Spiral out - keep going

Treviso

Day 100 - 5m easy, 8.30avg

Felt ok for this, considering the 10k TT the previous day and a few beers the night before. Last mile was barefoot. Think I can go back to running barefoot again without freaking people out. Have a plan to do the club's last 5m virtual race in August barefoot and see what type of time I can do

Day 101 - 7m easy, 8.51avg

Standard 7m easy around the UCC farm. Pace was slower, mentally probably conserving energy for the following day's session.

Day 102 - 3x1m@6.15 w 1m@7.30 float

Tough one. 6.15 pace was around the time I was running for the 10k TT but this time I didn't have the advantage of the NEXT%. Found myself really having to push it to keep on pace. The first float mile at an increased 7.30 pace was ok, but felt tired going into the second 6.15. Managed to get that on time but had to drop the pace of the float mile to 7.48 to have any sort of recovery. Last 6.15 felt like the last mile of the TT, struggled from the start but dug in to the end.
6.14, 7.33, 6.14, 7.48, 6.13
Happy with the effort but fearful of the next week when I need to do 6 of these miles :eek:

Day 103 - 7m easy, 9.00avg

Waddled around the farm, legs were stiff enough. Super warm morning. Loosened up a bit in the middle, but tired towards the end. Did the last mile barefoot and increased the pace a bit for it.

Day 104 - 6m easy, 8.38avg

Wasn't feeling this one so reduced it by a mile. Was really warm again. Had a slight dull ache in the hamstring prior to the run but it was fine during it.

Day 105 - 9m@7.05

Have been doing quite a lot of work in the garden this week so the legs have had extra pressure on them. I thought this run would be comfortable enough but the added work on the legs made it a bit less comfortable. Warm and windy for this one, type of wind that seemed to be in my face no matter what direction I turned.

The first couple of miles I always find it a struggle to settle into the pace. By the time I hit halfway, I could feel the legs were quite heavy. A hill with two and a half miles to go made them turn to jelly for a bit, but was able to recover. Last 2 miles were into the wind and had to push it a bit.
7.07, 7.05, 7.07, 7.05, 7.07, 7.01, 7.03, 7.04, 6.59
Getting close to the 6.50 MP

Well deserved rest day tomorrow and easy run on Sunday - will be a new experience not having a difficult run during the weekend.

Was great to see Liverpool finally win the league last night, it's been a long time coming. I don't think it's actually sunk in yet. Maybe when they get a guard of honour by City players at the Etihad next week it might seem real. Enjoy the feeling all LFC fans and commiserations to the rest who were hoping that the league would be null and voided. YNWA

Laineyfrecks

One very happy supporter here YNWA

Treviso

Quite a bit to catch up on here. Was going to update after my 10 mile TT but went on a staycation with the family and internet has been flaky.

Day 106 - 8m easy

Day 107 - 6m easy
Both runs on grass in the farm

Day 108 - 6x1mile@6:10 w 90 sec rec
With it being close enough to the TT and the 6:10 pace was quite hot, I decided to wear the Vapoflys for this to aid recovery. Thank god I did because I wouldn't have been able to complete this without them. 90 second recoveries weren't enough. Mile time splits were 6:08, 6:11, 6:13, 6:09, 6:08, 6:11
Was a real struggle this one, I suffered quite a lot.

Wednesday 1st July - 6m easy
With restrictions eased, I guess I can start using real dates again. Another recovery run on grass with the last mile on barefoot and with a bit of pace

Thurs 2nd - 5m easy
Was meant to do 3x800s at the end of this but decided against it. Instead I wanted to do some strides at the end of the 5 miles but I felt quite tired at the end of the run and didn't do the strides either :rolleyes:

Friday 3rd - rest

Sat 4th - 10 mile TT, 64.44 PB
This TT happened to be on the same day as us leaving for Clonakilty for hols. I had to stick to the 10 miles as the coach wanted me to do this distance the exact same day too. I had time in the morning to do this and then load the car (only an hour journey to get there). To be honest, I was a bit meh for this TT and didn't know how it would go

After the cancellation of the John Buckley 10 that week, I wanted to do the route for the TT. It's a fairly flat loop with a couple of sharp hills. There's was also no way to gain any favourable wind advantage. Target was sub 65 min which would be a minute PB from Dungarvan

Did a mile warmup, changed into the NEXT% and ran another half mile to the starting point. It's a very busy place for runners so probably got a few unusual looks as I tried to motivate myself at the start line. First 4 miles was 2 loops and then it headed off around the Blackrock walkway back to the starting point to finish. Programmed a 10 mile workout in my watch so I could see the average pace throughout

Off I went and despite going off too fast again, it wasn't the craziest start I've ever done. I wanted to settle into a nice comfortable 6:30 average pace. Towards the end of the first loop, I noticed a large contingent of Leevale runners gathering. Probably upped the pace subconsciously to make it look like I was doing a decent pace. First loop done and felt ok. Had the wind in my face for the first half of each loop so was happy to be just behind the 6:30 pace. 6:33, 6:31

Turned the corner and had the wind behind me. Noticed in the distance that the Leevale crew had begun some sort of TT or fast run themselves as big bunches of runners were coming at me on the same side of the road as me. I had to move to the middle of the road to avoid them, taking care of the oncoming traffic. Was a good distraction as I completed loop two and off I went around the Blackrock loop 6:26

Was in a good rhythm as I went down the Marina, passing loads of people. Thankfully it is now pedestrianised so plenty of room. 6:31

First sharp hill was coming up and I flew up it. Recovered at the top and attacked the downhills, going past Blackrock castle 6:33

I've run the next 2 miles so much in training, not sure if it was an advantage or not. It was starting to hurt here but kept it going - kinda a comfortable hurting that you experience during a session. Last half mile of this went into a strong headwind 6:23, 6:34

