Spiral out - keep going

Mr. Guappa

Great running T. That's some improvement from Togher, well done. 10 laps seems like a particularly tough route to choose as well. It's great to see the consistent training bearing fruit.

Treviso

Laineyfrecks wrote: »

Brilliant run & time T! Delighted for you. The consistent training is paying off & it's great to see.

As D said lot's more to come from you with some more solid training! Well done:D

Thanks E, I kinda got lost in the avg pace needed to actually appreciate the sub 18. Great TT by you too yesterday, you'll be under 20 in no time.

OOnegative wrote: »

Great running & time.

But shame on you for doubting me!!

Wont happen again, I'm still only a blow-in

ReeReeG wrote: »

Bloody fabulous time and running. Another one which shows the benefits of consistent and dedicated training! Nice kick at the end too.

Thanks V, It was actually seeing your 1 mile TT that got me thinking of doing the same thing. Once I done that, I was more open to this TT. Great running by you yesterday as well, consistent training is paying off for you too

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

Unreal running, really well done man. More to come out of ya for sure, especially in a real race scenario.

Thanks Damo. Sorry to see that you didn't finish your own TT. I thought it may have been injury related, so happy that it wasn't. You'll be back for the next TT

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Brilliant stuff T.

You are really kicking on thru the gears this year. Scary thought but there's lots more to come too!

Thanks J. I do feel like the progress has been quite surreal alright. I seem to have bypassed 18 min results! Would've been interested to see what time you would've done for this, we'll get a 5k out of you sometime!

Treviso

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Great running T. That's some improvement from Togher, well done. 10 laps seems like a particularly tough route to choose as well. It's great to see the consistent training bearing fruit.

Thanks A, the short loop may have had some benefits but I'm sure the 20 turns didn't help. Also counting down from 6 laps to go made it even more mentally painful!

Treviso

Day 45 - rest

I wanted to go out for a run today and ease my legs back into life but didn't really have the desire to do it. Spent the time instead with the kids and did plenty of walking up and down hills for the day. 2 rest days in 3 days - what has happened to me!!

Day 46 - 7m easy, 9.05avg

This was the day I eased the legs back into running and whilst they did still feel a bit dead during this run, the miles did them the world of good.

Day 47 - 2x2m@6.45 w 1m@8min float

Didn't know how the legs would react to this one, being so close to the TT. Went to Tramore Valley again for this. Two mile warmup and off I set at a nice pace. Was trying to make myself believe that 6.45 was a moderate pace for me now, and it did for the first half mile. Who was I kidding, the rest of the rep was a tempo effort to complete. 6.45 6.44
The 8 minute mile was ok, was a bit slower as I ran around a football pitch for it - 8.16
Can't remember much about the second rep but it seemed hard but manageable 6.43 6.40
I was happy with that. Did a 1 mile cool down around the football pitch

Day 48 - 7m easy, 8.22avg

I think the run yesterday woke my legs up as they were quite spritely for this run. Ran in Tramore Valley again so maybe they were reacting to running in the same place so soon

Day 49 - 7m easy, 8.48avg

I was meant to rest today but decided to run seeing as I had a rest day on Sunday. Will take the rest day on Saturday instead, between two tough runs. Tried to slow the paces down as much as I could, knew there was nothing to gained from it.

Day 50 - 5m@6.55

Wasn't really in the mood for this one. Had to go to TVP again for this and wasn't looking forward to the lumpy nature of the route (thankfully I can run elsewhere now after todays news). Had to go a bit later than normal, weather was good, so the place was packed. Did a 2 mile warmup as always. Luckily before I started, a nasty shower of hailstones came which emptied the walkways for me.

Again I tried to kid myself that 6.55 is a nice moderate, potential MP for me. It actually did feel ok for a lot of it, but 26 miles at that pace you gotta be kidding me. I'm getting there though. I remember doing 2 miles MP (7.55) a few days before DCM last year and I didn't believe I could do that pace either.

Got to the 4 mile tempo marker and i wasn't feeling too bad at all, felt i could do another couple at that pace. I'm not sure if its a mental thing and my body knows when I'm in the last mile, but suddenly the last mile was tough. Hit all the paces though 6.55, 6.57, 6.48, 6.48, 6.50
1 mile cool down.

Nice news about the new 5km restrictions this evening. Means I can go back to the usual Blackrock loop for most of my runs. Will be happy to run on nice flat walkways again

Treviso

Day 51 - 2m@6.35, 3min rec 4x800m@5.57 w 90sec rec

Got to be honest here and admit that I went outside the 2km zone for this run, but inside the new 5km. I don't see the difference between today and Tuesday. Glad to back around the flatter Blackrock loop. Went quite early, for me, for this. Legs still felt asleep starting the 2 fast miles. Pace was quite a push but manageable for the 2 miles (it's only when I turned back that i realised that I had a wind behind me) - 6.33, 6.30

Needed to walk the 3 min recovery. Started on the 800s, into the wind, after the initial burst for the first one, I started to struggle to keep the pace up for the rest of it. Second one and my legs were like jelly. Third one and I was really pushing to the max. Last one I did get the wind behind me but still had to really push it. Rep times were 2.59, 3.00, 3.01, 2.58

Despite missing the times, factoring in the wind and tired legs from the tempo run on Friday, I was happy with this.

