Often becomes easy when the easy is often..

Murph_D

Ah, great account of the battle there, C, congrats again. You're welcome in Raheny anytime. In fact the summer series is coming up soon...

Ha ha yes, it's risky in a home race with clubmates giving you a shout from the sidelines. I've been on the other side of that equation a few times, it's always good to keep your ears open in the closing stretch. But yeah, for a few seconds there I was sure I had you, but you had a bit more when it counted, well done.

I won't be throwing challenges around so flippantly in future, I always lose!

Lazare

So the Leixlip build has been going pretty well. Not absolutely optimal but I'm in a good headspace about it. Weekly mileage hasn't been wonderful but I've gotten some good quality sessions in. Last night's being absolute key, more on that below.

The weekly structure has been sessions Wed and Saturday, long(ish) run on Sunday, easy running Tue & Thurs. Subbed in the mile race, a fast parkrun (new parkrun pb) and last night's 5x1k in place of the prescribed sessions. I think I only missed 1x session overall.

I mentioned above that Bohermeen predicted 19:22 for 5k, so I felt then that sub 19 was an ambitious but achievable target for Leixlip.

@scotindublin early doors offered to pace me to it. Legend. Over the last few weeks the ambitious bit of it started to grow in my mind, while the achievable bit started to wane somewhat. Was feeling a bit of internal pressure about it, half wishing I hadn't mentioned it. All pretty standard stuff that I also went through during the build to Bohermeen.

I've come to realise now that every target race build needs a key session. A session more for your head than your legs.

For Bohermeen it was the 2x 20min at pace that I ran ten days out. C told me that would be the session to give me the confidence I need and he was bang on. I didn't even nail the pace that day, but I did enough to know I was going to be capable of it on race day. I needed that confidence and belief. I had mentally let go of the sub 90 before that session.

Last night was this block's key session. 5x 1k at goal pace. C said something a few weeks ago to me that stuck. 'You've got to dial in that pace'.

It was set up for Wednesday morn. I came down with a rotten dose on Monday evening and went to bed at 9.30. Woke up worse on Tue and skipped that day's easy run. Went to bed Tue evening at 9pm hoping it would clear. No good, felt better but not fit enough to run. I had messaged C and told him I would do it Thurs at the latest. Really needed this session to happen. He advised not worrying about it and maybe doing 3x 1k on Saturday instead.

I started to feel a lot better during the day so decided I was good to go. Headed to the canal last night. Really wanted to dial it in, feel comfortable at it, in the sense of it feeling like a 5k effort. Target was 3:46 - 3:48

Splits were 3:45, 3:49, 3:47, 3:52, 3:47.

They were tough of course, but they felt real good. I'm brimming with confidence and belief now that I can do it.

I've a history of falling short on hitting pace at sessions but managing it on race day. In 2019 when I was targeting sub 20 at Bob Heff, I was 10+ seconds off pace on that session and achieved the goal, so that is also giving me a lot to be confident about.

Having said all that, it's still an ambitious and tough goal, and I've said all of that and may not do it, but another thing I've learnt from Bohermeen, and what played a big part in that is not fearing that. Not fearing failing. I think you can gain the freedom to give it absolutely everything if you lose the fear of it failing.

Murph_D

Awesome. The 5 x 1k @ pace session has never failed me anyway - every right to have the confidence you are feeling.

Bob H 2019 was such a great race for so many of us - channel that feeling!

Lazare

Nice one D, thank you.

scotindublin

You are in great shape C, just hope it is not too windy for the pacing balloon now.

scotindublin

Bob H is a great race, if I remember correctly it was fooking roasting in 2019 for it.

May actually be a better one than Kilcock.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120592037#Comment_120592037

Yeah, it's a cracking race. Was my first choice for this target, but there was a little doubt about whether it was on or not, sewn by your good self haha.

Although even when I discovered it was on I still preferred Leixlip, given it's a Friday night, and eh, me birthday. 😊

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120593953#Comment_120593953

A lot of legends born in May😉🤪🤣

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120596438#Comment_120596438

😄😄👊

Dubh Geannain

Great report on the Half. It sure sounded like the perfect race.

Lazare

Le Cheile Leixlip 5k Race Report

I mentioned above about feeling a bit of pressure about this one. Well that seemed to really intensify over the last week or so, culminating in a feeling of absolute dread and fear on the start line waiting for the guy to finish his instructions and set us off.

Sh1tting myself. Absolutely. I don't remember feeling that way at the start of a race before. Pressure is healthy, for sure, but this seemed on another level.

I think the main reason for it was I didn't feel it was just me out there, like it normally is. @scotindublin was pacing me.

C had given up his evening, his time, his Saturday session to come and help me get over the line. That weighed heavily on me. He refused me paying him into the event, shipping back revolut $$ to me. I knew that had I failed at it he wouldn't have been in any way put out, but that didn't matter in my mind.

I was still mostly confident about it last week. Had some negativity creep on Thursday, phantom calf and tendon pain, feelings of doubt. I started visualizing the splits, running the perfect race in my head and put it to bed. The course recce from the previous week helping a lot with that, something I'm going to do in future where possible. An early night on Thursday and a day off work race day had me feeling a lot more positive on Friday morning.

The pressure really started to build though during the day. God I much prefer rolling out of bed and heading to a race. Ruminating all day is torture. I do laundry. That's what keeps my mind occupied. Folding jocks and socks.

MIL arrived up at 5:30 to take over and my wife and I got ready to head down. She was targeting a sub 25. She ran 25:10 for a PB and is disappointed in herself. A year ago she didn't think 27:30 was beatable so I'm extremely proud of her, and content that her disappointment is pretty healthy, if unwarranted.

Arrived there around 6:45pm and registered. Met up then with C, @Laineyfrecks , @skyblue46 and @Wottle for a chat and a warm up. There's a challenging climb at the end of the first Km and I was keen to show it to C. We also checked out the 4th km drag.

C had mentioned weeks back that he wasn't going to pace me to a tight sub 19, he was going to pace me to an 18:50. He figured that gave him, and me, a lot of room for error. We had settled on a rounded off target of 3:45 per km. Even splits after my course recce.

A couple of strides then before lining up a row or two back. Ran back through the crowd to give Judy a kiss and wish her good luck, then came back to line up beside C.

Absolutely bricking it. The announcer read out a few course guidelines then counted down. We're off.

Slight downhill start. No real congestion, we started in the correct position. I'm still feeling that dread and pressure. 150m or so in I tell C that I'm not going to talk. He asks me whether I want him to talk or not, I tell him to talk away. He says he'll just call out the splits. Cool. We communicated with thumbs. There's a tall gangly lad a stride in front of us with his legs splaying all over the place. A real trip hazard. I had this glancing thought hoping he would trip me up so I'd have an exit excuse.

The first km was bang on target at 3:45. This included that sharp incline over the dual carriageway mentioned above, a feature that I thought would be a problem but wasn't.

The second km started with the opposite side of that ramp so was a quick one beeping in at 3:41. I still felt pretty good at this point, shoulder to shoulder with C. It was tough going but I wasn't in physical pain yet. Mentally I was flip flopping though. Fighting to banish negativity. Just hold on to C.

Halfway there and I remember feeling half positive half negative. 'I've half of this done' to 'I've to do all that sh1t all over again?' Brain beginning to boil.

Km 3 beeps 3:48 and I'm suffering. Just hold onto this. I start to drift back from C. He had asked me a few days ago about what I wanted to do in this scenario. I told him to crack on at pace and give me that target. I drifted back by about 10m by the middle of km 4. We turn left for home at the bottom of a drag.

I had ran the course last week and figured this drag was nothing to be worried about. I hadn't allowed for the fact it would arrive at a point of hurt and pain. Lesson. It was torture, grimacing torture. C had mentioned pre race that if we got to the 4k mark at 15 mins or less we would do it. I had a 15 min alert on my watch from during the week and left it on there for this reason. It beeped about 30m before the 4km mark. Deflating. That km beeped 3:51.

I know the last km is a fast one. Crest the railway bridge and downhill towards the finish. A sharp left turn into a grassy section before another sharp left onto the track for a clockwise circuit to the gantry.

A km to go and C is still 10m or so ahead. I turned onto the grassy bit and found enough of a bite to overtake a lad. Onto the track then. I glanced at the clock and remember seeing it, but don't remember now what it read, don't think it registered then either. Dig deep, one foot in front of the other. Have no idea of the time, haven't looked at my watch. Was pretty sure based on the gap between C and I that I was on for about 19:05ish. I was happy.

About 200m to go and C stalls for me. We bend around the track and I pick it up with a kick, running it in together. Can't believe what I'm seeing on the clock as I turn to see it.

Over the line in 18:47 for a 50 second PB. 3:43 for the km.

Can't begin to explain how happy I am, how relieved I am. How flabbergasted I am that I achieved it. 30 hours later and I'm still on a high.

I absolutely, without doubt would not have done it without C. Not only his expert on the money pacing, but his support throughout this block. He says 'you did all the work' but that's nonsense, I'm without doubt not getting over that line in sub 19 without him.