This mile had the other sharp hill, a footbridge over the motorway. This one gave the legs a bit more trouble and they turned to jelly a bit towards the top of it. Stretched it and tried to get back into the zone. 6:33

From looking at the average pace so far, 6:33, and knowing that the last mile was into a headwind, I told myself I needed to run faster for the next mile to have any chance of going under 65 minutes. Pushed on as much as I could 6:20

Last mile and I had to go all out. Going back along the Marina, I saw the groups of Leevale runners doing their warm downs. Great that I was able to fly past them, make them know how it feels when they do it Seriously though, it did help me as I had targets in front of me to pick off. It made me forget the headwind until about 400m to go, where I was pushing it and was in a serious amount of hurt. I noticed that the average pace was at 6:28 with 100m to go so knew I had it. Beeps on the watch never sounded so good and I collapsed onto a grass verge when it was over. 6:14

Watch said 64:44 and I was delighted. A 1min 17sec PB since February in a TT, I'll take that. Of all the TTs I've done so far during lockdown, this gave me the most satisfaction. Did a 1 mile cool down with a big grin on my face. Back home to pack the car and headed off on holidays!

Sun 5th - 4m beach run
Probably not a good idea but wanted to run on the beach in barefoot for this. Between finding the sand was too soft in places, and too uneven in others, I was able to do 4 miles of some sort. Legs felt ok after it, though the feet took a battering.

Mon 6th - 6m easy
After the OH did her usual route scoping exercise, she found a flat(ish) 3 mile loop close by. This would be my route for most runs for the week. 2 miles of it was really quiet country roads and 1 mile was busier, but not too bad. Still not sure how people run in country roads all the time.

Tues 7th - 6mile@7.10
Had to go back up to Cork to meet a builder doing some work on the house that day. Took the chance to do this session on the nicer Blackrock loop. Legs felt tired for it, found the 7:10 pace quite taxing but was able to get through it in the end.

Wed 8th - 8m easy
A longer than normal run for this one, seemed to make the run go on for ages.

Thurs 9th - 5m easy 1mile@7:05
Average run, pace was quite slow but was able to increase the pace for the last mile

Fri 10th - 7m easy
Normal run at this stage, felt quite ok for it

Sat 11th - rest
Spent most of the day on the beach, weather was gorgeous. Dinner later on that night in a hotel restaurant nearby. First restaurant dining experience since the lockdown.

Sun 12th - 3x3mile@6:30 w 1mile@7:30 float

Disaster of a run. Was a humid morning with a brisk wind. I had a feeling that this was quite the hard session on paper, was unsure if I'd hit the paces but felt ok at the start. Once the warmup was complete, I set off down the 3 mile loop. Glanced at the watch and forgot to hit the button to start the 3 mile rep - doh. Lost nearly 400m. Pushed the button to start but was cursing myself, sign of things to come. First mile and pace was around 6:34, not too bad. Into the second mile and the pace started to slow. I wasn't too hung up on getting exactly 6:30 but it didn't feel close. Second mile beeped and avg pace was 6:37. Ok, I thought, no way I'll be able to hit 6:30 but maybe 6:45 might be something to aim for. Whatever happened in the 3rd mile, but I felt drained of energy for it. I quickly went from aiming for 6:45 pace to aiming to finish the rep out. Last 400m 's pace was around the 7:30-7:45 mark - I was really struggling.

I think I had already thrown in the towel towards the end of the rep but decided to do a recovery mile to see how I felt during it. I was even struggling with that, so decided to call it a day and head back to the car with my tail between my legs

I'm not that despondent about it to be honest. There has been loads of mitigating factors leading up to it but think that dehydration may have been the biggest one. Day at the beach where I did drink water, but probably not enough. First time a session went pear shaped for me, but won't be the last. Could have been worse and been struck by injury, so will take the positives out of it. Will start again tomorrow and pretend it never happened.

Laineyfrecks

Some sessions simply don't go as we had planned & that's ok! Focus on the positives - you ran a brilliant 10mile TT smashing your previous time

Today is a new day!

Treviso

Mon 13th - 6m easy, 8:41avg
Last holiday run so said goodbye to that 3 mile loop. Felt ok for the whole thing, despite yesterday's abandoned run.

Tues 14th - 7m easy, 8:46avg
Packed up and headed back to Cork. Was meant to do a session today but delayed it till tomorrow. Took an easy session on the UCC Farm instead.

Wed 15th - 4x1mile@6.20 w 1mile@7:30 float
Wanted to nail this session after the weekend's disappointment. So much so that I debated whether to wear vaporflys for it. I decided that 6:20 pace for a mile was achievable in the bog standard pegasus.

First mile was good,6:18, and so was the float mile, 7:28. Next fast mile was on time too, 6:20, but had to slow the float mile down to recover, 7:48. Third fast mile was into the wind so effort was high, 6:26. Float mile was 7:48. Last fast mile was a struggle at 6:23.
Was happy with how it went and felt I was back to "normal"

Thurs 16th - 8m easy, 8:47avg
Easy run mileage is increasing all the time, so it looks like 8 miles will be the standard distance instead of 7. An extra mile feels so much longer mentally.