Mileage this week - 45 miles
Year to date - 832

Day 52 - 7m easy, 9.03avg

Very tired legs today so took it as easy as I could on grass. It was a 3 loop run in which I wanted to stop after each one. Glad I continued though. Afterwards, our family did a 5k walk/run for a local charity. Walked the 3k and convinced our 2 girls to run the last 2k around a pitch. 5 laps of the pitch, and even though they stopped for water after each lap, managed to complete the full distance. Very proud Mum and Dad afterwards

Treviso

Day 53 - 7m easy, 9.03avg

A nice bank holiday run on the closed farm. No one would be working there today so was able to run on grass without anyone telling me to leave.

Day 54 - 7m easy, 8.22avg

Did this around the Blackrock loop. It was good to be back running this. It makes the 7 miles goes by so much faster than doing shorter loops. Pace was a bit fast but it felt comfortable

Day 55 - 2m@6.35, 3min rec, 6x400s in 85sec w 90sec rec

Similar to last Sundays run except it was 400s instead of 800s and the route was flatter. Still the 2 miles at 6.35 were quite tough on the legs. Did them in 6.28 and 6.31 Needed to walk the 3 minutes again to give me a chance to recover properly.

Started the first 400 and my legs felt like jelly for it. Was worried it would get worse for the next 5 but thankfully I settled into them. Walked the 90 seconds recovery again. 6 rep times were 83, 84, 84, 86, 83, 80 That 86 seconds rep really annoyed me (still does). Was running with the wind so probably took it easier than I should

Day 56 - 7m easy, 8.33avg

Another of Blackrock and again it goes by quickly. Didn't want to go too fast as I knew I had a tough run again the following day

Day 57 - 5x1m@6.27 w 2min rec

Didn't know what to expect from this one. Started off running and realised I never programmed the watch for the session. Stopped after the 2 mile warmup and put it in. First fast mile went and I felt it already. Walked the 2 minutes. I really struggled through the rest of them, even though the times were faster than target. Walked all recoveries. Might get to a point where I'll be able to jog the recoveries, but not at this moment. Fast mile times were 6.18, 6.19, 6.19, 6.23, 6.25

Day 58 - much needed rest

We got a skip delivered to the house on Wednesday so I have been filling that full of soil from the garden all week. You could say I've been doing a hard S&C class every day since. Spent a good bit today doing this - arms and legs were hanging off me afterwards

Day 59 - 10m@7.25

Well I definitely didn't miss these longer runs, especially at a fast enough pace. 12 miles in total when including the warmup and down. I knew the legs were tired from the week's sessions and skip filling duties. During the first 2 faster miles, I had doubts about whether I could continue at that pace or if I'd have to reduce it to an easy pace instead. I did settle down into it by mile 3 and the 7.25 pace did feel like a moderate tempo pace then. Legs did struggle towards the end but all in all a good run. Mile times were
7.22, 7.21, 7.16, 7.11, 7.29, 7.21, 7.23, 7.20, 7.14, 7.12

Mileage this week - 50
Year to date - 882

Good to be back in the 50 mile mark for the week. In a world with no races for the foreseeable future, it's ironic the amount of virtual TTs that I am now involved in. Our club (which I have yet to run for!!) is doing a 5 mile TT every month, starting end of May. I also signed up for the Boards 1 mile TT, which will be a good old laugh. Will be interesting to see if I can beat the 5.06 I did a few weeks back or if the course I did it on was favourable.

Also, the coach wants me to do a 10k TT end of June so that'll be a hard one. In my head, I reckon a 10k TT will be too far to push myself into a race level of pain. But we'll see what happens.

Comic Book Guy

Did you do a 10k TT towards the end of the P&D marathon plan or did you change it up a bit?

I'd look on it as good mental strength training as well as a 10k TT. Easy for me to say looking on though T!!

Treviso

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Did you do a 10k TT towards the end of the P&D marathon plan or did you change it up a bit?

I'd look on it as good mental strength training as well as a 10k TT. Easy for me to say looking on though T!!

I think I tried to do a 10k TT during the tail end of the P&D plan for DCM. I ended up reducing it to a 5 mile TT mid run as I was suffering greatly. That's where I see the difficulty. It all well and good suffering for 3 miles, but not sure i could do it for 6 and a bit.

