Chapter 2 - Finding Nemo

ThebitterLemon

Is it some State secret or are you just shy? 😭

TbL

Murph_D

Very long recovery walk, possibly.

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 7M at 7.59 followed by strides
Running is a strange sport. After feeling absolutely wrecked last week I felt phenomenal on this run. Was raring to go. Enjoyed it immensely.

Tuesday - 12x300m Off 60s targeting 58s per rep.
Running is a strange sport. Haha. This was tough.. Had an early start and the day was warm so I got a bit of a jolt.
I had expected to find this one a little tough with the pace. The focus has slightly shifted lately towards Charleville specific training but still including some faster stuff but this was on the fast end of fast so nice and zippy to wake up the legs and inject a bit of pace. The splits were a tiny bit all over the shop as I found it tricky to settle into the groove. Still loved it though.
Splits were 64/54/58/54/57/56/58/57/61/58/59
Some shocking standard deviation there!

Recoveries were mostly between 8-9 min/mile pace with the last few walking for 30s.
Yeah this one was tough and I worked for it. This is always a session I find makes me work hard. Always feel great after tho.

Wednesday - Easy 7M at 8. 22
Slowed it down as legs were very tired. Kept it sensible.

Thursday - Easy 4M at 8.04
When I looked at my plan after this was meant to be a shakeout so I ran it too fast but no harm. Legs felt OK.

Friday - Race Day. Churchtown 5M report to follow. A fun auld day at the races.

Saturday - Easy 15M
Best ive felt on my long run in weeks. Weird isn't it. You'd think after a very hard effort in a race the night before I'd be wrecked but I think the slight drop in mileage this week plus the fact the legs hadn't realised they had been in a race yet meant this run was so enjoyable. I could've gone on happily enough beyond 15 or even picked up the pace. Beautiful sunrise too. I was up fine and early for this one do. Nice fresh morning.

Very good week and the race went well.. Don't want any spoilers haha. Total mileage for the week was 48.2 miles. Not too bad for a race week.

hot buttered scones

Those long runs after races will do wonders for your endurance. That's two great days right there that'll stand to you in Charleville.

skyblue46

It must be a long race report. Any chance you could do a podcast that I could listen to on tomorrow's run?

Swashbuckler

Churchtown 5M Race Report

So Friday was race day. A race I never really had on my agenda until one of the club lads mentioned the wife of one of the lads was on the organizing committee. Spoke to Luke and it fitted in nicely with the plan for Charleville so without much thought I had a five miler on the horizon. My 12th race this year I think. Haven't run many five milers and pb comes from New Years Day. 30.05 or something around that. A relatively soft PB compared to where I'm at now to be honest.

This race crept up on me which was a good thing. I hadn't really thought about it much and wasn't particularly nervous yesterday as I have been before some races like Limerick Half or Borrisoleigh 5k. Ate well and plenty of water the day before and the day of. Felt freshish which was a surprise after last week's exploits and the fact I'm in the middle of a hard half marathon block. Had a great night sleep and woke in great form. All the stars aligning. Haha.

Weird running a race on a Friday evening. I'm used to hitting the road for kerry straight after work but this time I was heading towards Churchtown. Was lashing rain in Limerick but when I hit Churchtown the weather was ideal for running. Met up with the Limerick AC lads, got my number and headed off for a warmup. Was a nice mix of club runners there from all around. Not a huge turnout but respectable. Around 200. Saw the winner straight away. Haha. Any time I see Niall Shanahan turn up at a race it's safe to assume he's winning. Turns out he ran it in 25.42ish. A new course record. Anyway I headed to the start line with the lads and got "in the zone". Still very relaxed which is unlike me. About now I'm usually dreading the pain ahead but something was different today. I felt good. Felt no pressure. As always, Luke's words of advice in my head. Countdown from five and off we went.

I had looked at the profile before the race and one of my clubmates had run it a few times before so he gave me the lowdown. Some nasty hills and drags. Very fast first and last miles. So I knew what to expect.