Friday 17th - 8m 7m easy, last mile @7min
It was our club's third 5 mile virtual race day. I had no inkling to do this at any sort of fast pace so an easy run it was. Was able to wear the club's singlet for the first time and show off the farmer's tan to everyone. Just need a race now. Ran the last mile in 6:53

Sat 18th - rest

Sun 19th - 2x5m@6:42 w 1m@7:30 float
I believe my pacing targets have gotten faster, a drawback to getting better TT results, so this looked frightening to me. Decided to wear the vaporflys for the run, and glad I did. It was a very hot morning with little wind. Didn't mind the heat as much, a chance to top up the tan

After a one mile warmup, the first 5 mile rep began. First three miles were ok, ahead of schedule, so took a bit of a breather for the fourth. Did feel it for the last one but finished it with an average of 6:38. Float mile was good at 7:53. Second rep started alright but wasn't as easy to keep the 6:42 pace. Got to the last 2 miles and the legs turned to jelly. Had to really dig deep to complete the rep, finishing with an average of 6:38. Had to stop to take a breather so stopped the watch. Could see that I was on for a HM PB even if the last mile was a recovery mile. Started again in a hurry and was able to get the recovery mile to a 7:21 before picking it up for the last bit. HM time of 1:31:15, just under a 2 minute PB from Charleville HM last year. Really unexpected to be honest

Weekly mileage - 52
Year to date - 1348

With Charleville cancelled, the OH signed me up for Ratoath for the same weekend. Bit of a distance to go for a race but desperate times and all that. A 9am start means I'll need to stay overnight should it go ahead.

Bought a pair of Pegasus Turbo 2 and Zoom Fly 3 as well to help with my faster sessions. I felt the normal Pegasus weren't doing me any favours for those runs, so decided to splash the cash on more specialised runners. Might lose the shoe effect for races, but there are no races!!

Treviso

Mon 20th - 5m easy, 8:38avg
Nice shuffle around the UCC farm. Once I shook the stiffness of the legs out, the rest of the run felt quite good. It's amazing how short a 5 mile mentally feels compared to the usual 7 or 8

Tues 21st - 7m easy, 8.57avg
Another grass run at the farm. Took it handier to conserve some energy for tomorrow's session

Wed 22nd - 9m@6:50
My new Zoom Fly 3 shoes arrived the day before. I was tempted to wear them for this but decided to break them in for warmup and cool down instead. Went for the vaporflys for the session. Zoom Fly shoes certainly have a stiff rigidness to them but think they will help for the longer tempo runs

Averaged 6:49 for the 9 miles but it was a run of two halves. First half was into a stiff wind and the average pace was sitting around the 6:55 mark. Despite the legs feeling weary, I needed to up the pace for the last 3 miles to get everything in on time. Overall a tough one, especially with it coming so close to Sunday's run. Great to get through it. These are the type of runs I need to do more of. With the plan focussing on a HM race, I will certainly get my wish on that one

Added bonus of watching Liverpool lifting the Premiership trophy tonight. Such a surreal trophy presentation in front of an empty Anfield. We'll take the trophy any way we can take it though

Laineyfrecks

Literally just watched it myself, so so good to see them finally lift it

Treviso

Thurs 23rd - 5m easy, 8:37avg
Had to break in the new pair of Pegasus Turbo 2 shoes so had to give the grass running a skip for today. They felt good, nice compromise between the normal pegasus and vaporflys.

Fri 24th - rest

Sat 25th - 6x1m @6:08 w 90sec rec
Did this exact same session the week of my 10m TT with vaporflys on, so I knew how hard this one was. Wore the Peg turbos so in theory it would make it harder, and that was the case. 90 seconds is not enough time to recover from a mile rep - Miles worked out as 3 with the wind, 2 against and last one with the wind.

First mile comes in on time at 6:08, felt it though. Walked the 90 second recovery. Second one was the same, 6:08 but getting harder. Third one was a struggle at 6:11 and had the two into the wind to come. Legs were getting more and more heavier as it progressed. Mile 4 and they were like jelly. That came in at 6:10. Not sure how I would do the fifth one. Struggled with all I could to get this one done in 6:16. Turned with the wind for the last mile but legs were shot to pieces. Last one was 6:14.

Overall happy with how it went, put in a massive effort and felt I had improved since the last time I did it. Legs didn't feel that bad later that day

Sun 26th- 12m easy, 8:42avg
Boring grass run around the farm on tired legs. Extra distance to the normal 7 miles here meant 5 loops compared to 3. Decided to run the last 2 miles barefoot which gave the feet a welcome massage treatment.

Mon 27th - 12x35sec hill sprints
Nice tough end to a three days of running. Legs were tired on the warm up but soon got into the pace of the hill sprints. Didn't really feel out of breath until the last few sprints, it was the legs that were feeling it. Average pace of the sprints was about 5:26, so happy with that.

Tues 28th - 7m easy, 8:18avg
Out to the farm for this. Pace was quite nippy despite the tough three days previously. Wanted to see how easy it is to run at these quicker paces - worked out well today but wont do all easy runs at this pace

Have also signed up to the Kilkenny Medieval HM on the same day as Ratoath HM. Surely one of them will go ahead and I'll have a race to look forward to

Treviso

Wed 29th - 9m easy, 8:44avg
Did my normal 7m run on grass on the UCC farm and then the last 2 miles barefoot. Pace was slower than the day before but wanted to save myself for Friday

Thurs 31st - 2x4m@6:35 w 1m@7:45 float
I really felt this one. Wanted to stop using the vaporflys for these sessions as it could be a nasty habit to get into. Instead, had the new Zoom Fly 3s for this run and wasn't sure how they would go.

For the warmup, they felt quite heavy and rigid but they did help me up the pace when it came to the first rep. First 2 miles were into the wind so were a small bit slower so pushed on for the last 2. The last mile felt like it did at the end of a session so I was worried. Avg 6:35 for the 4 miles

Took the recovery mile slower than I should as I needed to recover and decided if I needed to drop the pace for the 2nd rep so be it. Recovery mile was 8:14

First mile was into the wind and has GPS issues, but still I felt I could not get going. I felt like I was going the required pace but it showed as 6:52 for that mile. I thought if it was GPS issues, then the next mile would compensate for that but that too came in at 6:49. I knew I wouldn't hit the pace for this one. I'm not sure if that relaxed me or if the last 2 miles were favourable, but I was able to get them in at 6:32 and 6:34. Now I was deep in the red for those 2 miles, with race level effort put in. Avg 6:41 for this one.