We'll see though, I'll be well versed in the TT stakes by then so might be able to get through it J

skyblue46

I was just wondering about the walking of recoveries. Doctors and coaches alike differ and obviously your's differs from those who have impacted on me. I have been guided by two things...jogging recoveries improves endurance and that you should finish a session feeling like you could do one or two more reps. I'd probably slow the reps and jog the recoveries. Is it something you have asked the coach about? I'd love to learn more about the thinking.

Lambay island

Treviso wrote: »

I think I tried to do a 10k TT during the tail end of the P&D plan for DCM. I ended up reducing it to a 5 mile TT mid run as I was suffering greatly. That's where I see the difficulty. It all well and good suffering for 3 miles, but not sure i could do it for 6 and a bit.

We'll see though, I'll be well versed in the TT stakes by then so might be able to get through it J

You are a different beast now alright. The difference between a 5k and 10k is that you can split a 10k into two races so you dont have to suffer early. A conservative start with a negative split is ideal for a 10km time trial IMO. I wouldn't fancy a time trial that is anyway longer though.

Treviso

skyblue46 wrote: »

I was just wondering about the walking of recoveries. Doctors and coaches alike differ and obviously your's differs from those who have impacted on me. I have been guided by two things...jogging recoveries improves endurance and that you should finish a session feeling like you could do one or two more reps. I'd probably slow the reps and jog the recoveries. Is it something you have asked the coach about? I'd love to learn more about the thinking.

Thanks S, I did ask the question last month to the coach and was told I could walk or jog the recoveries. But thinking back again, I was doing mainly 5k/10k training then so the recoveries were shorter. I guess I took the easy way out and continue to do so - think it goes back to my soccer background and how I recover quite quickly from a short walking break.

To me, hitting the paces are key to me and I always feel like I have another few in me, especially for 400s and 800s. Where I need to change is going faster than I should and then walking the recoveries. My focus should be to run them on pace and then try to jog the recoveries, which will help my endurance. Need to learn the difference between running hard and running my hardest every session

Treviso

Lambay island wrote: »

You are a different beast now alright. The difference between a 5k and 10k is that you can split a 10k into two races so you dont have to suffer early. A conservative start with a negative split is ideal for a 10km time trial IMO. I wouldn't fancy a time trial that is anyway longer though.

Thanks D, I might be a different beast but that'll mean I'll have to run it faster

You're right about starting conservatively though, that will be key. So many 10k race reports I've read mentioned it's like a 5k but with double the length of suffering!

skyblue46

Treviso wrote: »

Thanks S, I did ask the question last month to the coach and was told I could walk or jog the recoveries. But thinking back again, I was doing mainly 5k/10k training then so the recoveries were shorter. I guess I took the easy way out and continue to do so - think it goes back to my soccer background and how I recover quite quickly from a short walking break.

To me, hitting the paces are key to me and I always feel like I have another few in me, especially for 400s and 800s. Where I need to change is going faster than I should and then walking the recoveries. My focus should be to run them on pace and then try to jog the recoveries, which will help my endurance. Need to learn the difference between running hard and running my hardest every session

Yeah that makes sense. There are days when hard won't quite hit the paces and there's no need to bust yourself to hit them. Sessions, as well as placing physical stresses on you, are basically about making you feel comfortable running fast.

Treviso

Day 60 - 7m easy, 8.45avg

Took a chance by going to the farm for the run, felt I needed the grass running. Seemed to be a bit more people out so maybe they're not asking people to leave anymore. Anyway, bog standard 7m easy - legs felt good

Day 61 - 7m easy, 8.59avg

Deja vue, exact same run today but a bit slower in preparation for tomorrow session. Still trying to fill the skip with soil after each run, body is actually getting used to the manual labour.

Day 62 - 8m prog

I think this was my first proper progression run, with each mile faster than the last. Started at 7.55 pace, increase of 10 seconds each mile - 5 secs for the last few. After a 1 mile warmup, started the faster miles but it felt so slow at 7.55 - great sign to be honest. Had to slow myself for the first few miles, knowing that I'd need it later. Halfway through and I felt good, 7.15 and 7.10 miles came and went - still felt good. Last 2 miles at 7 & 6.55 and they also felt ok. These progress runs are great! Miles time were
7.53, 7.48, 7.29, 7.25, 7.13, 7.10, 6.58, 6.48

Day 63 - 7m easy, 8.56avg

Exact same run as Monday and Tuesday, grass running is what the legs need. Skip is nearly full too, but I may need another one :rolleyes:

Treviso

Day 64, 8x800 in 3min w 90secs rec

Fairly routine session on paper, but it turned out to be tougher than expected. Did 2 miles warmup and started on the 800s. After last week saying that I needed to start jogging recoveries for speed sessions, I ended up walking the recoveries here. I felt that 8 reps, with a 50% recovery time, was not the time to start jogging.