The first mile was very very fast. Big downhill and relatively flat. I just went with it. A group of about 8 of us split off pretty quickly. By eight I mean 4 and 4. Nialls group of four was clearly the elite group for the day. Then there was my group of four. The sub elites. Haha. I decided to just go with it for the first mile. Go by feel. Run the downhill. Don't be overly conservative and run hard but not redlining. By the end of mile one Nialls group was still in sight which was a little worrying. When you're still in sight of the guy who's gonna run in the 25's you start to worry haha. But to be honest I knew there was tougher sections ahead and this mile was just a gift. First mile clocked at 5.39. Happy days. Nothing outrageous and helped along mostly by the downhill section. I was sitting in nicely with limerick ac clubmate and the two others were a bit ahead but within touch. The elites had pulled away a bit. We were fighting it out for fifth at best.

I knew what was coming next. The steepest hill on the course but not too long. Luke's words ringing in my ears telling me I'm strong on those lumpy routes haha. So we hit the hill and my pace took a dip but not as much of a dip as the other lads. Maybe Luke is right! I passed my Limerick AC buddy and closed the gap on the other two lads. What I liked about this course was every uphill was rewarded with a downhill. So we hit the downhill and the two ahead opened the gap. There's a knack to this downhill running. More on that later. I was managing to stay ahead of my Limerick AC mate but the two ahead were managing to pull away a bit. Strong runners for sure. Mile 2 clocked at 6.04. Given that stinger of a hill I wasn't too displeased. To be honest I wasn't really overly concerned with my time in this race. I figured I wanted to get myself in the mix and test myself a bit on see what way the race went, see if I could learn anything. I guess I wanted to race this one as opposed to think about times. In saying that, my Limerick AC buddy was keeping me honest. And the two lads ahead were great targets. I knew some more big hills and drags were coming and I figured, judging from the first hill, that I had enough in me to do some damage there.

Mile 3 started with a downhill and the two lads pulled away a bit more. Another big hill on the way though. Working a little at this stage. Nothing easy about this. A good honest run so far mainly due to the fact of myself and my buddy keeping each other honest. We hit the uphill and my pace took a slight dip as expected but as before, not as much as the other lads. I had pulled away from my buddy and was closing on the lad ahead. Just before the peak of the hill I passed him. Mile 3 clocked at 6.08. No biggie. I knew the hill had slowed me a bit.

As with the previous hill we now had the downhill reward. I was determined not to let him pass me and he didnt. I pushed on. By now we were in mile 4 and the worst drag of the route was ahead. About 1200m of constant drag. The Mooreabbey guy was a decent bit ahead but I was so determined to make the most of the hill. I really hate the fact I'm good on hills. Haha. This is one of the benefits of running a club organised and club supported race like this. Surrounded by strong runners throughout and for me, Mooreabbey guy was my target. We hit the long hard drag. I was patient and didn't go all out. No point in blowing up too early. Over the course of the drag I managed to close up on him to the point that when we reached the end of mile 4 I was level. Would've been better to have been past him. After looking back at my pace profile since the race my pace constantly improved on that hill. That's never happened before. I got constantly faster on the hill which probably shows my determination to catch him. He was so strong on the downhills I fully expected him to pull ahead on the next downhill. Mile 4 clocked at 6.10. It was a tough mile.