Was happy with the session and the effort I put, considering how badly I was feeling during the second rep

Sat 1st - 6m easy, 8:27avg
Went to the farm for a recovery run and try to get the blood flowing in the legs. Bumped into a runner I hadn't seen out there in ages so ran with him for 5 miles. Knew the pace would be too fast but it did the legs good I think. Finished off the run with 1 mile barefoot

Sun 2nd - 12m, 4@7:25,4@7:20, 4@7:15
Looked like an ok session on paper but guess it would be done on tired legs, so who knows how it would go. Wore the Zoom Flys again. They weren't the most comfortable during Friday's run but wanted to go them another go.

After a mile warmup, settled into the 7:25 pace quite easily. God how comfortable it felt going at that pace. Knew not to go too fast as the legs will tire quickly as the miles go by. First set went in 7:19, 7:28, 7:23, 7:25

Next 4 miles and the Zoom Flys still aren't that comfy, seems to put a lot of pressure on the sole of the foot (or maybe that's just the way I run). They actually come good towards the end of these 4 miles and stayed that way for the rest of the run. Second set were 7:22, 7:16, 7:22, 7:17

Onto the last 4 miles and yes my legs were quite heavy and I was starting to feel it. Thing is, having gone through the torture of Friday's session, this pain was quite bearable and I was able to comfortable run through it. I believe going through some of difficult recent sessions, and TTs, has increased my mental reserve for (running) pain. Last 4 were 7:13, 7:04, 7:04, 7:13

Weekly mileage - 53 miles
Year to date - 1453 miles

I can't really do much more in terms of improving/increasing running effort, but there are other areas that I can, so will try to focus on them this month.

Will try to improve the diet in August and cut down on the sweet stuff. I haven't drank any alcohol since coming back from holidays so will keep that up this month as well. My biggest improvement needs to come from sleep though, which means going to bed earlier and stop staying up late watching rubbish tv!

I could say that I will try to stretch/foam roll more after running and do some S&C/pilates etc but I know there isn't a chance in hell of me doing that anytime soon

Treviso

Mon 3rd - 7m easy, 8:33avg
Legs felt ok so the pace on this was on the quicker side. Usual 7 miles on grass

Tues 4th - 7m easy, 8:47avg
Same as Monday but a bit slower pace

Wed 5th - 8m@6:48
Did 9 miles at roughly this pace two weeks back. Wore the vaporflys then and remembered that I found it hard. Decided to wear the Zoom fly 3 for this one and see if I've progressed in any way. Wore twin skin socks with the Zoom fly and found they made a massive difference in the comfort.

Did a 8 mile workout on the watch so I could work on the average pace instead of per mile. I find this settles me for the run and I don't need to worry that every mile comes in on time. It also great for doing these with a negative split. Takes a mile or two for me to settle into the pace, albeit a few seconds slow. After the 5th mile, average pace is showing at 6:52. Had to up the pace a bit for the last 3. Average pace was heading in the right direction. The last mile started with a sharp up and over a footbridge over the motorway so legs went to jelly. Was able to finish it up though on time. Mile times were
6:51, 6:56, 6:49, 6:52, 6:52, 6:47, 6:43, 6:31 so a good end to the run.

Treviso

Thurs 6th - 6m easy, 8:45avg
Legs felt ok, normal run around the farm. Went off to Ballyhass lakes for our daughters birthday. Day involved an hour in one of those inflatable aquaparks on the lake (had so many muscle cramps from it!)

Fri 7th - 2m@6:40, 3min jog, 6x800m@6:00 w 90sec rec
Only 2 days since the 8m tempo session, and yesterday's activities, so I knew the legs would be tired. The 2 faster miles were actually ok, first one was in 6:38, second a nippy 6:25. Felt ok heading into the 1st 800m. Started too fast as always and legs were really feeling it halfway through it. 2:58. Second one went similar but got tired earlier 3:00 Felt like packing the session in near the end of each rep. Needed to walk the recoveries. Next 4 and I struggled to reach the 6min/mile pace needed, but was close enough given the effort I was putting in 3:03, 3:04, 3:03, 3:01

Sat 8th - rest

Sun 9th - 13m 10m@7:25, 3m@7:15
Paces on this seemed ok but knew it would be a tough one. Legs were very tired starting this one and the weather was super hot, even at 8 in the morning. Took a few miles to get into the pace of things. Glad I did a loop of the car so I was able to get some water half way through. Miles alternated between feeling ok and feeling fatigued. Got to the last 3 faster miles and was struggling badly. It seemed like I was going slower, but pace on the watch was on time. Shuffled the rest of the way home. Averaged about 7:22 for the faster miles. Couldn't even muster a warm down mile. Spent the day on the beach afterwards. The freezing water gave good relief to my aching legs. A definite recovery run tomorrow, if I can even manage that.

Weekly mileage - 51
Year to date - 1504

With Kilkenny HM already postponed, and Ratoath looking extremely unlikely, I have some serious decisions to make. I have a 1 mile TT Monday week on the CIT track (they have a 5min pacer so ideal conditions) and a club 5k run end of September. I should switch my training to the shorter stuff. My thinking though, is to keep going with the HM training for next couple of months to help with my endurance. I feel it'll help me improve my mile and 5k times indirectly. There may also be some chance of cross country running, which again will help me improve

Treviso

After last weeks run on Sunday, my legs were really stiff and tired. Had slight pains down the side of both too. I knew I needed to take a step back this week, give them some time to recover. It was kinda a stepback week anyway but I made it easier still. Having the 1 mile race tomorrow also was a factor in the easing off

Mon 10th - 6m recovery, 9:06avg
Went as slow as I needed to go, legs couldn't go any faster. The grass run made some bit of a difference.