Rep times were 2.59, 3.00, 2.59, 2.59, 3.01, 3.00, 2.59, 2.58 They seem so consistent when you look at them here but it took a lot of effort to get a lot of them in on time. Overall a great session, near the limit but felt good afterwards

Day 65, rest

Day 66, 2x3m@6.40 w 1/2m@9min float

Didn't know how I would handle this one, seemed like a big jump in pace with a shorter recovery time for these 2x3. Anyway, I alway want to test myself so I was up for the challenge. Two miles warmup and off I set on the first set of 3 miles. Forgot to press the lap button to begin the session so wasted 10 seconds at the start.

6.40 pace was ok, not comfortable but not too stressful for the first mile. Second mile and I was beginning to feel it in the legs.Third mile and it was a push to get it done. Mile times were 6.39, 6.42, 6.34

Half mile recovery came and went in a shot. Before I knew it, I had to go off again still not fully recovered. First mile was ok, but started to struggle on the second one. Just gritted my teeth and tried to maintain the pace for the rest of it. Counted down the rest of the distance in my head. Got to the last mile and felt I could get to the end. Had to stop at the end to catch my breath for a few seconds. Miles were 6.40, 6.34, 6.35

Again, another hard but challenging session with no ill effects afterwards.

Mileage this week - 49.9 (didn't feel the need to get to 50)
Year to date - 932

This week has an interesting session to start with, same 3 mile@6.40 but followed by some hill sprints this time. I've also got a 5 mile virtual run with the club on Friday (first actual race with them, if it even counts). I don't think I'll race it full tilt but might aim for a 6.20-6.30 pace for it (with VaporFlys)

Treviso

Day 67 - 7m easy, 9.01avg

Legs were tired after Sunday's run so did 7m easy on grass at the UCC farm.

Day 68 - 5m easy, 8.59avg

Another run in the farm. Legs felt ok but kept the pace slow and reduced the mileage from 7m to 5m. Decided to run the 5 mile TT the following day so it was a kind of mini taper!

Day 69 - 5m Virtual Race, 31.04, 6.13avg

We had a choice of date to run this 5 mile, 20th - 22nd. Originally pencilled it in for the Friday but decided to move it to Wednesday instead. Felt it would be better to run after 2 easy days instead of 2 days after a session. By moving the day, I didn't really think too much about it, had the plan to run it at 6.30 pace first, then changed to 6.20-6.30. I think on the day I was close to running it at full tilt. Gave myself every advantage on the race and route. Vaporflys were on, had the wind behind me for the majority of the run and the route was flat. Did a 2 mile warmup to get to the beginning of the route.

Mile 1
Again probably went off too fast, but the pace felt comfortable at the time. Glanced down at the watch and pace was around 6.10. Said I would keep it around that seeing how it felt so comfortable. By the end of the first mile, pace started to kick in. Had to remind myself that it was a 5 mile race, not a 5k. 6.09

Mile 2
Pace was still around the 6.10 mark but I really needed to slow it down a bit. There was no way I was keeping this up for another 4 miles. Pace slowed a small bit, was still working but it eased the pressure somewhat. 6.13

Mile 3
Was a bit more twist and turns on this mile, along with more traffic to deal with. It was a welcome distraction to the pace I was running, mind was concentrated elsewhere. Towards the end of the mile, checked my watch for my HR as I felt I was really working. It was a high 178, bit close to the red zone I thought.6.14

Mile 4
Start of the mile was straight into the wind. That along with me suffering meant the pace dropped somewhat. Once I turned the corner and gained wind advantage I was able to pick up the pace again. I was checking my watch all the time, which is a bad sign as I know the route off by heart and how much was left to run. 6.19

Mile 5
Last mile and I'm just doing everything I can to keep going at the same pace. Really out of breath for the whole mile but legs kept going. Eventually the watch beeped for the end of the mile and I was able to stop and collapse into a heap on the grass. 6.08

Checked the watch and it was 31.04, which meant nothing to me, but averaged at 6.13 pace. Was really happy with how this went, but didn't expect it to be so hard. I'm already dreading the 10k next month - seems like it'll be just a painfest from mile 2 onwards (mile 1 will inevitably be too fast). I'm actually looking forward to the 1 mile TT next week - 1 mile suffering doesn't seem too bad in comparison!

Treviso

Day 70 - 6m recovery, 9.04avg

After race day yesterday, I headed out to the Farm to run at whatever pace felt like recovery to me. Legs actually didn't feel as bad as i thought they would be, but still didn't push it.

Day 71 - 3m@6.40 4min jog recovery, 18x45sec hill sprints

Its only today that I realised that I misread the plan - it should have been 15 hill sprints instead of 18. It's done now I suppose. It was quite windy today so used the tailwind for most of the 3 mile tempo which averaged at 6.39 for the three.