We now hit our downhill reward and low and behold he pulled ahead. He had such great technique on the downhill. It would've been a joy to watch if I wasn't in so much pain. Haha. Forgot to mention despite all my tales of chasing people and targets etc I was working hard by now.
So the last mile starts with a downhill, slight drag and then another big downhill to the finish. He was slightly ahead of me but I'd managed to stay in touch on the downhill. By now I was doubting myself a little. I was in the position I often daydream about. Side by side with someone a good bit from the line. What to do. Internal dialogue going on. This is it Paul. You wanted to get into these positions. What are you gonna do? I've often sat on the couch watching YouTube videos of famous races and runners. Mostly 1500m/5k/10k stuff. Some of those famous kicks on the last laps. It's why I love the shorter stuff. The tactics on those final laps. I just find it so intriguing. Not being overly dramatic, im under no illusions of where I'm at and the level those guys are at. But still. It's very easy sit on a couch and dream about being in these battles. It's a different story running four very hard miles and still being up for a fight. I decided today was the day for that fight. Don't get me wrong. It took a lot of convincing and arguing with myself.
Anyway back on topic...... We hit the end of the downhill and into the slight drag before the final downhill to the finish. About 800m to go. It's hard to convince yourself to go this early. So much road left but I had worked it out in my head. If I stay level with him then he's gonna beat me on the downhill finish. Simple as that. This isn't some lad who's only getting into running. He's a serious runner. I have to pass him and make it count. So we hit the uphill and I went for it. I managed to push past on the drag. He responded but I responded harder . Gritting my teeth I'm not easing off. Keep going Paul. Keep pushing. I knew I needed a big gap before we hit the downhill so I left it all out there. We reached the end of the drag and I had pulled ahead by a decent amount. I kicked harder. Kept pushing. Last 400m.looked over my shoulder. I can see him but it's a big gap. I motored on. Finished very strong and he didn't get near me again. The finishing pic is not a pretty sight. Haha. Crossed the line in 29.23 with a last mile of 5.22. Turns out I finished 5th. Top in the M35 category and 30 quid for my troubles. I should mention the Mooreabbey lad I finished ahead of is in his 50s. Unreal runner.

Took a few mins to recover. Was delighted with my effort. The time is good but I was more pleased with my decision making and effort level. It was a good honest run. We just missed out on the team prize. Pipped by Mooreabbey Milers.

Waited for the club lads to cross and touched base with a few others. Met Niall who had broken the course record. Went for some delightful sandwiches although I couldn't stomach many. Amazing spread. Such a well organised race. I must say I've noticed this year that the races organised by clubs are a level above any others. The best races I've run this year were club organised. I'll be doing more of them from now on.

Must say I really enjoyed this race. It's up there with Ennis as one of my best executed races. All the decisions I made I'm happy with. No regrets and I left it all out there. Roll on Charleville.

Swashbuckler

skyblue46 wrote:

It must be a long race report. Any chance you could do a podcast that I could listen to on tomorrow's run?

15M run, feed baby, paint the decking twice, dinner,...... Report.... Busy day!

ReeReeG

That's amazing running, and such a great report! Congrats

ThebitterLemon

That's savage racing, great stuff on the 1st in the "younger auld lad" category.

You're flying, brilliant last mile

Well done

TbL

skyblue46

Ah it was worth waiting for! I have to admit I had looked up the results but the devil sure is in the detail. Great racing!

Murph_D

Congrats, terrific racing.

Duanington

That's a fantastic report and performance, P - loved the fight in the belly towards the end, well done

Bluesquare

Well done -great race super report !

Wubble Wubble

Great report and performance there P. Loving the bit about internal dialogue. I have that going on constantly, especially in the longer races!

MY BAD

Great report and performance. Well done Swashbuckler

Swashbuckler

Wubble Wubble wrote:

Great report and performance there P. Loving the bit about internal dialogue. I have that going on constantly, especially in the longer races!

God help me if I'm ever racing anyone who reads these reports coz they'll know exactly where I'm at mentally haha.

OOnegative

Superb stuff as always sir, great racing & report.

Kellygirl

Brilliant report and brilliant racing. Well done.

AuldManKing

Super work - great report.

I'm just happy that I still have a PB that you haven't got near! - you must run some flat races soon

Swashbuckler

AuldManKing wrote:

I'm just happy that I still have a PB that you haven't got near! - you must run some flat races soon

Meant to ask what's yours?