Tues 11th - 7m easy, 8:54avg
Was meant to be 5x1m session but no way I could even attempt that without injuring myself. Settled for an easy grass run again. Legs felt better

Wed 12th - 7m easy, 8:27avg
Same as yesterday but the legs felt good, as the average pace suggests

Thurs 13th - 2x4m@6:55, w 1m@7:45 float
This was meant to be the weekend's run and was also meant to be 3x4m. Changed it to 2x4m to give myself some time to recover for Monday. The 2 reps felt tough but manageable, and I did feel I would've got the 3rd one done at a struggle.

Fri 14th - Rest

Sat 15th - 7m easy, 8:15avg
Legs felt really good for this and enjoyed this 7m easy around the UCC farm.

Sun 16th - 5m easy, 8:48avg
For some reason this 5 miles felt like a slog but I guess it was my fifth run of the week at the same place!

Weekly mileage - 43
Year to date - 1548

Kinda nervous/excited about my first track race tomorrow evening. It'll be my first time actually running on a track so not sure what to expect or how 4 laps will actually even feel. The good thing is having a 5min pacer in the race. It should stop me from taking off too fast. Just need to stay on their shoulder - sounds easy right. Not even sure I'm in any condition to keep 5 minute pace, no speedwork done at all recently.

Laineyfrecks

Very best of luck tomorrow Trev! Let the nerves/excitement help you... You have been doing some great training, go for it

Murph_D

Like your race plan, best of luck!

Treviso

CIT Track event - 1 mile - 5:11

This race was on my mind all day, in some ways I just wanted for it to be over. The amount of overthinking done for over 5 minutes of running! Anyway, got to the track in plenty of time. Did a mile warmup around the area before entering the track area. Everything was well organised and marshalled, except the odd spectator sneaking in to watch.

Done another bit of a warmup, a few strides and went and got changed into the NEXT% while watching the 400m events. Noticed a lot of surface water in lane 1. People were advising to run on the outer edge of the lane instead of through the puddles. There was 1 mile event before mine, which I watched with interest. It amazing how slow they looked running, even though they were going the pace I would be going at.

We were then called to the start line. Noticed I was the only person wearing VFs, everyone else in spikes. Had the pacer identified so just needed to keep with him. Lined up in the middle of the track. Didn't want to start too fast but probably started a bit conservatively. Into the bend, with a bit of jumping and jostling for position, I was towards the back but close to the pacer. Pace felt ok on the back straight, so was happy out. Turned out the pacer was boxed in, so when the space opened up he darted to the outside and injected some serious speed. I knew straight away I couldn't keep up with him. Lane 1 had loads of puddles so did run on the outer edge all race.

Got to the end of lap 1 in about 80 secs. Second lap and I did up the pace, passing a few on the back straight. Towards the end of that lap, I had to ask myself if it was the end of lap 2 or 3 (I wish). Clock was showing 2:32 passing it so it was a good lap. 3rd lap was a killer though, can't remember much about it, just a case of keeping it going. Didn't even check the clock.

Bell goes for the last lap and I try to increase the pace but wasn't to be. Started to be caught and passed by a couple of runners, and couldn't go with them. Final straight, tried to up it again but was nothing there. Over the finish line, stopped the watch to see 5:07 on it. Was actually quite ok with that, didn't disgrace myself by any means. Hobbled back over to my bag to get changed for a cool down.

With Garmin showing 5:07, Strava 5:10 and official race time at 5:11, it shows that my previous 1 mile TT results may have been slower than the actual 5:06 recorded. It's good to get an official mile time now, and it's something I can work to improve on. From checking with other times that evening, I do believe the track conditions led to some slower times being recorded. Running on the inside of lane 1 would've definitely shaved a few seconds off.

As it turns out, I was quite lucky to get this race in considering the new rules for outdoor events announced today. I'm taking it that Ratoath HM will be cancelled so not sure what to do next.

Murph_D

Sounds like a tough one, but not a bad result at all, especially for your debut.

No one said anything about the VFs? Thought they were illegal under the new shoe stack height rules, but maybe they haven’t kicked in yet?

Think I’d have ploughed through the puddles, especially if I was wearing spikes!

And yes, lucky this meet went ahead. The guidance seems a little unclear, but our club called off a road event tonight at short notice.

Treviso

Murph_D wrote: »

No one said anything about the VFs? Thought they were illegal under the new shoe stack height rules, but maybe they haven’t kicked in yet?

Maybe they would've said something if it was an official meet. Think this was organised as a test event, so normal rules were probably waived. Will definitely invest in a pair of track spikes though

Treviso

Tues 18th - 5m easy, 8:50avg
Legs felt ok for this after the previous evenings mile race. Only did 5 miles around the farm as had a session the next day

Wed 19th - 9m, 1 mile on/off, 6:58avg
Really enjoyed this session, probably because I wore the VFs 4% so it made the paces easier to hit. Wore the VFs just in case the legs were heavy from the race. On paces were 6:35, 6:30, 6:25, 6:25, 6:25. Off were 7:15, 7:10, 7:05, 7:05.

Its amazing how the off mile pace felt so easy. I'm guessing running at 5:11 on Monday would make any pace feel slow! Anyway, I kinda blasted this session and felt good doing it. It was raining from start to finish, no one out and about - my favourite type of conditions. Feel like you're the only one around. Mile times were
6:26, 7:10, 6:25, 7:11, 6:21, 7:06, 6:20, 7:08, 6:15 - including the warmup mile, there was a 68 min 10 mile in that session. Happy with that

Thurs 20th - 9m easy, 8:26avg
After storm Ellen, decided to run in Tramore valley park - seems to be the place least affected by the wind and fallen trees. Legs felt good again so managed to keep a decent pace. First 5 miles were used as part of the club's fourth and last "Summer" race series.

