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Once in a Lifetime....for now
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Monday 17th: Planned rest day.
Tuesday 18th: Plan: 6 miles easy. Actual: 6.1 miles @ 8:43 HR 123. Local loop on a lovely warm evening. Nice easy run in newly purchased Zoom Fly Flyknits. The bad news....I once again got numb feet. This is becoming a recurring theme with every new pair of shoes I get. I have tried snug fitting and loose fitting but it still happens every time. It seems to take about 300 miles in a shoe before I get truly comfortable in them. Something tells me it's physical and nothing to blame on the shoes. Not a lot I could say about the shoes. They felt grand but I have read that easy runs isn't where they are at their best.
Wednesday 19th: Mini session. Plan: 2 mile warm up, 1 mile @ 6.30, 5 min jog, 4x300m @ 6.30 pace (1 min rec), 4x200 @ 5k effort (1 min jog), 2 mile cooldown. All done, if a tad too fast. No harm done. Left the Flyknits at home as it was pissing rain. I'm precious like that. It would have been nice to try them for some faster stuff but I want to keep them clean for a while
Thursday 20th: Planned rest day. Yes I know it's a new idea to log in advance but I'm feeling a bit mad like that. Plan is to head into the Docklands race after work to watch some good old fashioned suffering take place. Hoping to see a few of you in there. Best of luck to all running.0 -
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I got numb feet in the first km of race on Tuesday night, i put it down to maybe having the laces too tight or else not having warmed up fully and running hard but shoes are pretty new probably only worn 4 times. I panicked briefly that my feet were literally going to go from under me it was such a strange sensation, i didn't know what to make of it. Thankfully it went away or i got distracted by the pain i was in :pac: I never heard of it before as new shoe thing but i'm relieved now to hear so many similar experiences
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Friday 21st: Plan: 2 miles easy and 4*20 sec strides. Done as plan
Saturday 22nd: Dunshaughlin 10k.
I've been tossing and turning about whether to do a race report as there wasn't too much to tell. I have read a comment that C made on Strava about not feeling the love for the race from me in a chat beforehand and a comment from P in his race report about me feeling apprehensive about what was ahead. Both were right. The reason was simple. I had no plan, hopes or expectations. Or maybe I had 6 plans but couldn't decide on the right one. Truth is that I didn't feel like I was turning up at a big race but more like showing up at a Parkrun just to run. Recent races led different predictors to suggest anything from 40:15 to 41:34 were likely....very vague. So after a much too brief chat with P I decided I'd abandon my usual conservative negative split tactics and go for an even paced 40 minute goal.
KM 1: Despite the signs on the roadside and lines painted on the road there were far too many people out of position at the start. Why can't runners self regulate this? Very annoying. The result was the first 800m spent tripping, stumbling and weaving. 2:15 for the first 500m wasn't the plan but I hurried it up through the village and the watch beeped 4:01 for the first K. It was a bit before the marker but I knew from last year that it seemed to correct itself after 6/7 Km.
KM 2&3: As we left the village I noticed quickfeet (G) a bit ahead with 2 other Dunboyne runners. I knew it was likely from his reports here that he would be aiming for 4 mins/ km pace so I just tucked in and said nothing! 4:01 and 3:58 so bang on target but starting to feel the affects of my earlier burst to get back on pace.
KM 4: Still drafting off the Dunboyne train but it was slowing down. I found myself chopping my stride a few times and right up on G's shoulder. He said hello. I said I was finding the pace harder than it should have been, he said he was the same. The K beeped at 4:04 so I decided to push on.
KM 5&6: Luckily there was a group of Trim runners about 15 yards ahead, 4 of them if I remember. I made a surge (probably too quickly) to get across to them and was happy to hear they were aiming for 40 as well. Feeling ok and 2 Kms of 4:00 and 3:58 had me on track.
KM 7&8: In the blink of an eye it all went pear shaped. Last year I felt like I went too aggressively at the short sharp hill and the longer drag in this stretch. I decided to drop the pace back in the hope of finishing really strongly. G came past me on the short hill but I reeled him in quickly (again probably too quickly) on the flat. 4:07 for that Km and things were starting to look dodgy. A similar pattern repeated itself on the next Km which was even slower at 4:12. Was feeling wrecked but I have been feeling that way before and have pulled a 3:40km out at the end of a race. That would be nearly enough if I could stabilise in the 9th km.
KM 9: I went all in here to get back on track. It was horrible. I won't elaborate but some of ye know that feeling of wanting to stop, to never run again! I got back to G and he encouraged us to go for it. I couldn't. The effort to pull things back had been too much. I said I was bailing (I think I said I was stopping). He effed and blinded at me to keep going but I hadn't the heart. He's a smashing lad, only fair to say that. As honest a runner as the day is long.
KM 10: Truthfully I had decided to jog in. I had already dropped right off the pace when FBOT gave me a shout with 600m to go. Pride or shame made me pick it up a bit...still finished 16 seconds behind G. That says it all. A capitulation once I knew I couldn't get the 40. Chip 40:33
A few questions afterwards both in person and on Whatsapp about whether I was happy. I deferred. I needed some time to digest it. Now I have. I ran a race unfamiliar to me. I'm used to easing myself into a race and fighting through late pain. This was harder all the way. But I am happy. I'm in touching distance of last years times without any specific training. I asked L to help make me a stronger runner ready to have a good bash at any distance at the drop of a hat. That's happening. I have recently asked that Amsterdam is the focus and it will come right. It was interesting to see his comments on P's log about having faith in a process...I have it big time. I'm getting a lot stronger. The clock will show it in due course.
Sunday 23rd: Plan 14 miles easy. This was a surprise when I saw it on the plan...a 14 miler the day after a race? I had to message coach and ask if he had made a mistake! I told him I was going to Croker today so the run would be a morning run and about 13 hours after the race finish...It wasn't a mistake! He said my legs would feel like garbage but to try to get as much of the distance done without worrying about pace. I guess it's all about strength and endurance. I got it done at a pace of 8:50 and didn't feel as crap as I expected. Uphill was tough in fairness.
Croker was a mismatch...which made my day 0 -
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Typical - even when you try to run a positive split you still don't. haha
I think I said to you in a message that it's important to figure out what type of runner you are. The only way you'll do that is trying different things and seeing what works for you. I've learned that I tend to work well even paced. I'm certainly not one of those guys that can go out hard and hang on. That style just doesnt suit me.
It seems like by the end of that log update you've come to all the right conclusions so there isn't really much advice to give. I can promise you if you keep doing what you're told (haha) you will be a stronger runner. You can trust the process because I guarantee you that L will have you running stronger. So it already seems like you trust the process, now you just need to be patient. I understand it's a hard thing to get your head around that you're running similar times to a year ago so where's the progress right? But you're only getting started with L. You haven't even really got a race specific block with him yet, lots of base building yes but lots of specifics no. You'll be pleasantly surprised in the next 6 months to a year. Of that I have no doubt. But like I said, judging the end of your update you know that already.
Again, really sorry I didnt get to spend any quality time with you before or after. I hung around for as long as I could but needed to get back to make sure the missus was looked after Hopefully we get to meet before the year is out. And hopefully we get to share a pint at some stage! 0 -
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