You'll have a few on me soon. 10 mile for sure

AuldManKing

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Meant to ask what's yours?

You'll have a few on me soon. 10 mile for sure

28:50 I think on a very hilly Dunboyne course :pac:

Whats your 10m PB? Not that I'm bothered by that childish behaviour...........

Swashbuckler

AuldManKing wrote:

Whats your 10m PB? Not that I'm bothered by that childish behaviour...........

I've only ever run one on a horrific Tuamgraney course. 63.09. Shur we all know it's the 10k that counts. Haha

AuldManKing

Swashbuckler wrote: »

I've only ever run one on a horrific Tuamgraney course. 63.09. Shur we all know it's the 10k that counts. Haha

Ha - maybe I'll drop in for a pint next week on my way around and still beat 63

Swashbuckler

AuldManKing wrote:

Ha - maybe I'll drop in for a pint next week on my way around and still beat 63

I thought a glass of wine would be more your style.

skyblue46

Just agree a race ye will both run in and sort it out on the roads...too much bravado, feigned deference and general bonhomie going on! :pac: It's time for a showdown! :P

Swashbuckler

skyblue46 wrote:

Just agree a race ye will both run in and sort it out on the roads...too much bravado, feigned deference and general bonhomie going on! It's time for a showdown!

Haha. DCM 2019

In fairness S I'd be afraid to drag him to a pb. He seems like the kinda guy that would draft off me all the way.

All joking aside I'm mad to meet the crew on here in a race up the country before the end of the year.

ariana`

Just reading your race report now, I'm late to the party i know but wow what a race! No shame in being in the sub elite group at all especially when you end up at the front of it - you won your race with very clever race tactics and true grit. Impressive.

Swashbuckler

ariana` wrote:

Just reading your race report now, I'm late to the party i know but wow what a race! No shame in being in the sub elite group at all especially when you end up at the front of it - you won your race with very clever race tactics and true grit. Impressive.

Thanks!
Haha sub elite was very much tongue in cheek.

hot buttered scones

Great report there, very well raced. Well done on the prize too. Age groups are a race within a race, so that's a first place really.

eyrie

Cracking race, well done!!

Love this though:

Swashbuckler wrote: »

I was in the position I often daydream about. Side by side with someone a good bit from the line. What to do. Internal dialogue going on. This is it Paul. You wanted to get into these positions. What are you gonna do? I've often sat on the couch watching YouTube videos of famous races and runners. Mostly 1500m/5k/10k stuff. Some of those famous kicks on the last laps. It's why I love the shorter stuff. The tactics on those final laps. I just find it so intriguing. Not being overly dramatic, im under no illusions of where I'm at and the level those guys are at. But still. It's very easy sit on a couch and dream about being in these battles. It's a different story running four very hard miles and still being up for a fight. I decided today was the day for that fight. Don't get me wrong. It took a lot of convincing and arguing with myself.

Had to chuckle to myself at this whole section. You might have felt like you had to convince yourself but... as if it was ever going to go any other way! This is what you do - you're always up for the tough battle And it's what makes for such great reading in your race recaps.

Well done, well deserved, and thanks for entertaining us

Swashbuckler

Haha Thanks. Appreciate it.

Believe it or not there have been days where I didn't fight. Lahinch 5M earlier in the year is a good example. But sometimes you need to be burned by that once to make you more stubborn the next time. And then it becomes habit.

Baby75

what a great report, I was actually speed reading hoping you do it and you did well done fantastic running

skyblue46

P do you think it helps or hinders you having a small group around you that you are in direct competition with and some of whom you have raced before? In the likes of the Raheny 5 mile you'd be in a train of runners. Do you think this would turn it more into a time trial than a race?

Swashbuckler

skyblue46 wrote:

P do you think it helps or hinders you having a small group around you that you are in direct competition with and some of whom you have raced before? In the likes of the Raheny 5 mile you'd be in a train of runners. Do you think this would turn it more into a time trial than a race?