Fri 21st - rest

Sat 22nd - 8x1k@5k pace, w90sec rec
Super hard session this one, coming into it quite fresh as well. 1ks were meant to be done in 3:40, which is around 5:53 min/mile pace. Quite pacy for me. First couple went ok, 3:37 & 3:40. Recoveries were all walked and going into the 3rd rep, I felt quite gassed. Next 2 were 3:41 & 3:44, not too bad but was ready to give up. At least I was half way so could now start to count down. Next 2 were 3:42 & 3:43. Was still hanging in there despite the recoveries being downgraded to a small shuffle. Last 2 I had to put everything into - 3:41 and 3:39.

A big session that I was happy to get through.

Sun 22nd - 15m easy, 8:50avg
Longest run for quite some time. Legs felt ok at the start but started to drain around the halfway mark. Decided to do a loop of the farm at the start, do a 10 mile loop around Bishopstown and Lee Fields and finish off with another loop of the farm. By the time I got back to the farm for the final loop, my legs were shot. Shuffled the last couple of miles there.

Weekly mileage - 53
Year to date - 1601

Mon 23rd - 7m easy, 8:25avg
So this was mean to be a 7 mile tempo on the plan. I felt that it would be crazy for me to even attempt this given how my legs were at the end of yesterday's run. I opted to do 7 miles easy instead around the farm. Ended up going out in the evening for this so the legs actually felt ok for it. Storm Francis had just started so I got drenched for the whole thing. Did the last 2.5miles barefoot as well, ground was really soft and lovely to run in.

With Ratoath HM now gone, all 3 HMs I signed up to have now perished. I'm not sure what to do now. One decision I have made is to switch coaches. Some people can probably guess from the training I'm doing who I was being coached by. In fairness, his training is quite demanding and I have improved immensely under it. I can see how it would injure a lot of people but I have been coping fine with no hint of injury.

There's a number of reasons I'm changing, main one being in need of a more personalised training. The new coach will be a bit more hands on and will also help me in other areas like S&C, nutrition etc. Quite a lot of fellows club runners work under him too, so there will be a good chance to be able to train with people around the same level (and higher) as me

Dubh Geannain

Well done on getting the race in. Sounds like there's easily a few more seconds there especially if the first lap is paced better..

Been there before regarding the spikes. I still don't have a pair but then I've only raced twice on the track in the last year.

Laineyfrecks

Some savage training Trev! Very best of luck with the new coach

Treviso

Tues 25th - rest
With the OH back teaching and our girls not going back till Thursday, spent the day looking after them and trying to work remotely. Took the day off.

Wed 26th - 2x3m@6:30 w 1m float @7:40
Was looking after the girls in the morning but luckily their granny took them for the afternoon, so I had time to get this session in. Wore the Zoom Flys for this, but forgot to wear the twin skin socks this time - this caused some discomfort towards the end of the second rep. Was quite surprised how manageable this went, even though I messed up on the route direction which made me run into the wind for a lot of the fast miles.

First 2 miles of the first rep were ahead of time - 6:24, 6:28, so I purposely slowed a bit for the last mile to save myself - 6:35. Float mile was a decent 7:58 pace. Second rep was harder but still ok, despite the discomfort in my foot. Last mile had me going over a foot bridge too near the end. 6:35, 6:30, 6:27

There seems to be a jump in improvement for this sessions, 6:30 pace was never at all comfortable for me before.

Thurs 27th - 6m easy, 8:24
Day had finally arrived, waited nearly 6 months for it but the schools were finally back! Threw my kids into the school and enjoyed the peace and quiet of an empty house. Went out for a quick 6 mile run in the local park before having my first meeting with the new coach. All went well, have a few exercises to start doing. Will make some small improvements with my diet too. Biggest change will be the one midweek session and one weekend long run, the rest will be easy running.

Fri 28th - 5m easy, 8:29avg
Quick 5 mile run on grass ahead of a long run on Saturday

Sat 29th - rest
Bit of a bug doing the rounds and I picked it up Friday night. Sensibly I decided to rest for the day - I think before I would have went out for some sort of easy run. Felt it would do more harm than good in this case

Sun 30th - 5m easy, 8:04avg
Felt better today but didn't want to risk anything. Towards the evening, decided to go out for a run as I had a prescribed rest day on Monday. My legs were ready to go on this run, easy pace was towards the 8 min mark. Felt better for it afterwards.

Mon 31st - rest
Feel like I'm not even running at this stage with 3 days off in a week!!

Treviso

Tues 1st - 7m easy, 8:36avg
First run of the new regime but same old 7 mile easy around the Farm.

Wed 2nd - 20' WU, 20'@10m effort, 5 min jog, 8x1'@5k effort, 1 min rec, 20' CD
So much for easy to follow sessions, most will need to be programmed into the watch. I can now understand how lost people were when Garmin went down. This seemed to be ok, seeing as I did 2x3m at a similar pace last week. Started the 10 mile effort at around 6:20 pace, which in hindsight is more like 10k pace. It would be 10 mile if I was wearing the magic shoes. Anyway the first 2 miles came and went, and I struggled to complete the last mile. Mile times were 6:24, 6:21, 6:21. Managed a sub 20 5k Definite 10k effort

5 min recovery came and went so fast. First time doing these 1 minute on off. Felt like the pace would be ok, but jogging the recoveries would be new. The place were I did them had some tree cover so may have interfered with paces. They ranged from 5:40 to 5:55, so on pace. 20' cool down never felt so long. Good intro session

Thurs 3rd - 7m easy, 8:33avg
Having ditched the choc milk after my runs, I am now taking Kinetica recovery after each workout. After taking it yesterday, the legs felt quite good. This was a standard run around the farm. Did the last 2 miles barefoot, was a good relief to my feet. I've been doing some new pre run exercises, the result of which have caused some DOMs to my glutes and my feet.

