evenings isn't really an option for me as that's my time with wife and baba.

The recovery from them just seems huge.

I would worry a bit about how my body would hold up over marathon training although I'm sure that would be well coached.

I still love the shorter stuff! The dream is to get into as low 5k and 10k as possible. Recovery is quick and can race regularly.

I will run one some day for sure. Just not this year.

As for Adare I figure the endurance might not quite be there yet. In terms of arbitrary time I dunno. I think sub 38 should be doable. I'm genuinely not sandbagging but I don't know if 5.45/5.50 pace is manageable right now. Or 6.00 for that matter!

OOnegative

Jeez P me heart bleeds for ya, only a sub 38!!! I’d need a few lung transplants off mediocre Kenyan’s to even think of such a time.

There’s people that would pay to see yourself, DD, healy1835 and St Tropez in the one race. Dunshaughlin maybe.......

Swashbuckler

OOnegative wrote:

There’s people that would pay to see yourself, DD, healy1835 and St Tropez in the one race. Dunshaughlin maybe.......

Haha I ran 36.05 in Ennis last year and didn't run any 10ks over 38 in 2018 (Adare, Ennis, Ballyheigue, Killarney). But I dunno. We'll see. I definitely feel stronger than I have in a while. Pace for given effort is faster than it was last year but I doubt the endurance is there.

As for a race I think you can add a couple to that list. AMK and Mellow Yellow. Would be great wouldn't it! I plan on being in Dunshaughlin barring a disaster.

Who's St Tropez? I must do some log stalking.

OOnegative

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Haha I ran 36.05 in Ennis last year and didn't run any 10ks over 38 in 2018 (Adare, Ennis, Ballyheigue, Killarney). But I dunno. We'll see. I definitely feel stronger than I have in a while. Pace for given effort is faster than it was last year but I doubt the endurance is there.

As for a race I think you can add a couple to that list. AMK and Mellow Yellow. Would be great wouldn't it! I plan on being in Dunshaughlin barring a disaster.

Who's St Tropez? I must do some log stalking.

St Tropez....... AMK!!!

Not because it rhymes, because he’s as pale as ghost!! Apols to Mellow Yellow to, Sheep is approaching that level and RayCun is always there, yeah serious year for lads all about the one level!!!

We could open a book on Dunshaughlin maybe....

Swashbuckler

I'm very annoyed with myself for missing that joke. Haha.

I think there's two clear leaders in that group right now but we'll catch up.

ariana`

Best of luck at the weekend P, run well with or without the watch!

OOnegative

All the best tomorrow P, have a great race. Run well!!

Kellygirl

Best of luck P. Hope you have a great run.

healy1835

Best of luck tomorrow mate.

Swashbuckler

Cheers folks.... Must charge my watch

Back in Black

Good luck tomorrow!!

skyblue46

All the best tomorrow P. I hope it all goes to plan.

Swashbuckler

skyblue46 wrote:

All the best tomorrow P. I hope it all goes to plan.

Cheers S. There is no plan

Murph_D

Best of luck, P.

eyrie

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Cheers S. There is no plan

That's the best kind of plan
Good luck out there!

Swashbuckler

A solid if unspectacular 37.42. Happy to be back racing. Report will follow once my body gets over this unfamiliar feeling. Haha

Swashbuckler

Adare 10k 2019 Race Report

Sometimes you get what you expect. Sometimes you're surprised. Today I got what I expected and I don't mean that in a negative way. Man it's good to be going through that awful racing feeling again. Haha.

Had been feeling very positive about this one. Had pretty much removed all pressure and thoughts of times. One of the reasons I was thinking of leaving the watch on the subs bench is I didn't want to think about pace. I didn't want to look at the watch and see 6.10 pace and be disappointed. I just wanted to run! Realistically I knew where I was coming from with the bones of a month being injured/burned out and hadn't raced since November. Expectations were low but hope was high. Who knows. Maybe I'll surprise myself. But one of the toughest things (and best things) about racing is it makes an honest man of you. There's no faking it or hiding the last few months. If it's not quite there yet, you'll find out. I always say, it's one thing having great notions and dreaming when you're sitting on the couch or on an easy run but it's a different thing altogether when you're 7k deep into a 10k race and everything is telling you to stop.