Hmm you do ask tricky questions that get me thinking. Haha

On the first question, being in a group absolutely helps me. My best races have all been in company. Running solo is no fun. You'll always get more out of yourself pitting yourself against other runners (obviously against people in or around your level. No point in me chasing 25min five miler lads).

In terms of the bigger races like Raheny 5M I'd be a small fish in a big pond there for sure. I see that as a good thing. I'm not interested in winning random small local races. I want to get better. A lot better. And I'll only do that by surrounding myself with better runners. So if I could run every race where I'm a mid pack runner I'd be pretty happy coz being around that level of runner and racing against that caliber would not only improve my times but would make me a better runner overall. You learn a lot of stuff watching these lads and how they respond to things. Even watching those lads going down the hills last Friday. The technique, turnover, heels flicking up almost hitting their backside. You don't learn that running solo.

I'm not even sure I answered your second question.

skyblue46

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Hmm you do ask tricky questions that get me thinking. Haha

On the first question, being in a group absolutely helps me. My best races have all been in company. Running solo is no fun. You'll always get more out of yourself pitting yourself against other runners (obviously against people in or around your level. No point in me chasing 25min five miler lads).

In terms of the bigger races like Raheny 5M I'd be a small fish in a big pond there for sure. I see that as a good thing. I'm not interested in winning random small local races. I want to get better. A lot better. And I'll only do that by surrounding myself with better runners. So if I could run every race where I'm a mid pack runner I'd be pretty happy coz being around that level of runner and racing against that caliber would not only improve my times but would make me a better runner overall. You learn a lot of stuff watching these lads and how they respond to things. Even watching those lads going down the hills last Friday. The technique, turnover, heels flicking up almost hitting their backside. You don't learn that running solo.

I'm not even sure I answered your second question.

I didn't really expect you to say anything different in answering the first question. The second one was really asking whether you would race random runners around you as you do at present, just run as you feel it and ignore others or target certain people who you know from here for bragging rights? ;-))

Swashbuckler

Ah now I get you. Absolutely I'd race random runners around me. I'll literally use those around me to get the max out of myself haha. But it's a bit more complex than that and it probably doesn't come across in my reports.

For most races I'm spending the first mile or two usually running on feel and settling into a bit of a rhythm and seeing where I'm at. If I find myself in a group that are pushing hard I'll try to slot in with them. As the race goes on I'll see how that group evolves and hopefully end up with a fight on my hands to drive me on. If the group tail off and effort drops I'll usually push on on my own like I did in Borrisoleigh and Ennis. With any luck someone comes with me and we have a battle, like Ennis.

I do think of you run as you feel and ignore others you'll rarely push yourself too far beyond your discomfort zone.

I'd never target any individuals. But in saying that if I was in a race like Raheny 5M I'd absolutely be racing people around me. It's something I think people don't do enough and I don't mean it to take offense. Just because you're not up at the pointy end does not mean you're not in a race. Everyone around you is your competition. Whether that be for 1st, 30th of 400th place. Racing people around you will usually give you a better outcome. As long as you do it smartly and don't start going Gung ho on mile 1.

hot buttered scones

Swashbuckler wrote: »

As long as you do it smartly and don't start going Gung ho on mile 1.

I'm going to get this tattooed on my watch hand.

Swashbuckler

hot buttered scones wrote:

I'm going to get this tattooed on my watch hand.

Unless you can hold on. Then gung ho away. Haha

Swashbuckler

Was going to ask this question in the XC thread but said I'd throw it up here. Gonna be looking for a pair of XC spikes pretty soon and no idea where to start. Any thoughts from any of the XC folk on what route to go down? Been go ogling quite a bit but none the wiser. Is it the same as normal runners ie everyone is different?

skyblue46

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Was going to ask this question in the XC thread but said I'd throw it up here. Gonna be looking for a pair of XC spikes pretty soon and no idea where to start. Any thoughts from any of the XC folk on what route to go down? Been go ogling quite a bit but none the wiser. Is it the same as normal runners ie everyone is different?

