Sub 5 minute mile

Dubh Geannain

I'd say the years of GAA have me conditioned to going hard before a short break and going again. Really abusing my lungs. Although those efforts were never more than 10-50 metres.

When I talk to/bore people about my first sub 5 attempt a few years back (5:36) I mention how I should really have gotten used to the pace first over shorter distances. I can still remember struggling and missing a 2:30 800m attempt and thinking I'd bitten off more than I could chew. I could do 75s 400s though but needed a good recovery. A lot encouragement on here really kept me motivated.

Dubh Geannain

I was determined to get through all the log updates before updating here. Still not through them though but today's the best chance I'll get for my own. Wheels came off big time during Christmas. Unintentionally really as I'd great plans. I had one good week which I didn't get around to logging then bang! Flu followed by COVID.

Quick summary -

12-18 December - 33 miles

I thought this was a good week. Had decent 4x(1mile off 60 seconds Tempo) session early in the week. On the Friday I did 8x150m hills before heading for drinks with a few of the Juvenile GAA coaches. The various illnesses doing the rounds were discussed with one fella's wife at home with COVID 😐️. Sunday's easy run wasn't easy unfortunately as I struggled to keep warm throughout so I knew I was in for a touch of something.

19-25 December - 0 miles

Pretty sure it was flu I had initially (that's what I was told two of the kids were suffering from). I tested negative for COVID a couple of times. By the family wedding during the week I was feeling good luckily and enjoyed the day. 23-24 was okay but then I crashed Christmas day. Tested again and this time I was positive (first time getting it). One night of a fever and a bit of a cough but mostly heavy limbs and near zero energy. I started guessing how many days (or weeks) it might be the days until I felt normal again. Easy to get anxious about these things.

26 December - 01 January - 17 miles

I'd a false start this week on the 27th where a very easy run had me fall into bed for a marathon 11 hours. So wasn't recovering as quickly as I'd hoped. I'd missed the Rita and Robbie 5k Race in Navan today too which was partly the reason why I pushed myself out the door to do something. My plan to end 2022 with a good clip at a 5k was gone. Two days later I chanced a steady 5 km in 21 minutes. This didn't kill me so I was getting optimistic I wasn't in for a long haul COVID dose. Still wasn't 100% after the 5k so took another days rest before finally adding a bit of pace during a 7 km run on New Years Eve.

Such a strange illness that effects everyone so differently. I don't fancy catching it again but I'm done with vaccines etc. and will still take my chances like everyone else.

Hope to post a year review next.

Dubh Geannain

I've put this off long enough.

2022 Review

Highlights in order (turns out there were a few)

• County Masters XC - 1st M35, 4th overall, Team gold. January started with me lacing up the spikes for my first race as a club athlete in the County Masters. I'd no singlet so there were plenty of confused heads wondering who I was and what club I from.
• Masters 800m National Indoor - 3rd M35 - 2:11. One of my quiet ambitions for the year was to mix it up at National level over the 800 after feedback on the log in 2021. To bag a National Medal so early in the year was amazing. First time racing 800m too, and being introduced to the tactics involved. I loved it.
• Trim 10 mile - 59:56 PB. One week after the 800 indoors I ran an un-tapered 10 miler. Went out too fast, died and nearly dropped out but found something around the 6th mile to hang off one of the many passing groups and even mustered a kick to nip under the hour. Still feel this was the dumbest thing I've done running wise yet, (even counting getting lost on a couple of mountains) but somehow came away with the desired reward.
• County T&F 1,500m - 4:26.1 PB - Almost 3 full months since my previous race I went to the county T&F championships. The Masters were merged with the seniors for the race and I came 3rd overall. Despite the mixing I was still categorised in the final results as a Masters athlete so no senior medal. Still another medal and a time I was very proud of.
• Bob Heffernan 5 km - 16:31 PB - I went out at a pace and stubbornly stuck to it through a lot of pain until the last km where I kicked much too early, resulting in a few funny photographs of my facial expression during the last couple of hundred metres.
• Braveheart 5km Trail Race - 4th overall. Another local race so I wanted to give a good account of myself. Ran the race and not against the clock this time. Some of the best club runners were stewarding so I took advantage to be the first club runner home and just missed out on a prize for my efforts.
• Griffith Avenue Mile - 4:35 PB - 4th overall. Still very fresh in the memory. This felt like the culmination of my running journey with a touch of emotion at the finish line. I never understood runners being able to lep about after nailing a race but I had this feeling today and may never experience it again. I crossed the line, checked the clock and quite simply floated from there. Extra icing on the cake was I received prize money too for the first time and had passed Michelle Finn right at the line. It was my first official sub 5 mile*. Everything on the day screamed at me "this is the peak now" and "not to be repeated". And four months later, I'm yet to change my opinion on that.
• Meath Senior XC - 21st - Team Bronze. I've included this as despite not feeling 100% on the day, finishing the race (4th home) helped the team secure a bronze medal by 2 points. A first Meath senior county medal for me too.