I have zero complaints about how I felt on the run up to this. Coach had built up my confidence with the tempo/threshold stuff. I felt good. Training has been going well lately. Not race specific stuff but base building. Had no idea what I was capable of but suspected I might struggle deep into the race especially in Adare which has a tougher second half. Hence the decision was made to leave the watch at home. What difference would it make. Seeing 5.45 or 5.55 or 6.05 would have no bearing on how I felt. Nothing to lose.

Got to Adare nice and early. Was chillier than I expected. Stiff enough breeze. Headed off for a warmup. Went out and back from the start finish line. Could really feel the breeze as I turned back.

Lined up at the start line about four rows back. Some serious quality there. A load of west limerick ac singlets. Some big turnouts from some clubs. Doneraile stood out too. Whistle went and we were off. Settled straight into my pace. Was surprised to see so many ahead of me. Definitely more ahead of me this year. It was a sign of the standard of the field. The winning time was 30.40 and a new course record. Top three ladies were all sub 37.30. Impressive. Settled into a group of three with three others lagging behind a bit.

Felt comfortable enough for the first 2 or 3k. Some lumps and bumps throughout the course. The little group we had worked pretty well together up to 5k. An Riocht and a couple of lads from Mallow. The lads from mallow struggled and dropped off at 5k. By halfway I was working hard enough and the worst of the hills to come. I slipped ahead of An Riocht. By 7k I was deep deep in it. Feeling it and finding the going tough. Lungs shouting at me, the legs heavy and the mind asking me to stop. This wasn't as deep as I've been in the past. I don't think I have the toughness to dip that deep yet. I think if I had I would have stopped.

Hit that fecker of a hill around 8k. An riocht and two west limerick lads had passed me at this stage. I managed to keep in touch with them although one of them pulled well ahead. The 9k marker in Adare is where you can really open up if you have anything left. It's a beaut of a downhill. I managed to pass one of the west limerick lads but an riocht and the other lad had pulled away. Got to within a few seconds of one of them but not quite enough. Had a peek at the clock as I approached and it wasn't the surprise I hoped for. Funny how the internal GPS is pretty accurate. If you had asked me what time I'd finish after 9.5k id have guessed maybe mid 37s. And that would've been almost bang on. 37.42 official time. Took a while to catch my breath. Met up with some other buddies as they finished and met my two biggest supporters - wife and baba. Headed back to the hall for some sandwiches. Great spread.

Genuinely one of the better races around. Everything about it is well run. I couldn't fault it. Results are up on the wall by the time you get to the hall. Very well done to west limerick ac. I'll always try to include this race in my calendar. A fair enough route with plenty of lumps and bumps but nothing awful and a very competitive field.

I wouldn't say I'm happy with how it went but I'm not unhappy either. It's a decent run, nothing more. A starting point and a benchmark for improvement. It's a funny old game. You spend months away from racing, you're all excited about getting back into it and 6k into it you're asking yourself "what the f*ck was I missing about this! ". But then you finish and all those lovely endorphins are floating about.
I'm looking forward to the work ahead. I'm not all that pleased with my form at the end after seeing the video my wife recorded. My heels are barely making it up to knee height. Plenty of work ahead. Delighted to be back racing.

Next up is the Munster 4 miler next weekend. Will give that a lash.

AuldManKing

Super - Good man - its early in the season and you're just back - so a great run by you.
I'd say a lot more to come as the weeks progress.

OOnegative

Get a bit more endurance into those legs as I said last night you’ll come on loads, nice early season marker P.

eyrie

Welcome back! Great to see this. Not the time you want I know but the attitude sounds spot on and I've no doubt the times won't be long coming back. Very honest assessment too, but sure we'd expect nothing less from you

Duanington

Well done on the racing comeback P - no doubt you'll fine tune things over the next while and hone in on that racing art a bit more

ariana`

Great report P. And great comeback too. Like eyrie i love the honesty in your reports, there's so much i could learn from your attitude to racing. I love that you didn't give in and wear the watch too, very admirable. It'd kill me afterward not being able to analyse the splits and all the other bits of data but really you know yourself what happened out there and it's all just confirmation of that really isn't it. Fair play to you, sounds like an honest effort and a honest result too