I'll be interested in this. I'm hoping to follow WW around a few this winter. Equally clueless as to what I should be looking for...

ThebitterLemon

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Was going to ask this question in the XC thread but said I'd throw it up here. Gonna be looking for a pair of XC spikes pretty soon and no idea where to start. Any thoughts from any of the XC folk on what route to go down? Been go ogling quite a bit but none the wiser. Is it the same as normal runners ie everyone is different?

I'm from Connemara, old football boots

TbL

Duanington

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Was going to ask this question in the XC thread but said I'd throw it up here. Gonna be looking for a pair of XC spikes pretty soon and no idea where to start. Any thoughts from any of the XC folk on what route to go down? Been go ogling quite a bit but none the wiser. Is it the same as normal runners ie everyone is different?

I picked these up a couple of years back, a pair of track runners and just put some longer spikes in.

https://ie.sportsdirect.com/adidas-distance-star-mens-running-spikes-218015?colcode=21801522&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI69LJ6dqV3QIV7rXtCh0UHA5QEAQYBiABEgIRWvD_BwE

They're grand and light but they're also pretty sturdy at the same time - I like them - they're not waterproof but they've served me well over the last two winters.

I don't think there's much in terms of gait or unique pronation or whatever to worry about.

Saw a few of these fancy ones on some courses last year

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/362130127871

https://ie.sportsdirect.com/nike-zoom-rival-m-8-mens-running-spikes-218035?colcode=21803518&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIucXylNyV3QIVy7vtCh35VARSEAQYBSABEgIJF_D_BwE


( also saw some of the fancy ones coming off clean off feet in a partiuclarly muddy race though!)

Swashbuckler

Cheers D. Like the look of the XC blues as they look similar to my adizeros. I wonder are they a bit flashy for XC though. Haha. I'm kinda going for the inconspicuous guy who surprises everyone rather than the brash Ronaldo type.

Duanington

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Cheers D. Like the look of the XC blues as they look similar to my adizeros. I wonder are they a bit flashy for XC though. Haha. I'm kinda going for the inconspicuous guy who surprises everyone rather than the brash Ronaldo type.

They’ll be nice and brown after a race or two anyway, P 😂😂

Murph_D

I just went into the running shop (Runhub) and tried on a few pairs. They all felt similar - very light and unsupportive for those of us used to heavy road shoes, so I just chose at random (Puma Haraka). They’ve been fine. It’s more about having the right length spikes than the brand of shoe, if you ask me. Get some 15, 12 and 9mm and you should be covered!

Swashbuckler

Murph_D wrote: »

I just went into the running shop (Runhub) and tried on a few pairs. They all felt similar - very light and unsupportive for those of us used to heavy road shoes, so I just chose at random (Puma Haraka). They’ve been fine. It’s more about having the right length spikes than the brand of shoe, if you ask me. Get some 15, 12 and 9mm and you should be covered!

Cheers D. It was actually your answer in the Spotlight thread that reminded me to ask the question here.
Seems to be fairly limited supply of XC spikes in any of the local shops here in Limerick so not able to try any on. One of the downsides to not being from the big smoke!

I do like the look of the adidas blues that DD linked above and maybe just invest in 9/12/15mm like you suggested.

Swashbuckler

Cheers to everyone for the advice on XC spikes. Went with the Adidas XCS and bought a few sets of spikes. Happy days.

Monday - Easy 7M at 7.59.
Felt great. I always seem to feel good after the Sunday rest day. Just shows I need it. Skipped the strides. No need after the race on Friday.

Tuesday - 3x(800/600/400m) at 5.35 pace for each off 2min with 4min between sets.
Tough on paper. Tough in real life. A good session. One where I felt strong and "bouncy" throughout. Probably the fruits of the last few months labor coming through. Feeling a lot more "springy" in my stride these days.