Lowlights

• 800 m. Only the one. I never took full advantage of my 800m training to nail a really good time. Thankfully the I had secured a National bronze in January but that was my 800 m highpoint for the year. My mile race a few weeks after the outdoor Nationals more than made up for it though so there's been no stewing over it.

2023 Preview

Recovered from COVID now, I'll be doing the County Masters XC again next weekend. New age category where I think an individual medal is beyond me but we should be in the mix for team gold again.

After that. I've finally purchased an EIM book which I've to start reading yet and will look at maybe applying some different principles this year. On a negative, I managed to tweak my groin kicking ball with the kids and it's not healing as I'd like :( I can run with it but am wary of sprinting, so it might dictate my pursuit of 800 versus 1,500/mile distances or perhaps longer distances over the next couple of months. I'll be doing something anyway.

Being a local race, I've entered the Trim 10 mile again too. I intend to enjoy it a bit more than last years effort.

Logging Off

*I've registered an official sub 5 mile... at last. So, I think I can finally leave this log alone. Thanks everyone that followed and provided so much encouragement and guidance.

Without the log, I know for a fact I wouldn't have hit the heights the past couple of years. There's a solid 10 or so posters especially. I won't mention all by name for fear of getting too soppy 😂 But you know who you are. Thanks again.

OOnegative

Great year N, will there be a new log?

Dubh Geannain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120065456#Comment_120065456

Thanks B. At the moment no.

I'll try to keep logging though, offline for a while, which I might post about again. I find I come in to to write an update quite often but come away not posting because I end up catching up on everyone else. I'm a dreadfully slow reader too! So I hope I'll get some time back by just visiting to read the logs.

Murph_D

What a brilliant year and a brilliant log, sorry to see it retired. So many highlights there in such a short time, many congrats.

marathon2022

Great log, really enjoyed reading it.

Swashbuckler

Yeah it's been a fairly spectacular log. Some of those times are eye watering. The sub 60 10 miler stands out especially for a guy with very little specifics done at that distance. And of course the monster pb across the mile.

Wubble Wubble

Sorry to see the log go N. Lots of great reading, the highlight for me being the Griffith Avenue Mile. Nice run today btw. Catch you at a race soon.

skyblue46

Sorry to see it go. Best of luck with everything you do. At least you're still on Strava 😊

Dubh Geannain

Thanks everyone.

@skyblue46 I've OO to thank for getting me onto Strava. I still have the snazzy bottle opener from the 5 K challenge. I'm going to start this EIM craic this week hopefully. The comeback year you've had has provided plenty of inspiration too (along with Lainey's log). Lots of what I've read so far sounds very interesting. Discussion on the loss of reactivity from too much steady mileage on one side (obviously not a massive concern to a 30 MPW fella like myself) to the rationale for not needing to do excessive anaerobic workouts on the other.

@Wubble Wubble I'll make a point of saying hello if I spot you.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084719#Comment_120084719

Will miss your log also, always great reading in it. Very best of luck with your EIM training, it's a way of running introduced to me by S & I have really loved it😊