Fri 4th - 8m easy, 8:13avg
This would normally be a session day, but with the number of workouts now down to 2, this is now going to be another easy day. Rather than doing 4 grass runs a week, I will try to do this run somewhere different each week. This time, it was the Carrigaline to Crosshaven route. Last time I ran here was pre lockdown. Pace was a bit hot, but it felt quite easy all way round

Sat 5th - 6m easy, 8:29avg
6 miles around the Farm, last mile barefoot

Sun 6th - 14m, 4m WU, 6m@6:50, 4m CD
Was always going to underestimate this run, given that I ran 9 miles at this pace in July. I didn't take the 4 miles beforehand into account, so they did add a bit of fatigue to the 6 mile tempo. The aim is to make the 6:50 pace seem comfortable. Did the 6 miles at a slightly faster pace, around the 6:46 mark but it didn't feel easy. I'm not sure it ever will during a workout, but I felt i could've struggled through another mile or two at that pace. We'll see if that is the case next week

Mon 7th - rest

Weekly mileage - 53
Year to date - 1686

Comic Book Guy

Hey T, early days I know but how ya finding the new coach? How hands on is it or how regular is the feedback etc?

Treviso

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Hey T, early days I know but how ya finding the new coach? How hands on is it or how regular is the feedback etc?

Very hands on J, total opposite of the previous one. Weekly feedback on how the week went, with a monthly check up. All runs are looked at on Strava so there's no hiding

Added bonus of maybe getting a few unofficial races organised during the winter. So far so good.

Treviso

Tues 8th - 7m easy, 8:26avg
Felt good for this one, around the farm for the usual 7 miles. Threw the reebok floatride away after this run. Will use the epic react for all easy runs now

Wed 9th - 20' wu, 20'@6:25, 5min rec, 12x1' on/off@5k pace, 20' cd
Did sort of the same session last week, but 12x1' instead of 8 but this week went so much better than last. Feeling it was the shoes. Last week had the turbo pegasus 2 and struggled to hit the 6:25 pace. This week had the zoom fly 3 and the 6:25 pace was quite manageable. After a difficult start, they are beginning to become my favourite shoe.

Anyway, as I said, was able to hit the 6:25 ok. First 2 miles were 6:21 and 6:15. I decided to ease off for the last bit to save the legs for the 12 reps. Last mile and the rest came in at 6:26. Legs were ok after the 5 minute jog recovery, and this week there wasn't much tree cover to skew the paces. The reps were done in 5:31, 5:51, 5:52, 5:37, 5:43, 5:49, 5:43, 5:58, 5:41, 5:51, 5:39, 5:09

Legs turned to jelly for the last 3 reps. After doing 2 more, I gave it everything for the last one to see what the tired legs had left. A nice 5:09 pace for that one. Was happy with how this session went

Thurs 10th - 7m easy, 8:29avg
Legs were grand after the session so the normal 7 mile grass run was quite ok.

Fri 11th - 8m easy, 8:16avg
Went to Ballincollig regional park for this one, was nice to have another change of scenery. Went well, pace was faster then normal due to not running on grass.

Sat 12th - 6m easy, 8:37avg
Slower than usual trot around the Farm, legs felt quite heavy for some reason.

Didn't get the email about the Alphaflys going on sale. By the time I around to checking the website (and sportshoes), they were sold out in my size. Disappointed not to get them, but I'm sure they'll go on sale again before a race happens. OH managed to get a pair though, so at least I get reviews of them before I buy them

Sun 13th - 3m easy, 8m@6:45, 3m easy
Coach has prescribed 8 miles at 6:50 but a fellow runner was doing 8 miles at 6:45. I decided to run with her at the faster pace, be good to have company for the session. First fast mile was quite tough but I soon settled into the pace. We managed to keep things at a fairly steady pace for all 8. I feel we both helped with other, neither one of us wanted to even suggested dropping the pace. My legs felt tired towards the middle but felt strong with 2 miles left. Did tire for the last half mile but think that was more mental than physical.

A good end to a good weeks training

Weekly mileage - 54
Year to date - 1741

Treviso

Mon 14th - rest

Tues 15th - 7m easy, 8:22avg
7 miles on grass with the last 2.5 miles barefoot. Spent the majority of those barefoot miles trying to avoid pine cones on the ground. It did lead to one yelping jump in the air moment when I stopped looking where I was going.

Wed 16th - 20' WU, 20'@6:25, 5min rec, 15x1min on/off, 20' cd
Same session as last week but this time I had 15 minute reps instead of 12. Was joined by the same club runner as we had similar sessions. We're at roughly the same paces and sessions so will continue to run together when we can.

The 20 min at 6:25 were tough but manageable, again I saved myself during the last mile of it. Average pace of 6:23 for that. Tried to keep it controlled for the minute reps as I knew I had a lot to go through. First 6 were 5:37, 5:50, 5:43, 5:51, 5:48, 5:52. Started to feel it, next two were 5:42 and 5:53. Legs turned to jelly here. 5:49, 5:56, 5:47, 5:43. Last 3 and my legs were like stone - 5:54, 5:43, 5:43.

No fast finish this time, glad to complete and quite happy with the session

Thurs 17th - 7m easy, 8:36avg
Standard 7 miles on grass

Fri 18th - 8m easy, 8:30avg
Ran this one from Murphy farm to the straight road as my weekly change of scenery run continues. Was fine until the last mile when I developed some stomach cramps, which caused me to stop/run/shuffle back to the car. Been awhile since I experienced that feeling of needing to stop running before I soiled myself

Sat 19th - 6m easy, 8:35avg
6 miles on grass with the last mile barefoot

Sun 20th - 3m WU, 9m@6:45, 2m CD
Similar to last weeks but with 9 miles tempo instead of 8. Was joined by two other club runners, which made this session go a lot better. Tempo miles averaged at 6:42 so was extremely happy with it

Mon 21st - rest

Tues 22nd - 7m easy, 8:27avg
Standard 7 mile run on grass, with last 2.5 miles barefoot.

Wed 23rd - 7m easy, 8:29avg
Was meant to do a session today but was busy for the early part of the morning. Only had time to fit an easy run so went with that. Will do the session tomorrow instead.