Pace splits were;
5.31/5.31/5.18
5.33/5.30/5.22
5.37/5.30/5.20
All recoveries between 7.40-8.23

Overshot the mark for the 400m. Easy to do given how short the interval and felt fine.
Hardly had time for a cooldown. Felt solid and strong throughout.
Total mileage for the session was 8.3 miles.

Wednesday - Easy 7M at 8.13
Nothing unusual to report. Legs a little tired as usual on a Wednesday.

Thursday AM - 4M at 8.19
Thursday PM - 7M at 8.05
Some strides after the PM run.

Legs were sleepy in the morning so it was nice and slow. Felt better in the afternoon. A good day. I like the double days.

Friday - 7x1k at 5.45 off 2.30min steady. Steady meaning roughly 7ish pace.
I was a little apprehensive about this one. Per earlier posts I have been recently walking some recoveries. Normally I'd look at this session and think it's handy enough but the 7ish min recovery pace makes it a different beast. If I remember rightly I think I've done the 1k sessions before but off 90s (not sure). Either way I think the recovery time is extended here to account for the steady recovery pace.

Yeah this one was hard work. On my very scientific Swashbuckler Scale this was a 4. 1=easy, 2=moderate, 3=hard, 4=very hard but manageable, 5=all out.
It's the recoveries all day. Sticking the recovery pace isn't easy. Pretty proud of myself when this one ended. It went well and another great session in the bank.
Pace splits were;
5.43/5.50/5.40/5.40/5.43/5.44/5.38
All recoveries between 7.03-7.15.
Blustery day made working the effort right tricky.
Total mileage for the session was 9.32 miles.

Saturday - Easy 15M
Hit the hills of Ballyheigue for the last time this year. Sluggish first two miles as it's the usual 6.30am start. Got into it and felt a million bucks. Great run and felt decent at the end. Thinks are clicking. Feeling the benefits of all the hard work over the past few months in particular.

On another note another one of Luke's lads ran a massive 5k pb during the week - 17.16 or something like that. I'm slipping down the 5k rankings. Not happy!
Best of luck to all the Frank Duffy folk.

Swashbuckler

Another solid week down.

Monday - Easy 7M at 7.56
Felt great as I have done the last several Mondays. Followed by strides.

Tuesday - 2x8min/3x6min/4x2min
Targeting 6.15 for the 8min, 6.00 for the 6min, 5.50 for the 2min. All off 2min.

Did this session about 3 weeks ago and it kicked the crap out of me. Previous target paces were 6.10/6/5.45 so coach took pity on me and eased them back slightly this time. But I was having none of that. Fair is fair. Me vs the same session. Haha.
I made sure I was prepped for this one. Well fed the night before, well hydrated, well rested. You could say that should always be the case but it doesn't always work out that way. For this one I made an effort to do all of the above. Plus the adizeros made an appearance. A special day indeed. Lol. I don't like when a session gets the better of me so in my mind I wanted to right the wrong so to speak.

It's a big session so I took it out of the estate and on to the roads with a plan to end up back in the estate for some of the 6min and all of the 2min.

Well it was certainly a different experience this time. I felt strong and determined throughout. Effort levels were much better and was definitely not flogged at the end. It's a sneaky fecker of a session though. Clever as hell. Haha. Wear down the legs, wear them down some more and then get them to run fast. In the midst of all that some sneaky LT stuff in there. And some sneaky 10k specific stuff. A great session. Not sure if it's one that L designed or borrowed or stole but definitely one of my favorite sessions in a love/hate kinda way. It really works on everything.
No point going into too much detail about each split. The pace splits speak for themselves and the main thing is effort level was controlled for the 8 and 6 intervals and was working a bit harder by the 2mins.
Pace splits were;
6.06/6.10
6.00/5.54/6.00
5.37/5.46/5.38/5.40

Was very happy with that. All in all roughly 10.5 miles.