Forgot to add the recovery to the workout so had to pause the watch and guessimate the 4 mins recovery. Picked a nice hill for the sprints but the GPS was quite bad where it was. Felt I put in a 1 mile effort into those sprints and also jogged the recovery back down. 11.5m in total the session, which in the end felt quite comfortable. I still was fearful that I would get some DOMS the following day

Day 72 - rest
No DOMs but legs were a bit tired alright

Day 73 - 6x1k in 3.50 w 90sec recovery

Beautiful morning in Cork, was really hot for the run and the walkways were thronged. Did 2 miles warmup in which I felt quite leggy. As soon as I started the first rep, they started to loosen up. Due to the crowded nature of the walkways I had to do a u-turn during 2 of them - it was either that or come to a complete stop. Have to admit that the 6.10 pace for the last couple felt quite comfortable. rep times were 3.48, 3.48, 3.50, 3.50, 3.52, 3.48

Weekly mileage 48
Year to date 979

I feel quite pleased with myself after this week's efforts. To feel quite comfortable for those sessions after the 5 mile race is quite encouraging to me

Next week seems to be a stepback week, except I'll be adding in the 1 mile TT

Treviso

Day 74 - 7m easy, 8.49avg

Easy miles around the farm on grass, nice bit of heat early in the morning - sign of things to come for the week. Spent the 7 miles avoiding the groundsman cutting the grass in fear that he asks me to leave (Farm is officially closed)

Day 75 - 7m easy, 9.05avg

Another easy 7 around the farm and continued the cat and mouse with the groundsman. Strangely they had the pesticide spraying warning signs up so either they were spraying or they wanted to frighten the people away. Decided to continue the run there, still alive so far. Another balmy morning

Day 75 - 4m@6.40 5min jog, 6x400m@6min w 90sec recovery

Had to do this session just before noon and it was quite the hot day at that time, around 19C. Was even feeling the heat during the warmup, had to drench myself in water before starting on the 4 mile. The 6.40 felt comfortable at the start but knew there was a long way to go. Started to feel it with a mile and half to go - did 3 miles at that pace last week so maybe it was me remembering that run. Close it out with an average of 6.39.

5 min jog included a stop at the car for another soaking of water. The 5 minute recovery saw me going from how am i going to do these 400s to I need to hold back on the pace for these! In order to hold back the pace, I was going to spilt the 90 sec recoveries to 30 second walk, 60 second jog recovery. Felt it was an improvement over full walking recovery. Anyway, reps were
88, 89, 88, 89, 89, 88
Felt comfortable in the end which was a weird feeling after thinking that it would be quite a monster session. Also completed my 1000 mile during the 400s!!

Day 76 - 7m easy,

After Tuesday run in the pesticide farm, I felt I would give it a miss today and go for a jaunt around the Blackrock loop. Weather was quite warm again but was really nice for an easy run.

Rest day tomorrow before the 1 mile TT on Saturday. I must be going against the norm in that I feel quite ok about it. It's probably due to completing one of these recently enough. Will have to do this earlier than planned due to the warm weather, and checking the wind for Saturday probably need to change direction of it too.

Treviso

Day 77 - Rest

Day 78 - Boards 1 mile TT - 5.06

I knew I would have to run this one early, one to avoid the savage heat that was there and two to get back to the house in time to look after the eldest daughter. I'm still not used to early morning runs - legs felt very dead during the 2 mile warmup. The path was really full with walkers and cyclists, so I was fearing the worst.

Back into the car for a quick blast of AC to cool me down whilst changing into the Next%. The path has a full mile marked out on it (which measures long I think) so I walked towards the start line. Path looked less busy than before so selected the 1 mile workout on the watch and toed the line.

Took off a bit fast as usual, although I looked at the watch and it said 5.10 which didn't make sense to me (turns out it was a dodgy GPS spot). Not sure if I sped up or kept the same pace but next look show a 4.50 pace. At this spot, not even halfway, my legs signalled a degree of tiredness to my brain - a fatigued feeling. Started to struggle then. Any notion of sub 5 was long gone and did think about aborting, strangely enough.

Passed the halfway and mentally I got back into it. I felt like I was increasing my speed but looking at Garmin afterwards, it was decreasing all the way to the finishing line. Like an anti-progress run. Nothing left to give at the end as the finishing beeps kicked in. Stopped the watch and saw 5.06.

Initial reaction was meh - no improvement. Happily, my legs didn't experience the same cramps as the last time. It was my throat that was killing me - gasping in breath had made it so dry. On the warm down back to the car, started to think that the previous 1 mile route over 3 short loops had in fact been generous time wise. So this indeed was an improvement.