So I have a 10k race coming up Saturday week in Killarney. Will be strange to have the week of race nerves back again. I did a 10k TT back in June of 38:30 (6:12avg). I hope I've improved enough since then to go sub 38, or as close to it as possible. Will require a 6:05 average so it's a tough challenge. Will see how tomorrow's 10k session goes

Treviso

Oh it's been a while since I last updated. I think I was waiting till after my 10k race to update the log, but laziness took over. The thoughts of updating 3 weeks of running didn't appeal to me, until now. Let's blitz through this

Thurs 24th - 6x6'@10kpace, 3 min recovery
Felt good for this session. The average pace for the 6 minutes was 6:06 and felt really good during them. Without wearing the magic shoes for the session, felt like it could be my likely pace for the upcoming race

Fri 25th - 8m easy, 8:34avg
UCC farm run on grass

Sat 26th - 6m easy, 8:47avg
Another grass run, legs felt sluggish

Sun 27th - 16x1'@5k, 1min recovery
Legs were good for this one, gave the 1 mins a good go. Felt strong towards the end too.

Mon 28th - rest

Tues 29th - 8x45sec@5k pace, 1:15 rec
Legs felt so good for this - amazing the difference between running 45sec and 60

Wed 30th - 6m easy, 8:21avg
UCC grass run

Thurs Oct 1st - 5m easy, 5x20' strides
Another grass run followed by some strides. Been ages since I did them

Fri Oct 2nd - 3m easy, 8:19avg
Stretched the legs, was feeling good

Treviso

Oct 3rd - Bluebell 10k - 39:08
This was a race organised by the new coach for all his athletes and some from another coach. It took place in the Killarney national park, around a 0.7-0.8 mile loop. 7 and a bit loops for a 10k. There was to be 3 waves of 15 runners, each wave depending on your projected time. I was in wave 2, along with the OH.

As myself and the OH were running this, we needed to bring the kids with us. Luckily, another runner's mother offered to look after them while we ran. Watched the first wave's race and a few dropped out over the course of it. Got my warmup in and changed into the magic shoes. Was feeling confident. The loop had a downhill start, three tight turns and 40-50m hill at the end

Went towards the front at the start line, wanted to stay just behind the frontrunners. Off we went and after the initial fast start, settled into a decent pace. We were warned that there were GPS issues for part of the loop and this was indeed the case. Glanced at the watch and it was showed 6:18 for the first mile. I knew it wasn't right but was still off the 6:05 target.

I couldn't rely on the watch after that so had to run by feel. There was a group of 2-3 runners ahead of me who I knew were quite faster than me so the aim was to keep them in my sight. I was counting the loops down after the 2 one, never a good sign. At one point I had to take a tight turn whilst squeezed inside a jaunting cart, defo slowed me down. But was still counting the loops down.

Noticed one or two from our wave had dropped out. I was in a weird feeling zone. I wasn't suffering fully or felt like I was going full throttle, but didn't want to push on either. I was happy with the pace and didn't want to blow up, plus the group of runners were still the same distance ahead of me. My kids turned up for the last 3 loops and thought it would be a good idea to race me from the bottom of the hill to the top each time I came around. Not sure they wanted to help me or delight in beating me to the top - it was entertaining me either ways.

Last loop is where I knew I was going to be slower than I imagined, which was a bit of a shock. I kept going though and finished strongly down the hill, catching the group of runners ahead of me in the end. Got the official time of 39:08. OH came in at 40:32, a PB but not the sub 40 she was aiming for.

Where to start. Won't lie, I was disappointed with the time afterwards and a day or two later. It's the first time I've ever run slower in a race. Myself and the OH thought the course was quite tough. From speaking to the coach afterward, he confirmed it. With the 3 tight turns and the drag, it was tough to get into a rhythm. Most runners in the 3 races found the going difficult - this made me feel better. I now feel good about the race, was a decent time on a tough course.

Finally, was great to meet DeepBlue from the 2019 Novices thread beforehand, him after completing his notparkrun run. He's after making some comeback since he only broke his collarbone end of July :eek:

Treviso

Recovery week
Sun 4th - 6m easy, 8:23avg
Legs were fine after the race. grass run

Mon 5th - rest

Tues 6th - 6m easy, 8:18avg
Legs felt great and quite spritely. Pace was faster than normal for this

Wed 7th - 6m easy
Went to Tramore Valley park for this. Wanted to do half the runs this week on the road, rather than being bored doing the same grass run everyday.

Thurs 8th - 7m easy, 8:25avg
Another grass run

Fri 9th - 8m easy, 8:05avg
Ran this on the Carrigaline to Crosshaven walkway. Was a nice change to the norm, so the pace was a bit faster than normal. Enjoyable though

Sat 10th - 6m easy, 12.5m easy
What a dose. Was meant to do 6 miles around the farm for this. Around 5 miles in, checked my pocket and noticed my car key wasn't there. After frantically searching every pocket, discovered a hole in said pocket. In a bit of a panic, I retraced my steps from the car and around the normal loop. Asking people as I passed them if they found a key, no one did. Finished retracing my steps but no sign. Went up to the groundsperson's hut but wasn't any sign of him.

After calming myself down, decided that I should run home and come back with the spare car key. It felt like it was so far away, but was only about 5-6 miles once I got the fastest route decided. In the end, it was actually quite a fun run - even with the hills. The last mile up the Frankfield hill turned out to be enjoyable. Good news was my long run was done for the weekend and I got some hill running in. Additionally, got a lift back out to the car to find a note on it saying the car key was found and dropped in. Turned out good in the end

Sun 11th - 5m easy, 8:24avg
Went out to the Farm again, despite my shame there the previous day.

Mileage this year - 1928

Laineyfrecks

Well done on the 10k, nice time on what sounds like a tough course!
Tell F big huge congrats on her PB