Muchas gracias amigo.

scotindublin

An absolutely cracking achievement C and delighted to play a part in it. You committed to a big target early on and you absolutely smashed it out of the park.

You hid your nerves well at the start and executed a brilliant race even with the dodgy pacing on the 2nd km.

Be proud of what you achieved on Friday and build on that going forward.

An absolute belter of a finish line picture, hard to believe there was nobody else in the shot.

C

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623002#Comment_120623002

Nothing dodgy at all about that second km. It was a fast downhill one and we needed that in the bank for the 4th.

Wottle

Totally forgot about that hill on the flyover in the 1st k 😅

I agree with @scotindublin you hid your nerves well, if anything you looked a bit giddy and up for it.

Massive well done!

Roll on Dunshaughlin, might follow you around 😅

Lazare

Thanks D 😊

Mr. Guappa

Well done C, that's an absolute belter of a race. You could have let that race drift away from you a few times but you just kept digging in. You're going from strength to strength.

Love the photo and the report is brilliant too.

I always like to research a route as best I can too... it helps knowing what's to come and is just one less unknown to contend with.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624978#Comment_120624978

Ah cheers A, thanks so much.

Yep, running the route a week out helped immensely. Something I'm definitely going to do in future where possible.

Murph_D

Yep, big fan of the 'reccie' myself. Fabulous stuff here, from the racer and the pacer. I've done a bit of pacing myself, and every gig is definitely different, as you try to figure out what will work with each runner. Lots of prep here from both parties - exemplary! Congrats all round.

Lazare

Cheers D 👊

I'll be enjoying this one for a while.

Laineyfrecks

Sorry haven't been on here much at all. I'm absolutely thrilled for you, was great to be there with you for the buzz. You are really going from strength to strength through hard work, it's great to see😊

Judy put in a great run too, she should be very proud also🤗

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120639713#Comment_120639713

Ah thanks a mill E. Was great fun celebrating with you guys. Thanks a mill also re Judy, you're the soundest.

Dubh Geannain

Great pic. Congrats on the massive PB.

Sandwell

Enjoyed that report immensely. It reminded me of the time I (successfully, just about) paced a friend to a sub 20. Well done to you both.

Lazare

Ah thanks so much lads.

Have an even better version of that pic to post up. I'll do so a little later on.

Lazare

So in case you didn't know, the bould @coogy is a gifted caricature artist.

I really love that pic posted above, love the fact it's only the two of us in it and the nailed on time on the clock, exact time C said he would pace me to.

The only thing I felt letting it down was me not returning the high 5.

I half jokingly said it to K, asked him would he make it happen.

The legend that he is, he actually did.

Behold..

Kellygirl

Only catching up here. What a brilliant race and I love the caricature. My one that Coogy did after DCM 2018 is on our kitchen wall! Huge congrats.

Lazare

Thanks a mill K 👍

I'm gonna frame my one too.

Judy said to me, not joking, 'you should frame that as it might be the fastest you ever run a 5k'

Haha, goway oura dat with that defeatist attitude.

ariana`

Fair play on that PB - sub 19 Conor, you knocked it out of the park!

Brilliant picture... I feel honoured to have one hanging in my house too :-)

Judy said to me, not joking, 'you should frame that as it might be the fastest you ever run a 5k'

😂😂😂

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120656691#Comment_120656691

Thanks so much E.

Yep, K has a gift. 😊

Lazare

So Dunshaughlin is next up, on the horizon. A couple of months back my plan was to intensely target it as soon as Leixlip was out of the way. It's pretty much the same sort of training, so really just a continuum, with maybe some McMillan workouts peppered in there. Two sessions a week and a long run.

Haven't mentioned this in the log yet, but have so elsewhere, I'm taking on the Hanson advanced method for Amsterdam. The more I read about it, including reading over the boards thread I've realised that I need to, as one wise oul boards owl said, keep the main thing the main thing.

It took me a good eight days to fully recover from that Leixlip effort, before I could do anything nippy. I think I would be putting Amsterdam on the line by going full throttle at Dunshaughlin then a few days later beginning the Hanson block.

Toyed with the idea of just keeping everything aerobic until the block but compromised a little and decided to do 1x session a week, and a long run.

It might affect my chances of a sub 40 at Dunshaughlin but I'm not concerned. I'm going to go for it anyway. Keeping the main thing the main thing.

After reading a post by @shotgunmcos (sorely missed around here) in the Hanson thread warning another poster about racing the Dublin half, and what that would do to mess up the plan, I'm seriously considering not racing at all during the block. Had planned on Tullamore half, but I'll have a good look at the calendar and give it consideration. If it fits I'll do it. Sitting down this week to work all that out.

Onwards.