Maybe another day I'll go for the sub 5, we need another sub 5 thread now that Dubh G will retire his one. Was great to see all the other times and reports come in. Seeing the table and how high up I came reminds me of the answer I gave in the DCM 2019 Novice thread as an introduction

Treviso wrote: »

What is your biggest worry/fear/doubt (if you have any!) in signing up?
Apart from injury, which is everyone's fear, my biggest concern is I will never be happy with the times I run. I will constantly seek to improve and improve those times whilst never enjoying the actually achievement of running them

Need to enjoy these times

Day 79 - 7m easy, 8.54avg

Legs felt really good all day after the TT, so debated whether to run my tempo run today. Decided to do an easy run instead, just in case. 7 easy miles around the Farm, with no groundsman working on the weekend - happy days.

Today I would've been running the Cork HM, with others running the full. One of the positives of COVID is the cancelling of this event. Cork city would have resembled a war zone with bodies of people everywhere from running in this heat

Day 80, 9m@7.15 tempo

Another scorcher predicted today so tried to get out early for this too. Was still in the high teens starting this just after 8am. Surprising how easy the 7.15 pace felt. I guess after spending the last few weeks running under 7 min pace, this is why. When I say easy, I mean a more moderate tempo feeling - felt I had a few more miles running at that pace in me at the end. Averaged 7.11 for the tempo miles. Back into the car, temperature was reading 22.

Treviso

Day 81 - 7m easy, 8.45avg

For me, this was the hottest day of the recent good weather. Ran around the UCC farm again. Legs felt a bit weary after yesterday's run. Back into the car to see the temp reading at 29C

Day 82 - 7m easy, 8.48avg

Carbon copy of the day before, except it was much much cooler. Extra easy day gave the legs a bit of a break heading into the rest of the week's hard work.

Day 83 - 5m@6.48, 5min jog, 4x400m@6.00 w 60sec rec

Similar to last week's session but extra mile and slightly slower pace. Wind was quite strong today so took advantage of a tailwind for majority of the 5 miles part. 6.48 pace felt ok but definitely was feeling it towards the last 2 miles. Averaged the 5 miles at 6.46. 5 minute jog and I was feeling ok. Only problem is the 400s had to be done into the wind. Was quite a struggle but got them in under the 90 seconds - 87, 88, 86, 86

Day 84 - rest

Day 85 - 6m@6.50

Fierce strong winds this morning. Again tried to take advantage of a tailwind as much of possible, but it did mean I needed to take the first mile into a strong headwind. That came in at 7.04 and took quite an effort to make that. Changed direction and was able to recover while keeping the pace below 6.50. Apart from half a mile, rest of the 5 miles were with the wind. Overall, the 6 miles averaged at 6.44 which I was delighted with. It's only when I turned around for the cooldown I was reminded of how strong that wind was.

Day 86 - 18x25sec hill sprints

I know, I know - two sessions in a row is not recommended but this is similar to the P&D plan days where a long run followed a race. Running on tired legs is meant to provide lots of benefits and legs felt ok heading out for this. A 2 mile warmup to loosen myself up and off I set on the 18 reps.

Didn't worry about the pace but knew I wanted to give it full effort. Jogged the recoveries and after the first one, tried to keep them to 1 minute. Got tired a lot quicker than normal on these but dug deep knowing I had two easy days after this. Pace on the sprints did slow as the reps progressed but brought it back towards the end. Averged pace for the sprints was 5.22 so was happy with that. Love how the Garmin 645 gives zero elevation for the hill, not it's strongest feature.

Weekly mileage - 52
Year to date - 1074

My short term plan is for a 10k TT on the 20th of June, followed by the 10 mile Boards TT on the 4th of July. Will then look to concentrate training for the Charleville HM on the 13th of September. From looking at the website, it's looks like they are doing everything to ensure that the events goes ahead. Having a race to plan for, and on a course as good as Charleville, will be a previous unthinkable bonus.

healy1835

Hope you're right about Charleville. (and cheers for the heads up )

Treviso

Day 87 - 7m recovery, 9.14avg

Legs were stiff after the double session weekend, so I went as slow as I felt I needed to. They loosened up some bit over the course of the miles but still kept it slow. Running on grass

Day 88 - 7m easy, 8.48avg

Another grass run, but legs were feeling better. Not exactly pushing it, another comfy run.