Wednesday was an Easy 7M
Thursday AM was easy 4M, PM was easy 7M
Friday was Easy 7M followed by strides. Session moved to the Saturday. I think coach wanted to throw some stuff into my long run. He passed it off as a reward but I knew the truth. It just meant my long run now became harder. Haha.

Saturday - Easy 3M, 7x1M at 6.10 off 3/2.30/2/90/60/30, easy 3M.
Deadly stuff. I had done this session previously too but less bulk either side of the session. I knew this would be tough. What I hadn't planned for was waking at 3.30am and not getting back to sleep. On the plus side I was so awake by 6am the usual grogginess was gone so I just decided to get up and out. Dark and pis*ing rain. One mental victory. Headed on a loop around North Circular. Another very controlled session despite the conditions. Quiet roads. Lovely. Really was happy with how this went. Even the last mile wasn't too much of a struggle. If I'm honest the second last of the 7 was the toughest. The pace felt OK. I seem to settle into that pace reasonably handy. Legs have out a bit at the beginning as they aren't used to early morning sessions. But once they woke up they weren't as angry with me. Jogged all the recoveries. Finished up the 7M and was determined not to reward myself with a walk. Another mental victory. Just kept going.
Splits for the 7M were;
6.06/6.07/6.08/6.09/6.08/6.09/6.04

Totalileage was around 14.5miles for the session. Total for the week was close to 58.

Sorry about the essay! Another decent week in the bank.

hot buttered scones

A monster week there alright. Looking very good for Charleville.

Swashbuckler

Monday - Easy 7M at 7.57 followed by strides. Nothing to report. Always feel good on Mondays. It's either the days rest or the calories consumed. Slight tiredness in the legs but nothing major. Could feel the hint of Saturdays session.

Tuesday - As Luke put it, he wanted to get one last good session out of me in this block and then promised we'd start the wind down for Charleville. I knew this one would be tough.

5x2k at 5.50 off 2.15 Jog. Sigh.........

So in mental preparation for this I reminded myself that I would have some bit of an easier time in the next week. Get it done. This is it lad. The last big tough session in this block.
There's no real point in breaking this down into describing each split. It was tough. I dug in and got it done. I considered it my last true test before Charleville. Again, proud of myself. It was controlled for the most part. The latter splits did feel somewhat like race fatigue. All splits were between 5.46-5.52 and all recoveries were between 7.50-8.17. A strong run. Good work and nice to have that in the bank.

Wednesday - Easy 7M
Thursday AM 4M, PM 7M followed by strides.
Nothing major to report on them. Felt a little groggy in Thursday but nothing unusual. Been under pressure at work and now baba is getting dropped off at babysitter every morning so a little bit more to think about.

Friday - (2M at 6.10) + 3min Jog + (4x3min at 5.45 off 75s)
It's funny. I thought Tuesday was the last of the hard sessions and on paper I though this one seemed OK. I just didn't sleep that great and had to run this a little earlier coz of work so it was a bit on the tougher side. Nothing desperate but just felt a little tired. Ran the 2M a little quick to be honest. 6.04 average I think. The 3mins were OK. 5.37/5.43/5.44/5.41 with recoveries jogged between 7.29-7.47.

Saturday - 12M at 7.59
This one was fine. Wasn't feeling it but got it done. Had indigestion all the way and was generally meh but they can't all be spectacular. Job done.

Enjoying my rest day today. I always feel better after a day off. A "lie in"and generally chilled. Charleville next weekend. I know a lot of what I've been logging about over the last few weeks have been with Charleville in mind and it is coming across as a big target race but to be honest I'm very happy with my work since May. I include the 5k block in this because I think the 5k training and the HM training have massively complimented each other. This is by far the best shape I've ever been in. The result in Charleville is almost irrelevant. This training is in the bank. Very happy.

Also, how about that frickin run by Kipchoge. Was an absolute joy to watch.