Day 89 - 2x3m@6.35 w 1m@8min rec

Oh boy, I hate these sessions. Had a fear of this before I started and it proved to be right. Looking at the wind direction, I was going to take advantage of the tailwind for all the fast miles. To do this, did 2.5 miles warm up to Blackrock castle. Started on the first rep mile a bit too fast, reigned it in a bit and settled into a good rhythm. Last mile was a bit of an effort but think I was saving myself for the second rep - 6.29, 6.30, 6.39
Recovery mile at 8 minute pace was ok, but not recovery pace.
Second rep started and there was no starting the first mile too fast this time. Quite the opposite, I found it hard to get to the 6.35 pace. Again, got into a constant pace but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Two miles left and I started to struggle. Got the last mile and my legs were gone - felt it was the last mile of a race and had to dig in. Finished the last mile and had to stop for 20 seconds to recover. 6.36, 6.34, 6.31
2.5 miles cooldown. Delighted to get this over and done with. Legs are quite tired all day after it though.

Damo 2k9

That's some session, fair play! I think being tired after that is aloud.

I find those 'float recoverys' are both a blessing and a curse. They keep u going at a decent enough pace that getting back to target pace isint as hard, but at the same time you'd love an oul rest :pac:

Treviso

Day 90 - 5m recovery, 8.56avg

Legs were wrecked after yesterday's session so cut the run from 7 to 5 miles and took it as easy as I could. Did loosen up towards the end but wanted to be as fresh as possible for the session the following day

Day 91 - 8x1k in 3:45 w 2min rec

Normally I wouldn't be worried about this session but I knew the legs were still tired. Convertied the km pace needed to an even 6min/mile pace to give myself some room if I was struggling. Did a 2 mile warmup, started the first rep and felt ok for it. Hit the pace but decided to walk the recoveries just in case. Second rep, same outcome but legs felt heavy towards the end. Same for the next 2 but legs were getting heavier earlier and earlier with each one and I was only halfway through.

Struggled to hit the 6min/mile pace for the next 3 and had to really knuckle down to get them anywhere near where they should be. Last two I was able to start strong and get it on pace. KM times were

3:41, 3:42, 3:44, 3:47, 3:46, 3:47, 3:45, 3:43

Another tough session but was happy with the outcome, even if I had to put so much effort into it

Day 92 - rest

Day 93 - 9m, 5m@7.10, 4m@6.58

Was hoping the day of rest would bring the legs back to life some bit. They felt ok starting out but I was wary of them tiring early in this run. Started the first couple of miles quite well, ahead of pace and was feeling quite good. Got through the 5 at 7.10 ok but felt it getting the pace below 7 minutes. With enough effort, I was able to eek out the pace and maintain it for the rest of the run. Was delighted to finish it. Averaged the 5m at 7.07 and the last 4m at 6.54.

Weekly mileage - 51
Year to date - 1125

Really tough week, body is tired after it, but satisfied with how it went. Have two easy days coming up so will give the legs the chance to full recover. 10k TT next Saturday, will look to go below 39 minutes

coogy

Treviso wrote: »

Day 89 - 2x3m@6.35 w 1m@8min rec

Oh boy, I hate these sessions. Had a fear of this before I started and it proved to be right. Looking at the wind direction, I was going to take advantage of the tailwind for all the fast miles. To do this, did 2.5 miles warm up to Blackrock castle. Started on the first rep mile a bit too fast, reigned it in a bit and settled into a good rhythm. Last mile was a bit of an effort but think I was saving myself for the second rep - 6.29, 6.30, 6.39
Recovery mile at 8 minute pace was ok, but not recovery pace.
Second rep started and there was no starting the first mile too fast this time. Quite the opposite, I found it hard to get to the 6.35 pace. Again, got into a constant pace but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Two miles left and I started to struggle. Got the last mile and my legs were gone - felt it was the last mile of a race and had to dig in. Finished the last mile and had to stop for 20 seconds to recover. 6.36, 6.34, 6.31
2.5 miles cooldown. Delighted to get this over and done with. Legs are quite tired all day after it though.

Hey T, interesting to read how you got on with this, as I had an almost identical session this morning. My recovery was 5 mins though (which I ended up mostly walking) but started to really hurt at the end, not quite sure how I managed to see it out!
Still, like you, was really glad to have gotten it done!

Treviso

coogy wrote: »

Hey T, interesting to read how you got on with this, as I had an almost identical session this morning. My recovery was 5 mins though (which I ended up mostly walking) but started to really hurt at the end, not quite sure how I managed to see it out!
Still, like you, was really glad to have gotten it done!

Ah great K, glad I'm not the only person being put through these hellish sessions Just checked your run on Strava and you put in a serious shift for it - well done.

I do believe these type of sessions really bring on your endurance, an area that is my weakest. That is probably why I struggle so much with them. It's a love/hate relationship in that I really hate doing them, but they're the sessions I need to do in order to get the most improvement.

coogy

Yeah, I feel exactly the same way although I do find the shorter stuff(200's/400's/800's) much more manageable.

When they go your way, they're a great confidence booster too, especially with this time trial on the horizon.

Treviso

10k TT week

Day 94 - 7m easy, 9.05avg

From memory, the legs were super tired for this run so took it handy around the UCC farm. Bog standard 7m easy for me

Day 95 - 6m easy, 8.56avg

Same as above but the legs felt a lot better

Day 96 - 4m@6.35, 4min jog, 2x800m@5.50 w 30sec rec

Quite a serious session to be doing the week of a 10k TT but who am I to question it. I decided to wear my vaporflys to help with the paces and aid recovery. It was also the 2nd race of our club's 5 mile summer series. Decided to do 1 mile warmup and the 4 miles at 6.35 for that race. The 4 miles at 6.35 felt good with the VFs on, was still putting in loads of effort but not out on my feet afterwards. Averaged 6.26 for the 4. Four minute recovery jog came and went and off I went on the first 800. Really found it a struggle to hit the 5.50 pace without pushing it massively. Finished it and the 30 seconds disappeared so fast, the second one was such a struggle without a proper recovery. 800s were 2:54 and 2:55 so bang on time.

Day 97 - 5m easy, 9.01avg

Ran this at 7am, earliest I've ever run. Compared to other early morning nutters, it's not that early at all, but it was a new experience for me. Didn't like it at all, body didn't feel right, legs felt dead. Got a stitch for no reason whatsoever. Fair play to those that have to, or decide to run at these times (OH included). Not for me though. At least I had the whole day ahead of me when I finished, so it had one plus point

Day 98 - rest

Day 99 - 10k TT, 38.34 (6.12avg)

Would have looked better if I did this on Day 100, as if I planned it to come down to this day. Weather outlook didn't look great in terms of wind as the day progressed so went out as early as possible, 9am (early for normal folks that is). One mile warmup to break in a new pair of epic react and bumped into the brother and sister finishing their charity HM run. Epic reacts felt really cushioned and nice to run in. Changed into the Next% for the TT, which put the epic react cushioning to shame.

As the wind was picking up, was going to get as much advantage from it as possible so would have to do a U-turn under 2 miles into the run. Planned to keep it around 6.10 average pace so setup a workout of 10k which displayed average pace and distance left.

Mile 1 and the traditional fast starting continued as I went off at sub 6 minute pace. It felt good but I knew from previous experience that would only last so long. As the mile went on, the pace drifted to over 6 minutes 6.06

Mile 2 had a crosswind initially but was gradually turning a bend into a headwind. Was coming close to where I needed to do the U-turn, noticed 2 cyclists behind me for a while and was willing them to pass me. They stayed right behind me for ages, to the point where I needed to turn. Gave a roar out that I was turning, which probably took them by surprised, so I slowed and made the turn. Bit of confusion on their part but I was turned. Not the most ideal turn, heart rate was up and right calf really felt the sudden movement.6.17

Mile 3 Tried to calm myself for this mile and get back into rhythm. Avg pace was at 6.13 so was happy at that time. Again a cross wind for this mile.6.16

Mile 4 Passed the halfway point and was maintaining the same pace, avg around the 6.13-14 mark. Knew at this stage that I wouldn't be able to get that below 6.10, unless I found new found energy in the last 2 miles.6.16

Mile 5 No sign of new found energy, quite the opposite. First half mile of this went into a strong headwind so had to put in massive effort to keep the pace going for this. Once I turned the corner and got some relief of a tailwind, I felt I was done. It was just a matter of keeping the legs going and the current pace till the end 6.14

Mile 6 Really felt wrecked, not sure how I kept going. Legs were shot to pieces. Back to the old days where they felt heavy and could only go at one pace. It's amazing at the end of a race/run when you feel like this and thinking you're slowing down, it turns out being close to your fastest mile. 6.07

.2 mile Realised I was running out of walkway so needed to circle the car park to finish this. Luckily no one was about to hear my grunts or see the state of my face as the watch beep down to the finish. Final beep, remembered to stop the watch before collapsing onto the grass.6.05

Both calves were cramping badly so did everything I could to stretch them out. Finally was able to walk it out some bit before shuffling back 2 miles to the car. Calves have been tight all day today, will hope a 5 mile recovery run will sort them out tomorrow

Garmin has me at 38.34. Strava's moving time is 38.37 but 10k record is 38.30. So I'll go with the Garmin time for this. Really happy with the time, conditions weren't ideal but I did get advantage of some tailwind. I'm hoping that in race conditions and being tapered properly, I could go under 38.

Will have to go through the Boards 10 mile TT in two weeks time, the thoughts of that right now don't feel appealing. I can only imagine what 1 hour of hurt will feel like. Will worry about that later, will have a few beers tonight to celebrate the TT and me being another year older tomorrow

Laineyfrecks

Well done on the 10k TT, great time!
Enjoy those few beers & happy birthday for tomorrow:D

Wubble Wubble

Serious clipping on that TT.
Happy Birthday. Hope the beers went down well :pac: